Rivals, Envy; Confusion and Passion; Relief and Release.
Battle of personalities, intensity all the way through, a battle of wits and desire, steam and some heat. “You know, I don’t mind being the bad guy in your story. But it might be a lot easier if we work together.” Liam has felt dislike and even envy (admitted grudgingly only to himself) for Reid since Princeton, competition for grades and prestige exasperated by the easy charm and smug confidence of the elite. Having fought and built his business for a decade, Liam must now work with his rival to please the developers, clean minimalist lines must be fused with Reid’s more organic designs. Conference rooms crackle with tension and unspoken complexities as design style and personalities clash; foster-care childhood survival has created a need for caution and control in Liam that clashes with Reid’s upper crust cultivated charm and devil-may-care certainty.
Underneath professional friction and gamesmanship, smoldering heat and passion; lingering gaze, brushes of fingers and glints in the eye. Arguments and few conciliations lead to a peak of conflict, and an aggressive, pushed against the wall and decidedly unplanned-for kiss. Surprise, and not discussed, tension increases. A climactic business trip, the storm forcing a shared room and the inevitable.
I must confess, I am unfamiliar with the realities of the enemies-to-lovers trope, having never experienced it personally, but the complexities of confronting long-held beliefs and the shattering of stereotypic thinking is in my wheelhouse, and this story has me thinking about the obstinate characters surprise at the welling desire they find between them. How it shatters their belief systems and allows for new growth. Well done, author Ryan Moore! There are his characteristic flashes of wit “you’ve spent years convincing yourself that what you feel for me is hate,” Reid said quietly. “When we both know it’s never been that simple.” And also humor: “I’m thinking about a date tonight. You should join me.” The dialogue between the MCs leaves one’s head ricocheting. This is Moore’s gift, as evidenced in other tales. Thunderstorm metaphor for passionate release works here, and the ensuing texts/meetings surmise a future beyond just HFN. This was an intense read, with only a few pauses for the reader to breathe; I’m content for now. Encouraged by this young, new author.
P. S. Just caught Moore’s ‘freebie’ ‘Origin Stories: Sparks’, the Princeton beginnings of rivalry, respect and bristling undertones between Liam and Reid. Superbly written. “I like the competition, Hawkins,” he whispered, his breath warm against Liam’s ear. “Makes things interesting.”
– And later: “You think I don’t work for this.” Reid’s tone had lost its usual lightness. “You’ve built this whole narrative about me in your head—the privileged kid who gets everything handed to him.”
– Four years of resentment, with some intervening recognition of softer qualities, Reid’s unexpected thoughtfulness and ‘sensitivity to human needs’ in his designs, the accolades both sought and won.
– “It wasn’t just competition,” Liam said without thinking. The professor smiled. “No, I don’t imagine it was.” He patted Liam’s shoulder. “Rivalries like yours don’t come along often. Neither do partnerships of equals.”
– So good!
