Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: EWB (Enemies With Benefits)

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

PUBLISHER: BlueHeart Press

LENGTH: 366 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 29, 2033

BLURB:

Marshall

I hate Valentine Tye.

I’ve hated him since we were ten years old. I hate everything he is, everything he stands for. Even the mention of his name gets my back up.

And when I see him?

My blood boils. My jaw clenches and my hands curl into fists. That’s how much I hate him.

I want to cause him pain. I want to hold him down and actually hurt him.

And if that’s not bad enough, that’s exactly what he wants me to do to him.

Valentine

I know what people think of me. I know what they assume. They all think I’m some spoiled rich guy who’s had everything handed to him.

They don’t know me at all.

Behind my carefully constructed walls is an emptiness so dark it scares men away. I like pain. I like being used. For some messed up reason, it validates me. I don’t need love or affection or, hell forbid, emotional attachment.

What I need is a man who hates me, a man who despises me.

A man like Marshall Wise.

Because never in a million years would he ever feel anything for me.

Right?

REVIEW:

Marshall hates everything about Valentine. He loathes him. He despises him and his smile, his smirk, his hair, and mostly, he hates that Valentine makes Marshall want him. They have been enemies since they were ten years old when they were rivals on the rugby field. Marshall was poor and from a hard working family while Valentine was the opposite, leading a wealthy, privileged life. Now, Marshall is out and proud while Valentine is closeted. Valentine’s the boss, Marshall his employee. But Valentine’s life is not a perfect life after all and he carries his demons everyday. He can’t live up to his father’s unattainable expectations of perfection and has been treated with disdain and disappointment his entire life. He has no idea what love is.

As for Valentine, it’s not so much an enemies thing. He loves Marshall’s rage and hatred – it turns him on. In the bedroom, few can give him what he wants and needs: brutal, rough, demeaning, hate sex. He craves the pain and the belittling names Marshall calls him. He loves being Marshall’s dirty whore. Soon they decide to carry on an EWB – enemies with benefits arrangement. Neither wants anything more, but of course, this couldn’t be a romance without them eventually catching feelings.

I wasn’t crazy about the beginning of the book. It’s true hate sex and it’s unpleasant at times with the incessant name calling, degradation, and the focus on Marshall’s monster cock. I prefer my book sex to be intertwined with emotion. But like many things in life, the good stuff is made even better by trudging through the bad stuff first. When their arrangement morphs into a relationship, it’s all the sweeter for how they began.

I absolutely loved the second half or so of the book when an injury serves as the catalyst for the men to unearth their arising emotions. Character development kicks into high gear and we learn the reason for Valentine’s kink. The journey from enemies to lovers with true feelings felt reasonable to me. It’s a reward for all the negativity in the beginning. I love when Valentine and Marshall find satisfaction in their love lives without the hate.

The two part epilogue is fantastic and thus rounds out this book as a winner.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

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