Loving the Enemy by Charmaine Pauls

*** Note:  This ARC was kindly provided to me in exchange for a honest review. ***

Loving the Enemy, is the prequel to the 'Seven Forbidden Arts' series, though it is a standalone novel.

Loving the Enemy, focuses on Lily and Jacob.  Lily is the sheltered daughter of a rich and very powerful criminal.  In the beginning of the book, we find Lily to be homeless, and living on the dangerous streets of Cape Town, due to an attack on her fathers home.  Sitting in a dark, secluded, park, where it is about to rain, Lily is stumbled upon by handsome and mysterious Jacob, who offers Lily a place to stay for the night.

After reluctantly accepting Jacobs offer, Lily learns that he is in the bodyguard business.  When Jacobs apartment is attacked by the very men who attacked her fathers home, the pair set out to find the only person who can help and protect them, Lily's father.

As you read on, you are brought along as Jacob and Lily attempt to make their way from Cape Town, to Lily's father in Paris.  No small feat considering neither of them have money, and all of the airports and ports are being monitored for any signs of them.  What follows is an action-packed, romance, where two people from completely different world are thrown together and must learn to trust and rely on one another if they want to make it out alive.

The 'Seven Forbidden Arts' series is a paranormal series, but there really is little to no paranormal 'activity' :) in 'Loving the Enemy', though it is mentioned occassionally.  I wish the author would have thrown a bit of paranormal aspects into the mix, because it was a bit of a let down to have it mentioned, but not actually be part of the book.

The book kept me interested from the very beginning, it's not predictable, and the author did a great job with character development.  I felt invested in both lead characters, and couldn't help but root for them.  The plot was original, intriguing, and well thought out.  I would definitely be interested in reading other books in the series.

The book could use a bit more editing, though it isn't anything that I personally feel detracts from the story, though if you are someone who is bothered by grammatical errors, it is something to keep in mind.

Something that really detracted from the story for me, was the age difference between Lily and Jacob.  Lily is eighteen years old, and a very naive, sensitive, sheltered eighteen year old at that, while Jacob is thirty, and a very traveled, experienced, thirty year old.  Though it isn't unheard of for a thirty years old man to date a eighteen year old girl, I feel as though their maturity levels were way off, and that threw me off a lot.  Lily, for most of the book, seemed very childlike and immature, while Jacob was intense, and very knowledgeable due to life experiences.  The aspect of their age difference had no real relevance to the story (it wasn't an obstacle keeping them apart) and therefore could have been eliminated by simply making Jacob a couple of years younger, which would have made the story flow better.

Rating (based on a 5 star rating system):

* * * *

Would I recommend this book to others?:

Yes.

Would I read other books by the author?:

Yes.  The author did a great job of introducing the series in a manner in which I feel intrigued to find out what happens next.

*** It should be noted that while 'Loving the Enemy' is part of a series, it IS a standalone novel, and contains a HEA.  You will not be required to read/purchase others in the series to get a HEA (although if you feel moved to do so, I'm sure the author would appreciate your support). ***

My two favorites! Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens & Crazy Good by Rachel Robinson

Anyone who reads romance probably already knows these two novels (one of which is a series), but they are my (as of today) all time favorites.  So without further ado, in no particular order.



Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens:

So, I've been a fan of S.C. Stephens since cupid had a psyche,*wink* (a little Easter egg for S.C. Stephens fans).  Anyone who has read any of her many wonderful books, will not be surprised of the popularity of her books, this one especially.

In thoughtless, we join Keira, Denny, and *sigh* Kellan, in what I consider to be a very realistic look into how sometimes, the heart can be torn in two, and how terrifying that can be for everyone involved.  Life and love don't always fit into the fairy tale vision we grow up dreaming of, sometimes... most of the time actually, it's messy, painful, and hard.  Nothing in life that's worth having, comes easily.

S.C.'s Thoughtless is gut-wrenching at times and like all of her books, so well written.  I actually contacted her yeeeeeeeaaaars ago, before she even published it, to thank her for sharing it, tell her I loved it, tell her that I am now in love with a fictional character (I'm sure I am not the only person to have told her that, but still, can you imagine what it must be like to have someone tell you that?! lol), and I also asked her if she had experience with a situation like the characters in the book.  In retrospect, it was very rude of me, and in the unlikely case that S.C. Stephens reads this, I apologize, but in my defense, the book is so well written that I felt so immersed in the situations of the book and felt the emotions in such a raw way that I felt sure the author had to have been in the same shoes as the heroine at some time in her life.  I was assured that she hadn't been in that particular situation, and that, in and of itself, speaks volumes of the talent of this woman.

If you haven't already read Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens, you are missing out.  It's amazing.  Go pick up a copy today, you'll be happy you did... and you too will find yourself in love with a fictional character.

**Disclaimer*** Thoughtless CAN be read as a standalone novel with no cliffhangers, however, it is part of a series that you can read if you feel as though you would like to follow the lives of these characters further.  




Crazy Good by Rachel Robinson

For a couple of year there, Kellan was my one and only book boyfriend.  An avid romance reader, I had never come close to finding another.  One day, boom, out of the blue, I find this magical book... Crazy Good, by Rachel Robinson, and fall once again, in love, with yet another fictional character.  

In Crazy Good, we meet Windsor, a character whose personality I usually describe as "Snow Whites"... pure, virginal (though not necessarily a virgin), sweet, lovable.... you know the type.  Windsor has a past, a troubled relationship that haunts her, one that she can't seem to move fully past.  One day she meets handsome (of course, because not many books have ugly leading men), rugged, manly, sexy, a navy seal, Maverick (aka: my new book boyfriend).  Yum!  Maverick is a ladies man, of course, and not quite what Windsor is looking for.  Complete opposites, they learn a lesson that many of us learn through experience, opposites attract.  The question is, do relationships like that last?  Is a relationship with so many obstacles worth the fight?  You'll have to pick up a copy for yourself and find out ;).

Now, as much as I love this book, I DO have one small bone to pick with the author.  If anyone has seen the movie Acts Of Valor, this book is basically written in the perspective of the characters.  There is even a scene straight out of the movie.  Basically, the story is what those characters do when they aren't deployed or on a mission.  For me, I feel as though maybe the author was riding the coattails of the movie.  But, the book is amazing, and if the author had to gain inspiration for the book by borrowing from the movie, well, I'm thankful, because I do seriously love the book, you will too, so go pick yourself up a copy.