Beckett. Let me count the ways I loathe him.1.He’s the bane of my existence. 2.A thorn in my side. 3. I’m pretty sure he’s the devil in disguise Or he at least has him on speed-dial.So why am I standing here, bouquet in hand, about to become his wife?He calls it a business proposition.I call it blackmail.He says our fighting is foreplay.I say he should be on meds.He says he has the power to … foreplay.
I say he should be on meds.
He says he has the power to destroy my company,
I say with a husband like him, who needs enemies.
But I can survive this six-month calamity.
All I have to do is keep hating him . . .
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Part 1 of The Love in London Trilogy.
This is Beckett and Olivia’s story.
Beckett is determined to get his hands on the company he’s a partner in, he meets Olivia after a chance encounter and proposes a 6 month marriage to seal the deal. He offers Olivia the chance to save her Start-up, as her inheritance is running out fast.
Olivia is determined to make it on her own, but money worries eat her up. It’s just a business deal for 6 month, right?
Both characters are strong minded and the chemistry is off the charts.
a typical enemies to lovers story, but what a great book, it keeps you glued until you’re finished…
And then you want to immediately start with the next book!
I loved this book series, and this book had me hooked too… until the end. It left me so disappointed in the hero. He never really explained anything of his past and never fought for his girl just waited for her to come to him. Which is why I only gave 3 stars.
The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s apathy. And this pair feels so much. There is so much passion between Olivia and Beckett. Whether they’re fighting or… well, pretty much anything else, the sparks leap off the page when they’re together. I adored Olivia’s fighting spirit and her viciously snarky wit. The banter as they tore into each other left me howling with laughter. I wasn’t sure about Beckett for the longest time. He’s a bit of a bully and that totally rubbed me the wrong way. But once we get the chance to see the real man, see him being vulnerable, learn why he’s so guarded, I began to understand what Olivia saw in him. I could see that while they were opposites and had started out as enemies, they were perfect for one another. Their strengths dovetailed with each other’s weaknesses, making them stronger together than either one was alone. I hope in the future we’ll see stories about some of their friends.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through Bad Boy Update.
Donna never disappoints. I absolutely love this book. I’m so glad that I got to read this early because it’s one of my new favs by her. You can feel the chemistry between these characters and it’s amazing. I rooted for them from the beginning. Great book.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.
To Have and Hate – Donna Alam
I’m a new Donna Alam fan! I saw her name pop up as a recommended read from several of my favourite author, so I took the dive and jumped into Donna Alam with To Have and Hate. Well damn it! She is freaking awesome! My kind of author.
To Have and Hate is Beckett and Olivia’s story. Sure yes there are other great characters in this story but Beckett (you can’t get much more alpha male than Beckett) and Olivia are amazing! With and without each other! It takes a lot of convincing from Beckett to win Olivia over, in life and in business.
They first run into each other literally in front of the offices of a venture capital finance group. Olivia is there to do a presentation to hopefully get some money to infuse into her small but growing company, which is a dating app called E- Volve.
They run into each other again later that night, when Olivia is let down by the man who set her up with the venture capital group and she is wandering around several streets in London and low and behold, Beckett gets her into an exclusive restaurant for dinner.
From then on Beckett and Oliva have a most interesting relationship. Starting with almost sex in Beckett’s car, to an offer for capital for E-Volve coming straight from Beckett himself, hands on kisses, an angry Olivia, a pre-nup agreement and a post-nup agreement, a quick marriage, lots of hot sex, a huge misunderstanding that ends with both Beckett and Olivia coming to see how much the other means to them.
Donna Alam draws you in with humour, business talk, two characters who are afraid to trust themselves and each other and the reader gets to come along on this wonderful wild ride with these two! I am now a Donna Alam convert!
I loved this Donna Alam book! If you are looking for a book you’ll ADORE, grab this one. Beckett, just omg, SWOON!
To Have and Hate is a stand alone, contemporary, marriage-of-convenience with parts enemies-to-lovers and age-gap romance. This is my first read from the author and it’s safe to say I have enjoyed this fun, snarky story of two hard headed people bent on goading each other to death while unwittingly falling in love in the process.
The story was about Olivia arriving almost late to her appointment at a business venture capitalist company. Her baby, a social dating app, E-Volve, is near to bust even before it started to get up from the ground. In dire need of financial aid, her once crush and college friend Luke, set her up to an appointment with the board to present her business pitch. On her haste to be there, she tripped on her way due to a large shoe belonging to Beckett. Heated words were exchanged. She didn’t know that Beckett will be playing a big role in her life later.
In my opinion, it isn’t the sexy times that has the pages of this book burning up, oh no. Although I have to admit, the chemistry between Beckett and Olivia is way off the charts. The first time they got together was so crazy explosive it was a miracle the walls were still standing, LOL. It’s their heated back and forth, push and pull, barbed wit and all, that has been igniting the fires surrounding these sassy, smart mouthed characters. I live for their sarcastic banter that is nothing more really than their own version of foreplay. It’s very clear that try as much as they deny, when this two so much as lay a finger on one another, sparks literally fly! I guess, they really were meant to be together however they went around with marriage. All throughout the fake arrangement, they’ve gotten to know each other really well and eventually, they’ve fallen in love. As they struggle to hide it, will they be brave enough to admit and stay married? Overall, this has been a funny, with a lot of witty back and forth, laugh out loud moments and sexy steamy times to heat up your e-reader. I loved it!
This story is phenomenal!
Beckett is our leading man and one that totally consumed my heart. If I’m honest, I saw David Gandy every time I read his POV.
Olivia is, in some ways, a bit of a Bridget Jones character but isn’t. Please don’t ask me to explain, but all becomes clear when you read this funny and engaging book.
Beckett and Olivia start their relationship with a business deal and not one you expect. Very quickly, you find yourself drawn into this passionate relationship. The writing cleverly portrays the way they eventually see each other as more than just incredible sexual partners. That’s another thing I loved about this book. The writing is addictive and the way Donna Alam has crafted this relationship, is so clever.
I can’t stress enough how much I adored this story and I wish there were more!! Instead, I’m looking forward to reading a lot more from Donna Alam. Her writing is fantastic and she includes everything I look for in a novel; humour, hot alpha males and plenty of passion. This lady could quickly become one of my favourite authors.
Not my favorite Alam romance; steamy but where’s the fun?
August 9, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
3.5-4 stars
What a great cover!
I know that many readers/reviewers may disagree, but It took a really long time for me to get into this romance. The last portion was good, but I found the early part of the story awfully focused on verbal sparring that did not hit me as flirty, cute or particularly romantic. Maybe the title should have clued me in to the darker, confrontational nature of their relationship. I loved author Donna Alam’s Aussie and Hot Scots series; they had a fun lightness and humor to them that did not make it to this story.
Although it’s told in alternating POV between Olivia and Beckett, I never really understood what motivated Beckett in his all-out campaign to snare Olivia. A good part of Beckett’s past and present remained hinted at rather than explained, even though we were in his head for a good part of their story.
Readers who enjoy Alam’s trademark steamy encounters won’t be disappointed. I just found the premise of the plot a bit thin on this one and I am still on the fence about whether I liked the main characters.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.