Never say Never by Harlow James

Never say Never by Harlow James
The Ladies Who Brunch #1
Contemporary Romance
Audiobook Release: January 15, 2024

SYNOPSIS:

“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

When those words left the lips of Damien Shaw, my childhood nemesis, I should have told him to kick rocks right then and there.

But sadly, his scheme to impress his boss left me with something to gain from it too—getting my meddling mother, who was obsessed with my love life, off my back just in time for my parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary celebration in Hawaii.

You see, Damien and I grew up together, but we weren’t friends. No—we were rivals.

And when we both moved out to California to go to different colleges, we promised never to think of each other again.

It had been twelve years since we had been face to face, but when he kept popping up everywhere, I should have known that trouble would follow.

And sure enough, during a lunch with my parents he told them we were dating.
I was hellbent on exposing him, but then my mother’s reaction made it hard to say no. So, I ended up fake dating my enemy while trying desperately not to fall for him.

My gut told me to keep my distance. But my heart? That bastard was falling for the man with every sweet gesture he made and every orgasm he gave me.

But when the reason for our rivalry and our fake relationship comes to light, everyone and everything explodes, leaving one hell of a mess to clean up.

I never thought I’d fall for Damien Shaw. I never thought my enemy could force me to figure out my life. But you know what they say—never say never.

Audible: https://adbl.co/3SfP6rh
Amazon Audio: https://amzn.to/420PDRd

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Never Say Never by Harlow James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

🎧🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧🎧

OVERALL REVIEW & RATING: 5 STARS

👏👏👏round of applause for Harlow James👏👏👏

FANTASTIC story! This was more than just a romance journey and the message woven thru that journey was incredibly well layered!

PERFORMANCE REVIEW & RATING: 5 STARS

I have nothing but MAD PROPS to cheer about Teddy Hamilton & Samantha Brentmoor’s performance. They did an outstanding job bring the characters and their story to life! WELL DONE!

STORY REVIEW & RATING: 4.5 STARS

I really love this author’s style! Okay, I shouldn’t really say that just yet since this is my first experience with her words, but she impressed me. She made an over-done (aren’t they all at this point lol) trope and gave it just enough of a twist to make it interesting >>> Childhood nemesis both coming full circle to need each other in a scheme (fake relationship but not really *wink*) to appease one or both of their toxic parents. They both needed each other for the exact same reason. I found that tiny twist rather fresh and innovating. It made this next part even more interesting … both MCs having toxic pasts that define their today. Until it didn’t!!

I loved that the author also wove into the narrative that the toxicity wasn’t just aimed at the MCs. I feel I can just say this next part without holding back because this book was released almost 2 years ago. She made sure to write into the story a small plot-point in regard to Damien’s mom leaving his father. It was well placed in the story, and it took just enough space to have an impact because in my eyes, it was another FU to the toxicity. I also really liked that both the MCs had toxic baggage they were carrying, not just one or the other. Again, it added just the right amount of twist and ingenuity to a story that has been told over and over again. I loved that Charlotte had a group of “found family” to rely on and support her.

Everything about this story felt real and organic to me. None of the circumstances came across as forced or even underdeveloped. The relationship building was well paced, and I was honestly hooked from the very beginning.

I am ridiculously excited to get my hands on even more audiobooks by this author and in the meantime, I’ll start to devour her words with my eyes!

ALC provided by The Author Agency PR
View all my reviews

If you like:
Childhood enemies to lovers ✅️
Fake relationship ✅
Romantic comedies ✅
Hilarious gal pals ✅
Strong female friendships ✅
And PLENTY of STEAM 🔥
Then this book is for you!

MEET THE AUTHOR: Harlow James is a wife and mom who fell in love with romance novels, so she decided to write her own.

Her books are the perfect blend of heartwarming, addictive, and steamy romance. If you love stories with a guaranteed Happily Ever After, then Harlow is your new best friend.

When she’s not writing, she can be found working her day job, reading every romance novel she can find time for, laughing with her husband and kids, watching re-runs of FRIENDS, and spending time cooking for her friends and family while drinking tequila shots or a blended margarita.