Love and Loathing

Entitled Love #3

by Rachel Rowan

THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND LOATHING…

In Aubrey Ford’s opinion, his best friend’s little sister is a naïve hippy do-gooder—a hypocritical trust-fund princess spending her father’s money on lost causes. In Evie Blackton’s opinion, men like Aubrey are exactly what’s wrong with the world—a callous tax strategist who only cares about making the rich richer.

But when Evie’s activist group targets one of Aubrey’s ultra-wealthy clients, she realises the man she hates might be the key she needs to bring their target down—if she can find a way to get close to him. Luckily, she’s not intimidated by tall, dark men with very stern eyebrows and ironic smiles…

Aubrey can only imagine Evie’s insistence on being his fake date is her way of torturing him, but with the ex that shredded his heart back in town, maybe he needs an ally. If only Evie wasn’t so young, and irritating, and determined to interfere with his broken heart. And if only she wasn’t so damned attractive…

But as one fake date turns into an increasingly heated weekend away, Evie’s mission comes back to haunt her. Can Evie and Aubrey separate truth from lie—and love from loathing?

A witty and steamy enemies to lovers romantic comedy.

What readers are saying about the Entitled Love

"One of my top reads for this year!" - Natasha

"Decidedly hot and steamy" - Sarah

"Wow! What a ride of a read! Beautifully done!" - Ingrid

"This brilliant story is light and fun and filled with chemistry" - Polli.p

"I could not put this book down" Amelia

"All the hallmarks of Rachel Rowan’s witty banter, laugh out loud moments, exquisite character development, an engaging plot, and just the right amount of steam. Highly recommend!" Brianna

"Everything I love from a romcom" - Cassidy

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Romance

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2024

About the author

Rachel Rowan lives in England, with her husband, children, rescue cat, and an embarrassing amount of undone housework. She writes smart, steamy romcoms with lots of heat, humour, heart, and all the things she loves, such as:

-Witty banter
-Slow burn
-Mutual pining
-Stolen glances
-Hand-flexing tension
-Steam!
-Ardent declarations
-And always, always, a happy ending!

Rachel Rowan’s Entitled Love novellas weave the stately homes and witty banter of regency romance into contemporary steamy romcoms.

Join her mailing list for news and free bonus content: www.rachelrowan.com

Reviews

[Shannai · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️♾️

The easiest 5 stars I could give!!

In fact, if I had to pinpoint, when I knew that I fell in love, I’d say it was when Aubrey got Evie vegan food because he couldn’t stand to watch her not eat anything, and then had made it seem like it had came from her brother, Hugo 🥺 I knew then that this man was going to have me grinning from ear to ear and subsequently, ruin me!

I'm not ashamed to say that I devoured this in less than 24 hours, it was that good 😭 I’m almost mad at myself for how quickly I finished this because I’m already wishing to experience reading it for the first time!

Aubrey mf Ford, the man that you are!! 🥹🥵🥵 I’m so fucking obsessed with him!

I'm giddy from just thinking about how perfect Aubrey and Evie were! They were complete opposites and couldn't be more ill matched for each other, but it also worked for them, and it was so fucking good!

This had everything that I loved, age gap, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, a man quietly obsessed with the fmc, and he’s bossy in the sheets, too, god I almost didn’t survive it!! 🫠🤭 and the surprise pregnancy, omg it was so touchingly sweet, so perfect for them!

I’m so obsessed and quietly feral for this series; it’s so unequivocally British, with its humour, and unlikely love matches; I just love it! I could read 10 more books set in the Entitled Love universe, and it still feel like it’s never enough!

Thank you eternally for the e-arc Rachel!! I can’t wait for what you’ve got lined up next! 💖

Tropes

age gap (10 years) 24/34
brother’s best friend
fake dating
enemies to lovers
surprise pregnancy

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

I'm not sure why it's marketed as comedy its just sad
I'm not sure why the children still talk to their awful toxic father, most of all the eldest one
it's also insta love and ends with surprise pregnancy

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF
So boring

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't expect it to be well written but it was, so I got into it, and it turned out to be heartwarming and lovely as well. Like a little gem i discovered, haha. I love when that happens

[Cassidy Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved and will love everything Rachel Rowan has ever written. She is a goddess among women.

But this book.

Friends, I am obsessed.

One of the things that Rachel does incredibly well is chemistry. And yes, I obviously mean knock-your-socks-off, blow-your-horny-little-mind sexual chemistry (TRUST ME, read the book and you will understand) but like everything, she brings along all that much-needed depth.

When I read Aubrey and Evie, it was more than just that glorious physical tension (though that was there in spades). You saw how these two souls, these two opposites, healed one another in such a profound, beautiful way. These characters were so perfectly crafted to be each other's partner, and it was such a JOY to watch them overcome internal and external obstacles to be together.

Also, did I mention the sex was hot? THE SEX IS HOT.

This book delivers everything.
- Banter
- Enemies to lovers where they are actually on opposite ends of the spectrum and dislike each other in such a delicious way
- Banter (seriously, the dialogue ZINGS)
- Intense sexual chemistry
- SUPER hot sex
- A genuine ride-or-die connection
- Flawless emotional arcs
- Spicy age gapness
- Spectacular prose
- More tropes but I'm bad at tropes.

ANYWAY READ IT. You'll love it. But you can't have Aubrey because I've already scheduled him to be my next book boyfriend.

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Loathing is the newest addition to Rowan's Entitled Love series. She previously released four novellas: Uncommon, Unspoken, Untouched and Unwanted. This is the third full length novel. The first was Engaging The Enemy which was Hugo Blackton's story. The second was Pride and Privilege which was Roscoe Blackton's story. Now we have Evelyn Blackton's story. While there is some minor character overlap, each one is a standalone story with a unique couple and a HEA.

Love and Loathing is an enemies-to-lovers, brother's best friend, age gap romance featuring Evelyn (Evie) Blackton and Aubrey Ford. Aubrey is Evie's brother's (Roscoe) best friend and he works at BlacktonGold, her father's wealth management company. Evie has spent most of her adult life rejecting her father and everything he stands for. She has seen how the rich get richer, without a thought to the damage they're doing to the planet or the harm they cause other people. Evie refuses to accept her father's money, donates as much as she can, and works with an activist group called FTP, For The Planet.

When Evie meets Aubrey at her brother's house, he immediately rubs her the wrong way. Not only is he an unapologetic cog in the machine helping to make the rich richer, but one of his clients is a man FTP has targeted. When Evie overhears that Aubrey is attending the Actuaris Annual Awards to further woo his client, she sees that as an opportunity to help the cause. Aubrey's ex will be in attendance so he could certainly use some arm candy and at the same time, she can put an FTP mission into action.

One night leads to a weekend at Conyers, the Blackton's family estate, where the ruse continues. As Evie and Aubrey spend more time together, their opinion of the other slowly starts to change, and their mutual attraction builds. The lines become blurry and remembering their mutual disdain becomes challenging.

This was another win for me. I am a huge fan of Rowan's writing and this did not disappoint. The characters are compelling, the storyline engaging, the dialogue included a well balanced mix of wit and emotion, and the bedroom scenes deliciously spicy. I could not have asked for more.

I found Evie to be a relatable character, definitely not in coming from money, but in her big heart, her compassion, and her struggle to want to heal the world. I've had my fair share of moments thinking everything is too much and it is too hard to fix. Like Evie, I don't eat meat, and I have a huge love of animals. I appreciated how different Aubrey was and while it seems impossible for them to find some middle ground, they somehow do. Aubrey initially comes across as cold and uncaring, but he has a huge heart when it comes to the people who are important to him. I enjoyed seeing both characters gradually make small concessions to their previously perceived notions in order to be more open and accepting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was nice to revisit some of her characters from earlier books.
I definitely recommend checking out all of Rowan's books. All of them! I'm not sure what's coming next, but I am already eagerly awaiting her next release. #ForeverAFan

[Natasha S ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Rachel Rowen for the ARC opportunity! I’m so grateful to be a part of your ARC group, I love your books!

Love and Loathing was one of those books that really teetered on the 4 and 5 star line for me. No matter what, Rachel Rowen is a great writing and this book was another wonderful story. I think she has great descriptions that are detailed without becoming disruptive. The chemistry between the characters feels real and I appreciate that her “enemies to lovers” type of relationship has real disgust/frustration. Like come on, there are some authors out there who are like “He’s so stupid but he’s hot…” Rowen doesn’t let her characters be so swayed by physical appearance and it makes their relationship feel more authentic. It doesn’t feel overly cheesy but has humorous moments that made me smile. Romance is a genre that requires fine lines for all different moods. It’s why I get so fed up with cheesy or flat romances that seem to be peppered out by the dozen. Rowen knows what she’s doing with this universe of completely believable characters and her writing seems to get even better with every new novel. I also have to give her major props for not backing down on her main characters. Both of them were authentically themselves and (MILD SPOILER) neither were forced to give up or really compromise on their personal beliefs or values. I think a lot of authors would have folded and made their female character especially compromise and conform to societal expectations. Despite this, I do think Evie wasn’t my favorite character in the Entitled Love universe and she could come across childish at times. I think my impression of her was the biggest hit to my rating, but that’s my personal belief and nothing on the writing. Having different types characters is really good, and this was more of a me thing than a Rowen thing. And as you can see, it was super minor - I still loved this and gave it a full 5 stars. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Kimberly Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

brothers best friend but your enemy at the same time give me more!!

Evelyn Blackton hates the idea of how her father makes his millions. It goes against all her values of caring for all things. And one of his newest soon to be clients is one of the most evil men out there & Evie and her friends FTP will take him down. No matter the situation she has to put herself into.

Aubrey Ford has ethics but is also damn good at his job, getting promoted from wealth management to tax management. And his proposal for a new client will bring in loads of money for BlacktonGold. But will Aubrey go against his morals for what his boss wants of him?

Evie & Aubrey meet at her father’s mansion and somehow must fake date to help secure the client for her father.. but Aubrey doesn’t know Evie is sliding her way in to get information on the client. But somehow a weekend faking it, turns into more. But what happens when secrets are opened and their truths come out… will they make it or will it go down in flames?

📚 Contemporary Romance
📚 Brother’s Best Friend
📚 Enemies to Lovers
📚 Fake Dating
📚 Age Gap
📚 3rd Book in Series
📚 3rd Person POV

Rachel Rowan does it again with the third sibling in the Blackton family. Our strong willed, but caring beyond means girl Evie. Gives away her millions to charity because she doesn’t want it. But Aubrey Ford comes in and changes her idea of people in her father’s world. Because none of it ever felt fake 😩😍

[Carrie West · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Luckily for me, I enjoy bathing in the tears of orphans every night before bed. Helps me get to sleep.”
-Aubrey

“Do you really want to get the tube home? With all the drunks? Walk alone down dark streets? Because you ought to be able to, shouldn’t you? If the world was wonderful, women would be able to walk at night without any fear.”
-Aubrey

So, are we calling this enemies to lovers or opposites attract or grumpy sunshine? Is it all of them? On paper these two do not sound like they will work well together. Maybe that’s why they do.

It was intentions confused me. Apparently she’s loved Aubrey for 16 years, but she was real quick to throw him under the bus. Using him to get information for the company she works for his not a good way to say hey I think we should hang out on personal level. Could just be me though.

I feel bad for Aubrey. He just wanted to have his little dream come true. Everyone around him seem to expect him to behave differently. Like they have put him in certain boxes and he wasn’t able to live up to any of them so they were mad at him for it.

This was another cute book by Rachel. One thing I was missing was the glimpses of the characters from her other stories. Nothing crazy, just more interaction or more talking about how that couple has progressed. I missed that part. That may be all just selfish reasons though. Nothing against the book itself.

[Menthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE this story!!
Dislike to Lovers
Opposites Attract
An imperfect beginning

Evie is absolutely amazing. I loved her fiesty, no bullshit, take no prisoners attitude. She is the black sheep of her family. Growing up in the prestigious Blackston family but turning her nose at wealth and greed. She volunteers all her time, donates almost all of the money that her mom sneaks her, etc. She gives back with every ounce of herself.

Aubrey is a financial guru; he's the suit, the shiny shoes, the epitome of wealth. He works to help the wealthy skirt around paying taxes. It's his job. He has no emotional attachment except for the fact that he has spent a decade building up his skill & reputation.

The way that these two rub each other the wrong was explosive. It's fantastic. I enjoyed the banter, the heat, the side long glances. The tension was so good!!!
The way that Aubrey started looking out for Evie from the very beginning was awesome. How he stood up to E's dad and had vegan food brought to the table table for her. The way he helps her when she's sick. The way he fills her bath. The way he volunteers just to be near her.

Their story is just beautiful.
Thank you, @rachelrowanwriter, for yet another amazing story

[tash.bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book!
Oh my God this book!

So you know when you see your favourite tropes, but then read the book and they fall short? NOT THIS BOOK! Love and Loathing delivered on every trope promised, and Rachel did them all such justice.
Evie and Aubrey are true opposites, who really don't like each other. Evie's activist bleeding heart, and Aubrey's cold and uncaring corporate money making persona clash on every level. He works for her evil dad, and there no way they could ever get along. Or is there?
A fake dating opportunity presents itself that would allow them to both get what they want. Enter the banter. There can never be enough banter.
What started out fake turns into a physical attraction, and it delivered the perfect slow burn and some seriously steamy scenes🥵 Let's just say Aubrey is very bossy, and Evie is very bratty.

I couldn't put this book down, and read it in 2 days.

If you love any of these tropes, you need to add this book to your TBR immediately!
Enemies to lovers
Opposites attract
Fake dating
Age gap
Brothers best friend
Banter
Slow burn
Steamy romance

This is book #3 of the Entitled Love series but can be read as a standalone.

[Spicy_bookcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to @rachelrowanwriter for the opportunity to read this book.

This is book three in the series and it follows Aubrey and Evie. Aubrey is best friend to Evie’s brother, Rosco (book two MMC) and Evie has one goal: to take down Domnall and who is best to use to get the information she needs? Aubrey. However, Aubrey intercepts her plans and chaos erupts.

What I love most about Rachel’s writing is how everything flows nicely and the plot is always engaging. I loved Aubrey- yes he was flawed but he acknowledges that and doesn’t pander to Evie about his job and knowing the shady stuff which goes down in terms of tax.

Evie is an eco-warrior who wants to make the world a better place and I just loved how much she wanted that. Her relationship with her father made me super angry and I really felt for her.

Aubrey has his own past which he navigates, and I loved it when he took control of that.

Aubrey and Evie’s relationship was just blooming marvellous; I love an enemies to lovers, brothers best friend, opposites attract and this was written soooo well.

Rachel is honestly such a fantastic writer and I’m obsessed with everything she writes.

🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

[Sarah Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Entitled love series, but do not fear it can be read as a stand alone if you wish. I however suggest you read the other two books,just for some seriously good tales, characters and rather wonderful sex.
So onto this book, I really loved our hero Aubrey, he has so much more depth to his character than you will originally think. Our hero Evie, initially annoyed me but I grew to love her character too as the book progressed. These characters are so well written and you learn so much more about them as the tale unfolds.
The author has a great talent with story telling, I think I've read most of not all of her books and enjoyed every last one of thrm.
They all also have the bonus of some amazingly well written sex scenes that do not over power the book but enhance it. You get some books where it's just all about the sex but others like this one where it merges seamlessly into the storyline just making things hotter.
I've loved it.
I'm now impatiently looking forward to the next book. (I may have some time on my hands I think!)

[Ada’s Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ I received this book as an ARC for my honest review✨

Rate: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love and Loathing is the latest in Rowan's Entitled Love series, following four novellas. This time, we dive into Evelyn (Evie) Blackton's story, and while there are familiar faces, it totally stands on its own.

It’s an enemies-to-lovers, brother’s best friend, age-gap romance featuring Evie and Aubrey Ford, who works for her wealthy dad's company. Evie is all about rejecting her father's values and fights for the planet through her activist group, FTP. When she meets Aubrey at her brother’s house, she’s not impressed—especially since he’s tied to a client they’re targeting.

When Evie finds out Aubrey needs a date for a big event, she jumps at the chance to further her cause. What starts as a fake date turns into a weekend at the Blackton estate, where their initial dislike starts to fade as attraction builds.

Rowan has done it again! I loved this book—the characters are relatable, the story is engaging, and the banter is spot on. Plus, the spicy scenes? So good!

Evie’s compassion and desire to make a difference really resonated with me. Aubrey may seem cold at first, but he’s got a big heart underneath. Watching them both challenge their views and find common ground was awesome.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and loved seeing familiar faces. Definitely check out all of Rowan’s books—I can’t wait for what she’ll write next!

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Love and Loathing” is another absolutely delightful romcom from Rachel Rowan!

I personally think that a true enemies-to-lovers trope is hard to pull off in contemporary romance, but this one was pitch-perfect! The conflict was clear from the jump, and it made perfect sense why Evie and Aubrey were at odds. Despite that, there was NO stopping the sparks between these two. Their chemistry leapt off the page. Absolutely sizzling!

Rachel Rowan’s books are laugh-out-loud funny, but there’s so much emotional depth to them. Evie and Aubrey could have easily teetered into stereotypical archetypes in the hands of a lesser author, but they were vivid and fully-fleshed out characters who were easy to root for. And, as always, there’s a cinematic quality to RR’s writing that creates a highly immersive reading experience.

Do yourself a favor and read this one! You won’t regret it!

[Tzippy Sheffi Elgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Loathing focuses on the third sister of the Blackton family Evie and her passionate relationship with Aubrey Ford, her brother Roscoe's best friend. Evie and Aubrey are wonderful and complex characters. They are complete opposites and have difficult histories. Evie is unloved and despised by her father; she is used to people's condensending her because she is vegan. Aubrey suffers from self-loathing and is heartbroken. He does not believe he will ever get over it. My heart was going for them and I wanted them to have their happy ending. I found the story very emotional and moving. The writing is excellent and the angst is a wonderful torture! The spice of course is HOT🌶️🌶️🌶️!

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read the other books in this series, and now I can’t decide which is my favorite! I love how Rachel writes about the wealthy, the aristocracy, etc. but it doesn’t feel contrived. The characters feel really real. I also don’t think I’ve read a MMC as deep, sentimental, and true as Aubrey. He is so sweet and so deeply caring. I really recommend this book and this series for modern day romances on the aristocracy and wealthy main characters!

[Renata Rukavina · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's it! The best yet from the pen of dear Rachel Rowan. Witty, deeply emotional, wonderful development of the characters and that special touch of the author's uniqueness, which makes me adore her books.
The book is the third part of the series, but can be read as a standalone, although I suggest you read the first two as well.
Thanks to the author for the chance to read this little masterpiece, my opinion is independent, but what can I do when I love her writing style ☺?

[Ams · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What happens if an animal rights activist and tax strategist for the ultra wealthy had to fake date? Well, they would fall in love of course!

Evie & Aubrey are unapologetically themselves, something that causes them to argue as they have very different view points on the world… but they do say opposites attract.

I liked that the book highlighted the disparity between Aubrey’s family who are all lawyers and very well off, and Evie’s centuries of wealthy nobility. The book romanticised the castles and trust funds while shining a small light on the ugly ways that wealth is kept.

The reason Love and Loathing lost a star is because I wasn’t thrilled with a couple of choices at the very end.

I recommend this book.

I received this advanced readers copy in exchange for a review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evelyn Blackton's story this time. She is working with a group to help save the planet. Aubrey Ford works for her father that Evie has a terrible relationship with. On a weekend trip to the Blackton family estate, Aubrey is trying to secure business with the man who is now dating his ex girlfriend. Evie thinks it is a good idea to fake being romantically involved with Aubrey. Some real fun on the way to the eventual steamy and very real love affair that develops between Evelyn and Aubrey.

[Dana Sessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Rowan has done it again! She did a wonderful job bringing Evie and Aubrey's story alive. Starting off as enemies has lead Evie and Aubrey directly to being lovers while both standing ground with who they are. The writing was excellent, you could feel every emotion each character was feeling. Fantastic book! A definite must read!!

[Jenna Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half of this book for the most part. But once we got to around 70% I was bored. I think the characters could have used a little more development and the fmc & mmc needed more time together to actually show them falling in love. The entirety of the ending was also just too neat and convenient for me to buy into it.

[Frances Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read

Evie and Aubrey were both a bit self righteous at the start of the book. Evie was a committed environmentalist, helping causes around the world, supporting the displaced and the disadvantaged. She was an admirable woman, happily living in less than salubrious conditions to support her causes. Aubrey was a tax advisor working for Evie’s Dad’s investment company, helping the rich become richer, just the sort of man Evie despised. Both had unflattering preconceived ideas about the other but each was prepared to use the other to succeed at their goals.
As the story progressed they both unbent a little and became a bit more likeable and interesting as did their story.

[starduest · Rating 3 out of 5]

(The cover illustrator did this book dirty!) I read the entire 'Entitled Love' collection of novellas over Christmas while I had the Kindle Unlimited subscription and this was the last book on the list I wanted to read before my trial ended. Rowan has a knack for great pacing and knowing how to describe how her characters feel in a way that resonates

[penny robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unable to read

Sadly many pages missing from my e book so I am SO disappointed having thoroughly enjoyed the two previous books.
I have up in the end as the story for me became disjointed. A real shame as Rachel deserves better from Kindle.

[Jamie Lonza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. At times both characters annoyed me.

He was often uncaring a real shark consumed with money and no morals.

She was so self righteous and extreme with her activism.

Liz was an absolute mole couldn’t stand her.

Luke Evans as Aubrey

[Kotori · Rating 5 out of 5]

charming

written captivatingly, somehow two characters reel you in and make you feel their joys and pains.
a feel good romance

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the third book in the series just as much as the other two. Rachel Rowan writes in a way that is effortlessly witty and natural. The dialogue is quality and doesn’t feel forced or fake. There is a bit of business speak like the last one but it’s not pretentious or over bearing in any way. Another page turner, I look forward to the next!