A full-length STANDALONE romantic comedy from USA TODAY bestselling author R.S. Grey.Everyone in Cedar Creek, Texas, knows Jack McNight is an arrogant devil. Physically, I get it: he’s tan and fit, with coal-black hair that’s clearly been scorched by hellfire. Oh, and his personality? It burns just as hot.When I show up on the doorstep of Blue Stone Ranch, I’m run-down and rockin’ my last pair of … and rockin’ my last pair of underwear. I’m hoping for a savior, but instead, I find him.
My opinion of Jack is marred by a dismal first impression, but his opinion of me is tainted even before I arrive. He’s heard I’m a spoiled princess there to take advantage of his goodwill. To him, I’m more trouble than I’m worth.
Our button-pushing banter should get under my skin. His arrogance should be a major turn-off. Problem is, devils are known to offer their own form of temptation.
Every one of his steely glares sends a shiver down my spine.
Every steamy encounter leaves me reeling.
Sure, it could be the Texas heat messing with my head, but there’s no way I’ll survive the summer without silencing him with a kiss and wrestling him out of those Wranglers.
Who knows…going to bed with the devil might just be the salvation I’ve been looking for all along.
ARROGANT DEVIL is a full-length romantic comedy of 93,000 words. For a limited time, I’ve also included an excerpt from my #1 bestselling sports romance THE SUMMER GAMES: SETTLING THE SCORE!
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Great enemies to lovers read!!!
I loved this book! It has everything a rom-com reader could ask for: a heroine who’s determined to make a fresh start, a grouchy but sexy hero protecting himself from love, an adorable dog named Alfred, and a feisty grandma named Edith. Seriously, Edith steals the show, and I love her! Jack and Meredith’s story will have you laughing out loud.
This is the second book I have read by this author and I am so impressed by her. You could enjoy this book as standard rom/com, but if you want to really dig into it you can do that too. There is so much depth and meaty content here. It is truly book club worthy. In fact I think I am going to read it again starting tonight. That’s how hard it is to forget.
The hero and his grandmother both have backstories that explain where they are coming from, but this is really a story about Meredith, and what a story it is! It’s about a woman’s journey to self-realization. She’s an awe inspiring heroine.
I totally empathized with Meredith—she started out strong and grew stronger as the story progressed. Those who say she was immature do not fully understand the extent of the damage that emotional abuse does to a person. They are as bad as Helen and Meredith’s parents. Meredith wasn’t immature, her husband had taught her over time to repress who she was and to push away her support systems. But deep down she knew she wasn’t a pampered princess, that she had more substance than that. We know that she volunteered at a hospital and didn’t buy into the trophy wife mentality that her LA ‘friends’ did. Once she got away from her husband she started to find her voice and herself again. She naively left with nothing so she was stuck in a desperate situation. But she was willing to do anything to escape her husband, even to the point (ironically) of putting up with a verbally abusive boss if eventually it would enable her to become independent. (Living in the shack was a metaphor for that.) But she didn’t just take it anymore, she fought back. She dug deep to find her voice and was willing to work hard and she never felt above doing an honest day’s work. She got even stronger and more determined. (She embraced the shack and made it better, more comfortable and a reflection of herself.) The situation with Jack paralleled that with her husband and what she learned from her first relationship, she applied to the second. She didn’t buy into the criticism anymore if she knew it wasn’t true. She got to know herself better and value who she was, and recognize that she was kind, lovable and worthy, and that she was capable of joy and having true friends. It was necessary for her to learn to deal with an a$$hole in order to conquer the damage that her husband did to her psyche. It was therapy for her and enabled her to evolve.
Jack (her boss): The expression I see [on her face] is one part resilience and one part defiance. It’s fuel and flame.
Meredith: I’m trying to leave behind the last vestige of a man who … covered me with shiny things while trying his damnedest to dull my own sparkle.
Meredith: My voice is back and ten times louder than I remember.
And while we’re on the subject of that GD shack he put her in! How cruel was that! Like slave quarters! Truly symbolic, and a metaphor for how much she was willing to endure to get away from her husband. Was Jack just as abusive as her husband? Yes, but now, being more enlightened about it, she’s coming at it from a different angle–defiant and determined to overcome her fears, gullibilities and insecurities.
I see Alfred as sort of a representation of Jack—lovable when she slowly ‘immersed’ herself in him and got to know him.
Kudos to the author for the creek scene and the drunk/sharing secrets scene. We can actually see them falling in love. And it’s not instalove, it’s a slow evolution. They don’t even get together in any way until 70% into the book.
There are some minor inconsistencies in the book. David becomes Daniel at the end of the book, and how far away is San Antonio—one hour or three hours? And how old is Edith anyways? Twice Meredith’s age (56) or ‘grew up around the depression’ (close to 90)? But I can overlook those because I was so enthralled by the big picture. And the writing is good and really funny.
This book is worthy of careful thought to really take the time to understand the characters—especially Meredith. I’m in awe of her, don’t think I could ever do what she does.
This book has all the elements of a classic romance, but is also a vividly painted picture of emotional abuse and one woman’s ability to conquer it. Brilliantly done.
I have long been a fan of RS Grey but I just got around to reading Arrogant Devil and I must say, it is my new favorite. I loved everything about this book from start to finish. This book has everything. Enemies to lovers. A misunderstanding that gets everyone off on the wrong foot. A woman desperate to outrun her past and start over. Plus it is hella, wickedly funny. I will say, as a woman that has dealt with the issues the heroine faced, I loved seeing her strength and resilience on the page. She didn’t back down or let her life be summed up as the victim of what had happened to her. She fought the hero tooth and nail for respect and she ultimately won him over not despite her past but because of the strong woman it made her into. This is one of my top reads of January, hands down.
This book made me LOL for real on multiple times. Really enjoyed it!
The book is about Meredith Avery, who runs away from her husband of five years. She jumps on a plane from California to Texas with nothing but the clothes on her back, hoping that her estranged sister would help her out.
Unfortunately, her sister Helen is abroad on vacation, so she sends Meredith to her boss Jack Davenport.
To everyone else in her family, Meredith left them in the dust in Texas after marrying her wealthy husband. Since then, she was living a spoiled socialite life with minimal contact with them. This is the impression that Helen had passed along to Jack, so he assumed that the well-dressed woman coming his way wouldn’t last as his housekeeper.
Boy, was he wrong.
This book is one of Grey’s slow-burn books, and while I tend to on those (with a few exceptions), there is a very good reason for it in this one. You barely even notice because the build-up to the is full of humor (thanks to Jack’s grandmother Edith who embraces Meredith with open arms) and tension-filled banter between Jack and Meredith.
You also get the antics of the adorable Alfred, Jack’s golden retriever.
As much as I LOVE the romance, the biggest impression this book left on me was the twist (and I won’t spoil it!). Discovering why Meredith left broke my heart, and seeing her process it with Edith left me in tears.
Fantastic read, put your seat belt on and be ready for several surprises. Unpredictable, ending with some serious life lessons.
I love this book! I love the heroine so much, and her witty sarcastuc take on life. All the characters are just so funny. But what I really love about this book is how emotional I get while reading it. It pulls the heartstrings, and sometimes you need a good cry while reading a book. This book gives you hope that you can rise above whatever is troubling you. With perseverance, you can do anything.
4.5 stars rounded up! This is an all around good romance. Amazing characters, interesting premise, and good side characters made for a can’t put down read for me. I’ve now read several by this author and enjoyed all of them, however I think this is my favorite by her so far. This should be a must read for adult contemporary romance readers. Highly recommended! Now available on Kindle Unlimited.
Sweet Jesus this book was AWESOME!!
Another 5* read for me!
I adore a good slow burn romance as much as the next gal! And this book did not disappoint!
Arrogant Devil was a small town romance with a city girl (on the run from her fuckwad husband) and a cranky rich cowboy! I smell a recipe for a sexy af love connection!
I adored Edith! She’s the best secondary character I’ve ever read about and she had me in stitches throughout!
Meredith and Jacks chemistry lit the pages on fire and they may just be one of my new favourite couples!
The pace of this book was perfect and I enjoyed every second of it!
Definitely recommend to everyone who follows me! It was an awesome read!!
The woman can write a damn good book! I smiled through 90% of the book and when I wasn’t smiling I was laughing. Such a great read. Er… or actually listen. I listened to the audiobook. It was fabulous. R.S. Grey has a way of picking the best narrators. They were so good.
This is a light read, not something to be taken too seriously. I’m not going to nitpick the hell out of every detail and complain about the characters I hated or try to pick apart the abuse aspect (like so many other reviewers want to do).
Fact is, the villains were great villains and the heroes were great heroes. In my opinion, it was perfect. The characters were perfectly imperfect and human. That’s what I want. I want to read about imperfect people who don’t always say or do the right things. So, yes, Jack was a jerk in the beginning. Guess what–people are jerks in real life.
So, yes, Meredith didn’t have a plan when she left. Guess what–people leave bad situations without a plan all the time. It’s real life.
Bravo, Ms. Grey! Loved this book! It’s a solid 5-star read. Now I’m off to grab Make Me Bad, and then to devour all your other books. Please keep doing what you’re doing!
This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased, honest opinion.
Rachel Grey strikes again!!! I swear I fall more in love with her writing with every book I read by her. Can she even write a mediocre book!? I don’t think she can!! This was one of those slow burn romances that I’m usually not a fan of but MAN, did it work for me this time. Whew!!! I did the big cheesy grins and laughed SO much with this one. This author never fails to bring humor to her romances and I love it!!
Meredith Avery was such a fun character. She leaves her emotional abusive husband in California to set out on her own. Meredith has a half sister, Helen, who works on a ranch in Texas. Meredith flees to the state of Texas in the middle of the night only to find her sister on vacation in Paris, France. Helen has the owner, Jack McNight, set her up with a place to stay and a job knowing good and well that Meredith won’t be able to stick it out thanks to her lavish lifestyle. Little does anyone know, Meredith has determination and persistence on her side. She is willing to do what it takes to make it on her own. I admired her so much for her willpower and dedication. I also loved that she gave Jack a taste of his own medicine attitude wise.
Jack is known for being a standoffish, gruff type of guy. He’s not the warm and fuzzy guy that you randomly shoot the bull with. (Using Texas language since this is a Texas themed book lol) Jack runs Blue Stone Ranch which entails a ranch, vineyard, luxury bed and breakfast, a restaurant, and a wedding venue. Needless to say, he has his hands full. I wasn’t so sure about Jack with his abrasive attitude at first. He definitely grew on me as the book continued. By the end, I was swooning let me tell ya! Jack’s patience with Meredith was beyond charming!! I appreciated him not pressuring her in any type of way. He’s one of a kind for sure.
I loved that Meredith didn’t let her past dictate her future. She didn’t let her emotionally abusive ex ruin her outlook on finding love and that happily ever after. I found that so inspiring. The underlining point was: Looks can be deceiving. Just because someone looks happy, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are. As I mentioned earlier, this was a slow burn romance but it was well worth the wait. Sometimes love creeps up on you without you even suspecting it.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved it even more that it was set in Texas. The small town setting was another bonus for me. I love how tight knit small town’s are. They always have each other’s backs and support each other no matter what. Super cute!!! Highly recommend this one, as well as any other works by this author.
Meredith left her husband when she had enough of the facade of a marriage they had. He was a bully and this time she is determined to find her own footing. Asking her estranged step sister for help, she ends up showing up at Jack McNight’s ranch.
Jack has heard enough from Meredith’s sister to realize Meredith showing up on his front porch to know he does not want to be troubled by the spoiled woman at his door step. Meredith though digs her heels in, literally, and accepts the job as the house maid. Jack thinks it will be hours before Meredith decides to go back home to her husband. Jack couldn’t be more wrong and the more he finds out about Meredith the more he is questioning if anyone really knows who she really is.
This was a lot of fun. I felt for Meredith, she was treated really poorly and the back story on her parents was head scratching a bit. I liked Jack, he was a bit stubborn but I really liked his growth in the story. Great read.
This was so fantastic! I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars. This review is for an ARC, and reflects my honest opinion.
I loved Scoring Wilder by Rachel so much that it’s been hard to find another book that’s on that level. This one was so different, but I loved it just as much. Jack was amazing; I’m not usually into cowboys in real life, but lately these fictional ones are giving me life. He definitely was an arrogant devil, but with a heart of an angel…sometimes. I like a guy with a little bit of a naughty side haha.
I also really adored Meredith, Edith, and Alfred. The book was set on the ranch, and in small town TX. I found the cast of characters spot on; I didn’t dislike anyone, except for the person we’re meant to hate. While I don’t like small towns, I’d love to live in this book with these people.
This was definitely a tamer romance. There was sexual tension/chemistry, but the sex scenes aren’t that prevalent, even if they’re scorching hot when they come around. I really enjoyed the dual POV, but I think being in Jack’s POV was my favorite. That epilogue was perfection. Serious swooning all around for this man; he’s a keeper! I can’t recommend this enough. I wish I could re-read it, and re-experience all the feels again for the first time.
I loved everything about this book!!! The characters and the storyline were exactly as I hoped they would be. This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last 🙂
Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. Lately I’ve been in a reading rut… enjoying books but meh. Arrogant Devil left me feeling way more than meh!
As soon as I met Jack I thought what an arrogant prick. But he’s arrogant in a way that makes you keep reading because you know sparks are going to fly. Fly they did! I love a feisty heroine and Meredith definitely was. She didn’t put up with Jacks crap and when she did it was in a condescending way. I loved it! It makes the sparks fly between them, you can feel the chemistry.
This is now one of my favorite enemies to lovers reads! I love a book that makes me wish I could read it all over again. It was feisty, it was sexy, it was everything! I want more of this little Texas town!
When Meredith Avery runs from her controlling husband to the Blue stone ranch in Texas where her sister works for some support and help with a job she meets the owner Jack McNight instead of her sister and even though Jack is arrogant and private he decides to give Meredith a helping hand as a favor to her sister he just didn’t expect to fall for her as well. I really liked this book the story line wasn’t overly dramatic or overly sweet it was just right. The characters were so lovable, sexy and hilarious and had such a great chemistry together I was just disappointed that there wasn’t any more. This is a great read.
When I first sat down to read this book I was prepared for another RS Grey rom-com – ready to laugh until I cry while I fall in love with yet another one of her stories. I had the first part completely wrong. This is not your typical rom-com, yes I laughed (of course I did- it’s RS Grey!) but I also cried & wanted to scream. Nope, this book definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, but it left me like all her other books – completely in love!
Jack McNight is a gorgeous, rugged, ranch owner, and he’s also an arrogant jerk. As the owner of the Blue Stone Ranch, Winery and a Bed & Breakfast he has no time to play around, or cater to a spoiled princess. Which is exactly what he is expecting when Meredith shows up on his doorstep looking for a job & a place to stay.
Meredith Avery left in the middle of the night, hopped on a plane & across the country to the sister she barely knows. Too bad her sister is in Paris for the next two months, and her house is in the middle of renovations. With nowhere to go, no clothes & no money, Meredith ends up at Blue Stone Ranch begging Jack for a chance.
Every character RS Grey gives us is perfectly composed and believable, and these are no exception. Meredith is strong and fragile at the same time, Jack is hard & soft. They are like oil & water, both stubborn and refusing to back down. She’s trying to prove to everyone she’s not who they think, and he’s trying to prove she is exactly that. But they have undeniable chemistry, showcasing the author’s talent for writing such believable hatred & desire at the same time. Edith may be one of my favorite of her characters (sorry Georgie Archibald!) and gave the perfect dose of comedy relief, while still being the voice of reason. And then there was Alfred. I don’t know how she did it, but somehow she took a dog and made him one of the best supporting characters!
I adored this book. From the very first page I was hooked, and loved how this book developed throughout. Yes, it is a bit heavier than her other books, but Grey’s signature wit was ever present, and it was the perfect mix. Arrogant Devil is just proof that she can write it all and still be a success!
I really enjoyed this book, it was so refreshing, fun, romantic and sweet. 🙂
I went into this book expecting one thing and ended up getting something entirely different, but in the best way possible. Being used to Grey’s usual brand of romantic comedy, I was anticipating more adorably awkward antics from Meredith as she stumbled her way through the loss of her “spoiled princess” status and came to terms with the idea of having to fend for herself, especially when her new job involved being a housekeeper for the notoriously hard to deal with Jack. And while that was definitely there, there was so very much more to Meredith than either Jack or I expected. She had a far more compelling and sympathy-gaining backstory and that helped me fall in love with her and root for her from the very beginning. And Jack wasn’t just a broody and grumpy cowboy either. His bad behavior also made sense and worked for the brilliant narrative Grey created.
Meredith and Jack certainly didn’t seem like a good fit from their very first meeting, but as their stories progressed, the nuances of their characters emerged, helping make this story darker, but also more tender than I’d expected. Their enemies to tentative friends to lovers story made for a great slow burn that didn’t just amp up the sexual tension, but also helped make the emotional depth of their relationship feel true and beautiful. And all of the side characters, especially Edith the grandmother and Alfred the dog, just helped add some levity and fun.
Every time I read a new R.S. Grey book, it becomes my new favorite R.S. Grey book and Arrogant Devil was definitely no exception.