Force of Nature

Snowed Inn #9

by Brynne Asher

A forced proximity and enemies to lovers romance about a tale of online dating that goes from bad to delicious.
My name is Logan Carpino, Senior Vice President of Andopolis Global, and my online dating nightmare from hell just humiliated me in front of my entire company.
Joke’s on her.
She caught my eye. Little does she know, I live my personal life like I do my professional one. When I want something, I’m relentless.
Persistent.
Some even call me ruthless.
Mediocre doesn’t get you to where I am in life.
Demetria Benjamin…
You have my attention.

Note : Force of Nature was originally published as Logan and Demi in the Snowed Inn for Christmas Anthology that was an Amazon top 10 title, and a USA Today Bestseller.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Novella, Christmas

182 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 9, 2021

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Brynne Asher. Writer of romance. Lover of caffeine and cocktails.

Brynne lives in the Midwest with her husband, three children, and her perfect dog. When she isn't creating pretend people and drama, she's running her kids around and doing laundry. Brynne thrives on skincare and online shopping while being fabulous in her favorite ratty pajamas.

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Reviews

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that Logan was so alpha while being a complete math nerd. Demi was a real firecracker and knew just what to do/say to get one up on him. Their initial interactions had me laughing out loud while their latter ones had me feeling everything. Demi and Logan are exactly what I look for in romance!

This was included in the Snowed Inn anthology.

[Jen ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

Insta-love novella.

I must say, at first, I wasn't a fan of Logan; his arrogance was too much for my liking. I don't mind confident MMCs, but he's borderline annoying and cocky. But after a while I eventually got used to it; it's not like I have a choice anyway. 🤷‍♀️ He's a bulldozer through and through, which isn't something new from the fictional men written by this author.

As for Demi, I liked her overall even though at times she loses a few brain cells because of her attraction to him. I guess she just really can't help it. 🤷‍♀️ Still, I enjoyed her character, especially knowing she's a badass at her job. I really loved women's representation that succeeds in male-dominated fields. 🤭

Overall, it was fun, and I liked that there's an epilogue included in this story showing them years later.


Book info:
- Novella
- Insta-lust then love
- Snowed in
- Online dating
- No cheating, OM/OW, separation
- No V (no info on their history)
- HEA (4 yrs later, married, and pregnant)

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF after sex scene at 51%.

Why? bc the whole premise, why sort of interesting, doesn't allow for a "real" connection betw the MCs. Mistaken match on dating app, wasn't supposed to happen. She hacked his company. He got intrigued, then obsessed cuz she's snarky and smart. Then decides to visit her at Xmas (really????) and get snowed in. And bang.

And they lived happily ever after. The end.

REALLY????

[Mindy Lou's Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed how this couple met and I especially enjoyed Logan's persistent pursuit of Demi. Fun read!

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this one. Logan Carpino is a workaholic. His brother-in-law‘s think it would be funny to set him up with a dating profile online.
Demi‘s friend tells her she needs to get out more and sets her up with a dating profile online where she swipes on Logan‘s profile.

Logan‘s profile makes him out to be the biggest asshole on two legs. When he reaches out to Demi to tell her it was a mistake. She is irritated. They start a hilarious banter and Logan realizes he’s never been challenged like this by anybody.

Throw in a stalker, snowstorm, sheriff dad and crazy family and it’s a good read!

[Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and funny...a little bit "insta" deal between the characters BUT it didn't put me off, surprise there, LOL
Anyway, I liked it, obvs, even though it needed just a tad bit little of something more for me to be WOW!

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead, 3.5*


Demi's friend swipes on Logan's dating profile where he sounds like a asshole. A couple of messages later and Demi decides to teach him a lesson by hacking his work and phone. Logan, intrigued by her brain tracks his hacker down and the two agree to meet after Christmas. But once again Santa's magic is at work, with a major storm approaching Logan decides to head straight to his hacker instead. Snowed in for Christmas,the chemistry and connection is outstanding but when the power comes back on Demi has to make some tough choices.


********
I'll was beginning to despair about these books 😂

This was good, Logan's bossy Alpha slightly asshole with Demi's feisty yet sweet were a perfect combination.
This felt longer than some of the others in the series or it was just fleshed out more 🤷🏿‍♀️ idk but whatever it was I enjoyed this one .
We have some drama from a stalker but thankfully that's resolved quickly.
The extended epilogue was just the icing on the cake I needed.

[Raine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

The book was ok, but a little too short. I kind of felt like the characters fell to quickly for each other without too much drama. I would liked a little more drama between the two of them at the beginning.

[PP's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Demitria aka Demi's best friend swiped in Force of Nature app, she didn't expect anything to happen. But Logan Carpino cannot let it go when an amazing woman hacks his company site and he has to come to Winter Falls to meet her. Demi was my kind of girl. Brainiac and sweet and smart and sassy. And Logan is the perfect food for my alpha obsession. A workaholic alpha with brooding controlling personality and drool worthy body who will do anything to make Demi his. Brynne Asher unleashed the alpha hotness, the fierce heroine goodness, panty melting hot chemistry and heartfelt emotions!

Previously published as part of Snowed Inn for Christmas Anthology

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

[Book Snob Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is his “dating” profile….so let’s meet Logan Carpino…..shall we…
Gender: Pure f*cking male, with all the extras, if you know what I mean.
Relationship Status: Unapologetically single and never been close to marriage.
Age: Mid-thirties and thriving.
Ethnicity: Italian-American Perfection. Yes, with a capital P. Born: Omaha, Nebraska. Don’t knock it. We have the College World Series.
Current Residence: Higher in the sky than you can afford.
Income: You can’t even fathom.
Highest Level of Education: It doesn’t matter. I’m smarter than ninety-nine percent of the population. The other one percent can kiss my ass. Still—it must be mentioned—my MBA is from Wharton.
Children: Billions of genetically perfect humans, just waiting to be set free.
Interests: Golf—playing and watching, kicking ass at pickup basketball, math, Fortune Magazine, and my Perfect hair. Note the P.
Hobbies: Irritating my administrative assistant and siblings.
Occupation: Businessy stuff.
I almost spit out my coffee…🤣. This was literally the first chapter, not the first page, but close enough. And she gets to be snowed in with all that. Her friend signs her up for a dating app, and his “profile” is the one she clicks on. I have read that profile many time, so funny. After these two get on each other’s radar, there’s no stopping them. Never challenge these two, because they will answer it, in a bold way for sure, both forces of nature in their own ways. It was a bit of the refreshing side, and made my day for sure. Then he gets snowed in with her.

Safe read, with a grey sweats wearing alpha with a capital p, and his hacker. There were dressing malfunction shenanigans, lots of sexy times, laugh out loud moments, Carpino family shenanigans, and a Christmas Carpino style. HEA.

[Katie's Book Boyfriends · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That’s when it happens. I hear them before I see them. Sure, it’s Christmas. In any Hallmark made-for-TV movie, there would be sleigh bells and the sounds of hoofs on freshly fallen snow. But not when it comes to me. Instead of a chivalrous knight in shining armor, I get sirens bouncing off the mountains through the dark, cold night.”



✅ A Hacker Girl who likes to push buttons on everyone
✅ A Grumpy, No-nonsense Guy who thinks he can’t be Hacked
✅ Interfering Family Members who set up a dating app for said Grump
✅ A Bad Guy Stalker who won’t quit (minimal drama)
✅ Snowed In Forced Proximity
✅ Amazing Banter


❤️🎧📖❤️
Book: Force of Nature
Couple: Logan and Demi
Series: Carpino series, standalone
Author: Brynne Asher
Narrated by: Lauren Sweet and Aiden Snow
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kindle Unlimited: ✅
Audio Whispersync: ✅

🗣 Narration 🗣: Perfection! Beyond amazing!

📚 Tropes 📚: ONS, stalker by bad guy, alpha hole, sassy heroine, JP OTT alpha, touch her and die, best banter, grumpy sunshine

⚠️ Safety Squad ⚠️: Super safe!

[Megan ~The Never Ending Book Basket · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this novella. I found the promise to be super fun and consuming, I am immediately fell for Demi and Logan, and I was all about the two of them exploring the connection that they were sharing. Brynne Asher truly has a way with words, and always find the best way to deliver a story that gives you everything.

This story is the perfect read for the holiday season. It has a quick storyline, but it does not miss out on the emotions, or the pull and connection of these characters, or the spice for that matter. It shares the story of two people who are an opposite ends of the world, but have a connection. And how that connection changes everything for them. Throw in the boisterous, Carpino family and you have the makings of a phenomenal story.

I literally devoured this book in a matter of hours. I loved everything about these characters, I loved that they instantly knew they wanted to explore more with one another, and they loved that they really changed everything for one another. It made reading and experiencing the story, even more memorable and enjoyable and it was fantastic! I really can’t say that enough!

This book was the perfect addition to this world, that I will literally never get enough of, and I cannot wait for this all her to hopefully write more for the Carpino family, because I never ever want to leave them!

[Bex_Book_Revieux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet-Horrid is adorable for this newest Carpino!

I'm so in love with Demi!! I may have seriously messaged Brynne Asher and asked her which one of the Carpino sisters wrote up that twisted meet-horrid for poor Logan, only to turn the page and discover it was a cousin and brother in-law tired of being one upped by Mr. Perfection, lolol!! The way Demi took Logan down, I swear I spent about 15 minutes giggle-snorting trying not to wake up my wife in the middle of the night when I should have been sleeping, but could NOT STOP READING Force of Nature!! If you like forced proximity, hackers, any kind of Carpino Mashup, and the stalkery Christmasy joy you know you're going to get from a Brynne Asher Novella then Force of Nature is for you!! Plus, there's some pretty hot & steamy sexy times stuck in the snowy mountains, and maybe on a beach somewhere later!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Logan, bad name for me in reading!

So I love to visualize myself as the FMC when reading, if its a good read. However, as much as I love the name Logan and I do its my oldest sons name. That is immediately a stop in my visualization reading, However I persevered. This was a decent read but no where near as good as Athica Lane, that's a 5 star read! Highly suggest!!! This is an almost Insta love read with two workaholic people. Free with K.U. really good characters and when Logan decides he wants something he doesn't let anyone not even mother nature stop him from getting what he wants! ✌

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s really hard to get a five star rating with a novella, but this one did. I love the enemies to lovers and forced proximity tropes.
Logan was fantastic because he was a mixture of alpha and nerd. I absolutely loved their sort of meet cute. Their first interaction anyway. I loved how much he was all in. Demi was such a cool person. I would love to have her skills.
This is on the longer side for a novella, but I would still have loved more. I just really liked these characters. Hopefully we’ll see more of them in the next book.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!!

This is the fifth book in this fascinating series, and this is Demi & Logan's story. This is a well written flawless story which has emotions, humour, witty banter, family, friendships, challenges, and love which all leads to a riveting and addictive page turner. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.

[BOOKLOVER_81 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love a good love/hate. His brother and brother set him on a dating app. Displaying how arrogant and cocky he is. She's on the dating app for swears off men. Her cousin swipes right.. and let the games and animosity begin!! Loved this on!! ❤️

Beautiful ending in this series. 😍

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a novella that actually has some meat on it's bones.

[Kate ☕ (semi-hiatus)]

DNF @35%

Interesting idea for a plot, but the writing is tedious...

[Fiordiligii · Rating 5 out of 5]

June 2022:A. Oh I just love this continuation of the Carpino series. SOOOO funny, I was giggling a lot during this shirt read.

[Elle ♡ [semi-hiatus]]

(See Snowed Inn for Christmas anthology)

[❤️ Dorsey aka Wrath Lover Reviews ❤️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[Heike · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought its such a short hook but honestly now I’m glad it was that short! I loved the story, a hacker genius and a workaholic….. this would have been a fantastic book with more story and less sex! Every second page a sex scenes can get boring real fast and I skipped so many pages the book got shorter and shorter.
Only 3 stars —— the story between the sex scenes are a 5 stars read

[Marilicious · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way, WAY too short, especially for a story that was so intriguing with equally intriguing characters. But more on that later.

Look, I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories. Note that I said stories here, so that means I don't even need them to be in romance ones. I just love a bit of drama with characters, love when there's banter between them or a genuine distaste for one another. It helps me get to know them in their raw form and makes whatever affections that develop between them feel more earned, since it would have been through the ringer to get there. Stuff like this mostly happens in romance books, but sometimes I'll get that in non-romance ones and enjoy it just the same.

So, you can imagine my delight after reading the intriguing premise to this latest Carpino entry, "A forced proximity and enemies to lovers romance." Not only that, but also the first 1/3 of the book was, I kid you not, GREAT. I immediately saw the appeal of Logan and Demi in their prospective debut chapters, (but especially Demi) and I loved the way they met even more. Their "enemies" moment was pure entertainment in its best form, especially since computer guru Demi has hacked into uptight rich guy Logan's company to embarrass him in front of his entire staff and bosses after he said something that offended her. The emails and texting moments were a riot between the two.

I just KNEW I was in for a treat with this book and couldn't WAIT for all the antics the two eccentric characters would send my way. I was looking forward to more complex entanglements between them, since they're both crazy smart and seemed very intent on outdoing the other in some way. I prepared myself for a wild adventure of stress and anger in their careers, followed by eventual adoration towards each other after it was all said and done. That is, until the moment I realized how fast I was getting through the story. Demi and Logan's "enemy" moments were tragically short-lived, fizzling out faster than they began, and all because this isn't a full-fledged book.

With a disappointing sigh I had to force myself to accept the fact that I was getting into a novella. Goodreads didn't advertise it as such, and neither did Amazon. I suppose I should have read the page count, which might have tipped me off. What started out as a great beginning to a dramatic "romance," ended up traversing into trash territory instead. And nothing much mattered anymore other than characters fixating on sex. Novellas don't often bother me per se, but when I know the storytelling capabilities of their authors (in this case, Brynne Asher) it can often be that much more disappointing, as this book sadly ended up being. What made it worse is that the preceding entry in this series was ALSO a novella. So, this book absolutely should have been longer. It needed to be.

The short length damaged my appreciation for this entry in the Carpino series, even by novella standards. The relationship between Demi and Logan had to be a rapid-fire one to even fit in the pages. Their introductions and what little I did get to know about them was super interesting and I wanted to know more. But it was not to be. Once they met in person after their too-short online interaction, they are transformed into two horny, sex-crazed lovers. This happens on the literal next day of meeting. Sure, they do a bit of talking about things, share things, but nothing that took too long. Their backgrounds stayed brief, both narratively and via dialogue, and all to accommodate their mega sex romps, which didn't even come across as nice and tender. It was just tacky to me. Untouching.

I know this review is needlessly long for a story so short, but it was just so disappointing the way everything went down here. I wanted to rate it 3 stars because I truly did like the initial startup to their story, dialogue, character interactions, etc. But once it reached that point where the story just faded away for lots of sex and premature declarations of love, I was just so bummed. I love Brynne's stories and I was just so hopeful for a full one. Oh well. Maybe next time. Two stars it gets outta me.

[Miss Echa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demetria Benjamin aka Demi si Hacker jenius yg dibayar untuk nguji security buat perusahaan2...
ikut dating site.. tp udahh trauma soalnya yg dijadiin couple nya malah jadi stalker...
sebelum smpat ngehapus aplikasinya, eh temannya udah tekan match ke profil lain,, yg dari deskripsinya beneran assh*le and he proud of it...

Logan Carpino, anak tengah kesayangan ibunya ini dikerjain sm abang, sm iparnya dibuatin dong akun dating site... match pula sm Demetria..
kesal.. doi langsung to the point kalo dia sm sekali gak minat buat dating bla bla.. smpat pula ngehina Demetria dan bilang gak bakalan bisa jebol security dan pengaman perusahaan nya...

Demetria ini tipe yg gak bisa ditantang, langsung di heck- lah itu email sm handphone nya Logan part ini kocak sih.. gara2 ini dari yg awalnya gak minat, langsung ketantang dia buat lebih tau..

Masalahnya Logan lagi kerja di Ausie, dan si Demi ini tnggal di gunung...
Lagi beda benua mereka...

Nah liburan natal, janjianla mereka mau ketemu. eh malah badai salju saat si Logan mw pulang, rencananya dia mw pulang buat ngerayain hari natal bareng keluarganya baru dy ketemu Demi, cuma karena badai besar ini hampir semua pernerbangan di cancel, kemungkinan untuk ketemu juga batal..

Tapi dikarenakan si Logan udah penasaran banget mw ketemu Demi, langsung putar balik dong, batal pulang kerumah, langsung nuju ke tempat Demi, Badai Salju di terjang, gak bawa pakaian...

pake nabrak pohon pula...

Nah moment ini ni mereka ngabisin waktu berdua, digunung, badai salju, tanpa listrik.
Namanya juga liburan kan, singkat, Logan kudu balik ke Ausie, galau mereka..
mau LDR-an tapi hubungan nya masih baru...

Logan ngajakin Demi buat ikut dia ke Ausie, soalnya kerjaan Demi kan bisa dimanapun.. Ya itu Demi masih ragu... Jadilah dia booking open tiket ke Ausie, biar saat Demi yakin, bisa nyusulin dia disana..

Suka sih ini.. lanjut Carpino lain dah

[Lea Bookjoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

French & English reviews

Une romance de Noël que j'ai lu avec plaisir

Je ne sais pas comment j'ai fait pour passer à côté de ce tome des Carpinos pendant aussi longtemps vu que j'ai dévoré tous les autres tomes mais une fois commencé, je l'ai dévoré !

Tout était top : la première rencontre (j'ai tellement ri avec l'histoire de l'appli xD), Logan qui était juste tellement romantique de façon badass x) (leur premier Noël ensemble !) et la façon dont on voit leur relation évoluer au fil des années !

Je regrette juste qu'il y ait pas eu plus de dramas avec le stalker et que le tome soit pas plus long ><

Bref, une romance de Noël sexy et amusante parfaite pour une lecture en Décembre (c'est pour ça que je l'ai lu en juillet xD)


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


A Christmas romance that I read with pleasure

I don't know how I managed to miss this book of Carpinos for so long since I devoured all the other books but once I started, I devoured it too !

Everything was great : the first meeting (I laughed so hard at the app story xD), Logan who was just so romantic in a badass way x) ( their first Christmas together !) and the way we see their relationship evolve over the years !

I just regret that there weren't more dramas with the stalker and that the book wasn't longer ><

In short, a sexy and fun Christmas romance perfect for reading in December (that's why I read it in July xD)

[JillyB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this was a 4 star for me because I really like the injection of humor in this one and the saucy h.

This story starts with a set up. The h, Demi, is a legal hacker. She is paid by companies to find any gaps in their cyber security. She is great at her job. She likes her job as she tends to shy away from people. She isn’t timid by any means. This girl has a spine and chooses to use it on the H after she is unwittingly set up by her BFF on an online dating app. Her friend has her click on the profile of the H. His profile is unashamedly arrogant. Only a crazy woman would click on it.

Meanwhile, the H finds that someone has reached out to him(the h) on his dating app…the dating app he never set up. (His brother and brother in law had fun with it) He tells the h via the app that he is not interested and then insults her intelligence.

The h thinks he didn’t like her profile and she proves to him that he is hackable by hacking into his files.

He becomes intrigued by her. She avoids anymore of his contacts(unintentionally playing hard to get), but eventually they start talking. He ends up flying out to her in a snowstorm and they get stranded at her cabin(house).

Passion and sexy times ensue. Then he needs to go back to work which is far away. We get some angst here and then our two are reunited for a HEA and a nice epilogue!

[Ashkenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short & Sweet!

H-Logan Carpino- works in “mergers & acquisitions”
h-Demetria Benjamin (Demi) works as IT specialist in her home town Winter Falls
So we have Demi who thanks to her cousin Posey decided to joined a dating site called “Force of Nature” for online dating. She just got done with a stalker who she also met online who can’t leave her alone & thanks to her dad (the sheriff) he (stalker) has gotten the point. Anyways her friend takes her phone & “swipes” on his picture. Logan is a work alcoholic, wknds- he works, holidays he works. He has no time for anything BUT work. So when he realized that his brother & brother in law set him up on a dating site- (force of nature) & got an alert that someone is interested him, he tried to brushed it off. He is all the way in Australia. He definitely has no time to deal with this. He sends her a message & he was honest with her- telling her that his brothers set this up w/out his acknowledge & clearly this is a mistake. Demi saw this as a guy that doesn’t have the guts to tell her straight up that he is not interested. He kept telling her that he is too busy- then she pretty much goes crazy & hacks his job- the company he works & sends out a mass email to EVERYONE & she also hacks his phone too. Once he finds out it was her, he was intrigue by her & decides to persuade her. I really like the story! Short & sweet!

[Dora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meddling friends and family, an inadvertent dare, and maybe fate matches two seemingly polar opposites to be brought together and find their other half. Even though this was a novella, albeit a girthy one, all the benchmarks of what I love about this author were there. For one thing, Logan is a Carpino and I love this family. Logan was a scrawny math-nerd in his youth but with the added muscle from the gym and the success he had accumulated as an adult, women were falling at his feet. Unfortunately, he was getting bored with that life and now has become a workaholic with no time for a life. But it all changes with the appearance of Demi Benjamin, IT specialist of Winter Falls and hacker extraordinaire. With just a brief exchange, Demi lays down a challenge bringing out the persistent and relentless side of Logan Carpino. And not even a snowstorm of the season was going to keep this determined Logan from meeting this spitfire face to face. What ensues is a swoony, s3xy, once-in-a-lifetime love story. I loved it all! And an added bonus was visiting with the Carpinos again.