Alisha Rai’s Hate to Want You is the final of the three books I bought because they were on Entertainment Weekly’s best romances of 2017 list. Of the three, I think this one is the best.
Alisha Rai has been writing for quite a while. She’s gained a following in the erotic romance sub genre for creating complicated characters. She also flips the script on occasion and has written a female, billionaire CEO who romances a blue collar man. She’s comfortable with bi characters. She writes good emotional longing as well as good physical fulfillment. Hate to Want You is Rai’s first mainstream publication. She hasn’t toned down the sex much, but there is more plot.
Nicholas and Olivia were childhood sweethearts. Their grandfathers had been childhood friends, separated when Livvy’s grandfather was sent to a Internment camp during WWII. After the war, the boys reconnected, moved East and started a grocery store business together. They each married, raised their families together and grew wealthy together. A little more than 10 years ago, the relationship between their families fractured when Livvy’s father and Nicholas’ mother died together in a car wreck. More bad things happened and as a part of the fall out, Nicholas broke up with Livvy and Livvy left town.
Livvy and Nicholas have maintained a one night a year sexual relationship until this year when Livvy didn’t text. Now Livvy is back in town and they have to face the damage they’ve done to each other and themselves. Can they build a healthy relationship in the wreckage?
I appreciate that Rai really gets into the obstacles that Nicholas and Livvy face. They have to heal themselves before they can heal each other, and they have to choose to put their own health and happiness first before there is room for another person in their life. I thought this was a strong start to the series and I am heartened by Malin’s review of the next book.
Yay! I’m glad you’re loving her books. I have two signed copies sitting here that will be reviewed for CBR10. :)
SIGH. GUESS I HAVE TO READ THIS.
You do.
It’s on my ever growing list to read for CBR 10. :)
So glad you liked this too. I really really liked Hate to Want You AND Wrong to Need You and in the first book, the focus is much more on the central romance, plus giving you backstory on the rather soap opera-like feud between the families. In Wrong to Need You, it felt like both protagonists needed to heal the unspoken conflicts they had with their families and the romantic sub-plot almost took a secondary role. Both books are SO good, though, and made me really emotionally invest with all the characters. I’m super excited for book three, which is out next year.