Don't Make Me Beg

Ashford Falls #2

by Jeré Anthony

She was my best friend… Until she ruined my life.
I’ve spent the last eight years patiently plotting my revenge.
Now she’s back in town, and so desperate she’s willing to do anything…
Even if it means marrying the person who hates her the most.

Scout Sinclair is the town princess, the quintessential good girl in every sense of the word, who’s never broken a rule in her life.
And I’m the tattooed, bad boy with a criminal history. Some may even call me a screw-up, not that I care. Life’s easier when no one expects much from you.
There was a time when I’d have done anything for her… even taking the fall for a crime I didn’t commit…
And what did that get me?
Three years in prison, while she walked away with her spotless good-girl reputation intact.
I’ve been waiting for a chance to ruin her life the same way she ruined mine.
And now she’s back in town, desperate for my help… so desperate that she even agreed to marry me.
Everything was going according to plan until I realized one epic oversight.
Maybe love and hate are closer emotions than I thought?
Suddenly, I’m remembering why I was so quick to protect her before.
I’m afraid I just may be falling in love with my wife… again.

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Friends To Lovers, Audiobook, Second Chance, Marriage Of Convenience, Contemporary Romance

502 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2025

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

[Nerlie౨ৎ 🎧📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

— ✧ rating: ☆ ☆


°ᡣ𐭩.°.જ⁀➴ Scout 🎨

I didn’t hate Scout, but I also never really connected with her either. She just felt… there most of the time 😭 I kept waiting for something about her personality to really stand out to me, but she honestly felt kind of forgettable as a main character. What frustrated me the most though was how little self respect she seemed to have at times because girl PLEASE stand up 😭
And her parents??? Oh my god they irritated me so badly. They weren’t even cartoonishly evil, just deeply insufferable in a way that made every interaction with them exhausting. Every time they appeared my blood pressure went up.


°ᡣ𐭩.°.જ⁀➴ Luca 🏍️

He annoyed me too, but honestly I think everyone in this book caught me in a bad mood 😭 I absolutely hated the whole “pretending to hate her” thing because he was just cruel for way too long. He constantly blamed her for things that weren’t her fault and basically used her as an emotional punching bag half the time.
Like yes, I understand he had reasons to be angry, but after a while it just became repetitive. Either communicate properly or stay away from her because sir PLEASE get over yourself 😭 The author was clearly trying to push the “good guy underneath the anger” angle, but I just never fully believed it. It didn’t feel convincing enough for me to buy into the romance.


ᵎ｡🧷𖦹°‧ them

I honestly never felt the chemistry between them. Their relationship didn’t really build in a way that felt natural to me, and even the intimate scenes felt forced instead of emotional. Like okay… we understand the point already 😭
What bothered me most was that even during some of Scout’s most vulnerable moments, Luca still found ways to be unnecessarily harsh or rude. It made it hard for me to root for them together because their dynamic just never emotionally clicked for me.


★ - ̗̀⇢. Overall

I definitely went into this with high expectations because I loved the first book so much, which probably made this disappointment hit harder. Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me at all. The characters frustrated me more than anything, the romance lacked chemistry, and overall it just felt like a huge letdown compared to the first book. Personally… this was a flop 😭




ෆ ༚︶︶︶︶ෆ ༚꒰ ෆ ꒱༚ ෆ︶︶︶︶༚ ෆ

˚₊‧꒰ა Pre read ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆
I’ve been waiting to read this for months now, I just kept putting it off, but it’s TIME 🙂‍↕️

[Katie Thayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ARC Review✨
Don’t Make Me Beg
By: Jere Anthony

“Don’t get it twisted, princess. I never claimed to be romantic. This is purely a revenge plan and nothing more. Got it?”

“It’s a cruel joke that my childhood best friend, the woman I’ve been in love with since I was twelve, would not only betray me after I went to prison for her, but also turn out to be the perfect counterpart to my darkest sexual desires. Out of all the women in the world, did I really have to find my match in my fake wife?”

“To be hated by Luka feels like being worshipped, like I’m the sun he revolves around. The gravity that keeps his feet anchored in reality. He sees me. Really sees me. When no one else has even given me a second look.”

Scout and Luka have so much history between them, being friends growing up. But after Scout comes back to town, we learn that friendship no longer exists. But even though Luka hates Scout now and is out for revenge he can’t help but be there to save her. I love the small town of Ashford Falls and Luka’s crazy family! And them all taking Scout in when her parents are so awful is so heart wrenching! Scout learns to find herself and her confidence thanks to Luka.

Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Found Family
Good Girl x Bad Boy
Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers

Spice starts at: 28%🔥

Spice: 3/4🌶️
Stars: 4/5⭐️

Available on Kindle Unlimited September 18th

[Amanda Copper · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Reader Review. 3.5/5 Stars

The plot was a bit meh and had some serious plot holes, but I still enjoyed it. Scout working through her purity culture trauma and learning to embrace her sexuality was realistic enough but the scene of her losing her virginity wasn’t and kind of took me out of the moment. Seems pretty unlikely to me that it would’ve been that painful/she’d bleed that much after all the foreplay and fingering they’d done. Minus 1.5 stars for that and because Luka is basically a copy/paste of Tony Stark and I’m still trying to figure out how he’s turned an old Victorian house into a cross between Stark Tower and the SmartHouse from that Disney movie but also has a huge playroom. Also was confused about how Luka comes from the family he does where it appears money is no object but somehow no one got him a good enough lawyer to prevent him from being sent to prison at 18?

Overall an enjoyable read. A good story for someone who wants a lighter Dom/Sub type plot and isn’t looking for something super deep.

[booksvanereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

helllllllllooooooooo luka 👀😈

mr. ima ruin you then take extra good care of you after??
mr. let me braid your hair real quick before i absolutely make a mess of you?
mr. “if i don’t get my cock inside you, i think i might die”?

is he my favorite kingsley brother?! i think so.

marriage of convenience, second chance, and KINKY??
YES PLS

ALC review:

OMG BOTH NARRATORS DID THESE CHARACTERS JUSTICE. OMFG. SO DELICIOUS. PERFECT. ID DO AN IMMERSIVE READ IF I WERE YOU.

[Nicole Ekmalian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book pissed me off! Started off great with his pining and I was even here for the revenge plot of it. But this was a wannabe dom/sub dynamic that was intended to manipulate and focused on humiliation. It lacked the basic trust and communication that comes with this relationship dynamic and it was all over the place regarding their feelings. She was her family’s doormat and he’s this ‘dom’ whose main focus on pleasure just seems to be shock and awe of owning a bunch of sex toys. He got off on watching her be uncomfortable and humiliated and embarrassment is NOT an emotion I handle well haha. I say some mean, uncalled for shit if I feel embarrassed; I’m a cornered animal and I don’t give a fuck in that moment. So reading about a dynamic like this gave me the ICK!! She was also a virgin but didn’t tell him, so when they finally kinda hate banged, he just shoved his dick into her without preamble and wouldn’t you know it? It hurt like hell and she was crying and bleeding everywhere. He felt bad but her pov was that she didn’t tell him because she wanted it to be with him, wanted it to hurt and felt she deserved it because she’s the reason he went to jail when they were 18… like wtf do you mean? 😂

Pissed me off too because book one was so fun and enjoyable.

[rosie · Rating 2 out of 5]

“To be hated by Luka feels like being worshipped”

nope, absolutely not.

[diecora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forced proximity, fake marriage AND friends to enemies to lovers? I‘m sat. Seated.
Also? We love a good spice and an mmc with tattoos and a motorcycle.

The book was great. I loved it.
I loved Scout and Luka together and as an individual. Their character development was top notch and well considered. They worked great together. The comfort and communication between these two? Yes, yes, yes.
It was fun to get to know / reconnect with them, their families, the town. (Even though there were times where I got confused about who is who in this town again.)
Their story catched me right from the beginning and my excitement lasted all the way through the book except for a small part in the middle.
I also would’ve liked the well… actual fake marriage to be addressed again at the end.

Jeré‘s writing style is really easy to unterstand. It’s exiting and gripping, which made the book a page turner. I got butterflies myself and was kicking my feet while reading.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the “revenge” aspect between childhood friends. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much of it. I did skimmed after the 60% mark as I lost interest once they’re “together”.

[Candace Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second book/audio from Jere and I have LOVED them both! It is fun RomCom that does dip in to some heavy topics. If you have triggers, please check those. If not, I liked going in blind!

This is the second book in the series, and so far my FAV!
In this book, you get

-Friends to Enemies to Lovers
-FMC with emotional abuse (by parents)
-FMC who finds her sexual awakening
-Light BDSM/degredation/pain kink

I will for SURE continue this series!

[riley | romance reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luka = SWOON

Childhood friends to enemies to fake marriage to lovers

I’m obsessed!

The LOKI AI assistant was weird AF but generally funny

The kink was a good amount - it alluded to a lot more than there actually was. But it was almost like a sneak peek into a more kinky life that Luka led. He was after all just easing Scout into it so it makes sense

I loved that he called her Girl Scout 🥺

I’m glad scout eventually got herself a backbone and stood up for herself against her parents. Sure it took a giant reality check but at the end of the day she’s herself and most of that is thanks to Luka

[Emily | sipsandshelves]

Beta read <3

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Small Town RomCom with a revenge plot and just a good time!

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Jeré Anthony, for the advanced copy!

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up)

I received this book for an honest review. I had fun with this book, but it was not my favorite. I think it was dragged out a little too long at points, but overall I enjoyed the story. I feel like the conflict was easily forgiven, I mean, the man went to jail... and it wasn't addressed for about half the story, I felt like, and then it was just brushed under the rug. AND PEOPLE KNEW IT WASN'T HIM WHO DID IT AND STILL TREATED HIM LIKE GARBAGE. I think this was my biggest problem with the whole book. I did enjoy the book and will continue the series if it continues. Please continue with all the brothers <3

[Lacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unoriginal: ✅
Uninspiring: ✅
Uninteresting: ✅

Don’t make me beg is an ironic title since I had to beg for the audiobook to just end after I was more than halfway through with it.

There is nothing about this book that was interesting. There was nothing about it that was even inspiring or thought provoking. The entire thing felt like chipped paint on a picket fence.

It’s supposed to be this good girl, bad boy story of childhood friends to lovers, but in no way, shape, or form was she a good girl and he a bad boy. Driving a motorcycle and having some tattoos doesn’t make you bad. He did go to jail, but it was for something ridiculous like smoking a blunt and “vandalism.” Which is arguably one of the most boring concepts you could come up with for why he went to jail. For THREE YEARS, mind you.

Scout Sinclair is supposed to be a rich, good girl who has never done anything wrong in her life. Which sounds fine and dandy until you realize she’s never done anything inherently good, either. She just exists. She listens to her parents every command and if that is supposed to make her a good girl, then give me a lobotomy. That doesn’t make her a good girl? That makes her a puppet on strings. Just because she doesn’t go out and smoke joints and commit crimes, doesn’t make her a “good girl.” And she’s painted like some kind of hometown hero. Everyone apparently knows her and missed her while she was away at school.… that’s great, I guess?

Every single person in this book was so BLAND and BORING, that chat gpt could have written a better story using the synopsis alone. Which is a tragedy.

Luka, the mmc, “hates Scout to no end.” Because of what she did. Which is let him take the fall for an act of vandalism that she committed. Which ended up leading to his arrest. Once he went to jail, she never went to visit him, never tried to call him, and just let everyone believe that he is a bad guy and he did those things and deserved jail time. So naturally, yes, he would hate her.

But for someone who hates her so badly, it took him absolutely no time to invite her over to his house because she had nowhere to stay. If I saw the person, I hated the most out on the street, I wouldn’t invite him to stay in my house. I would think karma finally handed him what he deserved. Maybe that makes me a bad person. But that’s who Luka is supposed to be, right? A bad boy with a bad attitude and bad temper.

WRONG!

You can tell from the second he starts thinking about scout being back in town, that he never really hated her. Maybe he hated what she did, but not her specifically. Except you’re not led to believe that’s the case here.

Luka is actually a good man. He’s nice. He’d do anything for his childhood best friend because he’s always loved her.

Boring.

Scout is also pretty fucking boring too. In fact, this entire town in Virginia is boring. The author lacks such creativity that she couldn’t even be bothered to come up with fake names for places in town.

You want to go out to eat? Try eating at Restaurant. Which is what it’s called. There is no name. It’s called restaurant. Want to go to get a coffee? Try going down the street to Coffee Shop. Need to buy a wedding ring for your fake wife? Go to Jewelry Store. Let’s buy paint supplies for the mural Scout is supposed to paint. What better place to go than to Hardware Store.

This is supposed to be some kind of romantic comedy, but none of that was funny. It is just so lackluster and feels like the author couldn’t be bothered to give these places a name so she thought it would be really funny to just name them as they are. I didn’t laugh. I didn’t even think about laughing. Even once I finished this book and typed out this review and thought about those names, it’s not even funny in hindsight. As an author, you’re supposed to care about your craft. You’re supposed to put your heart and soul into it and tell a story with vivid backdrops and descriptions to really put the reader in that place. The only thing I could picture was whatever was on the front cover of this book. Which was a brick building with the ugliest mural I’ve ever seen, and like, a church.

Honestly, I feel like this book was supposed to be some kind of kinky, fetish story, and I was surprised to find that it was only kinky for maybe 10% of the whole thing. In fact, I feel this book could have been better if it actually WAS entirely kinky. Instead, you spend almost half of it, listening to the same, boring monologues of both characters thinking how badly they want each other but they shouldn’t.

I get what the author was trying to do. She was trying to make it seem like they were yearning for each other and they couldn’t have each other. But when the only type of yearning they do is in the sexual context…. That just makes them seem horny. It was never “I want to lay In bed and catch up on life with her” and always “I want to fuck that tight pussy and suck her nipples so badly.” (That’s not a real sentence by the way, but you get the gist).

Which leads me into the fact that scout is a virgin. And honestly, if you can’t write virgin characters and be normal about it, just don’t write them at all. I don’t understand why there’s this big stigma around virginity and that it’s such a big deal to lose it. I have never once cared in my life about my virginity. I didn’t care when I lost it, how I lost it, and who I lost it too. (maybe that last one is a little bit of a lie, but you should care a little bit about who you do that with but I digress).

Scout doesn’t tell Luka she’s a virgin and he just assumes that she isn’t, and rightfully so because she was engaged to another man before they got together and married each other as some sort of fuck you to scouts dad. But when he finally puts it in, you would think that she started gushing blood like it was a trauma wound. He gets upset about it because he would’ve done it differently if he knew she was a virgin. Which I will applaud. But she made a big deal over it and acted like he wouldn’t want to do anything with her or touch her if she told him and I don’t understand why author’s are constantly writing virgins like that? Has there ever been a man on this planet who didn’t have sex with a woman because she was a virgin? Aren’t men supposed to be freaks about that and really enjoyed taking virginity from women? Or is that just something we were told and it’s a lie?

But I think the worst part of that entire thing is that he felt so bad about it that he felt the need to tell his brothers exactly what they did and exactly what happened. If somebody fucked me for the first time and they went and told half of their family about what happened, I would kill them. That’s nobody’s business?? but you just went and told your brothers?? 😭😭 and they were like well what are you going to do about it? And Luka is all “ I don’t know because I don’t think I can look at her again without taking what I want” this was a really creepy sentence and it sounds like you’re a rapist 😭😭 because what do you mean you stuck your dick in her for 20 seconds and it was that fantastic that you don’t think you can look at her again and not want to do that when you see her???

And on a side note while I remember, Luka made a comment once about how he had to lock Scout’s door every night before bed because he didn’t trust himself to not go in there and take what he wanted??? because apparently he used to be a heavy sleepwalker. So, what, do you think that you might sleep walk into her room and then fuck her?? this book actually would’ve been 20 times more interesting if that did happen (in a consensual way of course.) but it never did and I don’t think he sleepwalked the entire book.

There was also a point where they were smoking a joint together on the back porch and I guess scout was so relaxed after taking a hit, that it turned her horny and she started humping the chair?? and then asked if she could have the chair because it felt really good. Has the author ever smoked marijuana in her life? I’ve never touched a blunt, and I don’t think that taking a hit of one would make me hump a porch chair.

Luka has this AI house assistant because he’s really smart I guess, and clearly the author felt the need to put her nerd activities in here and named it L.O.K.I. So naturally, the AI assistant was obsessed with the avengers.

The AI got so smart that it stole the identity of one of his brothers and had like phone sex with real people. Just thought I should mention that.

Then they realized wow, he must be lonely!! so what do they do? Get the AI a cat 😭😭😭😭 I wish I was making this up. Unfortunately, I’m not. And now if I was extremely smart and made that AI in the first place, I think my first train of thought would be to make another AI for my AI….. not get it a cat?? but maybe I’m thinking too clearly.

Anyway, there was this whole plot about how controlling Scout’s parents were, and how awful her dad is. And he does suck pretty fucking bad, but his controlling behavior was so un-interesting that the whole book still could’ve been told without that part. And when it was finally time for him to get what he deserved, it was so boring to read about. All of it was lacking such detail that it feels like the author couldn’t have been bothered to do any type of research towards the criminal justice system for the sake of a better story. It almost sounded like a child writing fanfiction on Wattpad for the first time and just throwing basic terms in there that they’ve heard from the mouths of older adults, but that’s not really what the story is about so who cares about how much detail it has type of thing.

But this isn’t fanfiction. This is a novel published at my library.

I guess this is a second book in a series. I imagine each book follows one of the brothers in this family and their relationships. I won’t be reading anymore. I won’t even try the first one based off the title alone which is called “Don’t Call Me Daddy” and it’s an age gap romance, which I will always find disgusting. I’m also not reading about a character calling someone daddy.

Don’t make me beg is a negative one star ⭐️

The best part was the prologue, when you thought you were going to get an interesting story.

[Milady Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Fans self*

I fell in love with Don't Call Me Daddy when I stumbled upon it earlier this year and was so excited to receive an ARC of Don't Make Me Beg! It did NOT disappoint!

Scout has a tough relationship with her parents and the way she felt about herself and her purpose hit close to home. It's beautiful to see an author touch on subjects that apply to real world issues and not always have/come from a situation that's sunshine and rainbows.

It was also nice to see time jumps within the book and characters not immediately react to something that happened. There are some parts that skip over a few days or a week and it's almost like it allows the characters to grow and not always be a quick 'fall in love in a week' romance.

Let's not forget about the STEAM! The tension between these two is SO good and the spice is a perfect blend of slow burn and kink exploration.

If you love a small town romance with spice, found family, and a good girl x bad boy HEA then this book is for you!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Don't Call Me Daddy I knew I would be obsessed with the Kingsley Brothers and the beautiful mountain town of Ashford Falls. This author has jumped to the top of my must read list. I received an ARC of Don't Make Me Beg with no expectations of a review, but truly loved every second of reading this book, and I already need the third one! The author does a fantastic job of refreshing the same old tropes so it feels like I'm reading them for the first time if that makes sense. You can't help but cheer for Luca and Scout throughout the whole story. I really can't wait for the third book! I need the next Kingsley brother!

[Graci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toxic af. Plot was good in the beginning then fell off. 3 stars

[The Romantic Rush Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scout and Luka’s story starts with history. They grew up side by side, once inseparable, and now they can barely stand to be in the same room. When Scout comes back to Ashford Falls, whatever friendship they had is long gone. Luka is angry. Hurt. Out for revenge. And yet, when it matters, he is still the one who shows up for her. That tension is what makes this audiobook so addictive.

Ashford Falls has that small town charm where everyone knows your business, and the Kingsley family steals every scene they are in. Luka’s loud, loyal, slightly chaotic family stepping in when Scout’s own parents fail her is both heartbreaking and healing. Scout’s home life is painful to read. Her parents are cold and cruel in ways that explain so much about her self doubt. Watching her slowly rebuild herself in a town that once held so many memories felt powerful.

Scout’s journey is the heart of this story. She comes back unsure and guarded, carrying years of hurt, and we get to watch her rediscover her confidence. She learns to stand tall. To use her voice. To stop shrinking herself for other people. You cannot help but root for her.

Luka is layered in the best way. On the surface he is all hard edges, inked skin, motorcycle, and stubborn pride. Underneath, he is protective, loyal, and deeply wounded. As his walls start to crack, you see the depth of his feelings and the weight of the past he has been carrying. Their shared history, and the slow unraveling of what really tore them apart, hits hard. The misunderstandings, the silence, the hurt. It makes their path back to each other feel earned. Individually, their growth is strong. Together, they are electric.

The forced proximity. The fake marriage. The friends to enemies to lovers tension. It is all here and done so well. When they finally start communicating honestly, really talking instead of reacting, their connection shifts into something steady and intimate. The comfort between them becomes just as compelling as the chemistry. And yes, the chemistry is off the charts. Their intimate scenes are intense, emotional, and deeply tied to their bond. It never feels thrown in for shock value. It feels like an extension of everything they have been holding back for years.

The Kingsleys bring warmth and humor, offering Scout the kind of unconditional support she has never had. Their home feels like a safe haven, and that found family element adds so much heart to the story. Then there is L.O.K.I., the AI side character who nearly steals the show. Sharp, sarcastic, and oddly endearing, he brings levity at exactly the right moments and balances the heavier emotional beats.

Jeré’s writing style is easy to sink into. It is engaging and emotional without feeling heavy handed. I was hooked from the start, invested in Scout and Luka’s healing, and fully seated for every trope this book delivered. There were moments of confusion with the wider town cast and I would have loved a bit more closure around the fake marriage element at the end, but overall the story kept me turning pages.

This is a story about first love fractured by pain, about chosen family, about learning to stand in your own strength, and about two people finding their way back to each other after years of hurt. Scout and Luka are unforgettable, together and apart.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

They were best friends… until he took the fall for her and changed the course of his life as he knew it. That history brews a storm of enemies-to-lovers with a sprinkle of second chance, because they didn’t get the start they should’ve. Throw in a tattooed biker with a kinkier side and a marriage of convenience? Yes please.

“It's like we're just two halves of a broken spirit, finally finding our missing counterpart...”

Scout and Luka have so much history. They grew up together, but after Scout comes back to town, we find out that friendship is long gone. Luka hates her now (I mean, kinda), out for revenge, yet he can’t stop himself from saving her. Weeeeeak for this man, tbh. I love the small town of Ashford Falls and the found family built into these brothers.

“I knew I'd pick rainy days over sunshine, watch nothing but scary movies for the rest of my life—just to see her smile.”

Luka and Scout grew separately, but together they bring incredible communication while working through all the bad blood. Both wear images the town assumes of them (the bad boy criminal, the good girl next door) but privately, they show each other their real, raw sides.

“You aren't broken, and there is nothing wrong with you.”
“I feel pretty fucking broken.”

I LOVED Don’t Call Me Daddy, couldn’t put it down, and Don’t Make Me Beg was exactly the same. There’s something about this author’s writing that’s just so easy to devour. It draws you in fast and doesn’t let go. Like before, this one had me DYING with the tension, the banter, and the kinky, spicy heat. I can't wait read about the next brother!!

[Amity Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ALC REVIEW✨

4.5⭐️

I absolutely loved this one!! Narration by Samantha Brentmoor & JF Harding did NOT disappoint. They made the the humor, the tension, and the banter through this one really shine!!

I was hooked by Luka & Scout from the very beginning. Child hood friends, to enemies, to lovers, with a side of revenge plot & kink exploration…yes please!!

Scouts relationship with her parents & the way she sees herself was an added aspect that I didn’t expect to hit me so hard. I loved watching her grow & take back her power.

Luka was just a perfect MMC. The tatted bad boy, who’s holding a grudge because of their past, yet can’t help but step up and save her. Swoooon! He’s obsessive, protective, & has such a filthy mouth!! Gimme more!

This one has such amazing character growth! Watching them communicate through their bad blood and overcoming their bad imagines with the town, just had me rooting for them completely!!

If you love a good girl x bad boy plot with so much tension, chemistry, and delicious spice… this one is for you!!

[Kaylee Salsbury-Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ | 3 🌶 | 🎧

I loved this one! The second chance was amazing, and both characters were wonderful. It was incredibly spicy, but done in a way that helped to develop both characters, specifically Scout, so well! The family is incredible and keeps getting stronger with each book; the lore of Ashford Falls is so much fun, and while it was a bit long, I found myself not ready to say goodbye.

Jeré Anthony is one of the most underrated authors that I have read! I don't see nearly enough good things said about her books, and I have enjoyed each one that I have read. Also, the narration was FANTASTIC. Hard to go wrong with a duet style featuring Samantha Brentmoor and JF Harding, though.

Thank you SO much to Jeré for an ALC (and an ARC back when it was initially released). I am so excited to see what Ashford Falls will bring us next.

[Erika Bonsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.8
🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨ARC Review✨
I loved returning to Ashford Falls — and dare I say it? I may have enjoyed this book even more than the first in the series, Don’t Call Me Daddy! The 90s kid in me was living for the nostalgia, especially with the SmartHouse vibes and the character L.O.K.I. Let’s be honest — the AI house totally stole the show!
What really hooked me, though, was the mix of childhood backstory, missed chances, and that delicious back-and-forth tension between Scout and Luka. Luka is the full package: loyal to a fault (even when people don’t deserve it), a smart tech nerd with a bad boy edge, a hilarious, lovable family… and he rides a motorcycle? SWOON.
Scout’s situation with her family felt heartbreakingly real. While I haven’t experienced it personally, my jaw was on the floor at how cruel they were — and knowing that people really do go through that made it hit even harder. Watching her rise from that and get her moment? So satisfying. I’m always here for a good public “stick it to them” moment!
Now I’m just sitting here asking… is book 3 out yet?! Because I am not ready to leave the Kingsley family or quirky Ashford Falls behind

[Haley Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrators: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶🌶🌶🌶

This series just keeps getting better and better. If you one who loves a book with a healing journey this is it. Luca and Scout definitely go on a healing journey together and learn things about each other that they just could not see as friends in their childhood. This is probably one of my favorite second chance romance books that I have read.

The forced proximity, second chance romance, and enemies to lovers tropes in this book are top tier. The emotions I felt for these characters were so deep. The way they are fleshed out you feel like they are your best friend down the street.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m really loving this series, and Luka’s book might be my favorite so far. Don’t Make Me Beg delivers the perfect mix of heat, heart, and character growth. Luka is impossible not to root for, and Scout’s sexuality journey felt fresh, honest, and beautifully written. Their dynamic had so much depth, and the kinky moments were fun, consensual, and added real intensity to their connection.

I listened to the audiobook, and it was amazing. The narrators brought every scene to life, the emotional beats hit harder, the tension felt sharper, and the banter had me crackling. It elevated the whole experience.

Jeré Anthony continues to build a world and cast of characters that keep me fully invested. This installment was an absolute hit.

[Jessi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the first 40% but after that I was just like wtf?
There could’ve been so much more done with the revenge plot!!!

[sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gah I absolutely love this small, quirky town that the author has built! It’s filled with fun Gilmore Girls-like characters and lots of charm! “Don’t Call Me Daddy” was one of my favorite books earlier this year so I was so stoked when I saw the author was releasing another book connected to it so quickly!

Tropes: small town, friends to hate to lovers, reconnecting, good girl x “bad” boy, misunderstood mmc, billionaire family, toxic family, fmc with no place to go, marriage of convenience, he fell first, possessive & protective, kink exploration

Thoughts:

You don’t need to read DCMD (but you should cause it’s perfect) to read “Don’t Make Me Beg” — the author does a good job reintroducing the town’s fun characters in a way that gets new readers established but doesn’t bore those who have read the first book.

Luka and Scout have a best friends to hate to lovers romance—though the hate is one-side from Luka due to having his heart and trust broken. And tbh, did he ever really hate her or was he more so just depressed from losing her for those years?

I loved how protective and possessive Luka was of Scout even when he was still in his hating/revenge mood. Like he couldn’t stop looking out for her. And the way he helped her heal and grow from the emotional trauma/abuse she dealt with from her parents was absolutely precious. The dropping the wine scene made me so emotional!

As for Scout? I love her and desperately want to hug her! I’m so happy she has such a supportive group in Luka’s family to help offset the shitty parents she has. And I absolutely loved her growth to gaining more confidence and diving back into what makes her passionate.

And then beyond the sweetness, Luka and Scout were just hot af as well! Luka helping Scout discover her sexuality and getting her to explore what turns her on was perfect! I loved how the pain and degradation kink was mixed!

Overall, this is definitely a series I’m eager to continue and will definitely keep recommending! If you like romcom mixed with spice and drops of emotion, this is a must read!

Thank you to the author for the eARC! Review is my honest opinion.

[Renske · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ARC I recieved, which I'm so gratefull for! I tried to finish it before the release but you know how life just happens sometimes...

Anyways I thought the chemistry and backstory about these too was so well thought out and fitting for the characters 💖 I liked how the finding your true self was intertwined in this love story.

Why not 5 stars?? The dirty talk was sometimes to much for me, which is simply personal preference😄 so I would still recommend!

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ DNF 66%

[Ali Langille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I was so excited for this book! I loved the first in the series but this one just wasn’t it for me. I had a hard time with both the FMC and MMC. Also, I couldn’t with the LOKI.

[Amanda Pence · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was weird. The live in AI robot was strange. The book came with a warning label. Took me forever to be interested an I use that term loosely.