Review: Dear Enemy by Kristen Callihan

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Callihan comes a smart, emotional contemporary romance about finding love with the most unlikely of people.

DEAR ENEMY by KRISTEN CALLIHAN

Series: Standalone

Publication date: March 31, 2020

Publisher: Montlake

Genre: contemporary romance

 

Synopsis

As kids, they hated each other. Macon Saint was beautiful, but despite his name, Delilah knew he was the devil. That he dated her slightly evil sister, Samantha, was no picnic either. When they broke up, it was a dream come true: Delilah never had to see him again.

Ten years later, her old enemy sends a text.

Delilah’s sister has stolen a valuable heirloom from Macon, now a rising Hollywood star, and he intends to collect his due. One problem: Sam has skipped town.

Sparks still sizzle between Macon and Delilah, only this heat feels alarmingly like unwanted attraction. But Delilah is desperate to keep her weak-hearted mother from learning of her sister’s theft. So she proposes a deal: she’ll pay off the debt by being Macon’s personal chef and assistant.

It’s a recipe for disaster, but Macon can’t stop himself from accepting. Even though Delilah clearly hates him, there’s something about her that feels like home. Besides, they’re no longer kids, and what once was a bitter rivalry has the potential to be something sweeter. Something like forever.

Purchase:

Amazon | B&N

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE


REVIEW

Dear Enemy by Kristen Callihan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    “Loving you was inevitable. You got under my skin at age eleven and never left.”

There's a thin line between love and hate, and that's something that is so well illustrated between Delilah and Macon. Theirs is a complicated relationship filled with misunderstandings, deceptions, and buried hurt. When they met as children, Macon shot down her innocent offer of friendship out of self-preservation. From that moment on, there was never a moment's peace between them. To make matters worse, Delilah was forced to be in his company more often than not once her sister started dating him. He was like the gum on the bottom of your shoe that you just can't get off. Taunting, harassing, and humiliating her every chance he got. She wasn't quite sure why Macon had it out for her from the start, but it seemed to confirm her feeling that she was the lesser of the Baker sisters. After an unforgivable incident at prom, that was the end of their chaotic relationship. She never thought she'd see him again after high school, but her sister Sam had other ideas.

In a word, Sam is....the WORST. She's self-centered and immature from high school into adulthood. Her disregard for others is proven again and again, and there were points I could not believe that Delilah would turn her life upside down to rescue her. There's something to be said for family loyalty, and part of the reason she went out of her way to clean up her mess was her concern for their mother. Though, if you look at the bigger picture, this isn't an isolated incident. Sam has been manipulating for a very long time, and everyone around the two can see how Delilah allows it to happen. Which sucks. It flat out sucks, because Delilah is a soft-hearted woman who keeps getting dumped on because she cares too much.

    I’ve been covering for her for as long as I can remember. Even when we were kids, my parents simply accepted it as fact that I’d be the prevailing head and keep her out of mischief. It’s a hard habit to shake.

Delilah offers her soul to the devil-her services as personal assistant and chef to none other than Macon Saint, her childhood nemesis. Her sister has stepped far over the line this time, but she's willing to sacrifice her pride to make things right. Macon reluctantly agrees to the temporary arrangement, but the friction between them immediately starts throwing sparks once again. Although Delilah can be sarcastic and cutting, the hate just isn't there anymore. She sees a whole new side to him that makes her question her long-standing grudge. The Macon she knows now doesn't add up with the rude kid she was so well acquainted with.

    He’s not getting under my skin; 

he’s becoming part of it. 

I don’t think I can walk away from him now 

without tearing a good chunk of myself apart.

Delilah has some soul searching to do once she recognizes how her feelings have changed. Her new feelings are tangled up in residual hurt from the past. She'll have to overcome her own hidden insecurities as well as put her foot down with her sister once and for all. I really enjoyed Delilah's sassy personality, her bluntness and gift with food. Cooking is her form of self-expression that she can pour all of her creativity and emotion into. Macon's art form is acting, but it's his way of hiding his painful life behind fictional characters. Sometimes he seems cocky and insensitive, but it's just a front for his battered pride. I loved how they both opened themselves up completely in the end and laid everything bare. There was so much between them hidden under the surface that needed to be aired that not only mended their relationship, but was the beginning of bridging something new with her sister.

I feel like there's definitely potential to make this into a series. North and Ronan were both intriguing secondary characters that are worthy of a full length story. Overall, I was really satisfied, but the stalker storyline kind of fizzled out into nothing. As far as conflicts go, it was skimmed over too much, and the resolution was anti-climactic. I didn't love Dear Enemy quite as much as some of the author's other works, but it was still a solid book. It was very fast-paced, full of snappy dialogue, and the epilogue rounded out the story so perfectly with heartfelt emotion. Anyone looking for a light enemies to lovers story needs this on their radar.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews