As kids, they hated each other. Macon Saint was beautiful, but despite his name, Delilah knew he was the devil. That he dated her slightly evil sister, Samantha, was no picnic either. When they broke up, it was a dream come true: Delilah never had to see him again.
Ten years later, her old enemy sends a text.
Delilah’s sister has stolen a valuable heirloom from Macon, now a rising Hollywood star, and he intends to collect his due. One problem: Sam has skipped town.
Sparks still sizzle between Macon and Delilah, only this heat feels alarmingly like unwanted attraction. But Delilah is desperate to keep her weak-hearted mother from learning of her sister’s theft. So she proposes a deal: she’ll pay off the debt by being Macon’s personal chef and assistant.
It’s a recipe for disaster, but Macon can’t stop himself from accepting. Even though Delilah clearly hates him, there’s something about her that feels like home. Besides, they’re no longer kids, and what once was a bitter rivalry has the potential to be something sweeter. Something like forever.
Release Date: Mar 31, 2020
Heat Level: Sensual
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Imprint: Montlake
Price: $3.99
Dear Enemy revolves around two childhood enemies: Delilah Baker and Macon Saint. Delilah Baker moved into the southern town of Shermont, North Caroline with her family when she was eleven. She quickly got off on the wrong foot with her neighbor Macon Saint, the most popular boy at their school. Macon is described as being physical perfection, and so it is only natural that Delilah’s sister, Samantha, also the face of physical perfection, develops a romantic relationship with Macon. Throughout their childhood and teenage years, Macon and Delilah continue to antagonize each other and have a mutual hatred towards one another.
Fast forward ten years and Delilah receives a text from Macon saying that her sister has committed some crimes against him and that he will be going to the police unless they come to some sort of arrangement to right the wrongs. Delilah, worried about her mother’s health, decides to become a live-in assistant and cook to the now famous Macon – putting herself in close proximity to her childhood nemesis.
So starts the enemies to lovers story of Delilah and Macon as they both work to awkwardly understand each other and acknowledge their true feelings for each other.
I am usually a big fan of Kristen Callihan’s books, and for most of her books I have read them through within a few days. This one however, just did not do it for me, I struggled to finish it. It started off well enough and there was a lot of character development and the reader really gets to know Macon and Delilah and why they act the way they do towards each other. The banter between the two of them was really entertaining and I found myself actually laughing out loud at some points. But, honestly, the story was just boring. After about halfway through the book I felt like I could predict every single thing that would happen between the two and it just was not that interesting.
I found the secondary characters, with the exception of North, quite odd as well. Delilah’s mother was strange and seemed to unknowingly place a lot of burden on Delilah to care for her mental wellbeing. Her mother just seemed so fragile and like she could not bear to hear that her other daughter could have been involved in criminal activates, it just didn’t sit right that her mother didn’t know anything about what her daughters were up to and their characters. Delilah’s sister was also really odd and the interactions between the two of them just did not flow very well. I just found myself not fully believing in their relationships.
Overall, this is a light and easy read but I would not really recommend if you want a real page-turner.
~ Harshita