Thank you to Boldwood Books @bookandtonic and Camilla Isley for letting me have an ARC copy of Love to Hate You! This was a charming, fun read with a story delivering on the fun and games mayhem for the enemies to lovers trope with plenty of entertaining laugh-out moments as two people from two different worlds clash and fall.

The descriptive writing brings to life the contrast between the two worlds portrayed for Emerald Creek (quaint, rustic Indiana town) and New York (dynamic, sharpness, and hustle) cleverly mirroring the personalities of the main characters, Samantha and Travis.

Samantha is the definition of a New Yorker with a high-flying career, designer fashion, convenience, sharp wit, and a get-it-done-yesterday attitude. She’s high-maintenance, demanding, and a force of nature. Travis’s character might come across country boy, but the man has so many layers – the dutiful son with a strong sense of family, a cunning lawyer, and a mayor out to do the best for his town. The loyalty and sense of duty make him likable, but it’s the cunning and mischievous streak of his character that makes him stand off the page.

The chemistry and banter between Samantha and Travis reminds me of a bull in a china shop, but in a hilarious fun to fun-to-read way. Add in Travis’s ability to drive Samantha up the wall, it is ingredients for an amusing dynamic between these two. The spark between love and hate quickly heats up into a sweet romance full of warm fuzzies.

The romance pacing for Love to Hate You is brilliant. You feel how Samantha and Travis grow together, learn to communicate with one another, and face challenges together. There was no instant love forcing the decisions or rushing to put the love first. It was nice to see them take their time as individuals and find the right way to be together. Too many times there is a sacrifice required to be made to win love. It’s unrealistic and unhealthy! I love a HEA where everyone stays true to themselves and gets what they want and need, without a wrenching compromise in the name of Love. Although part of a series, you can read this book happily as a standalone story.

This is a hallmark movie in a book…but sooo much better! Hollywood executive Samantha Baker is sentenced to small town Emerald Creek to bring a movie back on schedule. When she gets to the bottom of the delays, she finds a cowboy. Rest is history…except no miscommunication that seems to have weaved itself into romcom dna. There is no overt drama. It was fun read through and through.

This was a fun enemies to lovers with a city girl and lawyer turned cowboy turned small town mayor when the movie Samantha's producing starts filming in Travis's town. They had some pretty epic banter and you could really feel the chemistry between them.

I wish there had been some more depth, spice to back up the amazing chemistry and dual POV but overall, it was my favorite of the series. Also the animal appearances couldn't be beat. The goat and the cat through the whole story but also at the end, tooooo perfect!!!


Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Read if you like: enemies to lovers, two different worlds
-
Samantha gets sent from NYC to a small town to oversee the production of a movie. There, she meets Travis, who seems to be the complete opposite of who she would normally go for. But the two have more in common than they think and there's no denying the chemistry between them.
-
This book was cute and if you prefer fade to black over spicy romance then this is for you! Samantha and Travis were great opposites attract couple and it was fun to read how they figured out how to navigate their relationship.

I love a good cowboy romance! I had no idea what to expect going into this, but it was just such a good time in the end, and exactly what I was looking for out of an end-of-summer romance read. The concept was definitely a bit far-fetched, of a movie producer having to help rebuild a town in order to get filming permits, but I honestly really enjoyed the ridiculousness of it all. I always enjoy a small-town setting, and this was no exception with the country dances and the one bar in town, and the tight-knit community. Travis and Samantha were very cute together, and I appreciated how New York was incorporated as a common point between the two of them while also loving the small town too. Travis was such a sweetheart and it was nice to see how thoughtful he was towards Samantha and her career.

Was not my favorite. Took awhile to get into the routine of the characters and empathizing with them. Cute idea but very poorly done

A sweet small town romance book that will give you the warm fuzzies. It was fast paced and easy read, a good book to pull you out of a slump. This book is not perfect, but it's fun and light hearted and down right adorable.

Love to Hate You was my second book by Camilla Isley, after Not in a Billion Years, although I didn't realize until I finished it.

This one fixed all the issues I had with Not a Billion Years, namely the useless third-act breakup plus the sex and body parts euphemisms. Wow. I'm a fan, really.

Love to Hate You focuses on convinced New Yorker Samantha, who goes to a small town to oversee the production of the upcoming film she produces. There, she clashes with the town's Mayor, Travis Hunt, who is secretly talented at everything in life.

It was a very, very easy read, especially after a very difficult thriller. I loved there weren't endless descriptions, just straight to the point, and, again, no useless third-act breakup because of a misunderstanding. Finally a book with two grownups making sacrifices to be together and finding solutions. Thank you, Camilla, this was awesome to read.

Loved Hildi and Fluffy, great touches. I would've liked the other side characters to be a bit more defined, though, but now I realize it's actually part of a series. I'll have to read the rest now.

Real rating: 4.5 rounded to 5 because of the fixed changes in Not in a Billion Years.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Love to Hate You by Camilla Isley is book 7 of the First Comes Love series. This is a classic small town, enemies to lovers romance. With the enemies to lovers trope, you can always get some good laughs from the banter and this book definitely brought that. The way they went from butting heads and fighting each other to fighting their attraction falling in love was so so swoony!

This was absolutely my favourite read of the series, it was the perfect small-town cowboy romance with undeniable chemistry between two people who are two worlds apart. Our female lead is feisty, career driven and the perfect girl boss and I really loved her storyline with the film making. I really loved how the romance developed throughout the book and especially enjoyed the conclusion.

I absolutely loved this small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance; which brings together pretty much everything I love in a story. Samantha is my absolute favourite type of character - independent, feisty, career-driven and totally kick-ass. I also love anything featuring film making, so right from the beginning I was hooked on the story and invested in the characters; devouring most of the book in a single sitting. This story is romantic escapism at its best; delivering a tale with great chemistry, first class banter and a cast of entertaining characters. I would recommend this book to those wanting to read a lighthearted Romcom which leaves you with a smile on your face. Many thanks to NetGallery and Boldwood Books for allowing me to get a copy of the book - highly recommended.

I've really enjoyed all books by Camilla so far. This one doesn't follow the same characters as the last few I have read, well I don't think I could place Sam. I did notice Lana and Christian in there who are from The Love Theorem which was nice.

This book was a super fun read and another easy one to work through. I liked the banter and it worked out at a nice pace. I did feel the end was quite quick but honestly, it was a lovely escapism book.

A super cute, closed-door, cowboy romance! The tension between the two main characters was !!! and loved every minute of it. The way they went from butting heads and fighting each other to fighting their attraction falling in love was so so swoony!

I really enjoyed this! This was a very straightforward read that I would recommend if you want a typical small town enemies to lovers read. There were parts that felt a little “overdone” and there were some pacing issues towards the end.

Super cute little enemies to lovers book that was a perfect palate cleanser between heavier titles. This book had very much a Hallmark movie vibe and I was absolutely here for it.

This isn't a literary masterpiece, it probalby wont knock your socks off, but if you want something short and sweet and maybe a bit midnless to lose yourself in then this is what you need.

This was an incredibly cute opposites attract small town romance. Samantha and Travis are so well written, and utterly dreamy. The chemistry and love building was my favourite part of this book. It just felt so genuine and real, and it was so lovely to read. Was it a bit predictable? Yes, but sometimes that's the beauty of these books! Another fantastic read from Camilla!

Love to Hate You opens on city girl, Samantha, being forced to move to Emerald Creek temporarily to assist with the smooth running of filming a blockbuster hit. But when she meets cowboy-cum-lawyer, Travis, sparks fly.

I've got to say, although she wasn't my type of person at the start, I loved Sam more and more as the book went on. I also love her temperament and inner monologue, and really appreciate her as a character. More than that though, I simply adore Travis. He's so sweet and wholesome, with that quick wit that you need in an enemies to lovers story. I also love the fact that we get to see Christian and Lana again too. And don't get me started on the animals in this story; Fluffy and Hildi have my whole heart!

As always, Camilla Isley's stories centre around the love element, but have so much else going on that they stay interesting and aren't 'just another love story'. I'm a sucker for the 'big city girl moves to a small town' trope so this book had me in its clutches from the start. Also, cowboys?? I mean, c'mon<33

Finally, this isn't important to the story, like at all, but I've just got to say that (as well as everything else) I adore the chapter headers. 'The early bird gets the worm goat' had me off, so funny. So, if it's not clear from what I've said so far...you've gotta read this book. It's a perfect romance. Pls read it...like, now.

I would like to thank netgalley and Boldwood Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun enemies to lovers, and a good addition to the series.

I can't emphasize enough how Camilla Isley consistently delivers captivating stories that never fail to amaze. "Love to Hate You," much like her previous novels I've had the pleasure of reading and reviewing, is an enthralling experience that left me immersed in a whirlwind of emotions.

Once again, Camilla showcases her mastery as she weaves a tale of a New York woman encountering a small-town cowboy. In this narrative, she brings her A-game to illustrate how genuine love can triumph over any obstacle, provided that communication thrives within the relationship. Samantha Baker's life was synonymous with the fast-paced New York lifestyle, where everything was within reach. However, her world is upended when her boss assigns her to oversee a problematic movie production in a quaint Indiana town. This seemingly disastrous change leads her to Travis, a dashing cowboy who plants seeds of doubt about her return to New York.

"Love to Hate You" unquestionably earns a spot on my list of recommended reads. It effortlessly blends lightness, romance, and charm, all bolstered by the engaging banter between the main characters. While the overarching plot might appear familiar to avid readers, Camilla's unique approach lends it an alluring freshness. Samantha's sharp wit and her initial struggle in adapting to life in Emerald Creek, where her fashion reigns supreme even on unpaved roads, adds layers of relatable humor. Travis, on the other hand, emerges as a multi-dimensional character who balances his professional commitments with his responsibilities towards his mother and their ranch, all while cherishing the essence of life.

My wholehearted endorsement goes out to "Love to Hate You." For anyone seeking a romantic comedy that consistently elicits smiles and laughter, this book is an ideal choice. Each page is infused with entertainment, culminating in a satisfying finale. While the story's premise might carry a semblance of familiarity, rest assured that its execution is far from clichéd.

The seventh book in the First Comes Love series, this is your typical city girl meets country boy and first hates him then falls in love story, but it was done extremely well! Full of fun and heart, this enemies to more, opposites attract story is so cute and is just the perfect summer read. Samantha is a movie producer and comes to Emerald Creek to get a movie back on track. She is used to the hustle and bustle of New York and is completely out of her element in the small town of Emerald Creek. Travis gave up his city life to come take over the family ranch and he is now the mayor of Emerald Creek. When Samantha meets Travis, they are instantly attracted to each other, but they are from two different worlds and don't really get along. But as they say, opposites attract, and they seem to ultimately bring out the best in each other. The banter between them was hilarious and just such fun to read. This was a such a fun and sweet, country romance with well-defined characters that I enjoyed getting to know. Although part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. A lovely, light-hearted, romantic read - perfect for a lazy day at the beach!
My thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for providing a complimentary copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.