רודפת בצע

Daydreamer #2

by Susie Tate, סוזי טייט (Author's Hebrew Name), יעל צוק (Translator)

כשהבוס שלך מציע להפוך לארוס המזויף שלך, יותר מדי דברים עלולים להשתבש.

ללוטי פורסט, עוזרת בית בימים ומלצרית בלילות, יש מטרה אחת בלבד – לשמור על מקומות העבודה שלה.
בתור האפוטרופסית היחידה של אחותה הקטנה, היא יודעת שמספיקה טעות אחת כדי ששירותי הרווחה יתערבו, והיא לא מוכנה לתת להם שום סיבה לקחת אותה ממנה.
לכן, כשאוליבר הרדינג, הדוכס מבקינגהאם, מתחיל לגלות בה עניין, היא עושה הכול כדי לשמור על מרחק.
הוא הבוס שלה, ולהיכנס איתו למערכת יחסים זה רעיון רע. רע מאוד.

ובכל זאת, הוא לא מוכן לוותר.

אוליבר הרדינג הוא גבר עשיר, מצליח ונאה שרגיל שנשים נופלות לרגליו, אבל יש אישה אחת שהוא לא מצליח להוציא מהמחשבות – לוטי. עוזרת הבית השקטה, שמתחמקת ממנו כמו מאש, תופסת כל מקום פנוי בראש שלו, והוא מתכוון לעשות כל מה שהוא יכול כדי שהיא תהיה שלו.
אבל ללוטי אין כלום מלבד סודות, ואוליבר כבר נכווה מסודות בעבר.
כשהמשפחה שלו מחליטה להעמיד את הקשר ביניהם למבחן, שניהם נכשלים. ולזכות בה בחזרה עלול להיות קשה יותר משחשב.

לכל מי שאוהבת את הגברים המגוננים, הבחורות המתריסות – והמתח הבוער שביניהם, רודפת בצע הוא רומן ממכר על סודות, תשוקה והבחירה להילחם על אהבה גם כשהכול נראה אבוד.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Fake Dating, Billionaire Romance, Fiction

375 pages, ebook

First published October 17, 2024

About the author

Susie is a top 2 Amazon bestselling author who writes addictive, feel-good contemporary romance with heroes who may make you a little ragey, but who always redeem themselves in the end! She’s been a doctor in the NHS for over twenty years and lives in beautiful Dorset with her wonderful husband, three gorgeous boys and an even more wonderful dog.

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was DEEPLY unsatisfying. Not even a full 2 stars, more like 1.5 only because I liked the very beginning.

Where was Ollie’s grovel???? Non existent. Where was his explanation for the women he let himself be photographed with? Where was his explanation for the lipstick on his collar? Why did Lottie NEVER say anything about him being photographed with a woman when they first started seeing each other? WHY was it ok for his mom to just pop in and everything be ok after what she did? Why was his sister the one to stand up for Lottie when his mother was introducing her by the wrong name and serving her alcohol, knowing her mom was an alcoholic so she didn’t drink? Why, when his sister stood up for Lottie, did he get mad at Lottie for not saying anything when HE should’ve been the one standing up for her ?!?!?!! WHY was it never brought up that he literally called her being cautious and worried due to having an alcoholic mother BAGGAGE?!!!!!!! and finally, why was there absolutely ZERO grovel for him imploring to her that she was family, only to turn around and to tell her to fuck off out of HIS family’s business??

[Doom Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope one day that Susie Tate writes an FMC that can speak in whole sentences without any mumbling. I also hope that one of her FMC's starts to push back against manhandling.

I saw one review that said that Lottie is a strong female character and all I could think is "did we read the same book?"

There was a lot missing in this book. A lot of personal details and details that would help build a strong foundation for the story. For example, Lottie says at one point that Lucy is one of her best friends. I was perplexed at that...we never see them interact, we don't read about them texting, and we don't get any scenes where they're at the local pub or hell, even the movies. So I was utterly baffled at how someone can say they are best friends when they never get together.

Let's talk about the non-swearing. It's totally okay to have a lead character decide to not swear. But it's annoying to read all of the "cutesy" words used in place of curse words. Like, why say those words at all? Towards the end of the book, the FMC does decide to swear and it does deliver the impact that the author wanted, but did we need to sit through so much "cheese and rice" to get that punch in the gut moment?

We also lost some of the funny from the FMC. At one point she was funny and I found myself chuckling. Yet, the FMC lost that personality trait half way through the book.

FMC also experiences a huge amount of body betrayal syndrome and it was so very disappointing. Why are women authors writing such wet blanket heroines in 2024?

This book also contained approx 30 formatting errors. Too many for a seasoned author as Tate.

Substitute curse words:
Fudge = 15 times
Fraggle = 12 times
Cheese and rice/crackers = 15
Shiitake mushrooms = 4
Grumpy barnacles
Fanta
Blinking

[Anekakhanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some authors need to stick to writing books on wattpad

[AnotherRomanceReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Name/Series: Gold Digger
Author: Susie Tate
Standalone?: Can be read as a standalone, but includes characters from other books.

2 Stars

My Opinion: Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. While there were some sweet moments between the characters and I liked some of the secondary characters a lot, I felt like the hero really let this book down. He just had too many occasions where he was an ass to the heroine. I also didn’t like the hero’s mother. I think she was supposed to redeem herself, but I didn’t feel like she ever did.

Hero: 1/5. I did not like Ollie for a lot of the story. He did have some sweet moments with Lottie and her sister, but he also kept letting Lottie down again and again, despite promising each time that it wouldn’t happen again. I also found it very off putting that when he got angry or he and Lottie argued, he would say some pretty shitty things to her, and he refused to listen to her on multiple occasions: when Lottie tries to tell him that she thinks his sister is being abused by her husband, he basically tells her that she’s projecting and to butt out of his family’s business because he knows his brother-in-law and she doesn’t.
Heroine: 3/5. Lottie was okay, but I didn’t always feel like she was very consistent, and her personality was a bit all over the place. I also found it a little odd that she’s terrified to lose her job as Ollie’s cleaner, yet she did a bunch of inappropriate things like eating his biscuits, leaving teacups all over the house, studying when she’s supposed to be cleaning, and brining her sister to work and hiding her in the house. I did like her relationship with her little sister though. She was really willing to do anything for her.

POV: 1st person POV (Ollie and Lottie).

Push/Pull: Ollie pushes Lottie away on several occasions because he thinks she’s betrayed him.

Sadness: 0/5.

Explicit Sex and Spice Level: Yes. 1/5.

OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) Drama: No.

Separation: They’re broken up for about 6 months in the first half of the book.

Cheating: No. It’s mentioned that Ollie lets other women rub up on him at gallas and events while they’re broken up, but he never does anything with any of them or takes them home.

Closure/Ending: HEA. They’re married and Lottie is pregnant.

Possible Triggers: Violence, mentions of a secondary character being abused.

[Christa Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

NO. No no no no no. I HATED this book.

Ollie (our hero) is SUCH an asshole. Not an alpha hole l, I love those. No, this dude is a full blown, capital A Asshole who is never successfully redeemed. This is what an abusive partner looks like! He has a massive anger problem, at MULTIPLE points blocking the heroine to yell in her face. WHAT. THE. FUCK. NOT OKAY.

Now does he reflect and realize he was being a dick? Yes. Does he change anything about his behavior? NO! He just keeps doing it again then apologizing again and making big “I love you!” speeches with grand gestures. You know, like love bombing. I honestly hated Ollie so much that when we FINALLY got to their sex scene, I skipped it. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before but I didn’t WANT them to be together.

On top of that we have some smaller, but equally bad problems.

To start, I was initially so excited when there was an adult woman with autism who was having some really good things said about what that was like. But as the book went on she turned into the stereotype of what autism looks like. Which I know is true for a lot of people, but it just got worse and worse. She starts screaming during fireworks and we’re all supposed to believe that no one outside of her family knew she was autistic, that she was just “weird” (a word the book used!). No. This is absolutely not how the world works.

Then there was this entire thing about how alcoholics are villains. They can be bad people, yes, but so can sober people. TWO evil alcoholics in one book is too many. This is where you get into perpetuating shitty stereotypes about what is in fact a very common mental health issue that is extremely hard to get people to talk about and treat. This is NOT okay either.

Minor issues were just that the pacing was hard to track with and the book was about 50 pages too long. Also I got whiplash going back and forth about whether Ollie’s mom was good or not. Her actions were all over the place and she needed to pick a lane.

CW: alcoholism, emotional abuse, giant way too wealthy aristocratic douche bags who know they’re a dick but will continue to be a dick anyway, parental death (off page), physical abuse, bullying, childhood trauma

[Amanda Blanche · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️ This author truly has a gift of writing strong, damaged and resilient characters. Enough to pull at your heartstrings. Then she throws in some drama and grovelling and it’s a good read. Lottie has looked after herself since she was ten. With her father having died when she was a child, and an alcoholic mother, she learned to only count on herself. Until her baby sister was born. When their mother dies, Lottie fights to take (and keep) custody of her now 8 year old sister. At her job as a prominent family’s maid - she meets Ollie. Their chemistry was quick and fast, but didn’t last due to interference from his family. Now at odds, and with Ollie not having the whole picture, they have a prickly - I hate you but I hate that I love you - kind of energy. Until one day, Ollie sees an opportunity to try again with Lottie, but will either of them be able to trust the other?

[Mairi Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I've come to any book of Tate's so far that I didn't like. This one wasn't an exception. Finished it in one sitting, I was so engrossed. I like how the heroines seem like damsel in distress but in reality they are strong until they had enough but still keep going. Even though the hero was somewhat rude to the heroine after the supposed betrayal, I liked that he was remorseful and tried in his own way to fix things.

[Raffaella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh the angst!
This was really ott angsty because the heroine is one of the most unlucky creature after Diana Palmer and maybe even more.
She’s so brave, young, courageous, and life has always treated her unfairly.
She’s kind and loving and yet, beside her little sister, nobody ever treated her her with an amount of kindness.
And this is why when the hero fails and lets her down time and again I couldn’t stop my tears because she let herself hope and trust another human being, even if she never did and never could before, and he let her down, so I hated him and I wanted to mow him down with my car, that idiot stupid moron.
He wasn’t that bad, and when she actually accepted money to break up with him and stay away from him, well, I could understand him. He was in love with her and yet she didn’t tell him anything, she just left and he realized she accepted money to dump him, of course he was angry and hurt, who wouldn’t.
He was snappy and sometimes he was a dick but well, she really sold him out. Ok, there were reasons, and when he found out he was even sorry for how he reacted, but he couldn’t know.
He thought she was a gold digger, and in a way, she was.
But the second time, when he didn’t believe her and he made her feel like she was an outsider, well that was painful, and no matter if the situation was bad, he should’ve acted differently.
So, lot of tears. In the end, the heroine was better than him, but he wasn’t a bad guy himself and the book was really good.
This author has some awful heroes, thankfully this one was not that bad.

[iremucka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gold Digger aka Servet Avcısı ⚜️

Lottie (24-25); 8 yasındaki kız kardesine bakmak için okulundan vazgeçmiş, Buckhingham Dükü’ nün evinde temizlikçi olarak çalışmaktadır. Akşamları da barda garsonluk falan yapıyor, online ders alıyor falan, gerçekten iğrenç bir hayat 😟 Sonracığıma “The Duke” ondan etkilenir ve olaylar gelişir. 🧡

Lottie çok kötü bir temizlikçidir, öyle ki adam ondan önce gelen temizlikçi tutar heheh 🤭 % 50’ sine kadar aşırı harika giden hikaye Fuckhingham’ ın aynı hatayı 3. kere yapmasıyla düştü.. 2. kitabı aşırı merak edip direk ona ışınlanıyorum. Dükün üvey kız kardeşi otizm spektrumundaki Vicky’i okumak zevkli olacak. 💗

Susie Tate’ den okuduğum ilk kitap ama belli bir matematiği olduğu çok belli ve bu bende tam çalışmıyor. Daha fazla sürünme istiyorum!! 🩶😤 Seni beğenmedim Ollie the Duke. Bak yazarken sinirlendim yine 🧐

https://t.me/theothershelfceviri/2207

[Wildflower Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something truly special about Susie Tate's novels. She's a new author to me but after I read the first book in this series, I was hooked and I've devoured her back catalogue in a matter of days.

Ollie and Lottie's story will not disappoint. You'll love Ollie, then want to smack him on the back of the head, then possibly want to kick him in the nads at one point, but you will inevitably fall in love with him. He's incredibly charming and how he loves Ollie and Hayley is a sight to behold. There were so many aspects of Lottie I liked. Her independence, her unique way of avoiding swear words and how she's loves Hayley; unconditionally and with the ferocity of a lioness. She's a proper bad ass and a particular scene with Blake (Ollie's brother-in-law) will have you fist pumping the air in solidarity with her!

Tate's writing is nothing short of fantastic! I love the portrayal of her characters, they're realistic, honest and in this case accurate. Being autistic and raring two autistic children, sometimes I find the portrayal of neurodivergent characters as 'stereotypical'. It's as if some authors have a tick list of traits they need to mention to ensure they've met the 'ASD criteria', but Tate's characters feel so real. There's a particular scene in which a supporting character experiences a meltdown as a result of fireworks and I swear I felt every part of her discomfort. It was vivid and tangible. Her handling of selective mutism was also so aptly done. The opinions of Hayley's grandparents saying that lack of boundaries is the cause, is something I've heard time and time again, as I'm sure other ND parents have. How Tate dealt with this, the explanations she gives through Lottie's defence of her sister made me cry. She got it.


You'd be crazy to see this book advertised and not download it. It's a definite 5 stars! I cant wait to see what comes next!

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m such a sucker for single parent books, and Hayley was a big reason why I loved this book.

Gold Digger was way more emotional than I was expecting and I can admit I cried a couple of times.

Ollie had a few jerk moments, but I loved his groveling. Lottie was too stubborn, but I also thought the author did a great job showing the struggles that would happen when a couple are not socially equal.

Overall, a great read!

[Chelsie Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

82% mark. That’s how long until SHE IS BELIEVED. And then it’s all just forgiven.
F. That.
I would’ve burned everything to the ground

Don’t worry, the two evil people that are evil the entire book literally get no f you moment— so underwhelming
Also - Tony- he all of a sudden is like I’m her family now you have to prove yourself to me
Literally six minutes before hand, he was trying to take her sister away from her
What is this book?

[Nikki ღ Navareus]

I don't think this author is a good fit for me. I tried to read this story twice, and I'm just not enjoying it. I don't care about the characters at all. Especially the rude, immature, trying to hard to be cute, heroine. She bugs the fuck out of me.

[Cheesecake · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, maybe 5 stars is excessive. But I just really enjoyed this cheesy Cinderella type story.
He's a duke and not used to the word 'no', but he's not a jerk usually. Of course there's an ex who hurt him but it was mostly his pride.
The side characters are interesting but not terribly deep and a nice blend of good and bad. That's fine. Because the story reads more like a fairytale meets Harlequin presents.

She's his housecleaner. How a woman her age and with no references ends up cleaning the house of a wealthy and powerful Duke, is hard to fathom, but just roll with it... it gets sillier.
He of course has fallen in love with her but doesn't realize it for most of the story.
Lottie is clumsy, gorgeous, unpretentious, but very cautious.
Oliver is confident and gorgeous, fair minded but finds it difficult to trust.
Actually they have that 'difficult to trust' thing in common but Lottie has more reason to be that way.
She has the hard luck story you'd expect a Cinderella to have. She also has a little half sister who needs her. I really wasn't sure how the little sister ended up in her care, and it's all kinda glossed over, but again, just roll with it.

Oliver pursues Lottie and it was quite sweet, but then he drops the ball. To be honest, I can understand his reasoning at the time, but he ends up dropping the ball a second time and that time it was just him being an idiot. But he grovels nicely and feels remorse. And even better, she makes him work for it.

It's fluffy but nicely balanced and well paced. I felt angst but not too much. And the villains got their just desserts.

Safety is good. He does go on at least one date after he dumps Lottie, but doesn't have sex or even kiss her. He lets a woman drape herself over him in front of paparazzi when his wittle fweelings get hurt because Lottie won't go to a fancy party with him early in their dating. The woman was an ex, but he pushes her away after that. Of course Lottie sees the pic and that only makes her question his integrity. He never apologizes for that specifically because other stuff happens. But I would have liked to have had her call him to task for it.
Lottie is not a virgin, but there are not deets about her past other than she's not had good luck dating. Oliver is not a manho, despite how the newspapers paint him, but he's dated plenty in the past.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

If h was asked him about why he let OW put her paws on him instead of just apologizing for taking the money from his mother it would be a 5 stars reading!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Sister

Lottie had been taking care of Haley since well before their mother died, working two difficult jobs to give her little sister a decent life. Sometimes with the exhaustion she barely kept her head above water. That is until the Duke of Buckingham fell in love with his house cleaner, Lottie.

There are obviously ups and downs, because that keeps a book interesting, but this was an excellent romance about dedication and family. Five fabulous stars.

[‎Ida · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

[Amara Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 52% but I should’ve done it at like 15%. I hated this book. First off, there was NO slowburn. The mmc was confessing his crush on his maid by like chapter 3. Then they broke up, and the rest of the time the mmc was an asshole and had anger issues, called her names when they were fighting, and then expected her to be grateful when he “saved her” (by lying to the police) even though he was being terrible to her not 5 minutes before that, and expected the FMC to just get over it.

I thought the fmc was annoying, especially because she constantly swears but doesn’t use actual swear words. Just things like “fudging” instead of f*cking. This is was cringey to me. Like it’s fine if you don’t want characters to swear but that just made her seem annoying and childish. And then the mmc kissed her one time and suddenly was calling her baby in every single sentence he said.

Overall, I think the premise of the book could’ve been great, but it was so poorly done I just couldn’t finish it.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger Warnings:Selective mutism, death of loved ones, sexual harassment, sexual assault, alcoholism, parental infidelity, death from heart attack, character with autistic spectrum disorder, struggles with foster care, neglectful parent, fear of water, almost drowning, bullying, physical assault, child exposed to mother’s sex life with unsafe men and one hitting her, domestic abuse, panic attacks

“I know first-hand what happens when people like me don’t blend in, when we aren’t easy.”

I did not expect to cry bucket loads while reading this. I loved the characters more and more, I cannot wait for Vicky and Mike’s book. I recommend you read the first book Daydreamer before starting this since it follows Felix and Lucy. The timeline in this book will be more clear if you read it first. I loved Lottie a lot more than Lucy, she’s so strong and selfless. Ollie did piss me off but he was sweet with kids and a good older brother. There was one thing that was never addressed that pissed me off and this book could do with more grovel. The family, the friendship, and the romance was good, I NEED MORE.


Lottie is doing everything she can to provide a good home for her little sister Hayley. She works for Ollie who is a Duke as a cleaner and thinks she is invisible but one day comes to find out that she might not be.

“Well, you smile all the time now too,” she said simply. Felix’s eyebrows went up. “Because of Lucy,” Vicky clarified. “Now Lottie has all the sex and endorphin-releasing activities with Ollie, so she smiles as well. Wow. And here I was thinking I was the one bad at reading people.”

Now for spoilers


Ollie is the 35th Duke in line after his dad died of a heart attack. He has a step-sister named Vicky who was born from an affair and is autistic. He has another sister named Claire who has a daughter named Florrie, she was remarried to Blake since her previous husband sucked. Ollie has a cleaner named Lottie who he has a massive crush on. Lottie is piss poor and is the guardian of her sister Hayley who is 8 years old. Her mother was an alcoholic who fucked around and eventually died. Hayley was her half sister and when she found out her mother was neglecting her, Lottie took her into her care. The problem was, Hayley’s father’s parents, her grandparents, are fighting Lottie for custody. Hayley struggles with selective mutism, she only speaks to Lottie because of the trauma she has faced. Lottie dealt with similar shit. Her mother’s men came into her room and one even hit her. Social services got involved and she went into foster care. She has a criminal record since she tried to steal shoes for Hayley but after that, she spent time cleaning houses. She worked for a place but the husband grabbed her ass and the wife fired her. She works at a bar and gets harassed by men but her boss does nothing. Lottie needs to keep the job with Ollie since he pays well. She thought she was invisible to him but he has a major crush on her. Lottie is very clumsy and he caught her when she fell off a ladder. They had a quiet match of chess where someone makes a move every day. Hayley doesn’t want to go to school so Lottie brings her to the house. She hides Hayley but Ollie’s mom Margot notices. Ollie runs into Lottie and she falls down the steps and he insists she go to the hospital. When she refuses, he lifts her onto the couch and tells her to get her leg checked.


Ollie was secretly cleaning the house for her. He orders extra food since he noticed Lottie had no food. He finds Lottie at his bar and she is being sexually harassed by the customers. One of the people harassing her was Blake, Ollie’s brother-in-law, Claire’s husband. Will, the guy who harassed Lucy, was also here but it was annoying seeing how dismissive Felix was. Ollie tells Lottie she should be in the hospital and not working in heels. When she is grabbed by someone, Ollie grabs them and tells them to apologize. Wine gets spilled on Lottie and Lottie hates the smell of alcohol since her mom was an alcoholic. Ollie gives her his shirt to wear after she vomits. Lottie tells him that people like her cannot speak up to rich people. I loved how Lottie reminded Ollie that he was privileged. Ollie fires the manager since he was the bar owner and made sure it was a safer for staff. Seeing Ollie talk to Mike and Felix about Lottie was hilarious.

Mike blinked at me. “Let me get this straight; you have a cleaner for your cleaner, just in case your actual cleaner might have to deal with your shit stain on the toilet or something?”
“It’s not quite that, I⁠—”
“And you’re feeding this girl? So you’re basically paying her to come to your house, sleep, and eat your food?”
“She studies as well.”
“What?”
“She’s doing an Open University course. Psychology. So, she studies as well.”
Felix burst out laughing. “You’ve got it bad.”

Ollie had his old cleaner, Mrs. H, come to clean the house so that Lottie wouldn’t have to do anything. Meanwhile Lottie was so confused about why Ollie’s house was always clean. His sisters caught him cleaning before Lottie came. Ollie and Lottie start talking more and Lottie openly insults him which he likes. He has a bad day so they play chess and he makes a “That’s what she said” joke which Lottie always does. Lottie kisses him and he gives her an orgasm. He says that he doesn’t wanna fuck until they go on a date. Lottie is scared it will complicate things but he promises it won’t. Lottie opens up about growing up in foster care and Ollie feels terrible. Ollie catches Lottie on the phone saying bye to Hayley but he thinks she was talking to a guy. He had an ex lie about him having an orgy party when it was actually a swimming party, so people call him Duke of Fuckingham. He tries to ask Lottie about the call but she tells him she will tell him tomorrow. Ollie is upset that Lottie couldn’t come with him to an event so he takes pictures with OW and even has kiss stains on his collar. This really pissed me off since its never addressed and he never apologizes for it. Margot meets Lottie and she does the typical Kdrama Mother-In-Law shit where she offers Lottie money to stay away from her son. Lottie didn’t want to take it, but Hayley needed more therapy. What was dirty of Margot was she used it to her advantage. Margot told Lottie all the information she had on her. She said that Ollie was never serious about her and showed her the picture of Ollie and the OW. I swear I wish this was addressed properly. Lottie takes the money which is 50,000 pounds, but even this wasn’t enough money.


Margot is disappointed but Lottie quits and Ollie calls her out for taking the money. I wish Lottie called him out about the OW but she doesn’t. She is labelled a gold digger by his whole family. But Vicky liked Lottie since Lottie knew about Vicky not wanting to work with Ollie since she didn’t feel like she belonged in the family. Vicky worked with Felix at his company and Ollie was overprotective. Vicky knows that Lottie is good at reading people and she can tell when people are lying. So Vicky asks Lottie to be her assistant and help her deal with people. For 6 months, Lottie and Ollie run into each other but Ollie hates her. He will insult Lottie while saying she is taking advantage of Vicky. But Vicky always defends Lottie, she even hangs out with Hayley and Lottie, I loved their friendship. Felix was rude to Lottie at first but Lottie was able to catch when partners were lying and saved the company money. Since I read the previous book, I was able to see all the missing convos between Ollie and Lottie.

“I could be at home right now eating Chinese food with Hayley.”
Vicky frowned. “Chinese food has MSG in it. You and Hayley should not be eating it.” She paused for a moment, then turned to me. “I do not want you eating it. I like you and Hayley. I don’t want you to get sick or have reduced life expectancies.”
“Vics, there’re a lot of things I’d do for you, babe. But abstaining from Chinese food for life is not one of them.”

Ollie keeps asking Lottie why she took the money and is frustrated since he still likes her. Hayley tells Lottie that she talked to Florrie, Ollie’s niece, and this was a big deal since Hayley never talks to people. Hayley runs to Ollie’s house behind Lottie’s back and sneaks in to look for Florrie. Ollie and the cleaner, Mrs. H, find Hayley. Lottie rushes over and Ollie realizes why Lottie needed the money. He could have easily done the research before but he was so blinded by his anger. Lottie freaks out since social services are gonna be on them since Hayley ran away. Lottie lives in a shady neighbourhood, she doesn’t have her own room so she sleeps on the couch. She has to pull drawers in front of the door to feel safe. Once Ollie realized he fucked up, he yells at Lottie for not telling him. He says that she meant something to him and if he knew, he would have helped her. Lottie has a breakdown saying that she did what she had to do for Hayley and cries and Ollie holds her in his lap. Lottie’s breakdown had me in tears, she was so vulnerable. Police say they need to report this to social services since Hayley doesn’t have a proper security system in her home. So Ollie lies and says that he picked up Hayley since he is Lottie’s fiancé. Lottie is pissed but Ollie uses this excuse to have Lottie move in since he wants to marry her. Ollie let Lottie sleep in and gave Hayley nutella to warm up to her. They tried making pancakes but when Hayley made a mess and panicked, Ollie purposefully threw things to calm her down. He takes her to school but Lottie freaks out since Hayley isn’t home. Ollie got her a new laptop so she can study but she is focused on Hayley getting therapy. Ollie says that she can trust him but Lottie can’t trust him. He does research and knows everything now.


Seeing Ollie look out for Vicky was so sweet, I love how he hugs her every time they meet
“You actually can’t hug people in business meetings.”
His hard expression went soft again when he looked at his sister. “This is my meeting, darling and I can do what the fuck I want.”
“You can’t say the f-word in meetings either,” Vicky told him.
“Fuck that.”

Ollie has a party at his place for family and Florrie and Hayley play together. There is a pool but Lottie tells Ollie that she and Hayley can’t swim. Margot hugs Lottie and apologizes but keeps introducing her to everyone as Charlotte. People give her champagne and Lottie kept saying she didn’t drink. Lottie noticed that Blake would hold Claire tightly and yelled at Blake. Blake didn’t like that so when Lottie was walking away, he elbowed her into the pool. Lottie almost drowns but Ollie saves her. Hayley runs to tell Lottie that she saw Blake pushing her but Lottie didn’t think she could tell Ollie openly. Vicky yells at everyone since they were calling Lottie, “Charlotte,” and giving her alcohol. Ollie felt ashamed and told her to tell him if something bothers her. Lottie doesn’t feel like she can since she and Hayley can be kicked out at any moment. Ollie wants to prove that he never will. It was so cute seeing Felix and Lucy. Felix had a spot for Lucy in his office to write.

“You can go if I’m so bloody boring,” he grumbled, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at him.
“Fine,” she snapped, starting to push her blankets down. Felix’s annoyed expression dropped, and he strode across the room to pull them back over her and tuck them into her sides.
“I’m sorry, Luce,” he said, contrite now with the prospect of her walking out. “You’re right. They are silly money peeps, and ROI is boring. Please don’t go.”
“Be nice to Lottie.”

Lottie gets a call from school since bullies hit Hayley but she hit back. Ollie goes with Lottie to the school and tells the headmaster off. It was so funny how he told people he hated to call him “Your Grace” when he always wants everyone to call him “Ollie.” He tells the bullies to never touch anyone again and threatens the parents. Ollie says that Hayley and Lottie are his family so nothing will happen to them. Hayley speaks to Ollie for the first time, I had tears.

“You’re a tough stowaway, aren’t you?” Ollie said, ruffling her hair. “I saw that little shit’s nose. You got your punches in too, huh?”
Hayley shrugged. “I kicked the other one in his privacies,” she said proudly. That explained why the other boy hadn’t been able to sit up straight.
“Good. I’m quite sure that his privacies deserved it,” he said firmly.

Ollie enrols Hayley into a private school with Florrie. Florrie tells everyone that Hayley is quiet and to back off. Hayley slowly comes out of her shell and I loved how supportive Ollie’s family was. Margot pissed me off in the beginning but it was cuz she saw Lottie hugging Hayley’s therapist, she thought Lottie was cheating. Lottie tells Ollie that she suspects that Blake is hurting Claire after seeing him grab her again but Ollie insists that it isn’t like that. I hate how he told Lottie that she was projecting, he just dismissed her thoughts. Seeing Felix and Ollie teach Hayley how to swim was so sweet. Mike hurt Vicky and she left and Mike followed, don’t know what he said but I think we will see what happened in the next book. Vicky is attracted to Mike, but he hates her for what happened to Lucy. What I hate is he fully blames Vicky and forgave Felix when Vicky said they shouldn’t do anything until Lottie gets back. Seeing the snippets of Mike and Vicky have me excited. She is a misunderstood ice queen who loves hedgehogs.

“I prefer you in your normal clothes,” she said, frowning across at him. “In particular, I like the thermal shirt you wear that has a small rip in the left sleeve.”
“Jesus Christ,” Mike muttered, and I didn’t think it was possible but the man actually blushed under his beard.”

Ollie and Lottie sleep together and Ollie says he loves Lottie. There is an event and Ollie tells Lottie that Vicky needs to be home before the fireworks since she will have a breakdown. Vicky has been acting weird and they found her having a breakdown under a coffee table. I think it is related to Mike, I love Vicky so its hard seeing her hurt. Lottie is ready to take Vicky home but they run into Claire in the washroom. Vicky and Lottie notice a bruise on Claire and Lottie tries to ask her about it but Claire tells her to mind her own business. Lottie knows that Blake is an alcoholic that is beating Claire. Blake grabs Lottie and she tells him to let go while he insults her for being a townie slut. Lottie tells him that she is used to dealing with shitty people like him. When he doesn’t let go, Lottie like a badass, hits him and sends him to the ground. She steps on his hand but Lottie still had a bruise from where he grabbed her.

“If I ever see a bruise on your wife again, I will fuck you up way worse than this, motherfucker,” I said in a low voice. “Yes, I am a townie. I’m not like the posh birds you’re used to. But I’m not weak. I’ve never been weak. You made a mistake thinking the common, agreeable little girl who doesn’t swear could be pushed around, but I’m your worst nightmare – a woman who fights back.”

Lottie realized it was too late since the fireworks started. Vicky has a breakdown and since Mike is nearby, he holds her to him. Ollie tries to take Vicky away but Mike can tell Vicky wants to be with him. As Mike is taking her to her car, they tell him that Vicky is autistic. Mike was pissed no one told him and drives away with Vicky. Ollie is pissed with Lottie and Lottie tries to tell him that she was assaulted by Blake but Ollie wouldn’t listen. Bruh, first Felix, now Ollie. He tells Lottie to let him take care of his own family. I was crying at this point because he confirmed Lottie’s fears. Lottie never felt like part of a family and never trusted anyone. The second she did, he acts like she isn’t part of his family. Lottie shuts down and tells Ollie he is right but to check on Claire. Ollie says he didn’t mean it that way but leaves and finds Claire bruised. Felix saw Lottie hitting Blake and was ready to come hit him himself. Ollie tries to go after Lottie but she moved out. Lottie went to pick up Hayley from her grandparents' place. Even thought Hayley’s grandparents treat Lottie like shit, she wants Hayley to have them in her life. On Christmas, Lottie dropped Hayley off and waited 3 hours in the cold to pick her up since the grandparents, wouldn’t let her in. They told Hayley they wanted her to live with them which upset Hayley. They never believed in therapy but realized it made a difference now that she was talking but wanted to take her away from Lottie. Lottie carries Hayley home and Ollie begs her to come home with him. She sent their family the money back since she saved enough and Ollie says he doesn’t need the money back but Lottie gives him his ring back. Ollie lets Hayley continue to take a car to school but Lottie refuses his help. So he walks Lottie everyday to the bus stop and back home. When Ollie hears that Hayley’s grandparents are going to try to get custody of Hayley, he brings his whole family to support Lottie. He continues to lie that they’re engaged and goes off at the grandparents for not looking out for Hayley sooner and even calling them out for not believing in therapy. I was in tears when Hayley told them she wanted to stay with Lottie to the huge group and mentioned all the new family and friends in her life. The grandparents apologize and are accepted by Ollie’s family. Claire and Florrie leave Blake to live with Ollie. When Lottie and Ollie get married, I found it so sweet that Ollie included Hayley in the vows. Yes he fucked up and pissed me off, I wish he grovelled more. But seeing them all happy as a family made me get over it. I can’t wait for Vicky and Mike’s book, Vicky deserves so much love.

“I promise I’ll love you bigger than the whole sky,” he said in a softer voice, his hand taking her hand to her chest covered with his, before moving them both to the centre of his chest. “I promise that you, your sister and I will always be a team. And Hayley, my little stowaway, I promise I’ll never let you go.”

Stay safe folks!

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susie Tate is one of a very few authors that I’ll drop everything for a new release. I love her characters and her writing, and only wish she could write more, and faster, because I’ve read all of her books and wish there were more.

Gold Digger is the story of Ollie (Duke of Buckingham) and Lottie (Vickie’s assistant in other books). Lottie has hard a hard life—Susie’s books feature characters with challenges of one sort or another—and Lottie has been raising her much younger sister Hayley since their mother’s death. Lottie grew up in foster care because of her mother’s alcoholism and neglect, and although her mother cleaned up enough briefly to marry and have Hayley, she fell of the wagon, and Hayley has selective mutism as a result of her own traumatic upbringing.

Lottie is working 2 jobs to provide for Hayley and one is a cleaning position for the Duke. He’s hot, she’s beautiful, and sparks happen pretty quickly. However, Ollie’s privileged upbringing makes him oblivious to Lottie’s struggles, and Lottie’s experiences leave her unable to trust Ollie.

It’s a bumpy road to HEA, as usual for a Susie Tate book, but you get laughs as well as tears along the way. This book heavily features a few (Lucy and Felix, among others) characters from Daydreamer, but isn’t exactly a sequel, so you don’t *need* to read it first. But it’s also great so you should.

I hope Vicky and Mike’s book is coming soon. We get to know Vicky better in this book than Daydreamer, and now I really am looking forward to her story even more than I was after reading Daydreamer.

This book is not clean, but not too OTT. However if you are triggered by domestic abuse, that is a part of the storyline in this one.

[Erika Wilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

i fell in love with how it started with him being head over heels for his cleaning lady. however, his mother interferes and gives her chump change in exchange for her butting out (especially when we and the mom know the FMC really needs the money for her sister). that hurt me because his mom seemed cool. she’s not cool.

there were many conflicts and a lot of this stop and go action of love then hate. it was eh.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good.

I am an absolute sucker for a person who gives it all up for a kid/s.

[Sundy Tr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lottie and Ollie. A duke and his cleaner.
I liked this book a lot. It’s a slowburn romance with a variety of emotions.
They both had strong personalities and I liked their chemistry. I liked how Ollie was a gentleman on one hand and a total #%@$ on the other. Because he was. And he knew it.
Lottie was a cool character. My only complaint was that she should have demanded a lot more grovelling on page than we saw. There was, but should have been more. It felt slightly rushed towards the end.

I believe that some scenes were missing though. I wanted to see how Ollie reacted when he first learned about what had happened. Or seeing how he confronted his mother later. More chapters from his POV would be more than welcome. Also some more descriptions of what they felt when they did get together.

The alternative kind of swearing was cute in the beginning, got a bit tiring after a while. No point when there were no children around imo.
I do look forward to Vicky’s book.

-Dual 1st person POV (75% FMC)
-Spice: 🌶️.5

Overall: 3.75/5 ⭐️ for me.

[Grisette · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Okay, first full disclosure. This is not the first ST book that I have read. Her books are often recommended on the basis of the betrayal/grovel themes she tackles on. And of course, her Sticks and Stones is very often cited. Well, I did try Sticks and Stones some time back and my perusal of it did not impress me to actually fully read and finish it. I remember having difficulties with the writing style and the actual betrayal really did not pack a punch at all (it felt like I had to squint through a keyhole to understand what the offence was about) and the grovel was lacklustre. So, given that context, I have been very wary about the betrayal/grovel potential of her books. That said, I did not give up and remained on the lookout for her other books. Each time it was rather the same conclusion. Until this book.

Yes, I have to say I pretty enjoyed this one. The British slang required a bit of easing into, but once past that, I fell into the story and its charming and quirky characters. Sure, there is some suspension of disbelief required but what drew me in was the high emotionality that ST infused into this plot. In many parts, I had a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, as I lived through the angst and heartbreak of the h, Lottie.

The betrayals parts certainly hit good and hard (esp. the second one!) and the grovel was decent (personally, I loved the grand gestures and believe in his sincerity, but I am not convinced if he had not had an abundance of proof that Lottie was right, he would have come down from his (natural) high horse or he would have realised how hurtfully dismissive he always was with her).

I would have wished for more Show scenes during their first separation - it was hinted, and a bit seen, how cruel he acted with her, but more often, it was only Tell scenes 😕. That would have ratchet up the angst to strastopheric levels! Also, while I liked the ending, I was disappointed that the source of the leak to the gossip rags was not revealed and punished.

So, it was not perfect, but I loved the universe and the high strung emotions ST wove, so I am rounding the rating up. 💯 recommended if you are looking for a great CR tale with big emotions, solid angst, and also feel-good vibes.

[Shanna Ferris · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 𝗗𝘂𝗸𝗲/𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲
• 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗠𝗖
• 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗠𝗖
• 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀
• 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹
• 𝗔𝗦𝗗 𝗿𝗲𝗽
• 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆

“𝑶𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆, 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑰𝒕’𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒅.”
𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒅. “𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒍𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆, 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒆?”

Ahhh! Susie Tate does of again! I just love her books so much! They're always such a good read!! With a dash of drama. And when I'm given the opportunity to read and review her books early I always jump on it. There's just something so special about her writing.

Lottie and Ollie's relationship was very unconventional. And I devoured it! He's a Duke and she's his house cleaner. I know, right? The perfect plot in my opinion. I love a good damsel in distress and in swoops this assertive swoony MMC! Only even with all Ollie's persistence Lottie still gave him a lot of pushback! When I found out we were getting Ollie's book next I was so excited. As much as I'm eagerly waiting for his sister, Vicky's book I was so excited to get to know Ollie better. Thankfully, Susie Tate gave us wonderful glimpses of Vicky in this book too! Which will hopefully hold me over til May! 🤣🫣

I loved Lottie's character. And like all of Susie Tate's FMCs, she was STRONG! There's just something about the way Susie Tate writes her FMCs, you fall hard for them, you root for them, you see them overcome some intense obstacles, but you never see them give up or back down in any way! And I love that so much about her writing. They are such a wonderful examples of strong female leads!

SWOON. I loved Ollie's character and his persistence. He had such a great way of demanding he let her take care of her! Because he knew that Lottie wouldn't otherwise. And the more he got to know her the harder he pushed for her to let him in. And even as a Duke, he didn't care she didn't have a title. He was drawn to her. And it's very easy to understand why. Lottie was a catch.

"𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒉*𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒇*** 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒏."

If you're looking for a book with a touch of royalty and a big splash of a SWOONY MMC who takes taking care of the FMC very seriously. Then this book is for you!!!

I CAN'T WAIT TIL MAY!!! We're finally getting Vicky and Mike's book!!!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first-ever ARC read, and I was beyond excited! I devoured this book in one night because I just couldn’t put it down. Susie Tate has crafted something special here.

Ollie and Lottie's story is so intense, and while I loved Ollie, he also made me want to scream at him several times. I was so annoyed at how oblivious and dumb he could be. There were moments when I just wanted to smack him for how he treated Lottie. It took him far too long to realize why she did what she did, and it was infuriating! But, to be fair, when he finally grovelled, he did it well. Both times. Even though I stayed mad at him for taking so long to see the bigger picture, I couldn't help but fall for him all over again by the end.

Lottie, though—wow. She’s hands down one of the strongest FMCs. Her fierce dedication to her sister, Hayley, made me love her even more. She put her sister’s safety and happiness first, even when it wasn’t easy, and showed so much heart. Lottie balanced vulnerability with strength, and it made her so real to me. There were moments where I wished she’d been tougher on those who underestimated her, but I get that her choices were rooted in love. When Lottie finally stood her ground, she blew me away. She refused to let her past define her, and I loved seeing her strength on her own terms.

The sisterly bond between Lottie and Hayley was one of my favorite parts, and I was so glad it wasn’t sidelined for the romance. It was central and handled with care, giving their relationship just as much weight as the romantic one. Lottie’s love and protection for Hayley felt like the emotional core of the story.

Susie Tate’s writing is top-tier. Her neurodivergent characters are portrayed with care and realism, and it was so refreshing. The fireworks scene, where a supporting character has a meltdown, was written with such depth, it made my heart ache. I also loved Lottie's friendship with Vicky. Vicky had a bigger role in this book, and I’m so excited for her own story. I cannot wait to read her book next!

It's a definite 5-star read, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Just be ready to get really frustrated with Ollie before he redeems himself!

[Sienasummerrreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows Lottie, a house cleaner and waitress who works tirelessly to support her younger sister, Haley. Coming from a broken childhood and foster care, she is now navigating the courts to keep her sister safe and with her. Lottie works as a cleaner for the Duke, Oliver, a wealthy billionaire aristocrat who begins to notice her around the house. From her clumsiness to blushing in his presence, how will this rags-to-riches relationship bloom?

First off, I highly recommend the audiobook with duet narration. Zara and Shane are brilliant at bringing these characters to life.

Starting with Lottie—don’t get me wrong, I love strong, confident women in books—but in this scenario, she has a lot of depth and vulnerable characteristics. Lottie is clumsy, mixes up her words, and is on edge in the presence of the Duke due to the power dynamic and her hard-working nature, earning every cent to support her sister.

Oliver, the Duke, comes across as grumpy and protective, with a firm tone. However, if something happens to Lottie, he jumps right in to help or protect her. I appreciate the representation of mutism and autism in the book. It’s a very enjoyable read with a great storyline and plot.

I will say I struggled with Margo’s storyline, as it confused me—she shifts from being lovely to turning on her, but then everything is in the past when she helps her daughter earn a lot of money and fully supports the fake arrangement. Overall, though, I’m looking forward to more work by Susie Tate.

Genre/Type: Adult Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook ALC
Audiobook Length: 9hrs 49mins
Narrators: Shane East and Zara Hampton-Brown - Duet
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️.5
Series or Standalone: Book Two In The Daydreamer Series
Tropes or Themes: Billionaire, Fake Engagement, Enemies To Lovers, Workplace, He Falls First, Opposites Attract, Cinderella Vibes, Grumpy Boss, Royal (Duke), Protective MMC, Grovelling, FMC House Cleaner, FMC Waitress, Clumsy FMC, Vomiting, Physical Assault, Injury, Mutism Rep, Autistic Rep, Sexual Content and Praise.
Mentions: Death Of Parent, Alcohol Addiction, Past Child Neglect and Domestic Violence
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫

[RateTheRomance · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hated this absolute dick of a male main character so much.

that's it.
that's the book review.

[auds thoughts {hiatus} · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, got the ick sooo fast

[Camii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lottie es una mujer que trabaja como limpiadora para Oliver un Duque que tiene un enamoramiento por ella desde el día en el que llego a su casa pero el solo se enamoro de la Lottie trabajadora y un poco torpe, el no sabe que ella es tutora de su hermanita pequeña quién tiene mustismo selectivo y si bien sabía que tenía problemas económicos y que se crío en una casa de acogida nunco entendió realmente a que se debían sus necesidades hasta que su madre se pone a investigarla a ella secretamente y le ofrece dinero para que deje a su hijo (tremenda manipulación porque Lottie realmente necesitaba el dinero y ella haría cualquier cosa por su hermana, aún sabiendo que eso le quitaría al hombre que probablemente era el amor de su vida)

La verdad es que tanto Lottie como Oliver tenian mucha falta de comunicación y confianza, pero el sabía que ella era una mujer que debido a la infancia que tuvo no le era fácil confiar en las personas y que escondía algo. La verdad es que me molesto que el actuara de manera tan despectiva con ella porque el sabía que ella no tenía un mal corazón y se dejo llevar por una sola acción y además nunca la dejo explicarle porque recibió su plata en cambio decidió humillarla y si bien entiendo que el no sabía todo el contexto dolió que no le diera la oportunidad de explicarse y que siempre abriera los ojos porque otras personas confirmaban lo que ella le decía como en el caso de su cuñado hdp, la confianza que le tenía ella a el moría cada vez que el no le creía.

Las interacciones que había con Hadley eran muy lindas y Lottie era una gran hermana que en todo momento quiso lo mejor para su hermanita y la protegió a toda costa, Oliver al final tuvo un cambio y supo disculparse por las acciones que tuvo contra la mujer que amaba y me gusto que ella no lo perdonara tan fácil.