Duffy ans Riggs

"Cold Hearted Casanova" by L.J Shen is the third book in the Cruel Castaway series. This is Duffy and Rigg's story.

I have to be honest and say that L.J Shen's books have fallen quite a bit short in my eyes. And this book, unfortunately, is no exception.

I liked Duffy in the first few pages. She works hard and is unappreciated and treated poorly. But she doesn't give up and I think that's cool. However, my sympathy for her quickly turned to dislike. She is very judgmental, arrogant and money hungry. For her only one thing matters: money, money, money. Even though her behavior changed over the course of the story, it was her behavior that stayed with me. If I were Riggs, I wouldn't have told her that I was a billionaire.

Riggs was a bit more unique when it came to the male characters in the Shen universe. Riggs is a billionaire who doesn't care about money and makes his living through his job as a photographer. We already know him from Christian and Arsenen's story as a close friend who keeps getting stranded with them and already lives a normal life. I really liked him in the previous books. He was a bit lively, but you could already tell that he was carrying around a lot of baggage.

I'm always up for a good marriage of convenience story. But here I found this microtrope very unbelievable and a bit bunglingly used. Also, in my opinion, Riggs and Duffy weren't a very good match either and I really felt zero attraction or chemistry between them. I only found the rather snappy dialogues entertaining.

That's why "Cold Hearted Casanova" only gets 2.4-3 out of 5 stars from me.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is the third book in the series however you can read it as a standalone.

It took me some time to warm up to Duffy but I ended up really liking her. I struggled with Riggs and never really liked him. Did I end up being totally invested in their story? You bet.

I may have shed a few tears.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Montlake through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Montlake.

I finished this book one week ago but didn't feel ready to write about it (not sure if I still am...). I know we all have different feelings , and we all look on certain stories in totally opposite way but unexpectedly the funniest guy in town did break my heart into million pieces.

It was not hard to imagine Riggs as the wild child, as a little unmature playboy, but LJ another time showed that we shouldn't judge book by it's cover. Riggs might be fun, Riggs might be everyones friend... but for sure hes's one of the most self- secured heroes, I've met. Duffy has one of the biggest heart, and I loved her and her little weird behavior. She was perfect, THE END hihi.

I wish I could talk with every single person who had the chance to read it already... This book gave me so many feels! LJ is one of my auto buy authors, because she has this undeniably BIG AF talent to write about not easy things in beautiful way - in Cold Hearted Casanova she proved it again. For me this book was EVERYTHING. I hope You're gonna enjoy it the same as I did.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book ahead of the release in exchange for an honest review.

Although I skipped Fallen Foe, I did read and enjoy Ruthless Rival (the first book in this series) so I was excited to read the third installment.

Tropes include: marriage of convenience, fake dating, slow burn + angsty romance.

As always, LJ’s writing flawlessly combines romance, spice, and tear-jerking moments.

The FMC, Daphne, proposes a fake dating/marriage of convenience with the MMC, Riggs. They both appear to be cold and somewhat shallow at first but LJ always digs deep with her characters and gives an emotional character arc.

Overall, I believe LJ has better books in her collection.

3.5 STARS!!
Cold Hearted Casanova was an interesting read from beginning to end. There were definitely times when the characters in this story had me feeling as if my emotions were on a rollercoaster ride but overall, this was a good read, and I enjoyed this story. I loved Riggs because from the very beginning he was a take me as I am type of man and although he had his sweet moments with Duffy, he knew who he was. It took me a minute to warm up to Duffy's character but once I thought she started to show more growth and maturity I began to like her more. The angst between these two characters was everything and I was here more every minute of it. This story took these two characters on a journey that I think is worth reading and I'm looking forward to reading more books from this author.

4⭐
Spice Rating - 2.5🌶️

Tropes : Marriage of convenience, Forced Proximity, Enemies to Lovers

The book begins with D, who is an overworked, under-appreciated assistant, walking in on her mean boss Gretchen and Riggs in a compromising position. D is grappling with visa issues and needs to get married stat or else she’ll be deported. She decides to blackmail Riggs into marrying her to hide his affair with her married boss. And thus it begins.

Firstly, It was a good book, but it didn’t blow my mind. I have read L.J. Shen before and this book didn’t get there for me unfortunately. The beginning and end were interesting but the middle fell flat.
Writing was great, as per usual and as I have come to expect from the author. The writing also shows what a seasoned writer she is.

D was such a sweet and smart character to read about. Her growth and understanding in the book were a joy to read.
Loved their chemistry and their banter but I personally felt that Riggs wasn’t my most favourite Male Protagonist. Some things he said and did kinda put me off sometimes.

The book lost me for a bit in the middle but after the 60% mark, I was fully invested again.
The plot twist at about 68% was very random, unnecessary and too much to buy into. Other than that, it was a pretty fun read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
<i>Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Another great read with everything you could ask for in a Sexy Rom-Com, there were so many moments I laughed out loud while reading this book.

4.5 ⭐️ This was my very first book from LJ Shen and I so enjoyed it!

As this was an ARC and I’m new to Shen’s work, I didn’t know it was the third book in a series — even so, it felt like a stand-alone title and I didn’t feel anything was confusing or lacking because I hadn’t read the first two.

The MMC, Riggs was instantly likable and sexy to me — and while the FMC, Daphne seemed a little bristly at first, it became quite clear rather quickly she had a heart of gold. Add in the neighbor Charlie, who would become so important to the story, and I was in love with the plot.

And what a journey this book takes us on — from an initial plot line surrounding a green card blackmail scenario to found family, friendship and unlikely but inevitable love — this was a winner.

I loved the banter between the characters. I loved Daphne’s quest for a happy future (and the changing definition she had for that) and Riggs coming to terms with his desire for a life very different from what he always knew. It was cool to see them find “home” in each other, albeit in an unexpected way.

I laughed and cried at different points of the story — a sure sign it’s a great book.

🫶 Enemies to lovers
🫶 Fake engagement/marriage of convenience
🫶 Forced proximity

Highly recommend this one!

I loved this book. The whole fake dating/ marriage of convenience is my favorite trope. I loved watching their relationship develop and how they both denied the obvious. The writing was lovely. I found myself becoming very sad at some parts and I think Huntingtons was a nice touch as most books don’t really go into these genetic diseases. Will read more from this author for sure

Both Riggs and Daphne discover they need a mutual something from each other. Even though they really don’t like each other (they’re exact opposites after all), it’s in their best interests to marry each other. The marriage when it finally takes place is very much a marriage of convenience, in every way. The rapport between Riggs and Daphne is fantastic, and even though neither of them start out as particularly likeable characters, I found myself completely invested in them and their non relationship. Riggs’s inner thoughts are hilarious, the things he thinks and does had me chuckling to myself. Daphne, a self confessed materialistic gold digger eventually redeems herself and I found myself emotionally involved, especially during the last quarter which had me in tears. Daphne’s family are hilarious. There’s also an unexpected twist that added a bit more drama to the story. Great characters throughout. A funny, sweet, emotional and extremely sexy story, I couldn’t get enough of it. I was completely addicted throughout. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I did not connect at all with Riggs and Duffy. The premise sounded interesting. Once I got started, I was really disappointed. The grown adults were very childish and the level of pettiness was not my cup of tea. I did not like how Duffy was this chaser of money and clout persay, even though as the story progressed I still couldn't get over her initial self. I understood Riggs reasoning for keeping his prestige and money under lock and key but he was immature as well. The whole playboy billionaire acting homely thing did not work for him. I think my patience has run thin with LJ Shen's books and characters. They are too petty and over the top.

Duffy needs a fake marriage but with Riggs?

Daphne “Duffy” Markham has set up her life to marry someone in the United States with money so they can sponsor her green card. She thought her boyfriend of seven years was going to propose until he told her that he was going to Tibet for six months and her visa expires in two weeks. So, who is going to be her temporary husband to sponsor her visa? Maybe the guy that she caught sleeping with her married boss?

Riggs Bates avoided relationships except for a few friends but he needs a reason to stay in New York so maybe temporarily marrying Duffy would keep his boss off his back and avoid a project he doesn’t want to do. Maybe they could help each other out by getting married to help her with her green card and live at her place?

There were so many times where they just failed to talk to each other but that would make it a boring story to read and L.J. Shen does nothing of the sort by turning everything upside down to what you might expect and then shake it up for good measure!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My favorite book in the series. I absolutely loved Daphne and Riggs. She’s a self proclaimed gold digger and he’s a secret billionaire. What could possibly go wrong with a marriage if convenience. Their banter was hysterical, they bought out the best in each other and I adored them together. We got humor, spice and some kind of tough topics. But it was an all around great read.

Every once in a while, I need a book that’s going to completely annihilate me. Make a mess of my emotions, make my heart stop, eyes water and I can always count on LJ Shen! within the first 10 pages of this book I knew I was in for a wild ride and she did not disappoint.

Duffy and Riggs did not have a normal first meeting and honestly they are both a bit of a HOT MESS EXPRESS. In any life there is no reason for these two, to even cross paths, and yet fate brought them together. This angsty, high emotion, messy story had me reading every last word in one sitting.

Usually in a book there’s one character that has things a little more together but neither Duffy nor Riggs knew much other than what they thought they needed. They have a wild ride and I love how open and honest these two with each other. Duffy though playing a part has the sweetest heart and I love how she finds herself. Riggs is unapologetically him. You can take him as is or leave. He is comfortable in his skin and loves his freedom. Even though he’s cold and calculated he opens Duffy’s eyes to more than what she ever thought possible. I loved that even when he’s being nice he’s still a bit of a brute! No one writes anti hero’s like Shen!

Wait I loved this. I didn’t realize it was third in a series when I requested so I was skeptical but now I’m just so excited I have two other books I can read (hopefully binge like I did this).

You're almost there. Like you're so close but not quite.
Yet I read the whole thing which is crazy outlandish for ME so you definitely have something?

Wow! L.J. Shen has done it again! Her latest novel, Cold Hearted Casanova, is a captivating blend of the enemies-to-more and the fake marriage tropes, with the added twist that he's a billionaire but she thinks he's broke! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I had to read this book, and I'm so glad I did!

From the start, I found it impossible to put down. The witty banter between the characters had me laughing out loud, and the well-crafted storyline kept me engaged until the very end. To be honest, I've never read a L.J. Shen novel that I didn't love, but Cold Hearted Casanova definitely ranks among my top favorites. If you're in the mood for a 5-star romance novel, this is the book for you!

Cold Hearted Casanova took me a bit to properly get into. I couldn’t see myself at all in the FMC, plus the opening few chapters were crazy cheesy and I didn’t love the tone they were setting for the rest of the book. But I couldn’t have been more surprised by how this story progressed! I honestly shed tears towards the end! Duffy’s character progression is so well written and I absolutely loved Rigg’s POV. 4⭐️, only deducting a star because there was an important plot twist in this story that I just absolutely couldn’t buy into. Too random and unrealistic and soap opera-y (which is FMC even admitted herself).

I don't know what L.J Shen puts into these books, but each book that I read from her I devour in one sitting, and this was no different. 📚

I absolutely LOVED this book because of its storyline. You have Duffy, who needs someone to marry her in order to stay because her visa is expiring. She thinks her super-rich boyfriend is going to help, but NOPE, he decides it's the perfect time to travel aka breakup. Then, after a very steamy encounter, enter Riggs, who also has a situation that would be solved with an engagement and wife. So, BOOM, you've got the most random situation in their hands where they are strangers about to marry. 💍

The entire story of how they met, started their friendship, and living situation, and even once their marriage, is just full of angst, banter, spiciness, and punch moments that left me at the edge of my seat, and I couldn't put it down. 💥

Did I mention that she is basically a gold digger and wants to marry rich, and when her option is a "bum," she really doesn't have a choice? Little does she know that he is actually a billionaire. It's HILARIOUS how this admission from the reader displays in the story!!

Tropes:
💫 Strangers to Lovers
💫 British FMC x American MMC
💫 Forced Proximity (roomates)
💫 Arranged Marriage
💫Secret Billionaire MMC
💫 Dual POV

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to review this book, and thank you, L.J Shen, for another amazing book!!! 🌟📖

Honestly had a hard time getting into this book but eventually its tentacles captured me and had highs and lows with emotions and heart. Recommend this latest installment in Ms Shen’s trilogy.