Between desire and denial- Shain Rose

Synopsis:

Olive thought she had it all figured out—until her boyfriend (who also happened to be her professor 🤢) completely betrayed her, shattering both her heart and her academic future. Now she’s back in her small, judgmental hometown, trying to put the pieces back together while rewriting her thesis and avoiding the whispers.

Enter Dimitri Hardy—brooding billionaire, town outsider, and the last person Olive expects to strike a deal with. He’s got a reputation problem, and she needs a clean slate. So they make a deal: fake a summer romance to fix his image and give her a distraction from her wrecked plans.

But as their fake relationship starts to feel more real, lines blur. Tension rises. And the one rule they promised not to break—don’t fall for each other—suddenly feels impossible to follow.

As someone who’s really enjoyed the Hardy Billionaire Brothers series so far, I was looking forward to Between Desire and Denial. I’ve flown through the previous books in a day (two at most!), so I expected more of the same energy, tension, and addictive pacing.

But this one just didn’t grab me in the same way.

The setup had all the ingredients I usually love—fake dating, a broody billionaire, small-town pressure, and emotional stakes—but for some reason, the spark just wasn’t there for me. I found the pacing a bit slow, and it took me longer than usual to finish. While Dimitri and Olive had their moments, the chemistry and stakes didn’t hit as hard as I hoped they would.

That said, the writing is still solid and consistent with the rest of the series, and I know every reader experiences books differently. If you're someone who loves a slow-burn, emotionally layered romance with possessive heroes and small-town drama, this might still be a great fit for you.

It wasn’t a personal favourite, but it hasn’t put me off the series—I’ll definitely keep reading whatever Shain Rose releases next

More Books in the Hardy Billionaire series:

✨ This book's chosen bookmark ✨