Fallen

Cruel Castaways #2

by L.J. Shen, Patricia Woitynek (Translator)

Der neue Roman der Queen der Enemies-to-Lovers-Geschichten

Arsène Corbin ist kalt und manipulativ. Selbst mit seiner verstorbenen Verlobten war der Millionär nicht aus Liebe, sondern nur aus eigennützigen Gründen zusammen. Deshalb gerät er auch immer wieder mit der Schauspielerin Winnifred Ashcroft aneinander, die eine Rolle in seinem Theater spielt. Denn Winnie ist alles, was Arsène nicht ist – warmherzig und liebevoll. Doch können die beiden nicht leugnen, dass eine ganz besondere Verbindung zwischen ihnen besteht. Als ein schmerzhaftes Geheimnis aus ihrer Vergangenheit ans Licht kommt, das zeigt, wie eng sie wirklich durch das Schicksal miteinander verbunden sind, müssen sie sich entscheiden: Ist trotz aller Unterschiede eine gemeinsame Zukunft möglich?

Der zweite Band der neuen Reihe von SPIEGEL-Bestseller-Autorin L. J. Shen

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Dark

Paperback

First published May 9, 2023

About the author

L.J. Shen is a New York Times, USA Today, WSJ, Washington Post and #1 Amazon Kindle Store bestselling author of contemporary romance books.

She writes angsty books, unredeemable anti-heroes who are in Bill Gates's tax bracket, and sassy heroines who bring them to their knees (for more reasons than one).


Keep up with L.J. on all platforms:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb
Instagram➜ shorturl.at/cDJRZ
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Facebook➜ https://goo.gl/fKCSo4
Website ➜ www.authorljshen.com

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

the premise of this story isnt horrible. in fact, i actually think its a pretty good recipe for an entertaining story. but man, the characters in this suuuuck. lol.

they just arent good. arsene is not a person anyone should be falling in love with. he doesnt make me swoon, he makes me want to call the police. my feelings would be different if he redeemed himself by the end, but that never happened. and winnifred is a two dimensional stereotype. although she didnt repel me like arsene did, shes just a massive snoozefest.

i feel like this is a story that could have been enjoyable if the characters had been completely different and more tolerable. oh well.

thank you, montlake, for the ARC.

↠ 1.5 stars

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY REVIEW AND OTHERS can also be found on my blog:
╰┈➤KITTY KATS CRAZY ABOUT BOOKS

ღ 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐄 ღ Is the second full length romance book in the 'Cruel Castaways' series by author L.J. Shen. Spoken in 'Dual perspectives. Heroine: Winnifred Ashcroft Hero: Arsène Corbin

I had hives going into this one solely due to all the mixed ratings. But putting those aside I dived in, and never looked back once I got into the storyline more.

PART ONE: Ok I honestly didn't think I'd be able to get through this book if Grace was the main focus throughout, so when that chapter closed I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Grace was horrid, a gold digger, a liar, an opportunist, a cheater. So to say I was happy with the outcome was an understatement.

'𝙈𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚-𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙪𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙄 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣.'

PART TWO: This part was where I started to enjoy the story which was unfolding. So to say I was relieved was an understatement. Through tragedy these two collided, not by choice but circumstance as they pieced together where things had unraveled in their relationships. Along the way it stopped being about their significant others but slowly became about them.

I loved Winifred, she was raw, real and so easy to connect with, sharp witted, and down to earth, she was so much more than what met the eye.

Arsène was a man easily obsessed, from his step sibling to the woman who confused him, intrigued him, challenged him. He was quirky, knew all things about astronomy, throw him in a crowd and he was out of his element. He's abrupt, goes for what he wants, but delve under all that and he got me in the feels.

So all in all I enjoyed this one, I thought these two suited each other, he was hard and she was soft, she made him more human. If like myself and at the beginning your'e not connecting with the story push through I swear it gets better.

 

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[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

LJ Shen is a real hit or Miss author for me. I’ve had books I’ve loved from her and books I haven’t cared much for, unfortunately this book is one of the latter. My main issue is I’m not sure who this book’s audience is!? The general romance reader will hate how much OW drama there is in this (i mean the whole first part of the book is our main characters in love with other people and the second part is them getting over them) and the people who are fine with OW drama (hi! Me!) are going to be more invested in the Gracelynn storyline because frankly it’s more interesting. It’s also what we were teased in Ruthless Rival and so it feels like a bait and switch.

I really expected this book to be a different book than what we usually get from this author but instead we got the same asshole mc x innocent/sunshine fmc we’ve gotten a thousand times before. This is a villain retelling but not even as good! I wanted the toxicity between grace and Arsene I was invested in their push and pull. It would’ve been something new and that’s the direction we should’ve gone in. Anyway I think I’m done trying with this author now.

Sigh

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐
Genre ~ alpha male romance
Series ~ Cruel Castaways, #2)
Others in the series ~ Ruthless Rival
Setting ~ NYC
Publication date ~ May 9, 2023
Publisher ~ Montlake
Est Page Count ~ 356 (33 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 33 minutes
Narrator ~ Joe Arden, Savannah Peachwood
POV ~ single 1st person POV, present & past tense
Featuring ~ I’ll list below for each part since they have different FMC

Possible spoilers ahead

Arsène & Grace
What to expect in part 1:
~ single 1st person POV, present & past tense
~ they’re step siblings
~ toxicity and obsession up the yang
~ flashbacks to a neglectful childhood
~ billionaire
~ cheating
~ some steamage

Part 1 ✔
Grace is finally dead. I know that sounds awful, but I didn't really care for her. Also, not a spoiler since it's in blurb. Arsène is quite the arsehole, but the past chapters are making me see why he is the way he is, still didn’t make me like him one bit. .

Arsène (35) & Winnifred (28)
What to expect in part 2:
~ dual 1st person POV, present tense
~ slow burn
~ enemies to lovers
~ minimal steamage
~ health she had endometriosis and can’t have children

Part 2 ✔
Winnifred is sweet and a breath of fresh air compared to Grace. I like how she took time for herself to get her life straightened out instead of just falling all over him. Too bad she eventually does because she could do better. He’s still talking about Grace a year later like he’d take her back in a heartbeat after what she’d done. Also, hated his nickname for her with a passion.

Overall, this wasn't really for me at this point in my life, but I do think it was well written for it's genre so I'll round up. There’s no doubt L.J. sure knows how to write characters that are real douches because all males in this book pretty much are one. Not sure I got a good enough vibe from Riggs that I’ll want to read his book next.

✔ed another old one off the list.

Series notes:
Characters from Ruthless Rival make appearances, but it doesn't seem totally necessary to read that one first, but you’ll have a better understanding of their story.

Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference. But no doubt these two made for a good listen as they’re both great narrators.

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ X

[Jultri · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first book by this author, and boy did I regret requesting this ARC only a few pages in. I had no idea this is erotic fiction, nor was there any warning in the blurb that it features pseudo-incestuous relationship. Not quite what I had in mind. Arsène Corbin was the ultimate arse for a good chunk of the book. He was inexplicably obsessed with his step-sister whom he has had an on/off toxic relationship with for half of his life. They're both gawd awful people who deserved each other. Too bad one person died and now the other is left to roam mateless and impose his nastiness on the too nice Winnifred. Shen had to constantly shove their (step)sibling relationship down our throat (they refer to one another as “sis”, brother etc) so it's not even something one can overlook.

Arsène’s bizarre attachment to this evil, self-centered woman is quite incomprehensible, especially when he is fully aware of what a nasty piece of work she is. She has tried to kill him and destroy his life many times over and she does not even try to disguise her bitchiness towards his friends. But all of this just serve to enhance his attraction to her. He wants her not just for the sex but as a permanent fixture in his life, as his wife! Who the hell wants a psychopathic person to contribute genetic material towards his offspring? Both she and her mother are cut from the same cloth so likely future progenies will be too. We spent a third of the book following the antics of this disturbingly dysfunctional couple and it was a third too much. Bleh! I just want to bleach it from my mind.

I skim-read through the whole book. Winnie is too bland and benign when we finally got to her. There is a bit of of spirit in some of their exchanges but generally, she's dominated by his alpha maleness.


ARC from Net Galley

[Val · Rating 1 out of 5]

lj shen could have proven herself and written a true unique enemies to lovers with an anti hero and anti heroine/villain aka arsènegracelynn but she choose to write a cillianpersy 2.0 with arsènewinnifred and i never want to read anything she ever writes again.

I've positively lost any faith I've had in her to make creative choices, considering how consistently she ruins the potential of her couples in the favor of shock factor.

*Received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review

[T Rojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW (Thanks NETGALLEY!)

I’m so sick and tired of reading about asshole mcs with their only redeeming quality being having money. 1/3 of the book Arsene (our MC) is with another woman. It’s also his step sister 🤢 Stepsister fiancée dies. She had been cheating on her stepbrother and dies with this dude. Winnie (fmc) is wife to cheater dead guy.

Book basically is Arsene and Winnie coming together to find out if they really were cheating when they died. I dont know when why or how they fell in love.

Major plot point makes no sense when Winnie finds a usb drive of Arsene as a baby with his mom in her husbands safe? How did she know who they were? She had never met his mother since she was dead, how did she know what he looked like as a baby? Why did husband have it to begin with? Dunno, we never find out.

Another rich MC who can’t love because he had shit parents, yawn.

I guess thumbs up for infertility rep 🤷‍♀️

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore L.J. Shen's stories! Arsene and Winnie were so engaging! The spirited banter, chemistry and connection just flew off the pages!

I had been waiting for the second installment in the Cruel Castaways series and could not jump on this story fast enough! Arsene legit is the billionaire Alphahole we love to hate and boy did he earn that title. He truly earned that title and then some with his dealing s with Winnie.

Overall, Winnie was a doll and was the angel to Arsene's devil LOL. I truly enjoyed this story and now can't wait for more! 5 stars! ~Ratula ♥️

[Niihariiikareads (warner's) · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, just nope.

I'm so sick and tired of reading the same story. Shen, you need to step up your creativity game because after I loved Dirty Headlines, I read a lot other books by you and this feels like the same story.

The guy's whole personality is having money, no other redeeming qualities, the girl *sigh* is just the same as every other girl from the billionaire trope.

I really need to branch out.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

This read is the final nail in the coffin for me regarding this author. I felt conflicted about reading it in the first place, because I have been made aware of allegations that have made me uncomfortable with supporting this author. However, I went into reading this book with an open mind, in hopes that somehow the writing would show improvement or there would be some sort of indication of growth or understanding from Shen’s previous work.

Unfortunately, I did not find any of that in Fallen Foe. (Though, at least it is not a complete, uncredited remake of someone else’s novel, like The Kiss Thief was of Judith McNaught’s Whitney, My Love.)

The ways in which grown men reference teen pop culture and speak like they’re in the cast of Mean Girls feels so disparate with the characters that Shen is trying to portray. It immediately takes you out of the narrative and leaves you wondering what Shen is actually trying to achieve here.

There’s so much trauma and never any healthy ways of coping with said trauma. It felt like I was reading about entitled teenagers playing at being grown, even in the chapters that were written from their adult perspectives. There was also way too much time spent on flashbacks and the toxicity of the hero’s relationship with his “first love” that detracted from the flow of the plot.

I was not rooting for any of these characters, and would have DNFed had I not been given an ARC. In my humble opinion, there are other authors out there who address similar themes in much more narratively satisfying and mature ways. And this book has convinced me that I have no desire to read any more of Shen’s work moving forward.

Thanks for Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[maryam]

will be real mad if winnie isn’t gracelynn omg..? like i thought it had been established that this is a stepsibling romance lj shen when i catch you

[Leah City of Words and Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am Anfang wusste ich nicht genau, wo die Reise mit Arsène und Winnifred hingehen sollte oder würde.
Ich habe erst gedacht, dass der Beginn irgendwie total unstimmig war. Warum hat es 100 Seiten gedauert, bis sich die Liebesgeschichten erstmal anfangen konnte zu entwickeln? Was sollte mir das alles sagen?

Nachdem ich das Buch beendet habe, kann ich jedoch sagen, dass es genau so war, wie es sein sollte. Man muss hier zum Schluss wirklich das große Ganze sehen. Und das war einfach nur perfekt. 😍
Die Geschichte lebt von der Charakterentwicklung. Sowohl von Arsène als auch von Winnifred. Sie ist wirklich der essenzielle Aspekt.
Der Plot wirkt vielleicht nicht besonders „neu“, aber es war insgesamt sehr stimmig, spannend und auf eine ganz eigene Art romantisch. ❤️

[iremucka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sene-i devriyesinde 2. okumadan huhuuuu❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

Yeminimi bozup buraya da ekliyorum yorumumu

Ay yine beklemediğim yerden geldi konu
Açıkçası bu kitap serisinde en çok sevdiğim olay arkaplanda bir kitap olması ve aynı şablonda olayların gelişmesi (ana karakterler, sahneler, vs..)
Spoiler olmaz diye düşünüyorum ilk kitaptaki şablon kitap kefaret idi ve beni zamanında çok etkileyen bir kitap olduğu için etkisi bana katlanarak geldi
Bu kitapta da şablon martı idi ki aman yarabbim daha güzel bir arka plan düşünemiyorum(martının konusunu bilenler anlayacaktır), genelde yazarların bu ikinci şablonlar konusunda tembelce davrandığını düşünürüm ama bu sefer çok akıllıca geldi seçimi ve işleyişi
Yİne uzun bir zaman dilimine yayılmış olaylar vardı, bu şekilde olan kitapları seviyorum çünkü gerçek hayatta da çat diye aşık olana pek rastlamadım
genelde bu olay bi süre halinde işler ve insanların kendi duygularını tanımlama anlama ve kabullenme ihtiyacı vardır 🤗(yas gibi hayatı etkileyen olayların da evreleri olduğunu düşünüyorum)
Spoiler vermeden kitap yorumu yapmak benim için çok zor ama bu her iki ana karakter için de bir konfor alanından çıkma kendini bulma ve bu süreçte harcanan emekler ve verilen zaiyatlar üzerine
Açıkçası bu kadar depresif başlangıçlar beklemiyordum ve sürecin bu şekilde gelişmesine şaşırdım
Kitabın açılış sahnesinin her iki karakter açısından işlenişi de yakın zamanda okumadığım bir deneyim oldu,
LJ Shen liseli serisini okumuştum açıkçası bu kadar derin bir şey beklemiyordum
Benim için depresif bi okuma oldu

[Wobilba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this book considering it has some of the tropes I dislike.

[Shabby -BookBistroBlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has now officially become the BEST BOOK of this Year!!. It's so different from her usual fare of alphahole hero and bullied heroine stories. It's gripping, earnest and fervent, brimming with all kinds of sentiments that range from adoration to humiliation, love bordering on obsession to betrayal of the said love.

“My point is that just because something doesn’t work properly, or is rusty—like your heart—doesn’t mean it can’t survive.”

I went in with pre-set notion of hating...or at least not feeling any affiliation to the hero. But LJ has created a tragically romantic Gatsby-esque hero in Arséne Corbin. His childhood obsession with trying to own the golden angel who he has always felt unworthy o,f is so poignant at times, that I'm not ashamed to have shed tears for him. The LJ masterstroke is not to make him look pathetic but lovelorn shadow chaser who pines after the very people he knows won't belong to him.
His mother,his father, his step sister.

" In my darkest, rawest fantasies, Gracelynn Langston stutters her way into an explanation of how she ended up marrying the person she introduced as her brother for years. "

There's just a madness to own Gracelynn Langston, so he tolerates and perpetuates everything for her.
On the other end of the spectrum is innocent, Doe-eyed southern Belle, Winifred Ashcroft. Wronged Damsel, recent widow, a hapless victim of circumstances and misplaced blind loyalty.
We watch her stumble, struggle to survive. Trying to come to terms with her situation and keep up with the world. And in all this melee is her true self lost in smoke
Shen delivers a story that is incredibly multilayered, as deeply romantic as it is thrilling, and while some moments in it are heartbreaking and shocking, I felt vindicated for Both Arséne and Winnie in the end.
The writing style is somewhat different from what we've come to expect from Leigh and for So Much better!! she has foregone her scathy pen and delved deep in her heart to pull out hurting emotions and spilled them on paper.
From your heart to mine,they've stuck home!
5 glorious stars for a hungry cat and a very, very smart mouse
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[Josie Shaggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

Really not worth the read. Ruthless Rival was actually the first arc I read through NetGalley, so I was excited to continue the series with Fallen Foe. The second installment in what I assume will be a trilogy is quite the letdown. The description does not call out that Arsène is intimate with his stepsister (Gracelynn) and has a very toxic relationship with her. I honestly wouldn’t have picked up this book if I knew that we would have to read about that relationship for the first 30% of the book because it wasn’t what I signed up for.

I also like the “bad boys” as romantic interests only if they have redeeming qualities. Arsène has absolutely no redeeming qualities, he’s just a rich jerk. Winnie deserves so much better. I also do not get any chemistry between the two.

Very underwhelming story, with such an unlikeable main character. Rhys sounds interesting so may read his book but it’s not going to be high on my list. Do not recommend.

[annie]

WHAT in the WHAT?????!!!!!

This book is released and I didn't even know?! 🥲
I need to read the first book ASAP.

[Vanessa (When Vane Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fallen Foe was a roller coaster of feelings and emotions, so good! It is a exceptional, intriguing and captivating story, it kept me hooked from start to finish. UNPUTDOWNABLE!

The characters are unique, complex and interesting, I can't stop thinking about them, Arsène is so cold, cruel and heartless, but at the same time so vulnerable, my heart broke for him, I wanted to go into the book, hug him and never let him go. My Winnie, she is so sweet, all smiles, always trying to fit the mold that others give her, but at the same time so brave. Their banter, gahhh, is PERFECT, their dialogues, their scenes together, it's pure passion and feelings, they are two people who find their soulmate through the pain of loss and suffering.

This story is so heartbreaking, the pain pours through the pages, it's one entity more in the scenes, it is a story BRILLIANT full of suspense, passion, emotion but above all it teaches us that the family is the one that supports you no matter what, and that love flourishes through adversity.
The author slayed it again!

[Valisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way they couldn't believe that their lives were full of lies instead of love broke my heart. They found their love in each other and they really deserve it after everything they've been through🤧🥹

[book_lovely29 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hass und Liebe sind dasselbe Gefühl in unterschiedlichem Gewand."

Ich liebe die Bücher von L.J. Shen, somit war die Vorfreude auf den zweiten Band der Cruel Castaways Reihe riesengroß.
Hier geht es um Arsène und Winnifred, die eine ganz besondere Verbindung zueinander haben.
Es ist das Schicksal, das die beiden zueinander führt, aber hat ihre Zukunft überhaupt eine Chance?
Es ist eine Geschichte, die unter die Haut geht und anders war, als ich erwartet habe.
Schmerzhaft, herzzerreißend und emotional.
Voller Überraschungen, Lügen und Geheimnisse.
Ich liebe Arsène, auch wenn er sein Herz und seine Gefühle hinter seiner kühlen Fassade versteckt hält, während Winnifred ein absoluter Sonnenschein ist.
Ihre Chemie ist unglaublich und ihre Wortgefechte einfach grandios.
Zusammen sind sie pure Leidenschaft.
Ich habe mich Hals über Kopf in die beiden verliebt.

"Ich bin wie der Mars. Und du hast die Macht, ihn mit Leben zu erfüllen.
Ich brenne für dich, Winnifred."

Wie sie durch den Verlust zueinanderfinden, war eine absolute Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle.
Verbunden durch Trauer, auf der Suche nach Antworten.
Und wow, die Enthüllungen waren auf schmerzhafte Weise schockierend.

"Schmerz ist ein großartiger Ersatz für Freude.
Beide sind extreme Gefühle, wenngleich das eine negativ und das andere positiv ist."

Die Geschichte und auch die Entwicklung der Charaktere war toll, dennoch hätte ich gern noch mehr von den beiden gelesen, weil sie zusammen einfach so wundervoll waren.
Sie beschäftigt sich sehr lange mit der Vergangenheit, mit dem Verlust und der Trauer.
Pure Emotionen in all ihren Facetten.
Wenn eine Autorin es schafft, mich mit Emotionen zu überschütten und mich so viel fühlen lässt, dann ist es L. J. Shen.
Ihre Geschichten hauen mich jedes Mal um und gehen mir so sehr unter die Haut.
Sie schreibt mit solch einer Leichtigkeit und doch gehen ihre Worte so tief, dass sie Stellen in meinem Herzen und in meiner Seele erreichen, von denen ich nicht mal wusste, dass es sie gibt.
Genau mit der richtigen Menge Sarkasmus und Humor, die mich immer wieder zum Schmunzeln gebracht haben.
Perfektion!!!
Ein weiteres Highlight ist die Freundschaft zwischen Christian, Riggs und Arsène.
Vergöttere ich diese Männer.
Hell, YES!!!!!
Deshalb bin ich auch schon so sehr gespannt auf Riggs.
"Cruel Castaways - Fallen" ist eine absolut brillante, spannungsgeladene und emotionale Liebesgeschichte, die mich mit der ersten Seite für sich eingenommen hat und von der ich nicht genug bekommen habe.
Einzigartige Charaktere, eine außergewöhnliche Liebesgeschichte und tiefgreifende Themen machen dieses Buch zu einem absoluten Highlight.

[Kim (Chipperbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arsène and Winnie

Much like the first one…in areas

So much of this would be a spoiler if I tell too many details so pardon the vagueness.

Winnie is happily married and living the life she could only dream of, for the most part. On the outside she is the perfect wife, with the perfect husband, with the perfect life. On the inside, not so much.

Arsène has grown up knowing that he would never have the typical love story. He doesn’t even know if he knows what love really is. He is in an on again off again relationship with his step sister and everyone around him knows how toxic it is. He knows too but doesn’t think he deserves different.

These guys and my heart. Man, this is brutal. You want Arsène to love and be loved so bad. His family is rotten and we want all great things for him. Much like the first book, again the female tends to be a bit on the wish washy, flakey side so ugh. But overall, another very entertaining story.

[Danielle (always_read_the_end_first) · Rating 5 out of 5]

L.J. Shen is killing me with these boys and their f***ed up backgrounds. I am a sucker for fixing broken things or in this series case, fixing & breaking & then healing them irrevocably. I genuinely enjoyed this. This is pretty woman meets the hating game set in a broadway theater. Ars is very much the guy from the Big Bang Theory with a sprinkle of astronomy facts. Grace is a horrid character and I knew something was wrong with the scene with Ars and the blood. I love Winnie she reminds me of the mom from Ginny and Georgia on Netflix. She is willing to do anything for the people she’s loves and doesn’t know. It’s a dangerous combination. The character chemistry is top notch. I feel for her women health care concerns. Ars’s character development is so epic and swoon worthy I love it. He’s like a modern day Mr. Bennett. The sex scenes were scarce but heartfelt compared to the first book in this series. All thoughts are my own & thank you for this Advance Review Copy! I look forward to Riggs’ story :)

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐ 's

This book was a bit different due to the fact that the main characters are with other people and stay with other people for a good portion of the book. I don't know that I'm a fan.

It took me a while to warm up to Arsène. He always wins and gets what he wants so he's quite arrogant. Winnie is just the opposite...funny and loving - it was hard to see the draw.

Then, there's the twist...predictable but a doozy. It made for a lot of angst so I enjoyed that, however, it only added to the delay of anything going on between these two.

Two thumbs up for the angst but I would have preferred more couple time.

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

No entiendo cómo Shen, una autora que me encanta la mayor parte de las veces, pudo haber pensado que mostrarme la relación entre Arsene y Gracelynn durante casi la mitad del libro, iba a facilitar que disfrutara la falta de química entre los personajes principales. Creo que Arsene va a volver en unos años a su hermanastra, porque es muy difícil de salirse de relaciones tóxicas mantenidas tanto tiempo. Esperaba demasiado de este libro y quedé MUY decepcionada.

[BONNIE SMITH · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cruel Castaways series is dark and delicious. While this could not top #1 in the series for me, I enjoyed the spark between the two MCs.

[Nikita Navalkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I was extremely fascinated by Arsène when we first met him in Ruthless Rival, but overall we knew nothing about him or his love interest for that matter. So as much as you’d have guessed certain things from RR, drop all of those preconceptions and go in with a clean slate because FF will surprise you and enchant you in all the best ways. This series has a Bollywood saga style of storytelling so far, and this story also starts out and proceeds rather unconventionally like RR, with a dash of Cruel Intentions depravity.

We get to unearth all about Arsène’s mysterious background and what makes him tick (or not), and for once you don’t root for the forbidden, toxic relationship which we so often are titillated by in fiction. Or at least I am. As dramatic and full of salacious revelations Arsene and Winnie’s romance is, it is also a story of two people working towards healing and growth while dealing with their own complicated kinds of grief. While like-loathing each other at first of course. The author does not shy away from telling those parts of the story that are often a footnote or a fraction of a prologue, and in that gives us a deeper understanding into her characters by making us live through their pasts, so to speak.

I’ve said time and time again that few authors have an understanding of characters that Ms Shen does, and she proves it yet again. She flays open her MCs’ and exposes raw nerves, turning them inside out so you empathize and mourn and laugh with them as if they were real. Winnie is your sunshine but with a secret dark side only Arsène can bring out, Arsène is the grump, nay the sociopath adjacent grump who was so broken as a boy that he only finds comfort in self sabotage. The only relationships he’s known are the abusive kind, and that’s all he thinks he deserves for himself. Of course he’s a toxic asshole himself, but who can dislike an asshole that does dishes? And is respectful where it counts? I loved his nerdy little black heart so much I wanted to hold him tight and put him back together. Him unlearning his toxic past and her learning more of her self worth while falling for each other without compromising on their personal journeys was both sweet and sexy to watch. Even though the spice level of this series isn’t the usual LJ 3 alarm fire, the tension between these two is palpable and as sizzling as you’d expect from the author with their banter and barbs.

I was also very happy the author chose not to soften the very real impact of a certain condition and not offering a neat little magic solution at the end like books so often do. That made the entire book that much more bittersweet and dear to me.

TW: parental neglect, emotional (and some physical) abuse, not between main couple, descriptions of death and grief, infertility, miscarriage (not graphic)

*I received an arc from the PR company in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

[The Books and me · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡LO ODIO!😮‍💨… o tal vez no🫢

🧔🏻‍♂️El multimillonario Arsène Corbin es un hombre de negocios frío como el hielo y calculador. Por eso, su carácter choca una y otra vez con el de la apasionada actriz Winnifred Ashcroft, protagonista de una obra en el teatro propiedad de Arsène.

👱🏻‍♀️Winnie es afectuosa y cariñosa, todo lo contrario que él. Sin embargo, ninguno de los dos puede negar que entre ellos existe una conexión muy especial.

Unidos por dolorosos secretos del pasado, deberán tomar una decisión: ¿es posible un futuro juntos?

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
✅Enemies to lovers
✅Secreto del pasado❤️‍🩹
✅Grumpy x sunshine
✅Escenas apasionadas🔥
✨La historia se divide en dos partes, muy marcadas, diferentes y con finales sumamente desiguales pero que en conjunto es una historia que wow🥹😍😬💔❤️‍🩹🔥
✨Primero tenemos a Arsène y a su relación tóxica y enfermiza de amor/odio con su hermanastra que muy a pesar de ser la personificación de lo desagradable… llegan a un final muy inesperado dejándonos💔
✨Segunda parte: Arsène y Winnie, que ya había hecho presencia, toma fuerza y son wow. Ambos quedan unidos por lo sucedido anteriormente y a partir de ahí toooooodo es 🤯🥹😬💔💣🚩🥲😖😏🤭🔥
✨La trama lleva la magia que esta autora sabe impregnar, está llena de secretos, de giros inesperados, de sarcasmos que esconden verdades y de risas que no llegan a los ojos, de esos sentimientos que son tan difíciles de gestionar y que cuando explotan son como un volcán que se llevan todo a su paso… me ha encantado TODO🥹😍
✨Amo las metáforas de astronomía de él y que a ella le interese. Esos detalles tan sencillos que hacen inmensa las historias y ésta tiene muchas

Serie Cruel Castaways:
1️⃣Rival implacable (Arya & Christian)
2️⃣Enemigo caído (Arsène & Winnie)
3️⃣🔜

[Lisa (Two Bookish Brits) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gosh! I am obsessed with Arsène. I knew, I just KNEW I would love that man as soon as his story was given to us and I wasn’t wrong, I love that man with my whole heart.

Fallen Foe is book 2 in the Cruel Castaway series by LJ Shen but can be read as a standalone.

Arsène and Winnie and both equally amazing characters going through a similar situation of heart ache.

Arsène’s backstory is a sad one, one that left him cold and detached to almost everyone except his two friends. He goes after what he wants no matter the consequences. At the same time there’s more to this cold hearted man and we get to see it slowly as the book goes on.

Winnie is the most precious human. She feels like an outsider in a country where her hopes and dreams lie. She’s brave, she’s bold and will not let anyone boss her around. She stands her ground no matter who she’s against. As the story develops we find out just how strong that beautiful woman is. My heart aches for her and I just loved her so much!

Together those two are fire. Their banter from the get go is absolutely spot on, I love that she challenges him. We get to see the unlikely friendship develop through feelings of hurt and betrayal from their respective partners.

Fallen Foe is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There’s highs and lows and you’re just sat there taking each one in. It’s heartbreaking, it’s funny it’s absolutely everything I hoped it would be and then some. It’s captivating, it’s memorable and you’ll find yourself not able to put it down until you’re finished.

LJ Shen has brought to us another fantastic book!

[Rudzik · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 / 5

To chyba pierwszy romans jaki przeczytałam, w którym tak wiele uwagi na początku byłoby poświęcone pierwszym, toksycznym i pokręconym relacjom głównych bohaterów z innymi partnerami. I to bardzo dobrze buduje ich postacie i ustawia pionki w kontekście tego drugiego, docelowej związku.

Na właściwy romans trzeba się trochę naczekać. Arsena i Winni łączy wspólna tragedia, ale dochodzenie prawdy staje się wymówką kiedy okazuje się, że wspólne towarzystwo leczy ich rany, dodaje energii po okresie letargu żałoby i otwiera oczy na to, jak złe były ich pierwsze związki.

Pod względem kreowania bezczelnych, szorstkich, ale dowcipnych mężczyzn, którym daleko do świętych, L.J. Shen nie zawodzi. Winni z kolei była przesłodkim przeciwieństwem tej wrednej baby, z którą był uwikłany w dziwny, niezdrowy związek.

Książka mogłaby być nawet dłuższa, bo czuję trochę niedosytu wspólnych scen głównych bohaterów z okresu między zawiązanym surowego sojuszu, a wybuchem uczuć. Jak na Shen jest tu też mało spice'u.

Ten drugi tom z serii nie rozczarował, więc nie mogę się doczekać historii trzeciego przyjaciela.

[Marta Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in absolute awe ! Fallen Foe is the game changer, and turned my world upside down - LJ Shen created another unforgettable story, that kept me on the edge until the very last pages.

With every new chapter, I didn't know what is coming my way and I loved it. Past collide with present in the most surprising way, making the love story inside an ultimate angst-deliverer. It was heartbreaking, raw and
the opposites-attract trope was totally out of this world. The main characters are totally different, but at the same moment they complete each other perfectly. The tension between them is so thick that You could cut it with the knife, mixed with sarcasm at the finest just like the cherry on top.

Sometimes true love doesn't come easy... Sometimes it's filled with pain and sacrifices. I love how author showed it in Fallen Foe. This book made me FEEL with every single fiber of my being. Must Read ALERT.