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Desperate
Always calm, gracious, and collected Salene Agnew’s perfectly mapped out life-plan has come to a crashing halt. With no money and nowhere to go Salene finds herself standing at the door of her worst enemy with all that is left of her worldly possessions.
From the moment Salene and Gabriel Breslin met, tempers flared and hate burned deep, Salene’s fierce independent aura directly clashed with Gabriel’s misogynistic arrogance. Desperate to get her life back together Salene will have to endure a man who is cold as ice.
The minute Salene walked through his door with that sharp tongue and those honey brown eyes, Gabriel was ready to send her packing—until he realized how much fun he could have at her expense. Agreeing to let her stay Gabriel has every intention of making her life a living hell. What he wasn’t prepared for was her to do the same. No woman could get under his skin and enrage him like Salene could. With each passing day, Gabriel could feel his hard earned control slipping towards his prim and proper house guest.
Just how far will their hatred run until one of them breaks?
Note from the author: This is a stand alone romance about a young woman down on her luck forced to seek help and shelter from a man she hates. A true lengthy love/hate story with a cute HEA.
Author's Notes:
Full stand alone book
Graphic steamy scenes
No cheating
Length-Long
From the moment Salene and Gabriel Breslin met, tempers flared and hate burned deep, Salene’s fierce independent aura directly clashed with Gabriel’s misogynistic arrogance. Desperate to get her life back together Salene will have to endure a man who is cold as ice.
The minute Salene walked through his door with that sharp tongue and those honey brown eyes, Gabriel was ready to send her packing—until he realized how much fun he could have at her expense. Agreeing to let her stay Gabriel has every intention of making her life a living hell. What he wasn’t prepared for was her to do the same. No woman could get under his skin and enrage him like Salene could. With each passing day, Gabriel could feel his hard earned control slipping towards his prim and proper house guest.
Just how far will their hatred run until one of them breaks?
Note from the author: This is a stand alone romance about a young woman down on her luck forced to seek help and shelter from a man she hates. A true lengthy love/hate story with a cute HEA.
Author's Notes:
Full stand alone book
Graphic steamy scenes
No cheating
Length-Long
259 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 29, 2016
64 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Katerina Winters
20 books263 followers“Her writing is a lot like chocolate, dark and very sweet.”
From contemporary to fantasy, Katerina Winters weaves dark tales of romance together with strong possessive men and sexy rendezvous.
Katerina lives in a tiny brick house surrounded by trees in Texas with her husband and their dog. When she isn’t writing, Katerina is usually catching brunch with friends or curled up on her window seat with a good book.
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Want to know more about Katerina?
Feel free to stalk her.
facebook.com/katerinawintersauthor
Instagram - @katerina_winters
From contemporary to fantasy, Katerina Winters weaves dark tales of romance together with strong possessive men and sexy rendezvous.
Katerina lives in a tiny brick house surrounded by trees in Texas with her husband and their dog. When she isn’t writing, Katerina is usually catching brunch with friends or curled up on her window seat with a good book.
.
Want to know more about Katerina?
Feel free to stalk her.
facebook.com/katerinawintersauthor
Instagram - @katerina_winters
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 4, 2023
The only reason I didn’t DNF is stubbornness, but I should have.
Having lost her job, her apartment, and her dignity, Salene attempts to get in contact with her college roommate and best friend, Amber, for a place to stay. Upon receiving no response, she decides to just go to her house anyway. When she gets there, Amber’s husband Gabriel opens the door and informs him that Amber has left him and that she needs to leave.
The premise was so good. Their dislike of each other made sense, and allowed for a lot of banter and tension. Very quickly, it was clear to see that Gabriel was a dick to Salene not because he didn’t like her, but simply because he was a dick.
At so many points in the novel, it seemed like things would just start happening with no explanation or a quick sentence saying it happened. For example, we didn’t even get to see Salene say she loved Gabriel, she just told us through her inner monologue that she did.
I feel like Katerina Winters takes novella-sized concepts and expands them into full length novels. Sometimes it works, and other times we are subjected to tomfoolery. The first time Gabriel was jealous of his coworker flirting with Salene was amusing, the second was fine, the third and onwards was just annoying.
Neither of the main characters were likable, and that “bitch of an ex-wife”? Not a bitch. Sure, she was shallow and selfish, but to not like a house she had no say in picking out did not make her spoiled, nor did leaving her marriage. Honestly, the girl dodged a bullet, both in her marriage to Gabriel and her friendship with Salene.
★
Having lost her job, her apartment, and her dignity, Salene attempts to get in contact with her college roommate and best friend, Amber, for a place to stay. Upon receiving no response, she decides to just go to her house anyway. When she gets there, Amber’s husband Gabriel opens the door and informs him that Amber has left him and that she needs to leave.
The premise was so good. Their dislike of each other made sense, and allowed for a lot of banter and tension. Very quickly, it was clear to see that Gabriel was a dick to Salene not because he didn’t like her, but simply because he was a dick.
At so many points in the novel, it seemed like things would just start happening with no explanation or a quick sentence saying it happened. For example, we didn’t even get to see Salene say she loved Gabriel, she just told us through her inner monologue that she did.
I feel like Katerina Winters takes novella-sized concepts and expands them into full length novels. Sometimes it works, and other times we are subjected to tomfoolery. The first time Gabriel was jealous of his coworker flirting with Salene was amusing, the second was fine, the third and onwards was just annoying.
Neither of the main characters were likable, and that “bitch of an ex-wife”? Not a bitch. Sure, she was shallow and selfish, but to not like a house she had no say in picking out did not make her spoiled, nor did leaving her marriage. Honestly, the girl dodged a bullet, both in her marriage to Gabriel and her friendship with Salene.
★
February 20, 2019
Firstly I didn’t wanted to read this book what with the H married to h’s best friend, who later ran away from him. This is so not my trope. But I like this author’s books so I decided to give this a chance. About the sex scene, it doesn’t happen till almost 75% of the book. Also it happens when the H is officially divorced from his ex. The ex though mentioned was never really in the picture and nor does she create any drama. She was too happy to get rid of the H. Just imagine how annoying he must be. Lol.
About the MCs...
HEROINE
Sorry to be harsh but the h was a LOSER woman with no house and job. I’m not saying that not having a house is a loser thing but how pathetic and doormat she was throughout the book was a very loser thing.
HERO
The H is a big male chauvinistic pig. He is cruelest cruel with the h. And trust me the h is a doormatest doormat. He keeps telling the h to get out of his house and that she is a freeloader but still she is too desperate and too pathetic and too doormat to do so. And she continues living with him. Though he don’t really meant it when he tells her to get out as he was the one who invited her at first place, still the h should have left his house. Have some self esteem girl.
Another annoying thing was that the h has huge boobs and trust me the author keeps reminding this like 100 times. Even the H’s father ogles at her boobs and that was eww. She is very self conscious of her huge boobs. I thought it was annoying. But then the h goes with the breast reduction surgery to reduce her breast and then I got the seriousness of the situation. And I felt bad for her and also guilty that I thought she is too whiny about her big boobs. Sorry girl.
This is not a book which I would recommend to anyone. But as for me I love this author and I will continue reading from her. Maybe till she writes a really really bad book.
About the writing, well it’s not at all correct. Too many grammatical errors. But my English is not that well so I better not complain on that because even after her error full writing I still kept reading this book. I hope this author doesn’t write such books again.
About the MCs...
HEROINE
Sorry to be harsh but the h was a LOSER woman with no house and job. I’m not saying that not having a house is a loser thing but how pathetic and doormat she was throughout the book was a very loser thing.
HERO
The H is a big male chauvinistic pig. He is cruelest cruel with the h. And trust me the h is a doormatest doormat. He keeps telling the h to get out of his house and that she is a freeloader but still she is too desperate and too pathetic and too doormat to do so. And she continues living with him. Though he don’t really meant it when he tells her to get out as he was the one who invited her at first place, still the h should have left his house. Have some self esteem girl.
Another annoying thing was that the h has huge boobs and trust me the author keeps reminding this like 100 times. Even the H’s father ogles at her boobs and that was eww. She is very self conscious of her huge boobs. I thought it was annoying. But then the h goes with the breast reduction surgery to reduce her breast and then I got the seriousness of the situation. And I felt bad for her and also guilty that I thought she is too whiny about her big boobs. Sorry girl.
This is not a book which I would recommend to anyone. But as for me I love this author and I will continue reading from her. Maybe till she writes a really really bad book.
About the writing, well it’s not at all correct. Too many grammatical errors. But my English is not that well so I better not complain on that because even after her error full writing I still kept reading this book. I hope this author doesn’t write such books again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2017
I've got to be honest I have absolutely NO idea why I liked this.
Katerina Winter appears to be allergic to the word "had", in almost every instance where it should have been used she uses "has" which reads very badly. She also uses "reigns" when she means "reins" and on a couple of other occasions she uses what appears to be completely the wrong word.
Added to which the 'hero' is plain mean and towards the end practically rapes the heroine, it's certainly hate sex.
And then, the heroine is broke, she has no savings, she is having to share a house with her best friend's soon-to-be ex-husband and act as his glorified maid (well there is no glorified about it). She gets a job as a manager at Starbucks and within weeks she has enough money for breast reduction surgery. Not a car, to replace the one which broke down, not a deposit on a place of her own, but cosmetic surgery. Sheesh!
But I liked it, go figure!
This is kind of a riff on the old Pride and Prejudice trope. Salene Agnew is allegedly calm, gracious and collected, I say allegedly because I didn't really see that. Down on her luck after losing her job, she goes to see if she can stay with her best friend for a while only to discover that her best friend has left her husband after only a few months of marriage. Said husband, Gabriel Breslin, and Salene actively dislike each other. Gabriel thinks Salene is a snobby bitch, Salene thinks Gabriel is a trust fund rich boy who hasn't had to work for anything.
Although Gabriel is spiteful and laughs at Salene's misfortune he can't let a woman sleep in her car in a car park or stay in the local roach motel (although, thinking about it, if he lives in an up-market area of Dallas why would there be a roach motel nearby rather than a nice hotel?) so he lets her sleep in the guest room in return for her cooking him breakfast in the morning.
Gabriel's views on women appear to be stuck somewhere in the 1950s, although his so-called courtesy doesn't extend to speaking politely to them it seems. He offers to let Salene stay in the guest room if she cleans the house and cooks for him. Soon he is drawing favourable comparisons between Salene and his ex-wife who, it turns out, was a gold-digging narcissist.
So, I would have given it four stars but I knocked off one star for the awful grammar and the obnoxious behaviour of Gabriel.
Katerina Winter appears to be allergic to the word "had", in almost every instance where it should have been used she uses "has" which reads very badly. She also uses "reigns" when she means "reins" and on a couple of other occasions she uses what appears to be completely the wrong word.
Added to which the 'hero' is plain mean and towards the end practically rapes the heroine, it's certainly hate sex.
And then, the heroine is broke, she has no savings, she is having to share a house with her best friend's soon-to-be ex-husband and act as his glorified maid (well there is no glorified about it). She gets a job as a manager at Starbucks and within weeks she has enough money for breast reduction surgery. Not a car, to replace the one which broke down, not a deposit on a place of her own, but cosmetic surgery. Sheesh!
But I liked it, go figure!
This is kind of a riff on the old Pride and Prejudice trope. Salene Agnew is allegedly calm, gracious and collected, I say allegedly because I didn't really see that. Down on her luck after losing her job, she goes to see if she can stay with her best friend for a while only to discover that her best friend has left her husband after only a few months of marriage. Said husband, Gabriel Breslin, and Salene actively dislike each other. Gabriel thinks Salene is a snobby bitch, Salene thinks Gabriel is a trust fund rich boy who hasn't had to work for anything.
Although Gabriel is spiteful and laughs at Salene's misfortune he can't let a woman sleep in her car in a car park or stay in the local roach motel (although, thinking about it, if he lives in an up-market area of Dallas why would there be a roach motel nearby rather than a nice hotel?) so he lets her sleep in the guest room in return for her cooking him breakfast in the morning.
Gabriel's views on women appear to be stuck somewhere in the 1950s, although his so-called courtesy doesn't extend to speaking politely to them it seems. He offers to let Salene stay in the guest room if she cleans the house and cooks for him. Soon he is drawing favourable comparisons between Salene and his ex-wife who, it turns out, was a gold-digging narcissist.
So, I would have given it four stars but I knocked off one star for the awful grammar and the obnoxious behaviour of Gabriel.
May 23, 2018
I was asked to read and review Desperate and give it an honest review. For the most part, I loved the story. I loved how Salena and Gabriel started off hating each other because of a manipulative 3rd party. I would have liked a little more details of what went into their mutual hatred of each other, but the story worked with what we were given.
The romance that builds between these two takes a long time and honestly I wasn’t sure if it would ever come. Salena didn’t come across to me to have much confidence or inner strength at times; then she would act like a feminist snob at others. It was hard to pin her character down. It wasn’t that I disliked her, she was just very contrary.
Gabriel is the typical alpha male that I love reading about. He sometimes took his alpha to a level of scary and possessive that personally, I wouldn’t be comfortable with, but hey that’s just me.
Desperate: A Contemporary Love/Hate Romance was a blast to read, I was even brought to tears a few times, which is rare for me. It is was something different, the characters don’t fall in love instantly, there isn’t a billionaire, and for the first part of the book, they hate each other. It sounds crazy, but it’s a great read, and I am giving it 4.5 Boundless Stars.
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The romance that builds between these two takes a long time and honestly I wasn’t sure if it would ever come. Salena didn’t come across to me to have much confidence or inner strength at times; then she would act like a feminist snob at others. It was hard to pin her character down. It wasn’t that I disliked her, she was just very contrary.
Gabriel is the typical alpha male that I love reading about. He sometimes took his alpha to a level of scary and possessive that personally, I wouldn’t be comfortable with, but hey that’s just me.
Desperate: A Contemporary Love/Hate Romance was a blast to read, I was even brought to tears a few times, which is rare for me. It is was something different, the characters don’t fall in love instantly, there isn’t a billionaire, and for the first part of the book, they hate each other. It sounds crazy, but it’s a great read, and I am giving it 4.5 Boundless Stars.
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September 12, 2016
I wish somewhere in the synopsis, it would have stated that the heroine was going to fall for her BFF's estranged husband.
The heroine thinks she is going to stay with her college BFF. However, when she knocks on the door, she finds out her BFF left and the BFF estranged husband is the only person living in the house.
Not for me, but may work for you. It feels like leftovers to me. You may love it. I am not tell you not to read it.
The heroine thinks she is going to stay with her college BFF. However, when she knocks on the door, she finds out her BFF left and the BFF estranged husband is the only person living in the house.
Not for me, but may work for you. It feels like leftovers to me. You may love it. I am not tell you not to read it.
September 8, 2016
I loved this author's last book but this one was awful. The H is incredibly mean and always in a bad mood. The h is ridiculed throughout the book and made to feel pathetic. The sex didn't happen till 75% of the book which is too late for me. This couple never felt real either. Lastly, the whole issue with the h's breasts was a little much. I really hope the next book is better.
Read
February 17, 2018This review was copied from my romance novel review blog: Romantically Inclined Reviews
I’m sure many readers can relate to this age old story. You have tons of books on your TBR list. You can’t—shouldn’t—add anymore. But suddenly there is pops up on your feed. The words FREE DOWNLOAD look up at you from your Instagram feed, Facebook page, emailed newsletter, etc. You know you shouldn’t click the button but you can’t help it. It’s taunting you. Staring up at you, begging for a click. And then you give in and look with delicious guilt as the novel downloads onto your Kindle.
That’s the story of how I ended up with Desperate by Katerina Winter.
Desperate by Katerina Winter is a contemporary love/hate (emphasis on the hate) romance novel. I love love/hate novels. There’s something about all that hate turning to unbridled passion that gets me all in a tizzy. Desperate though, if I’m being honest, takes the hate part of things farther than most novels. If the hate part is your favorite part (sort of guilty) then you’re going to love this. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a romance novel where the male character despises the female character quite this much. I got decently far into the book and started to wonder whether Gabriel was ever going to get over his dislike for Salene or whether I was going to spend the entire book simply hoping they’d screw. No worries though, eventually they get to the romance.
In Desperate we are introduced to Gabriel and Salene. Always calm, gracious, and collected Salene Agnew’s perfectly mapped out life-plan has come to a crashing halt. With no money and nowhere to go Salene finds herself standing at the door of her worst enemy with all that is left of her worldly possessions. From the moment Salene and Gabriel Breslin met, tempers flared and hate burned deep, Salene’s fierce independent aura directly clashed with Gabriel’s misogynistic arrogance. Desperate to get her life back together Salene will have to endure a man who is cold as ice.
The minute Salene walked through his door with that sharp tongue and those honey brown eyes, Gabriel was ready to send her packing—until he realized how much fun he could have at her expense. Agreeing to let her stay Gabriel has every intention of making her life a living hell. What he wasn’t prepared for was her to do the same. No woman could get under his skin and enrage him like Salene could. With each passing day, Gabriel could feel his hard earned control slipping towards his prim and proper house guest. Just how far will their hatred run until one of them breaks?
Gabriel isn’t a sweetheart. Or even that nice of a guy really. He’s sort of an asshole. He’s also cocky, arrogant, and filled with anger and jealousy. There were a handful of times where I was wondering if he had any sort of redeeming qualities really, but thankfully the author saw fit to include some. If you’re particularly sensitive to guys flying off the handle for minor indiscretions and general dickiness from your male characters then consider this your warning. I happen to be a fan of the rather sexist 1980s romance novel subgenre so I didn’t really blink an eye, but some might find the story grating.
Salene isn’t a perfect person either. Her naivety is both charming and annoying. She’s guilty of assumption after assumption. I enjoyed her desire to exert her independence, but I loathed her inability to stand up for herself. But that’s the problem isn’t it? I both want the woman to submit to her man and punch him in the face. I live a complicated, hypocritical life.
I won’t say that this novel is perfect. The dialogue gets a little forced in some places, it’s drama after drama after drama (which I love but not everyone else does), and it’s missing some information that I would have loved to know. Not necessary information, but I would have enjoyed knowing more about Salene and her ex-best friend, Gabriel and his ex-wife, what the hate looked like between Gabriel and Salene in the beginning, what Gabriel’s (SPOILER) odd sex habit was supposed to be (because if it was simply that he’s a little domineering in bed then either I’m reading way too much erotica or that was supremely disappointing, even though their sex was very hot).
Though, I don’t supposed it’s a terribly bad thing that the worst part about this book was that I wanted to know more. I’d say that’s rather close to a compliment.
I’m sure many readers can relate to this age old story. You have tons of books on your TBR list. You can’t—shouldn’t—add anymore. But suddenly there is pops up on your feed. The words FREE DOWNLOAD look up at you from your Instagram feed, Facebook page, emailed newsletter, etc. You know you shouldn’t click the button but you can’t help it. It’s taunting you. Staring up at you, begging for a click. And then you give in and look with delicious guilt as the novel downloads onto your Kindle.
That’s the story of how I ended up with Desperate by Katerina Winter.
Desperate by Katerina Winter is a contemporary love/hate (emphasis on the hate) romance novel. I love love/hate novels. There’s something about all that hate turning to unbridled passion that gets me all in a tizzy. Desperate though, if I’m being honest, takes the hate part of things farther than most novels. If the hate part is your favorite part (sort of guilty) then you’re going to love this. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a romance novel where the male character despises the female character quite this much. I got decently far into the book and started to wonder whether Gabriel was ever going to get over his dislike for Salene or whether I was going to spend the entire book simply hoping they’d screw. No worries though, eventually they get to the romance.
In Desperate we are introduced to Gabriel and Salene. Always calm, gracious, and collected Salene Agnew’s perfectly mapped out life-plan has come to a crashing halt. With no money and nowhere to go Salene finds herself standing at the door of her worst enemy with all that is left of her worldly possessions. From the moment Salene and Gabriel Breslin met, tempers flared and hate burned deep, Salene’s fierce independent aura directly clashed with Gabriel’s misogynistic arrogance. Desperate to get her life back together Salene will have to endure a man who is cold as ice.
The minute Salene walked through his door with that sharp tongue and those honey brown eyes, Gabriel was ready to send her packing—until he realized how much fun he could have at her expense. Agreeing to let her stay Gabriel has every intention of making her life a living hell. What he wasn’t prepared for was her to do the same. No woman could get under his skin and enrage him like Salene could. With each passing day, Gabriel could feel his hard earned control slipping towards his prim and proper house guest. Just how far will their hatred run until one of them breaks?
Gabriel isn’t a sweetheart. Or even that nice of a guy really. He’s sort of an asshole. He’s also cocky, arrogant, and filled with anger and jealousy. There were a handful of times where I was wondering if he had any sort of redeeming qualities really, but thankfully the author saw fit to include some. If you’re particularly sensitive to guys flying off the handle for minor indiscretions and general dickiness from your male characters then consider this your warning. I happen to be a fan of the rather sexist 1980s romance novel subgenre so I didn’t really blink an eye, but some might find the story grating.
Salene isn’t a perfect person either. Her naivety is both charming and annoying. She’s guilty of assumption after assumption. I enjoyed her desire to exert her independence, but I loathed her inability to stand up for herself. But that’s the problem isn’t it? I both want the woman to submit to her man and punch him in the face. I live a complicated, hypocritical life.
I won’t say that this novel is perfect. The dialogue gets a little forced in some places, it’s drama after drama after drama (which I love but not everyone else does), and it’s missing some information that I would have loved to know. Not necessary information, but I would have enjoyed knowing more about Salene and her ex-best friend, Gabriel and his ex-wife, what the hate looked like between Gabriel and Salene in the beginning, what Gabriel’s (SPOILER) odd sex habit was supposed to be (because if it was simply that he’s a little domineering in bed then either I’m reading way too much erotica or that was supremely disappointing, even though their sex was very hot).
Though, I don’t supposed it’s a terribly bad thing that the worst part about this book was that I wanted to know more. I’d say that’s rather close to a compliment.
June 9, 2019
SPOILERS
So many problems with this book. The hero's ex only exists as a foil for the heroine. The heroine is pretty pathetic in her dependence on the hero and the fact the she makes no effort to become independent. Many other issues but I've kept reading. However, the coupe de grace is that she scheduled a major elective surgery with no post-op support or even a ride from the hospital. He charges up to the hospital, and they discuss her care with him. Whatever happened to HIPPA???? Patient privacy laws?? Did she expect to just drive herself home?
Omg, I just Googled post-OP care for the surgery she had. The author obviously did not do this. Driving and working are forbidden for at least one week, usually more. Smh.
Also, earlier in the book, they comfort each other when the Dallas area that they live in is threatened by a tornado. She is afraid and wishes she was back home in Florida where nothing like this ever happens. Florida is struck by hurricanes every year!! Wtf! I don't know why I'm still reading this. It's not even a hate read, and I know exactly how this ends. Smh. This author needs some good beta readers.
I finished, which allowed me to read about the hero threatening to beat the heroine, as in physically jumping on her like she's a man. Oh well...
So many problems with this book. The hero's ex only exists as a foil for the heroine. The heroine is pretty pathetic in her dependence on the hero and the fact the she makes no effort to become independent. Many other issues but I've kept reading. However, the coupe de grace is that she scheduled a major elective surgery with no post-op support or even a ride from the hospital. He charges up to the hospital, and they discuss her care with him. Whatever happened to HIPPA???? Patient privacy laws?? Did she expect to just drive herself home?
Omg, I just Googled post-OP care for the surgery she had. The author obviously did not do this. Driving and working are forbidden for at least one week, usually more. Smh.
Also, earlier in the book, they comfort each other when the Dallas area that they live in is threatened by a tornado. She is afraid and wishes she was back home in Florida where nothing like this ever happens. Florida is struck by hurricanes every year!! Wtf! I don't know why I'm still reading this. It's not even a hate read, and I know exactly how this ends. Smh. This author needs some good beta readers.
I finished, which allowed me to read about the hero threatening to beat the heroine, as in physically jumping on her like she's a man. Oh well...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2017
The story was okay but nothing out of the ordinary. Gabriel was a raging asshole to the degree that it was really hard to like him. Salene was disappointing because she sat there a took it most of the time. The numerous grammatical errors drove me nuts! The one that bothered me the most was using the word breast instead of breasts. It didn't help that the word breast was mentioned often. There were tons of run on sentences and poor punctuation.
November 4, 2019
How to Process This Book?
The dynamics of the relationship are different at the beginning but after getting to know one another it becomes lust to love. The hero of this book not only starts off viewed as an asshole but as you get to know him and try to understand him, at the beginning of the story the hereon is a punching bag for what his ex-wife did to him. He does not get physically abusive but he does put her down because she is/was best friends with his ex-wife. I understand his point of view, he just got out of a nasty divorce, not only does he not trust women completely he is going out of his way to help a complete stranger. Gabriel not only proves to be an amazing guy but also an amazing asshole. Although Gab does take it out on Salene, Gab has friends who bring him down to earth and make him question what he is doing with this woman. As the story progresses Gabriel and Selene get to know one another and their relationship evolves. The hero is a dominated who wants his lady to know that she is his,
Although most people are bothered by this author's lack of grammar, people have to remember that this is an Indie author.
The dynamics of the relationship are different at the beginning but after getting to know one another it becomes lust to love. The hero of this book not only starts off viewed as an asshole but as you get to know him and try to understand him, at the beginning of the story the hereon is a punching bag for what his ex-wife did to him. He does not get physically abusive but he does put her down because she is/was best friends with his ex-wife. I understand his point of view, he just got out of a nasty divorce, not only does he not trust women completely he is going out of his way to help a complete stranger. Gabriel not only proves to be an amazing guy but also an amazing asshole. Although Gab does take it out on Salene, Gab has friends who bring him down to earth and make him question what he is doing with this woman. As the story progresses Gabriel and Selene get to know one another and their relationship evolves. The hero is a dominated who wants his lady to know that she is his,
Although most people are bothered by this author's lack of grammar, people have to remember that this is an Indie author.
June 17, 2020
Recommendation from the J/P forum.
Neanderthal alert.
Neanderthal alert.
on-kindle-to-read
February 14, 20182/14/18 Ammy freebie
October 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Heed the author's warning that she will make you dislike the hero, Gabriel, in the beginning before bringing them back together - she really does. Gabriel does something very kind for Salene in taking her in when she has literally nowhere to go and her last hope is to ask for help from her college best friend - Gabriel's soon to be ex-wife Amber who has left her husband and is nowhere to be found. But then you wonder why because he is a complete a** to her. Repeatedly. At one point I wanted to punch him (you'll know what I mean).
But the buildup to the attraction, the redemption of Gabriel, and coming together of the characters is so very satisfying. Katerina is excellent at plot buildup and growing the anticipation. That's something I've come to love in her books and this one is a good example of that. Gabriel makes a complete turnaround from jerk to passionately possessive of Salene but it's not sudden and it is believable.
If you like the enemies to lovers genre this is a great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
But the buildup to the attraction, the redemption of Gabriel, and coming together of the characters is so very satisfying. Katerina is excellent at plot buildup and growing the anticipation. That's something I've come to love in her books and this one is a good example of that. Gabriel makes a complete turnaround from jerk to passionately possessive of Salene but it's not sudden and it is believable.
If you like the enemies to lovers genre this is a great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 25, 2020
This is an enemy to lovers romance story. This could be read as a standalone romance. It is about a young woman who is down on her luck. She is forced to seek help from a man she hates. Let me tell you that the title is accurate. She is desperate when she seeks help and shelter from a man she hates. I was shocked at the direction in this book. I didn't like the characters at all. Salene is weak and forgives everything that Gabriel does. In my opinion, some of the things he does is unforgivable, but she forgives him anyway. He does not just have a shark tongue, he is abusive in his actions and words. At times, I feel like he forces himself on her. I just really didn't like the way this book went. It had great potential, but I really like the characters to have chemistry that is mutual and satisfying. I also like the characters to both be strong or to find their strength along the way. This was not that book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 18, 2020
Very good, with an excellent male character because he's so unbearable most of the time.
It's a very good story of enemies to lovers, which is actually quite astonishing because of the couple who are there:
Salene is now homeless and when she goes to ask for help to her married best friend, Amber, she finds out that she is gone and is going through a divorce from Gabriel after 4 months of marriage.
Gabriel and Salene hate each other, but ultimately Gabriel would rather humiliate Salene by welcoming her temporarily to his home, rather than letting her sleep in his car.
The characters are excellent, especially because of their common hatred, their prejudices. It creates scenes in which, you just want to gut Gabriel who is quite despicable a all along the story.
In short, the characters are great, the story can be hot, even if the plot is simpler.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
It's a very good story of enemies to lovers, which is actually quite astonishing because of the couple who are there:
Salene is now homeless and when she goes to ask for help to her married best friend, Amber, she finds out that she is gone and is going through a divorce from Gabriel after 4 months of marriage.
Gabriel and Salene hate each other, but ultimately Gabriel would rather humiliate Salene by welcoming her temporarily to his home, rather than letting her sleep in his car.
The characters are excellent, especially because of their common hatred, their prejudices. It creates scenes in which, you just want to gut Gabriel who is quite despicable a all along the story.
In short, the characters are great, the story can be hot, even if the plot is simpler.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
October 19, 2020
Salene is desperate - she's homeless, with no job and all her belonging in a small trailer. She seeks out her college friend, but Amber has left her husband. Gabriel initially turns Salene away, then feels bad about it and lets her stay. Not for free, though. I think that he has some anger issues, and is frequently rude to Salene. I really didn't like him at first, but admit that he grew on me as he softened up. He's still an alpha male stuck in the past, but he begins to treat her decently and politely. I think she takes his attitude and verbal abuse because of her desperation. Her more positive attitude begins to change him. They have a very slow burn romance brewing under the surface, proving that old adage of a very fine line between love and hate. I really enjoyed reading this book, unable to put it down once I started.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 21, 2020
The story line, plot and idea are had potential but the character development and personalities just don't do it justice. I found it very hard to relate to or even like either Salene or Gabriel. There are absolutely no growth in the characters, the heroine Salene is depended, weak and forgives Gabriel no matter what he does. Gabriel is an abusive and arrogant A$$, his jealousy is out of hand and I just wanted the book to end. I just did not connect with the characters and I found the relationship between them lacking and boring at times with absolutely no chemistry, romance was not an option and relationship between them was not very believable and strong. It felt like Gabriel forced sex all the time, and that he was forcing his will and way on Salene and she was not strong enough to push back I like my heroine's strong. Sorry but this book just did not hold my attention.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 30, 2020
*spoilers*
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I liked it but some parts were hateful and long. It took me a while to get into the story. I couldn’t get a grip on the characters and I didn’t like Gabriel. One moment he’s plain rude and the other he’s sweet. They’re playing house although they can not stand each other, it’s so confusing.
What annoyed me the most was that she is very unhappy with her breast size, so she gets a reduction surgery. But after it’s done she starts worrying about all the complications( nerve loss, scars, problems with breastfeeding...)
I don’t know what to say, it’s a complicated story...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand I liked it but some parts were hateful and long. It took me a while to get into the story. I couldn’t get a grip on the characters and I didn’t like Gabriel. One moment he’s plain rude and the other he’s sweet. They’re playing house although they can not stand each other, it’s so confusing.
What annoyed me the most was that she is very unhappy with her breast size, so she gets a reduction surgery. But after it’s done she starts worrying about all the complications( nerve loss, scars, problems with breastfeeding...)
I don’t know what to say, it’s a complicated story...
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 25, 2020
I’m going to start this review with a short review on another one of her books: Glass Cage.
I love Glass Cage. The alpha hero who is dangerous and scary but has a heart of gold for not only his maid but her baby brother as well? Ugh, my heart. 🥺
Desperate follows a similar pattern: a down on her luck girl seeks refuge with a brutish, alpha, possessive, jealous man. There are miscommunications that seem a bit childish but all in all, pretty harmless.
Here’s where it struggles: Girl, get an editor!
In fact, MESSAGE ME AND I’LL EDIT YOUR BOOKS FOR FREE. Seriously. Waters’ writing has so much potential. Her story gets lost in the lack of editing.
All in all, Desperate was an okay book. Not bad, but not really memorable.
I love Glass Cage. The alpha hero who is dangerous and scary but has a heart of gold for not only his maid but her baby brother as well? Ugh, my heart. 🥺
Desperate follows a similar pattern: a down on her luck girl seeks refuge with a brutish, alpha, possessive, jealous man. There are miscommunications that seem a bit childish but all in all, pretty harmless.
Here’s where it struggles: Girl, get an editor!
In fact, MESSAGE ME AND I’LL EDIT YOUR BOOKS FOR FREE. Seriously. Waters’ writing has so much potential. Her story gets lost in the lack of editing.
All in all, Desperate was an okay book. Not bad, but not really memorable.
January 14, 2021
Katerina Winters has written a unique enemies to lovers romance featuring Salene Agnew, who seeks the assistance of her college friend, Amber, when she finds herself homeless, and Gabriel, Amber's estranged husband, who grants her shelter even though they share angst and conflict between them. During her stay with Gabriel, Salene discovers some uncomfortable truths about her friendship with Amber. Also, she and Gabriel surprisingly find themselves becoming close. This well written book has great characters, a unique storyline, and a slow burn romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 6, 2022
Good story but confusing writing
This story was good. But the author’s writing was very confusing at times. She would literally jump from one scene to the next with no transition so it was often hard to follow. After an argument between characters, she would skip from one day to a week later and sum up the resolution to the argument instead of writing actual dialogue. Half the story was the characters being enemies which was slow and boring at times. Then after they get together, the writing was sloppy and disjointed. The s*x scenes were awful, they were rushed and clinical. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
This story was good. But the author’s writing was very confusing at times. She would literally jump from one scene to the next with no transition so it was often hard to follow. After an argument between characters, she would skip from one day to a week later and sum up the resolution to the argument instead of writing actual dialogue. Half the story was the characters being enemies which was slow and boring at times. Then after they get together, the writing was sloppy and disjointed. The s*x scenes were awful, they were rushed and clinical. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
October 18, 2020
I loved this. There was a great dialogue between the main characters, Gabriel and Salene, with plenty of angst, heat and feeling. The characters are well developed and passionate which makes you really want them to get it together. Great story with a varied cast who make you laugh, cry, gasp and sigh. Gabriel and Salene are both a little damaged for different reasons and have to come to terms with their own issues and well as the developing feelings between them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 18, 2020
Down on her luck Salene (FMC) is hoping her friend Amber can help her out but she ends up at the mercy of Gabriel. Amber's Ex-husband. These two are explosive together but in parts i genuinely wanted to slap Gabriel silly for some of what he does to Salene. My heart went out to Salene. She had to put up with a lot in this book. Still i really liked Salene & Gabriel and i so wanted them to get a HEA ending. A pretty good read
October 27, 2020
3 1/2 stars
I liked the premise of this story but felt a little let down by the delivery. The author was able to create an emotional connection with her character but he was a tad unlikable most of the story. I thought a few scenes weren’t believable and some of the story was difficult to follow.
I requested a copy of this book so I could provide an honest review.
I liked the premise of this story but felt a little let down by the delivery. The author was able to create an emotional connection with her character but he was a tad unlikable most of the story. I thought a few scenes weren’t believable and some of the story was difficult to follow.
I requested a copy of this book so I could provide an honest review.
October 28, 2020
This is the 4th book I've read written by Katerina Winters; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.
I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
October 11, 2024
This book was bizarre. The grammar was off. The characters went from 0-100 in assumptions, actions and behavior. The FMC was insecure, judgmental, and pathetic. The MMC was domineering, judgmental, and reactive. He was sort of scary! Neither of them were good people. Also the conflicts with Amber and Derek were never fully explained or resolved. I guess Amber ended up selling pickles. 🥒
October 4, 2020
A book that I enjoyed reading a lot. The storyline is intriguing and the characters are captivating and caring. I loved the chemistry between Gabriel and Salene.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 23, 2020
This is a fantastic enemies to lovers romance with strong characters and a fantastic storyline. I’d definitely recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 15, 2018
Truly Engaging!!!
I love the story ! All around entertaining! I highly recommend it . I will be reading more works from this author.
I love the story ! All around entertaining! I highly recommend it . I will be reading more works from this author.
December 17, 2018
Needs some editing, but enjoyable.
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