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Fire & Ice
Breaking hearts is risky business. You never know when you might fall in love.
Primrose Carter is a professional heartbreaker. As a member of FIRE, the underground group on her college campus formed of the people who have nowhere to turn but each other and dedicated to getting a leg up against the privileged kids, Primrose is an expert at getting a target to fall in love with her, getting what she needs from them, and breaking their heart on the way out.
But she’s not expecting her target this time to be a woman.
Giselle Lawson, competitive figure skater and the daughter of a finance mogul, has racked up one too many transgressions against FIRE. But from her perspective, she’s just trying to get by, heal from her breakup, and survive the crushing weight of her parents’ expectations—and the gorgeous woman who runs into her on the ice is suddenly the only thing she can think about.
For Primrose, it should be an easy case. But Giselle might just be the one to break her.
Fire & Ice is a 90,000-word college romance with a secret identity and one-sided enemies-to-lovers, featuring a secret organization, a coldblooded heartbreaker turning soft, and some juicy toaster-oven dynamics. Content warnings for on-page sex, a character having to leave their parents offscreen for their own safety, someone stuck in an unwanted engagement because of financial dynamics, a passive-aggressive jerk of a friend, and Ava not liking chocolate but definitely liking to yell at people.
Primrose Carter is a professional heartbreaker. As a member of FIRE, the underground group on her college campus formed of the people who have nowhere to turn but each other and dedicated to getting a leg up against the privileged kids, Primrose is an expert at getting a target to fall in love with her, getting what she needs from them, and breaking their heart on the way out.
But she’s not expecting her target this time to be a woman.
Giselle Lawson, competitive figure skater and the daughter of a finance mogul, has racked up one too many transgressions against FIRE. But from her perspective, she’s just trying to get by, heal from her breakup, and survive the crushing weight of her parents’ expectations—and the gorgeous woman who runs into her on the ice is suddenly the only thing she can think about.
For Primrose, it should be an easy case. But Giselle might just be the one to break her.
Fire & Ice is a 90,000-word college romance with a secret identity and one-sided enemies-to-lovers, featuring a secret organization, a coldblooded heartbreaker turning soft, and some juicy toaster-oven dynamics. Content warnings for on-page sex, a character having to leave their parents offscreen for their own safety, someone stuck in an unwanted engagement because of financial dynamics, a passive-aggressive jerk of a friend, and Ava not liking chocolate but definitely liking to yell at people.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2024
135 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Lily Seabrooke
37 books338 followersLily Seabrooke is a lesbian, trans woman, and author of sapphic romance that stars food, because odds are, at any given time, she's hungry.
Her interests include eating food, thinking about food, writing novels about food, and drinking coffee.
Her interests include eating food, thinking about food, writing novels about food, and drinking coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 18, 2024
I think I've mostly only read smalltown romances from Lily Seabrooke before, so this new adult college romance was pretty different. And I had so much fun! While reading, I kept picturing this as an early 2000s-style romcom. It would work so incredibly well as a movie! The drama was dialed up to 100, but at the same time I didn't feel like there was unnecessary drama between Primrose and Giselle, who were just being very cute together for a large part of the book.
April 19, 2024
Waste of time!
June 1, 2024
2.5 stars (I really wanted to like this but it was not meant to be)
Now this review might seem like I absolutely despised this book, which isn’t the case. However, due to the lack of negative reviews under this book I feel like I have a bit of a responsibility to ensure people are aware of this books flaws before deciding to read it. The authors note said that Lily Seabrooke is a foodie, with a few of her other books being more centred around food and fellow foodies. I think that might be more up her alley, so I might try and read one of those books in the future to give Seabrooke a chance to redeem herself.
Yes there are spoilers I suppose?
Instead of properly developing Primrose’s character, the author tries to construct her through telling the readers what she ISNT like; “doing … is so not like me” “this isn’t like me”. I can handle this in small doses, but in this book Primrose was consistently doing things that were supposedly “out of character”- which is just kind of lazy character building in my opinion.
The nicknames.. I HATED the fucking nicknames!! “Kittykat” and “sunburns” were by far the worst but overall I really felt that these nicknames were so insincere and forced. (Also the name Primrose used in its entirety felt wrong to me, but that might just be because I’m a big hunger games fan.)
Primrose is supposedly a professional heartbreaker, she tricks people into falling for her and leaves their heart shattered regularly. She’s currently doing this for an organisation, called FIRE, whose mission is upsetting and enraging rich kids. All of this implies that she’s good at this, that she’s a smooth talker and great flirt. However, sadly all Primrose truly seems to be good at is looking pretty and playing a damsel in distress role.Big fat let down if you ask me. Error 666; confident seductress not found.
On top of Primrose not actually being a heartbreaker, the speed at which the fake dating and the catching feeling progresses is a little crazy. This is insta love, which I don’t like, and Primrose mainly gets Giselle’s attention because she’s love bombing her which I also don’t like. There’s definitely moments where I could see chemistry and hot moments, however I felt like there were equal amounts of cringe. Also how the love story started and the little conflict of Primrose’s motive being exposed reminded me of After (yes the Harry Style fan fiction I read on Wattpad when I was 14, don’t judge me).
There’s supposedly a rich vs poor plot, but I think it’s more realistic to call it a ultra rich vs rich/well off conflict. How are the characters jobless, partying, eating out (very often), studying (well I mean they didn’t actually seem to be attending many classes but alright) and therefore paying tuition, (affording the student apartments was semi clarified but it was a whack ass reason) and in primroses case buying or renting out figure skates and accessing the ice rink?? Where are the funds for all that coming from? Surely they’re not selling that many test results. They do explain FIRE and some of its members a bit more towards the end, but it’s still a bit of a goofy concept..
As I said, the author decided to explain things later rather than sooner, so the later half is definitely the better and more comprehensible half of the book. You can tell there’s actual feelings involved, there’s some decent smut, the “look at you two all coupled up” comments make more sense, FIRE actually has an explained motive, the characters get a bit more backstory and you can feel the climax building. I was actually really rooting for this book to have a good ending, but the fucking “reading the other characters diary to resolve the miscommunication problem” trope was just not it. To me it is just such a lazy way of writing a conflict resolution, I really felt like the author could (and almost did!!) have successfully come up and written a scenario where this resolution was done in a way where both characters were actively interacting with each other and in my opinion that would have been way more emotional and satisfying to read.
Sooyeon and Jordan are both lovely characters, I really wish we could have seen more of them and that the author had developed their relationships with the main characters further.
The writing just isn’t very good.. Example: “Dinner was fantastic. It was the kind of hole-in-the-wall place with faded menus where you knew it would either be fantastic or terrible, (comma before and?) and just as I suspected, (having another comma here MAKES NO SENSE) the host greeted “Character X” by name when she came in (that has nothing to do with how good the restaurant is? Why not start a new sentence?). The air was rich with the scent of grilled meats and fragrant sauces( oh were back to food talk, alright..), (, and again?) and I suddenly felt starved the second we sat down, but mostly all I could focus on was the way she looked at me like I was just the very best thing she’d ever seen (Stop with the random subject changes, why not discuss food matters and then people matters? It’s just so chaotic.)” Now I’m not always adhering to all grammar and spelling (especially spelling, I’m sorry but I am a HORRIFIC speller) rules myself, but I would definitely get my book thoroughly checked before releasing it into the world where petty goodreads reviewers are able to write 2 page long reviews of my book. I felt like this book definitely needed more editing, it really would have helped to elevate the story.
Nothing in this book is really good and for me, doing mediocre on all aspects of your book results in a failing grade (aka 2.5 stars.. I’m sorry!!)
Now this review might seem like I absolutely despised this book, which isn’t the case. However, due to the lack of negative reviews under this book I feel like I have a bit of a responsibility to ensure people are aware of this books flaws before deciding to read it. The authors note said that Lily Seabrooke is a foodie, with a few of her other books being more centred around food and fellow foodies. I think that might be more up her alley, so I might try and read one of those books in the future to give Seabrooke a chance to redeem herself.
Yes there are spoilers I suppose?
Instead of properly developing Primrose’s character, the author tries to construct her through telling the readers what she ISNT like; “doing … is so not like me” “this isn’t like me”. I can handle this in small doses, but in this book Primrose was consistently doing things that were supposedly “out of character”- which is just kind of lazy character building in my opinion.
The nicknames.. I HATED the fucking nicknames!! “Kittykat” and “sunburns” were by far the worst but overall I really felt that these nicknames were so insincere and forced. (Also the name Primrose used in its entirety felt wrong to me, but that might just be because I’m a big hunger games fan.)
Primrose is supposedly a professional heartbreaker, she tricks people into falling for her and leaves their heart shattered regularly. She’s currently doing this for an organisation, called FIRE, whose mission is upsetting and enraging rich kids. All of this implies that she’s good at this, that she’s a smooth talker and great flirt. However, sadly all Primrose truly seems to be good at is looking pretty and playing a damsel in distress role.Big fat let down if you ask me. Error 666; confident seductress not found.
On top of Primrose not actually being a heartbreaker, the speed at which the fake dating and the catching feeling progresses is a little crazy. This is insta love, which I don’t like, and Primrose mainly gets Giselle’s attention because she’s love bombing her which I also don’t like. There’s definitely moments where I could see chemistry and hot moments, however I felt like there were equal amounts of cringe. Also how the love story started and the little conflict of Primrose’s motive being exposed reminded me of After (yes the Harry Style fan fiction I read on Wattpad when I was 14, don’t judge me).
There’s supposedly a rich vs poor plot, but I think it’s more realistic to call it a ultra rich vs rich/well off conflict. How are the characters jobless, partying, eating out (very often), studying (well I mean they didn’t actually seem to be attending many classes but alright) and therefore paying tuition, (affording the student apartments was semi clarified but it was a whack ass reason) and in primroses case buying or renting out figure skates and accessing the ice rink?? Where are the funds for all that coming from? Surely they’re not selling that many test results. They do explain FIRE and some of its members a bit more towards the end, but it’s still a bit of a goofy concept..
As I said, the author decided to explain things later rather than sooner, so the later half is definitely the better and more comprehensible half of the book. You can tell there’s actual feelings involved, there’s some decent smut, the “look at you two all coupled up” comments make more sense, FIRE actually has an explained motive, the characters get a bit more backstory and you can feel the climax building. I was actually really rooting for this book to have a good ending, but the fucking “reading the other characters diary to resolve the miscommunication problem” trope was just not it. To me it is just such a lazy way of writing a conflict resolution, I really felt like the author could (and almost did!!) have successfully come up and written a scenario where this resolution was done in a way where both characters were actively interacting with each other and in my opinion that would have been way more emotional and satisfying to read.
Sooyeon and Jordan are both lovely characters, I really wish we could have seen more of them and that the author had developed their relationships with the main characters further.
The writing just isn’t very good.. Example: “Dinner was fantastic. It was the kind of hole-in-the-wall place with faded menus where you knew it would either be fantastic or terrible, (comma before and?) and just as I suspected, (having another comma here MAKES NO SENSE) the host greeted “Character X” by name when she came in (that has nothing to do with how good the restaurant is? Why not start a new sentence?). The air was rich with the scent of grilled meats and fragrant sauces( oh were back to food talk, alright..), (, and again?) and I suddenly felt starved the second we sat down, but mostly all I could focus on was the way she looked at me like I was just the very best thing she’d ever seen (Stop with the random subject changes, why not discuss food matters and then people matters? It’s just so chaotic.)” Now I’m not always adhering to all grammar and spelling (especially spelling, I’m sorry but I am a HORRIFIC speller) rules myself, but I would definitely get my book thoroughly checked before releasing it into the world where petty goodreads reviewers are able to write 2 page long reviews of my book. I felt like this book definitely needed more editing, it really would have helped to elevate the story.
Nothing in this book is really good and for me, doing mediocre on all aspects of your book results in a failing grade (aka 2.5 stars.. I’m sorry!!)
April 15, 2024
Searching for justice and a second chance, Primrose finds herself on assignment to break the heart the university's top figure skater Giselle. Only problem? Primrose isn't gay. Primrose finds the take down is more complicated than she thought. Giselle is likeable and fun to be around.
Giselle finds herself attracting the attention of mysterious redhead. Despite prepping for a competition, working with her father, school and extracurriculars, she finds she can't stay away from Primrose.
Their complex personalities and developing relationships didn't allow me to put this story down. Being able to read in the POVs of both Giselle and Primrose is always my favorite way to read stories.
I'd definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a bit of change in their gay romance books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Giselle finds herself attracting the attention of mysterious redhead. Despite prepping for a competition, working with her father, school and extracurriculars, she finds she can't stay away from Primrose.
Their complex personalities and developing relationships didn't allow me to put this story down. Being able to read in the POVs of both Giselle and Primrose is always my favorite way to read stories.
I'd definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a bit of change in their gay romance books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 20, 2024
Dude, I deserve a fucking medal for getting through this book!
3-tbr-yes
June 21, 2024The cover? Hello?!
May 29, 2024
Surprised how much I liked this!
Look, there’s a lot about this book that made me blink in confusion. For instance, plot points that were either not resolved or were hastily explained. Characters that popped up randomly for resolution of a conflict but who had not been central to the story at all and felt merely like devices. Or honestly…the whole concept of this sketchy group of friendly bandits feeling a little far fetched—we just never find out the origin of this group, why it’s governed the way it is, what resources it’s providing exactly, and why it seemed to not be exactly a secret? Like wouldn’t they have been shut down by university administration if it was such an open secret!?!? So I’ve got questions, ok! And some suggestions for the writer. Sure.
AND YET, here I am giving it 4 stars because Lily Seabrooke gave me a fun read!!! I’ve just been reading so many MEH sapphic romances lately, and this was inventive and fun and twisty. I really like these characters, and their love for one another. I felt protective over them and I understood their desperation and desire to be safe and provided for. I also understood being caught in the web of a power hungry person all the while you’re just trying to make a family out of your loneliness. Their friendship was palpable, their choosing each other was palpable—in a way only a queer person could render so perfectly.
So yeah, I’d say read this. And get consumed not just with the romance but the world these people live in and their love for one another. Seabrooke won me over with the friendships, ok!! I love stories about found family, redemption, compassion, growth and healing. And for all its flaws, this story also shines. :)
Look, there’s a lot about this book that made me blink in confusion. For instance, plot points that were either not resolved or were hastily explained. Characters that popped up randomly for resolution of a conflict but who had not been central to the story at all and felt merely like devices. Or honestly…the whole concept of this sketchy group of friendly bandits feeling a little far fetched—we just never find out the origin of this group, why it’s governed the way it is, what resources it’s providing exactly, and why it seemed to not be exactly a secret? Like wouldn’t they have been shut down by university administration if it was such an open secret!?!? So I’ve got questions, ok! And some suggestions for the writer. Sure.
AND YET, here I am giving it 4 stars because Lily Seabrooke gave me a fun read!!! I’ve just been reading so many MEH sapphic romances lately, and this was inventive and fun and twisty. I really like these characters, and their love for one another. I felt protective over them and I understood their desperation and desire to be safe and provided for. I also understood being caught in the web of a power hungry person all the while you’re just trying to make a family out of your loneliness. Their friendship was palpable, their choosing each other was palpable—in a way only a queer person could render so perfectly.
So yeah, I’d say read this. And get consumed not just with the romance but the world these people live in and their love for one another. Seabrooke won me over with the friendships, ok!! I love stories about found family, redemption, compassion, growth and healing. And for all its flaws, this story also shines. :)
April 18, 2024
Lovely new book from the wonderful Lily Seabrooke! Primrose is part of a secret college organization that boasts to help the underdog by squashing the ungrateful elite born with a silver spoon. She is tasked with breaking the heart of daughter of a banking mogul, Giselle. Naturally they are drawn to each other and what happens is fun, entertaining, heartbreaking, enlightening…the truth will come out and often it’s not how you wanted or expected it to! Recommend!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 19, 2024
Tense well-written and romantic
I've read maybe 30 lesbian romance books this year and this was probably the best one. It has a thrum of tension through the whole book, but follows the genre beats religiously - best enjoyed IMHO in small pieces.
The sex scenes were tasteful and well done. The characters were interesting and fleshed out.
I've read maybe 30 lesbian romance books this year and this was probably the best one. It has a thrum of tension through the whole book, but follows the genre beats religiously - best enjoyed IMHO in small pieces.
The sex scenes were tasteful and well done. The characters were interesting and fleshed out.
April 5, 2025
the 1 star is for the fact that there was for the happy ending that everyone except for primrose deserved. don’t read this. I have not read any of the authors other books so I will not make a judgement on the authors writing as a whole but rather just for this book cause that’s what I’ve read. It’s bad. Primrose sucks, there was not a single moment I was rooting for her. There were multiple inconsistencies in character behavior that made these characters confusing. There’s also just some stuff that’s incorrect or just bad, like the nicknames thing and the fact that we as an audience didn’t know she had a mom until the last chapter. I have a lot of issues with this book and I simply don’t feel like writing them all of them down. My biggest qualm was Primroses inner dialogue in the first half around being a lesbian. She spend the whole time making internal/external commentary about “I don’t want people to think I’m a lesbian”, and other little things in a blatantly derogatory way that like that insinuate that she thinks being known as a lesbian would be a bad thing (and we’re given no reason why). And then at some point she thinks “I’m not homophobic” and I do not believe her. It’s fine to not be a girl who likes girls. It’s not fine to think that being called a lesbian is a bad or negative thing, especially when there is no indication of a past experience that would initially lead you to think that way. She then, as a part of her master manipulation to get Giselle to fall in love, does a manipulation bit about questioning her sexuality. Purposely in an attempt to bring them closer together, not because she’s actually questioning her sexuality (she doesn’t do that until later). I’m sorry but I cannot stand behind a plot that uses someone coming to terms with their sexuality as a manipulation tactic. I have no idea what the author was trying to convey with this bit, but they shouldn’t have gone there. I have so much more to say but I’m lazy and will just scream into my pillow with rage at how much I disliked this book instead of writing down everything in a goodreads review.
TLDR: don’t read it. it’s bad.
TLDR: don’t read it. it’s bad.
April 18, 2024
This made me think of all of those Cruel Intentions / Heathers type of movies and it would definitely make a great screenplay. It starts a little dark and I was wondering how it was going to get to the required HEA with an unlikeable main protagonist. I didn’t need to worry though and I was soon rooting for both her and the “target”.
As ever with LS there is a large cast of clearly defined supporting characters to enjoy and I’m hoping some of them may get their own books and happy endings.
If you are looking for a well written college drama that is enemies to lovers but where one of them doesn’t know & thinks it’s friends to lovers then this is definitely for you.
Easy recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As ever with LS there is a large cast of clearly defined supporting characters to enjoy and I’m hoping some of them may get their own books and happy endings.
If you are looking for a well written college drama that is enemies to lovers but where one of them doesn’t know & thinks it’s friends to lovers then this is definitely for you.
Easy recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 11, 2024
Fire & Ice. Primrose & Giselle!
The story takes us to college.
It's about rich kids who are given everything in life and the injustice of life that the rest have to deal with.
There is a group whose goal is to oppose the privileged and take revenge.
Primrose Carter is part of this group “Fire” and her latest target is Giselle Lawson.
She'll just do what she always does and break a woman's heart for once.
After all, she has experience with the boys and is a professional heartbreaker.
Or maybe not?
It starts slowly with a certain callousness, although you certainly understand Fire's motivations.
Still, it reminded me equally of Cruel Intentions and partly of Riverdale.
Both had vengeful and extremely sweet moments.
At first I was a little skeptical about the theme and the college romance, but as Primrose and Giselle got closer, I got hooked and I couldn't stop!
I also found the friends and supporting characters really funny and absolutely cool!
As always, beautifully written and the hot scenes are extremely captivating!
The story takes us to college.
It's about rich kids who are given everything in life and the injustice of life that the rest have to deal with.
There is a group whose goal is to oppose the privileged and take revenge.
Primrose Carter is part of this group “Fire” and her latest target is Giselle Lawson.
She'll just do what she always does and break a woman's heart for once.
After all, she has experience with the boys and is a professional heartbreaker.
Or maybe not?
It starts slowly with a certain callousness, although you certainly understand Fire's motivations.
Still, it reminded me equally of Cruel Intentions and partly of Riverdale.
Both had vengeful and extremely sweet moments.
At first I was a little skeptical about the theme and the college romance, but as Primrose and Giselle got closer, I got hooked and I couldn't stop!
I also found the friends and supporting characters really funny and absolutely cool!
As always, beautifully written and the hot scenes are extremely captivating!
Read
May 17, 2024DNF at 65% Primrose is kinda hard to like honestly.
April 18, 2024
I received an ARC from the author through BookSprout and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I don’t read a ton of college romance, but my interest was piqued when I saw that Lily Seabrooke was writing one. Fire & Ice sounded messy, yet charming, and that’s my assessment upon reading it, giving me a similar feeling to a messy teen drama/romcom show with a queer twist.
Both leads are compelling, and I like that the setup is based in the class divide in an intriguing way. Giselle is the rich, privileged figure skater, but she was also the one I immediately liked more, because of how she’s also reckoning with things like parental pressure, not to mention she’s recovering from a relatively recent breakup.
On paper, that would make Primrose’s actions, however well-intentioned, feel icky. And that was a mild concern. But Primrose is coming from a genuine place herself, wanting to right the injustices that have impacted her and her friends. And while the secret is withheld from Giselle for most of the book, she’s never painted as an exploited, blameless victim. Their romance and seeing them bond in spite of their differences was ultimately sweet, even if the road was paved with complications.
The supporting characters are also well-drawn, and I wouldn’t mind reading more about them. The other members of FIRE in particular are quite interesting, and I love how the group dynamics evolve over the course of the book.
I really enjoyed this, and I love that Lily Seabrooke tried something a little different from her previous books. I would recommend this to readers interested in a New Adult/college sapphic romance with a teen drama feel.
I don’t read a ton of college romance, but my interest was piqued when I saw that Lily Seabrooke was writing one. Fire & Ice sounded messy, yet charming, and that’s my assessment upon reading it, giving me a similar feeling to a messy teen drama/romcom show with a queer twist.
Both leads are compelling, and I like that the setup is based in the class divide in an intriguing way. Giselle is the rich, privileged figure skater, but she was also the one I immediately liked more, because of how she’s also reckoning with things like parental pressure, not to mention she’s recovering from a relatively recent breakup.
On paper, that would make Primrose’s actions, however well-intentioned, feel icky. And that was a mild concern. But Primrose is coming from a genuine place herself, wanting to right the injustices that have impacted her and her friends. And while the secret is withheld from Giselle for most of the book, she’s never painted as an exploited, blameless victim. Their romance and seeing them bond in spite of their differences was ultimately sweet, even if the road was paved with complications.
The supporting characters are also well-drawn, and I wouldn’t mind reading more about them. The other members of FIRE in particular are quite interesting, and I love how the group dynamics evolve over the course of the book.
I really enjoyed this, and I love that Lily Seabrooke tried something a little different from her previous books. I would recommend this to readers interested in a New Adult/college sapphic romance with a teen drama feel.
May 17, 2024
Not what I expected but in a good way.
It was a little terrible, messy, mostly dialog, jumps right in with very little background development so I had to flip back a few times to figure stuff out, predictable, (though not a typical trope) and honestly it checked none of my usual boxes ... but I loved every moment of it. I don't understand why, but yeah, I'll probably even re read it. Looking forward to the next book that is clearly being set up.
Perhaps the appeal is that the narrative structure really reflected Primrose's personality, she's chaotic and messy and a little scary and twisted, and you feel that in the narration. my only real criticism here I guess, is that the narrative voice didn't change quite enough between POV shifts to Giselle.
If you like Seabrooke's work, be prepared for a shift in style, but you'll likely still love this book.
Had I not known going in, I'd still be able to tell it's Seabrooke because I've read everything else she's published, but it's different from what I'm used to out of her. It's cool to see her using different writing techniques. This book is absolutely worth the read.
It was a little terrible, messy, mostly dialog, jumps right in with very little background development so I had to flip back a few times to figure stuff out, predictable, (though not a typical trope) and honestly it checked none of my usual boxes ... but I loved every moment of it. I don't understand why, but yeah, I'll probably even re read it. Looking forward to the next book that is clearly being set up.
Perhaps the appeal is that the narrative structure really reflected Primrose's personality, she's chaotic and messy and a little scary and twisted, and you feel that in the narration. my only real criticism here I guess, is that the narrative voice didn't change quite enough between POV shifts to Giselle.
If you like Seabrooke's work, be prepared for a shift in style, but you'll likely still love this book.
Had I not known going in, I'd still be able to tell it's Seabrooke because I've read everything else she's published, but it's different from what I'm used to out of her. It's cool to see her using different writing techniques. This book is absolutely worth the read.
Read
June 13, 2024I really wanted to like this but it's just not working for me. DNF at 30%
I went into this because I liked the cover and the reviews were positive. I don't like leaving negative reviews but it was the positive ones that made me read it, so...
The plot is thin and unexplained; the college student characters are acting like they're in some high level gang operation, when they're just middle class students masquerading as poor and getting revenge on rich kids. I just... I don't get it man.
I kept saying I would read until at least 50% but man. I'm tired. It's confusing, Primrose is unlikable (and damn toxic, I don't see myself rooting for these two). Maybe one day I'll give it another go but I am very uninspired with this book.
The nicknames and character interactions feel forced, the grammar is not great, switching between topics mid paragraph/line, there were too many things for me to ignore.
No star rating for now because it feels rude on a DNF, but it would be a 1.5/5 for me.
I went into this because I liked the cover and the reviews were positive. I don't like leaving negative reviews but it was the positive ones that made me read it, so...
The plot is thin and unexplained; the college student characters are acting like they're in some high level gang operation, when they're just middle class students masquerading as poor and getting revenge on rich kids. I just... I don't get it man.
I kept saying I would read until at least 50% but man. I'm tired. It's confusing, Primrose is unlikable (and damn toxic, I don't see myself rooting for these two). Maybe one day I'll give it another go but I am very uninspired with this book.
The nicknames and character interactions feel forced, the grammar is not great, switching between topics mid paragraph/line, there were too many things for me to ignore.
No star rating for now because it feels rude on a DNF, but it would be a 1.5/5 for me.
September 4, 2024
I wanna start by saying that I loved this scenario. It could be amazing and really intense. The thing is that the writing wasn't so good. It was cheesy and cringe. The two main characters didn't convince me that they were falling for each other. Too much sweetness going on ruined it for me. When they talked to each other they kept saying each other's name, which is not convincing in a real conversation. I was reading about an adult story but it felt really childish and kind of soap opera. When I first read the synopsis of this I thought I was going to read something seriously intense and passionate with lots of drama and misunderstandings. I also thought that we would have a good kiss and make up in the end because of the betrayal. That never happened. The sex scenes were so boring and with no details. Never really felt the connection between them. Seriously the only thing that I enjoyed reading was their first kiss during truth of dare. For this scene I give my two stars. It's a shame.. I really was so excited when I first started to read this. When you expect something to be as amazing as you hoped and then you get something completely different you get disappointed.
Oh also, I didn't realise that Giselle has a mother. It literally never came up. She never mentioned her and at the end of the book we suddenly read about her like it's not a big deal and out of the blue she is included to conversations and she has an opinion about Primrose and all their relationship. HOW? We literally never hear from her in this whole book. Give me a break.
This book was kind of idiotic.. I'm so sorry author about this critic but I like to be true to my opinions.
Oh also, I didn't realise that Giselle has a mother. It literally never came up. She never mentioned her and at the end of the book we suddenly read about her like it's not a big deal and out of the blue she is included to conversations and she has an opinion about Primrose and all their relationship. HOW? We literally never hear from her in this whole book. Give me a break.
This book was kind of idiotic.. I'm so sorry author about this critic but I like to be true to my opinions.
September 1, 2024
This book was recommended to me on KU about a week and a half ago and I immediately added it to my TBR but I held off on reading it because I was trying to read the older books on my TBR. Boyyyyyy am I glad I jumped to this book. I absolutely loved Primrose and loved how she felt the sadness from not having familial relationships but she still held her values and flourished in the love she received from her found family. As a queer woman, I FELT Giselle's inner monologue deep in my chest. Just an amazing portrayal of wondering if a woman is interested in you or they are just being friendly and feeling so many conflicting emotions about it because you don’t want to ruin the friendship if you’re reading it wrong. This book was amazing on so many levels and I sincerely can’t wait to see more from this author.
May 17, 2025
Overall, I thought it was a fun read. I definitely preferred Giselle's perspective over Primrose. I thought when they were really enjoying their time together, they were cute. And I'll always enjoy a character internally tormenting themself.
I do have some issues with the book though. Honestly, I thought it was jarring whenever they remembered (reminded me) that this book takes place over two weeks. They'd think something like "I can't be like this after only one week" and I would agree, yeah, you shouldn't be like that after a week. I honestly think it would've felt more natural to me if it was the exact same story, but just search for all the references to week, and replace it with month(s). And I found the whole FIRE thing confusing. They're like half secret society, half a well-known social club. It's for the underdogs, but they've got a weird amount of power.
I do have some issues with the book though. Honestly, I thought it was jarring whenever they remembered (reminded me) that this book takes place over two weeks. They'd think something like "I can't be like this after only one week" and I would agree, yeah, you shouldn't be like that after a week. I honestly think it would've felt more natural to me if it was the exact same story, but just search for all the references to week, and replace it with month(s). And I found the whole FIRE thing confusing. They're like half secret society, half a well-known social club. It's for the underdogs, but they've got a weird amount of power.
April 19, 2024
This was a bit of a different story from Lily and I definitely enjoyed her take on the enemies-to-lovers trope...seeing as how only one of them thinks the other is an enemy LOL. Both Primrose and Giselle are interesting characters, each a little lost but trying to find their way through the turmoil of being a young adult. A cast of wonderful supporting characters really rounds out the story, particularly Ava aka Kittycat, who is a bit of a grump, but adorable all the same.
I would highly recommend checking this story out, especially for younger readers who might be struggling with their sexuality, as it does contain a gay awakening for one character.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I would highly recommend checking this story out, especially for younger readers who might be struggling with their sexuality, as it does contain a gay awakening for one character.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 30, 2024
FIRE members want to hurt Giselle since she’s wracked up too many things that are wrong in their eyes. So who do they send but none other than Primrose.
Primrose decides rather quickly what to do and how to get back at Giselle. Primrose only says yes since Zach wants her to do so. It’s not 'til we really get into the story and characters that we learn why.
This was an interesting and intriguing story with a different style storyline that I enjoyed reading. Some characters had me rooting for them while I was totally disgusted with others. Giselle totally surprised Primrose by not being the type of person she thought.
Every book that I’ve read of Lily’s is a wonderful journey that just keeps getting better with her fantastical mind that loves to tell stories!
Primrose decides rather quickly what to do and how to get back at Giselle. Primrose only says yes since Zach wants her to do so. It’s not 'til we really get into the story and characters that we learn why.
This was an interesting and intriguing story with a different style storyline that I enjoyed reading. Some characters had me rooting for them while I was totally disgusted with others. Giselle totally surprised Primrose by not being the type of person she thought.
Every book that I’ve read of Lily’s is a wonderful journey that just keeps getting better with her fantastical mind that loves to tell stories!
May 7, 2024
Not what I expected, but excellent regardless
I don’t know what I was expecting when I started the book. I’d read the blurb and everything and it sounded… eh overall, but I love Seabrooke, so I picked it up.
I liked it. Liked it a lot.
The MC’s were well written, they didn’t fall into being straight archetypes. Primrose’s character is cold and calculating, or rather can be. But that’s not the entirety of her character and the author shows it very well.
The side characters were also pretty delightful.
Honestly the biggest 2 complaints I had were a) more story, and b) what is it that FIRE actually does.
Overall a good and fun read.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I started the book. I’d read the blurb and everything and it sounded… eh overall, but I love Seabrooke, so I picked it up.
I liked it. Liked it a lot.
The MC’s were well written, they didn’t fall into being straight archetypes. Primrose’s character is cold and calculating, or rather can be. But that’s not the entirety of her character and the author shows it very well.
The side characters were also pretty delightful.
Honestly the biggest 2 complaints I had were a) more story, and b) what is it that FIRE actually does.
Overall a good and fun read.
May 18, 2024
Nice
After reading the description of the story, I knew going in that there was going to be a train wreck. I usually don't read stories that I know are going to have that sort Turmoil in them, but I chose to read this one anyway.
I think it was an example of the anticipation of the event is worse than the actual event itself. That's what this was. I kept waiting for this great big train wreck, and all I got was a slight fender bender. "Oops. My bad. Here's my insurance info. Have a good day." I really liked this one. I really enjoyed it a lot. I think even more so than other stories I've read by this author. Well done. Can't wait to read more.
After reading the description of the story, I knew going in that there was going to be a train wreck. I usually don't read stories that I know are going to have that sort Turmoil in them, but I chose to read this one anyway.
I think it was an example of the anticipation of the event is worse than the actual event itself. That's what this was. I kept waiting for this great big train wreck, and all I got was a slight fender bender. "Oops. My bad. Here's my insurance info. Have a good day." I really liked this one. I really enjoyed it a lot. I think even more so than other stories I've read by this author. Well done. Can't wait to read more.
September 17, 2025
This book honestly felt like reading a Wattpad draft. The dialogues and sentence structure came off as super noob-ish, which made it hard to stay invested. I especially didn’t care about Giselle’s POV. When you, as the reader, already know a main character is being deceived, it’s frustrating to sit through the gullible character’s clueless, non-suspecting narration. Giselle’s chapters felt absolutely useless and added nothing to the actual buildup of the story. Overall, it seemed like something I would’ve enjoyed when I was 15 and scrolling through Wattpad, but right now it just didn’t hit.
April 26, 2024
Vigilante Meets Match
Primrose is the enforcer for a group of friends known as FIRE. Given a new assignment to make up for a previous mistake she has to connect with a gay ice skater who’s the daughter of a banker. Giselle has just broken up with her girlfriend of a year. Primrose has all the talents to succeed even if she thinks she’s not gay. A slow burn romance. Love the author.
Primrose is the enforcer for a group of friends known as FIRE. Given a new assignment to make up for a previous mistake she has to connect with a gay ice skater who’s the daughter of a banker. Giselle has just broken up with her girlfriend of a year. Primrose has all the talents to succeed even if she thinks she’s not gay. A slow burn romance. Love the author.
May 4, 2024
When I open a book by Lily Seabrooke, I already know I'm gonna enjoy it, I just don't know at which level I will.
This one is one of her bests, full stop. The chemistry between Giselle and Primrose is stellar, their whole story is sweet enough to be swoony, but heartbreaking enough to strike in the third act. All the characters are perfectly fleshed out and I think I won't have enough superlatives to describe how much I loved it.
This one is one of her bests, full stop. The chemistry between Giselle and Primrose is stellar, their whole story is sweet enough to be swoony, but heartbreaking enough to strike in the third act. All the characters are perfectly fleshed out and I think I won't have enough superlatives to describe how much I loved it.
May 6, 2024
73% in and Primrose is still the absolute worst. She needs to be thrown in the trash, and Giselle needs to run far, far away from these psychos.
This entire story is ridiculous - doing "recon", gaining "intel", manipulating and sleeping with "the target". They're all just a bunch of university students in some weird-ass gang. Why is this written like they're involved some high stakes espionage?? CRAZY.
(Cool cover design though.)
This entire story is ridiculous - doing "recon", gaining "intel", manipulating and sleeping with "the target". They're all just a bunch of university students in some weird-ass gang. Why is this written like they're involved some high stakes espionage?? CRAZY.
(Cool cover design though.)
July 18, 2024
While I liked the character's chemistry between Primrose and Giselle, I had a really hard time detaching the fake voices that women make being nice to one another (which sorta ruined the dynamic for me). Also, for at least 30% of the book, I was confused on the setup and meaning behind FIRE as an organization. What had happened in the past and how it related to the characters now. I think more supporting information would've been helpful.
January 14, 2025
I liked Primrose and Giselle's story, but I didn't like this FIRE group. Especially in the first part. I didn't really get what they were doing and there seemed to be a lot of random people milling around this group. Different names and actions were mentioned all the time which were not at all contributing to the main storyline. That took away some of the fun. But I loved how Giselle and Primrose fell for each other. It was really sweet. 4+⭐️
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