Vibes & Feels: Falling for your enemy never felt so good.

Unlikely Pairings #2

by Sarah Skye

Marco Woodruff has hit rock bottom. He drunkenly propositioned his ex-girlfriend at his own wedding rehearsal dinner just over a year ago and ended up dumped and jobless with a broken nose. He’s been the pariah of his social circle ever since. Now, he’s trying like hell to change for the better.

Morgan Paulsen loathes Marco. He’s nothing more than the douchebag who broke her best friend Lily’s heart. He’s also the last person in the world she expects to help when she finds herself in a crisis. Her ailing grandma needs a full-time caretaker, something she can’t afford. So when Marco offers to look after Gram for free, Morgan takes it as a sign from the universe and reluctantly accepts under one condition: that they never tell anyone about their arrangement.

But Morgan quickly realizes Marco has a completely different vibe these days. The sweet guy who whips up homemade meals for her Gram and happily escorts her to bridge club definitely isn’t the douchebag she remembers. She’s falling hard for the tall, dark, and handsome hottie who kisses like a demon and rocks out to BTS and Taylor Swift. Marco is equally smitten with beautiful, badass Morgan. Never in his life has he felt so content and comfortable than with her. Never did he think he was capable of feeling so much for somebody.

Soon they’re falling hard into total bliss and blazing passion. But if they make it official, Morgan will lose her best friend forever. Can she come clean to Lily? Can Marco prove that therapy and cutting out his toxic family have really changed him? Or will being open about their love ruin everything?

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Rom Com, Adult, Chick Lit, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 22, 2022

About the author

Sarah Skye is the nom de plume of romance authors Sarah Smith and Skye McDonald. Sarah and Skye met on Twitter as fledgling authors seeking critique partners. That turned into a brilliant friendship, a joint podcast (Quick & Dirty Romance Podcast), and now a novel.

Sarah Smith (Faker; If You Never Come Back; Simmer Down) is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie's stash of romance novels. She's been hooked ever since. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and adorable cat Salem.

Skye McDonald (The Anti-Belle Series) is an author and personal development coach. Skye's Anti-Belle series feature sassy GRITS (Girls Raised In the South) learning to love themselves before they can claim their happily ever after. (Spoiler: they always do!) Her coaching method uses fitness and life skills to teach individuals to do the same. When not writing sexy books or cheering for you to live your best life, Skye can be found out on a new adventure, usually with her pup at her side.

Reviews

[Shealea · Rating 1 out of 5]

First 1-star review for this book. I'm truly honored.

Final impressions:
• This book tried to redeem a humongous asshole of a character (Marco) and failed to do so. But to be fair, I'm not sure how to go about redeeming a toxic, serial cheater and convincing readers that it's a good idea for the main character to fall in love with a guy who hurt and cheated on both her best friends. Or maybe that's just me.
• While I appreciated this book's effort in advocating therapy, I couldn't help but feel that it could've been handled better and more organically. Marco pretty much self-diagnosed himself ("I'm a shitty person because my family is shitty to me") and then sought out a therapist to confirm his suspicions. The whole thing was very in-your-face.
• Morgan is into tarot readings and reiki and chakras - and it really gave me the same vibes as white women who swear by the power of yoga. Very weird energy all around. Especially when Morgan went from "unblocking" Marco's throat chakra to suddenly making out and grinding against him.
• One of Marco's selling points as a love interest is that he likes Taylor Swift and BTS. However, as someone who does enjoy k-pop, I didn't like the backhanded jokes that k-pop fans are all pre-teen girls. Reeked of internalized misogyny and infantilization to me, but okay.
• Overall, very white, very weird, and not memorable at all.

Tl;dr: Not a single lumpia in sight. I can't recommend this.

🌻🍃 More bookish content on Shut up, Shealea 🍃🌻
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[Brittany waggingwithwords · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL the vibes & feels… ahhh my friggin heart 🥺❤️⁣
⁣
Morgan is this kind, thoughtful, resilient woman who truly lives in the moment and trusts her intuition, the stars and universe aligning, and is so in touch with herself and her emotions that it’s truly beautiful. She loves her grandma and her friends fiercely.⁣
⁣
Marco, who we met in Sips & Strokes and needed a swift kick in the arse is growing and becoming this wonderful human. He’s hilarious and loves girl pop. He’s demanding but gentle. His growth as a person in his book was so heart wrenching and raw, it loosened my throat chakras a bit. ⁣
⁣
These two couldn’t be more wrong but more perfect for one another. Can they overcome the fact that old Marco burned Morgans besties and is finally working to be his best self, which is good for Morgan?⁣
⁣
Also, Morgans Gram is the absolute cutest. I love when they throw grandmas in, and her best friends Lily, Harmony and Calder are still wonderful.⁣
⁣
Hoping Harmony gets a book so we get to dive back into the lives of this crew. 👏🏻⁣
⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
All the stars, vibes, feels, and swoon.

[Skye McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

You hated Marco in SIPS & STROKES, Unlikely Pairings Book 1.

You'll fall in love with him before the first half of this book, I promise!

Sarah Skye delivers steamy romance intertwined with an authentic redemption arc which tackles some heavy mental health themes. Avoidant/attached disorder, male toxicity, family dynamics, and therapy to heal old programming make this sophomore effort an important read for discussing emotional wellbeing.

But it's HOTTTTTT too! Marco & Morgan get steamy with a delightful dose of banter along the way.
Grab this frenemies to lovers ASAP.

[Devika Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

This enemies to frenemies to lovers romance was just *chef's kiss*!
It made me so mad to read about Marco's toxic family, and so proud of how he set himself free finally. I admit I found him a total douche when he first appeared in Book 1, but he more than redeemed himself in this novel. Learning to deal with his feelings and willing to work on building a new him/a new life, he showed such kindness, smartness, and snark.
As for Morgan, I loved her sass and her determination, and that she gave him a true chance. I totally understood her dilemma - and yes, I was green with envy when she got to enjoy that stubble and that dirty mouth of his...
What I also really liked about this story were cutie Gram, the mentions of therapy, the glimpses of Calder and the girls from Book 1, and the swoony HEA.

[BG]

Before reading:
A hero who listens to Taylor Swift..damn I want❤️😌

After reading half:
Well I've found out that not even a hero rocking to Taylor can make me like a book.

Also the hero was really being passed around like Pete Davidson through the whole friend group😭

[J.L. Peridot · Rating 5 out of 5]

An utterly heartening enemies-to-lovers redemption romance. I was hooked from start to finish. Fall in love with two amazing characters as they transform into their best selves right there on the page.

[lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this???? why do i vaguely remember something about a love triangle…or a betrayal 👀

[Kay Leyda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to the author and Booksprout for this ARC!

I was worried that not having read the first book in the series might hinder me from understanding everything going on, but that was not the case at all! I loved this premise too much to resist snagging this ARC. If you love enemies to lovers, spicy goodness, damaged bad boys working on self improvement, and wholesome endings, this book is for you!! Excellent therapy and mental health rep :D Steamy and a little kinky, fyi.

Last year Marco blew up his life in a spectacular way. Now he's finally cut off his toxic af family, is in therapy and trying to become a better person, and stumbling along as best he can. When he runs into his ex fiance's best friend who's broken down on the side of the road on her way to check on her sick grandma, Marco decides its the least he can do to give her a lift. Which spirals into him offering to be her grandma's live in caretaker for a few weeks so Morgan doesn't have to give up her modeling job that she loves.

Can Marco get his act together and become a good guy? Can these two enemies resist the heat burning between them? Can Morgan justify falling for her best friend's ex, after everything he did? Will her friends ever accept their relationship or is it doomed from the start?

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. My review is honest and contains my own opinions and reactions upon reading the book.

Vibes & Feels is a fun, quick read that flew by in what feels like two seconds. From the start, I was hooked into the story and easily fell in love with the characters. Morgan and Marco are absolutely a match made in heaven, and their undeniable chemistry builds quickly and ferociously. Morgan’s grandma is a lovely soul, and Morgan’s friends are genuine and caring. Every character is a wonderful addition to the story and each adds their own value throughout the chapters.

I don’t want to spoil the story, but let’s just say Marco is dreamy and it’s a no brainer that Morgan is doomed to become entangled with him at some point… or is she? You’ll just have to find out!

Vibes & Feels is a great romance book for anyone interested in a fiery and hot read. I loved this book, and look forward to reading more by this author in the future.

[Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it !!! love Marco... the new Marco !! love Morgan... this is their story... a fast paced rom/com drama...once upon a time Marco blew up his life and crashed so hard... he lost everything... his fiancee, his job, his friends... and his nose... now, with therapy ... he lost his toxic family and is building his life better than ever... Morgan is just trying to make ends meet... sure she's a model but, she has a broken down car and a gram that needs help... help that she doesn't have enough money to pay for... so , when Marco offers to help out for a few weeks... she can't turn him down... what happens when she and he fall... and fall they do...

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lana (Bibliomedico) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been alongggggg time since I've enjoyed a romance novel like this !!!!
I loved how imperfect the hero was !!!!
Honestly , loved everything about this book .

[dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

IM CRYING

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"And once you’re awake to life, to the universe, you don’t get to go back to sleep."

Meu Jesus amado, AMEI. Da página 1 eu já me senti arrastada pra história, O Marco foi um personagem muito interessante de acompanhar e confesso que eu torcia o livro inteiro por ele, e as cenas do karaoke kkkkkk Marco conhecendo todas as músicas das divas do pop, maravilhoso. A Morgan e ele era aquele casal improvável que não tinha nada pra da certo, mas que deram mais que certo. Amei que o livro mostrou que mesmo uma pessoa horrível, pode sim tentar melhorar e que o caminho não é fácil, mas é possível. Enfim, livro maravilhoso, com uma escrita maravilhosa, não tive do que reclamar. 10/10

[Mary L H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vibes & Feels by Sarah Skye takes Marco and Morgan on an emotional roller coaster and lives up to its title. You definitely get vibes and major feels!

Marco and Morgan are both the product of dysfunctional families. Morgan's best friends, Lily and Harmony, are Marco's exes. To say the relationships ended badly is an understatement.

Marco's life is spinning out of control, and he decides to change his life for the better by cutting ties with his toxic family and starting therapy.

Marco finds himself in Morgan's sphere after he assists when her grandmother Nina has a diabetic medical emergency. Morgan's grandmother is her touchstone, and she takes care of her. Marco lost his grandmother when he was 12 and saw her as the only one who truly loved him.

Morgan is shocked when Marco volunteers to provide care for Nina after she comes home from the hospital. Nina sees the good in Marco, and he is supported by her faith in him.

Morgan's feelings about Marco change and blossom, and their relationship is combustible! Morgan wants to be with Marco but is afraid she will lose her best friends if they find out.

Marco develops so much throughout the book. He loves Morgan but wants her to be happy and can't let her lose her friends because of him. You will just want to grab Marco and hold him tight!

This is the second book in the author's Unlikely Pairings series, but it does stand alone. I really enjoyed this well-written book and can truly recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stephanie Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a reformed bad boy! It's enemies to lovers in the best way--he likes her and she can't stand him (my fave). Marco and Morgan's worlds keep colliding, the chemistry is there, and eventually they can't keep their hands off each other! I love that Marco is trying to be better and goes to therapy.

And the spicy scenes...*starts sweating* Marco is bossy and dominant and it WORKS. There's a shower scene, there's a BLINDFOLD SCENE... Did I mention he likes Taylor Swift?

Marco is my newest book boyfriend :)

[Arzum · Rating 5 out of 5]

obsessed

[Renée Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often wonder how authors will make us fall for unlikeable characters. Some do it flawlessly, and that was the case in this book. I went in thinking I would hate the male lead, Marco, but ended up loving him. He is looking to self-improvement, he is looking to redeem himself, and he is taking his mental health seriously, which I found admirable. I was expecting an overly messy romance considering the history he had with Morgan's friends, but I found myself really enjoying their interactions. I wanted them to get together and I was really rooting for their journey to have a HEA. I liked the side characters in the story as well, especially the grandmother. I will definitely read more from this writing duo.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Émi (Slavic Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I consumed this book in less than 24 hours, but I've come to realise most of my enjoyment might stem from me simply being in the mood for a romance read. My subsequent rating reflects my conflicting thoughts on the book alongside my slightly blindsided enjoyment.

I haven't read the first book in the series or anything by either of the authors before, this seemed like my cup of tea though. Enemies to lovers? Hot bedroom talk? Yes please. Initially, I had found it through a post Instagram recommended me or other. So I'm not really aware of anyone else who might have read these books etc.

This book deals with a lot of heavier topics. Theraphy, depression, toxic relationships, cheating, growth, health. It deals with some better than others. I liked the strong themes of forgiveness and growth, but agree with other reviews that Marco's therapy sessions were a tad rushed. He really does seem to self-diagnose himself straight away, and become a changed person without the proper progress. Very suddenly, without proper build-up. Although the topics discussed during his sessions were informative, I still can't help but think they could have been slower paced.

I'm glad they skipped some evil character tropes that are the usual cliches when dealing with certain situations. Obviously I had no deeper context about Lily and her story, as I haven't read her book prior to reading this. So I didn't really see firsthand what Marco was like before - only from snippets characters would remember and discuss.

Although I had minor issues along the way, I was enjoying the book at a 4 star level even... Right until the end. Specifically the epilogue and the acknowledgements. I don't know what I was expecting, but the epilogue was the single most white hetero thing I've ever read. And that's coming from a white hetero girl! I felt like it completely missed the mark. It was the most basic, boring tradition ever. Then once that was over, and I skimmed the acknowledgements and saw the Insta and Tiktok influencer the male lead was modelled after supported NFTs... I don't know guys. I have my limits too. And I gotta draw the line somewhere?

If the last 10% of the book didn't exist, it'd be an easy 4 stars just based on enjoyment. But as it is, I can't rate it higher than what I did. Another reader might be able to look past certain issues, but I personally don't think I can.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost ,he likes bts and danced to butter!! I would do anything for a partner like that lmao, i hated Marco
in the first book tbh,but the thought of him realizing and owning up to his mistakes rather than just blaming it entirely on his fucked up childhood is character ,it takes a lot of courage for people to grow, come clean about everything, show vulnerability and apologize to the other person wholeheartedly and altruistically ,a lot of people apologize just so that they can feel less accountable or guilty ,its more about themselves rather than the person they "apologize" to ,Morgan is understanding and you can tell how she's a benevolent person ,she's a woman who knows what she wants and she would protect everyone she loves fiercely and again, a selfless woman, the book isn't too childish about 2 enemies and there isn't any unnecessary descriptions of how hot the characters look , love how they don't lose the banter and teasing after confessing
overall a 4.5/5

[Love2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the overall message in this book. The storyline was engaging and easy to follow and enjoy. The characters are all relatable as well as likeable. You will thoroughly enjoy this one!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[susana ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO SO SO MUCH. I GENUINELY THINK IT WAS PERFECT.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you goodreads for the book :)

This was an easy and fun read! Marco completely redeems himself and his chemistry with Morgan was a wonderful surprise. I’m excited to see what is in Harmony’s future.

[Giofab21 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever someone needed a do over or second (well maybe third) chance it's Marco. Maybe I wasn't supposed to like him (like the women in his past) but I just couldn't help it. Standing up to his toxic family, accepting his past mistakes and really trying to help both Morgan and her grandmother through a tough time doesn't hurt. He's sexy yet broken, but not unredeemable. Morgan needs a win, but also finds herself in an extremely ungirl-code situation. I thought they both were relatable and you want it work and not mess up their lives and friendships. Fun and almost forbidden, a great combo!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tracy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vibes & Feels
Sarah Skye
Morgan and Marco are such relatable characters. They have fire and grit, they were wonderfully written. The story is good, Marco makes a huge mistake at his wedding rehearsal dinner, leaving him injured, jobless and without a fiance. Morgan is best friends with his ex. He helps her out with her grandma and things start to change from enemies to lovers. Great book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Manisha Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a definitely must read. This book is a pace-turner the characters Morgan and Marco have a love-hate relationship but the more they be around each other the harder they Fall this book is a sweet story with a happy ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Léanne Blaize · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guy who goes to therapy, talks about his feeling, is confident and listens to Taylor Swift! I’m sold 😍. Marco and Morgan are the real otp 😌

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

This was unpleasant at times, the discussion of good vs bad in such stark terms when referring to a person. Also, any book that features a gender reveal party automatically loses a star.

[A.E. Bross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would have been five out of five stars, hell it would have been ten out of five stars, if I were reviewing solely on every single chapter up until the epilogue chapters. But I'm not. I'm reviewing the whole book.

So first, the good.

This book appealed to me on a number of different levels. First and foremost was that I love a redemption arc. I really do. I think they have the most room for a deep dive into character development, and the author did not disappoint. There was care given to taking Marco, the villain (for lack of a better term) of Sips & Strokes and showing a true want to improve himself, and for no other reason than he doesn't want to be a horrible person. Throughout the book we seem him grow and learn, go to therapy, learn that emotions aren't horrible weaknesses, and is a joy to watch him genuinely strive for change.

Another high point of this book, probably my favorite part, was that the two MCs weren't hot and bothered for each other right off the bat. It felt genuine, and the development of feelings, both mental and physical, took its time. It sometimes feels that romances are filled with people who are incapable of thinking past sexual desires, and while that can be awesome sometimes, it also gets pretty tiring pretty quickly. This was natural. Not even slow-build, because once the embers caught fire, it was roaring, but just natural. Realistic. That's it.

I adored this story all the way up until the epilogue. This contains spoilers, no two ways about it. The vaguest way I can put it is that it contained heteronormative and gender binary reinforcing activities that quickly deflated my enthusiasm for the story. Hiding the rest behind spoiler tags.

I'm not going to go into a big long spiel, but it's 2022. We look around the world and see how much damage is done, often to children, when it comes to gender and society's expectation of what that means. So when I saw that the epilogue involved a full on gender-reveal party, my love of this book just absolutely deflated. Places where I had seen parts of myself or my friends absolutely vanished. Watching people get so excited about what sexual organs an unborn child may or may not have just hit me so hard in the feels, in the worst way. I get that everyone doesn't feel this way, that reinforcing gender norm building activities seems like a small thing, but the visceral effect it had just... there were times I cried in this book because I was feeling with the characters and the storytelling was that good. This time, I got teary because it destabilized the sense of belonging or identification I had with the story and it's characters.

I know the authors of this book meant nothing by this. They're good people, but it just hit me sideways. I loved every other aspect of this book, to a point where I was relieved because I hadn't enjoyed a book like this in such a long time (thanks, anxiety reading slump) and it just... stung, I guess.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Vibes and Feels' is a writing masterclass in demonstrating a male character undertaking the hard work to become a better person.

Marco is a man whose lifetime of poor behaviour modelled, from his parent's toxic relationship, has finally had to deal with the consequences (which, from my understanding are in 'Sips and Strokes' which I hadn't read but I dont' feel I missed out on anything much). I absolutely loved his journey to sort out his issues and redeem himself. How he works with his therapist to recognise his patterns and change them. I really enjoyed those therapy scenes, especially as his relationship with Morgan develops as they go from emnity to friends to lovers and how that impacts on him.

I adored the slow burn between him and Morgan (the best friend of his ex). Not to mention the steam between them both was utterly believable. Woah!

So many times I read books where the male character is too much of an alphahole or just a plain arsehole. Yet by the end of the book when the female characer takes him back he's done very little work on improving himself. Let alone grovelled properly.

This book renewed my faith in good writing about overcoming one's shit to be better.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can He Prove Himself ? . . .

Marco Woodruff had made a fool of himself at his wedding, ending up with a broken nose and no marriage. Through therapy and dumping his toxic family, he has changed and wants to do the right thing.

Morgan Paulsen, best friend of Marco’s ex-fiancee, hates him for how he treated Lily. But when her grandma needs a full-time caretaker, which Morgan cannot afford, she is stunned when Marco offers to care for her for free. He does a good job too, cooking for her and taking her to visit her friends. Morgan might actually be falling for the guy! And Marco seems interested in Morgan. He feels accepted by her. But Morgan realizes that falling for Lily’s ex-fiance could destroy their friendship. Should she tell Lily what is going on? Or will she have to break it off with Marco instead?