Don't Call Me Daddy

Ashford Falls #1

by Jeré Anthony

My family was never supposed to meet my fake fiancee.

Except she just walked into my hospital room, looking just as surprised as I am.

All because of one white lie. They think we’ve been together for a year, but I only met her last night.

I panicked after my father didn’t name me as the next CEO of our family’s billion-dollar company. His reasoning was that “I care *too* much about work”. In fact, the whole small town we live in thinks I’m too rigid and too serious.

I just need to convince everyone I can loosen up and enjoy myself.

They might believe the lie, but I know what happens when I get distracted.

Besides, Ivy is too young for me and too bright & optimistic about the world.

It’s only supposed to be for a month. She’ll live with me and I’ll put up with her teasing.

I can’t let myself fall in love with my fiancee no matter how tempting her smart mouth...

But when she calls me “Daddy”, I know I’m ruined for anyone else.

Don't Call Me Daddy is a laugh-out-loud, scorching hot romantic comedy set in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains and is the first in a brand new series following the five Kingsley brothers.


• Small Town in the Appalachian Mountains
• Grumpy Billionaire CEO
• Age/Gap
• Fake Engagement
• Daddy Dom/Brat Vibes
• Grumpy/Sunshine
• Checklist Adventure
• Annoyances to Lovers

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fake Dating, BDSM, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Spicy

468 pages, Paperback

Published June 12, 2024

About the author

Jeré Anthony (pronounced like hooray with a J) writes steamy, swoony, and hilarious romantic comedies with depth.

She is a mental health advocate, a lifelong anxiety warrior, and is ADHD AF. Her quirks bleed out into her stories making for an exciting group of characters. Because of her undiagnosed ADHD, growing up she always felt different from everyone around her. Now she strives to create stories that give readers an escape from reality while also helping them feel seen.

She loves a strong cup of coffee and thinks beer + buffalo wings are a delicacy that is unmatched.

Jeré currently lives in NW Arkansas with her husband, three children, dog, and two cats. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, driving her kids all over for travel soccer games, watching cat videos on her phone, or trying to convince her husband to go on another family adventure somewhere new.

Connect with Jeré:
NEWSLETTER: https://mailchi.mp/87e346b13331/jere-...
INSTAGRAM: @author_jere_anthony
TIKTOK: @author_jere_anthony
WEBSITE: JereAnthony.com

Reviews

[Heather Mclarry · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ had this been 100 pages shorter I would have liked it more, it dragged on for a bit there are the end but overall fun!

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

”This girl is all sunshine and adventure while I'm more like storm clouds and canceled plans.”

💍 The Premise

Ivy Lane is grieving the loss of her twin sister, Fern, and determined to complete the “fuck it” list they made together. When car trouble throws her into the path of Ashford Falls’ resident grumpy billionaire, Leo Kingsley, neither of them expects it to mean anything.

But after Leo is passed over for CEO for being “too much of a workaholic,” he panics and tells his family he has a long-distance girlfriend.

Guess whose name he blurts out?

She needs money.
He needs to prove he has a life.
Fake engagement it is. ✨

❤️‍🔥 My Thoughts

I went in with zero expectations and ended up having such a good time—especially in the first half, where the tension is at its peak.

Ivy is chaotic, bratty sunshine and I adored her for it. She’s impulsive, unfiltered, and intentionally presses every single one of Leo’s buttons just to watch him unravel. The man is hanging on by a thread—and she knows it.

The way she calls him ‘Daddy’ just to see what happens, and he growls, “Do not call me Daddy ever again” while very clearly not hating it? I. Ate. That. Up. 🤭

Leo is all restraint and control. After a past relationship left him ashamed of his desires, he locked that side of himself away and buried himself in work.

But beneath that rigid exterior? He’s deeply nurturing. When he finds out Ivy has asthma and quietly places inhalers all over the house so she’s never without one—I melted.

This is also the same man with a secret sex room behind his library.

The duality. 😭

What truly grounds the story, though, is Ivy’s grief. Fern’s presence lingers in everything, and watching Ivy realize she’s allowed to build a life beyond her sister was beautifully handled. The memorial bench Leo surprises her with felt especially meaningful—a reminder she’ll always have somewhere to return to. 🥹

”I can't stand the thought of her leaving, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she gave up her dream for me either. I love her so fucking much that I'd rather lose her than see her choose me over herself.”

That said, the first half is stronger than the second. Once the spice hits, the pacing slows and the tension softens—I think it could have been tighter.

Still, I had a great time. It’s over-the-top, unrealistic, and slightly ridiculous—but I was giggling, and that counts.

And if you can, get the audiobook. Narrated in duet by Stephen Dexter and Lessa Lamb, it was SO well done and absolutely elevated the experience.

Tropes / What to Expect

💰 Billionaire Romance
💍 Fake Engagement
🏡 Small Town
🔥 Age Gap (22 & 35)
🌻 Grumpy x Sunshine
⚡ Annoyances to Lovers
🤍 Forced Proximity
🤭 Daddy Dom x Bratty Baby Girl
💗 Found Family
🗺️ Checklist Adventure
🎬 Rom-Com Vibes
💔 No Third-Act Breakup

🌶️ BDSM (bondage, impact play, wax play), degradation, praise, dirty talk, hair-pulling, hand necklace, pop rocks (iykyk)

Ashford Falls Series

1. Don't Call Me Daddy — 4 ⭐️
2. Don't Make Me Beg — TBR

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
✧･ﾟ Pre-Read ･ﾟ✧

the title caught my attention
and I am nothing if not predictable ✨

[Nerlie౨ৎ🎧📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
4⭐️

“You, Ivy Lane, are everything I’ve ever wanted. I just didn’t know it until I found you wandering around in those woods.”

Contrary to my recent reviews I do enjoy reading 😭

★ ̗̀⇢ Thoughts on the book as a whole

Oh my GOD this was so good. Like genuinely had me smiling nonstop, giggling to myself, pausing just to process how much fun I was having.
Fake fiancé.
Bratty x grumpy.
Forced proximity.
Hilarious banter.
And spice that didn’t overwhelm but instead let the tension build slowly and deliciously. I am WEAK for good tension and this book fed me so well 🤭
This truly felt like a full buffet. Every trope I love, done right, all in one place.
It was fun, flirty, chaotic in the best way, and such an easy, enjoyable read.
The banter between the main characters had me laughing out loud, the chemistry was insane, and even the side characters were incredible. I’m not exaggerating when I say I loved every single one of them. They were all so funny and added so much charm.
This is the kind of book you pick up to feel good and it absolutely delivers.

°ᡣ𐭩.°.જ⁀➴ Ivy

Ivy… my sweet, free-spirited girl 🥹 I loved her SO much.
She was hilarious from start to finish, so bratty, so chaotic, and so full of life 😝
She’s exactly the kind of FMC I adore. No filter, huge heart, genuinely kind, and unapologetically herself.
The way she makes Leo’s life a nightmare on purpose??? I ate it up every single time.
And her happily taking the money like yes girl spend it, enjoy it, live your best life 🤭
I’m genuinely so proud of her. She really needed Leo to help her grow into a better version of herself, and watching that happen was so satisfying 🥹
I also loved how her grief was handled. It felt natural, respectful, and perfectly suited to who she is.

°ᡣ𐭩.°.જ⁀➴ Leo

Leo… oh Leo. That man is H.O.T.
Just thinking about him has me giggling again, I’m not even kidding.
He is such a good, GOOD man. His love language is acts of service and he practices it religiously.
The fact that he stocked his entire house with her inhaler. Every room. Even the bathrooms. Because he can’t stand seeing her in distress??
I folded. Completely.
He takes such incredible care of her and you can tell he genuinely loves doing it.
He’s also the first person who ever truly takes care of her the way she deserves, and that meant everything to me.
He is absolutely daddy energy 🙂‍↕️ and yes he’s rich too which just makes it better 🤭

Now I will admit I didn’t love the “baby girl” nickname. I know it comes with the genre but still 😔
Thankfully it wasn’t overused so I survived.

And was there a strong plot? Ehh. Depends on who you ask.
But I did not read this for the plot 🙂‍↔️
I read it for the banter, the chemistry, the vibes, and the feelings and it DELIVERED.





ෆ ༚︶︶︶︶ෆ ༚꒰ ෆ ꒱༚ ෆ︶︶︶︶༚ ෆ ෆ ༚︶︶︶︶ෆ ༚꒰ ෆ ꒱༚ ෆ︶︶︶︶༚ ෆ ෆ ༚︶︶︶︶ෆ ༚꒰ ෆ ꒱༚ ෆ︶︶︶︶༚ ෆ

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ pre read ⋆. 𐙚 ˚
Yes… I see the title too 😔 but I’ve been wanting to read this for a while and my library finally got it 🤭

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of LAUGHS & SMUT with truly hilarious banter between a sassy-mouth girlie & a workoholic millionaire 🫦✨ FAKE DATING rom-com where she endlessly baits him into embarrassing moments…until he finally snaps!

Fern is grieving the loss of her twin sister by completing her ridiculous bucket list. While on a paranormal quest she stumbles on a grumpy millionaire in need of a FAKE FIANCE 💍✨ To convince his family Leo actually has no choice but to pretend they’re dating even though they just met a day ago! But when she jokingly calls him Daddy…he can’t stop thinking about it 🫦

Flavor of daddy kink: brat x daddy, playful banter & baiting, punishments

HILARIOUS banter with the perfected Daddy dom x brat push and pull! This was a perfect flavour of Daddy kink spiced with his guilt over their age gap, her sassy mouth and constant playful baiting. Fern could rile him up like no other especially as he was so easily embarrassed! Outlandish & hilarious moments:

✨ when she calls him Daddy at a family sit-down dinner

✨ workplace wet t-shirt contest

✨ his mom asking him about the size of his gf’s boobies IN THE FAMILY GROUP CHAT

✨ truth & dare game with his 4 brothers *these boys have serious kinks*

Surprisingly this story was SEX DONGEON level spice! I really enjoyed how the playful banter slowly flowed into Daddy x brat dirty talk almost as a form of their foreplay ❤️‍🔥 The second part of the book was maybe overshadowed by smut and the plot got a little boring. They peaked at the forest bush BJ and I stand by that!

⭐️4.5


millionaire mmc
daddy x brat
spontaneous fmc
fake dating
grumpy x sunshine
sex dungeon
BDSM & degradation (lite)
dirty talk
spanking
wax play
small town
found family
HEA

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it but I honestly struggled to finish this one. I think the author was going for rom-com, but it just ended up seeming ridiculous and unbelievable.

There is no world in which that trivia to karaoke to wet t-shirt contest at a corporate work event scene would happen.
The FMC was not bratty; she was entitled and doing things for shock value.
The MMC crossed so many boundaries that there was no way he had the lifestyle experience you were supposed to believe he had.
And the Daddy Dom/brat dynamic overall was just disappointing.

I had high hopes for this one based on the description and the dedication page but in the end it was not for me.

*I receieved an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[sarah.readstoomuch · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book almost worked out for me—but there were too many things going against it for me to outright recommend it.

Going based off of the blurb, I thought I’d love Don’t Call Me Daddy. I can get down with a fake relationship, even if it’s completely implausible. I also love some daddy/brat kink in a book. But, unfortunately, Jeré Anthony asked me to suspend my disbelief a little too much with all of Ivy’s antics.

Here’s a non-comprehensive list of things I found unbelievable (including spoilers):

- To keep the ruse of their relationship going, Ivy tells all of his employees—while at work, mind you—scandalous (fake) details about their non-existent sex life. She’s 22 and lost in the world, but that is a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen. It’s included in the details that she’s telling someone from HR, too, which makes it extra unbelievable.
- Ivy also organizes a night out for the staff, which is fine, but it somehow quickly devolves into a wet t-shirt contest and colleagues are removing their bras even… like what? If this seriously happened at this small-town billion-dollar company work function, Leo would be fired for the liability. It’s ridiculous in a bad way.
- Leo has a sex room even though he’s basically celibate by the time he meets Ivy. It makes no sense that he has a sex room. The sex room would also be dusty, maybe? Like nothing about this detail makes any sense except maybe the author thought it would be hot. Things for hotness are fine, so long as they make sense.
- Some medical stuff that doesn’t track: Leo drinks alcohol almost immediately after being discharged for an ulcer (a no-no) and Ivy takes a bath immediately after getting stitches, among some other things.
- Ivy has plans to go to Romania after the month of faking it is up, and she keeps saying in her chapters that she’s moving across the country. Does the girl not know where Romania is??? Is this just a mistake from the author??

Overall, this book was fine. I had moments where I enjoyed it. I did laugh a bit. I thought both Ivy and Leo had strong character growth (though with Ivy, the bar was in hell, tbh). But I ultimately mostly found it frustrating. I think it could have easily been 100 pages shorter, as well.

Let's be friends on booksta and threads.

[dodi ia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up. let’s get one thing out of the way: my “high” rating is strictly because this is probably one of the best audiobook i’ve ever listened to. the chemistry between stephen dexter and lessa lamb is insane, i can’t believe how they managed to do all of that without being in the same room. both of them are amazing voice actors that showcased so much range. i had such a blast listening to them and i will look out for more audiobooks with them as the narrators.

now, the book.

trope wise, this book is delightful. bratty sunshine/grumpy daddy, fake dating, age gap are all fun tropes i enjoy reading. the premise is really great too. the overarching plot is following our main character ivy, who honors her dead twin’s wishes by following a bucket list she wrote just before passing away. the list has small adventurous things like being in a wet t-shirt contest but also more monumental things like changing someone’s life for the better. in the middle of fulfilling the bucket list, ivy meets leo, a grumpy billionaire who needs her to fake date him in order to get his family off his back.

the first 65 percent of this book were amazing. the dynamic between ivy and leo was charged from the beginning, but i still felt like it progressed from being lustful to proper romance, before splashing right into being lustful again once they started fucking. i knew this book would have a dom/sub dynamic but i wasn’t prepared for it to go full fifty shades of grey on us. turns out leo has a sex room? that just like sneaked up on us? and even though he had allegedly been celibate for 12 years the room had fresh limes in it which he put in their drinks? and i didn’t hear them clean the dust off any of the toys even once. now i’m not the one to question things in a smutty romance, but consider me questioning..

i skimmed through some reviews on here and just like most people, i also struggled with the last part of the book. the story never really went anywhere and the pacing was horrendous. i would’ve loved to get some of that great connection between them back between all the smutty scenes but we lost that in the last part of the book. i know audiobooks tend to be long but there is a 30 minute sex scene in this book. baby i can’t listen to a man groaning in my ear for that long i’m sorry. i just don’t have that kind of patience. no offense to stephen dexter.

still, this is a decent book. a very smutty romcom-y read so if you enjoy those types of stories and dynamics you will have a lot of fun. i do recommend listening to it because the voice acting adds SO much.

book: 3 stars
audiobook: 5 stars

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 3 out of 5]

๋࣭ ⭑🦋๋࣭ ⭑ A small-town romance ft. a girl who is just passing through and a billionaire grumpy guy who needs a fake fiancé to help him with his family!

You know, I did like this romance. It was fun and entertaining. There were times where I went through the pages so fast, but I did go through moments where it felt eternal. I feel like that might be because sometimes the writing was confusing. Sadly, I felt like the overall setting of scenes was off somehow? When I was reading some scenes, sometimes it skipped through some descriptions like maybe Leo needed to take off his clothes, Ivy needed to set the scene with descriptions of where she was at, etc., you know? There's this scene where he draws a bath for Ivy and she makes space for him to fit in and the next moment, he's inside. That leads me to believe he went in with his clothes on... but no, somehow he took his clothes off even though there's nothing on the page that led me to think that. So there are moments where descriptions of actions were skipped and that made me SO CONFUSED. My face was literally "????" lol

I liked the story about a lonely girl who happens to pass through this small creepy town and stays there for a month to earn some money as some guy's pretend fiancé. That sounds super fun and it was! Her twin sister died five years ago and so she's trying to complete this checklist they made when she was still alive. At the end of the month, she has a ticket to go to Romania for work and so it's inevitable that she has to live. This complicates the romance, of course, because Ivy and Leo manage to fall in love and the clock is ticking!

If you're in mood for an age gap, pretend engagement, grumpy x sunshine romance, read this. It also features Daddy/brat dynamic so if you love to read that kink, definitely check it out. It's fun to see their dynamic and relationship develop. How Leo gets so annoyed but secretly loves that Ivy is like that. How Ivy adores messing with Leo and doing all the things she knows will annoy him.

It's not the best romance book I've ever read, that's for sure. If you want to have a fun time reading a romance book with wild situations, spicy scenes, and swoony moments, this book can work for you!

[✨️ Jessica's Bookshelf ✨️]

Full rtc
Humor ✔️
Romance ✔️
Spice ✔️

I've seen nothing but great things about this one. Future read for me. Don't let me down. 🤞

[Jocie]

4.5-5 ⭐️
4🌶️

This book was fun! I can't resist an age gap romance where the guy is older. It just hits a chord in my very soul. If you don't have a daddy kink or don't find it cringey, this book is not for you. Don't say I didn't warn you. Honestly, I think this is one of the best ones I have read. It didn't come off as cringey to me. I feel like it was in there just enough; it was overwhelming or underwhelming; it was just right.

Where in WV is this Ashford Falls, because I want to go, and I haven't heard of it.😂 Anywhoooo, it was a fun, spicy, all-around good time.

[Lushe🧸⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

yeah imma need me a daddy Leo right now please 😫😍
I read this book in one sitting , no kidding , I loved that the daddy x baby girl wasn’t overly used it was balanced very well which made me enjoy it even more 💫

I read this as a ARC and it’s a 4 stars for me !!!

I loved that we got to see the struggles both FMC / MMC were facing and how they were stronger together , I might’ve cried abit ngl

💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌💌

[Eleni · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF’d this book.
Not because it was particularly bad, the first 250 pages were actually really nice and easy to read, but then when the Main characters became intimate it felt like they had no other connection than the sexual attraction they felt for each other.
The way the FMC acted felt no longer bratty but spoilt and mannerless.
Also I was kinda confused because she is there because of her dead sister and we almost see nothing of her grief, the list that’s written by her sister is a thing to follow and her sister helps her to fulfill it, where ever she is right now, but I still don’t feel attached and any emotions.
The MMC suddenly became a nice boss and had a character shift from overbearing scary boss to a nice complimenting fella overnight after they were intimate. Did not feel realistic to me!
Nonetheless I liked parts of the story: for example the list was a great idea I think, the story with the monster was really great and I was looking forward to find out about it more and the family dynamic was nice.
I still couldn’t finish the book when all they did was fucking and being horny only to then have crazy character devolpment overnight…
Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[Hey Lin]

Lordy be.....I dnfed the first time because the amount of time the author wrote out the prologue with the two sisters talking and talking and TALKING AND FUCKING TALKING drove me nuts!!!!

Then someone told on me on FB that when I get passed that and get to when she meets the H, it picks up.

I should have known better....than to fall in love with yoooooouuuuuuu. I live that Richard Marx song! Anyway.

The only interesting part was when she first gets to this town and she has a glimpse of the phantom guy thing before ahe swerves and wrecks her car.

H comes to help her and she's kind of a dumb bitch to be honest 🤷

He works for the company that his family built doing ll bean environmental shit and she's working through a list of bucket items that her sister wrote down before she got cancer and died. She quit school, put her mom in a facility that's fiscally draining her dry, a shitty car, and has no job but she wants to complete this bucket list with no money and travel to Transylvania and shit? Cmon!!!! 😬😬😬😬😬😬👎🤦🤦🤔

He gets a stomach ulcer and she drives him to the hospital and then they do a "while you were sleeping" scene where his family thinks she's his fiance because he told them her name and that he has a gf/fiance. Seems like a rip off of the movie tbh.

Ahe goes to live with him, they make another list of rules and he goes apeshit when she calla.him daddy one time. She usually calls him grandpa since he's SO much Older ten years her senior 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👎 they haven't seen belichek eh? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤷

This book is shitty. 30% and I'm just bored and done with this nonsense. Rolling my eyes at the arc readers RN FR FR

[Rethika Athukorala · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟
Do I have daddy issues ? No
Did I have a great time reading this ? Absolutely
I’m ready to find my billionaire, older man 😮‍💨🫣

[• Lindsey Dahling • · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this book back in August. Made it about 3/4 of the way through, then put it down and just sort of forgot I was even reading it until four months later. Does that say enough?

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ARC read and it was an amazing start!! This book was such a fun and engaging read. The main characters chemistry was perfect and you'd love the side characters just as much (I hope we see more of the Kingsley brothers) I thought the author did a great job writing of grief and learn to live dispite it. It was a great balance of dealing with guilt and sadness while also being funny and sexy. I definitely went from crying to gasping to swooning. We love a grumpy billionaire that has a soft spot for one person🫶🏼

[❤️Court - Villains Do It Better❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. Quick, easy, low angst read with some humor, cute moments, and a good amount of spice. Not a huge fan of the "babygirl" pet name (🤮), but the daddy thing wasn't too bad. I like how it wasn't an official dynamic, just a kink.

Safety: Safe


No ow/om drama

No sharing/cheating

No virgins/manhos

Not many details of their current sex lives except it's been awhile for the hero. The hero had a girlfriend that he would do the daddy thing with like a decade before that didn't end well and he's been insecure about his kink since then. One thing I didn't like though, was that it was insinuated that his "sex room" had been used with other women before which kinda gross me out, even if it's been awhile. Not really anymore details on it though.

[tane'a · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ if you need a good laugh, this is what you read

[Megan Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t judge me (Ali and David specifically) I’m in a slump

[Erin Branscom · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of 2025. 🥰🙌🏼 I will read anything by this author.

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

I really enjoyed this book when I read it as an e-book last year and rarely prefer audio, but the narration was just so good! I loved that it was a duet. Lessa Lamb was excellent and I definitely will be seeking out more of her work.

Any complaints I had before about this book (my original review is down below) went out the window while I was listening. I was just having a such a good time in Ashford Falls.

I didn't cry as much this time around but I laughed out loud even more than before. This story is so funny, so sweet, and dear god. So. Hot. I was blushing.

Leo redeemed himself for me somehow even though nothing about him changed. He's still overbearing (complimentary). But he's just really going through it :/

Ivy was even more lovable than before! So was the whole Kingsley fam. I seriously need a whole series for them.

Still some miscommunication but it doesn't feel so dragged out on audio, so it didn't bother me at all!

Also, @me what were you on when you read this because the title has literally so much to do with the book??

Anyway! I had a blast and was so happy to revisit this town. I hope to come back again.

Thank you Jeré Anthony for the ALC.

Original Review:

to say my feelings about this book are mixed would be an understatement. i laughed. i cried. like kind of a lot. i got annoyed. it was also really hot.

i love ivy. i love leo. pretending the scenes he was an absolute asshat don't exist!

there were so many plot holes and yet so many well thought out and executed storylines. this story was full of contradictions...
grief...
miscommunication...
and ellipses...

and! the title has maybe 3.5% to do with the contents of the book and even then that is simply not the vibe?

i'm so confused bc i genuinely loved what i loved and then there was all of this in between. the story of the phantom was so fun and i loved the bucket list and the kingsley family. the town of ashford falls is honestly the dream. i can't wait to come back for leo's brothers!

[Alex (kazzyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't judge a book by its cover or title! This might not have been something I normally pick up just off of what it looks like but the description intrigued me and then I was pleasantly surprised!

Just as it says- this is a small town, billionaire, age gap romantic comedy with a LOT of spice! It also has fake dating/engagement, forced proximity, Daddy Dom/brat (he actually does want to be called that lol)
There is a surprising amount of depth to the characters and even a little small town spooky lore that was nice to have in-between the 50-shades-of-gray moments.

Ivy is 22 and has a checklist of things she promised her twin sister she would do. In trying to complete one of them, she runs into grumpy billionaire-ceo Leo. Leo then makes the mistake of telling his family he has a long distance girlfriend and when they run into Ivy at the hospital things quickly spiral out of control and they assume she is his fiancé. Now they make a mutually beneficial deal for her to keep up the ruse as his fiancé at least until the small town festival at the end of the summer celebrating the mysterious "Phantom".

I genuinely had a good time reading this other than a few cringy moments and I like that it clearly sets up Leo's brothers to have their own personalities and books in the future.

thank you to the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

[Ashley Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Smalltown Romance

I picked this book up because of its cute cover but my gosh it kept me engrossed because of the creative story and talented writing. This story is so refreshing and unique and oh so hottttttttt. Literally a perfect five star read for me.

[Yesmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A grumpy sexy billionaire who growls at FMC "Don't call me Daddy ever again" but secretly loves it?
Sign me up!

MMC has one serious relationship in his early twenties with a woman who pretended to like his kinks. Later on she shamed him while breaking up with him saying that he's a pervert for liking women calling him daddy.

MMC was traumatized by that experience. He focused only on work and maintained a long streak of celibacy. Until the FMC came barging into his life. And he needed her to be his fake-fiancée so his dad sees he can have a work-life balance and promotes him to CEO.

The FMC likes pushing the MMC buttons and loves behaving as a Brat, which opened her eyes on her wanting to be in a sexual power play of Dominant Daddy and a Brat submissive.

The dynamic is good. Both MCs are respectful despite their teasing and edging. This novel could've been a lot more shorter. No need for all that smut or all the those side characters that were not treated in depth even though they're going to have their own books.
Also that book doesn't get more fictional than this. Sappy cheesy happy ending and whatnot.

This book is a "Contemporary Romance" which checks a box in my Bingo Reading Challenge of 2024.
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[Shan ~A~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivy Lane & Leo Kingsley

Ivy is on a quest to fulfill the items on a list her twin sister started when they were teenagers, before her sister was diagnosed and then died of cancer. This leads her to Ashford Falls.

When she arrives, she ends up having an accident and Leo happens upon her and helps her. They don't initially hit it off as Leo is a bit of a grump.

Leo is attracted to her, but he's been burned in the past by someone he trusted, which in turn made him feel shame for his desires. Add to that he feels Ivy is too young for him.

After their encounter he finds out that he isn't being named as CEO of his family's company after his dad steps down, which is something he's spent the majority of his life working towards. When he finds out one of the reasons for the decision is his lack of work/life balance, he immediately tells his family that he has a girlfriend, and what name does he say? Ivy. Saying it thinking he'd never see her again, but that doesn't last and now they make a deal for her to fake being his fiancee.

I actually really enjoyed this book. The only thing that initially annoyed me was his constant harping about their age difference. We get it, you think she's too young, you don't have to beat us over the head with it. However, even though he said it one too many times I was enjoying what was going on in the town, between him and Ivy. It was just overall goodness. That is until the actual sex scenes started, and they didn't do a thing for me. At this point I don't know if it was me or the descriptions, or what it was, but they didn't make me get hot & bothered, they just felt like they were words there just to show that they had sex.

If it's going to be spicy words, there should be a spicy feeling.

[Kika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute enough, but a couple of things didn't work for me. I really enjoyed the first half (the initial tension and build up 🔥🔥🔥) much more than the latter half. Once the MCs got together, the story lost most of its momentum. It became redundantly spicy and cheesy, and there were missed plot development opportunities imo.
The chemistry is definitely there, tho, to me, it was mostly "wasted" on lust - for lack of better words - 🥺🤷‍♀️

Overall a pretty fun, light read with some emotional depth and some really funny moments (especially in the beginning - I got some really good laughs out of it ☺️).

Looking forward to bro Luka's story, once the audiobook is out 👀


The 🎧audiobook🎧 for this one, in duet narration, is FANTASTIC. Both narrators are incredible and definitely make the read more entertaining. I HIGHLY recommend doing the audio for this, or immersive reading (if you're not a huge audio person) 💕


***


“You have no idea what you’re asking. I’m … I’m all wrong for you, and the sooner you realize it, the better.”
A mischievous smile stretches across her face. “I think you’ll find that I can be pretty stubborn when it comes to getting what I want. I don’t like to be told no.”

[Ashley Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the age gap dynamic and thought the overall storyline had potential. However, the book felt far too long, and much of it came across as forced rather than natural. The tone often reminded me of a mash-up between Fifty Shades of Grey and a romcom, which didn’t quite land for me. While there were enjoyable moments, the pacing and style just weren’t my favorite.

[Clara Mei 🍪🎧 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, i have really liked this book!! 🍓

There are some scenes that i would remove because i think they are unnecessary to the plot, but overall i recommend it. At the same time it may be too much, it has a combination of tropes 😂

[scarlett london · Rating 4 out of 5]

i need a billionaire who is 13 years older than me and will spoil me and take care of me and who is named Leo Kingsley 😁😏🫶🏻🥰

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok wait why was this actually SO GOOD. yes it’s super smutty and silly. But it also has some really deep topics it addresses in kind of the perfect balance. Plus you get small town, billionaire, fake engagement, age gap, found family - so many fun tropes. I really enjoyed this!