What do you think?
Rate this book
Hate Me Like You Care
This small-town country girl isn’t innocent, but she’s never known a man like Becks before.
BECKS
I was innocent.
Or as innocent as a bystander on the wrong side of the law can be. But when the victim is the son of the Mayor and the Chief of Police in a small Kansas town—innocence becomes a technicality.
I paid the price, and at twenty-five, I’ve remained in Ellbury as a promise to the brother who never abandoned me, but trouble stays close.
When the law catches up, an unlikely benefactor offers me a deal: free labor in exchange for staying out from behind bars.
The problem? My benefactor is a father figure to the victim of our crime. And he has a daughter who won’t stay out of my mind.
RANDI
I was eleven when Becks Jacoby was an accomplice in the attack on my brother’s best friend. Now he’s working on my family’s ranch, and he’s crass and grumpy and every country girl’s fantasy.
It’s been nine years,
I hate everything he did to my family.
I hate everything he did to Lincoln.
But the longer he’s around, the less I hate HIM.
A standalone spin-off of the Backroads Duet, this small-town romance is perfect for fans of stories with enemies-to-lovers, alpha heroes, and slow burn. Buckle up, Hate Me Like You Care is one wild ride.
BECKS
I was innocent.
Or as innocent as a bystander on the wrong side of the law can be. But when the victim is the son of the Mayor and the Chief of Police in a small Kansas town—innocence becomes a technicality.
I paid the price, and at twenty-five, I’ve remained in Ellbury as a promise to the brother who never abandoned me, but trouble stays close.
When the law catches up, an unlikely benefactor offers me a deal: free labor in exchange for staying out from behind bars.
The problem? My benefactor is a father figure to the victim of our crime. And he has a daughter who won’t stay out of my mind.
RANDI
I was eleven when Becks Jacoby was an accomplice in the attack on my brother’s best friend. Now he’s working on my family’s ranch, and he’s crass and grumpy and every country girl’s fantasy.
It’s been nine years,
I hate everything he did to my family.
I hate everything he did to Lincoln.
But the longer he’s around, the less I hate HIM.
A standalone spin-off of the Backroads Duet, this small-town romance is perfect for fans of stories with enemies-to-lovers, alpha heroes, and slow burn. Buckle up, Hate Me Like You Care is one wild ride.
- GenresEnemies To Lovers
Unknown Binding
Published June 1, 2023
11 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Mindy Michele
15 books105 followersPen name of Mindy Hayes and Michele G.
Miller
Hi! Mindy Michele is the co-writing duo of sweet romances with low to medium heat, such as the Paper Planes Series, the Seaside Pointe novels, and The Archer and His Rosebud.
We’re pretty awesome! We like singing in the car, eating white cheddar popcorn, and going on road trips together. You’ll find us sharing a table at a few book signings each year. We have a love of romance, New York, anything sweet, and great books.
To find out more you can hunt us down on social media. We’re all over the place!
AMAZON: http://bit.ly/MindyMichele_Amz
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mindymichele...
IG: https://instagram.com/mindymichelebooks
FB READER GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindy...
TT⏰: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindymicheleb...
Sign up for our newsletter here: http://bit.ly/MGMNews
Looking for any content warnings on our titles? Find them here: https://michelegmillerbooks.squarespa...
Miller
Hi! Mindy Michele is the co-writing duo of sweet romances with low to medium heat, such as the Paper Planes Series, the Seaside Pointe novels, and The Archer and His Rosebud.
We’re pretty awesome! We like singing in the car, eating white cheddar popcorn, and going on road trips together. You’ll find us sharing a table at a few book signings each year. We have a love of romance, New York, anything sweet, and great books.
To find out more you can hunt us down on social media. We’re all over the place!
AMAZON: http://bit.ly/MindyMichele_Amz
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mindymichele...
IG: https://instagram.com/mindymichelebooks
FB READER GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindy...
TT⏰: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindymicheleb...
Sign up for our newsletter here: http://bit.ly/MGMNews
Looking for any content warnings on our titles? Find them here: https://michelegmillerbooks.squarespa...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 9, 2023
Sweet & steamy enemies to lovers story. MindyMichele has done it again! A stand-alone story with references to the Backroads Duet series, Mindy & Michele give us more characters to love, update us on our already beloved, and a glimpse of possible stories yet to be.
I’m sorry, I’m not very good with reviews as I’m always afraid I’ll give spoilers but the bottom line is if you have loved their work, you will love this one as well. If you haven’t tried them out yet, do yourself a favor a check out this and their other stories. You won’t be disappointed 😁
I’m sorry, I’m not very good with reviews as I’m always afraid I’ll give spoilers but the bottom line is if you have loved their work, you will love this one as well. If you haven’t tried them out yet, do yourself a favor a check out this and their other stories. You won’t be disappointed 😁
May 6, 2023
Fast forward 5 years since the last backroads book. You meet and fall in love with a couple from different sides with a cute little boy in the mix. What starts out as anger and hate for something he did do turns into friendship with passion bubbling underneath. Not knowing what others may think start what they think is a secret relationship. Mix in a crazy family and thing that are out of their control. You have an amazing story that keeps you wondering right to the end. What the best thing is you bump into something friends from the past. Definitely recommend reading the other two backroads books first. Mindy Michele, you have definitely smashed out of the park again.
May 15, 2023
Mindy Michele know how to steal a readers attention. I couldn’t put this book down. The banter between Randi and Becks is awesome. The slow burn is insatiable. The return of some characters is *chefs kiss*. All in all this book will be in my mind for a long time. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun easy read with great characters, amazing writing and a good love story to boot.
May 19, 2023
This books gave me all the feels while still keeping it classy. I fell in love with Becks and Randi and didn’t want their story to end. I can’t wait see them in future books about the Goss family.
December 30, 2023
I have a crush on Becks, wow. I loved this book from the first page. Their chemistry and banter were top notch! I adored all of the characters, the family and ranch aspects. My *only* thing I wish was different would be for the spice to be more drawn out. Especially after all of that extreme tension between them. However I adored their romance so much!
August 1, 2023
Good story with interesting characters and sweet kid
I loved it. It was well written and has pretty interesting plot that makes you hard to stop reading it. I loved how relationship between main characters progressed. I’m not a big fun of “enemies to lovers”, and here it was truly from hate to love, but it still was interesting to follow their interactions and see how fmc changed her mind about mmc. At times fmc’s hate felt too much but it didn’t bother me. I also loved that despite their fears and pasts, main characters still tried to figure out their things. I was honestly afraid of third act breakup, because there were reasons and I would understand it, but no breakups, and I was very happy. Characters supported each other and cared about each other.
What I loved maybe even more than relationship between main characters is the relationship between mmc and fmc’s 3 years old kid. Well, Cash is the sweetest child, it’s hard to not love him. But reading about their relationship, how MMC warmed up to him, how he cared and loved him, that was…🥹🥰
There were still some moments that got me confused. I was very disgusted with fmc’s ex, so some of his interactions with fmc were hard for me. Some times all this stuff with the crew felt too much. Even though this is considered as a standalone book, it still connected with other authors’ books, so it was a little bit hard to follow all the side characters at the beginning.
At the end, I was extremely happy that Becks, Randi and Cash could find their happy ending, but I need more of this sweet trio🥹🥰
I loved it. It was well written and has pretty interesting plot that makes you hard to stop reading it. I loved how relationship between main characters progressed. I’m not a big fun of “enemies to lovers”, and here it was truly from hate to love, but it still was interesting to follow their interactions and see how fmc changed her mind about mmc. At times fmc’s hate felt too much but it didn’t bother me. I also loved that despite their fears and pasts, main characters still tried to figure out their things. I was honestly afraid of third act breakup, because there were reasons and I would understand it, but no breakups, and I was very happy. Characters supported each other and cared about each other.
What I loved maybe even more than relationship between main characters is the relationship between mmc and fmc’s 3 years old kid. Well, Cash is the sweetest child, it’s hard to not love him. But reading about their relationship, how MMC warmed up to him, how he cared and loved him, that was…🥹🥰
There were still some moments that got me confused. I was very disgusted with fmc’s ex, so some of his interactions with fmc were hard for me. Some times all this stuff with the crew felt too much. Even though this is considered as a standalone book, it still connected with other authors’ books, so it was a little bit hard to follow all the side characters at the beginning.
At the end, I was extremely happy that Becks, Randi and Cash could find their happy ending, but I need more of this sweet trio🥹🥰
May 9, 2023
What an emotional rollercoaster of a five-star read. This will just have you on the edge of your emotions every page you read, I was just so sucked into the story I called off lunch with friends so I could stay home and read, as I needed to know what was going to happen with Becks. He seems so clear to understand when you first meet him, and know his history, but then as you get to really know him, you get what is under the surface and really understand him and his passions, we all deserve a second chance and sometimes, they come in the most unusual circumstances. Randi is such a perfect match for Becks, they may not be on paper, but when you scratch the surface on them both, you realise they both have a passion for what they believe and a certain little hunk who just warms everything in the sweetest way. This is a spin off from the backroads duet, and I have read and loved them, but you don’t have to worry if you haven’t read them, as the main characters do pop up, and some instances are referenced, but not to the point that you would feel lost. These authors just create stories and characters that you can not help but feel a passion for and also, fall in love with as you read each page.
June 1, 2023
Ain’t Nothing Like a Swoony Cowboy
If you’re a fan of the Backroads Series and Mindy Michele Books, you won’t be disappointed in this gem. With more heat, not raunchy, we explore the relationship between two characters we’ve read about in passing, Ridley’s little sister and Zane’s little brother. These two folks live in the same small town but live in different worlds.
Those worlds collide again when Becks crashes into the property of the Goss’ ranch. Becks must make a choice between working off the debt of damages or face going back to jail. He makes the decision to work off his debt, changing the course of his life. Because his family’s reputation is widespread the eldest Goss daughter isn’t happy with his arrival. But she can’t help feeling a growing attraction to the new cowboy.
I loved this heartfelt romance story of a hard working woman and a man who is ready to change his ways. No bad language and a little bit more spice, no explicit scenes. I would say two peppers out five peppers. Does that make sense lol! Excited for the next Backroads Book!!
If you’re a fan of the Backroads Series and Mindy Michele Books, you won’t be disappointed in this gem. With more heat, not raunchy, we explore the relationship between two characters we’ve read about in passing, Ridley’s little sister and Zane’s little brother. These two folks live in the same small town but live in different worlds.
Those worlds collide again when Becks crashes into the property of the Goss’ ranch. Becks must make a choice between working off the debt of damages or face going back to jail. He makes the decision to work off his debt, changing the course of his life. Because his family’s reputation is widespread the eldest Goss daughter isn’t happy with his arrival. But she can’t help feeling a growing attraction to the new cowboy.
I loved this heartfelt romance story of a hard working woman and a man who is ready to change his ways. No bad language and a little bit more spice, no explicit scenes. I would say two peppers out five peppers. Does that make sense lol! Excited for the next Backroads Book!!
June 27, 2023
“𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙞 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬. 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮. 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡.”
tropes:
– small town romance
– enemies to lovers
– close proximity
– brother’s enemy
– who did this to you?
hate me like you care follows randi and becks who the more time they spend together, the less she seems to hate him..
i am obsessed with this book! we first meet randi in a backroads duet and since then i knew she needed her own book. here we get to see her as a strong, independent, hardworking woman (plus a trope you all love 🤭) and becks, what can i say about my man.. he’s tall, dark, and handsome! the banter between these two was everything, i loved seeing how they both became each other’s soulmate, and don’t get me started on his relationship with — it was the sweetest 🥹
i don’t want to say much, but go add this book to your tbr! i was captivated since the beginning, not only by the story, but the writing as well!
“𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
tropes:
– small town romance
– enemies to lovers
– close proximity
– brother’s enemy
– who did this to you?
hate me like you care follows randi and becks who the more time they spend together, the less she seems to hate him..
i am obsessed with this book! we first meet randi in a backroads duet and since then i knew she needed her own book. here we get to see her as a strong, independent, hardworking woman (plus a trope you all love 🤭) and becks, what can i say about my man.. he’s tall, dark, and handsome! the banter between these two was everything, i loved seeing how they both became each other’s soulmate, and don’t get me started on his relationship with — it was the sweetest 🥹
i don’t want to say much, but go add this book to your tbr! i was captivated since the beginning, not only by the story, but the writing as well!
“𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”
July 27, 2023
I love a good redemption story, and this was a great redemption story! Becks, a troubled young man who carries a lot of guilt by association, gets a chance to come clean by working for the man whose son's best friend was nearly killed by his brother. While on the ranch, he comes across the rancher's daughter, Randi, who is equally infuriated and attracted to Becks. Add in the cutest little 3 year old who instantly accepts Becks, and you have the makings of a captivating, swoon-worthy, and satisfying redemption story.
This is a stand-alone, although this story features minor characters from a previous series, The Backroads Duet. You don't need to have read the 2 Backroads Duet novels to understand this one, but reading the Duet does make certain aspects of this one more full. All that to say, read them all! I absolutely love The Backroads Duet, so you should give that series a try, too. Happy reading!
This is a stand-alone, although this story features minor characters from a previous series, The Backroads Duet. You don't need to have read the 2 Backroads Duet novels to understand this one, but reading the Duet does make certain aspects of this one more full. All that to say, read them all! I absolutely love The Backroads Duet, so you should give that series a try, too. Happy reading!
May 25, 2023
Finally!!! I have been waiting for more of the Backroads series and this book exceeded my expectations!! This is the story of Ridley's sister, Randi and Becks who's brother was involved with Linc. This story is an enemies to lovers story and the banter between the two characters is hilarious. The characters is this story are everything, from Randi's family who reach out to Becks when he most needs it to Beck's group of friends who know the predicament he is in. Also, can we talk about the chemistry between Randi and Becks? I read a lot of romance and it's easy to write lust, but chemistry takes effort, the slow burn is much more satisfying. Will the rebel get redemption, will Randi run away or towards her heart? Not going to give anything away, but trust me you want to read this book. Well done ladies!!!!
Read
June 9, 2023Becks grew up with crime and no love, but he is given an unexpected second chance at the Goss ranch. Randi hates him being there because of what his brother did, but somewhere along the way the lines blur from hate into hate to love into just love. Becks has to figure out how to free himself from the chains that his last name binds him with and Randi has to learn to let go. They “shouldn’t work” because of who they are, but they meld together so well and find their own happiness and self betterment. I loved getting to read more from the backroads duet world, but I would really like to know more about Zane so hopefully we get more
May 31, 2023
One thing I adore about the authors’ books is the they are all connected together in some way. So one of the cool parts is you can get a little snippet of characters you know and love and get to watch the stories weave together. It is truly fabulous world building.
This story takes us back to the farm where the farmer’s daughter and one of the local “bad boys” work so hard to resist their feeling that develop between them. But of course small town drama where everyone knows your name and who your family is makes for a fabulous read.
This story takes us back to the farm where the farmer’s daughter and one of the local “bad boys” work so hard to resist their feeling that develop between them. But of course small town drama where everyone knows your name and who your family is makes for a fabulous read.
Read
June 9, 2023DNF@17%.
Not badly written but Randi got on my nerves:
- she hated Becks for no real reason.
- it annoyed me when she started doing exercise/playing loud music early in the morning where Becks is temporarily staying. she is invading his personal space which she feels entitled to which is fine if she owned the place but it’s her parents ranch/properties where I’m guessing she lives rent free too.
- I know this is all meant to be slow burn banter which will turn to love but no point of sticking around if I don’t like the h.
Not badly written but Randi got on my nerves:
- she hated Becks for no real reason.
- it annoyed me when she started doing exercise/playing loud music early in the morning where Becks is temporarily staying. she is invading his personal space which she feels entitled to which is fine if she owned the place but it’s her parents ranch/properties where I’m guessing she lives rent free too.
- I know this is all meant to be slow burn banter which will turn to love but no point of sticking around if I don’t like the h.
June 3, 2023
Captivating!
Holy cow! I could not put this book down and the more I read the more I fell in love with Becks! A rebel with a soft heart, makes any girl swoon. These authors kept you guessing in the right ways and made this story one I'll read over and over again.
Holy cow! I could not put this book down and the more I read the more I fell in love with Becks! A rebel with a soft heart, makes any girl swoon. These authors kept you guessing in the right ways and made this story one I'll read over and over again.
Read
June 8, 2023It's LIVE!
Read
November 8, 2023DNF
May 17, 2024
4.25 💫
May 23, 2023
‘Hate Me Like You Care’ takes us back to our beloved little southern town of Ellbury; the backroads duet was my first adventure with Mindy and Michele, so I was VERY excited to delve back into this world!!
Randi, oh beautiful, stubborn, feisty Randi. She is one of Ridley’s younger sisters who is now all grown up and 21. She’s stunning, strong minded, a hard worker, cheeky in the good sense and in no way a pushover.
Becks is Zane’s lanky, quiet younger brother that appears in ‘Love in C Minor’… yet he’s no longer resembling the lanky teen and in fact a gorgeous 25 year old tall, dark, dreamy, TATTOOED 🥵 bad boy (or is he 😜) … and yeah, I love him… like a lot…
Becks and Randi are matched in stubbornness and in passion; their story is definitely one of self-discovery, forgiveness and a heck of a lot of love. It’s a slow burner but Mindy and Michele have upped the 🌶️🔥🌶️🔥 factor and it’s so worth it!
I absolutely LOVED seeing some familiar faces too!!!! 🤩
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading their story.
I say it every time, but Mindy and Michele really do know how to pull on your heart strings and make you fall in love with their characters and the worlds they’re based in.
Thank you for yet another beautiful masterpiece ladies! 🫶🏼 and I deffo can’t wait for Remy’s story!! … and maybe a story about Zane 👀
Randi, oh beautiful, stubborn, feisty Randi. She is one of Ridley’s younger sisters who is now all grown up and 21. She’s stunning, strong minded, a hard worker, cheeky in the good sense and in no way a pushover.
Becks is Zane’s lanky, quiet younger brother that appears in ‘Love in C Minor’… yet he’s no longer resembling the lanky teen and in fact a gorgeous 25 year old tall, dark, dreamy, TATTOOED 🥵 bad boy (or is he 😜) … and yeah, I love him… like a lot…
Becks and Randi are matched in stubbornness and in passion; their story is definitely one of self-discovery, forgiveness and a heck of a lot of love. It’s a slow burner but Mindy and Michele have upped the 🌶️🔥🌶️🔥 factor and it’s so worth it!
I absolutely LOVED seeing some familiar faces too!!!! 🤩
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading their story.
I say it every time, but Mindy and Michele really do know how to pull on your heart strings and make you fall in love with their characters and the worlds they’re based in.
Thank you for yet another beautiful masterpiece ladies! 🫶🏼 and I deffo can’t wait for Remy’s story!! … and maybe a story about Zane 👀
June 2, 2023
4.5☆
I loved this. I could not put it down. It sucked me in from the first page.
Randi’s such a refreshing FMC. She’s strong, fierce and is not adverse to pitting Becks in his place. She deserves the world.
Becks has me in a chokehold. This man is confident, the perfect amount of cocky and I was LIVING for it. He was so protective of his own and they had him wrapped around their fingers day one. I knew he’d be a softie and I am a sucker for a teddy bear, bad boy.
I was a bit weary going into it because I didn’t read the Backroads Duet before this and didn’t know whether I’d be confused while reading this one but I was happy to find that it wasn’t confusing. More so, it made me want to go read the Backroads Duet because it left me curious about Ridley and Reagan. I will be reading those soon.
Thank you to the authors for the ARC. 🤎
I loved this. I could not put it down. It sucked me in from the first page.
Randi’s such a refreshing FMC. She’s strong, fierce and is not adverse to pitting Becks in his place. She deserves the world.
Becks has me in a chokehold. This man is confident, the perfect amount of cocky and I was LIVING for it. He was so protective of his own and they had him wrapped around their fingers day one. I knew he’d be a softie and I am a sucker for a teddy bear, bad boy.
I was a bit weary going into it because I didn’t read the Backroads Duet before this and didn’t know whether I’d be confused while reading this one but I was happy to find that it wasn’t confusing. More so, it made me want to go read the Backroads Duet because it left me curious about Ridley and Reagan. I will be reading those soon.
Thank you to the authors for the ARC. 🤎
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews