3.5 stars!

I really enjoy L. J Shen's writing and Cold Hearted Casanova is no exception. The book is full of witty banter, a few of the lines made me laugh and it is a book on the longer side.

The writing was enjoyable but I rated it 3.5 as I didn't particularly enjoy the chemistry between the MCs, I also found the FMC annoying and thought that there wasn't really a lot of depth into the whole 'fake marriage' thing. I've read quite a few fake marriage books and although we do briefly see the struggles of them trying to prove their marriage is real, I wanted to see more situations where they had to spend time together/enforce the fake marriage. They told everyone around them that the marriage was fake (other than Rigg's boss..) and I just found it very hard to believe they got granted her visa so quickly and smoothly.

I was excited to read CHC and I feel like I've been left feeling a bit.. underwhelmed. That's not to say it isn't a good book, I just feel that for me it wasn't what I was looking for.

Cold Hearted Casanova by L.J. Shen is the third and final book in the Cruel Castaways Series, published by Montlake.
Every book is about another couple and can easily be read as a stand aalone. But there are cross overs, so I recommend to read in order. The previous books are Ruthless Rival, Christian and Arya's story and Fallen Foe, Arséne and Winnie's story.
But back to Riggs and Duffy.
Both are trapped in their confines, aren't what they seem to be at the first look. Both deal with issues of their own. The apparentl gold digger and the gruff and relationship allergic photographer who loves nothing more than spread the love over the globe. Briggs is a laissez faire guy who flat out refuses to fall in love and Duffy just wants to have a carefree life, wants to be cared for.
I just wanted to take a peek at the story, and now several hours later I'm sitting here, taery eyed and hav a major bookhangover. I loved just every little thing about the story, the characters flawed as they are, and don't get me startedon the wonderful writing and word building this author masters every time. I recommend the book, 5 stars.

I finished this book in a day, so obviously I found it quite addicting.

This book is a sort of guilty pleasure. It follows Duffy, a young woman whose poverty-ridden childhood has left her determined to marry well at any cost, and Riggs, a billionaire rake whose life consists purely of pursuing adventure and who is determined never to be tied down.

Life, of course, has other plans. Thrown together by circumstance, they enter a fake marriage. But it isn't long before they give in to their attraction and feelings soon follow. However, before they can have a future they must face their pasts and confront their demons.

While I will admit some bits read rather unrealistic it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

Tropes: fake marriage/green card marriage, age-gap romance, billionaire romance

From dimples and icy blues to square jaw and large arms that give the best bearhugs - this book just stole my breath away. It was deliciously, spectacularly everything I’ve been craving to read. Every feel. Every joke. Every kiss. Every scene was so perfect.
I am still floating in the hazy, sparkly, magical after-feels of this romantic comedy.
It is a perfectly balanced urban fairy-tale of feels and aspirations, trust trumping survival mechanism and feels taking over the voice of reason!
Heroine - a charming failure of a gold digger. Her beautiful, slightly lost soul finds refuge in the arms of a wondering artist with only a ripped shirt and a camera to his name. And yet his love overshadows all the most opulent riches of the world. And he generously showers the heroine with it.

It was a beautifully written series, but this book was the culmination of feels for me!
It has easily become one of my top favorites written by this author. Maybe even one of my favorite reads ever!
This book is non-stop laughter and yet the feels are soul-searing, gentle and raw!

The writing is a magical whisper. It always feels like a dance. Each step is so light and graceful. And yet so bright somehow, so vivid and frank! It’s magical, elegant, introspective and classy! And as always - the most crass jokes hold the deepest of meanings!
Loved this story with all my heart and keep rereading my favorite parts already!

I definitely liked the book. Duffy and Riggs were both well established characters, however I did feel like it took me a while to warm to either of them due to both of their stand off ish natures. Towards the end though I really enjoyed their relationship and the warmness we got to see from both. The Charlie story felt a bit random within the book, as a side character neither of the main characters connection with him was all that established. This made the events surrounding him harder for me to be invested in. But overall the book was enjoyable and entertaining, I particularly liked Duffy and Riggs’ banter in the book.

Another amazing piece from this gorgeous series. I loved Riggs so much; he’s such a character. Although I don’t think this book was as steamy as author’s usual which is little sad. But it was quirky and awesome anyway.

I loved Duffy and Riggs. They were the perfect conclusion to this series but I am still sad to say goodbye. I loved seeing Christian, Arsene, Arya and Winnie again in this one because I loved their books. You do not need to have read the first two but I highly recommend it! I also really enjoyed Riggs and Duffy’s unique meeting. From that meeting, the idea of a fake marriage is proposed, but it isn’t until Riggs realizes he needs a reason to say no to a work assignment that he agrees to the marriage. Duffy thought her long time boyfriend was the key to her green card, but when he takes off for a 6 month soul searching trip to Nepal, she’s desperate to find a new way to stay in the states. Riggs and Duffy spend time together so they can pass the immigration interviews and eventually give into their chemistry. They both have a broken past that is clouding their views of life and their future so can they work it out and make way for a real future before its too late?

“Cold Hearted Casanova” is the perfect and typical Alpha Male romance, full of hot and carnal scenes that will entice even a prude.

Duffy is the warned hearted heroine who will reform the worst jerk. She grew up in poverty and is resolved to never go back there, even if it means being a gold digger. She´s willing to have a comfortable relationship with a ridiculous rich person if she can guarantee a life with food, shelter, insurance and why not, also luxury bags, clothes and shoes for her and her children for the rest of their lives. Duffy is English and her objective in life is to escape her past and stay in New York enough time to arrange and secure her marriage to her longtime boyfriend. When said boyfriend decides to embark in a 6 months period searching his self, she finds herself in a pickle, with no working visa, no boyfriend and an imminent and possible deportment back home. But then, she finds the opportunity of a lifetime when she catches “in fraganti” her bitchy and very married boss with her handsome paramour and blackmailed them with the proposition to have the lover marry her instead so she can stay legally in the States. When Riggs agreed for reasons of his own, sparks appear where there were none before and the life changing romance begins.

I began to read this book with very clear expectations of what I was getting, therefore, I enjoy their separate heartbreaking past stories, how they overcame them and the nice chemistry between Duffy and Riggs. Read it in 2 days! That´s how much I enjoyed the book.

I just reviewed Cold Hearted Casanova by L.J. Shen. #ColdHeartedCasanova #NetGalley

I must say that I have a love/hate relationship with L.J.Shen's books.
And I really loved this one fake relationship trope with a little twist .

At first Figgs and Daphne, were not my favorite characters., but I grow to loved them.
This was a such good one. The chemestry was off the charts.

What you can expect to find in Cold Hearted Casanova:
-marriage of convenience
-fake relationship/real feelings
-slow burn
-angsty
-family & found family

Daphne aka "Duffy" and Riggs run into each other under not so ideal circumstances. Duffy finds Riggs in a compromising position with her married boss. Riggs couldn't be bothered by the fact, but Daphne makes him a proposition. Marry her so that she could stay in the US without being deported back to the UK. She's been working under a work visa, but her current boss is moving on and not taking Duffy with her. Riggs isn't so keen on the idea of marrying a stranger, but when his boss insists on sending him to travel to Alaska for work, Riggs takes Daphne up on her offer. There are few places in the world that Riggs does not want to travel to and Alaska is at the top of that list.

I have been waiting for Riggs book since the beginning of the Cruel Castaways series. The fact that he's a billionaire but prefers to live like a nomad was a highlight of the previous books. I'm glad that we got to see more of what makes his character tick in Cold Hearted Casanova. Riggs is such a complex character and I loved his dynamic with Duffy. Duffy was always so prim and proper - wanting to further herself up the socioeconomic ladder in New York. Both of these characters appear shallow when we first meet them and I love how my view of both changed.

As with most LJ Shen books - there was plenty of angst, plenty of spice and plenty of gut wrenching moments. I have not cried so much reading one of her books as I did in Cold Hearted Casanova. This book will stay with me for a while.

Duffy and Riggs enter into a marriage convenience was she kind of blackmailed him into so that she can get a green card. They really are wrong on their first impressions of one another and they quickly realize they have chemistry but don’t want to admit that there are any feelings involved, I really liked how Duffy managed to bring out emotions and rigs that he doesn’t even realize he had. Also Riggs help stuffy look at what her goals are and how they aren’t really what she wants. It’s steamy and there’s banter and it’s enjoyable from start to finish.

Although I began reading this book without a clear idea of what to expect, I found it to be an entertaining and enjoyable read. The story, Enemies to Love, was easy to follow and kept me engaged throughout. My only concern was that the British character in the story did not seem very authentic and was filled with cliches about British people. Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy this type of literature as it is a quick and easy read, perfect for a little snack.

This book was funny and cute. In the beginning, everyone seemed a little shallow so I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but as the story unfolded, I really liked Duffy and Riggs. The story sucked me in and I was so hopeful that everything would work out for them. I also always love a story with lessons or reminders of what is really important and there were many little lessons throughout this book.

This....was not my favorite LJ Shen read. I found both of the characters juvenile and they had so many just overwhelmingly negative qualities that I didn't find myself rooting for either one of them. In fact I kinda disliked them both throughout the entire book. It felt like if two middle schoolers were 30 and ended up in a fake marriage. There wasn't even a baseline level of respect established and they both just constantly lied to one another about how they were feeling and then threw childish fits.

This book was so much fun to read. It was a great end to the series. I ate this book up and I can’t stop thinking about it. I would highly recommend!

So many emotions with this one. I laughed (often), cried, was angry and it was a vicious cycle. This one started slow but quickly got to a more enjoyable speed, the slow burn was worth it in the end. This plot was low on the spicey scale. I'm a fan of LJ Shen so will definitely continue to giver her books a chance.
Didn't hate this one. Didn't love it.

I enjoyed this one. There's an over the top element that characterizes LJ Shen's writing style. It's far from realistic, but the plot is a page turner and I want to know how she will turn essentially unlikeable characters into ones you can root for. In the end I wanted Duffy and Riggs to find their way back to each other.

I'm confused with this one because it made me laugh throughout. *Chef kiss* humour. I liked Riggs, though he isn't my usual type, his development was a gebuinely good read. .

I didn't like Duffy at all, even as her supposed inner traumatised commoner came out. I just couldn't connect to her or her story. The bones were there, but it didn't click for me.

I also felt like Riggs and Duffy didn't connect emotionally. Their emotional relationship just seemed to come from no where, or at least without significant foundation. I can't put my finger on it but it felt shallow. Or forced.

I can definitely see why this book has so many high rates, but for me, it missed the emotional mark (in terms of Duffy and Riggs) but hit the humour marks.

This is the series that introduced me to L.J Shen and I am forever grateful. This ending was perfect, only Riggs would be forced to get “fake” married to get out of something he didn’t want to do. Both Riggs and Daphne had some serious character issues at the beginning, throughout the book they helped each other. I think this was one had the most humor from all three books, Arsene and Christian brought in some dry laughs and Riggs and Daphne’s first couple of encounters were very insulting but not in a harmful tone.

“Never have I wanted to kiss a mouth and shut it up so equally.”

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC of this book.

Spice rating: 🌶️ (a couple brief scenes, mostly fade to black)

Daphne “Duffy” is a British woman working in America. She is in desperate need of a visa to stay so makes a deal with Riggs, a billionaire posing as a poor man who wants to get out of going to Alaska for work. They have lots of witty banter in the beginning, which is the only redeeming quality of this book honestly. I didn’t really feel much chemistry between them at all and I didn’t find them likeable.

There were lots of things that didn’t seem to make sense. This guy is a billionaire and yet he doesn’t have a place to live? I realise he doesn’t see the point when he travels so much, but wtf? Why doesn’t he just leave his job so he doesn’t have to go to Alaska instead of marrying a woman he can’t stand? He’s a freaking billionaire - he can afford to travel the world and take the all the photographs he wants. Also, some of the things he said to her were massive 🚩🚩

I realise that LJ Shen is not British, but I couldn’t stand her attempt at writing an English person. It’s like she looked up a list of words and expressions that Brits use and needed to insert every single one - even ones that it makes no sense that she would say like “eejit.” Then Duffy still uses American words like “recess.” It’s incredibly inconsistent.

I honestly thought I was going to really like this book in the beginning. I thought their clever banter was great! Then it all went downhill and didn’t redeem itself in any way.