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Black and bougie best friends, Morgan Wright and Valentina (Tina) Brooks have a lot in common. They both love high fashion, grew up as only children, have careers they love, and are absolutely horrible with men. Morgan can’t seem to keep one and Tina doesn’t want to.

When Morgan faces yet another major break up during an untimely part of the year, she confides in Tina that she has never been romanced on Valentine’s Day. Hoping to cheer her friend up through what would undoubtedly be a really miserable day, Tina volunteers to be her Valentine.

What starts out as a joke quickly turns into a full-on Valentina romantic experience Morgan doesn’t expect. What happens next changes the course of their relationship in a way that has them re-examining their friendship and redefining what they want and expect from each other.


***Note: This story is categorized under bisexual/lesbian books and contains (1) hetero-relation scene. Skip through or skip entirely if not your preference.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2021

51 people are currently reading
95 people want to read

About the author

Deja Elise

13 books68 followers
A creative soul, mother of three, wifey, and professional daydreamer, Deja was born and raised in a land of pristine beaches and palm trees called Miami. Her love for all things books started early. At eight, she wrote her first short story on a typewriter her mother gifted her so she’d stop writing on the walls.

Being able to share her stories has always been a dream and today, she writes steamy stories featuring queer and bi-curious women of color in various stages of love and relationships.

She writes strong characters who are unapologetically black, openly discusses trauma and HEAs are not guaranteed.

When she’s not dreaming up alternate universes, she’s hanging out with her little tribe, watching something where the world ends or restaurant hopping.

Connect with Deja on the gram @authordejaelise at or visit www.lickherature.com for free stories and updates!

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5 stars
74 (54%)
4 stars
30 (21%)
3 stars
25 (18%)
2 stars
7 (5%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Jamie (TheRebelliousReader).
7,103 reviews30 followers
February 14, 2022
2 stars. Oof. This started off as a four star read and then Sidney was introduced and ruined it. I hated her and I hated Tina. Tina is an awful person and Morgan deserved so much better. I really don't like when the MCs get together, have a falling out, and then one of them goes and has sex with someone else. It makes the relationship seem replaceable and not worth a damn and that is exactly what happened here. Morgan and Tina have an argument and three days later Tina is fucking Sidney. Yeah, no. That's trash and this book put me in an awful mood honestly. I didn't buy into the chemistry or the love that was supposedly between Morgan and Tina and I thought they should've just stayed friends and just have Tina get with Sidney. What a fucking bummer. I loved The Bluest Christmas by this author but this one just left a really bad taste in my mouth.
Profile Image for Sky. .
348 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2024
This started as a 4 stars read at least but then they got together and everything went downhill from there
I loved Tina from the start she fucking Slayed but then she fucked everything up and Morgan wasn’t much better
I don’t like friends to lovers because Best friends really know how to hurt each other and that’s what they did here which really is what I expected so I wasn’t that angry 🙄.

Will i read the rest of the series? Probably 🤣.
Profile Image for Lamaya ꨄ︎.
185 reviews75 followers
July 11, 2023
Morgan and Valentina, best friends, become lovers when Tina woos Morgan for Valentine's Day. Despite her lack of faith in love or monogamy, Tina perseveres in her career and life, proving that hard work and play are key to success. The story's premise of friends to lovers is fairly executed, with a sweet touch and realistic separation.
254 reviews3 followers
February 18, 2021
Loved this book

Loved this book. This is the second time I have read this author and she never disappoints. Her characters are usually very hip and hot. The main characters were so good together and the romance was very sweet. There was some drama but not a lot to take away from the romance. I look forward to what this author has in store next.
Profile Image for Candi.
155 reviews
February 27, 2022
Tina, Tina, Tina

Now, Tina is reckless but I like her 😫 Morgan let her get away with entirely too much and I would have liked to see a little more time elapse before the reconciliation but overall an enjoyable read.

Low key wanted Sidney and Tina but that’s just the author making Sidney such a delight to read.
Profile Image for Juniper L.H..
962 reviews39 followers
June 4, 2024
This was a very enjoyable novel, for the most part. Unfortunately, the parts I disliked I REALLY disliked. It was very hard to decide on a rating between 3-or-4-stars, and I will likely continue to waffle back and forth.

I liked:
-When the writing was good, it was very good. The author is definitely a good writer.
-The protagonists were sweet together when things were going well between them. The foundational knowledge Tina had from their friendship was put to good use while romancing Morgan and it was exactly what you want to see from a friends-to-lovers story.
-All of the romancing was sweet and enjoyable to read. I liked the first section of the novel. Morgan's responses were also very well done and felt realistic, particularly in the beginning when she was struggling to determine how she felt about everything.
-The initial development of their relationship was very well done. Morgan gradually developing feelings that she struggled with was great. Tina being given a “gay awakening” by Sydney to open the door for possibilities was also well done (until it progressed to all the parts I hated).

I disliked:
-Sometimes the editing(writing?) was bad. I saw a bunch of typos or strange line breaks and editing issues. I would say this was more a point of bad editing as opposed to actual writing. Tina also frequently speaks in and out of third person (but not all the time) and I honestly couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or a mistake?
-Ultimately…..I didn’t like Tina. Big red flag when that’s one of the protagonists that your supposed to be cheering for. She made a lot of choices, and said a lot of things, that I can’t really get behind or excuse just because of her issues from a rough past. The way that Tina kept Sydney in the picture throughout (and according to the blurb from the sequel, in the future as well) was also just plain crappy and disrespectful to Morgan.
-The protagonists (mostly Tina) were simply too cruel to each other when they fought. The make-up wasn’t sufficient to get over what happened (during the standard 3rd act breakup, urg).
-Tina immediately running off and sleeping with someone else after they had a fight was simply not a good look. I realize that they technically were in an “open relationship” which gives a paper-thin excuse for this, but it honestly doesn’t hold up. Tina herself said that she was aware of Morgan’s opinion on this topic and had been staying monogamous for a reason.
-Sydney, and essentially her entire plotline. A lot of the prior points end up here. I simply didn’t like Sydney. I have nothing against a sex positive person who goes after what they want, but in this story, she was a villain. She knew about the protagonist’s relationship and still slept with Tina more than once, which was a crappy thing to do. My complaint isn’t just Sydney as a character as much as her role in the story and how Tina responds to her and interacts…. the whole section of the plot. Sydney was the villain and Tina, the protagonist, supports and aligns with her which just doesn’t work. (When they first met in the beginning it was perfectly fine, and even worked very well. It opened the door for Tina to consider women, it was well done! But it quickly changed for me as the story progressed past that point).
-I have very little faith that their relationship will work out past the end of the novel, which is a very unsatisfying ending for a romance. Regardless of how sweet it was along the way.
Profile Image for Alicia Reviews.
481 reviews50 followers
September 26, 2022
Author:Deja Elise
V Day
MC Tina & Morgan



This story is very intriguing. It’s about two friends who have always been there for each other. Morgan had her heart broken by her last relationship, and she wanted to have someone make her feel special. Her best friend Tina stepped up to the plate and accepted the challenge.

Tina pulled out all the stops to show Morgan how a person who really loves you will treat you. The thing is, Tina is a person who does not believe in love or monogamy, but she could not get an opportunity to make Morgan smile.

There are so many bumps in the road as far as Tina hooking up with people and keeping it moving. She was all about her career and having the best in life. Work hard,play hard . The ending will leave you waiting for book 2. It was a wonderful story and page-turner.



The author did a wonderful job with this story. I highly recommend 5 stars by this book.
Profile Image for Eros Rose.
368 reviews11 followers
February 14, 2026
“Congratulations. You’ve ruined me.”

-age gap (35/28)
-best friends to lovers
-based in Chicago
-anti monogamy, man eater older FMC
-pro monogamy, lover girl younger FMC
-“wine and dine” plot
-“straight” FMCs storyline

This was very, very cute until it wasn’t.
The older FMC, Tina, is the epitome of a complex character. I felt so bad for Morgan. The entire ending had me like, maybe I’m not healed enough because I would not have made the choice that Morgan did.

This was my 1st book from D. Elise.
I loved the conversational writing style & the authenticity of the characters.
I didn’t realize that this was a series.
I’m curious to see what the other books are about.
121 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2025
V Day

Oh my! This made me wish I had a Valentina! 🌶️🌶️🌶️ Morgan and Valentina’s relationship was filled with so much love and care that they didn't even realize they were in love with each other until the proposal. I wished the book had continued to introduce Valentina to Morgan’s parents since the author introduced this as an issue in the book but never brought closure to it. I love their happy ever after and suggest readers read this book.
Profile Image for Tanisha Dawkins.
1 review
December 19, 2025
I didn’t love and I didn’t hate this book. The friends to lovers arc was fine. The constant dwelling on what others thought seemed over talked about. I also found it hard to keep up with who was talking with the constant use of “she”. I found myself rereading parts and just having to guess who the speaker was.
And as for Sidney? I liked hers. She was probably the most realistic character in the book.
Profile Image for Bethie.
55 reviews
February 25, 2021
Loved it, and I'm really enjoying the development of Deja Elise's literary voice. I found both characters to be fully realized and interesting. The build-up to their romance was believable and I felt invested. The ending was a tad too tidy for what occurred before that but it didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.
Profile Image for Kellye Gray.
13 reviews1 follower
January 15, 2022
The storyline was good, however I didn’t care for Tina’s character development. I needed more context to understand why she was the way she was. What made her so adverse to love? With anyone? However again I enjoyed the storyline and it was my first read by this author. I would pick up another book from her.
Profile Image for Stacey Clarke.
7 reviews
July 3, 2024
This book sucked me right in. Hot and steamy but really good depth to the characters that other storylines might lack. I waited till reading the follow up to post a review. I brought the 1st book with me on a trip and was sad u didn’t bring the second. It’s that good. It made me miss being in a intimate connection with someone. Hard to put down.
4 reviews
September 9, 2021
I Need More....

More Valentina and Morgan, more of the author, just MORE! Can we please bring Tina and Morgan back for this wedding? I would love to see it. Overall, it very cute story with great character develop, back story, and humor. Quickly one of my new favorites.
8 reviews
March 2, 2022
I loved Tina and Morgan's unexpected love story. One of the best friends to lovers stories I've read. Morgan is such a sweetheart and Tina is a force I am looking forward to reading more about these two and their relationship. I can't wait for the next story.
Profile Image for Kerryann.
35 reviews2 followers
June 21, 2023
Deja Elise has a new fan

This read was good, a short but detailed read. I’m excited to continue on to the next book in the VDay series. Great start, I’m expecting an enduring middle story and then a solid finish.
Profile Image for Aricka Alexander.
Author 27 books180 followers
March 21, 2024
and as expected

I am a Tina and Morgan stan. Yes I am 😌 Tina is wild as hell but I love her 🥹 Morgan is a sweetheart and deserves all good things in this world. Their relationship is gonna be chaos I can already tell, but I’m invested
Profile Image for Angelique Jennings.
28 reviews1 follower
October 16, 2021
I need more!

The story was so sweet, real, and well done. I loved most everything about this book and couldn't put it down.
78 reviews
November 3, 2021
Excellent

Excellent is all I can say about this book , I think it's my favorite one out of all of her books I've read
15 reviews
January 4, 2022
I really enjoy Tina and Morgan, I can’t wait to read more about this couple. Great job
1 review
January 26, 2026
such a good read!

Amazing read 10/10. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a slow burning LGBT Romance novel. great job!
Profile Image for Ava.
Author 19 books68 followers
May 21, 2021
Morgan and Valentina are best friends who eventually become more when Tina decides to woo Morgan for Valentine's Day to prove a point. I like the premise of friends to lovers and it worked really well in this story. The way Tina went about making Morgan feel special for the holiday was so sweet and I enjoyed how their relationship developed. I even liked the dark moment when they separated for a period of time because it felt realistic. I hate when breakups are inserted into romance just because it fits the formula, at least have it make sense and it does here. I continue to enjoy Deja's stories and can't wait to see what she writes next.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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