Bedhead

Hate to Love You #1

by Brooke Blaine

Hudson
I hate Drew Edwards. That isn’t a secret to anyone in New York.
Smug, charming, flippant, and a royal pain in my ass, Drew has a way of making everyone fall in love with him, but I know the truth. Under that public persona is a ruthless man who’ll do anything to come out on top. He’s done it to me before…and a leopard doesn’t change his spots.

Drew
Hudson Montgomery. He hates me. Eh, no breaking news there. If anything, his hate only fuels my desire to provoke the pompous bastard at every opportunity. So when the chance to publish the most scandalous book of the year comes down to our companies, I’m determined to do whatever I have to in order to take Hudson down.

Nobody said I couldn’t play dirty…

Each book in the Hate to Love You series follows a different couple and can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Second Chance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Forced Proximity

Kindle Edition

About the author

Brooke Blaine is a USA Today Bestselling Author best known for writing romantic comedy and M/M romance. Her novels lead with humor and heart, but Brooke never shies away from throwing in something extra naughty that will scandalize her conservative Southern family for life (bless their hearts).

She’s a choc-o-holic, lives for eighties bands (which means she thinks guyliner is totally underrated), believes it’s always wine o’clock, and lives with the coolest cat on the planet—her Ragdoll/Maine Coon mix, Jackson Agador Spartacus.

Reviews

[Mila]

Alas, Ms. Blaine will be releasing this anticipated book next Friday (according to herself on ig)🌝
___________________________
Looks like this book will be released soon after all👀👀
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***Update***:
So according to a lovely community member, this book will not be released anytime soon 😭💔 I have to say I am slightly disappointed but not surprised.😢 Note to authors if you plan to release the book later please change the date of publication here, otherwise your readers will remain clueless. Thank you💅🏻

________________________
Huh...where is the book?😭 Ain't on Kindle. Was supposed to be released today 😔

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING 4.5 STARS

Bedhead is book one in the brand new series, Hate to Love You by Brooke Blaine. I’ve had this on my kindle since it was released and it took me awhile to get to it. I ended up loving it so much. I admit enemies to lovers isn’t something I usually go for but even though these two are enemies, it wasn’t too overwhelming. And the best part of all...getting to spend time with my favorite rock band, Fallen Angel, from Brooke and Ella’s Fallen Angel series.



Hudson Montgomery and Drew Edwards I believe are both in their early thirties. They each work for different publishing companies owned by their parents. They are competitors, and they are enemies. Because they have a history.



There is a book, an autobiography that is being written by a certain very famous someone. A book every publishing company wants, including Hudson and Drew’s. Competing for the book puts these two back in each other’s paths in more ways then either anticipated. Which also helps all of those feelings long locked away to resurface.



I loved seeing these two fight against the attraction they shared. You could tell from the start that those feelings never went away. So even though they start out as enemies, I still could feel the swoons I needed. And I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving Viper, Angel and the rest of the Fallen Angel crew! If you haven’t read that series, it’s fine. You don’t need it but it makes this so much more fun if you have!

This was fun, steamy and swoony, and I enjoyed it so much. I don’t know what’s next in this series but I do have a suspicion. I can’t wait to find out!

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie, one of those stars is entirely for the sheer volume of Viper and Halo content 🥰

I enjoyed forced proximity / only one bed / second chance story, BUT the big secret conflict was a bit anticlimactic for me, and it isn't even revealed until almost the end of the book. I was expecting something much worse if I'm honest!

I also wanted to see Hudson's family's reaction to him getting back together with Drew considering all the animosity, but it didn't happen!

I'd also love to actually be able to read Viper's autobiography 😂

[hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

✰ 4 stars ✰

❝I’ve never stopped loving you, H. I don’t want just one night. I want it all.❞

firstly, i just want to say that it's not needed to read the Fallen Angel series before this but i HIGHLY recommend it. it will make the experience of this book so much better, trust me!

wow! this was so fun and had many feel good vibes. there was so many moments where i was giggling and i was basically smiling the whole time. it's exactly what i needed after this bad streak i've been having. hudson and drew were in love with each other in college but they broke up for reasons we don't know right away. but now it's 10 years later and they both work for different publishing companies and are competing to be the one to publish viper's book.

i gotta say, the whole plot with viper having a book is goddamn genius. if you know me, you know that halo and viper are my fav couple of all time. so when i saw that this was going to have cameos of the band, i just about fainted. viper spent 10 years of his career being a rockstar already before halo came along, so you can imagine the stories he has to tell. it was amazing to see even more of viper and halo's future together, and how viper is still unapologetically himself and of course, still whipped af for halo. and how he was basically a matchmaker for hudson and drew? that was so perfect.

a peek into the contents of viper's new book:

Tales of Debauchery Include:

⇢ The Night of the Nothing, an $837,000 Bar Tab, and a Water Buffalo
⇢ Maybe Don’t Cover Your Naked Body in Whipped Cream in a Room of Groupies…Or Do
⇢ Trent Motherfucking Knox Is a Cock Who Liked My Cock (And I Dare You to Sue Me, Asshole)
⇢ You Thought I Didn’t Know About Paris Featuring I’m Not Saying Shit but Their Names Rhyme With Blade and Wagger
⇢ Falling for an Angel (Throwing in Some Sweet Shit to Balance the Depravity)
⇢ A Game of Boa Constrictor or Dick? (Told You. Depravity.)

yall i- 🤣🤣 i had to pause reading for 10 minutes because i was dying of laughter and happiness. the trent knox and the paris one? omg brooke blaine in a genius. i wish viper's book was real because i need it immediately. especially for the "falling for an angel" one, i need that one asap. 🥺 okay so now i'm going to try to stop talking about viper/halo and talk about husdon/drew.

❝I know that. And I’ve apologized so many times before, but Hudson…❞ Drew stopped, dropping his head into his hands and running his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath and let it out. ❝I’m sorry for the past. I know that doesn’t make up for it, but it’s all I know to do. I was young and stupid and I hurt you. Trust me when I say I’ve learned my lesson.❞
❝Really,❞ I said, lifting my chin. ❝And how’s that?❞
❝I lost you.❞

hudson and drew were not fooling anyone. they were still so so in love with each other even after 10 years of being apart. the tension between them was chefs kiss. they insisted they hated each other but then there would be some jealousy moments and i ate them up. then the one bed? you know you can always rely on the one bed trope to bring the mcs closer together. there's a reason why the one bed trope is superior and this book is exactly why. the little soft moments between them? omg. the scene where drew was cuddling hudson and said "i missed you, H" in his sleep, i melted into a puddle. 🫠

this is the perfect book if you are looking for something short, fluffy, and steamy. could the characters have had more depth? yes. is the reasoning for them being separated for 10 years kinda stupid? a little yeah. the reason why they broke up could have been avoided if hudson just let drew explain himself. but don't let this stop you from reading the book, it was still so fun and the characters had great chemistry and they do eventually get their heads out of their asses.

what to expect:
🩷 lovers to enemies to lovers
🩷 one bed
🩷 second chance
🩷 opposites attract
🩷 it's always been you
🩷 all the feel good vibes
🩷 groveling
🩷 fallen angel cameos

'Hate to Love You' series
book 1 - Bedhead - 4 stars
book 2 - Heartsmashed - tbr
book 3 - Lovestruck - tbr

[Kati *☆･ﾟ]

***no rating***
dnf @30%


Is it me or was this just boring?

I read the complaints in other reviews about Viper taking too much center stage in this one and honestly I’m not in the mood spending a long party-weekend with him and Halo, especially since I dnf’d their book(s) too for a reason.

Pity, the premise was really promising. I love me a good second-chance with hate-feelings for good tension. But this somehow, wasn’t it.


Maybe I skim-skip my way til the end on a rainy day someday.

But I guess, for fans of “The Fallen Angel” band and series this is prone to be a blast. ⇢ here’s why I dnf’d Viper & Halo

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

College best friends to secret lovers to enemies to rivals to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed……what’s not to love?! 😈

[Evelyn Bella (there WILL be spoilers) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't even be happy for these men because why on earth would you forgive this? This isn't a cute little foible, this is AGGRAVATED academic indiscipline.

Excuse me!? I am once again begging authors to stop using the passing of time as a dilution of the gravity of previous war crimes.

And it's a good thing too, that this reason was withheld until towards the end of the book because if I'd known early on what I do now..... 😅(I'm joking. I'd still have finished the book because I love knowing people's business but what the hell, nonetheless?)

Drew keeps insisting he doesn't deserve forgiveness (he's right) and it's Hudson pushing to forgive sksksksksks the jokes write themselves.

What somehow makes it worse is that the entire time before the revelation, Drew The Criminal™ acts like Hudson The Stupid ™ is just being overly sensitive and their falling out was something minor, dudebro shenanigans gone wrong, at worst.

And given how Hudson is portrayed as stuck up and straightlaced, I almost bought it too.

But honestly, in spite of how dramatic I'm being, what Drew did is NOT a small thing. Some other reviews have it like sound like Hudson should have just listened to the explanation way back when but I raise you..... Even now, with the passing of time, this is not a small thing. It's not something a friend should get away with and worse, it's not something your significant other should do in the first place.

Honestly, I don't know if any amount of grovel from Drew would have saved this for me, but it's made infinitely worse by the fact that Hudson..... HUDSON..... the injured party...has to badger Drew to accept that he's been forgiven.

Lol. Throw that criminal in jail. I'm joking. Mostly. But at the very least don't let him back in your heart or your body.

This reminds me of that book when one MC did something to the other MC's urine and almost ruined his sports career. Some things are not very forgivable, age notwithstanding.

If this is the kind of bullshit people are out here forgiving then I see why I'm going to die alone because..... WHAT?!

Not during my regime, I'll tell you that.

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit of a let down and I just didn’t get it, feel it or like it all that much.

But I did like seeing Viper and Halo so, like I saw in another review, I'll give an extra star just for them. If not, this would have definitely gone on my 2★'s = it was ok shelf.

Finding out the why behind their “hate” later in the book did not work in the favor of the story. Without the why there was no foundation. Doing the hate thing is tricky and it just wasn’t done well here. I didn’t get why until later and by then I needed to know in order to understand what was even happening.

So, how long ago was school?

How long have they been working at competing publishers?

What are the chances that both their parents actually own/run publishing companies?

Is this their first run in since college? If yes, why so much animosity still?

Is Drew going to continue to work for his father?

That’s just a couple of the things I jotted down when I finished.

By the time we got the why for the break up and end of everything between them everything else just seemed so flimsy. What Drew did was huge and wrong, for sure but Hudson just abruptly ending it all with no talking and then to carry that as actual hate to this point in their lives just felt contrived. Honestly, based on his reaction and decision, he shouldn’t really feel anything toward him at all. And, like I mentioned in my questions above, without showing us that they have seen each other, hated each other throughout their life the rest just didn’t work.

Add to all that the fact all the tropes were thrown in. Come on. Let's not overdo it and ruin the fun stuff by dumping it all in one book.

I’ll just quit there. You get it. I didn’t really like this.

I’m guessing the next books are going to be about Hudson's brothers, the DJ and the actor. We’ll see how I feel when they are released but this was a huge bummer.

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brooke delivers an enjoyable second chance romance

There's not much of the enemies to lovers part of this narrative, but what is there, is well done.

We get a Prologue that sets the scene with Hudson and Drew at college acting daft and hiding their relationship.

Then there's a 10-year time jump to the present day where we discover they're now 'enemies' working for rival publishing houses and bidding on the same potential autobiography.

There's a direct link with the Fallen Angels series she wrote with Ella Frank, but this works as a standalone for those who haven't read about Viper's antics with the band.

I loved the only one bed and forced proximity elements of this story and once the guys realised they were stuck, I very much appreciated how Brooke let the story unwrap itself gently.

It's also stupidly hot, as are most things she writes, but what I enjoyed the best was two men reconnecting and being willing to listen to each other and decide they wanted to fight for a second chance.

[KaylaMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰3 stars✰

You can expect a wonderful combo of romance tropes in this one; one bed, second chance, it’s always been you, slight groveling, competition, opposites attract.

The reason I can’t give this a higher rating is because one of the main tropes we were promised was “hate to love you” and I didn’t feel that to the extent I hoped too.

Hudson “hated” Drew, but even from the beginning I didn’t feel the emotion on the page like I have from this author in the past.

I did love how Brooke Blaine didn’t let us know why Hudson hated Drew until almost the end of the book though. That’s one of my favorite ways to go about why a character hates another, we get bits and pieces throughout but never the story of why until the exact right moment.

That being said though, there was this huge build up of Hudson hating Drew, all this trust being broken and how this event changed everything. That’s all good and well, but when we find out what it actually was, I felt let down. All I could think was “oh, that sucks, but that’s it?”. It wasn’t great, and it was sh*tty, sure.. but I wanted more for the way in which it was built up and for the reactions that both MCs had over said event.
For something to cause two characters who loved each other, who never had an issue before, and then have one hate the other for 10 years and not ask them why or give a chance to explain felt like it needed something bigger.

Still...
There were sweet moments that I loved with very little angst and overall it was a feel good read for me.

“I’ve never stopped loving you, H. I don’t want just one night. I want it all.”

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was fine?

I’m pretty sure the 3 stars are mainly for the narrators. Alas, I’ll never be sure, as I don’t plan to read it again.

As a rule, I’m not a fan of second-chance romance. Usually, when I do like that trope, it’s because the story is extremely well done, not necessarily because the reason for the first separation is logical, stupid, or anything in between. However, in this case, I have to say there were a couple of things that didn’t quite work. First, there isn’t enough backstory to connect with Drew and Hudson as a couple in love; we only see them as rivals/enemies when they hate each other. Also, throughout the whole book, we’re teased about the horrible thing Drew did, and when it’s finally revealed, it felt completely anticlimactic. Add to that the fact that Hudson forgave him far too easily and then had to constantly reassure Drew.

I think I would’ve liked it better if there had been more backstory and definitely more groveling.

As a side note, I thought Viper was annoying, and now I’m debating whether I should read his series just to properly hate him or maybe end up loving him.

[BevS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just hang on a blooming minute...surely this can't the same author that wrote the duets featuring A Little Bit like Love and Forget Me Not that I loved a few years ago? No, that can't be right, the writing was nowhere near as good in this as in those stories. Could this possibly be another sneaky collaboration with Ella Frank 🤔? The fact that I didn't much like it would then make perfect sense 😕. Why on earth would *I* want to read about Halo and Viper? I don't, and I certainly didn't when they had their own series! Do I still prefer Brooke Blaine when she doesn't get involved with Ella Frank...you betcha!! A mediocre, fairly predictable second chances story with plenty of sex filler...I for one won't be taking the series any further, stick a fork in me I'm done. Book returned to Amazon. 2 stars.

[Zaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

Mon Dieu que c'était bon de retrouver l'écriture de Brooke Blaine !
Ici, elle mixe le ennemies-to-lovers au trope de la seconde chance, ainsi que de la proximité forcée (coucou le only-one-bed !), le tout copieusement arrosé de joutes verbales et de tension sexuelle à vous rendre dingo, bref, un vrai feu d'artifices !

Bon alors on ne va pas se mentir, ce roman, je l'attendais depuis un an et demi, donc j'attendais forcément Brooke au tournant, et je dois dire que mes attentes ont été comblées ! Elle maîtrise parfaitement l'art du push-and-pull, cette tension de folie qui consiste à voir deux persos s'affronter, se lancer des regards noirs et des saloperies à la figure, tout en se désirant comme des bêtes ... C'est chaud, c'est électrique, c'est sexy, et même si oui, objectivement, je ne peux pas m'empêcher de me dire que tout va beaucoup trop vite, l'énergie qui se dégage de ce bouquin, de l'écriture au top de cette autrice et des persos, que ça fonctionne malgré tout.

Il y a quand même un truc qui m'a surprise : j'ai trouvé qu'entre les premiers chapitres et le reste du roman, la dynamique entre Hudson et Drew s'inversait complètement, je ne m'y attendais pas du tout, et j'ai adoré que Brooke sorte cette carte-là de sa manche. La rivalité qui les oppose depuis de nombreuses années alimente leurs rapports électriques, toutes leurs joutes font office de préliminaires et disons que quand ça explose ... ils ne font pas les choses à moitié ! 🔥

Ajoutons à cela Viper et les Fallen Angel en guests de luxe (pu**in ils sont toujours aussi sexys ceux-là, et Viper a la langue toujours aussi bien pendue, si vous voyez ce que je veux dire), et vous obtenez un roman léger, sexy, divertissant et drôle, qui se dévore comme une gourmandise pétillante et torride à la fois, qui ne vous donne qu'une seule envie : la goûter encore et encore !

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Brooke NEVER misses! The way she mixes swoon with the perfect amount of tension and banter is spot on every time. Hudson and Drew are no exception, these two have a past that has undoubtedly turned them into rivals/enemies and the competition to win the tell all book deal from Viper, our beloved Fallen Angel bad boy, really brings some forced proximity to the pair. Their rivalry is strong but what’s even stronger is the way they are unable to deny the chemistry that sparks again when they’re forced together in an “only one bed” scenario. And I’ll tell ya, I flipping loved every second of them falling all over themselves. Hudson, the put together goody two shoes and Drew, the slightly more wild child that loves to push buttons are combustible together and I am soo very ready to get more in this new series, Hate to Love You. Absolute perfection from start to finish, 10/10 would recommend you put this straight to the top of your TBR.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was an easy, low angst, moderate steam read. Centred around college sweethearts who become enemies and rivals in the publishing world, at the start, we don't understand the reason for their animosity, we know only that Hudson and Drew hate each other and have mad sexual chemistry. They end up stuck in a hotel room together, obviously sharing a bed, and there they reconnect, in the biblical sense. We find out later what the betrayal was that drove them apart, and it's actually a pretty good reason to break up with somebody. It's all pretty predictable, but that's not necessarily a bad thing in escapism.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERY PREDICTABLE, AND NOTHING SPECIAL.
I liked it, not for the plot but for the characters, especially Halo and Viper ;
I felt like there was no depth in the characters, so it also didn't have chemistry.
This would have been a one-star if halo and viper weren't there in the story.
Hopefully, the second book is better.

[Brooke Blaine]

BEDHEAD is available now on Amazon and in KU!

Amazon U.S.: https://amzn.to/44nhNG4

Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/BedheadPB

[✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰]

💜 💜

[Ziezie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Breakdown :
The story - 3 stars
Viper contributed to the extra 1 star
The sizzling sexual tension and hot sex contributed to the 0.5 stars 🔥


Hudson and Drew are likeable, and they have chemistry, but I was left wanting more; it felt rushed. I was curious to see how their friends and family reacted to them being together again, how Drew handled his father, to read some excerpts from Viper's book, and I wished there was a better cause for their fallout.
But I still enjoyed it, and I'm considering revisiting the Falllen Angel books for the third time 😉.

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: second chances, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4/5
Kinks: n/a
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content themes: nothing to call out

Hudson and Drew dated when they were in college. Drew screwed Hudson over to get ahead. Hudson broke up with him. Many years have passed and there are both settled and successful in their careers in the publishing business. They are rivals competing for talent to sign with them. They are currently competing for Viper's autobiography (he's the bassist from Fallen Angel, this book is connected to that world of stories).

Bad weather forces them to share a hotel room and they rekindle things.

I liked this book. It was a late read, but it had good bones to it, and the steam between Hudson and Drew and the feelings between them was nice. I kind of wish it had been a bit more angsty and intense. And I wish they had talked about what had happened between them in the past earlier than the 80% mark because I just kind of felt blind to what their past drama was and when it was revealed it was a wee bit underwhelming, especially with how quick it was understood and forgiven. But it was very good! It was nice to see the characters we've read books about in the past again. I'm intrigued for the rest of the series, I do like the hate to love theme.

Some notable moments:

"“I’m sorry for the past. I know that doesn’t make up for it, but it’s all I know to do. I was young and stupid and I hurt you. Trust me when I say I’ve learned my lesson.” “Really,” I said, lifting my chin. “And how’s that?” “I lost you.”"

"I practically ripped off my sweltering shirt as Drew lowered my zipper and pushed my pants to the ground. Shit turned into a frenzy fast. One minute I was on my feet, the next my back was flat on the mattress with Drew climbing over me to straddle my thighs."


*FYI, I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink."

[Vivany · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wasn't worth wasting the time of my weekend reading Hudson & Drew's story

Their story felt like Meh, there wasn't anything special about it
except Drew betraying H
It was a short read with a lot of history between the two MCs, the story felt rush-on and without depth, I didn't understand why they hated each other until the end, I only got to see them with their second chance, and frankly, if I knew their story about a second chance I wouldn't have read it
but I still finish it and now I deeply regret that decision
I don't know if I'll be reading the next book in the series, I'm not a big fan of a second chance romance
I'm too black-hearted for it and I can't forget nor forgive, sorry not sorry

[Lagaertha · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I wasn’t expecting a 5 star read, I must say I’m a bit gobsmacked by this😵‍💫my eyes are the size of saucers right now…This seems so outrageously out of tune. Yes, I was lured into meeting the Fallen Angels here, and even their behaviour was sort of twisted😳

Save your money for another book💸

[Rod Lujano · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not as bad as the other reviews say but is Viper as gross in his own book as he was in this one?

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ 2🌶️

He couldn’t ignore me. If he hated me, that only meant he was passionate, which was a stone’s throw away from love, really. A thin line and all.

If nothing else, this book has me wanting to read the Fallen Angel series now to read how Halo and Viper got together, I had no idea this was in that world!

But on its own it was enjoyable as well. There is a prologue to start that takes place 10 years prior that introduces us to Hudson and Drew when they were in college, and it really drew me in.

In present day, both Hudson and Drew work for publishing companies, owned by their families and are in competition for Viper’s autobiography.

On their way (separately) to Viper’s Hampton house, Hudson’s car breaks down, Drew rescues him to then find out they are stuck in a hotel because of a hurricane…with only one bed…for 2 days 🤭

Hudson is not happy at the turn of events, having shut Drew out of his life for the past 10 years over something that happened in the past. While Drew is happy to rile Hudson up, he has moments where we see the regret over their breakup and the past and how maybe both of their feelings haven’t really gone away after all this time.

“I’m sorry for the past. I know that doesn’t make up for it, but it’s all I know to do. I was young and stupid and I hurt you. Trust me when I say I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Really,” I said, lifting my chin. “And how’s that?”
“I lost you.”

First off, I love that the reason why Drew and Hudson broke up is not revealed until much later in the book. It helped keep up the intrigue, and I was equally excited and afraid to find out what it would be, because I was actually enjoying seeing them get past their issues, and I was hoping whatever happened wasn’t going to make me change how I felt.

Getting small flashbacks to when they were together in college was perfect at keeping my heart rooting for them and aching for the time they’d lost. I could feel their happiness 🥹

I also loved the sexual tension between them, and when they (mostly Hudson since he was fighting it) finally let go, it was pretty dang hot.🔥

The ending was cute and sweet and while I don’t usually love second chance romances, because the reason the couple hasn’t tried to get together sooner is usually weak, I think the rationale worked for this story 🫶

[Bethany (Bee_TheBibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 - It’s been a minute since we’ve gotten a Brooke Blaine solo release. But, while Hudson and Drew were easy to read, there was just something missing from their story.

Hudson Montgomery and Drew Edwards are college sweethearts, until one thing pulls them apart and makes them enemies and rivals in the publishing business. Even when they’re competing for the same deals and socializing in the same circles, they still have their eyes on each other. When the prospect of publishing Viper’s book comes down to a competition between them, they’re forced together to confront their feelings and heartbreaks from the past and they see that their connection never really went away. These two are opposites in a lot of ways, but they have a lot of chemistry and their banter was a lot of fun to read.

I was so curious to see what pulled them apart in the past and I feel like the big reveal was a bit of a let down. Sure, what Drew did was wrong, but I don’t think it was a reason to hate someone so strongly? There was so much build up to that point and while I loved what Drew wanted to do/did after the reveal for Hudson, I couldn’t quite figure out why they were pulled apart in the first place.

The .5 stars and rounding up is definitely for the Viper/Halo content - the excerpts from Viper’s book? I would LOVE to read that book! I’m thinking we’re going to get the stories of the two other Montgomery brothers for the rest of the series? I’m intrigued.

[Tanathebookworm_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

I didn't take many notes while reading this book which means nothing stood out, good or bad. Hudson & Drew had some cute & sexy moments. I was more invested in them as college-aged in the flashbacks than I was in them at the current time. I liked that each chapter started with a flashback of their past relationship. It helped me get a bit more interested in what happened to make them hate each other. The problem is when we find out the reason for the hate it felt very meh to me. Hate is a strong word and what happened just didn't warrant years of hate imo.

I really enjoyed getting to see Viper, Halo, and the others from Fallen Angel again. Overall this was a cute read.


I felt it. Something irrevocably changing.
As soon as I stepped into the shower, I knew. Watching Drew beneath the spray, his eyes closed, I felt something vital shift inside me.
It was like all of a sudden, everything before that moment in time felt trivial, inconsequential. All I could see was Drew: his passions, his faults, the humor he used to hide his vulnerability. His love for me. It was all right there for me to see with perfect clarity.
And it made me wonder why I’d wasted so many years trying to convince myself he wasn’t the one I wanted, no matter what.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This started out pretty strong, but it fizzled out quickly. I’m having a hard time understanding how Hudson and Drew went a whole decade without hashing out any of their issues. We go in knowing something happened to make these once lovers and boyfriends “hate” each other, but we don’t actually find out until almost 80% and when we do it’s….so underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, what Drew did was wrong. Hudson had every right to be pissed. But take a few days or weeks and then have a conversation. You are building a life and future with this person. You claim to love this person and they do something that seems a bit out of character and you don’t take two seconds to wonder why?!? And then you spend the next 10 years around each other in the same industry and you never talk?!?

THEN, you get stuck together and one tiny confession happens and then sex and then….you just decide to give it another go?!? After 10 years of being mad, Hudson gets some ass and all is forgiven?!? There’s no discussion about what happened. No closure. No nothing. Let’s just pretend it didn’t affect us for 10 YEARS and give this another go?!? Yeah sorry. That doesn’t work for me.

And I’m sorry, but was Viper this annoying in Halo? It’s been so long since I’ve read it, but my god he needed to STFU.

So. Unfortunately this was not a win for me. I probably won’t continue, but who knows. By the time the second book comes around I may have forgotten what a train wreck this was.

[Sara | sara.reads.too.much · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I was stuck between 4 and 4.5 stars with this book but I decided to go for the 4.5 since I enjoyed the enemies to lovers and second chance tropes! This was just a fun one, plus there was a slow burn 🔥 I can’t wait for the next books!!

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Laura ~Passion flower]