[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
An enemies to lovers that really aren't enemies.
I had a great time reading Dear Enemy. It's light, well written, with two MC that you have to love (especially Mason, he's so lovely and cute... -and hot!-) and a great deal of sexual tension (more than sexual scenes). I loved almost the whole book but the ending is very rushed, I felt like if the writter needed to end the story and didn't know how. That part was very weak to me, didn't like it.
But overall I think is a good book, perfect when you need something uncomplicated.
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//REVIEW IN SPANISH//
Es un nadismo de mono con platillos que me ha tenido leyendo muy entretenida hasta la parte final, donde la resolución de los pistos abiertos es extremadamente simplona.
Sin embargo, me ha sorprendido gratamente en general, ya que esperaba el típico libro contemporáneo de polvos por doquier y para nada, ha sido bastante más dulce y bonito (y con pocos guarrerismos).

Dear Enemy

I Picked Up This Book Because: Kindle Challenge.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: KindleUnlimited
Dates Read: 1/4/21 - 1/8/21
Stars: 5

The Characters:

Delilah Baker:
Macon Saint:
Sam Baker, Mrs Baker, North West (not that North West)

The Story:

I have no idea what took me so long to read this book but I’m kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. Macon and Delilah are the epitome of “it’s a thin line between love and hate”. After a turbulent childhood when Sam runs off after her shady dealings with Macon and he accidentally contacts Delilah and they meet back up you can feel the chemistry between these two from the start. The back and forth between them had me ready to scream “Just jump him/her already!” So this is a slow burn enemies to lovers story that I enjoyed very much. Like “I just finished it 4 days ago and could listen to it again” enjoyed it.

The Random Thoughts:


Challenges:

A to Z Reading Challenge 2021 - D
Goodreads Book Bingo 2021 - A book you meant to read in 2020
Year of Smut 2021 - A book by a new-to-you author

Sometimes highly anticipated books don’t quite live up to our expectations. That is not to say they’re not good, but we want more from them.

That’s how I feel about DEAR ENEMY. I generally love Ms. Callihans books and I thought this would be so addictive because … enemies to lovers! But it didn’t blow me away.

This is about a chef and a movie star and they were childhood nemesis. Years without talking, our heroine ends up working as his private chef and living with him to work off a debt her sister got into with him. And the sparks fly from there.

Ms. Callihans writing style is still reflected in this book and it kept me interested and reading this. But I was never fully invested in the backstory or the current plot line. So many things just didn’t make sense and I wasn’t buying into the story. Now if I didn’t take that in consideration, I liked the chemistry when these two were together.

Plus there were lots of things that could’ve been explored more. Like his stalker for example. Too many threads that were underdeveloped which made me wonder why they were even there. They didn’t love the story of characters forward. And that ending… I saw that twist coming from a mile away but what happened in the end felt like tacked on just for adding drama.

I hope that her next release sweeps me off my feet more than this one did.

This book is FUN. It's sexy and sometimes angsty and entertaining. 

I loved the flashbacks to Delilah and Macon in high school. These two not only didn't like each other, they could barely stand to be around each other. As Kristen Callihan will reveal, though, there is more to the story, as I'm sure you expect. 

Now, ten years later, Delilah sacrifices herself on Macon's altar to save her feckless sister Sam, who happens to be Mason's ex-girlfriend from those high school days. You will not like Sam, who is the weakest character in the book. She isn't on the page very often, but she haunts the story. When you do meet her, you want to know why she's such a selfish brat. You can't trust her, though, so you don't know if her protests have any validity. 

Back to Delilah and Macon: they are DELICIOUS. (Literally, in some cases. Delilah is a chef, and all the food talk in this book will make your stomach growl.) Their chemistry scorches the pages, even though Callihan gives you severe blue ovaries as you wait FOREVER for them to rock the headboard. Worth it, though. Oh, yes, it is. In fact, their first sexual interaction will make you tremble with need.

I enjoyed watching Macon and Delilah relinquish their control. Neither wants to appear weak, yet they both are. I liked how protective they are of each other, and I liked how they were willing to admit mistakes. 

This is the book to pick if you want something largely light-hearted with some heat. You will adore Macon and Delilah.

An incredible hate-to-love romance with excellent banter and lots of swooning. Kristen Callihan knows how to pen a terrific romance and Macon and Delilah's off-the-charts chemistry despite the somewhat icky position they were in made this book for me. 

http://www.theinfinitelimitsoflove.com/2020/08/top-ten-tuesday-24-books-i-read-loved.html

I am a big fan of Kristen Callihan's books and some of them are favorites that I read over and over again. So when I saw this baby and read the blurb I knew I had to give it a go.

Now as much as I enjoyed reading it...I wasn't blown away by it. For some reason, I just couldn't fully connect with the story or the characters and I even found myself skimming every now and then. It was all just a bit too slow for my liking...

Now, this might also be because of the weird times we are currently living in. I find it harder and harder to escape into a story and connect. 

For those of you who love the "enemies to lovers" trope, you should definitely give this one a go. 

I myself like my stories a bit more angsty, especially now, which makes me a bit weird I know. A lot of people are looking for comfort stories right now, while for me it is pretty much the opposite. 

That is why I think I should give this one another go when things have calmed down a bit... Maybe I will feel completely different about it... It has been known to happen ;) 

For now, I would have to go with 3 stars... not bad...but not awesome either.

This is was a great enemy to lovers story and I don't think that gives too much away. This was a perfect read for the garden on a sunny day. It was a fairly quick read, I liked both the characters and the chemistry between them. You could really feel the push pull between them. There were a few twists and turns but overall a perfect summer romance read.

I love enemy to lovers trope! So I was very exited about this title.

I like this story about Delilah and Macon (childhood enemies), but I didn't love. Something was missing... and other things were to much, like how many times Sam (Delilah's sister ) was mention...? 
Banter between them was ok, there were a few funny moments. 
I wanted Delilah to be little stronger character (again, when it comes to her sister).

I think I'll go with 3.5 stars!

I think the summary of this book makes it out to be a lot less put together than it is. I was intrigued by the summary, but I had reservations that were thankfully quashed once I started reading. I was immediately sucked in and I thought the banter/enemies-to-lovers vibe was done so well. I'd caution people that in the beginning it seems impossible that you'd root for the hero, but it's worth it if you stick with this slow burn. The ending definitely felt rushed (and at times, very cheesy), but I can forgive that since it didn't leave questions unanswered. 

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I’m not a huge fan of enemies to lovers and even less of a fan when the hero’s ex is the heroines’s sister… but, if anyone can make this work for me it’s Kristen Callihan. 

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book after the first chapter where the author takes readers back in time to see the main protagonists in their childhood verbally abusing each other. The last scene at the prom had me wincing and angry, but I kept reading and believe it or not, I ended up enjoying this book. 

I think what ultimately kept me reading was the chemistry between Macon and Delilah. It just jumped off the page, I mean you could practically see the sparks between them. As soon as they appeared in present day and readers finally get into Macon’s head I knew that all was not as it appeared. And it wasn’t. I’m not sure some of the reasons for the hero’s childhood behavior toward the heroine can ever be excused, but at least it can be explained just a bit. I did think this author did a good job of slowly building their relationship from enemies to lovers and resolving all the issues between them.

This is definitely a slow burn romance and I thought they would never get to the sexy times. But when they finally did… wowza. 

All in all, not my favorite by this author, but a solid, enjoyable read.

This book was absolutely everything I’ve ever wanted in a romance and more. I devoured this story. I truly feel like I connected with this story about Macon and Delilah “ Tot” who asks him a massive favour in order to save her sister from going to jail.

From their first encounter as children, HATE is the word that fit perfectly to describe their relationship. However, where there's hate... there's love... isn't it.

The entire book slowly builds you up and keeps you hanging and just makes you feeeeeeel! I felt everything. The words, olala the words and the secrets.

Delilah aka “Tot” and Macon’s relationship was consuming, addictive and explosive. The banter, the conversation , the texts and the sparks!!!!!

“But you and that boy…” She smiles faintly.
“ Showers of sparks. You light each other up."

The way they met again years later because of Delilah’s sister made the reader feel that it was meant to be!
Macon is an amazing character, he is soulful and sexy and his deep and his love for Tot is so passionate.
Dear Enemy is a skillfully written and thoroughly entertaining novel .

I am so sad I didn’t love this one more, since I adore Kristen Callihan and her books. The hero got on my nerves too much, and while he did grow on me by the end, I was still thinking of the awful things he did to the heroine growing up. (It doesn’t help that the epilogue literally reminds us of what he did... which did not endear him to me.) I thought his reasons for bullying her and being with her sister were so weak. A couple of the interesting plot points (like the heroine’s runaway sister, the stalkers, and the hero’s dad) became anticlimactic and didn’t wrap up in a satisfying way. I did love the foodie aspect of this romance though, which we surprisingly got a lot more of than the hero’s Hollywood background. I think Kristen Callihan is publishing another book with Montlake and I’m hoping I’ll enjoy that one more!

This is a super slow burn enemy to lovers book that completely worked for me and a different take on a bully book, which almost never works for me. And I can see why the book may not – and has not – worked for everyone. I love banter and this banter worked really well for me. Delilah’s sister, Samantha, is irredeemable to me, and she winds up as a personal assistant to a movie star she has a past with, Macon Saint to basically save her sister’s ass. They have a lot of history and baggage to work through – and for me – it just worked as the tension ratcheted up. There is a subplot of a stalker that honestly I didn’t care about and that’s where I think any of the stumbles were. But the chemistry is delicious.

I love Kristen Callihan's style of writing and am glad to get my hands on her new book. 'Dear Enemy', as the book name suggests, has a hate-to-love storyline and is also a slow-burn. It’s an amazingly entertaining, fun, and fantastic  journey to go on with Macon and Delilah. Their chemistry, banter, emotions, sexy times and romance  just keep you flipping the pages right till the very end.  I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read more by this author.  Happy reading everyone!!

Dear Enemy is an emotional enemies to lovers romance. It is a bittersweet story with characters that take a while to warm up to, as they learn words and actions can affect someone, even if you don’t mean to be hurtful. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't always like the way the characters treated each other. They reacted before thinking and their actions had consequences.

The two main characters, Macon and Delilah have known each other since they were children and they have always argued and taunted each other.  Now, ten years later, they meet again. They are both established in their careers and successful but still harbor doubts, fears and vulnerability from their childhood. As they spend time together, they realize they misunderstood each other years ago and they also find they have many similarities.

Even though Macon is a famous actor, he isn’t happy. He has many ghosts and hides his innermost feelings from everyone. Underneath his broody and gruff exterior, Macon is vulnerable and hurting. Looking at Macon’s handsome face, no one would guess the secrets he hides inside.

Delilah is forthright, what you see is what you get.  She doesn’t play games and she is loyal and protective of those she loves. As Delilah slowly gets to know Macon, she realizes she never really knew him. This is a slow burn, emotional story full of tension and scorching looks between the characters.

4 TOT Crowns

I really enjoyed this slow burn.

The banter was fantastic and there was a legitimate reason for their conflict and distrust of each other. The author really took the time to make sure that readers saw these two get together know each other and fall in love again.

The pacing, at times, was a bit slow for me, and there were moments that I found boring, but the beginning was engaging enough to keep me intrigued and the ending was phenomenal and kept me thoroughly entertained.

The narrators were enjoyable in terms of their pacing, dialect, and fluency. They really brought the characters to life.

Kristen Callihan is a favorite author of mine, and while I had some moments that dragged, overall, the writing is fantastic, the characters and likable and the chemistry between them great, and the story is entertaining.

This is a great enemy to lovers story!  It has really good characters and plot.  I was laughing and swooning!  The chemistry is so good and the best slow burn!  I would definitely recommend!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

3.5 stars
I enjoyed Dear Enemy. Kristen Callihan did a good job mixing the angst and slow burn with the banter and sexual tension. Delilah and Macon have great chemistry together. Even when they feuded, you can sense the underlying feelings.

I will say - and this is 100% a me thing - it took me so long to get through this story. I don't know what it was about Dear Enemy but it read so slow for me. I liked it but it felt like I would read for an hour and only make it 5%. It wasn't even that long of a book.

As I said, for the most part, I enjoyed this book. I did have to drop the rating to 3.5 stars because I really hated the epilogue. It felt like it was just a recap of the entire book. I wish I had more of Delilah and Macon as a couple instead.

One of the best books I've read this year, I'm speechless! it was incredible, I had to read it in one sitting because the characters and the story were so raw, real and emotional! great book from Miss Callihan!

Dear Enemy was highly consumable with its delicious angst and enemies-to-lovers setting. Callihan shines with her barb-filled banter that is truly just unspoken lust shielded by years of animosity, but without negating the painful reasons for those shields. When Macon and Delilah are forced into forming a mutually beneficial agreement, all of that comes undone with wonderful results.

The slow unwinding into feelings was my favorite part of this story. Both main characters were rooted in such big truths that many of us can relate to and it was all too easy to recognize their paths and understand their choices because of them. Delilah's self-sacrificing tendency wasn't always beneficial for her, but it really gave Macon the opening he needed to finally open himself to something good. He was the kind of hero that had your heart racing just as easily as he had your heart wanting to swallow his pain whole. They were surprising just as they were comfortable and I enjoyed every moment of seeing them bloom not just as individuals, but as a couple that earned their path to one another.

I've missed Callihan and the way she can tell a wonderfully sexy story. The slow, but steady way these two fell for each other was beautiful to witness and I hope we don't have to wait all that long for this author to share another story with us.