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r2dash2's review against another edition
5.0
What I expected going into this book was not what I got, and that is absolutely the best thing I can say! Not that I anticipated a bad book (NOT AT ALL), but the enemy to lovers’ story trope always throws me for a little bit of a loop before going in. But BOY did Heartless completely throw me off-kilter, in a good way, and I adored every minute of the ride!
What do you get when two hot-headed, and feisty men hate each other from the moment they lay eyes on each other? Well, James Motel and Levi Kadish of course! The Bratty and snarky Hotel owner and the not-so-kosher local baker. The more these men fight and hate each other the more the tension builds until they reach a point in which hatred spills over so fast and uncontrolled that it HAS to become other physical actions or emotions to release. So, we as the reader get rug burn! I promise you’ll like this type. ;)
But all the fun aside I truly enjoyed this book and the levels to which Levi and James could fight and yet see through each other. As time progressed with them never have I felt trust and the fight against your own brain to trust someone else, so vividly laid on the pages of a book. Each of their moments, you could see how they were going deeper and deeper for each other, without even realizing it for themselves; and in their moments of pure vulnerability, it actually felt like you could reach out and tangibly touch their emotions.
Also, this book explored so much more than these two men coming together. It also showed them growing and developing as individuals. It wasn’t just THEIR story. It was THEIR story and the story of their relationships with family/friends and accepting and understanding other types of love in their lives.
This is also one of those books where I felt Hawthorne really hit her stride and shined the best, with what I have felt has always been her strongest signature writing move; bringing out the heart in the most complicated and untraditional relationship dynamics.
Spoilers -------->
Two scenes, in particular, have stuck with me after reading this story and I just have to bring up how much I loved how they trusted in the growth of their play that they were able to make it so uniquely them.
One: THAT HAIRCUT! IT was so beautiful and so explicitly their own developed type of ownership and love, that it felt more poignant than even some of the best-collaring scenes I’ve ever read.
Two: The Fisting - the love poured off the page, and I was as exhausted and as euphoric as they both did as it happened. I felt that that somewhat ending was absolutely perfect for them and wrapped up all the things we needed to see on the page to know James and Levi.
What do you get when two hot-headed, and feisty men hate each other from the moment they lay eyes on each other? Well, James Motel and Levi Kadish of course! The Bratty and snarky Hotel owner and the not-so-kosher local baker. The more these men fight and hate each other the more the tension builds until they reach a point in which hatred spills over so fast and uncontrolled that it HAS to become other physical actions or emotions to release. So, we as the reader get rug burn! I promise you’ll like this type. ;)
But all the fun aside I truly enjoyed this book and the levels to which Levi and James could fight and yet see through each other. As time progressed with them never have I felt trust and the fight against your own brain to trust someone else, so vividly laid on the pages of a book. Each of their moments, you could see how they were going deeper and deeper for each other, without even realizing it for themselves; and in their moments of pure vulnerability, it actually felt like you could reach out and tangibly touch their emotions.
Also, this book explored so much more than these two men coming together. It also showed them growing and developing as individuals. It wasn’t just THEIR story. It was THEIR story and the story of their relationships with family/friends and accepting and understanding other types of love in their lives.
This is also one of those books where I felt Hawthorne really hit her stride and shined the best, with what I have felt has always been her strongest signature writing move; bringing out the heart in the most complicated and untraditional relationship dynamics.
Spoilers -------->
Two scenes, in particular, have stuck with me after reading this story and I just have to bring up how much I loved how they trusted in the growth of their play that they were able to make it so uniquely them.
One: THAT HAIRCUT! IT was so beautiful and so explicitly their own developed type of ownership and love, that it felt more poignant than even some of the best-collaring scenes I’ve ever read.
Two: The Fisting - the love poured off the page, and I was as exhausted and as euphoric as they both did as it happened. I felt that that somewhat ending was absolutely perfect for them and wrapped up all the things we needed to see on the page to know James and Levi.
min_deore's review against another edition
5.0
James and Levi are jerks, in the best possible way. What starts as a passively rude meet-cute turns into getting mad at just the sight of each other. Which means my absolute favorite... enemies to lovers! They are so snarky with each other I can’t help but laugh. James is brusque and kind of a jerk to everyone, it’s his shield, he's really kind of sweet when his guard is down. Levi is more agreeable, a little bit arrogant but has enough going on that he has no patience for someone with an attitude problem. James needs to be knocked down a peg and Levi is more than ready to assist. They’re pushy and explosive. I loved seeing James let go and how Levi claims him. Their personal arcs (Levi’s brother Simon is a mess!) fleshed out the story beautifully and the transformation from sworn enemies to relationship/commitment felt natural and perfect for them. They’re still their snarky and bratty selves in the end, but it’s full of love (and maybe a little exasperation) rather than hate. These two are definitely among my very favorites from Kate.
clumsycrane's review against another edition
2.0
I'm really sad that this book didn't work for me. It felt like the author wrote it out of order and in pieces. Which is fine because I know that works for some, but if you do that, then you need to read through it once it's all together. I was confused sometimes and frustrated others. The first half of the book was better than the second. The second half was a cluster. It was difficult to figure out what the MCs were even trying to communicate to each other. It just felt half put together and needed a content editor or honest betas. All that being said, I'm still going to read the next book in the series because book one wasn't disappointing.
caia_reads_queer's review
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
“There’s more than one way to love a person, and I’m going to show you all of them.”
This was a re-read, and I loved every second of it
Levi and James are a true enemies to lovers couple
If there’s some thing I think is super difficult to write in the enemies to lovers trope stories
It is that you have to create those lovable characters, but also let them hate each other, without letting the reader hate them too much 🤣
This is also one of the stories I chose, because I love to read about humiliation kinks in every way possible and this book came with a lot of degradation (kinks hidden spoiler) without the bdsm-lifestyle-context
dirty talk, down talking, rough6, watersports, fisting, toys, spit, semi/public humiliation
I love that we get a kinky couple that learns what works for them.
Kink-Awakening & Exploration is also one of my favorites to read about 💓
karentje's review
5.0
Absolutely amazing!! How did I not know about this book before!! Love this story, the characters, and so pleasantly surprised by the delicious, not so mainstream, kinks the MC's discover together.
words_i_read's review
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
shelbanuadh's review against another edition
2.0
I went into reading this book knowing that I probably wasn't going to like it. Having read Simon's story from On the Market before reading Levi's, I didn't really have a good impression of Levi or James. They both so some really assholish things, especially in regard to Simon's faith.
Add in enemies to lovers, a trope I would sooner leave than take. Throw in some humiliation kink. There wasn't too much about this I was into.
At least we finally got afisting scene . You can't bring it up once in the first book and multiple times in this book and not actually include it in a scene, so hurray for making it onto the page.
All that aside, I did enjoy the writing... though there are a few times (and I found the same with the first book) where the dialogue gets a little confusing to follow... which I think is a mix of formatting and sometimes of too many he/him/his being thrown around to the point you don't know which he is his him.
Add in enemies to lovers, a trope I would sooner leave than take. Throw in some humiliation kink. There wasn't too much about this I was into.
At least we finally got a
All that aside, I did enjoy the writing... though there are a few times (and I found the same with the first book) where the dialogue gets a little confusing to follow... which I think is a mix of formatting and sometimes of too many he/him/his being thrown around to the point you don't know which he is his him.