Lace-Covered Compromise

by Silvia Violet

Adam Kingston expects to inherit his father’s multinational conglomerate. When he finds out half of it went to Nate Thomas—an annoying man whose dreams for Kingston Corp.’s future clash with Adam’s need to stave off financial disaster—Adam is furious. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to wrest control of Kingston Corp. from Nate. Nate may be soft-spoken, but he refuses to be swayed by Adam’s arrogant demands. When Nate accidentally drops a pair of his lacy panties in front of Adam, there’s no mistaking Adam’s interest. Nate hadn’t realized Adam was bisexual, but now that his secret is out, Nate is willing to use Adam’s lust against him if it means protecting the welfare of the company he loves. For Adam and Nate, hatred and desire are closely linked. Their inability to compromise threatens the company and could expose their tightly held secrets. But as they work together to develop a plan to save Kingston Corp., they begin to realize there might be more to their relationship than anger and lust. Word 46,600; page 194

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Romance, LGBT, Audiobook, Gay

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 6, 2017

About the author

Silvia Violet writes fun, sexy stories that will leave you smiling and satisfied. She has a thing for characters who are in need of comfort and enjoys helping them surrender to love even when they doubt it exists. Silvia's stories include sizzling contemporaries, paranormals, and historicals. When she needs a break from listening to the voices in her head, she spends time baking, taking long walks, and curling up with her favorite books. Keep up with her latest ventures by signing up for her newsletter.

For insider information, early looks at works-in-progress, and other rewards, join Silvia on Patreon.

Reviews

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hell Yes! Just my thing!!

*Happy dancing*





I mean,what's not to like??


-Manties

-enemies to lovers,

-Manties

-a bit of hate sex,

-Manties

-dirty talk,

-Manties

-bossy bedroom antics,

-Manties

-lace panties and lipstick....I think I swooned a bit,

-Manties

-mirror sex...I definitely growled a bit here,

-Manties

-rough,face fucking....more growling...


Delicious quotes:

When I stepped out of the guest room, Nate was reclined on the couch wearing bright blue panties that were designed to hold his cock and balls in a little pouch of lace. They were obscene and I was hard in seconds. His lips were red this time. “Not blue to match?” I gestured toward Nate’s mouth. “Would you like that?”“I . . . Fuck, yeah.” (...)



He pulled off his T-shirt and then worked his way out of his shoes, socks, and shorts until he was standing in front of me in his pink panties. “Don’t take those off,” I said. He smiled. “I wasn’t going to.” (...)


“How many colors of panties do you have?”“Every color of the rainbow. Eventually, you could see all of them.”(...)

Thanks to Trio from the SS exchange 2017 for gifting me this.

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Hearts

THERE WILL BE GRATUITOUS MANTIES PICS. BRACE YOURSELVES, MY PEOPLES. (on the blog cuz Cupcake was born at night but it wasn't LAST night, mkay?)

First, let me say as soon as I read the blurb I said aloud, "it's my book!" Ok, it was more of a squell (squeal + yell) but nevertheless there was some excite happening. Then I hit NetGalley DAILY, like it was my job, waiting for it to appear.

It was worth the wait. It was everything . MY FACE MELTED RIGHT OFF MY FACE!!!!!!!!!!!! My own panties got so confused. They didn't know whether to combust, fly off my body, work as a fire retardant or spin around. Eventually they just began wandering around the house aimlessly, bumping into furniture and walls.

You might kill me with desire
Wind me tighter than a wire
It's something that you do to me
I run away like mercury

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and Lace-Covered Compromise is primo. Truly. It was the fine dining equivalent of hate sex enemies to lovers. I wish this book came in liquid form because I would marinate in it. It's sexy as hell, has well developed characters, a sassy and spunky female secondary character and an engaging plot.

And I know you think it's rough
When you're try'na patch us up
And I say honey what is love?
You just say I drink too much

Adam Kingston is a rich, entitled, privileged, spoiled rotten brat. Rude, stubborn and bad at adulting are his default settings, but inside he's insecure, scared and lonely and he drinks too much. His best friend Valerie is the only one that sees through his facade and she takes no shit from him. I loved her. I also loved Adam. He's a mess but I heart him. His parents mailed it in so connecting with others is difficult and he struggles with anxiety. He really needs someone other than Valerie to see the real him, see through all the subterfuge and call him on his bullshit.

The entire story is told through Adam and I think that was the right call for a couple of reasons. The first being to really understand his prickly nature and the second to get a front row seat for his struggle to better himself and save Kingston. Interoffice politics have a fairly large role in the narrative as Adam is SUPER pissed at his father for splitting Kingston Corp between him and his nemesis, Nate Thomas upon his death. Of course he takes it out on Nate, but he's got to find a way to compromise when it comes to Kingston if he wants the company to survive. He's also got to find a way to be honest with himself and those he cares about if he wants to have a meaningful connection with Nate.

Maybe I'm defective
Or maybe I'm dumb
I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done
Maybe I'm bad natured
Or maybe I'm young
I'm sorry, so sorry for what I've done

Nate is his opposite in many ways. He's comfortably out, laid back, environmentally conscious and approachable. He also likes his MANTIES and is bossy in the bedroom! He even coordinates his lipstick to his MANTIES. *swallows tongue*

Adam's been keeping his bisexuality under wraps but as soon as he glimpses Nate's pink lace things start to get hot in a hurry. I love it when everyone's into the MANTIES and there's no shame. I also really liked that the MANTIES wearer was the Toppy McTopperton one!

The D/s is mild with a little orgasm denial, face-fucking, non-restraint bondage and begging, all while engaging in public hate sex, mirror sex and some epic rimming. The only thing that was missing was spanking/impact play and quite frankly if that had happened I might've imploded and spun off into space. So thanks for your restraint, Ms. Violet.

The pink, combined with his toned body and a look that said he would fuck me until I screamed. It was too good. [...] He was going to destroy me.

As hot as it was, and it was scorching, I appreciated that Nate's magic peen didn't "fix" Adam. Adam has to use his words to make reparation to Nate. He also makes a really heartfelt and altruistic grand gesture which went a long way towards showing his growth.

And I'm the t-shirt that I wear
Pick the thorns out of my hair
I broke your heart so carelessly
But made the pieces part of me
And now it hurts what we've become
'Cause you taught me how to love
It's me who taught you how to stop

The HEA was the best! Sure, they'll still have differences, ups and downs, and they'll have some fucking fantastic makeup sex.

If you're in need of some smutty goodness with a hefty dose of warm and fuzzy feels give Lace-Covered Compromise a spin.

I've waited for this
I'm ready for it
I've waited for this
I'm ready for it
I been waiting so long

~Nothing But Thieves



An ARC was provided by NetGalley.

[Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot! Hot! Hot!

This checked all my boxes

*Enemies to Lovers

*Hot Sex

*Manties and Lipstick

*Public Hate Sex

*Bareback with almost felching

*Bossy MC at work, submissive in the bedroom.

I just wish we had Nate's POV.

I took a swing at him, but he grabbed my arm, twisted it behind my back, and pushed me face first against the wall. I’d never been so turned on in my life.
He teased the outside of my ear with his tongue. “Is this what you want? An anonymous fuck with your face scraping a cinder block wall, exposed where anyone could see you?”
I licked my suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”
“You want me to fuck you with no care for whether it hurts you. You want me to push you to your knees, make you suck my cock.”
“I . . .” I was so fucking hard I couldn’t think.



I watched Nate in the mirror. His eyes were huge, his face flushed. “You love this, don’t you? Fucking me bare.”
“Yes. So fucking tight, so good.”
“You want to come in me, to fill me up?”
“Yes,” he growled.
I slipped my finger free and gripped the counter. “Do it.”

[Ele · Rating 4 out of 5]

"He was wearing a black tank top, jeans that were impossibly tight, and holy-fuck-me-now pink lipstick.[...]The movement caused pink lace to peek above the waistband of his pants."

"When I stepped out of the guest room, Nate was reclined on the couch wearing bright blue panties that were designed to hold his cock and balls in a little pouch of lace. They were obscene and I was hard in seconds. His lips were red this time."

Ok, now that this is out of the way, let me count the reasons I really liked this book:
-The KINK! In case you didn't notice, it was manties galore! And given the fact that the manties wearer was a bossy top...yeah *gulp*
-Enemies-to-lovers theme, done very well.

“Why did you kiss me?”[...]
“Because as much as I find you arrogant, selfish, and possibly unstable, there’s something about you that fucking turns me on.”

-Very intense! The back and forth, the chase, the tension...it's right up my alley.
-I liked the writing. Adam's voice was amazing, sometimes humorous and self-sarcastic, others intense and powerful.
-The resolution. I didn't see that coming, but it was a nice surprise.
-Strong HFN ending!

At first, I had a very hard time figuring Adam out. He acts like an asshole more often than not. He lacks boundaries but he is also unable to open up to others. At the same time, Adam is vulnerable and insecure, and has been dealing with anxiety issues that have gotten worse since his father died. He's socially awkward to the point I wanted to hug him and slap him at the same time.

BUT. Towards the end of the book, Adam explains and Nate listens. And we get to understand why Adam is the way he is, and how the threat of an anxiety attack can screw things up for him. There is no magic penis in this book. By the end of this story, Adam's issues don't magically disappear, but now he has an ally by his side. A partner that can work with him and make things a little bit better.

“This isn’t too much for me. You’re not too much for me"

I do think, though, that both characters needed some more background. We know about Adam's daddy issues but it's kind of vague. As for Nate, we never get his POV or learn something about his past and upbringing; it's like he exists in a vacuum.

But these niggles were pretty small considering how much I enjoyed the book. In the grand scheme of things, this was a winner for me, and one of the best manties stories I 've read.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semicolons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers + hate sex + manties = SERIOUS HOTNESS

I love that Nate was into pink lipstick and lace manties, but I knew nothing else about him. Where did he come from? What did he do before Kingston Corp? He was supposedly this big hippie, but he was constantly yelling at Adam.

Mind you, Adam was no pacifist. He was selfish, arrogant, and infuriatingly incapable of seeing anyone's vision but his own. I think the story would have worked better had Nate's POV been included.

There was constant fighting and WAY too much work talk in this book. I felt like the men had nothing in common but the corporation and sex.

I might have rated this book higher despite my niggles because I liked the final compromise, but the ending was really weak, definitely not a HEA.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 3.5 Stars ***

After many angsty readings, I really needed something like that.
Absolutely loved the manties aspect.



It was super hot.



Romance wise, the development of their relationship was a little too fast for my taste, lacking a little bit in depth and intensity. I'm not a big fan of having the L word spelled out too soon. That's totally on me though.

I'm rounding it up because I had a blast with the lipstick and manties aspects.
It was well done.

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at Sinfully.

Adam Kingston is rich and privileged and very full of himself. He has always gotten everything he wants, except for his father’s respect and love. When his father dies and leaves half the company to the man he’d taken under his wing, Nate Thomas, Adam vows to do everything he can to get back the company that should be his alone. Unfortunately for him, it’s not going to be easy. With the company financially unstable and a board of directors demanding that Adam and Nate get their act together and work out a plan to save the company, Adam is less willing to compromise than ever. Nate is more of a fighter than Adam thought and it doesn’t help that he is hot as hell.

Adam’s glimpse of Nate’s lace panties in his gym bag and a hate kiss in the office starts off their sexual relationship. Both men have had a bit of lust for the other for years and they couldn’t be more perfect for each other in bed, even if they can still barely be civil to each other at the office. Adam can finally give over control and Nate is happy to be the dominant partner despite his outward charm, easy-going “hippie” nature and the lipstick and lace he wears. There are plenty of sex scenes, plenty of dirty talk and each one is very hot. Most of them also end with Adam’s fears of discovery of his bisexuality and fears of opening up to someone causing a hasty and rude exit.

Told from Adam’s POV, the story really consists of three characters, Nate, Adam and Adam’s best-friend Valerie, but Adam’s late father plays a big role as well. His actions before his death and a surprising letter received after it, really set the whole story in motion. Valerie is a fantastic secondary character. She’s a staunch ally and the only person who sees through Adam’s façade. She’s also the only person who tells him exactly the way things are, whether he likes it or not.

Aside from the smoking hot and sometimes kinky sex, I liked how Nate was able to wear Adam down and get him to start opening up, but also how he was not going to stand for Adam’s poor treatment of him. Nate may be easy going, but he was far from a pushover and that’s just what Adam needed in his life to realize what a complete ass he could be.

I did have a few issues with the story. We get the whole thing from only Adam’s POV which was fine since Nate is very open and straightforward about his feelings while Adam is very closed off. That being said, I would have liked a bit more background on the previous working relationship between the two MCs. They’ve worked in the same company and building for years, were in board meetings together, held high positions and each found the other to be hot. I get that the “knew” each other but didn’t really “know” each other, but I wanted more about their prior interactions considering how quickly they fell into a sort of relationship together.

Also, although Adam had been dealing with anxiety for years and mentions therapy, since his father’s illness he’s been having what he calls panic attacks. He talks about his fight or flight instinct kicking in and not wanting Nate to see him as weak. These episodes didn’t always come across as true panic attacks to me and he’s often able to completely stave them off or, more importantly, a simple word or touch from Nate can calm him. It sometimes felt like he was just having a freak out moment because he thought he did something stupid. I’m not an expert on anxiety, but it was sometimes a bit confusing and I just wish the situation was better explained or that there was some indication that he was still in therapy and doing something about them.

This is a very enjoyable, smoking hot, war of wills, enemies to lovers story with some light Dominant/submissive play. The story moved along quickly and I enjoyed the struggle between the two men both as far as saving the company went and in dealing with their growing feelings for each other. I think it will be a winning read for enemies to lovers fans.

[Jewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Lace-Covered Compromise! Adam just didn't know what to do with himself around Nate. This book was hella sexy and delicious!!

-------------
Many thanks to A GR friend who is not your Secret Elf, aka Debra for gifting me this book! I've been wanting to read it since I first saw it!!! ❤️

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 "It's not you it's me but I don't want to round down or up, frustrated stars rounded up because we can't always have what we want and especially when it comes to 1/2 stars...ok, having spit that all out I feel better and a full review will follow soonish...Sorry my office is still under construction :(

Yeah!!! Office construction is complete and I have a nice new work space and here's my full review...

Nothing says "secure in my masculinity" like a pair of manties...

I'm serious here. I have no issue with a guy wanting to wear a skirt, a ruffly blouse or silky, lacy panties after all women have been stealing men's fashions literally for decades. Pants originally made for men, high heels...you guessed it men and can I just add here when it comes to the heels I would gladly let them keep them...anyways, my point is there are manties in this story and me likey the young man who wears them. He's confident and self assured and as it turns out his adversary, one Adam Kingston, discovers that he likes them as well.

'Lace-Covered Compromise' is a relatively short, sexy enemies to lovers story about two men doing battle for control of a company and discovering that whether it's business or pleasure everything works better when people are willing to compromise. Things were hot between Adam and Nate...I mean seriously hot and truthfully I enjoyed the romance part of this story and the conflict between Adam and Nate added some definite tension for these two men and while I appreciated the how comes and whys of said tension at times it just felt like too much.

I liked Adam in all of his screwed up glory and his friend Valerie who fate had assigned the arduous task of keeping Adam from running too far off of the rails. I enjoyed Adam's moments of self actualization when he was able to see that who he was wasn't who he wanted to be and that maybe...just maybe Nate wasn't the enemy.

Nate was a really good match for Adam and while he wasn't a steamroller he very solidly held his own and it never felt like he was trying to railroad Adam but often times his patience showed in how he may have walked away from Adam when things got to explosive (and not in a good way) but once cooler heads could prevail, he came back and was willing to try again. In hindsight I came to realize that while there was a lot of very hot and steamy sex going one, there was also a lot of relationship development happening outside of the bedroom too.

I have to admit this one got rounded up because of the narrator...who was none other than Nick J. Russo an absolute favorite of mine. Once again this narrator is one who I just need to see his name on the audio book and I'm know that my only concern is going to be how much I'll like the actual story because the narration without a doubt will be awesome and once again my faith was not misplaced.

'Lace-Covered Compromise' is another one of those books that for me was a hot and steamy romance perfect for enjoying on a hot steamy summer's afternoon...sitting on your patio or balcony or backyard with a nice cool tropical drink in hand...hey, maybe I should have a do-over on this one.

*************************

An audio book of 'Lace-Covered Compromise' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[♡ Dakota ♡ (Sarcasm is my middle name) · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★ — 5 Stars!

I really enjoyed this! I enjoyed the hate-to-love trope in this. The two guys were cute together. And the one’s bff was pretty cool as well.

CHARACTERS:

Adam: He is an arrogant douchebag in the beginning but he slowly soften up. He also sees a lot of the errors in his ways and actively goes out to fix them. I really enjoyed him as a character. While I wouldn’t say he was the most fleshed out main character ever he served as a nice MC in this smutty book.

Nate: Nate appears to be this sweet, gentle guy and while he is, he show that he won’t put up with Adam’s rudeness or bullshit. Once again not the most fleshed out character in a book but he served his purpose well as the love interest.

Valerie: Valerie, if more fleshed out than just the BFF who sprouts inspirational words of encouragement to the MC could be an awesome character. But as it stands she’s a good character.

But with the characters I don’t expect them to be the most fleshed out in depth characters. This is a smutty book and they all served their purpose. And I feel they did it well.

And lastly... the sex. The sex was good. There was even some hate sex. And who doesn’t enjoy a good hate sex in a hate-to-love trope book. I also felt the author did well mixing in character development, plot, and sex without one overpowering the other. And once again since it’s a smut filled book I didn’t expect the plot to be the most amazing plot ever or the most amazing character development ever. But I felt there is enough to make this book satisfying.

I would read more from this author. :)

[True Loveislovereview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adam and Nate
Whoooop awesome read. A lot of fighting and arguing... they hate each other (ha! not)
Adams father left only the half of the company to him and the other half....to Nate

They are totally opposite about the future of the company and Adam goes straight to Nate to tell him the truth and to f* of.....walking in Nate's office there is a duffel bag and some pink lace peaks out. Adam is instant hard....

Both men struggle to work together but oh my.... they are sexy together....they fight and curse and are so hot for each other.
Nate is one sexy guy and knows exactly what Adam needs. Adam is so spoiled and doesn't even know how the act 'normal' but he knows he is attracted to Nate.

Adam shows some lousy act in the morning after spending the night at Nate home. Nate is done and icy toward Adam and Adam knows he has to confess his deep fears...

Told from Adam's pov and he has a very busy head which was awesome !! Wonderful written story I was totally in from page one. The way they loved and fight was highly sensual. The lace of course sexy as hell Both men strong, emotional and vulnerable and all put down in a very appealing way. Their personalities...... I loved them immensely
The story told in a strong witty way, the space was fast, feelings all over the floor.
The whole package.....I want to recommend!!

An ARC received from the publisher through NetGalley

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only thing I enjoyed was the manties and the hate sex, everything else left no lasting impression.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I appreciate most about Silvia Violet’s writing is her unique way of writing relationships. Each of her series have a different approach to showcase the main-characters’ particular chemistry.

Lace-Covered Compromise is told from the point-of-view of Adam, a self professed spoiled and pampered rich kid who has been given everything in life except for a loving relationship with his dad. Furious that he now has to share ‘his’ company with Nate (his dad’s right hand man in business) you can imagine how well that realization went over!

The chemistry between Adam and Nate is strong right off the bat and I found both of the characters really enjoyable. They each had their interesting little kinks, so when they got together it was completely fun to watch the sparks fly. Of course, no one can write a steamy sex scene better than Silvia Violet and if you haven’t read her Thorne and Dash series you need to get on that right away!

This is honestly one of the best enemies to lovers stories I’ve read in ages, and being done in the first person point-of-view really works here. Sweet, funny, and super hot, Lace-Covered Compromise was completely enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

ARC provided by NetGalley

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

Manties. Enough said.

[Beth doesn't write enough reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

MANTIES&LIPSTICKOHMY!

There is just something about a strong man in lace that revs me up. Lipstick is icing on the lace beefcake.

This was a quick read but oh so sexy. I’d have loved a bit more before the L word made an appearance but Adam & Nate had know each other for years before the events in the book and the unrequited or unrealized feelings Adam had added to the tension, anxiety and anger Adam was feeling.

I myself don’t deal with the anxiety dealt with in the story but did suffer from panic attacks for a few years that were cured by divorce papers. I don’t know if Adam’s anxiety was dealt with realistically here but I was never able to stop a panic attack once symptoms started so that part of the storyline seemed contrived to me. Maybe others are fine with it.

It was also refreshing for the female friend to be smart and loving.

All in all an entertaining and oh so freaking hot sexy read.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I mean, manties y'all! But sexy hot pink lacy boy shorts can only go so far in improving a story, and unfortunately Lace-Covered Compromise just did not work for me.

Under the terms of his father's will, Adam Kingston is forced to share ownership of Kingston Corp. with Nate Thomas, who heads up the company's Enviro division. Adam starts out as a total jerk in this enemies to lovers story ... well, actually, he's an asshole of epic proportions. Adam is a control freak and he's not interested in compromise in any way, shape or form; Adam's idea of managing the company along with Nate goes like this:

It was time he understood that it was my place to decide the direction this company would go. He’d simply have to get on board.

When Adams barges into Nate's office, he surprises Nate stuffing some pink lace panties back into his gym bag. Adam is intrigued, but his first reaction is "It was always good to know someone’s secrets. Someone’s hot, dirty secret." And after Adam basically stalks Nate (hacking into his phone) and finds him in a gay bar ("He was wearing a black tank top, jeans that were impossibly tight, and holy-fuck-me-now pink lipstick" with pink lace underneath), Adam threatens to out Nate: “I could tell the board about all this,” I said, gesturing to his outfit and around at the club."

Given the way Adam behaves for most of the book, I personally needed an epic "come to Jesus" moment of redemption in order to care about him. Adam has panic attacks. I realize this can be a debilitating condition, but apparently being with Nate cures Adam of his panic attacks, rather than delving into his issues via therapy. Finally, I need to know something about characters in order to care about them. It's almost as if Nate appeared from space; we know nothing about his family, friends, work history, very few personal quirks or qualities.

I loved, loved, loved Silvia Violet's Thorne and Dash series and am looking forward to reading more from her, but Lace-Covered Compromise just did not click for me. 3 stars.

Visit my new blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

[Darla · Rating 1 out of 5]

.5 star--this is terrible writing and a prurient story. The subject of panic attacks is handled so poorly by this author it is completely and totally offensive. Near constant 'telling' from the MC--nothing is 'shown'. Impossible to distinguish which MC is speaking because they both use the F word constantly. I loathed this book and cannot believe it is being published by my favorite queer publishing house. Really and truly awful. This book represents just about everything flawed in M/M romance--lurid story made out of something that is not lurid at all and exploiting gay men and culture to make a quick buck. Just dreadful. This author is an absolute no go for me; never again.

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio Review 23Jul2017: 3.8 Stars

Nick J. Russo's narration definitely increased my enjoyment of this book. I absolutely needed to hear about the manties.


Original Review 03Mar2018: 3.5 Stars

Okay, so here's the thing: I LOVED the sexy parts. So hot, so good, so tantalizing. That Nate was the more dominant partner and yet was also the one in the manties realllllllllly cranked my engine, ya know?

But the rest was just kinda...well, meh.

I'll just go sit in the corner now. (With my manties pics, obvs.)

[Eugenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this enemies to lovers story. LOVED the manties, the dirty sex, the lipstick, the bare backing and the fact that our manty and lipstick wearing do-gooder took control in the bedroom.

What I missed was depth in character, specially that of Nate (manties man). We get more of Adams’s background since it’s his POV, but not too much.

Still, this was a great three star read, maybe 3+, that will erase any lingering angst you may have from a previous heavy read.

[Caipi · Rating 4 out of 5]

March 2021
This time I listened to the audio and Nick J. Russo's narration is as great as always. It definitely improved my enjoyment of the story. Nonetheless I still missed some depth in the story and couldn't quite grab Adam's character.
Story 3.5 stars
Audio 4 stars
Overall bumping it up from 3 to 4 stars.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read October 2019

Pink lace manties and pink lipstick 😍💋
3.5 stars

[Laxmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 fun, light hot reading

[BR11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 hot stars
Adam was kind of an asshole but I loved Nate and the two together were burning down the sheets (and the shower and the club wall...).
Good read!

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, look. It's not often I want a book purely for the sexy times. But when I do, Silvia Violet is one of my go-to authors. She writes extremely erotic books that still manage to string together a decent plot that keeps me engaged from one hot scene to the next. Lace-Covered Compromise fulfilled all my expectations.

The enemies-to-lovers is done pretty well here. There is a good amount of angst on Adam's part with his animosity and hatred towards Nate after finding out his late father left the family company to them both equally. He doesn't like Nate, thinks he's a hippie Vegan with no head for business, but after catching a glimpse of pink lace in Nate's gym bag, he faces an uncomfortable, visceral attraction to the man. There's history between the two of them, professionally, that we don't get. I at once missed it and didn't. The story is the perfect length and Violet does a good job of writing Adam's inner turmoil over the changing nature of his relationship with Nate.

I liked Nate's character a lot. He's unapologetic about what he likes. Dude that looks like a linebacker rolling up to a club with pink lace sticking out of his jeans and lipstick on - I admire him for that and love that there was no negativity surrounding it. Same with Adam's bisexuality. There's no drama or shaming of his identity and the portrayal was pretty positive. Nate is super supportive of Adam and - at times inexplicably - really into him. I really wish we'd gotten his POV at some pivotal parts of the book but Adam is our sole POV here.

Adam's experience with and way of dealing with his anxiety and panic attacks is a bit out-of-touch. There's, I believe, a single mention in passing of a therapist. I was worried for a while that there would be an insta-cure of his anxiety once the relationship with Nate got on track, but that wasn't the case. No insta-fix. Adam still struggles with his anxiety at the end, and he and Nate talk about how they'll handle that moving forward. I would like to put in a plug for anyone suffering anxiety or panic attacks to please consult a professional. When you find the right therapist, they can do wonders. Love doesn't fix all. Another minor criticism was some issues with the timeline not matching up, and distracting/confusing me. Not sure if this issue will be present in the final copy of the book; I am reviewing an arc.

All in all, this book was exactly what I expected it to be and hit all of my buttons. It's sweet and sexy and funny and sexy and... yeah. Definitely a book I'd recommend.

An advance copy of this book was received through NetGalley for review on OMGReads.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to be honest, One of the biggest reasons this one got such a low rating from me is because I really didn't like how the anxiety/panic attacks were handled. I can't stand when a character suffering from something like this meets their significant other and it magically cures it. It's offensive to people that truly suffer from anxiety/depression and panic attacks and it's also really unbelievable. I would have much rather seen the character work through his issues WITH his partner. It would have strengthened their relationship. I also thought that both of these characters, (Adam especially), acted really immature for their ages and standing in the company. Adam was a very hard character to like and sympathize with because he admits he's used to always getting his way because he's wealthy. He literally throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way. They quickly fall into bed with one another and then Nate is constantly getting his feelings hurt because Adam is running away or being cold to him, but I also thought Nate's feelings came on very quickly. Because they slept together, he automatically thought they were an item. They both really frustrated me.

I liked the IDEA behind this one but I didn't think it was properly executed. I enjoy hate to love romances but this one didn't end up working for me.

[Sue bowdley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Silvia Violets books....Esp her Thorne And Dash series.....This was a good read....not my favourite but still a good short read....I read it in one day.....I kind of found it hard to like Adam....I kind of thought he was very harsh towards Nate.....I read some reviews on this whilst reading and noticed people complaining about Adam's Anxiety and panic attacks....and how he was magically cured....Well I must have missed that bit because no where did I read that he was cured of his attacks...They were mentioned throughout the book along with Adam seeing a therapist so I don't know where people got the idea he was cured....However Adam and Nate seemed to be well matched....I struggled understanding what kind of company they ran but It didn't make the book any less great to read.....Not up there with my Thorne And Dash but still a good read x

[Morgan Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great “Enemies to Lovers” story with some super sexy lingerie. Our guys have some deep animosity between them thanks to Adam’s father and they aren’t afraid to let things get loud.

They move pretty quickly into a sexual relationship and from there it’s a matter of working things out (mostly in Adam’s head).

If you love a little rough sex, some denial and a bit of inner angst – this is for you. Oh – and Manties!!!

Recommended

3.75 of 5 stars

[monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3,5* stars

well, I'm a sucker for guys wearing manties

------------------------

I suspected this all along, but after "Billie Jean" I'm sure as hell... I got a thing for boys in panties :)

[Qin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather a disappointment. The entire book rings hollow, and I found myself skipping not only the very detailed, graphic sex scenes (aficionados of filthy yet realistic and well choreographed lovemaking will find here their heart's satisfaction), but a few paragraphs of dull contents here and there. Not that the writing was subpar, or the dialogues in any way boring, artificial or over the top - quite the contrary; Mrs Violet combines a sure command of English with a sharp eye for sleek conversation. Yet somehow she felt that she could safely discard the formula for building a enemies to lovers story; the end result of this decision is nothing short of disaster. The two main characters needed to be a study in contrast; psychology-wise, Adam and Nate indeed stand poles apart, yet Ms Violet saw fit to have then speak in a nigh identical manner, from the uncouth abuse of expletives to vocabulary and grammatical inflections. Worse, when provoked by Adam's prickly exterior and callous bed manners (I intend the latter qualifier both litterally and metaphorically), Nate instantly shows a mean, if not cruel, streak every bit as nasty and unpleasant as Adam's. This casts a strong shadow on his perception as the good son that Kingston senior as well as everyone else at Kingston corporation have of Nate: though, of course, he is not the goody-two-shoes Adam mistakes him for, he cannot be both the environmentalist, ethical type who refuses to sack employees without giving them a very generous package and who commutes to work riding a bike and someone cut-throat enough to be horrible to Adam when Adam looks close to collapsing under the weight of his emotions. This schizophrenic duality also happears in Nate's physical description: he wears cheap, college-type garb, behaves meekly with everyone else and plays the part of a nerd, yet his body is as ripped as that of a professional athlete, with Adam wondering how he can be that toned for a tree hugger. Indeed, when Adam finally goes to Nate's place, there is not the shadow of fitness gear there. In similar fashion, the novel discards all pretense to verisimilitude, when, three quarters into the story, after Nate had delivered to Adam what he crassly terms a "hate fuck" in the back alley of a nightclub and had pushed Adam's face into the wall as he rided him roughly from behind, the latter character shows neither any abrasion on his cheeks or forehead nor even mild discomfort down there the day after. This leads me straight to another element of the formula for writing a good enemies to lover story that has never been more readily disregarded by Mrs Violet than when it was an imperious necessity: both characters do not exibit at all the hallmarks of their profession. Adam is supposed to be a bright scientific mind, yet the reader never sees him in his laboratory or tinkering with machines or even using techno-babble; he seems to live in his corporate office, period. The only technological proposal he comes with before the board of the company is the monstrously silly suggestion to fund the creation of a flying jumpsuit meant for personal entertainment. As the head of the environment division of Kingston corporation, Nate does not fare any better; he appears to be utterly clueless beyond a smattering of very generic statements on how profit and ecologically responsible, corporate dealings are not incompatible. This pertakes of the wholly unrealistic ways in which the entire business context of the book is handled; we never ever get told what Kingston produces and sells, for God's sake ! Nor are we treated to any tidbit that roots the story in its Chicago setting; the novel could have occurred in any big city. Ridiculousness extends to the character of Adam's BFF and fag hag, who is made the duchess of an invented (!) Northern Italian principalty with an absent husband, no children and plenty of time to devote to her friend's frequent pity parties; to the belated Kingston senior, who has a lacrymal letter delivered posthumously to his son in a way more suited to an Harlequin novel; and to Adam himself: he is described as a superb hacker who breaks with not much ado into Nate's cellphone and as afflicted with debilitating anxiety attacks since his father died and he learned that he was given only half of the company. Said attacks serve as an all too easy way of escaping conflictual situations; worse of all, they soon disappear on their own never to mentioned again with the awesome sex Nate delivers. Yeah right. Mrs Violet really failed to do her homework here; this is tantamount to a mockery of this disorder for a few cheap bucks. Finally, the blurb claims much more than the book delivers: the lace kink plays a tiny role, being actually a trigger for Adam's need to be taken in hand by a perceptive and kind yet commanding lover, while Nate never exhibits any clear agenda as to the future of Kingston corporation. There is not even manipulation on the latter's end, contrary to what the blurb would have one believe. For all of these reasons, this is a book that I could not like, and that I was actually in a great hurry to finish and then discard.

[Mari Cardenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!

Adam expected to inherit his father's business when he passed, but the old man decided to leave half the business to Nate Thomas, the head of the environment research department, and Adam's nearly complete opposite. Nate and Adam clash every time they cross paths, but when Adam realizes what kind of sexy underwear Nate uses, he starts seeing him in another light. Will these two men manage to compromise to save Kingston Corp. and perhaps see that they work well in other areas of their lives?

Okay, so I kind of expected this book to be told from Nate's POV or at least to have a dual POV, don't ask me why, because I don't know. Still, I was a bit disappointed I only got Adam's point of view, because frankly, he wasn't a likable man and by the time he decided to try to make amends, I almost didn't care about liking him any longer. Nate seemed infinitely more likable, however, since we didn't get his POV, I don't think I got to know him as well as I would've liked. The chemistry between them was good, but my enjoyment of it got colored by my dislike of Adam.

I loved Adam's best friend, Valerie, though. She was a great sounding board for him, making him see reason and helping and supporting Adam along the way.

Overall, this was a nice read, it was well-written and hot and angsty, but it isn't my favorite Silvia Violet book. Still, I'll recommend it to those who enjoy enemies to lovers.

*** Copy provided to the reviewer by Riptide Publishing by NetGalley for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

[Tj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adam is spoiled and defiantly likes getting his own way. Look below the surface.. you find someone with much more depth. Adam has tried and failed to get his father's attention. He is very good at running the product development for the his father's company but not so good at having a relationship with him. With his father's death things become more murky.

Adam learns after his father's death not only has he leveraged the corporation to buy less than profitable companies, but he also left half of the company to Nate an employee. On the surface Adam and Nate are oil and water. To save the company, they must work together.

Secrets have a way of coming out. Adam is bisexual and has kept that hidden. He thought the business would suffer if others knew. Nate has a secret of his own as well.... he has thing for wearing lacy panties. Adam and Nate find when they aren't yelling at each other, their secrets mesh well.

Things in the bedroom are incredible... the boardroom takes a lot more effort. Both men learn they have to be willing to give a little in order to get a lot.