Review

Enemies to lovers are definitely one of those tropes that can be difficult to pull off. How do you get two people on opposite ends of the rope to come together without seeming contrite or cliché? Mayberry-style that’s how.

Both characters suffer from lots of baggage. What I love is how I got all the baggage, but it didn’t drag into Audrey and Zach’s relationship until the back half of the book. The funny part is all the baggage made them the people they are at present, competitive and determined to succeed, albeit for different reasons. In true Mayberry fashion the baggage is allowed to air itself in all its glory, along with a heaping dose of outside conflict fueled by growing attraction and the competition for the promotion.

I got involved in the main character’s history, their goals, and their desires. Audrey is so torn from her past mistakes and determined to be at the top no matter how she has to get there. At times I found her stubbornness very reminiscent of mine own drive in the career world. Being able to relate to Audrey’s motivations helped drive my interest in her success.  Zach displays the outside impression of someone born to privilege and not afraid to take risks or shove someone under a bus to reach the top. His motivations are past-based as well, but entirely different from Audrey. Both seek redemption and they believe that the promotion or career success and money are the only way to achieve it.

Another thing that floors me is Mayberry’s ability to cram a wonderful, depth-filled story into 304 pages. A short format that usually leaves me wanting more or feeling as if I didn’t get all the information. Her Favorite Rival provides fully-fleshed out characters with pasts that make your heart ache.  The romance develops over time, and not instantly. Both Audrey and Zach cross several hurdle’s to get to the point where they hit the sheets.

For me this wasn’t my favorite Mayberry story, and I still cannot put a finger on it as to why. I enjoyed how she played out the enemies to lovers trope. There wasn’t as much external conflict as I expected fewer wrenches for the couple to avoid. Most of the conflict was internal, and the characters individually had to come to terms with their own faults. The characters did grow, but my heart didn’t sing at the end as it does with previous Super Romances.

Overall, this is still an excellent book and I definitely say if you’re a Mayberry fan or just looking for something new, this is contemporary worth reading. There isn’t a major time investment involved, but a heart investment for sure.