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Small Town Protectors #3
Mr. Cop
12 Heroes, one small town, and a charity calendar that will give them each a chance at love. This is just the beginning...
Antonio
From the moment I looked into her pretty blue eyes, I knew she was trouble.
She’s hiding something.
I’m determined to unravel this mystery, uncover her secret.
But I fall under her spell instead.
Completely bewitched.
By her innocence. By her body.
But I fight her allure despite my desire for her.
Until the Hometown Heroes calendar happened.
And she took my breath away.
I no longer wanted her gone.
I want to make her MINE.
I just pray she can forgive me.
Because of me, her past is coming back to haunt her.
Elka
My tragic past led me to this small town.
I’m determined to live the life I’ve been long denied.
Everyone here has embraced me, made me feel welcome.
Well, everyone, except him.
Deputy Vargas
Handsome. Distracting. And hell bent on pushing me out of town.
But I refuse to submit.
I refuse to go back to who I once was.
He wants to be my enemy? Fine. So be it.
Until I fall.
Hard.
For the man who wants me gone.
What’s a virgin to do when faced with a man like Antonio?
Make him mine, of course.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2019
645 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Piper Sullivan
193 books534 followersPiper Sullivan is an old school romantic who enjoys reading romantic stories as much as she enjoys writing them.
She spends her time day-dreaming of dashing heroes and the feisty women they love.
She spends her time day-dreaming of dashing heroes and the feisty women they love.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 26, 2024
Hero is perfectly awful. Not in a fun Harlequin hero kind of way, but a real life misogynist way. He's suspicious of her because she looks too innocent and all women are treacherous. Yawn. He pushed his hatred and distrust by pulling a gun on her as she tries to save a man, is thrilled when he finally gets to run a background check, essentially rapes her, and ultimate betrayal of all. .
The heroine is pretty strong until the bitter end. She honestly doesn't like the hero and who could blame her except she thinks he's a hunk. I felt no love, no pull. He says, "Sorry," and suddenly it's true love.
Also, as a reader that liked the heroine I really wanted a confrontation with her parents for using her. Missed opportunity.
The heroine is pretty strong until the bitter end. She honestly doesn't like the hero and who could blame her except she thinks he's a hunk. I felt no love, no pull. He says, "Sorry," and suddenly it's true love.
Also, as a reader that liked the heroine I really wanted a confrontation with her parents for using her. Missed opportunity.
June 28, 2023
The so called hero in this book Antonio just kept pissing me off. The sole reason I kept reading was because, I was hoping Elka the heroine would sucker punch him and find a guy to be happy with, while Antonio lived a sad lonely life.
I'm all for enemies to lovers stories but this wasn't that. Antonio was just a big douche.
Acquired via KU.
I'm all for enemies to lovers stories but this wasn't that. Antonio was just a big douche.
Acquired via KU.
May 7, 2020
I felt I literally HAD to write a review of this book to warn other readers. The male lead in this novel is abusive. He bullies, verbally attacks, points a gun at, and sexually overpowers the female lead.
I am very disappointed at the behavior being so easily FORGIVEN by the female lead. There should be no second, third, and forth chance for this man who continually emotionally harms the female lead.
I feel this book is part of a bigger problem where women are ingesting that they must always forgive and also that the female lead respects herself and her boundaries ONLY UNTIL the male lead begins to kiss or seduce her...then all self respect is thrown out the window. What this book portrays is not healthy, in my opinion.
I am very disappointed at the behavior being so easily FORGIVEN by the female lead. There should be no second, third, and forth chance for this man who continually emotionally harms the female lead.
I feel this book is part of a bigger problem where women are ingesting that they must always forgive and also that the female lead respects herself and her boundaries ONLY UNTIL the male lead begins to kiss or seduce her...then all self respect is thrown out the window. What this book portrays is not healthy, in my opinion.
April 28, 2019
I didn't know how to descibe my feeing toward this book: I liked the plot but I hated H. I wanted to smack H several times while I couldn't put the book down. I admired h's courage and felt deeply for her background that I got emotional during the reading…but H was totally a jerk the way he treated h, not to mention the first time they had sex. Totally a jerk. The author should write more chapters to let him make up for it.
It would be better if the author give us an epilogue.
It would be better if the author give us an epilogue.
Want to read
March 27, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/27/2020)! 🎁
August 11, 2022
Not good
In spite of the h's great back story, this book is so unsatisfying. The H is a huge jerk, the friend relationships are shallow, & the town doesn't seem that charming. There is absolutely no reason for the h to be in love with the jerk, except that her lady bits perk up when he kisses her. Friends just randomly appear with no explanation as to how the h knows them, & the town folk force the h into taking part in events even though she doesn't want to. I stuck with this book because I thought the h's backstory would give something good for the climax, but even that was terrible & very poorly explained. This book was really bad.
In spite of the h's great back story, this book is so unsatisfying. The H is a huge jerk, the friend relationships are shallow, & the town doesn't seem that charming. There is absolutely no reason for the h to be in love with the jerk, except that her lady bits perk up when he kisses her. Friends just randomly appear with no explanation as to how the h knows them, & the town folk force the h into taking part in events even though she doesn't want to. I stuck with this book because I thought the h's backstory would give something good for the climax, but even that was terrible & very poorly explained. This book was really bad.
May 18, 2024
Angst = h had a truly sad childhood; h was born to be the spare parts depot for older sibling with genetic, fatal disease. When sibling dies, he left a large life insurance policy to h to "pay" her back for all her sacrifices and lost childhood. h's parents are after h still, claim horrible things about her and take her court about the insurance money.
Grovel = H, from the very first contact, treats the h like she is a serial killer with a contagious disease. He constantly says awful things to her and insults her. When h was helping an injured man, H points a gun at h (H is a deputy and accused h of hurting the injured man). H apologizes, but all his apologies seem backhanded and not remorseful, rather obvious they were forced apologies by others. H goes behind h's back and contacts her toxic parents to let them know where h was located. So what's the grovel? He said sorry....yup. There you go.
So, the premise of the book was great, a lot of the writing was well done, but I kept having to go back a lot because I felt like huge chunks of the story were missing. Ex. H and h are in h's kitchen and they "hate" make out, H does one thrust into h and then h kicks him out. h was a virgin, but after this H is asking why she is still a virgin. I was so confused, like what? Another ex. H and h are constantly going back and forth at each other, but then suddenly, h is saying how she "loved" the H and the H is realizing he is in love??? There were zero interactions where they were nice/kind to each other. How from the inner ramblings of both where they talk of how much they can't stand each other, how much they distrust the other, so how are they suddenly in love? It felt like there were time skips and I was seriously considering to DNF, but I powered through.
I was had high hopes, but the lack of execution/follow through was hard to get past.
Grovel = H, from the very first contact, treats the h like she is a serial killer with a contagious disease. He constantly says awful things to her and insults her. When h was helping an injured man, H points a gun at h (H is a deputy and accused h of hurting the injured man). H apologizes, but all his apologies seem backhanded and not remorseful, rather obvious they were forced apologies by others. H goes behind h's back and contacts her toxic parents to let them know where h was located. So what's the grovel? He said sorry....yup. There you go.
So, the premise of the book was great, a lot of the writing was well done, but I kept having to go back a lot because I felt like huge chunks of the story were missing. Ex. H and h are in h's kitchen and they "hate" make out, H does one thrust into h and then h kicks him out. h was a virgin, but after this H is asking why she is still a virgin. I was so confused, like what? Another ex. H and h are constantly going back and forth at each other, but then suddenly, h is saying how she "loved" the H and the H is realizing he is in love??? There were zero interactions where they were nice/kind to each other. How from the inner ramblings of both where they talk of how much they can't stand each other, how much they distrust the other, so how are they suddenly in love? It felt like there were time skips and I was seriously considering to DNF, but I powered through.
I was had high hopes, but the lack of execution/follow through was hard to get past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2019
Antonio is a cop in a small town Elka is ready to start her own life and get away from her past. Antonio wasn’t always a small-town cop and his instincts tell him Elka is hiding something. Will he find out the truth? This is a fast-paced read with plenty of drama and emotion. Antonio could be a bit annoying at times but the chemistry was intense and the story entertaining. I really liked it.
May 1, 2019
1 town, 12 heroes. This story is about hero number 3 and so the third book in this serie. I really like this serie so far. It's well written and I love the stories. In this book the hero wasn't always very likeble but it made him real.
May 17, 2020
This as a great book. Antonio is kind of a jerk at first but you eventually fall for him. I loved how protective he was of her. Great author.
April 25, 2019
This book had entirely too much angst for me. Antonio and Elka were antagonistic through out the book. Antonio was unpleasant and hostile most of the time. Elka was slightly hostile and pretty unfriendly most of the time.
I never got a sense of connection between Elka and Antonio, or Elka and the women in Tulip.
There were two times I felt like Elka truly connected with someone, and both times, they were injured. I am not trying to let Antonio off the hook either. Bad things happened to both of them, but I expected some of their issues to be addressed before the end of the book.
Even their sexy scenes seemed to be done in anger. There was no trust between them, just lust, sex, whatever you want to call it. I'm not sure what to call this book because it didn't feel particularly romantic to me.
I would recommend you read this book and judge for yourself. I liked the other books about the town of Tulip better. I can seem to remember there being some humor in those books too.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
I never got a sense of connection between Elka and Antonio, or Elka and the women in Tulip.
There were two times I felt like Elka truly connected with someone, and both times, they were injured. I am not trying to let Antonio off the hook either. Bad things happened to both of them, but I expected some of their issues to be addressed before the end of the book.
Even their sexy scenes seemed to be done in anger. There was no trust between them, just lust, sex, whatever you want to call it. I'm not sure what to call this book because it didn't feel particularly romantic to me.
I would recommend you read this book and judge for yourself. I liked the other books about the town of Tulip better. I can seem to remember there being some humor in those books too.
I voluntarily read and reviewed the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
June 28, 2019
Is it ok to like and not like it?
Antonio was a huge jerk! He is a deputy in a small town after being a homicide detective in a big one. Saw some crazy crap and experienced crap on a personal level. He comes around and he gets the girl in the end which had me eventually liking this story. Overall quality of writing was good but there were some glitches in proofreading that need to be addressed. No cheating or cliffhanger and the story ends on a happy note.
Antonio was a huge jerk! He is a deputy in a small town after being a homicide detective in a big one. Saw some crazy crap and experienced crap on a personal level. He comes around and he gets the girl in the end which had me eventually liking this story. Overall quality of writing was good but there were some glitches in proofreading that need to be addressed. No cheating or cliffhanger and the story ends on a happy note.
February 19, 2023
There are a few problems I have with this book.
One: It is poorly written. It's extremely choppy, with a lot of inconsistencies. (is the H's father dead or did he run out on them, how could the H have dinner at his mom's house in the beginning if she's been out of town for months?) There are side characters that pop up you have no idea how they and they know the h, you and h are never introduced to them. This reads like a first draft, not a final draft.
Two: There is no character development for any character. The H is just as much an asshole at the end of the book as he is at the beginning. He keeps learning things about the h that show she's not a bad person but he continually ignores that and keeps treating her like shit. He "apologizes" but never shows any true remorse nor does he change his behavior. He continues to be cruel (way past what's acceptable for an enemies to lovers book) right up until the end. When he betrays her by bringing her parents to her (thus doing what the PI was going to do, so what even was the point of him in the plot?), he DEFENDS HIMSELF instead of apologizing, or better yet, stopping them from coming once he found out what they did to h. Instead he just left it and let her get ambushed, and doesn't understand why she was upset. He shows zero respect for her at any time in the entire book. The h never truly stands up for herself because every time the H touches her she folds faster than a bad hand of cards. Which leads me to:
Three: Betraying Body Syndrome. I hate this trope. It's a sign of weak writing, because the author can't come up with any believable reason why the h would actually be interested in the H. So she just makes the h's body turn to mush any time her body comes in contact with his. It's lazy writing. It's unbelievable that the h would be able to so completely forget the H's true character just because he's kissing her. Come on. Do better, Sullivan. The H is even an asshole WHILE they're having sex (don't even get me started on that sex scene which is so cringy and borderline rape and THAT isn't even addressed by the h), and the h just breezes right past this because hE sEtS hEr BoDy oN fIRe.
Four: There is no actual chemistry between the two characters. Betraying Body Syndrome aka weak ass plot device, does not count as chemistry. When the H spends THE ENTIRE BOOK being a cruel asshole, there is not any chemistry. And the h saying she fell in love with him? With an actual monster? Yeah didn't buy that for even a second. Not even I could suspend my disbelief to swallow that.
Five: all the side characters in the town continually telling h was a good guy H was. Um have they not seen what he's been doing to her? How are they defending his actions??? Actions speak louder than words and HE IS NOT A GOOD PERSON. The way he treated her was inexcusable, unforgivable, and frankly the fact that people kept encouraging h to forgive him and give him a second (and third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth) chance was straight up disgusting. Yes, h, continue letting the H abuse you because "he really is a good guy." Sigh.
The first two books in the series weren't bad. Then this one comes in and wins an award for worst book of all time. I will not be reading anymore more by Sullivan if this is the kind of drivel she's shoveling to her readers. Trash, trash, trash.
One: It is poorly written. It's extremely choppy, with a lot of inconsistencies. (is the H's father dead or did he run out on them, how could the H have dinner at his mom's house in the beginning if she's been out of town for months?) There are side characters that pop up you have no idea how they and they know the h, you and h are never introduced to them. This reads like a first draft, not a final draft.
Two: There is no character development for any character. The H is just as much an asshole at the end of the book as he is at the beginning. He keeps learning things about the h that show she's not a bad person but he continually ignores that and keeps treating her like shit. He "apologizes" but never shows any true remorse nor does he change his behavior. He continues to be cruel (way past what's acceptable for an enemies to lovers book) right up until the end. When he betrays her by bringing her parents to her (thus doing what the PI was going to do, so what even was the point of him in the plot?), he DEFENDS HIMSELF instead of apologizing, or better yet, stopping them from coming once he found out what they did to h. Instead he just left it and let her get ambushed, and doesn't understand why she was upset. He shows zero respect for her at any time in the entire book. The h never truly stands up for herself because every time the H touches her she folds faster than a bad hand of cards. Which leads me to:
Three: Betraying Body Syndrome. I hate this trope. It's a sign of weak writing, because the author can't come up with any believable reason why the h would actually be interested in the H. So she just makes the h's body turn to mush any time her body comes in contact with his. It's lazy writing. It's unbelievable that the h would be able to so completely forget the H's true character just because he's kissing her. Come on. Do better, Sullivan. The H is even an asshole WHILE they're having sex (don't even get me started on that sex scene which is so cringy and borderline rape and THAT isn't even addressed by the h), and the h just breezes right past this because hE sEtS hEr BoDy oN fIRe.
Four: There is no actual chemistry between the two characters. Betraying Body Syndrome aka weak ass plot device, does not count as chemistry. When the H spends THE ENTIRE BOOK being a cruel asshole, there is not any chemistry. And the h saying she fell in love with him? With an actual monster? Yeah didn't buy that for even a second. Not even I could suspend my disbelief to swallow that.
Five: all the side characters in the town continually telling h was a good guy H was. Um have they not seen what he's been doing to her? How are they defending his actions??? Actions speak louder than words and HE IS NOT A GOOD PERSON. The way he treated her was inexcusable, unforgivable, and frankly the fact that people kept encouraging h to forgive him and give him a second (and third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth) chance was straight up disgusting. Yes, h, continue letting the H abuse you because "he really is a good guy." Sigh.
The first two books in the series weren't bad. Then this one comes in and wins an award for worst book of all time. I will not be reading anymore more by Sullivan if this is the kind of drivel she's shoveling to her readers. Trash, trash, trash.
February 29, 2020
Tear-jerker, but too many encounters too close to real cruelty
Ms. Sullivan does thankfully have a copy editor who checks spelling but there were definitely several grammatical errors (clauses missing a verb or object) as well as factual changes that really rankled (eg. Dad was Columbian or Portuguese, H went to mom's to eat dinner or she had been traveling out of state...)- things that don't ultimately matter but interrupt the story with second guessing. But the main thing I found fault with was the H's awfulness. I've read plenty of enemies to lovers tropes but ive never read one with such continued to the point beyond normal cruelty. Even their first intercourse was arguably not voluntary. I'm surprised she wasn't petitioning for a temporary protective order from this dude. Don't get me wrong, dominant-ish Men and passionate arguments yielding to passionate kissing is usually very fun to read, but these scenes just felt wrong. Also, the H would keep learning things but then he would act as if he had not just learned something that made his actions clearly wrong. I also get why most times the final conflict comes from miscommunications or poor decision-making by one or both characters, but this guy was not stupid, he was basically heartless. And to top it all off ... They have tons of unprotected sex after foreshadowing that protection is super necessary and later we learn that H's last relationship was with a damn prostitute for 1 (no, changed to 4) years! The only redeeming are the other hometown characters and sex scenes, but only if you ignore this woman clearly doesn't know how to love herself after her previous trauma and continuing to give the H the time of day given the way he continues to act. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark.
Ms. Sullivan does thankfully have a copy editor who checks spelling but there were definitely several grammatical errors (clauses missing a verb or object) as well as factual changes that really rankled (eg. Dad was Columbian or Portuguese, H went to mom's to eat dinner or she had been traveling out of state...)- things that don't ultimately matter but interrupt the story with second guessing. But the main thing I found fault with was the H's awfulness. I've read plenty of enemies to lovers tropes but ive never read one with such continued to the point beyond normal cruelty. Even their first intercourse was arguably not voluntary. I'm surprised she wasn't petitioning for a temporary protective order from this dude. Don't get me wrong, dominant-ish Men and passionate arguments yielding to passionate kissing is usually very fun to read, but these scenes just felt wrong. Also, the H would keep learning things but then he would act as if he had not just learned something that made his actions clearly wrong. I also get why most times the final conflict comes from miscommunications or poor decision-making by one or both characters, but this guy was not stupid, he was basically heartless. And to top it all off ... They have tons of unprotected sex after foreshadowing that protection is super necessary and later we learn that H's last relationship was with a damn prostitute for 1 (no, changed to 4) years! The only redeeming are the other hometown characters and sex scenes, but only if you ignore this woman clearly doesn't know how to love herself after her previous trauma and continuing to give the H the time of day given the way he continues to act. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark.
April 26, 2019
This is one intense story about Antonio a police officer and Elka a young woman out on her own for the first time and in a new town of Tulip. Elka’s car breaks down right outside town and the sexy overbearing Antonio is the 1st person she meets and he happens to be a police officer and they start off on the wrong foot. Elka is not sure what she did wrong and why Antonio wants to run her out of town never have meet her before! These two go back and forth and I love how Elka gives it right back to Antonio even though he is mean and demanding. Antonio believes Elka is hiding something and only needs the proof to expose her. Once these two take a chance and move on Elka opens her heart and shares her past but Antonio makes a big mistake and causes her pain that sends her to the point of packing up to leave town! If there was ever a character to fall in love with, it’s Elka. She is one very special person with a heart of gold. It’s nice to see how all her new friends rally around her and support her once things go south. Antonio needs to decide how to move forward and if he has the courage to get Elka back before she is gone. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
March 22, 2023
I have never hated a hero more than this abuser.
What the f**ck did I try and read?
I skipped the sex scenes as I felt so sorry Elka. She deserved so much better, especially after everything she went through. The guy needed to be arrested. (If any of my children acted like this man I would be so ashamed and would get them help. I would also make sure the woman knew I didn’t condone their behaviour and offer my own apology and help)
The only reason I gave any stars was I usually like this author and the writing as always it beyond good, but I’m worried if she think this guy is hero relationship material and worth any woman’s time. I’m sad that Elka stayed with this selfish abusive arsehole. I would have been happy if he’d grovelled and earned her trust, but nope, he just gives a apology which was is all he ever does in this book.
I’ve read plenty of books with arseholes and men who have treated their lives worse, but they have always grovelled, begged for forgiveness and done everything they could to make things better and to get their woman back. Usually by the time they’re forgiven you see that they not abusive d**k, not this book though.
I’ve never been so triggered in my life. I wish I could scrub this book from my mind.
What the f**ck did I try and read?
I skipped the sex scenes as I felt so sorry Elka. She deserved so much better, especially after everything she went through. The guy needed to be arrested. (If any of my children acted like this man I would be so ashamed and would get them help. I would also make sure the woman knew I didn’t condone their behaviour and offer my own apology and help)
The only reason I gave any stars was I usually like this author and the writing as always it beyond good, but I’m worried if she think this guy is hero relationship material and worth any woman’s time. I’m sad that Elka stayed with this selfish abusive arsehole. I would have been happy if he’d grovelled and earned her trust, but nope, he just gives a apology which was is all he ever does in this book.
I’ve read plenty of books with arseholes and men who have treated their lives worse, but they have always grovelled, begged for forgiveness and done everything they could to make things better and to get their woman back. Usually by the time they’re forgiven you see that they not abusive d**k, not this book though.
I’ve never been so triggered in my life. I wish I could scrub this book from my mind.
April 21, 2019
Simple but exciting and very well written
I loved the verbal jousting between the characters, their exchanges to the "I love you, me neither" and their sometimes surprising actions with unexpected consequences. Whenever they think they are doing something right, it inevitably turns against them, and this is reinforced by the extremely stubborn character.
Antonio is a former investigator of the criminal who returned to his hometown and is deputy sheriff. Quickly, he is intrigued, annoyed and oddly attracted to Elka, a newcomer to their city who he does not trust because she seems to hide something. Now, the more he persists in discovering the truth, the more all the inhabitants of his city support her.
Due to the past of the two characters, the investigation about Elka that undermines the trust that Antonio and Elka begin to build, their attraction (that they don't understand at all), the narrative is exciting, although simple.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
I loved the verbal jousting between the characters, their exchanges to the "I love you, me neither" and their sometimes surprising actions with unexpected consequences. Whenever they think they are doing something right, it inevitably turns against them, and this is reinforced by the extremely stubborn character.
Antonio is a former investigator of the criminal who returned to his hometown and is deputy sheriff. Quickly, he is intrigued, annoyed and oddly attracted to Elka, a newcomer to their city who he does not trust because she seems to hide something. Now, the more he persists in discovering the truth, the more all the inhabitants of his city support her.
Due to the past of the two characters, the investigation about Elka that undermines the trust that Antonio and Elka begin to build, their attraction (that they don't understand at all), the narrative is exciting, although simple.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
May 2, 2019
Such a great addition to the Hometown Heroes of Tulip.
Antonio grew up in Tulip, but when he went off to college and stayed in New Orleans, being a homicide detective in the big city will change your point of view on a lot things, including people and love. But when he returns home, he is cautious about who is lets into his life and always goes to other cities if he wants some female company. But when a call brings him face to face with a newcomer to Tulip who happens to call to his inner animal, how long can he resist? Is being mean to her the way to go?
Elka is starting over and wants to make her life in Tulip a good one. But when her past comes back and one cop won't let her just be, is it time to leave Tulip and find another place? Can she overcome her past and finally have friends and a love life?
The chemistry between Elka and Antonio is off the charts, but once they get to know each other better, will mistakes keep them apart or will admitting your feelings and the truth be a good thing? I received an ARC of this book from the author.
Antonio grew up in Tulip, but when he went off to college and stayed in New Orleans, being a homicide detective in the big city will change your point of view on a lot things, including people and love. But when he returns home, he is cautious about who is lets into his life and always goes to other cities if he wants some female company. But when a call brings him face to face with a newcomer to Tulip who happens to call to his inner animal, how long can he resist? Is being mean to her the way to go?
Elka is starting over and wants to make her life in Tulip a good one. But when her past comes back and one cop won't let her just be, is it time to leave Tulip and find another place? Can she overcome her past and finally have friends and a love life?
The chemistry between Elka and Antonio is off the charts, but once they get to know each other better, will mistakes keep them apart or will admitting your feelings and the truth be a good thing? I received an ARC of this book from the author.
May 2, 2019
Elka lived her life to save her brother, but when he dies, she decides to follow the promise that she made him to actually live her life without the influence of their parents. She ends up moving to the small town in Texas, but when she gets there, the first person she meets is Deputy Vargas, who doesn't welcomes her so well.
When Antonio Vargas encounters Elka standing in the middle of the road, he knew it was trouble. Through this distrust, he makes Elka's life virtually hell, even though the whole city has already accepted her with open arms like one of their own.
Despite the mistrust, the attraction between them is huge, and they decide to give it a chance.
But when Antonio's mistrust causes Elka's past to appear to haunt her, will she be able to forgive him?
I loved the story and the characters. I highly recommend the reading.
Oh, and I'm Brazilian, so I loved the little references to Brazil in the story.
When Antonio Vargas encounters Elka standing in the middle of the road, he knew it was trouble. Through this distrust, he makes Elka's life virtually hell, even though the whole city has already accepted her with open arms like one of their own.
Despite the mistrust, the attraction between them is huge, and they decide to give it a chance.
But when Antonio's mistrust causes Elka's past to appear to haunt her, will she be able to forgive him?
I loved the story and the characters. I highly recommend the reading.
Oh, and I'm Brazilian, so I loved the little references to Brazil in the story.
May 5, 2019
Elka and Antonio are both looking to start over. Antonio in the town he grew up in, Elka in a place where no one knows her. As soon as she rolls into town Antonio is immediately suspicious of her and what she may be hiding, even though he has a secret of his own.
This story is about 2 fairly strong characters and is very intense at times. That being said, I kinda wanted to smack Elka numerous times through the book. For someone looking to start over, she was pretty standoffish to the entire town. Even when opening up about her past on girl's night, she seemed closed off. Not that Antonio was the epitome of sweet... ;)
I will also say I wish we had found out more of Antonio's secret earlier on, as I think it would have made some of his actions make more sense.
Overall, this was a fun read and great addition to this series.
This story is about 2 fairly strong characters and is very intense at times. That being said, I kinda wanted to smack Elka numerous times through the book. For someone looking to start over, she was pretty standoffish to the entire town. Even when opening up about her past on girl's night, she seemed closed off. Not that Antonio was the epitome of sweet... ;)
I will also say I wish we had found out more of Antonio's secret earlier on, as I think it would have made some of his actions make more sense.
Overall, this was a fun read and great addition to this series.
July 15, 2019
Unlikable Characters & so badly written. It's also very boring and extremely repetitive. The characters keep saying and thinking the same phrases over and over. There are several inconsistencies, like is his dad dead or did he disappear, taking off and leaving them when he was twelve like stated earlier?
Scenes aren't written well, so they're hard to envisage. The hero is an jerk and the heroine's need to be independent became stupid, like not accepting help to get a huge piece of heavy furniture down stairs.
A lot of the scenes bored me, I stuck with it for as long as I could but I just didn't like the character's, like I said she became ridiculous and his need to not trust her was stupid. Especially as he was a cop and had no basis for his constant distrust. The story is just too boring and badly written.
Scenes aren't written well, so they're hard to envisage. The hero is an jerk and the heroine's need to be independent became stupid, like not accepting help to get a huge piece of heavy furniture down stairs.
A lot of the scenes bored me, I stuck with it for as long as I could but I just didn't like the character's, like I said she became ridiculous and his need to not trust her was stupid. Especially as he was a cop and had no basis for his constant distrust. The story is just too boring and badly written.
April 27, 2019
An Enemies to Lovers story that makes you want to hate Antonio for the things he does to Elka, but you just can’t. It will make you cheer for Elka as she discovers things she was never allowed to do growing up. Now that she is away from her family’s influence, she is experiencing and enjoying new things even though she is grieving. When Antonio finally learns about Elka’s secret, he realizes that he was so wrong about her, and discovers his feelings for her. Elka discovers she is stronger than she thinks she was, and can enjoy being herself. Piper Sullivan makes the reader become involved in the story in the best way.
I received an eBook copy from the author for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review; all conclusions are my own.
I received an eBook copy from the author for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review; all conclusions are my own.
May 5, 2019
Piper Sullivan writes a fantastic enemies to lovers romance that will have you laughing and crying.
Everyone welcomes Elka to the little town of Tulip with open arms......except him.....he just wants to run her out of town....... he even pulls out his fire arm at her......and to make matters worse he lives right across from her!!!!
Officer Antonio Vargas isnt anyone's favourite cop since she showed up in town.....but he isn't fooled by her innocence......she's running from something and he is going to find out what it is...... but first he has to fight this attraction to her because beautiful women cant be trusted......he wont allow his heart to be broken again.....
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Everyone welcomes Elka to the little town of Tulip with open arms......except him.....he just wants to run her out of town....... he even pulls out his fire arm at her......and to make matters worse he lives right across from her!!!!
Officer Antonio Vargas isnt anyone's favourite cop since she showed up in town.....but he isn't fooled by her innocence......she's running from something and he is going to find out what it is...... but first he has to fight this attraction to her because beautiful women cant be trusted......he wont allow his heart to be broken again.....
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
September 7, 2019
Antonio and Elka
I absolutely love Piper’s books and this one is no exception. Elka comes into town to escape her parents. She has no ties to the community and instantly the deputy in town has a strong dislike for Elka. After living in New Orleans, he has a very hard time trusting any woman to tell the truth and after numerous attempts to get her to tell him why she’s in his town, he judges her harshly and wrongly. Even with all his friends telling him he’s wrong about her he can’t shake the feeling in his gut that she’s hiding something. Antonio makes so many mistakes along the way. He really needed a road map to help him find his way with Elka.
This book has so much angst in it that I’m surprised my kindle didn’t blow up! Piper pulls you into her world for these characters, and even though I wanted to crawl in the story and give him a piece of my mind for being so stupid in the end he redeems himself. Highly recommend to read this...loved it!
I absolutely love Piper’s books and this one is no exception. Elka comes into town to escape her parents. She has no ties to the community and instantly the deputy in town has a strong dislike for Elka. After living in New Orleans, he has a very hard time trusting any woman to tell the truth and after numerous attempts to get her to tell him why she’s in his town, he judges her harshly and wrongly. Even with all his friends telling him he’s wrong about her he can’t shake the feeling in his gut that she’s hiding something. Antonio makes so many mistakes along the way. He really needed a road map to help him find his way with Elka.
This book has so much angst in it that I’m surprised my kindle didn’t blow up! Piper pulls you into her world for these characters, and even though I wanted to crawl in the story and give him a piece of my mind for being so stupid in the end he redeems himself. Highly recommend to read this...loved it!
January 7, 2020
2 stars for the writing.
The H was horrible in this one. He used his authority to bully the h over and over again because of his own personal paranoia. It was 100% an abuse of power. He was a monster in their first sex scene. The h should not be afraid of the H. I can't even tell you how many times he apologized, literally lost track there were so many. The h had her faults as well - she was waaaaay over the top with the whole "hippy" persona and then with the "I can do EVERYTHING myself!". I can understand that considering her background but she literally almost hurt someone (furniture moving scene) because of her ridiculous stubbornness.
This was pretty boring and I skimmed at a good portion after the 60% point.
The H was horrible in this one. He used his authority to bully the h over and over again because of his own personal paranoia. It was 100% an abuse of power. He was a monster in their first sex scene. The h should not be afraid of the H. I can't even tell you how many times he apologized, literally lost track there were so many. The h had her faults as well - she was waaaaay over the top with the whole "hippy" persona and then with the "I can do EVERYTHING myself!". I can understand that considering her background but she literally almost hurt someone (furniture moving scene) because of her ridiculous stubbornness.
This was pretty boring and I skimmed at a good portion after the 60% point.
March 5, 2024
This story had my feelings all over the place. Elka packed up and left her home town to live life as her only brother wanted her to do. She was the product of having been born only to fulfill the needs of her brother. Her parents had no parental emotions towards her and when she fulfilled her final role she left without them having to tell her. Antonio thought that Elka was hiding something or from someone. What he didn't know was the heart ache or pain she endured at the hands of her parents. Now that she has gone they are looking for her. Will they come between Elka and her need to live her life on her terms? I voluntarily agreed to receive an ARC of this book for an honest review. I voluntarily agreed to receive an ARC of this book for an honest review.
April 29, 2019
This story had me hooked, I had to keep reading until I had finished, right passed my bedtime! I felt for Elka, for what she had been through and what Antonio put her through. Antonio had me divided at times, he was a conflicted man and did things that I disliked and yet I still saw the good in him, wanted him to be better and get his HEA, for me that's a sign of good writing. I would have liked another chapter or two, even an epilogue - so I could see Antonio meet Elka's challenge, I just felt he needed to show me the reader who he promised to be. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after receiving an ARC.
April 30, 2019
An enjoyable amazing enemies to lovers small town romance. This well written storyline includes drama, mistrust, angst, and humor. The characters were both some kind of broken from their pasts, interesting, well developed, had chemistry. The instant intense attraction between the two was instantaneous but neither knew what to think of it. The banter and interaction between these two was hilarious and aggrevating as you want to knock Antonio in the head as Elka is basically paying the price for the things swirling around his heart that he can't understand. I was absolutely engaged to see if and how they could figure it out before its to late. I voluntarily reviewed this ARC.
January 2, 2020
Really kind of missed me off!
There was no hometown hero in this book only a mean bully. I have loved all the other books I have read by this author however this one was almost the first book in ten years to not be finished reading. I hated how the main boy (because that was no man!) treated the main girl. I could understand from her past why she was clueless as to why what he did to her was so wrong but for him there was no excuse. If you enjoyed the first two books I would say skip this one and try another one in its place will probably make you happier if you are anything like me and get angry at rape. Just my opinion for what it's worth.
There was no hometown hero in this book only a mean bully. I have loved all the other books I have read by this author however this one was almost the first book in ten years to not be finished reading. I hated how the main boy (because that was no man!) treated the main girl. I could understand from her past why she was clueless as to why what he did to her was so wrong but for him there was no excuse. If you enjoyed the first two books I would say skip this one and try another one in its place will probably make you happier if you are anything like me and get angry at rape. Just my opinion for what it's worth.
January 28, 2024
I wasn’t made to read bully romances. TW: SA, r*pe, the first time they have sex the hero essentially commits SA but no one including the heroine calls it that.
“Elka,” he growled, and that one word snapped me back to action. “Wait, I don’t—” He cut me off and rolled his eyes. “Do this often? I’ve heard that before, sweetheart, but you don’t need to lie to me.” I was too stunned by his words to think straight, but the moment his giant erection slid inside of me, my eyes clouded with tears. “Ow!” He froze and stared at me like I was an alien and that only compounded my humiliation. “Elka, I’m—”
YET THEY STILL FALL IN LOVE? God I feel sick.
“Elka,” he growled, and that one word snapped me back to action. “Wait, I don’t—” He cut me off and rolled his eyes. “Do this often? I’ve heard that before, sweetheart, but you don’t need to lie to me.” I was too stunned by his words to think straight, but the moment his giant erection slid inside of me, my eyes clouded with tears. “Ow!” He froze and stared at me like I was an alien and that only compounded my humiliation. “Elka, I’m—”
YET THEY STILL FALL IN LOVE? God I feel sick.
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