My rating: 4/5 stars
I think I have a new author crush and that is LJ Shen. Her writing is so vibrating with my vibe now and all of her stories greatly impact my reading preferences. Everything she writes is cool and intense and sometimes fucked up, but I LOVE IT!!! Nevertheless, I think I will make it my goal to read ALL of her books in 2024 because they have become my comfort read and my shelter when being in book ban.
“Ruthless Rival” was a very intense book and of course, Shen had to give it a twist to make things interesting. Surprisingly, the plot was not full of sex scenes or other types of graphics, it was exactly as it should have been to make the readers understand the conflict between the characters. The dialogues, the tension, but most importantly, the longing were so visible, it totally set up the plot for the book.
Christian Miller is the most eligible bachelor from NY and will stop at nothing to become a partner in the firm he is working as a lawyer. People fear him and don’t want to cross paths with him, because he has no limits in taking you down if that needs to be done. All his life he has been preparing a vengeance plan on the Roths’ – the family that took his mom, his life, and the girl he loved. Coincidently, when a case arises, and circumstances accuse Conrad Roth of sexual harassment, he takes the case without blinking. This case will mean seeing Arya Roth for the first time since they were 14 years old.
I loved the interaction between Arya and Christian, that sarcastic banter that was a mix of hatred and physical desire. Their dialogues were great, funny, ironic, and very smart, but they also had a vulnerability. Christian knew who Arya was, but she didn’t, meaning that there was a secret to be held and even if the purpose was clear, a lot of lines were blurry, because the love hadn’t fade away.
Christian was a very smart guy, but from my POV he jumped to conclusions very quickly and I hate communication problems because they could fix things fast if used properly. The love-hate vibe was there, the mixed feelings and the conflict, all leading up to a very nice love story, with and uncertain end. Can love be more powerful than hate? Usually, it is, but when LJ Shen is writing a story, you never know. 😊
Ramonisme 