I wanted to love this. But I felt no spark between these characters and didn’t care at all about the plot. Why was there so much focus on Hope? With some alcohol and adrenaline there were some steamy moments, but I wanted to believe it. And I didn’t. I also feel like there was a missed opportunity with the title, but that’s my own opinion. I received an advance review copy for free via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

this was a fun, light read and author Portia MacIntosh hits all the beats you’d expect (and I definitely did enjoy it), something about this one just felt a little off compared to a number of her previous books. And the vexing thing is I can’t say exactly what. I still enjoyed it though, and I’m sure most fans will as well. 4 out of 5 stars.

Lara is a celebrity writer but so is Sonny, her arch nemesis from university days. When their jabs and rivalry goes too far, the two of them find themselves on a secret mission which ultimately leads them somewhere they never thought they'd go.

This is a slow burner; it took a while for me to get into the characters and for the story to get going but once it did I found myself really enjoying the story. There is nothing hard hitting in it but the description is great, the setting is dreamy and it's definitely entertaining. The ending is very satisfying and the pace improves from about halfway through.

It lacked some tension for me, it was very predictable and nothing new. Of course they are rivals and find each other in a task that they have to solve together and in the meantime they fall in love. I really liked the style of writing, it was a fun and fast-paced book and I would definitely read something of MacIntosh again.

It took me a while to be able to connect to the characters, it wasn't until I was half way through that I loved the setting and the situation the characters were in, the tittle was what caught my interest but it can be a little bit misleading cause you can't feel that relationship between the characters.
Even at the very beginning the male main character does so many things for the girl that you can't think why the book is called like that. I liked that later we see why she is mad at him but I felt like we are missing something like the ending I felt it was a little bit too abrupt and we don't really get to see a happily ever after it just kind of ends and we don't see how the things they did at the Eden changed how they are in the UK.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and publisher for sharing this book with me in exchange of a honest review

I always enjoy enemies to lovers plot and this added to it. It was fun and full of drama. Entertaining Rom-Com for sure!

Following the lives of Lara and Sonny, who’ve be given the job to go undercover as a couple on a new story, a secret mission which becomes more challenging in more ways than even they’d anticipated…

An easy, standalone overall good read.

A fun sweet classic enemies to lovers romance that is aptly named, I love a good workplace drama romance. This one is full of all the classic tropes

The title of this one totally pulled me in! Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes, so I figured this book by Portia Macintosh would be right up my alley. In Enemies to Lovers, Lara and Sonny are working the same reporting job at two different magazines, forcing them to frequently cross paths professionally. The problem? Ever since a betrayal between the two while in college, they hate each other and try to sabotage the other at every turn. Their magazines end up sending them to pose as a couple at a super exclusive and secretive retreat, forcing them to work closer together than ever before with their jobs on the line.

I loved the premise of this story. The workplace rivals angle was fun, especially when their work sent them on such a strange and twisted adventure together (with ONLY ONE BED!!!). The retreat portion of the story started to give me some Nine Perfect Strangers vibes, but it definitely didn’t play into the mystery/thriller genre too much. I unfortunately did not love Lara as a main character. The book was entirely in her perspective and I found a lot of her internal dialogue grating. I wish we had some chapters in Sonny’s perspective. Maybe that would have helped balance the story for me a bit more. I also was a bit disappointed with the amount of romance present in the story overall. The title definitely led me to expect one type of book, but let’s just say that the “enemies” part overwhelmingly overshadowed the “lovers” section. It made it hard to buy into the romance between Lara and Sonny at all for me. Overall, I thought Enemies to Lovers had some fun moments and interesting ideas, but I wasn’t super invested in the story or the characters.

Thank you to @netgalley and Boldwood Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The title is pretty self-explanatory.
Lara and Sonny are Rivals in competing magazines, and after one too many fights they get shipped off to a mysterious retreat ( reserved for the rich and famous) kicker they have to pretend to be a couple in relationship trouble.

I didn't enjoy this as much as other books by PM, I found some parts really uncomfortable ( one scene where couples were 'mistakenly' swopped) and some of the insinuations.

I did like the way friendships were formed between the women, and how secrets and promises were kept- it showed real character growth.

Sonny and Lara, despite being "enemies" did land up by being a good team-a bit rushed in the end but enjoyable nonetheless.

“Sonny and I are kind of like work rivals.”

Sweet comedy but also romantic tension. This book had them both!!! And I’m oh so glad I had the opportunity to read it!! I enjoyed Lara and Sonny’s story so so much!!! Especially because it is one of my favourite tropes of all time in contemporary romance : rivals to lovers with forced proximity and one bed !!! It’s much less spicy but the one bed it’s there and the tension between the main characters (who have to pretend to be a couple nonetheless) is all there !!!! It’s such a good story and such an entertaining one. And the plot in itself was so fun and quite interesting to come up with!!! I’m definitely a fan! I have to admit that I developed a crush for Sonny very early on. But that’s all on me! And Lara was a genuine and great character to meet. I’m glad I read this book!!

"Your ability to challenge each other, to push each other's limits, could be the secret to all of your successes.'

Typically, I love Portia's books. I still do - and while I didn't love ENEMIES TO LOVERS - I was deep in like with the story.

I think the plot involving a work enemies-to-lovers trope is a lot of fun and Lara and Sonny definitely had chemistry and great banter.

The problem for me was their romance really took a backseat to the storylines of the other couples at the retreat. We didn't get a lot of Lara and Sonny time, but there was a lot of exploration about the other couples. I often feel this way in the "small-town romance" trope. I'd much rather the focus be on our number one couple.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an e-copy of ENEMIES TO LOVERS to review.

I rate ENEMIES TO LOVERS three out of five stars.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

First of all, if you are looking for a romance, this is not it. This book is a comedy with a romantic subplot. Not romantic, not swoony, no tension whatsoever.
Lara and Sonny are both entertainment journalists who are sent incognito to a celebrity couples retreat to spy on a celeb couple. Sounds fun, and it is for a bit. However, I feel like there are many missed opportunities. The ending is terribly predictable and the love story is completely irrelevant.
Also the title is completely misleading. They are not enemies. She is incredibly annoying and treats him horribly and he is a golden retriever.
Again, don't read this for the romance.
It was a quick read and had its fun moments, I guess, but the story was not done justice.

Enemies to Lovers feels like a good book that’s been sold short. The idea is entertaining and the story, for the most part, pans out as you’d expect. But it feels like an idea that hasn’t quite come to fruition, with elements of the story rushed.
Our basic premise is the relationship between Sonny and Lara, two journalists who effectively do the same job but for rival companies. Tied into a sort of twisted one-upmanship these two clearly make a good couple but don’t seem ready to acknowledge it. When they are forced onto a couples retreat with their goal to find an exclusive scoop on a Hollywood golden couple, it sets up the opportunity for them to take time to work out what’s important to them.
Fairly cliched couples make up the group but the writing means they seem a little more nuanced than they first appear. Naturally, there’s a twist which threatens to cause problems but which actually fizzles into nothing much.
Hovering between two and three stars for this. I wanted to like it more. Thanks, though, to NetGalley fo

Enemies to Lovers by Portia MacIntosh is a romantic comedy that follows “enemies” Lara and Sonny.

Lara and Sonny are rival journalists who are always competing to get to the story first. They might say they are enemies but they are more rivals than enemies. There are times when this “light” romcom almost had a thriller aspect to it.

I had a difficult time connecting to the characters and finding them likable. The two characters have a past and are attracted to each other but it was hard to see real chemistry between them. Lara came across as a juvenile and unprofessional, and Sonny was bland.

The romance fell flat and I think it was from the lack of character growth and pacing of the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Portia Macintosh won’t be disappointed with her latest, Enemies to Lovers. The premise is a fun one: two rival show biz journalists go undercover at an exclusive celebrity marriage retreat, and they find themselves working out their actual differences through a series of unusual couples’ therapy experience.

Macintosh writes closed door romance really well, so this is a great choice if you’re not a fan of spicy scenes but you still want to feel the tension and chemistry between the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book, the ending was wrapped up quite quickly but would re-read: 4/5.

I love a good enemy to lover book but this one was lacking a lot I wanted to read.
There has to be a little chemistry between the couple that is just hiding behind the interactions between the two.
I needed to see some pop and sizzle and a little bit of feeling and this book just did not have it. I really did not like them enough to get interested in what happened.
There were a few times I was thinking to myself that Portia MacIntosh kept some of the story in her mind and forgot to put the words on paper.
Thank you NetGalley, Portia MacIntosh and Boldwood Books for the copy of Enemies to Lovers. This is my personal review.

"Lara and Sonny are sworn enemies.

As rival showbiz journalists, they are always out to get one-up on each other – whether being the first to scoop the latest celebrity gossip, or sabotaging a potential lead.

So when their bosses ask them to join forces and go undercover at an exclusive celebrity retreat, they can’t think of anything worse - except that they are going to need to pretend to be in couples therapy to blend in...

Being on a tropical island for work would be most people’s idea of heaven, but for Lara and Sonny it’s hell. Can a week of sun, sea and uncovering showbiz secrets together chip away at Lara and Sonny’s rivalry? And once they get home and the fake relationship is over, could a real one be left in its place?"

This sounded good but I am sorry to say this one didn't work for me - but that doesn't mean it won't work for a lot of people. Romance is not my go to genre so I am probably not the best person for this one.

One-Sided Business Rivalry would have sounded strange as a title, but is more accurate.

Lara and Sonny work in different branches of a large media corporation, but basically have the same "celeb gossip column" job. Since they are rivals/enemies, nothing gets them together better than forced proximity as an undercover assignment as a couple needing therapy at a luxury resort for celebrities.

I didn't like the characters. Lara was very childish and Sonny was just too one-dimensional to actually care for him. Hence I didn't buy into the romance and have to say that I found the comedy- elements felt forced rather than funny.