DNF. I quit after reading a remark I felt like was fatphobic. I’m all about a lead needing to grow / wanting to grow in a romance but there are a couple of things the heroine thinks or does here that seem mean-spirited or just made me uncomfortable.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining.

This was a sweet book but I didn't quite connect to the characters, something was missing from them for me, I wasn't sure what it was but I wanted more.

Man oh man am I late to the party, but I still had a blast!! The best time EVER!! JTG outdid herself with the third installment of this series! It is by far and away my absolute favorite of the series. Kimber and Matteo are FIYAH!!!

She’s spirited and feisty. He’s sexy and refined. When they finally come together it was like fireworks on the Fourth of July! Gah! I loved every single second of this enemies to lovers romance!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

Boutique owner Kimber DiSanto has seen better days. She's been dumped at the altar by Prince Charmless, her business went up in flames (literally), and now she's stuck in Florence, Italy, with an ice-queen stepmother, to try to save her late father's failing dress shop. Only one thing could make it worse: another man in her life. That arrogant Italian fashion tycoon offering to buy her father's shop is as rich as he is sexy and their attraction is of the charts. But Kimber's not about to get burned again. Women don't say no to Matteo Moretti-and certainly not with Kimber's stinging precision.
With all the heat and fury sparking between them, Matteo can't resist baiting the gorgeous American. His plan? Win her over one scorching kiss at a time. Kimber tells herself it's all just a game. That her broken heart isn't in danger, and that Matteo's touch does not make her Lady Land dance with joy. But sometimes it takes the fieriest of enemies to turn a fantasy into a real life romance.

I was so excited to dive into this book and then suddenly realized that it was not going to be something that I enjoyed reading. It just didn't hit my funny bone like a rom com should. I wasn't crazy about the connection of Kimber and Matteo. If you like your female characters on the crazy side then you might like Kimber but she just was not someone that I liked at all. I did not get either how she could be so rude and all over the place with people and Matteo shows up in his suit and tie and she is gaga over him in about sixteen point five seconds. This book just did not do it for me and I am sorry to have to stay that. I like rom coms. I like insta love stories but I also like my characters to be ones that I connect too and there just was not connection to anything in this book for me.

I struggled with this book. At times it was funny, but mostly the humor felt over the top and at the expense of Italian stereotypes.

Not sure what boulder I've been living under that Ache for You is my first book from J.T. Geissinger because I've been missing out. I was hooked from the first chapter.

I loved Kimber's fire and determination. Quirky and creative, she was down on her luck that's for sure. If it could've gone wrong, it did. But she never counted herself out. She pushed aside her hurt and pain and focused on the thing she could control, her work. Too bad that work brings her face to face with the talk, dark and sexily suited Matteo. I loved that the thicker he tried to lay on the charm, the harder she pushed back.

Cue the animosity and tension. You could feel it bubbling. I knew it was only a matter of time before it exploded into something electric. And boy when Kimber and Matteo finally gave it, it was explosive.

This was far from your typical enemies-to-lovers romance. Ache For You had layers of depth and heart. And a not so evil stepmother. Both characters were focused and flawed. Kimber knew when to dig her heels in and when to admit defeat. Luckily, Matteo was able to breakdown her walls and get her to see the power of compromise. And that ending....swooooon city. It was so romantic and perfectly them.

This is a hilarious, sexy, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy that had me giggling so much. It's a modern retelling of Cinderella, set in the gorgeous country of Italy, and of course, has a hunky Italian hero who dirty talks in Italian. Kimber and Matteo are amazing together – they do not get along yet the banter is witty and the chemistry is on fire. The story is a little over-the-top, a lot hilarious, and I had so much fun reading it.

Not so good as the previous 2 .
I adore Geissinger and her writing style. But this book was only ok for me. The first 2 books were one of the best books I've read last year.
Here:
Too much drama in heroine's life. Too much strange coincidence.
And I wouldn't call it slow burn. Definitely not.
Their love, little unbelievable for me.
But it still made me laugh few times.
I'm sad, because it was the last in the series (why????) and my expectations were very high.

I am so tired of books where the heroine is unreasonably bitchy. Sure, her father died & she was left at the altar, but all the rest of the crap that happens to her after that is totally on her. But takes it out on the hero, who (I hate this, too) is attracted to her "fire". Nah, dude. That ain't fire, that is swamp acid, and it will eat your balls until there is no man left of you.

Really really struggled to connect with the characters. Their actions were over-the-top, did not fit the story well, and made them hard to empathise with. I have loved every other book in this series, so not enjoying this book nearly as much was a shock to me.

I'm a fan of J.T. Geissinger's work and while this was a good story, I didn't love it the way I do with her books I've read. I like the twist on the classic Cinderella tale, there's definitely some animosity between Kimber and her stepmom and stepsisters. But at the same time I get why everyone seemed so defensive, especially Kimber, given her recent life experiences. I did like the chemistry between she and Matteo though.

Ache For You is an excellent, hysterical and well written frenemies book. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Geissinger and I couldn't put it down.

Kimber has a fantastic sense of humor and is one of the funniest heroines I've ever read. Her attitude coupled with her smart mouth and witty comebacks made for a very entertaining read. Given all of the unfortunate things that happened to her (she was jilted at the altar, her father passed away and her seamstress shop burned down) her attitude is definitely warranted. I found her to be relatable and just amazing. Matteo is a ridiculously handsome and charming italian stallion who gave me all the feels. I love the way he teased and drove Kimber wild. Hell he drove me mad with his dirty, sexy behavior and when he spoke italian, that put me right over the edge! At the same time, his persistence and romantic side won me over and melted my heart. The slow burn and sexual tension between Matteo and Kimber had me on the edge of my seat. When they threw caution to the wind and got down to "business", it was absolutely scorching!!! Their sexual chemistry was undeniable and trust me it was well worth the wait.

Ache For You's plot was so much more than I anticipated in a very good way. There were some pleasant surprises along the way that made an already wonderful story even better. I highly recommend reading it and I hope readers enjoy it as much as I did.

Kimber is supposed to be having the time of her life. Instead, she was left at the altar and shortly after, she finds out her dad passed away. Deciding to move to Italy to take care of her dad’s business, she also finds out she has to share everything with her stepmother and stepsiblings. There’s animosity between them but they may not be all that bad. Her main goal is to protect everything that is rightfully hers and to guard her heart. One thing is for sure, the ball is on her court.

This Cinderella-like story was a fun read. Kimber was spunky and hard to break. Understandable given what she had gone through. While Matteo was sweet and totally swoon-worthy, he also had his fair share of spunk. I thought they were a perfect match. I found them very entertaining and they made me laugh. There’s a little angst, miscommunication, and misunderstandings but it’s part of their beginnings and it’s minor enough for me to overlook. Their romance was sweet and sexy but fair warning it was a “slow burn”. I thought it was worth the wait.

Ache For You is not my favorite in the series, but enjoyed did nonetheless. I still recommend all three books especially Melt For You.

J. T. Geissinger has a rep and it is deserved. Writing books which capture the mind and heart are what is expected and it happens almost every time. Ache for you was good but not as strong as past books. It is a modern Cinderella with an Italian twist.

Extremely entertaining, captivating, and interesting read. I could not put it down. Wonderfully written with strong and intriguing characters. I want to read more from this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

4- 4.5

This was quite an interesting twist to the Cinderella fairy tale. The twists were clever and not what I thought it would be. Kimber's life had a streak of bad luck and mishaps, being forced to move to Florence where she meets another Prince Charming. This prince though is rough and intense, gruff and surly all alpha type. Turned out she's his ex stepsister too and even if the attraction is there, Kimber is over the charming type. Matteo's vulnerability and protective ways wins you over. Even if he did it the wrong way getting Kimber.

Understandably with everything that happened Kimber is afraid to trust her heart and that was sad but reality. She keeps wondering about Matteo qnd his intention, his mother and all the secrets. She's been fooled before. Some scenes on this hot close to home about the dad and that tugged on me. The heavy and serious was balanced with funny which worked. Kimber and her temper can be a laugh especially with Matteo goading her. Matteo is relentless though and full of passion for our heroine. There was a slow burn was they developed that made it all the better.

Things were definitely slow burn for them and it worked. The story was a good take on the classic, I like that Kimber had a backbone and knew what she wanted. The banter was delightful and playful when they weren't bickering and trying to one up the other. The feelings were fought but won out. It was wonderful to see. The secondary characters are a blast and gave much lightness to this story. I've enjoyed this series, the first and this third are my faves.

Kimber is not having a very good week. Anything that possibly have gone wrong has. Her fiery determination to see her father leads her to make a decision that will ultimately impact her future. Thinking she would never saw the mysterious stranger again she is surprised when she finds out who he actually is. Matteo has never met anyone like Kimber. She definitely is a breath of fresh air from the usual women he meets. Maybe he will help her finally turn her life around and have a more prosperous future.

Cinderella only wishes her story (and her prince) could be as sexy as this retelling by JT Geissinger. However, as sexy and steamy as it was, I ultimately couldn’t connect with the characters and that fact makes me so sad.

I absolutely loved Melt for You, so I had high hopes for Ache for You when I started reading. It didn’t take long to realize that the story just wasn’t working for me. I stuck it out until the end, but it just didn’t get any better. I hate when books are written by authors I love (and I do love Ms. Geissinger’s writing) but they just don’t work out. After reading other reviews, I am mildly comforted by the fact that I am not alone with my misgivings about this one.

Some of the problems I had were with the storyline, others were with the characters. I didn’t care for the heroine (or her traitorous uterus), I didn’t like her ‘evil’ stepmother, and I didn’t find the plot believable. The real saving grace of the book was Matteo and his saint-like patience and the “stepsisters”. There were funny (if not a little repetitive) banter and some humorous situations.

Overall, this is probably a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” and others will greatly enjoy this story. I just wasn’t one of them.

This is a fast paced, fun, steamy and also sweet book that I truly loved. J.T. has become one of my very favorite authors. The secondary characters in this one are also so much fun! This is one of those books that if you do have to put it down, it stays in your head.