Bound to the Rival CEO

This was the first book I’ve of this author and it probably won’t be my last. I enjoyed seeing how the relationship between Daisy and Xan developed although feel there was a lot of history that we didn’t really know about.

Oh wow. This book was unbelievable from start to finish.

Daisy had my heart and reminded me so much of me. Meticulous, by the book and career driven. She just had so much time for her career and I loved that about her.

Zan. What a man. He was just fantastic as a male protagonist. He was so emotionally unavailable and closed, which made the situation even greater.

The slow burn of this romance novel was second to none. Every page I was thinking that something was bound to happen and Manning kept me waiting in the best possible way.

What a FANTASTIC read!

I really enjoyed this shortish novel. I raced through it in 1 sitting as it really held my attention. Daisy made for a great lead and I loved the way she sparred with Zan. He was not so great, the better aspects of his character were not really developed, but I loved the story nonetheless. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy of this book.

Romance story where two people running competing businesses fall for each other and let chemistry talk in stead of listening to common sense.

Entertaining, somewhat believable, and an easy, enjoyable read. Perfect for the beach this summer!

I love a good rivalry romance. The characters were great and the plot was believable. Great quick read!

This was just everything I was looking for! I have been in a bit of a reading slump for awhile, and this book took me right out of it-from the very first page. I loved Daisy and Zans' relationship evolve and shift from complete enemies to just the sweetest couple. And the angst, oh, the angst was the best part. Throughout this book I cried and laughed, and was so angry at times-which means the book is absolutely amazing. The only issue I did have was the way Daisy's' sisters acted, and so that no spoilers are revealed, I won't go into much detail. All I had an issue with was how they were extremely hypocritical, and being so rude to her when they were doing the exact same thing. Daisy gave everything to her family, and the way they were shown didn't sit well with me. Overall, the plot was on point and was amazing.

Ratings:
Overall:5/5
Plot: 5/5
Steam: 3/5

Quotes:

"Two can play the dangerous game you're starting. But there would only ever be one winner."

"I take it, Alexander, that you're not a fan of fruity, fun cocktails. More Bloody Mary, you know, with blood."
"Yeah, B negative is my favorite."

"Daisy's mine."

"Nothing will happen to you on my watch, Daisy."

"Bless me, father, for I want to sin, so very, very badly."

"What goes on in that wierd brain of yours?" He asked, shaking his head, unable to stop smiling. She grinned back at him. "You don't want to know." But he did. He did want to know."

"God, it's good to be held. Really held."

"Jesus. He'd give his left ball, which she was quite fond of, to know what she was dreaming about."

"Look at me."

"Praesidio,"

"Bye, Clovis. Don't forget to pat your mammoth."

"I have nothing left to give."

"Funny thing, it turned out Daisy was his anchor."

"You are my world, Clovista." "Want to see my lady cave?" "My mammoth does."

Billionaires, enemies to lovers, forced (quite literally at one point) proximity, a short and curvy FMC, great smut scenes, a crushing and devestating betrayal, and an (almost) HEA? This book has almost everything that I love. Finished it in less than a day because I couldn't put it down.

Bound to the Rival CEO is part of a series, but can easily be read as a standalone. It's an enemies to lovers romance that could also be classified as a romantic comedy because of all the sassy, witty banter and verbal sparring. There are plenty of steamy scenes, a few where you want to shake sense into the hero and a happy ever after for the couple. I was nevertheless a bit disappointed with the ending and hope we get to see things work out for the siblings in future books.

My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to Netgalley and the author/publisher.

General Thoughts: The theme of the month is "I picked this up on a whim." And that's true of this one too. I knew nothing about the author or the book. And I'm so glad I picked it up. The writing was great, the characters were fun, and the plot was well thought out.

It was a cute, fun, and "predictable in all the best ways" read. This is a forced proximity, enemies/rivals to lovers, steamy read, and is another one that I think would be a perfect beach or poolside read. I really enjoyed it. I'm hoping that we see more of the sisters and brothers of the FMC/MMC in books to come. This was my first novel by the author, but it definitely won't be my last.

If you're looking for a fun, quick, lighthearted enemies/rivals to lovers read, this one has you covered. And if you love R&J type books, also for you.

Steam Meter: ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥. It's steamy but not as graphic as many others in the genre.

Memorable Lines::

-"Kill me in my sleep, and I will haunt you, and not like a friendly ghost."

-Four little words crept into her mind again: right man, wrong family.

-She wasn't under his skin; she was in his bloodstream.

Romantic Tropes
-contemporary romance
-forced proximity
-enemies/rivals to lovers
-"just for now" lovers

"Right man, wrong family"

Daisy and Zan are rival CEO's who are after the same company to buy out. They are on a team building retreat, which was ran by said company. They are both attracted to each other, but have a rivalry that runs deep into their veins for generations. As the old saying goes keep your friends close and enemies closer.

"I'm not getting in there with you. You flip on a dime. all nice one moment and the next you're Darth Vader."

I enjoyed the book, it was a fun quick read and I devoured in one sitting and flew through it. I liked that daisy was a curvy, female main character, which made a nice change. However, I didn't like the amount of times it was mentioned. I always enjoyed a romance with spice scenes, there were a few but some I felt could have been expanded on more but that was my own preference.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the book.

I really enjoyed this story and I loved the characters!

I thought that this book had a great storyline and it was well written.

The pace for the story was good and it kept me reading and entertained.

It was a romantic and sexy read - From enemies to lovers, they didn't stand a chance

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

this book hooked me from the get go, enjoyable read, characters were brilliant loved everything about them, they fit perfect together, story line didn't drag or make you feel weird, ive recommened this to a few people who very much enjoyed the read aswell.

If your looking for a book that you can DEVOUR in a day then this is it.

We're given a real 'romeo and julliet' feel with our MC's and im here for it. The angst, the banter, top teir.

I absolutely loved the idea that Zan and Daisy had to survive each other at a retreat where couples were looking for love. I mean we all knew what was going to happen and I loved every second. The too and fro from both of them had me giggling and when they finally kissed *chefs kiss*.

Now the one thing I didn't like about this book was the constant mentioning of Daisy's body. Yes, describe how her dress fits, use it to help me visualise her character but I don't need to read about how she's insecure about her body etc, especially if it doesn't help aid the plot.

I also found Zan to be quiet niave surrounding his business decision. And it sort of blurred my love for his character a little bit.

But overall, I really liked this book. It was quick, witty and had a nice bit of *spice*.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

I loved everything about this book: the plot, the characters, the SMUT. Wish I could read this for the first time again because it was just so good.

Pretty good book.. With some funny parts and the steamy scenes were fantastic..... This is my first time reading a book by this author and would totally read more ...

Absolutely loved the is book! The banter and two perspectives kept me wanting more. I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope. Highly recommend.

Hello Clovis and Clovista! A running joke throughout this story. Amusing and nicely written, this story is worth a read. And don't forget Virgil the cat who plays a lead part in developing the romance. Not to mention tropical islands and silly games..oh, and handcuffs.