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Hate to Want You is the first book by Alisha Rai that I read and it won’t be my last! You can say that this book has a lot of drama and it was a bit over the top but still so good!
The story picks up 10 years after all the drama and scandal of both the Oka-Kane and Chandler families. This is a classic Romeo and Juliet story about warring families only it ends with an HEA. I’m a sucker for second-chance romance and Hate to Want You is a totally different spin on the trope.
I enjoyed listening to Hate to Want You and I love how Alisha Rai has added a twist to the usual Romeo and Juliet romance. I also liked that the heroine, Livy is the rebel and the hero is the good boy.
This book, though has a small-town soap opera drama feel to it and yeah, it was pretty dramatic! Let’s just say that the Chandler’s and the Oka-Kane’s are one of the richest family in their town AND had a talked about the scandal surrounding Nick’s mom and Livy’s dad. [spoiler]They both died in a car crash together while supposedly being away for business separately.[/spoiler] Not to mention the fact that Nick’s father swindled Livy’s mom from her half of the company. Yeah, talk about dramatic!
Another thing that I liked about this book is the family dynamics. Alisha Rai does a very good job in helping the family heal and although there isn’t a lot of healing going on, I am assuming that the family will finally be brought back together in the next two books in the series.
Hate to Want You is pretty spicy, and we do get a lot of sexy times between Nick and Livy. Oh, and I’m not complaining because Alisha Rai does an awesome job in this department!
My only complaint is that this book does feel very short and Livy and Nick’s reunion felt rushed. I also do not understand all the hype surrounding this book because even though it was an enjoyable read, Hate to Want You did not blow me away.
This book is also written in dual POVs and I am very glad that is written this way because honestly, Nick started as being an unlikeable character early in the book. The dual POV definitely benefited Nick the most.
I listened to the audiobook and it was narrated by Summer Morton and Jeremy York and I have mixed feelings about the two! I liked Summer Morton but Jeremy York’s female voice is horrendous! OMG! He uses this high pitched tone for his female voices and it’s just like nails on a chalkboard! UGH! PLEASE NO!
I am also not a fan of the cover ONLY because of that vine tattoo! I mean, it just looks like a Photoshop brush! It’s supposed to be a BEAUTIFUL TATTOO and what’s more, Livy is supposed to be a renowned tattoo artist and this does not look like any tattoo a renowned artist would have on her skin! This is an epic cover fail for me.
Overall, I recommend Hate to Want You but if you can, DO NOT listen to the audiobook! I was even surprised that I was able to finish the audiobook because I normally stop listening when the narrator sucks.
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I have really adored this series so far. I just loved the Romeo and Juliet theme too, and I think you will love book 2!!!!
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I’m currently reading book 2 and it’s pretty angsty and the drama! I hope to finish it this week!