“An expert at the dark and sexy anti-hero, Shen brings her seductive prose to an
irresistible ‘second chance romance’.”-- Oprah Magazine
The Devil Wears Black, all new enemies-to-lovers, fake fiancé standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen is available now!
Maddie Goldbloom stitched up a plan to ensure everything in her life was perfect—from a career in fashion to a chic NYC apartment to a pediatrician boyfriend.
When her ex, Chase Black, storms back into her life with an outrageous request, her immediate reaction is to refuse him. But he only wants to fulfill his father’s last wish. So even though he’s the man who broke her heart, playing his fiancĂ©e shouldn’t be hard, especially if it means she gets to watch the arrogant devil squirm a bit.
What ensues is a chain of events that detonates Maddie’s life—and when Chase’s walls come down, they both are forced to face reality.
They say keep your enemies close. But what if your enemy is also the man you love?
5 Stars!
Review by Lisa Kane
You know when you start a book and you can tell right away that you are going to love it almost as much as that container of ice cream you finished off at midnight the night before? That's the love I have for this book!
Maddie Goldbloom is a wedding gown designer for Croquis. She's worked like a dog to achieve her job at to do it while she is still in her mid twenties? Impressive to say the least. She adores her boss Sven, who took a chance on her and she has a small (very small) circle of friends. Her neighbor Layla, a free spirited nursery school teacher is her biggest champion. Her dad lives within an comfortable driving distance and she sees him every few weeks. Her mom, her heart, died from cancer when Maddie was still a teenager. She has never really made peace with her death. However, her mother left her letters, comparing life to the flowers that she grew in her flower shop. Each letter is a treasure and a road map to navigate Maddie's life without her mom.
About six months ago, she had her heart decimated by Chase Black, the billionaire CEO of Black & Co. Croquis is a division of Chase's company, but technically he's not her boss. They started out with keeping things casual, but Maddie is a bit of an oddball, a quirky soul who slowly turned things with Chase from a sex only fun only thing to a relationship. Chase was Maddie's boyfriend. And he cheated on her. End of story. He still haunts her dreams, but she can't forgive him. And to make things worse, he never asked her to forgive him.
Chase Black was the devil. My personal devil. Always clad in black, a cruel comment ready on the tip of his tongue, his intentions as tainted as his smirk.
Maddie has just started seeing Ethan, a pediatrician who's a bit boring. But he's reliable and he ultimately wants marriage and children. Things that Maddie wants too someday. So imagine her surprise when they return home from a date to find Chase sitting on Maddie's doorstep. Why is he there? Is he there to say he's sorry, to ask for another chance? Nope.
Because the story is told in both Maddie and Chase's POV's we can read Chase thoughts. Thank the lord, because he is one complicated guy. We find out why he did what he did and why he thought that things wouldn't turn out quite the way they did with Maddie. Nevertheless, he needs Maddie. His family is a mess right now and Maddie is the link that will keep the Black family together while they try to weather the monsoon that they find themselves in these days.
I realized Chase, despite his thirty-two years of existence, had very little experience with rejection.
Chase may be a real jerk at times, but while reading his thoughts you will come to love him. Seriously, the guy loves his family and wants to do his best. Maddie is his Achilles heel, an anchor that he doesn't think he wants. She wants marriage and children. He wants no part of either of those things. Right? He doesn't, right?
Their texts back and forth are hysterical, Chase's way of looking at things turns Maddie on her head, spinning and dizzy with trying to keep up. He brings out the real Maddie, not the Martyr Maddie that she has always been, a push over, one who does what everyone else expects from her.
"Yes. Because you're Martyr Maddie, and it's the right thing to do. You're selfless, considerate and compassionate."
To say Chase is more than a little surprised at this new feisty Maddie, the one who resists his advances, who takes no prisoners, is an understatement.
This story is not all light and funny. The core of the plot, why Chase needs Maddie is heartbreaking. Expect a few tears, some angst, some not so nice moments where you wish you could change things. Chase is(was?) a player so the six months they were apart-Maddie may have struggled to jump back in the dating world again, but Chase-well a player has to play. I may not have been too pleased to read about a few things.
The devil didn't have to drag me down to hell. I had come with him willingly.
Enjoy the hell out of this story. There's not a book from this author that I haven't read, and this one-this one is totally different than her usual writing style. It's less dark-it's lighter and and funnier. While I say this about everything she writes, this one is my favorite! (subject to change depending on what fabulous story she comes up with next!)
"I want to be your everything. Even that's not enough.
Download your copy!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/35mycgA
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/devilblack
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Excerpt
I fished for my keys in my little clutch, stomping my way up the stairs. He was still on the first step, his eyes burning a hole through my back. The one time he looked at me with anything but frost, and I was completely immune to it. pushed the building entrance door open, ignoring his plea.
Funny, I’d always thought it’d feel divine to dismiss him the way he’d dismissed me. But right now, my feelings swirled among hurt, anger, and confusion. Triumph was nowhere in sight, and glee was miles away. I was almost past the threshold when his next words gave me pause.
“Too scared to give me ten minutes of your time?” he challenged, the smirk in his voice like a stab in my back. I froze. Now I recognized him. Cold, calculated. Playfully ruthless. “If you’re so over me and not at all tempted to be under me once we get upstairs, you can go back to your blissful, Chase-free existence after I say my piece, no?”
Scared? He thought I was scared? If I were any more immune to his charms at this point, I’d actively throw up at his sight.
I swiveled, jutting my hip out, a polite smile on my lips. “Cocky much?”
“Just enough to get your attention,” he deadpanned, looking awfully like a man who didn’t want to be here.
What is he doing here, anyway?
“Five minutes will do, and you better behave.” I pointed at him with my clutch.
“Cross my heart and hope to die.” He put a hand on his chest mockingly.
“At least our hopes are aligned.”
About LJ Shen
L.J. Shen is a USA Today, Washington Post and Amazon #1 best-selling author of contemporary, New Adult and YA romance. Her books have been sold to nineteen different countries.
She lives in California with her husband, son, cat and eccentric fashion choices, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
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