When she was young, Arya Roth became best friends with her housekeeper’s son. Soon, friendship turned to young love, and when Arya dared him to kiss her, a chain reaction of disastrous events led to the boy being sent away and out of Arya’s life.
Now, two decades later, Arya is an on-the-rise publicist with her beloved father as one of her biggest clients. So when her father is sued by a former employee, Arya sets out to prove that her father is not the monster he is accused of being. The only problem is the attorney who is determined to destroy her father’s good name. Christian Miller is charming, ambitious, and devilishly good looking, and Arya has no idea he is that same boy who kissed her all those years ago.
Past and present collide as Arya falls hard for Christian. But when she finds out who he really is and about his obsession with getting revenge on her father, can she choose love over family?
Arya and Christian are amazing. There’s no other way to put it. Their story is emotional and angsty and steamy and so good. They formed an unlikely friendship as kids only to be ripped apart in the cruelest of ways. Arya struggled with the loss for years while Christian suffered immensely, both physically and emotionally. There’s so much loss in their young lives and they bond over the emptiness they live with every day, finding so much common ground despite being from radically different worlds.
When they meet again, nothing is as it seems and the roles are reversed. Christian has spent the years nursing a grudge and is ready for his revenge. He holds all the cards and she has no idea who he is. He’s at the pinnacle of his career while Arya’s world has been turned upside-down in every way. I adored these characters from the start. They’re both damaged and real in every way. The story of their childhood is heartbreaking, making me want so much for these two and the author truly delivered. This is a slow-burn HEA with family drama, evil fathers, jealous exes and so much more. I loved every minute of it and couldn’t put this book down. Christian and Arya made me so happy, I didn’t want this story to end but it was the perfect ending for them. I received an ARC via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.
2 thoughts on “Review: Ruthless Rival by LJ Shen”