Not Her Villain

Just finished reading ‘Not Her Villain', a spicy romance novel that had me hooked! It's the second book in Bahrd's Love At All Cost series, and boy, am I kicking myself for not reading the first one, ‘A Voice Without Reason', sooner.

The story revolves around Layla Thorne, a best-selling author, and Benedict Turner, a big-shot publisher. The twist? He just bought the publishing house that Layla is contracted under. And they don't even know it when they first connect!

Layla is researching for her upcoming billionaire romance novel and reaches out to Ben on a dating app (under pseudonyms of course!). There's something about her that Ben finds intriguing and he agrees to help with her research. They start messaging often and eventually agree to meet face-to-face. But surprise! They meet through mutual friends before their planned rendezvous and discover each other's real identities.

The chemistry between Layla and Ben is off the charts! Their witty banter had me laughing out loud. Ben falls head over heels quickly (not his usual style), while Layla tries to keep him at bay but in the end, she can't resist him.

What I loved about this book was not just the spice (which was definitely fun!), but also how relatable the characters were. It was refreshing to see how they struggled with seeing themselves through each other's eyes. Ben is an alpha male who always gets what he wants. And Layla? She's a strong woman who knows how to hold her own.

Another thing worth mentioning - this book has disability representation which I really appreciate. Love truly is for everyone!

Big thanks to Irene Bahrd for sharing an ARC with me - these thoughts are my own honest opinion!