The Rivals

"All along, I'd thought our arguing made her so irresistible to me. Her anger was like my flint, and I was the little boy who liked to play with matches."The last person Sophia wants to be stuck next to on a flight is Weston Lockwood. Their families despise each other. She and Weston despise each other. He's arrogant and too hot to be ignored. Why can't the two of them keep their hands off each other when everything in their lives tells them to stay away from each other? From their grandparents to their business, everything around them says "NO." But they can say YES to each other if they can open up, bare their inner hearts to each other, and be, above all HONEST with each other.One of them just may be hiding something from the other. One of them may be fighting their demons. And one of them (both of them) may feel more for the other than just hot attraction fueled by years of feuding families. The two of them will have to decide how to be with each other without letting their families corrupt what they've started with each other."...before I met you, I had no purpose. It didn't take long after you stormed into my life to realize the reason I'd been lost was because you hadn't found me yet. My purpose in life is to love you."This is not your standard issue enemies to lovers love story. It's got depth beyond just the feud that drives Sophia and Weston. Weston in particular, is a complex, layered character carrying a lot more inside than his dazzling appearance leads one to believe at first glance. I love the snark and the heated exchanges he and Sophia had, but most of all, I just absolutely loved them together and how they understood each other, complemented each other seamlessly. Their story is everything a great love story should be - fun and witty, beyond hot, with two lovable, complicated characters that loved regardless of theirs and their families' history.

“She doesn’t like me. But her body does. We’re like a tornado and a volcano. It’s rare the two meet. But when they do, it’s explosive.” “Explosive, huh? That sounds more like destructive to me.”The Rivals is an all new enemies to lovers standalone, featuring the story of Weston Lockwood & Sophia Sterling as they navigate a rivalry that’s been in place long before either were born. When the reason for the feud, Grace Copeland, dies and leaves her upscale NYC hotel to the two men she couldn’t choose between, both families send one member to help run it. Stay focused on the goal, that should be easy for Sophia since Weston is the embodiment of everything she hates. The only problem is that every argument they have ends with them in each other’s beds. She can’t love her rival, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun.I’ve had both really good and really bad reading experiences with Vi, but yet I still continue to eagerly anticipate her releases.....none more than this one here. The entire premise was what my reading fantasies are made of. And that cover? Sold, sold, sold. This book was both everything I expected and totally unexpected. I found myself completely obsessed with their back & forth banter that usually resulted in hot as fire hate sex, and pleasantly surprised that both leads weren’t at all like I thought they would be. I found myself lost in the pages of a story that was unputdownable.....but also being disappointed that for such an impressive read, the ending left a lot to be desired.Book Facts:Told in: Dual POV, no flashbacks.Type? Complete standalone, no other reads necessary to enjoy this one.Triggers: Discussion’s about addiction/alcoholism, struggles with “Savior Baby”.Ends in: HFN ending with epilogue.The Main Players:Weston Lockwood: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“I know I love you because my family would disown me for falling in love with you. And that doesn’t scare me half as much as you leaving this room without believing that my heart belongs to you more than it’s ever belonged to anyone.”Sophia Sterling: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“Oh, by the way, I threw out the roses the day they came, and I’m not allergic to dahlias. You know my room number, so clean up that mess and go get me some new ones.”What Worked:Their Back & Forth/Hate Sex: I loved that it started off fun from the very beginning. There was no true hate/bully type behavior, it was this amazing back and forth thing from the jump and the sex was worth every bit of the tension between. It’s playful most of the time, downright delicious in other moments, but absolutely addicting through it all. It wasn’t even the kind that got old, the intensity of the sex that followed was incredible.He pulled his head back and winked at me. “Hold on to that anger. We’ll make good use of it soon.”.... and did they ever.....these two definitely turn hate sex into a rare art form, it is FIRE.Weston’s Imperfections: I honestly figured I wouldn’t like Weston, that he would be this perfect arrogant jerk who treated Sophia like she wasn’t his equal and like a toy solely there for his pleasure. That’s not him at all.....not only is he nothing like that to Sophia, there were so many imperfect/broken pieces that came together to form that gorgeous exterior. His struggles with his demons, the guilt that he can’t shake (and doesn’t seem to want to), his backstory (and the misconceptions of his role in the family), and even the way he struggles with expressing himself with Sophia. I loved the imperfections bc it made him a way better character.Girl Power/Empowerment: Oh I see what you did there Keeland, appealing to me and my feminist values.....I immediately rooted for Sophia simply due to the fact I couldn’t stand her being underestimated and undervalued all because she was a woman by pretty much every man in this book (aside from Weston). If you are worried about her just lying down and taking it, you have her pegged all wrong. She not only recognizes it and calls it out....“I didn’t realize union negotiation depended on the size of my D. But don’t worry, Spence, they used to stick us in the tub together when we were kids. I can assure you, mine is bigger than yours.”....but she also allows it to fuel the fire in her to prove them all wrong.“I’m Tired. Of. Men. My father. Liam. You. Every single f-ing one of you. So leave me the hell alone!”I was proud and felt a special type of camaraderie.Support Characters: There are some supporting roles that I hated, but two stuck out for me as so important to the overall story in equally beautiful ways. Scarlet was there as Sophia’s fun-loving & sassy British best friend, bringing with her some funny moments but also being the best kind of “support” for Sophia when she needed her. I kinda want her story. Then there was Weston’s version of Scarlet that came in the form of an elderly man named Mr. Thorne, who was the source of most of my laughs while reading.....“How are you, old man?” Mr. Thorne grumbled. “I got a hemorrhoid the size of a golf ball sticking out of my a**, haven’t been laid since the Clinton administration, and the only person who comes to visit me is you. How do you think I’m feeling?”.....but who was there for Weston with the kind of advice & insight that I felt was the reason for the kind of man our ML is....“A good woman deserves a good man, and eventually she sees right through an imposter.”.....those two formed an unexpected but honestly most special “bond” in the book (aside from our couple).What Didn’t:The Ending: I was not a fan of the ending at all. It was a HFN kinda ending, but it felt like way too many loose ends weren’t wrapped up and just left me wanting more....but not in that good way of just being sad to see a couple go. I wasn’t confident in their ending.....I feel like it should’ve had another extension to the epilogue (maybe 5 years later) that kinda made sure everything was tied with a nice bow.Sophia’s immaturity in beginning: As much as I enjoyed the back and forth banter, something about Sophia in the beginning reminded me of the preteen girl who tries to act like she doesn’t have a crush on the boy by being mean to him. It felt childish, while his felt more playful. It did get better.The Verdict:I may have mixed experiences enjoying Keeland’s books, but I can say without a doubt this one was a winner. It combined everything I love in a great enemies to lovers romance and mixed in a unique backstory that made me want more. The ending (although happy) may not have been everything I wanted, but the story was one that I plan to revisit from time to time....and if a book earns a “plan tore-read” seal from me, you gotta know I’m definitely recommending it!“Sophia Rose Sterling, before I met you, I had no purpose. It didn’t take long after you stormed into my life to realize the reason I’d been lost was because you hadn’t found me yet. My purpose in life is to love you.”

I loved this one.Weston Lockwood and Sophia/Fifi Sterling come from opposite ends of rival hotel families. The rivalry began years ago between their grandfathers who were both in love with the same woman (Grace). When Grace couldn't choose between them, they went their separate ways and she opened a hotel (The Countess Hotel). Years later, with her passing, Grace left the hotel to both families—49% to each with the remaining 2% to a charity who is to sell the remaining shares to the highest bidder between the rivals. Weston and Sophia are now their family representatives at the Countess, running the hotel and working toward a valuation to bid on the remaining shares.The banter between Weston and Sophia had me smiling for most of the story. The chemistry and heat between them is fiery. They are cute together, passionate, hateful, and loving. And there were so many beautiful (and funny) moments between them. It was a potent cocktail that kept me reading. Both are battling to prove themselves to their families. And during this family war, little by little, they begin falling in love with each other.Weston's backstory, stemming back to the reasons for his birth, were heartbreaking. You can feel his pain and the entire array of emotions as he struggled near the end. I couldn't help cheering him on and wishing for his happily ever after. He appears hard and crass, but deep down, he's deeply in love with Sophia and has been for some time. Even if he doesn't know it. The story ends on a beautiful note and has an epilogue that left me smiling. This was another great read from this author.

Amazing love story, as always, I LOVE IT IT SOOO MUCH!!!It's one of my favorite love stories ❤️ but I could say the same for all the books I've read so far, written by Vi Keeland.She's simply the best!❤️

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Enemies to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and this story certainly ticked all the boxes. I loved both MC's and the way their relationship developed was perfectly paced. It was hot, steamy and sexy, but with a wonderful sprinkling of humour.This is the first time I have read anything by this author, but it certainly won't be the last.

Vi Keeland has been one of my favorite romance authors for a while now, and so, when she has a new release coming out, you can bet I'm pre-ordering and waiting to gobble the book up! I knew about 50% into this book that I loved this book, and by the time I finished it, I sat there saying out loud: "this is my favorite book of hers yet!" Seriously, I don't know how she will top this one but I'm sure she will! ;)I LOVED The Rivals. I love a good enemies to lovers trope, but this definitely exceeded my expectations. Weston and Sophia weren't just from warring families in the hotel business, they grew up with one another and have a bit of a history. Their grandfathers both fell in love with the same woman many years ago, and in the end, neither of them ended up with her. But she died and left both of them shares of her hotel. Both grandfathers decided to send Weston and Sophia in to manage their shares, but also work to outbid the other in the 2% share that belonged to an organization. So while we had the element of what they said was just pent up anger that brought them together because they were working together and in a way, competing against one another, there was a lot of history there too. We got to see what really happened many years ago on prom night and learn what they thought of each other over the years. I loved their chemistry so much and how it leapt off the page from the very first chapter.I think what really made this book for me was that I loved both of them as characters so much. Weston is still grieving from the death of his sister, he is a recovering alcoholic, and has always felt like the black sheep in the family. He just doesn't think very highly of himself and carries a lot of emotional baggage. He didn't feel worthy of Sophia many times throughout the book and it was good to see him gain confidence in himself over the course of the story. On the other hand, Sophia is coming to this after the end of a disastrous relationship where she found her ex-boyfriend with her cousin. On top of that, her father has always sided with her half-brother and makes her feel undervalued and incompetent. (Both families are essentially hot garbage to both of them). I loved that they were both able to see the other for who they really were and also at the same time bring out the best in each other. I loved how they were both incredibly strong, but also vulnerable. They seriously had amazing chemistry.All in all, this book was amazing and I'm already thinking of rereading it because I loved it so much

I loved it.Is exciting and romantic and funny all at once.I couldn't stop reading, the story is so hooking and a joy to read.

I LOVE enemies-to-lovers!!! It was a long time since I read a good book about enemies! I loved how the story was build and all the characters! Sophie and Weston was a perfect couple, both of their story stood out. What I love about Vi Keeland is that she puts real issues in the story so we feel the characters' pain.