Publish date 9 May 2023

Arsène has a very complicated relationship with his stepsister, Grace. They are not blood-related and hate each other, very petty and bottom-line toxic to each other. He was about to marry this stepsister, but fate had a different plan. She died in a plane crash with another man, Paul, who was the husband of Winnifred (Winnie). Arsène and Winnie were bound by the same tragedy and they work (kind of) together to find out what really happened between Paul and Grace.

Ok, LJ Shen has a perk of creating a total asshole MC. But I can (almost) understand why Arsène becomes the way he is. What I don’t understand though… how Grace can get hold of Arsene’s childhood videos and give them to Paul? Wow it’s too farfetched.

Although I enjoyed the banters between Winnie and Arsène, I felt like their romance wasn’t explored enough. About 70% of the book told stories about their obsession/love for their previous partner. So yeah, this slow burn was getting a bit too slow, so in the end, I felt their romance was rushed.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the eARC in exchange of my honest review

This story works well as a twisty page turner, but the romance was just okay. Arsène's fiancee dies in a plane crash she wasn't supposed to be in, with an unexpected companion: to be in: Winner's husband. This brings Arsène and Winnie together to solve the whys and how's of their loved ones' deaths. Great premise but it unfolded in a way that left open questions. The romance was okay; most of the book is dedicated to the main characters relationships and obsessions with other people and this comes at the expense of the chemistry between Arsène and Winnie.

I just unfortunately did not love the premise of this one. Because I usually love Shen's stories and the way she tells those stories with her methodical unraveling of the anti-heroes life I stuck it out in hopes it would turn around for me. He just didn't really redeem himself in my eyes. The two stars are for the heroine because I did really enjoy her. Overall, this was just lacking for me in both plot and character. I do look forward to trying again with the next installment though as I find the third man to complete the castoff trio very intriguing.

I’m so sick and tired of reading about asshole mcs with their only redeeming quality being having money. 1/3 of the book Arsene (our MC) is with another woman. It’s also his step sister 🤢 Stepsister fiancée dies. She had been cheating on her stepbrother and dies with this dude. Winnie (fmc) is wife to cheater dead guy.

Book basically is Arsene and Winnie coming together to find out if they really were cheating when they died. I dont know when why or how they fell in love.

Major plot point makes no sense when Winnie finds a usb drive of Arsene as a baby with his mom in her husbands safe? How did she know who they were? She had never met his mother since she was dead, how did she know what he looked like as a baby? Why did husband have it to begin with? Dunno, we never find out.

Another rich MC who can’t love because he had shit parents, yawn.

I guess thumbs up for infertility rep 🤷‍♀️

Ever since I came across the character of Arsene Corbin, I was dying to read his story. And it did not disappoint! I devoured this book in less than a day.
It was gripping (for a romance novel), and had me questioning almost everything until about 70% of the book. The HEA at the end was all the sweeter considering we know exactly how much toxicity the main characters had to face before.

Fallen Foe follows Arsène and Winnifred, who are thrown into each others paths after tragedy strikes them both. This novel was compulsively readable, I powered through a third of it without even realising. Even though this novel was second in a series, reading the first novel was completely unnecessary and it in essence, acted as a stand alone.
The writing itself is good, descriptive (but not overkill) with a nice flow. The story is incredibly character driven, there isn’t a lot of plot driving this story, as much as the the journey the characters are on. My major criticism would be that not a lot really happens.
Arsène as a character wasn’t very likeable, but are fun to read about, in an, ‘I would never be friends with you, but I like to hear what’s going on with you‘ kind of way. I liked the innate goodness in Winnie and her drive to follow her passion, I also absolutely love that she talked to herself throughout the story.
The novel is really trope based, with an opposites attract, slight slow-burn grumpy/sunshine vibe. It’s a great choice for anyone looking for a contemporary romance that is a low-stakes quick read.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm in absolute awe ! Fallen Foe is the game changer, and turned my world upside down - LJ Shen created another unforgettable story, that kept me on the edge until the very last pages.

With every new chapter, I didn't know what is coming my way and I loved it. Past collide with present in the most surprising way, making the love story inside an ultimate angst-deliverer. It was heartbreaking, raw and
the opposites-attract trope was totally out of this world. The main characters are totally different, but at the same moment they complete each other perfectly. The tension between them is so thick that You could cut it with the knife, mixed with sarcasm at the finest just like the cherry on top.

Sometimes true love doesn't come easy... Sometimes it's filled with pain and sacrifices. I love how author showed it in Fallen Foe. This book made me FEEL with every single fiber of my being. Must Read ALERT.