So glad I decided to read this one! It had me laughing and grinning, at times wanting to smack the hero, it made me cry from sadness and finally with happiness.

Chase was a hero I wasn’t sure how to feel about. He was hateful and rude with his remarks and inner thoughts (even as they had a touch of humor to them) and I was afraid if the author didn’t show me something to redeem him soon, nothing was going to be able to do the job. About the fifty percent mark it slowly started to happen. And let me say, once it started to turn, I was completely hooked.

Maddie was the type of heroine I could totally relate to. She’s pretty much the girl that feels a bit insecure, a people pleaser, and does what’s needed to make those around her happy. Even at the cost of herself. I loved that as she began to let the true her shine, it was not because she had the support of a man or to make anyone happy. She was simply being herself. And I loved who she truly was.

This had a lot of emotion and depth to it even as I consider it a rom-com. There was no outward action or drama. Everything is based upon Maddie and Chase’s relationship with each other and those around them. Chase was an alpha hero that possessed some jealous/possessive streaks although they were generally thoughts that he kept hidden. He also was one dirty talker and never hesitated to let Maddie know exactly what he wanted and how he wanted it.

I especially loved the letters throughout and how in the end it all ties together leaving us with an awesome ending and an incredible epilogue.

This was an enjoyable standalone book that features fake dating and a second chance romance between Maddie and Chase. Chase definitely comes off as a devil in the beginning of the book as he and Maddie had broken up under way less that ideal circumstances. I definitely appreciated the dual POV as it allowed us to understand that Chase really didn't understand his own feelings and why he was so drawn to Maddie. And Maddie totally tugged at my heartstrings as she tried to get over her feelings for Chase, all the while knowing that she was still in love with him. I really loved the family dynamics of this one as Chase's family is the trigger for their reunion. I also really liked that they rebuilt their relationship slowly as both of them had issues that they need to work through. This is definitely a second chance romance with a strong heart!

Okay, so I mostly moved this. I'd take off half a star for the one tiny thing that bugged me, but I'll talk about that in a sec. I liked the pull Maddie and Chase had to each other, even though they didn't want it. I liked their notes to each other, and the notes they got from others. I feel like so much of how people honestly communicate is through text, etc anyways so I liked it.

Maddie keeps trying to make it work with this other guy, who so is not for her. And Chase has a bunch of hang ups. But they both have to deal with loss in the family- that helped me really connect with them as I've experienced it for myself. In this story, I'm glad that the physical was kind of secondary. Mainly because Chase kept trying, because that's the connection they never had a problem with, and the other stuff needed to develop.

The only tiny thing I didn't like, that rubbed me the wrong way, was the way her friend Layla was described. "Layla was a curvy, the-only-dimples-I-have-are-on-my-ass-and that's-the-way-I-like-it girl." I can't say why it bugs me, just can't you just say she was curvy and liked it or something? Like personally, I'm a curvy girl. But I'd never say that when describing my body. Anyways. Other than that, I loved the book.

Second chance romance with a relationship of inconvenience.

I enjoyed Maddie and she also frustrated me because she had no backbone. When she finally grew a backbone I didn't find it completely believable to be honest. Also her nickname I hated, Martyr Maddie.

Chase I didn't really get on board with until 75% and by then I just wanted him to grovel more because Maddie deserved better.

The ending just seemed rushed and yet not, if you read this you'll understand what I mean (fashion show, why:)

Overall it was just an okay read, the pacing could have been better and at times my mind drifted from the sameness of some scenes.

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
3 Stars

A unique love story

A bit of a second chance romance between true opposites with a side order of enemies to lovers and a fake engagement, this riveting story takes us deep into the hearts and minds of its characters, Maddie and Chase. Maddie starts off as a little too good to be true, but that's on purpose as the author starts there to show how she comes into her own and figures out how to balance her need for authenticity with her desire to take care of everyone in her orbit. Chase couldn't be more different, tearing down every relationship before it has a chance to take root, intentionally destroying any hope of happiness in his pursuit to convince the world he has no heart.

This author has a real talent for creating completely irredeemable men and then showing us, layer by layer, why they are that way while at the same time finding a way to redeem them through love. If you don't hate Chase by the the time you finish Chapter 4, then you weren't paying attention. He strives to be hated, to be despised. It's not at all an accident or a by-product of his ambition. Yet as the story progresses and we see what made him that way, his transformation is entirely believable and guaranteed to make you fall in love with him almost as fast as Maddie does.

I equally enjoyed the transformation in Maddie's personal journey as well. She really finds her voice, and it was glorious to see. I also truly appreciated that the nice "boyfriend material" guy wasn't a weak character or easily dismissed. All the secondary characters - especially the truly mean-spirited ones - were brilliantly developed, layered and complex, and made the story so much more than the sum of its parts.

The Devil Wears Black isn't as dark or angsty as some of the author's previous works, which I was happy to see. Chase and Maddie have an intrinsic understanding of each other that plays out in their delightfully snarky banter and sometimes hilarious text exchanges. There are enough heartbreaking moments here to require a box of tissues nearby, but the HEA at the end - and the exquisite epilogue - is well worth the journey. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Second chance romance, fake engagement, enemies to friends, opposites attract- this one hits just about all the tropes and yet it will keep you reading! Madison is living her best life, designing wedding dresses and seeing her doctor boyfriend, when Chase shows up. He wants her to pose as her fiance. Would you agree? Well, she does in part because she wants to see him in his place but also because she never really gave up on him. This one has some over the top stuff, some steam, some laughs, and it's fun. Thanks to Nergalley for the ARC. I'm new to Shen's books and I'm definitely going to look for them in the future.

Thank you so much for letting me try this book and this new to me author. It didn’t work for me this time, but I appreciate the opportunity

"She kept me on my toes and made me second-guess what she was going to do or say. And I had ended up watching Me Before You. Guess what? Louisa Clark was hot as hell".

When book drops a reference or two about my all-time favorite novel, it's safe to say I'm going to be smitten with the novel. There was so much about this book to love. The banter between characters, the drama between exes, the dynamics at both work and home, it was perfectly chaotic with moments that made me laugh out loud. Madison is such a good character - we get to watch her keep her heart of gold while finding her power and backbone.

Chase Black is such a hot mess yet you can't help but love him a bit when he let's his guard down. He grew on me as the book carried on. I found him to be horribly flawed but knew when to step up and be the man we all wanted him to be.

3.5-4 stars. Maddie Goldbloom is moving on with her life. She doesn't need Chase Black and she's definitely not going to look back and hope he misses her. However, Chase Black does come knocking on her door again several months after they went their separate ways with a proposition. As ludicrous as it sounds for Maddie to pretend to be his girlfriend for the sake of appearances in front of Chase's terminal father, she willingly agrees because if there's one thing Maddie has, it's a bleeding heart. I liked Maddie's spunk and compassion. She was well aware of her flaws and unfortunately so was Chase since he was basically exploiting them for his own personal gain, with little regard for her feelings. They do manage to be relatively civil and while Chase was definitely a jerk, he wasn't entirely written off because it appeared he had a bit of growing up and self-realization to go through. He comes off as fearless and untouchable, but he is not clueless. He simply doesn't like to be cornered so when he's left to his own devices to figure things out, Chase catches on quick and is surprised by what he discovers about himself. The editing and writing was good and I liked the sarcastic humor and analogies. Maddie doesn't let people keep walking all over her and manages to learn self-preservation without compromising her values. Although Maddie and Chase had a history together, the story still felt somewhat slow burn with them becoming reacquainted and I liked that there wasn't an overload of steam. I enjoyed the dialogue and bantering with less emphasis on physical intimacy, therefore focusing on character development. There's definitely drama and interesting side characters. Chase's family was awesome, they were truly perfect for Maddie and offset Chase's personality or lack thereof initially. From lovers to friends to enemies back to lovers, this encompassed that vibe well.

When I began this book I did not have high hopes. I hadn’t read a Shen book before so I was not sure what to expect, but I ended up loving this

We follow our main characters Maddie and Chase. Maddie is a wedding dress designer and has been planning her dream wedding since she was a little girl. Chase is the COO of Black & Co and under no circumstances will he get married. Not exactly a perfect match, which is part of the reason they broke up in the first place. But, when Chase finds out that his father has cancer, the only thing he can think of doing to cheer up his family is tell them that he and Maddie are engaged. Reluctantly, Maddie agrees to go along with his scheme.

This story is so artfully written. The enemies-to-lovers trope can sometimes feel so heavy handed, but the transition that happens is so well done, it feels completely natural. Chase Black is a character that you start out loving to hate, but the growth that happens with his character and with his relationship with Maddie is perfect. As the book progressed, I found myself falling in love with his character right along with Maddie. There were some really sweet moments, moments that made me angry, and moments that left me teary-eyed. It was everything that I look for in a romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, L.J. Shen, and Montlake for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

This was a great love story between Chase and Madison. Chase is in need of a fake fiance and decides to ask this request of the last girl he dated She is still angry with him because he broke up with her by supposedly cheating on her. She reluctantly agrees and all kinds of crazy ensues. The banter between these two is great! This time around Madison is more like her true self and Chase can't get enough of her. Great story with a great HEA!

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A bold and brash story with plenty of snarky moments. The MC is quite likable and engaging yet the love interest is not that great and displays some worrying behavior. An OK read.

This book blew me away. It was all over the place with its emotions, messy scenes, rages, and intricate relationships. I simple couldn’t put it down. It was that absorbing of a read. I loathed Chase for a good portion of the story, because he was easy to dislike. Until his layers are peeled away and capture a glimpse at what he’s hiding. Maddie is the star of the show. I loved how she grew more self assured and confident. She is too nice, but that’s what makes her extra lovable. The Devil Wears Black is a sweeping story that delivers something in every chapter. I loved the bantering via text between Chase and Maddie.

The Devil Wears Black tells the story of Maddie Goldbloom, a fashion designer, who has a romantic past with one of the owners of the company she works for. Chase Black is your typical rich bad boy, used to always getting what he wants, but he needs Maddie's help: she has to pretend being engaged to him in front of his family. That means she has to spend time with a man she despises... until having bad feelings towards him becomes very hard.

I had low expectations for this romance, but it really surprised me. Maddie reminds me of Louisa Clark ("Me Before You"), a character style I've never seen L.J. Shen writing before. I loved their banter (and there was so much of it), and I was laughing out loud at so many of the dialogues. The progression of the hate-to-love was really sweet (and hot), but I think it was a bit repetitive, the only bad thing I have to say about this novel. There's a strong family aspect here, which I appreciated and felt very heartfelt.

I loved this book, I think L.J. Shen stepped out of her New Adult comfort zone and the result was spectacular. Highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this book! Maddie and Chase's relationship was filled to the brim with sexual tension and witty banter, I couldn't get enough. Chase had such a strong, sexy, alpha presence it's hard not to get drawn to him. I really related to Maddie's character and loved how she stood up to Chase and his demands. My favorite thing is reading about rich, stubborn, playboys realizing their love for for someone and this story was precisely that. If you love second-chance fake relationship tropes, then this book is for you!

The Devil Wears Black is a 2nd chance romance that made me question my reading choices for the first half, and then reflect on my family relationships for the second half. Hero and Heroine dated, broke up due to some Big Emotional Issue No One Was Willing To Talk About Like Adults, Hero needs Heroine to fake date him to make his dying father happy, drama happens.

I started off really not enjoying this. The hero felt like an annoying, selfish and horny teenager, and I'm glad there's some character development for him. The heroine was a wonder to read, though, as she learns to stand up for herself while still being kind to others (love her!).

Then around 40% of the book it got good. Like, not Super Good, Will Remember Forever Good (thus the 3 star rating - I probably won't remember this in a few months, despite enjoying while reading), but Enjoyable. There's character development, even for the bad guys that felt for most of it like children movie's villains, repeating the same things over and over and not having much depth, and the romance, once it finally started past the initial hate (lovers to enemies to fake lovers to lovers? nice.).

I think what I most enjoyed was the family aspect of it all. Death is something no one can avoid, and it was interesting to see how the relationships between the Black family members changed due to the father's sickness, and how they dealt with that. So, yeah, I feel like the drama was better than the romance. It was very touching, in this part.

tws: cancer, death/loss of a family member, mentions of cheating

Maddie is a heartbroken girl. Meeting Chase was her downfall and now she's trying to pull herself together. But the appearance of Chase will turn her life upside down, Chase asks her to pretend that they are still together to please her family, but he does not know what that will mean.

The devil wears black is a book that I have really enjoyed. It is the reading I needed to be able to disconnect for a few days. The story has enchanted me, it is fun, entertaining and very addictive. I couldn't stop reading. As soon as I started, I knew it was going to be good, it's the kind of reading I usually enjoy and the many references to Grey's Anatomy and Friends won me a lot. It is a very funny, intense read and the characters are very sarcastic.

Maddie undergoes a very marked evolution. She used to be Martyr Maddie, but now she is able to show her true self. Her relationship with Chase is very complicated. The two of them are very different, she loves weddings and is not afraid of her feelings, but Chase is the complete opposite. Chase is a hard working man, sarcastic and the last thing he wants is to commit to. He clashes a lot with Maddie, but they also have a lot of chemistry so it's a bit true that opposites attract.

The book has the typical plot of lovers to enemies to lovers and I'm loved that. The story evolves very well and naturally, but the most remarkable thing is the relationship between the characters.

In summary, The devil wears black has been a very good read that I really enjoyed. I have loved all the characters, but I have loved the protagonists and their relationship has been great.

The Devil Wears Black is hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year. LJ Shen is an absolute goddess & one of my favorite romance authors, and I knew TDWB was not going to go disappoint.

TDWB is a steamy enemies to lovers/fake fiancé standalone romance that will have you laughing one moment and crying the next. The chemistry between Maddie & Chase is off the charts, and their banter is 👌🏻👌🏻

Cannot recommend this enough. Shout out to Netgalley for letting me get my hands on an ARC!

This is a non-ironic 4 star rating, but in return I demand it be marketed as a rom-com because the way it made me laugh? I can't even understand it myself.

Chase's father is dying and Chase thought the best thing at this time was to show him that he had his life settled (hint: he doesn't), so he recruited his ex-girlfriend –who hates him because he broke her heart–, to pretend to be his fiancee because seriously what could go wrong?

Madison Goldbloom is a rare mix between Emilia LeBlanc's annoyingly sunny personality and odd fashion sense, and Eddie Van Der Zee's witty and sassy comebacks. Her only "flaw" is that she's TOO good person and wear her heart on her sleeve allowing some people to walk on her and take advantage of that, but luckily she grew a backbone and not that late.

Chase Black is a LJ Shen hero through and through, meaning: crass asshole. At first it was hard to warm up to him because he seemed like an idiot, and his logic and reasoning on why breaking up with Maddie was so stupidly stupid that it made me roll my eyes so hard I swear I saw my brain, BUT after a while he became this funny and sarcastic character and his gestures towards Maddie won me over. He's still an asshole tho.

I think I liked this because it was so funny that I didn't expect it. This author's books are a hit or miss for a lot of people, but I'll say the second-chance romance, fake dating, Maddie giving Chase a hard time after he broke her heart, the rich familie problems and the cute epilogue in a very Maddie-and-Chase way are worth it.

This is my first time delving into a book by L.J. Shen and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. Romance isn't my favorite genre and I found myself enjoying this a lot.

The Devil Wears Black has the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, which I adore. And Shen writes it so well! Chase and Maddie ooze chemistry and their banter was so much fun. I wasn't a fan of Chase at first because of how he bullied Maddie, but in the end, I've grown to like him. Maddie was a strong character and I found her relatable!
The ending was predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was a feel-good ending that left me satisfied.

Overall, this was a fun steamy read. I recommend if you're looking for likable characters and a sweet romance.