The Nemesis Affair

Cosmo Red Hot Reads #2

by Erin McCarthy

Former rugby player Liam Kelly wants to keep his edge without losing his cool. The sexy Irishman needs someone to help him work out a little healthy aggression outside the office so he'll avoid punching his difficult boss. He needs an adversary who will goad him, insult, and drive him. Someone to push his limits.What he needs is a professional nemesis. So when Sam responds to his online ad with plenty of cheek and smart-assedness, Liam knows he's found the perfect guy.

Except Sam isn't a guy.

She's Samantha Hess. Very much female, newly unemployed, and eager to turn up the volume on her "nice girl" image. Goading Rugby Boy through texts and emails to run an extra mile each day is like therapy for assertiveness—and she'll get paid. She just needs to convince Liam "Samantha" can get the job done just as well as "Sam".

Samantha's a smokin' hot, sassy woman with a girl-next-door vibe who doesn't have a problem challenging Liam mentally. But how can he take her seriously now, when all he can think about is convincing her that his next workout should be in her bed?

And how will Sam keep her adversarial edge—and her heart—safe from the man who's her perfect match?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Chick Lit, Short Stories, Adult

80 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2014

About the author

USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over a hundred novels and novellas in teen fiction, new adult, and adult romance. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, beaches and martinis. She lives in Ohio with her family, two grumpy cats and a socially awkward dog.

Reviews

[D.G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

If there was ever a book that needed an epilogue, it was THIS one.

I've recently fallen in love with narrator Erin Mallon (aka Muffy Newtown) so I've been scrounging the Audible Romance Package for books narrated by her. That's where I found this little novella.

Lot of things to like here, and all to do with the hero:
✔ Liam is Irish, like from Ireland, with an accent and everything. (YUM!)
✔ Liam is a former professional athlete, and actually works out. A LOT! (Not like one of those miraculous heroes who work 16-hour days behind a desk and still manage to get a six-pack.)
✔ He works hard, he's charming and smart enough to have made a really tough decision that ended his career.
✔ He's not a man-whore and he had some MOOOVES!

The heroine on the other hand, was pretty lackluster. Sam was unemployed with a history of dating douchebags. Usually when this happens in romance, the women end up in a better place but here there was just too much left in the open - I'm totally fine with the HFN ending, but at least I wanted to know that she got a job! I didn't think it was (completely) crazy that she moved with the guy to Ireland after knowing him for a month (I agreed with the friend that this was her opportunity to take a chance and do something different with her life) but given that HE didn't have a job either , I wanted some reassurance that they wouldn't end up living with his parents - which is how I'm imagining everything going down. Eww!!

And that's the reason of the lower rating. If it wasn't for that, I would have rated it higher, because the premise was cute.

[Nika · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Few chuckle worthy moments, otherwise bland.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While short, this one was cute. I loved how Sam and Liam interacted, especially at the start when Liam was clueless. Once they meet it seemed like it became all flirting all the time, till they crossed the line, which was great! I could have done without Sam's little freak out at the end, but even that ended well.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5

I think it's pretty clear that I read almost anything Ms. McCarthy publishes. She won me over with the first two books of her TRUE series. Jessica and Riley 4EVAH. So here I am, coming back for more, trying to see if I can find the second coming of the amazingness that were those two books. So far it hasn't happened.

This novella from the Cosmo Red Hot Reads series had a lot of ups and downs for me.

For one, I felt bored more often than I would've liked. There wasn't a lot of tension going on so I found myself dropping this really short read for whatever else held my attention span. For another, I did like Liam and he pretty much represents a fantasy of mine. Cute foreign guy falling for you and whisking you away to his country to give the relationship a real chance of succeeding. He was pretty much an adorable and very manly beefcake. One of these stars is just for him.

Sam was pretty much a nonentity. I also didn't feel like she grew a backbone or became assertive at any given point in the story.

Everything just felt a little rushed. Guess because of the length of the story. Sex scenes are definitely Ms. McCarthy's forte. They are always smoking hot even if this one did sort of take a while for me to get into it.

Cute but rather unremarkable read.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like McCarthy's other ebooks and novellas, this was a quick, easy "beach read" to take a break from all the kid lit I read. No deep characters or plot, but a fun break from reality. Definitely not as good as her True Believers series.

[Melissa Vasel · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED IT, GREAT READ!!!!!

[Daron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't promise me a plot line and drop it after the first 20 pages. That's some bullshit.

[Taz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute fast read about finding you person in the most interesting way.

[Jennifer E · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Quick and easy read. Insta lust to love with some heat. A good read for forgetting the world for a few hours.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liam Kelly and Samantha Hess - New York City... he is ex-hockey player (head concussion), immigrant from Ireland, and current banker and he hates interior job and his boss persnickety ... she is out of work, degree in marketing... staying with a friend... too passive and compliant with men...

perfect time for love -

He knows physical workouts will balance his loss of hockey and tenseness at work... but he needs to be pushed and motivated, and at a friend's suggestion, he puts it on Craig's List... She is unsuccessful in job hunt, and off men until she can be confident that she will not lose herself in a man... and her friend suggests she look on line for a job pushing someone....


they connect... texting gives her an anonymous means to be tough... they meet... they fall in love... he loses his job... they move to Ireland...

[Jeananna w/The Book Reading Gals · Rating 5 out of 5]

80 pages of thorough enjoyment for me! This hot, funny, quick read showcased Erin's style and has her stamp of humor through the whole thing!

I'm starting 2015 with a bit of a book slump... So many things that I want to read that I didn't know really where to start. So I picked something I knew would be quick and I would be guaranteed to love - a Cosmo hot read. Erin did not disappoint!

[Karla Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam and Sam are so perfect for each other. I loved the spicy heat between them. What started out has a coach to get him to train ended with much more. But does it last when his visa is up?
Awesome, well written book as always.

[[Aengell] · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too short, so that the story felt rushed and I couldn't really connect to the characters, which we basically get to know through a entertaining but kind of weird coincidence.
It was good enough for a lazy afternoon, nothing more and nothing less.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

New adult contemporary romance with protected sex. This is a novella length story.

I really liked this very cute, very sexy short read. Liam & Sam are easy to like. While the story does move quickly (the problem with the shorter stories) I felt it was realistic. Good for a beach read.

[Daniela · Rating 2 out of 5]

quick read, not overly deep, lots of steam and foreplay, not McCarthy's best but fun to read.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very short but an overall enjoyable read.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book, but wish it was a full length novel. It really felt like the ending was rushed..

[valeria · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Jeannette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ummm Liam

Great quick read! A semi feisty h and an amazing H. This story brings just the right amount of romance.

[Helen King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

It was fun to read this book. I enjoyed how they found love in the least likely place and manner. And who didn't like a man' s man.

[Tala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best plot, but a good reminder that Erin McCarthy is a brilliant writer.