*ੈ✩‧₊˚ How bad would it be to fall for my enemy whose heart was as cold as ice and would never thaw for me? *ೃ༄

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ𐀔 βօօҟͲąցʂ 𓍯𓂃

➽ Enemies to lovers ➽ Marriage of convenience ➽ “She’s my WIFE” moments ➽ feral “Who hurt you” scene ➽ MMC incapable of love ➽ Insta-lust ➽ Fated mates

The book had a lot of promise. I really enjoyed the beginning—but then it slid downhill fast and became dreadfully boring.

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕀𝕤 𝔸𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥: ℕ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕪 𝔼𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ᯓ★

The premise grabbed me. Aella and Darrow are from rival kingdoms—actually, at war. When she’s forced to ask him for a favor, he demands her hand in marriage as payment. But they’re sworn enemies, with blood on both sides of the family. They keep the marriage a secret, leaving Aella torn between aiding her uncle’s war against Darrow’s people and secretly helping Darrow with his own hidden plans.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔾𝕆𝕆𝔻 ᯓ★

★ Aella’s garden. Yes, you heard me right. Her garden is full of sentient plants: flesh-eaters, toxin-releasers, fruit-biters, finger-snappers. Some will lick you affectionately, others will curl up beside you when you’re upset. They’re high-maintenance divas but also absolute sweethearts. Easily the highlight of this book.

★ Aella herself. Strong, kind, mature, and reasonable. She made smart choices, handled herself well, and was genuinely admirable. She was a delight to read about.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝔹𝔸𝔻 ᯓ★

★ The romance. Marketed as a slowburn—and people are just tossing that word around these days. Slowburn? Where? I must need new glasses because I didn’t see it. Less than halfway through, they’d already kissed twice. Attraction came way too fast.

★ Darrow. Our so-called male lead. Insufferable. Selfish. Annoying. Like a fly buzzing in my ear. Why is the bar for fictional men—who are literally written for women—even lower than the bar we’ve already buried six feet underground for real ones?

If you’re incapable of love, don’t string a woman along. If she says no, don’t push—even if you know she wants you. Attraction doesn’t cancel boundaries. BOY, KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS.

And don’t get me started on the classic “I pretended she was you while sleeping with her.” Excuse me? Not only do you lack self-control, you’re also using other women as stand-ins? That’s not romance, that’s insulting.

Then there’s his arrogance. One moment, he declares he won’t bed Aella unless she begs, and that he won’t be faithful (but she’s welcome to find her own lovers). Next moment, he changes his mind and suddenly now she isn’t allowed lovers and he’ll be faithful too. Excuse me, sir? You don’t just get to change the rules whenever it suits you. This marriage was a transaction, not your personal playground. Where’s her say? Why does he get to dictate everything?

If I could, I’d bash his skull in. Sadly, I’ll have to settle for my corpse rotting on his bed.

𝕀𝕟 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕔𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 ᯓ★

I’m salty. I was hyped for this book and it betrayed me. No regrets about reading, though—Aella’s sentient garden made it worth it. That’s the only thing I’ll remember fondly.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an Arc. All thoughts are my own