I really enjoyed this one from Elle Spencer. She never fails to disappoint me with her novels. Give In to Me is about acclaimed author Whitney Ainsworth, who is down on her look after professional and personal disappointments. In comes Brie Talbot, who throws her life into even more chaos, but in the best way!

Spencer does a great job with the secondary characters. They are just as important to the story as the main characters. Whitney's "BFF" Liz is absolutely hilarious! I also really love Whitney's ex-wife Reese. Usually the ex is vilified, especially when infidelity and betrayal are involved. What I really loved in the instance is that the reader can really sympathize with Reese and she is actually very like-able. The relationships between all of the women at first seem far fetched, but as the story goes on, it just works. The references to characters from other books is always a bonus.

The epilogue was a nice touch. With out giving anything away, lets just say that I love those outcomes very much!

Kudos!

This story has several aspects that I usually like to find in books I read. One of the protagonists is a writer of a successful series, from which she has just taken out the third book, but it does not seem to have had very good reception among her followers. Especially a blogger has been particularly hurtful with her criticism of this third chapter. And the story begins with a confusion that ties writer and blogger in a first encounter that ends quite badly. But for the development of the story that is very convenient since it will allow many options..

The writer, Whitney, has also recently divorced and his ex-wife is a Hollywood star who must also star in the film adaptation of the first chapter of the series. And the blogger, Brie, will end up being the scriptwriter of that adaptation, how does that sound in drama possibilities?

Writer, blogger, Hollywood actress ex-wife Reece, Whitney's literary agent Liz, Brie's mother Jade, all of them are female protagonists with quite a role in the story, so are the male characters Adam, Brie's twin brother and Jake Brie's father.

So in a slightly soap-opera style, the story unfolds between comings and goings, quite a bit of humor and some drama.

Too bad about the end that is a bit slack. Recommended nonetheless.

Interesting story of an author traumatized by her now ex wife's infidelity who meets an open hearted fan at a speaking engagement.

Both characters are relatable - though, initially Brie is the more likable.

Whitney has her faults, which are slowly revealed throughout most of the book. However, the initial problem is that she assumes Brie, a stranger in the hotel bar is there simply for a one night stand. The night is mind blowing for both women until a misunderstanding derails their explosive chemistry.

Add in complications with a movie starring the ex wife, media hypervigilance, and learning to take responsibilities for past mistakes to make a packed plotline.

I highly recommend this book.

Give In To Me surrounds the relationship of Gabriela Talbot, a book reviewer, and an author she admires, Whitney Ainsworth. The dynamic between the two takes many twists and turns and evolves as the story progresses in a way that I didn't quite expect. The hijinks involved in their initial meeting sets a good scene that's easy to find interesting. The events that follow aren't as easy to predict and I think that adds to the enjoyment of the book even if the pacing of it in some parts were questionable. I really didn't mind the tease of the "throuple" and wouldn't have been upset to see it develop further. Overall, I found the book easy to enjoy with likeable main characters and generally good dialogue. There were few instances where the jokes did not land though and they stood out in comparison. Elle Spencer seems to always write solid lesfic books. 3.5/5

DNF at 70%. I was enjoying this book until about halfway through. From there I felt that the plot dragged and included a lot of unnecessary detail. I felt that the book could have ended at about the 50% mark and it would have been better. I also wanted more steam. I was trying to push through to the end but just couldn't.

I have read two of Elle Spencer's previous works- Casting Lacey and 30 dates in 30 days, and enjoyed both immensely. Give in to me begins with a misunderstanding between the protagonists; writer Whitney and blogger Gabriela. They have a one night stand before Whitney finds out Gabriela wrote a scathing critique of her last work. The premise is promising and the story has an interesting start. We are also introduced to Whitney's ex- Reece.
The story got a little convoluted in the middle part which I thought was filler but then picks right up after. I enjoyed Gabriela and Reece more than Whitney. At one point I wasn't sure if Whitney even liked Gabriela.
This is a fun summer read.

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was somewhat of a mixed bag. The main characters are interesting, there’s Whitney, a popular author who has just spilt from her Hollywood superstar wife and now has writer’s block, and Brie, who has a book review blog and gave a bad review to Whit’s last book. They meet at a conference where Whit is speaking and hook up through a ridiculous contrivance. Whit doesn’t know who Brie is til later, and this then blows up. Brie then takes to essentially stalking Whit and they eventually spend time together as ‘friends’ and then sexy time friends.

Whit’s ex wife Reece also features heavily as she’s the lead actress in a movie being made of Whit’s books and though I assumed she’d be a git, she’s actually one of the best characters. Other characters include Brie’s family, complete with a way overly protective mother, ok dad and awesome brother. Whit also has an agent/BFF who honestly was just really hard to take (Brie’s mother wasn’t far behind). The main relationship evolves over time, but a lot of the scenarios were too over the top, including the major dramatic section towards the end and the eventual reunion.

Most of the dialogue is fun, but there were quite a few ‘jokes’ that missed the mark and just made me cringe. I did like that Reece wasn’t the usual awful ex, she was good to both Whit and Brie, and I liked the friendship between her and Brie so much that I did actually wonder if a poly relationship might occur and I wouldn’t have minded. To be honest I actually liked her better than Whit and would have preferred her and Brie together.

The end gets tied into a big HEA bow to round everything out, but overall I found the book too uneven to really sink into it. 3 stars.

3.5 stars, rounded up.
This book was not really what I expected from the publishers blurb. I was expecting the conflict of MC's Gabriella, a book blogger, and Whitney, her favorite author, to last throughout the book. However, things took a twist and ended up being more about Hollywood-related conflicts surrounding the movie being made of one of Whitney's books.
While I mostly liked the witty banter from all the characters throughout the story, there were some "jokes" that I found unsavory. To me, rape jokes are NEVER funny. After that, I soured on the book a bit. And while I mostly liked the MCs, as well as Gabriella's family, I was not a big fan of two of the main side characters, Reece & Liz. I just found them fairly irritating and egotistical.
While there was a decent amount of steam in this book, and some fabulous grand gestures, I felt like the timeline was confusing, and some of the plot lines went unresolved. I am still wondering if Gabriella (Brie) continued her blog, and if so, what was the redesign? Also the epilogue made a huge leap and I want to know how the hell things led to that point.
I will definitely give Elle Spencer's works another shot, but I hope that the next story will be a bit more clear and not have the offensive "jokes".

I started reading this book with certain expectations based on the countless romance novels I have read and what I read from the plot summary. But the plot summary describes the exposition. Most of the book has to do with the filming of a movie based on Whitney's book and staring her famous ex-wife Reece.

This subplot doesn't contribute much to the love story and detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Nevertheless, It was a good read.

I’m always thrilled when Elle Spencer releases a new book, and this one was really entertaining. The best part was the witty dialogue that only Ms. Spencer can write so well. Brie was a wonderfully adorable main character who happened to fall in love with an emotionally unavailable, dare I say, selfish writer. On one hand, Brie’s tracking down Whitney on multiple occasions could be considered highly romantic, while on the other could be considered pathetic and stalkerish. I’m a romantic at heart so I leaned more to the highly romantic side. Brie was brave, humble, and kind. There were times I did wonder why she continued to pursue Whitney, but love makes I do crazy things. The supporting characters added a lot of depth and humor to the overall plot, especially Whitney’s “BFF” Liz. Thanks Elle for another wonderful read!!

I love Elle Spencer's books and was really excited to read this. 'Give In to Me' was well written and interesting with characters who were easy to love. I did had trouble seeing the chemistry between the MCs in the beginning but then somewhere around the middle of the book it worked for me. While this isn't my new favourite read, it was still a fun one and I will definitely be reading whatever book the author puts out next.

Give In to Me will most likely end up on my 2021 favorites list. To sum up, it’s a delightful lesfic drama romance, yet it’s so much more. This is one of those stories that has so many layers with endearments, faults, triumphs, mistakes, everything in between, and ultimately a deep love story that makes it difficult to put this book down. I look forward to reading it again and again to see what else I can uncover. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a good romance to read over the weekend, you will enjoy this book. It has romance, humor, and a nice pace.

The two main characters are Whitney Ainsworth and Gabriela Talbot. Whitney is going through some tough times. She is a writer whose last book in her action/suspense series did not do well on the book market after a blogger gave the book a negative rating. In addition, her marriage to an A-list actress just ended in divorce. Although one might think that things are looking up for her since the first book in the series is currently going being made into a movie, it is not. The lead in the movie is her ex. So, now Whitney has to see her every day.

Gabriela Talbot is the blogger who wrote the negative review. She wants to meet Whitney to do an interview. I do not want to give away any more of the story except to say that initially there is a mistaken identify then the plot thickens.

I have delighted in Ms. Spencer’s books. She is an experienced writer who spins an interesting tale. The banter between the characters, especially between Gabriela and Liz, Whitney’s BFF and agent, is exceptionally funny. All the characters are well developed.

Give In To Me is a worthy book which will give readers several hours of fun and romance. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the second Elle Spencer book I have picked up and I think I just need to admit I just don't vibe with her books. The actions of the characters of this book just felt so unrealistic and I can't say I felt much connection with either of the two leads.

I will start this review by saying that I mostly enjoyed reading Give in to Me. Things that might be issue for others I didn't even notice.

Whitney Ainsworth is a talent and popular writer who just went through a public divorce with a popular actress. Her last book was also a bomb and she has the reviews to prove it. One especially scathing review from Brie. Since she is now having issues writing she is now touring the country as a motivational speaker. Here she meets Gabriela Talbot. They have a steamy one night stand that is very memorable. Too bad Gabriela is the same Brie that wrote that scathing review.

Again, I enjoyed reading this for the most part. There were parts I didn't care for and other parts that I really liked. What I really liked most was both Characters. They were enjoyable, didn't irritate me and they had good chemistry between it other. I also liked the supporting characters. That makes reading a book easy when you like the characters. I found myself rooting for Whitney and Gabriela. What I didn't like much is the "stalkerish" aspect. Gabriela seems to go way above and beyond to make amends with Whitney. Her overall character just didn't seem they type to do some of the things that she did. You will have to read this one to see what I am talking about. For some reason this bugged me throughout reading the entire romance. Despite that I still was able to enjoy this romance. I think most people who read this will enjoy.

4 stars

This arc was provided by netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Gabriela (Brie) Talbot only wanted an interview from one of her favorite authors, Whitney Ainsworth. All she had to do was hang out at the hotel bar where Whitney had a room booked and wait for the first opportunity to introduce herself. When Whitney leaves the bar for her room little did she know that her agent was making arrangements for her to give an interview. Mind you it wasn’t that long ago that Brie had panned Whit’s third book in her series on her blog. But all changed, somewhere along the way the interview was forgotten when the playing field changed, all with a simple misunderstanding.
Whitney Aimsworth was the author whose book was being made into a movie. Starring none other than her ex-wife, Reece Ainsworth. But seeing as Reece had an affair while Whit was off writing her third book in the series she was still expected to work together. The contracts were signed.
Of course the interview didn't happen but Brie was determined. She wanted that interview so she had no choice but to chase/stalk Whit. With Whitney’s agent Liz and Brie’s family interfering this makes for a fun read. Dialogue is quick and funny. Actually one of the best books I’ve read from Ms Spencer, mind you I said the same thing about the last book Ms Spencer had published. She knows how to write. Very, very enjoyable read.
ARC via NetGalley/Bold Stroke Books

3 Stars

So, I’m a little conflicted about “Give in to Me” by Elle Spencer. Spencer is usually an automatic buy for me. I love her writing and always enjoy whatever she puts out whether its angsty or rom-com.

“Give in to Me” is a funny romance with some high drama mixed in. Whitney Ainsworth is a popular writer who has gone through a very public divorce with her actress wife, Reece. She meets Gabriela Talbot (Brie) one night out and they have a passionate encounter. Afterwards, Whitney learns Brie is the author of a negative review that went viral and helped with the bombing of her latest book.

While I loved the beginning as it starts like previous Spencer books, this one ended up taking a bit of a turn. What started out fun with witty dialogue and funny encounters turned into a bit of a cluster. I felt like Spencer might’ve been trying to do too much and nothing really felt too deep. All of the emotions and chemistry felt surface level and it was a letdown especially because I know Spencer can do the more emotional connections.

The first third or so really centered around Whitney and Brie and the start of their relationship. My issue with their relationship is that it felt more like Brie was more starstruck than anything else. I think she was monologuing about being in love after their second encounter and I found no reason for it. The two have hot sex but they don’t talk and get to know one another in any capacity outside the bedroom. To me, their relationship really never goes much further either. Anytime the two are together the end up getting interrupted by either Reece, or Brie’s family or Whitney’s agent. And all think it’s just fine to just show up whenever and as often as they please.

As they begin to date, Whitney’s books are being made into a movie that of course stars her ex-wife. But in this portion of the book, everything gets muddied. There’s drama between Whitney and Reece, drama with Brie’s family and drama with the movie being made. On top of that, Whitney is about to start her next book and to do that, she needs complete isolation in her cabin in the mountains which brings on even more drama. All of this is happening at the same time while the two mains are trying to get to know one another and it was just too much.

Even though there really was just too much going on and a lot of drama happening, there were parts I enjoyed a great deal. Spencer writes a fun book even if it doesn’t hit the romance marks I prefer. I would recommend this if you want a beach read or something light and fun with crazy, over the top drama.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed it like always with this author! The plot is still unique even if it is not something special. The chemistry is really sizzling between the MCs. Recommemd!

Elle Spencer has created another winner of a love story with Give In to Me. This is an enchanting tale with lots of romance, beautiful characters, and a touch of the author’s wicked sense of humor.

Whitney Ainsworth, a celebrated author, is almost ten years older than Gabriela (Brie) Talbot, the reviewer who is also a fan of Whitney’s. Whitney ends up having a one night stand with Brie, and finds out the next day that she was “sleeping with the enemy” since Brie had trashed Whitney’s latest novel in a review. Both the age-gap and enemies-to-lovers tropes work well together, and gives the author plenty of chances to add tension and angst to the tale, and Ms. Spencer takes full advantage of that.

The characters, both main and secondary, are multi-layered and realistic. The settings are deftly drawn and fit the tale and the people in it. The story is well-paced and keeps the reader entertained through the whole book. What I love most, though, is the banter in the dialogue between the characters…all of them. Some of Brie’s interactions with her brother and parents had me laughing out loud. The same happened with Whitney and her BFF Liz, and also with Whitney and Brie’s family. This really made the novel stand out for me.

Give In to Me is a great book to read if you like your love stories with a little tension, comedic banter, and a lot of romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think you will as well.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Whitney Ainsworth is a celebrated author and creator of the Piper Kane book series. All goes upside down after her wife and actress, Reese Ainsworth, cheats on her and triggers a massive writer’s block. To make things worse, Gabriela (Brie) Talbot gave the last Piper Kane book a stern review on her blog that ended up going viral and making Whitney’s life even more miserable. Now, after the divorce is complete and Whitney is on a speaking tour, Brie ends up having an unplanned one night stand with her favorite author. Everything is perfect until Whit realizes who Brie is and kicks her out of her room. Can they find a way to each other after that?

I usually like Ms Spencer’s books. In fact, started jotting notes while reading and the first one was ‘I simply enjoy Ms Spencer’s wit.’ Unfortunately, that was the only thing I ended up writing. Even writing the above summary got wordy and couldn’t bother with it. Skimming is never a good thing. The initial meet was good but then it became a bit bizarre and honestly, dull. Reese shows up and the three of them become best of friends. All seems great until Whit decides to write another book and in order to do so, requires total solitude, leaving Brie behind. The grand love feature falls flat and managed to get me annoyed with both characters. The conflict was resolved quickly and it was barely a thing. And goodness, we know Spencer can write angst! I love it when she does!

The chemistry was there but not developed enough. Brie was sweet and funny and Whit had her moments but their intimacy got lost with their triangle with Reese and the endless list of people parading through the beach house. Whit’s agent and friend was abrasive I could have used with less of her. Reese was a surprise, and a totally enjoyable character. And I enjoyed the blogger author premise, although the resolution to that conflict happened early on.

I will definitely be reading Ms Spencer in the future as I connect with her wit, but this one was a miss for me. 2 stars

ARC generously provided to me by BSB via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.