Love Me Not: A Sapphic CEO x Nanny Billionaire Auction Romance

Pétale Auction #1

by Eden Emory

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 is a sapphic billionaire age gap ceo x nanny romance set in the Club Pétale romance filled with angsty and of course... spice.

I’ve been broke before, but never like this.

After our parents' accident, I vowed to pay for my brother's college, but with my mounting debt, I couldn't even afford my own life, let alone his.

I needed cash. Fast.

An auction. One night. No feelings. No strings attached.

I just needed enough to get by until my new job started.
A million dollars.

A perfect, unforgettable night. It seemed like the solution to all my problems.

Until I showed up for my first nanny job... and the same, deliciously hot older woman answered the door.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Lesbian Fiction, Contemporary, Gay

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2025

About the author

Also writes under Elle Mae.

Reviews

[Kimberlylovesreadingbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4, Good ✨

This is a sapphic billionaire age gap ceo x nanny romance.🤭 Dom x sub🤭

I should have started reading sapphic romance ages ago because this was sooooooó good 👏🏾😍.

Juliette the FMC goes to sex club to auction herself for money because she's broke and needs it to pay for her brother's college tuition.🥲

In comes Lux our other FMC who pays a million dollars for one night with her but she can't seem to get this mystery girl out of her head. 🤭

Turns out she's the new nanny who ends up turning her and her niece's life over 🙂✨. I love how this book developed plot wise it's not only about the spice. 👏🏾🙂.

I have another sapphic dark romance book from this author and now I know that if won't disappoint 👩🏾‍⚖️🤭✨.

If you love sapphic romance this is for you ✨🎀♥️.

You'll never know real love until you date a woman.
~ Chappell Roan.

BTW..,...This has insta love so if that's not for you I'm sorry 🙂.

[cloudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m back home with the return of the club pétale universe (not that i ever left, these are my women). honestly, i knew what to expect going into this book, with it not being my first time reading this author, but also had absolutely no idea what i was getting myself into. eden emory has stayed true to their goal of portraying traditionally mf tropes into sapphic stories and this was no different. a billionaire x nanny dark romance, not something i usually gravitate towards to, but it made sense (probably because there was not a man in sight and the kid was actually her niece). i especially appreciated how this spin-off series continuously paid homage to and referenced the og. as soon as i read the main characters’ names my heart soared, they’re almost a word play of the first couple’s names that started it all; not only that, but this book started off the same way as that one did. and to see ax and nyx and sloan together, guiding, yet again, another 2 lost souls to finding love really made me emotional. the formula of club pétale remains in pétale auction and i couldn’t be happier about it because it’s one of those small details that is very reminiscent. the club is not just a setting, it’s the embodiment of this dysfunctional (yet, just right) found family.

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW.... Ahhh.. That was beautiful, painful but beautiful. Some mommies are a'int shyt. I had a lot of favorite scenes.. And I very much adore cute butches, all moody and sweet and clingy and so loving.. Just adorbs.

My most favorite though was that scene between Juliette and Lux's niece - Oh my God, the beauty of that scene was definitely my high point. I hadn't yet read about where the author wrote about the grief of the child and I almost cried when Bella broke down, that sweet angel.

I don't like 3rd-acts - so I am glad that was resolved very quickly, because it would have ruined things.

[Venuss · Rating 3 out of 5]

3🎨

I’m sorry, but I am so glad I’m done with this book😩 and that’s not said in a bad way at all as I really did enjoy a lot of the aspects, especially Bella and Juliette’s dynamic in to which helped Bella and Lux’s bond grow and strengthen. Honestly, I loved the whole found family trope in this book, I just think it got too cartoon villainy for what I thought this book would be— and everyone being way too interconnected when it came to said cartoon villainism

I enjoyed Lux and Juliette as well, just wished it wasn’t so insta in certain aspects.

*Basically I grew tired of the read🧑🏾‍🦯‍➡️*

[Liberty Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

sometimes you are just a girl whose book is 75% spice

[Oh dear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was weirdly wholesome - The main plot is literally about getting custody of her niece from her insane mother who killed the love interests parents in a drink driving incident. Also the age difference is like between a 27 and a 35 year old which isn’t notable??

[Chelles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... this is more than just a Club Petale romance. Although that's where it all started. One night at an auction turned into a nanny job with the winning bidder later.

This was a sweet story - it was quite the emotional roller coaster! Passionately sexy, sad, hopeful, heartwarming, infuriating, satisfying, and romantic. It was definitely a lot more than I bargained for, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

[nina ʚïɞ (hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 33% - maybe my tastes have changed, but this was too instalove for me. i couldn’t understand their instant connection and unfortunately couldn’t care about their back stories either.

[Lily Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh huge bummer! I liked it for the first half… then the cringe, mayhem, and ick got too intense.

By the last 30%, I was frequently writing “ick, no ew, help, explain position, ???, you’re so annoying, stfu” in my annotations. I needed it to end.

Lux is so predictably part severe CEO part softy. The way she spoiled Juliette went from fun to cringe. Her internal monologue was soooo melodramatic.

Juliette almost was a good character. She was soft and thoughtful and had moments of being feisty and take charge, but by the end of the book she was so woah is me. By that point, she was so irritating, frequently thinking how she isn’t *~worthy*~ of this love and isn’t strong enough😫

The plot grasped for anything and everything to add layers. Of course Lux and Juliette are connected through a devastating and crazy invisible string. Of course there is attempted murder. Of course there are multiple lawsuits.

The writing was painful :/

Saving graces: sweet moments with Bella and spice from the first half.

[Ori · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have a big gripe with this book, but it wasn't good, at all.
The writer writes whatever sells, and mid sells. I do have a gripe with how "love" is being treated as something flimsy that is developed in days. Or when love is being mistaken for lust. Honestly can't really call a lot of things they put nowadays in 'romance' books as 'romantic', just cringe and silly. and no, 'spice' doesn't automatically mean it can't be romantic.
I also realize I have unreasonable expectation of every book to show some depth. Even if it isn't supposed to be a key factor of its genre, I guess.

- Undeveloped plot and side characters, it felt lazy.
- Very thin backstories for the main characters that made you ask 'when was this even implied'.
- Main characters have 2 traits they were introduced with and that's all they are, so every 'growth' felt shallow and meaningless.
- Plot was boring and predictable. I can live with predictable as long as it's entertaining, but this was isntalove brainrot type of bad. unforgivable.
- Dialogue was cringe.

It's so mid and after reading TOO many mid books in 2025, it's hard to be forgiving when rating it.
it can easily be replaced by any other mid book out there that will have the same level of depth and 'sophistication'.

It all comes down to chance and boredom. If you happen upon this book when you're bored (like I was)- you might finish it. I don't see a reason to read it other than to kill boredom, and the bar for killing boredom is low. any mid book will do, so I see no reason to recommend this one specifically.

Verdict: Find something better to read, even if you're bored.

[The Wild Weary Cow Reads Sapphic · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE ME NOT gives us the Billionaire + Nanny trope and I'm all for it 🤪

Juliette needs money....Lux, it turns out has plenty of it! So much so that she bids on Juliette for one night of hot sex together at Club Pétale.

But come on... We all know that's not how it'll end or all it'll involve 😼

After their night together Lux can't stop thinking about Juliette and is just about to do something unsavoury to find her, when low and behold she answers the knock at her VERY big, VERY rich front door, only to find her "Angel" sent by the nanny agency.
Juliette is the last on a long list of nanny's who've step over that threshold... Can Juliette keep Lux from firing her?? 😏

Chuck in - A cute but broken hearted niece, an awful aunt, a hideous mother, loss of parents, a brother who refuses to take the money Juliette earned to get him into college and the far too close proximity of the super Hot moody Lux & beautiful calming sunshine that is Juliette and you get a wild ride that we've come to expect from this author..

Sometimes a little cheesy but who
doesn't love some 🧀 lol
Some times a little far fetched BUT that's the whole point of a story!!..

I really enjoyed this next addition to the ⭕ of Club Pétale


What's that??.
How's the Spice????
You lot are so naughty!!!
The spice is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever giggled this much reading a romance book, but this was also surprisingly emotional and with a fleshed out story and it had the perfect balance between a well developed plot and high tension romance. The characters really make you connect with the story and I loved seeing the relationship between Lux, Bella and Juliette grow and the found family aspect that was just so sweet to read. The romance, while a bit insta-love, hooked me right from the beginning and there was just so much love between Lux and Juliette and they really cared about each other, I loved both their spicy and sweet moments.

I found both the story and writing to be pretty simple, not something that you’d read for its complexity or high quality plot, but more of a book for a fun read and a good time, which to me worked really well.

[Katie BC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, this is a butchfemme domsub billionaire x nanny age gap dark romance with great spice and an adorable kid they’re basically co-parenting… everything about this is right up my alley.

I thought the MCs were just a bit instalove-y for a while in the very beginning; the obsession is a bit far fetched, but their relationship does organically grow from there. Alternatively, I adored Bella and how her and Juliette’s relationship grew throughout the book (it may have even been more developed in the beginning than the MCs) and I loved all the ways Juliette helps her cope through her grief and navigating childhood with her trauma and circumstances.

The third act twists really got me, I wasn’t expecting the story to take that dark of a turn yet there it went. However, the third act breakup was a little forced imo, one MC did everything she could given the circumstances, and I understand one MC “wanting space” to digest & process the events that occurred, but the lengths that were taken were a bit extreme and not necessarily needed for the plot or any particular character development, they just separated to be apart. But there’s a HEA ofc, so it was all worth it!

Seriously though, this was a great time with great spice and I still highly recommend if this trope sounds enticing. 4.5 stars rounded up!

[paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

i love a nanny romance but this one didn’t hit the spot as much for me. it was really fast paced and it just didn’t make sense in certain parts. i loved the little kid she was nannying for, she was such a cute character. i also liked the heavier themes such as grief but the rest of the book fell short for me.

i still love this author though, she’s a great writer in terms of sapphic romance!!

[Maxangel01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good spiced book with lots of detailed scenes but I also love plot. It’s a great plot and climax. (No pun intended 😉. Can’t wait for next. I always love a good Eden book!

[Dudina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billionaire x nanny romance but sapphic is 100% better

Loved Juliette and Lux and being back in this world!!!!

[Amber The Ninth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eden Emory does it again 😍

I will love anything she writes honestly, but going back to the Club Pétale universe is such a treat.

I cant wait for the next installment!!

[Izraea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love lesbians

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, +⭐️ because they are lesbians

[Beatrice]

dnf 54%
I previously paused it, I picked it up again now but I don’t want to finish it. I was so excited but nothing was happening, it was too much insta love. Also Lux was insufferable, I know that it takes time to be a parent but not hugging your niente for months? unbelievable

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i found out we would be coming back to the club pétale universe, i started to kick my feet. twirl my hair.

what i wasnt expecting was to be getting punched in the gut with angst and all the emotions. this book had me in a chokehold. of course i expected the delicious spice that we always get from elle mae stories. i didn’t think i would be in tears as often as i was. my emotions were being played like a fiddle

the chemistry and tension between lux and juliette had me clutching my pearls. it was really love and lust at first sight. the way they compliment each other perfectly and really needed one another to truly grow and heal

i am so excited to be back in the club pétale universe with pétale auction! and i fear i have found my new favorite elle mae book!

[isa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting, so I ended up kinda disappointed.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first it was good and I was enjoying it but then it went down hill and it was just trash.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

+ ⭐️ for lesbians
+ ⭐️ for some solid smut
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for some of the worst writing I’ve ever stomached in my life omfg

[Loreee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Though the book only hooked me during the middle, I still enjoyed it :)

[Kiyara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️
I know that I already made the spoiler feature on but here is another warning just in case.



These spoilers aren’t little spoilers and are more like specific points and things that happen in the book.




This book was truly Pendalin between being way to cringe for my liking and being actually pretty okay

Lux constantly skipping work to spend time with Bella and Juliette was Okay and actually nice sometimes but it became a little to often:(

For someone who runs a company to skip this much work so often is a little unrealistic, but it would have been fine if only Lux herself didn’t say that she needs to be at work and not at home.
And also what’s the point in having a Nanny if you’re always with them?

Bella’s behaviour to Juliette also was something that annoyed me at times.
Bella is 8 (if I didn’t get that wrong) and just lost her parents and also went through an entire Nanny company in record time.
And then you want me to believe she get’s along perfectly with the lastest Nanny that also mentions her newly dead mother in a matter of hours? 🫤

Juliette behaviour was also sometimes pissing me of.
As an example, the first time she met Lux’s Mother.
At this point we didn’t know who this women was, what she did or would do and Juliette was very, VERY unprofessional.
Juliette often forget’s that she is “just” a Nanny and likes to do and say things that would normally get her 100% fired in any other Job.

And sometimes some of there dialogue would cringe the ever loving sh!t out of me😰

One thing that was nice tho is the fact that Lux and Juliette aren’t completely unrelated to each other at the beginning, or at least Lux’s mother and Juliette’s parents aren’t unrealted to each other👀

And I also really liked that even tho Lux and her sister were not treated the same growing up, they still seemed like they had a good relationship with each other.

One thing I would have liked to know is what did Lux’s Mother do to Bella for her to be so scared of her?
Like yeah, I know she is not a good person and all and that it was probably something psychological or smt like that but I still really want to know what she did?

This book did have one or two problems that did annoy me but overall it was a pretty okay
Its a good book if you want there to be serious topics but also want romance and don’t want one or the other to be more in focus.

[Madds · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I was really excited about this book. I LOVE the Club Pétale series with all my heart and will defend it like nobody’s business. But this book was a bit of a disappointment.

The writing wasn’t as fluid, the story was choppy, and I didn’t have a strong attachment to either of the characters. I didn’t believe in their love story, everything happened way too fast with not enough build up.

There also wasn’t enough of an emotional impact portrayed for Lux’s mother and Juliette’s Aunt before shit goes down with either of them. So for my POV, seeing these random women be bitches, and then having the two MC’s stand up to them down the line was like okay yay love that, but also?? I wanted to care more but I just didn’t.

As for the plot of the story. I was expecting some crazy wild story and yes, there is a pretty big jaw dropping portion at the climax, butttt it fell short. Started as quickly as it ended and with not being fully behind the characters and story to begin with, it didn’t grip me.

I will give props to the way the dynamic between Lux and Bella// Juliette and Bella was well done. I liked seeing Lux’s relationship with her grow, and loved that Juliette was able to break Bella out of her shell more. Really did a good job portraying how vulnerable children are, the emotional impact traumatic events have, and how they need the right person to trust and understand them.

Will also always give props to the way the spice is written. While it wasn’t what it usually was, it was still pretty good. The scenes just happened so quickly, not enough build up for my taste, started or ended randomly and just not as juicy as her stories usually are.

Sad with this book but will never give up on my girl because I still love her 😭👏🏼

[Charlise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly I hate books with poorly written third act break ups that just seem to be dragged out for the sake of it. I did not like how Juliette took out her resentment, grief and anger for Lux’s mother onto Lux and Bella, it’s not their fault her mom killed your parents, they didn’t know and were just as surprised and distraught as she was. However after taking some time to think over it I could sorta see where she was coming from despite how unreasonable it felt.

The resolution of the story with Juliette almost dying and Lux just so happens to save her felt comical and uncompelling and a sorry/lazy attempt at trying to bring everyone together at the end of the novel.

This book was poorly written and developed, the plot is predictable and the main characters are barely two dimensional and I’m only saying that because all the side characters around them were extremely flat and were only used as a means to string the plot along.

Lucas was written horribly, I struggle to believe that someone raised by their sister has that much distain for the actions they chose to ensure u had a better life.

Juliette’s friends were just introduced as place holders until Juliette needed something.

The only thing that’s saved to book from getting 1 star from me was the pretty enjoyable read of the first half of the book, anything else there after was painful to get through


Overall not the best book I’ve read and sad this was the one I chose to read to finish and start the year off

[Alexandria Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

One night. A million dollars. No feelings. No strings.

Until she walks into her new nanny job... and the woman answering the door is the same one who left her wrecked at Club Pétale. 😳

This book had me feral from page one.
It’s hot? Yes.
It’s angsty? VERY.
It’s also heartbreakingly emotional in ways I didn’t expect. I came for the spice and left with TEARS. Elle Mae, you didn’t have to wreck me like that.

Things I’m obsessed with:
👠 CEO x nanny chaos
💸 Billionaire auction fantasy
💔 Grief, healing, & messy emotions
🖤 Forbidden, slow burn yearning
🔥 Dommy masc x soft femme dynamic
👶 A small chaotic child who owns my heart
🥲 Gut-punching angst and flawless tension

Lux is the closed off, icy boss woman of my dreams and Juliette? Soft, struggling, and not afraid to speak her mind.

Their chemistry?? Explosive.
Their emotional baggage?? Chef’s kiss.

I love watching two wounded women slowly trust, break open, and burn for each other.

Also, Bella?? Actual precious baby cinnamon roll who deserves the world. The family bonds in this book added such heart and depth…it’s found family, grief recovery, and queer love done RIGHT. 💕

If you love sapphic stories that are equal parts spicy, swoony, and emotionally devastating in the best way possible you need this book.

[K.G. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Me Not by Eden Emory. A book that caught me from TikTok and it was just as delicious and spicy as I expected!

Lux, a billionaire CEO trying to hold her world together, ends up with Juliette as her nanny after a very unexpected auction night. What starts as a mess of circumstances turns into a slow unraveling of walls, rules, and pretty much every feeling they were trying not to have.

This was such a fun surprise. I’m not usually a fan of kids having a big role in romance books because the dialogue can get… cringey, and yes, there were a few moments like that here. But the actual romance? I was hooked. The tension between the two main character was OFF THE CHARTS.

Lux being this sharp, intimidating billionaire who’s also quietly vulnerable made her so easy to root for, and Juliette staying grounded and refusing to take any crap balanced her perfectly. Their moments together gave me full-body butterflies in the best way.

There is a bit of insta love which wasn’t my favorite but it made up for it with amazinggg spicy scenes that were so well written. I wanted to be both of them at all times 😂

Overall, 4.5 ⭐️