A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY & WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER!From #1 New York Times Bestseller Vi Keeland, comes a new, sexy standalone novel.Bennett Fox walked into my life on one hell of a crappy Monday morning.I was late for the first day at my new job–a job I’d now have to compete for even though I’d already worked eight years to earn it, because of an unexpected merger.While I lugged my … years to earn it, because of an unexpected merger.
While I lugged my belongings up to my new office, a meter maid wrote me a parking summons.
She’d ticketed a long line of cars–except for the Audi parked in front of me, which happened to be the same make and model as mine.
Annoyed, I decided to regift my ticket to the car that had evaded a fine. Chances were, the owner would pay it and be none the wiser.
Except, I accidentally broke the windshield wiper while slipping the ticket onto the car’s window.
Seriously, my day couldn’t get any worse.
Things started to perk up when I ran into a gorgeous man in the elevator. We had one of those brief moments that only happened in movies.
You know the deal…your body lights up, fireworks go off, and the air around you crackles with electricity.
His heated stare left me flushed when I stepped off the elevator.
Maybe things here wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Or so I thought.
Until I walked into my new boss’s office and met my competition.
The gorgeous man from the elevator was now my nemesis. His heated stare wasn’t because of any mutual attraction. It was because he’d seen me vandalize his car. And now he couldn’t wait to annihilate his rival.
There’s a fine line between love and hate–and we shouldn’t cross it.
We shouldn’t–but straddling that line could be so much fun.
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I swear Vi Keeland’s books just keep getting better and better! I loved loved loved We Shouldn’t! The push/pull between Bennett and Annalise was so much fun. Their banter was amusing and flirty! Bennett is swoony without even trying. I love that Annalise is a strong woman who doesn’t feel the need to step on people to work her way to the top. The whole story line was really entertaining! You SHOULD read this book!
Get ready for a duo and a story that you won’t be able to put down. The minute you finish reading it in one sitting, you’d want to read it all over again.
Vi once again delivers an irresistible couple with a love that with grab your heart, squeeze it and will pour gold in a cup. I never get tired of reading the stories that mind comes up with because each one, no matter how common its theme might be, there is nothing ordinary about it when you actually read it. Each time, I find myself getting more and more sucked into her new book and falling so damn hard over her characters.
We Shouldn’t is a standalone enemies-to-lovers kind of love. Bennett Fox & Annalise O’Neil are two people who are forced to go up against each other for their jobs. But no one could imagine that their war has more at stake than just a job and its final prize is more either of them could imagine.
“Sounds like Bennett might have Beast syndrome”, she said.
“Beast syndrome?”
“All men fit into one Disney characters or another.”
From the very start, I could see that I would have the time of my life with this book. Because when a book starts with an opening scene like that, it’s a sure winner. And don’t get me started with the leads. God, I couldn’t stop burst out laughing. Their banter was not simply deliciously hilarious, but unforgettable also since I seem to be unable to get out of my head some of those “battles” and their marvelous lines.
“Sometimes his confidence made me want to smack him. Apparently other times it made me want to strip.”
One of the things that I adore about Keeland’s books is that, except that they lift your soul with their unique humor, more importantly, they offer you an emotional world that you can’t help not to love. And always, there is that guest amazing character that takes the amazingness to 10 levels higher than its starting point. In this case, that character is Lucas, Bennett’s 11-year-old godson who stole my heart and I never want it back. He’s a little creature with a lovely personality. I loved his little golden heart so much that I had the urge to just jump in the pages and hug him really tight. And his mind worked 10 times better than any other in there. His “3 questions that you need to ask a girl” that he have told Bennett, totally killed me.
How do you know if you are in love with a person? Look how that person affects you; how s/he makes you break all your own rules; how you can’t take your eyes off him/her; how you tell them things and secrets about you that no one or very very few know; how you take notice of both their presence and, more importantly, their absence; Look at Bennett. From the get go, his reaction to Annalise was that of someone falling hard for another without realizing it. He kept changing internally and he was forcing the walls himself around his heart to crumble down so Annalise can own him like it was meant to be. It was truly one of the most beautiful falls. From both sides.
“there’s a difference between good sex and whatever the hell happens when I’m inside you.”
I loved everything about this story. Well, I kind of knew from the start since it’s Vi, but I still got off guard. The recommendation on this beyond a sure thing. It’s a default and goes without saying. You need to read this!!! NOW!
Bennet Fox was’t into commitments, never had a date on Valentines Day.
Annalise was just out of an 8 year commitment from her boyfriend who wanted to find himself, on Valentines Day.
Pitted against each other when the Ad agencies they worked for merged.
Never say you shouldn’t read this book!
5 stars
Oh boy oh boy lord help Vi did not disappoint in this book no way no shape no how!!! And I’m pretty sure this is the first book I’ve read of hers that wasn’t co-written with Penelope so I was a little I don’t know hesitate I guess. But I don’t know why because deep down I knew she was going to knock it out of the park. I loved Bennett and Annalise, I loved their chemistry, I loved the realistic every day realness of it, I just loved the entire experience of this book!!! And Lucas ahhhhhh Lucas yeah I’m stopping there because no spoilers just read the book!!!! I highly highly recommend this book!!!! – By Tina
I wish I could say I have loved every single Vi Keeland book I’ve read and I’ve read most of them. I can’t though so I was hesitant to read Annalise and Bennett. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to myself and decided to read them.
The chemistry is off the charts but I really think my favorite part is their interactions with each other. From the moment Bennett first saw Annalise to the very final page they kept me hooked. The past pain he kept from her to her ex this was one amazing ride. 4 stars Laura
I love and miss these characters already!!
Before my review, can we all pause and take a look at this hawt AF cover?
Sigh. Those eyes.
Ok.
Annalise and Bennett.
Two attractive people attracted to each other -what’s the problem?
A merger forces them to compete for the same job.
It’s an enemy to lovers/office/friends with benefits/slow burn romance that flows extremely well and what a fun burn it is.
Their chemistry was amazing and it was fun to see them slowly realize the other person wasn’t who they 1st thought they’d be.
I’ve read all of Vi’s books and as always, I love her use of witty banter and internal quirky thoughts.
She always creates characters that I would want to be friends with and I’m always sad to let go.
Told in dual POVs, we understand each character to the core and love them even more.
Annalise was smart, sassy and funny. In so many stories, the guys always get the funny lines.
Annalise gave as good as she got, but was also sweet and fair.
Bennett, whom I was crushing on the whole book was slightly arrogant, but deep down had a great heart and just needed to move past his past.
He was clever witted and slightly arrogant, but mostly for the sake of causing a rise out of Annalise.
I loved this arc so much, I bought the audiobook and listened to it as well.
Both were awesome.
5 stars
The fact that this book is written by Vi Keeland is enough reason for you to buy it. This author is the one you must go to when you want to read romance. Her stories are always heartwarming, steamy and will make you feel ALL THE FEELS because we can easily relate with her characters.
Analisse and Bennett’s companies have merged and now there is only one position, which they will have to compete for. So what started as enemies can become something more.
Bennett took very serious the saying “keep your friends close but your enemies closer” because it was hard for him to stay away from Analisse, but he thinks he doesn’t deserve love because of a guilt he feels from his past.
Analisse never meant to feel this way towards Bennett, not after the crappy boyfriend she had, but she was the only one who could decipher what was really happening with Bennett. But she knows that she could get her heart broken in the process.
I loved this book so much. The fact that you can relate with the characters, make it so much more easy to love it, since the very first page. The banter was hilarious and you will be smiling all the way until the lovely end.
Oh my! Who doesn’t love a smart, sexy, fun, fantastic enemies-to-lovers romance? We Shouldn’t is one of the best I’ve read!
In one corner, there’s Bennett. Confirmed bachelor for life. He’s not one to really go for seconds with anyone. He’s a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” kind of guy. Sure, he loves women. Loves spending some time with them—in and out of the bedroom. But nothing serious. Nothing long term. And certainly nothing that may be construed as love. And as much as he loves women, he loves his job more. He’s brilliant at what he does, and he’s not one to back down from a challenge.
Enter Annalise. Annalise is young, beautiful, smart, and career driven—much like Bennett. She’s worked her way up quickly in her current firm, and she’s not going down without a fight. She’s fun, confident and, though maybe a bit naïve when it comes to relationships, she’s not afraid of falling in love with the right man, but Bennett may just be the perfect man for “right now”—even if they’re competing for the same job.
Seriously, these two are a match made in heaven. Bennett and his snarky, sometimes snide, sometimes brutal comments and views on relationships tried my patience at times. But I loved how Annalise didn’t back down and went toe-to-toe with him both in and out of the bedroom. Honestly, it did take a bit of time for me to warm up to them together—to get beyond their work competition and buy into their relationship, but in the end, I was swooning.
Well, I have to say, you totally should. This book takes you on an epic roller coaster of enemies to lovers in such a raw and unique way. Who knew battling for the job would result in finding your person? I think the one thing I really enjoyed is that there was a depth to these characters with their background stories. Both Annalise and Bennett have some history, but these two thrown together, makes for epic banter, sizzling passion and oh so much more. I laughed and swooned but also felt their pain as they exposed some of their darker secrets.
Overall, this was a great story that keeps you on your toes and honestly wanting more. Both these two play so well off of each other and while Bennett could be a royal jerk, he is doing it because he doesn’t realize that he really feels for Annalise. I think that was the best part of the story. When the game changer happened! So snag up this bad boy, you need some Bennett in your life!
A crappy start to a morning for Annalise O’Neil which in turn leads to a domino effect for the rest of the day. Regardless of how early and prepared merging with a new company; little did she expect that her day is about to turn for the worse when she learns she has to co-manage with Bennett Fox. The same person who has been facing talks about his current reputation over the past year and also the cause of some incidents of said start of Annalise’s day.
Bennett’s position is on the line. The merger from Annalise is causing a challenge between the two on who will get to stay in the current position set for one. Both parties are determined to win over the board; however, as they continue to work together the chemistry begins to become a risk. Along with Bennett’s story that runs deep and Annalise’s story that has effected the way she feels about herself; the want for more is an ongoing question on a personal and ethical level.
“I just…you make me crazy. In thirty-one years, I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you, and of course, you’re the one woman I can’t have.”
The author, Vi Keeland once again takes a typical situation and turns it into some much more filled with heart and emotions. This is not just another office romance, haters turned to lovers kind of read; rather one that will have you looking at things at different perspectives when it comes to what you want and what is important.
Annalise and Bennett meet for the first time when the companies that they work for merge together. They find out that they both have the same job description and that the company is going to be relocating one of them to their Texas office. Their boss sets each of them up to create advertisements for the same 3 customers. Whoever the customers likes the best will get to stay. Bennett does not like to play fair so he tries to come up with ways to push the customers to his ideas. This backfires when he finds out that Annalise has had past experiences with all of the companies. They have many ups and downs in their relationship. One minute they are being friendly and the next they hate each other. Both have ties to the community and neither wants to move to
Texas. During their time working together feelings start to change between the two. Bennett exposes a jealous side when it comes to Annalise and other men, While Annalise knowing that Bennett is not looking to settle down wonders if maybe she can change his mind. The truth about Bennett’s past sheds a lot of light on the reasons he feels he does not deserve to be loved. Can Annalise change the way he feels?
This was a great read that with just enough angst to keep you wondering what will happen next. A chemistry that keeps the pages sizzling.
*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review. ***
I am a fan of Vi Keeland’s, and was super anxious for We Shouldn’t to be released. She has a way of creating characters that are a little quirky, yet loveable. and I always enjoy the way the main characters meet (in We Shouldn’t, it includes a parking ticket, a windshield wiper, and hair). I did feel that We Shouldn’t started out slow for me. It took a while for me to care about Bennett and Annalise’s connection. But the plot did pick up, and after about the halfway mark, I really did care and rooted for them! I defintely will continue reading and looking out for books by Vi Keeland!
When it comes to any Vi Keeland books, I’m up front and center waiting with my greedy little hands for it to land on my kindle and get started the moment it does.
I pretty much salivate to her book covers as they’re normally super HOT, and the plot to all her stories are always much to talk about at the end.
This was a fun and sexy enemies to lovers story.
Bennett and Annalise are super sexy together. I loved the banter between them. I found myself chuckling throughout the book with their antics. Always back and forth and always so darn funny, these two.
Annalise and Bennett are both competing for the same title when the company that Annalise works for merges with the one Bennett works at. So their rivalry starts from the get-go and from the first moment they interacted to the end I was completely hooked.
Vi Keeland did a superb job with this book. I loved Annalise and Bennett so much! Mind you, I’m not a huge fan of the enemies to lovers office romances, but this one sure hit a home run for me.
I never pass up a Vi Keeland book because no matter what, they almost always are top reads for me.
I always get excited when one of my favorite authors has a new book coming out.
This was a heartwarming story I could not put down. I loved Annalise and Bennett. They were thrown together both fighting for a job they wanted. Annalise had a rough start to her day when she first met Bennett and things only got worse as the day went on. She is good at her job and loves what she does, she isn’t letting her job go without a fight.
Bennett has made a name for himself. He does not let people get close he thinks he doesn’t deserve it. Annalise slowly starts to chip away at Bennett’s armor he surrounds himself with.
This book had the perfect amount of banter and chemistry. You will laugh and you will feel for the characters. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it.
Vi Keeland is an automatic one-click author for me. She always delivers a well-round, complex and complete story and We Shouldn’t was all that and more! I just loved the enemies to lovers trope. It made the story so much fun to read. I laughed so hard from the start of the story! These were two characters that I loved from the start! Annalise was smart, fierce, and determined. Bennett was cocky, confident, and with a big heart.
I loved the humor that was at the beginning of the book and I really wish there was more of that through out the book. That would have made it a five star book for me. But overall, I enjoyed the story and Annalise and Bennett’s journey.
It was the perfect mix of sweet and sexy! I highly recommend!
4.5 Stars
Vi Keeland’s once again shares her talents in this breathtakingly beautiful story of two people who shouldn’t but straddle a fine line. Annalise is a perfect mess when we met her, late, it’s raining, she has pawned her parking ticket off an another car same make and model, while leaving her ticket she damages the windshield wiper, getting on the elevator she sees an attractive man who she soon learns she will be competing head to head with for the same job. Bennett is a mess himself handsome full of himself and his morning is as bad as her’s. Some one has damaged his week old car, left their ticket under his windshield and not left any thing else. He heads to his bosses off to meet his competition and he recognizes Annalise as the mystery women who messed with his car and is now messing with his job, she’s his competitor to stay where is is and not move to Dallas. This is where the chemistry begins as the two of them face a rollercoaster of events that bring them together yet tear them apart. This story makes you feel every possible emotion as you witness two professionals fighting for their livelihood in California or a forced move to Dallas as well as fighting personal demons and a fateful attraction to each other. This is one of my favorite Vi books and definitely a five star read. I’m sure is a book I’ll read again and again.
I’m a huge fan of Vi Keeland, so when she releases a new book, I feel downright drunk off my own giddiness, as if I’ve seen a double rainbow. It’s glorious! Her latest, We Shouldn’t, is a highly entertaining, seriously sexy and emotionally satisfying enemies-to-lovers romance in which two brilliant marketing executives are vying for the same position after their firms’ merge. Bennett and Annalise are mesmerizing from their very first interaction as they bicker and verbally spar while trying to work together and also compete against one another. Their chemistry fairly leaps off the page and heats their every exchange, and they are perfectly matched and fun to watch. Their journey to happily ever after is equal amounts poignant, funny, fan-yourself-worthy and romantic, and I can’t recommend We Shouldn’t enough.
What an entertaining story! I just loved Bennett and Annalise. Off the charts chemistry weaves around all their witty and cheeky bantering. An enemies to lovers story done very well. I’m glad I put aside my dark romances and picked this book up. A great escape.
Yes, we DEFINITELY should!
This book was absolutely fun! Filled with banter, animosity and sexual innuendo, I found it a delightful enemies to lovers story.
Bennett is all sexy, teasing workaholic. But he’s as hot and cold and unpredictable as ever. Commitment phobe with some serious baggage (designer baggage ). Annalise has a sweet and caring personality. She’s very organized and strong. It’s a battle of wills and a competition for their job.
Fun! Fun! Fun!
One of the many aspects of Vi Keeland’s writing that I enjoy is her ability to craft multi-dimensional characters whose personalities continue to develop throughout the course of the story, shedding light on past memories that clearly define who they are in the present as well as getting inside the hero and the heroine’s head due to both of their perspectives being written.
There is a laundry list of activities and behaviors that Bennett Fox and Annalise O’Neil should not do because they’re competing for the same job now that their two companies merged, but as the saying goes ‘there’s a thin line between love and hate,’ and as much as Bennett and Annalise have quite the hot-and-cold relationship – one that stems, mostly, from Bennett’s arrogant and asshole exterior – they can’t deny their attraction or how much they enjoy sparring both in and out of the office, but what their personal connection will cost them in terms of their career remains up in the air until the very end of their story due to a number of variables both in and out of their control.
Annalise O’Neil is definitely one of my favorite Vi Keeland’s heroine. There’s a genuineness to her…a goodness that isn’t contrived, and while she had multiple opportunities to gain the advantage over Bennett and sabotage any chance he had to secure the position, she remained professional and dealt with an abundance of less than appropriate behaviors and antics from Bennett, but always seemed to give him another chance to prove the man he was beneath his harsh words and jerkish moments.
I do have to admit that it took me quite a while to warm up to Bennett; a man’s arrogance can absolutely be a positive characteristic, but in my opinion, he overused his confidence in order to remain the man who shuts down all of the emotions that he feels too weak to handle. But I held onto the idea that there’s always a reason behind someone’s actions…behind not wanting to give everything to a person after it was almost destroyed once before, and as the details of Bennett’s past are exposed, I started to understand why he fought so hard to keep being the single man he knows and finds easy to be, but he had to know that Annalise would change him…would challenge him…would work to help him heal in whatever way she could, which is exactly why what they share terrifies Bennett.
By the time I reached the end of We Shouldn’t, I had a smile of my face and a warm heart, but it did take me a bit to get there. Bennett proves himself in the end and that’s exactly what I needed him to do in order to remind myself that he had to let go of a large amount of negative emotions to allow the good ones to surround him and move forward.
4 Poison Apples
This book has all the ingredients I look for when searching for my next contemporary romance read. Love. Love. Love!