| Title | : | A Not So Meet Cute (Cane Brothers, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | 404 |
| Publication | : | First published November 2, 2021 |
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.
He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that’s when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman--minus the frisky behavior.
We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?
The absolute audacity.
But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.
My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
A Not So Meet Cute (Cane Brothers, #1) Reviews
-
AHHHH THIS BOOK HAD NO BUSINESS BEING THIS GOOD— wtf. I was expecting just a fun kindle read when I picked this up.. cut to hours later I finished the entire thing and loved every second of it. It was so cute, HILARIOUS, and just an overall amazing vibe?? the side characters were everything. Lottie & Hux had the best banter and connection. The spice was 🥵!!!!! it gave me very much pretty woman vibes but make it more romcom. ugh I could not get enough honestly.
-
UM FUCKING PERFECTION.
Funny.
Hot.
SPICY.
I love this book so much????? If you’re looking for a great spicy romcom, RUN, don’t walk to read this.
You had me at fake dating, Meghan Quinn!!!!
Also they join the mile high club and it was great 😇 He’s a billionaire SOOOOOOO -
Too much of this is played for laughs. At least for me. Or are we supposed to take this seriously? Gads, I hope not. Lottie is pretty much a cartoon, with a cartoon life. In the first two chapters, she's ruthlessly fired by a "friend" to avoid a promised pay raise. And the "friend" still wants her to volunteer on their reunion committee "because of your free time." And Lottie's solution to having a crushing student loan debt and no job is to walk around a rich neighborhood hoping to run into a rich guy who will solve her problems for her. Seriously, that's her actual plan. Did I mention that her student loan debt is for a business degree?
I hope this is playing for laughs. I found it frustrating because I kept trying to take it seriously. If you can avoid this trap I seem incapable of, you might find it enjoyable. For me, it's a one star dnf. -
💘💘A NOT SO MEET CUTE IS LIVE!!💘💘
From USA Today bestselling author of The Highland Fling comes a brand new romantic comedy about a desperate billionaire seeking out a fake fiancée. This modern day take on Pretty Woman is brilliantly clever and hilariously page-turning. Steamy and unapologetically witty.
I became desperate.
Student loans were knocking at my door, responsibility was flooding around my feet. I needed a job. Or a rich fake fiancé. And that’s just what happened . . .
Get ready to fall in love with Huxley and Lottie!
Available in #KindleUnlimited
Get your copy here:
UNIVERSAL LINK:
mybook.to/anotsomeetcute
AUDIO:
https://adbl.co/3nMnrOm
-
A GAZILLION FLAWLESS STARS🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟!!!! THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION!! Meghan Quinn brought it and this is how a rom-com is done!! I was laughing so much that my husband asked if I was okay!?! 🙃😂
Huxley needs a fake pregnant finance to close a deal with an associate. Lottie needs a rich man to take to her upcoming class reunion. They both sign a contract that states they will be fake engaged and go on various outings together. As they begin to spend time together, it becomes clear that there is a fine line between love and hate. Their banter and chemistry was off the charts! The scenes were hilarious!! I loved the character development both of them went through individually and together.
If you enjoy fake dating and a spicy rom-com then this book is for you! I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ -
2.5 stars
This started our very well. I was hooked because I really wanted to read this trope and enjoy some light angst and funny bits.
BUT
It started to drag and then it just kept on dragging. (Apart from some funny scenes here and there the plot just wasn’t very interesting past the 20/30% mark)
The heroine was not likeable past the beginning of the book. She was inexplicably mean and childish in her behaviour towards the hero. While I’m not gonna say that he was some great paragon of virtue - he was just a normal guy who made a deal and paid out huge amounts of money for what was simply a few hours of her pretending to “love” him in front of someone else.
She was absolutely broke and basically homeless and not only he paid off her student debt, but he bought her clothes and shoes and jewellery that she wouldn’t have afforded in 10 years if she saved up every pay check. He also let her live with him and provided all meals for her. And on top of all that - he helped her sister’s (and her) new startup business flourish. And what did she do? Constantly insulted him and trying to back out of the deal because he was cold towards her. Excuse me? He was not mean, or insulting, or bad tempered or anything that would make him the bad guy. He just had a distant disposition towards her and that offended her broke-ass sensibilities. Bitch please?!
Her sister calls her out, and what does she do.. gets to thinking for a bit and I thought she was gonna realise her immature attitude but no .. eventually she still had to be right.
And her whole drama about how her friend betrayed her? No. She’s got no sympathy from me. She knew the woman for more than 10 years. She was not a victim - she willingly wanted to profit from her friendship with that woman even if she treated her bad and the odds were 50/50 that she was gonna get screwed.
The hero was just a normal, nice guy underneath his extreme drive and ambition in the business world. -
If you see me walking around a rich neighborhood mind your business.
-
2.5 stars
This was such a miss for me. I'm not sure if straight up rom-coms are just not for me, but wow did this book not do it for me. I really was enjoying the beginning and how both the hero and heroine needed someone to fake date and they literally ran into each other on the sidewalk. This led them to talking and making a deal to fake being together. This was so fun, but then the heroine quickly turned mean to him and would be so annoying and purposefully mean. For no reason other than he was infuriating? I don't love it when the hero/heroine are annoying for really no reason and that was definitely the heroine. So many situations were so over the top and the story just dragged on. As a contemporary romance, it needs to be faster paced if it's going to be 400 pages long. Even when they actually get together, I was bored. And then the third act break up included one of my least favorite tropes and I was just not having it. There was a conversation at the end the kind of made the over-the-top scenes make sense to me, but it still didn't make them enjoyable. I'm not sure Meghan Quinn is more me and it's going to be awhile before I pick up one of her rom coms. -
3 Stars
Overall Opinion: This had some fun moments! It was a pretty light drama, funny, and sexy read. I just didn’t like the h. I also thought that the H had to grovel way too much for his wrongdoing — which is a change! It might be that I liked the H at that point and didn’t like the h, but it just didn’t work for me. Overall, as long as you go in just expecting some laughs and low drama sexiness…this should work for you.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Lottie and Huxley’s story. Huxley has unintentionally lied to a potential client that he has a pregnant fiancé, so when he literally bumps into a down-on-her-luck and ranting about finding a rich husband Lottie, he knows that she is the answer to save his and his brothers’ company from potential reputation ruin. Lottie just got fired by her on-again-off-again best “friend” and is also desperately needing to move out of her mother’s house, so when Huxley propositions her she accepts the pretty woman style (without the nookie) deal. There are some laugh out loud moments, some hot sexy times, and some big secrets revealed…and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Lottie and Huxley’s POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings
H (Hero) rating: 3.5 stars. Huxley. I mostly liked him. I appreciated his grovel, but his hot and cold at the beginning got a little old.
h (heroine) rating: 2.5 stars. Lottie. I really struggled with her. I felt like she was too self-centered a lot of the time.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: No
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: No
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Not really
Closure: This ends in a good place but with what I would call a HFN ending
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers -
4 stars
“Sometimes it’s not the beginning that screams romance, but rather the journey.”
If there’s one thing I know about Meghan Quinn books it’s that they’re always a good time. I had such a blast reading this one. An opposites attract/fake dating/enemies to lovers romance. Huxley is a successful business man who needs a fake fiancé to seal a deal, and Lottie just lost her job and is looking for a rich and handsome fella to take to her high school reunion. This one has me laughing so hard I cried at times. I enjoyed it so much!
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Ava Erickson & Aaron Shedlock
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 11h 53m -
A fake fiancé, Pretty Woman spin romcom that’s steamy and swoony
I don’t remember the last time I giggled this much while reading a fake fiancé romance. I had to cover my mouth in bed so as not to wake up my hubby from all the laughing. (Side note, the audiobook is duet narration 👏🏻)
Kelsey: Oh my God . . . you’re going to be murdered.
Lottie: No way. The dude is meeting me at Chipotle. He’s not going to murder me at a place where you have to pay extra for guac.
Lottie (28) gets fired by one of her supposedly close friends, Angela, and is escorted out of the building as soon as she is. She goes home to her mom’s house, who is expecting her to get a promotion the following week so she can finally get her own place (because her mom and younger boyfriend like walking around she house… naked 😅😂). She’s afraid to tell her what happened, because her family has constantly told her not to trust Angela. She pretends to go to work but really goes to her sister’s to make a plan. One of her plans is to meet a rich hubby, Pretty Woman style, and hopefully get all her prayers answered. Well, she does…
Huxley (35) is trying to sign a deal, a very profitable one, and he makes the mistake of lying by saying that he has a fiancé that’s also pregnant, just like the investor he’s trying to get to sign the deal (he has a pregnant fiancé). Now he’s on a time crunch to find a fake fiancé that’s pregnant. Lo and behold, Lottie smacks into his life- and she agrees to sign a contract as long as she gets something out of the deal as well (she’s poor and needs her student loans paid off plus an action plan for the business she’s starting with her sister). I enjoyed their outlining of their possible contract at Chipotle lol.
”I’m also going to need your ring size. My fiancée will be properly adorned with a ring.”
She swallows hard. “Fine, but I’m going to need to know your dick size before you leave.”
“Why do you need to know that?” I ask.
“Because,” she says with a smile, “I need to know if I have to act like a happy fiancée, or a truly satisfied fiancée.”
What ensues are hilarious situations, some awkward ones, that allow Huxley and Lottie to figure out their true feelings. From the Lamaze/sexual positions class, to the breast pump fittings, to the plastic one-eyed-evil baby class, I was DYING 😂😂😂😂😂!!! Behind closed doors, Huxley has trouble trusting people- which definitely brings out the sass in Lottie, but over time, he finds out he loves those qualities in Lottie; luckily, she’s able to find a lot of positive qualities in Huxley as well (behind his grumpy exterior).
I squeeze my legs shut and adjust my robe so as to not reveal anything. “What are you doing?”
“You want something to consume you? You want those thoughts out of your head? This is how you do it.” His hands go to my thighs, and realization finally kicks in. His eyes stay on mine as he says, “Say it right now that you don’t want this and I’ll go back to eating my salad. If not, I’m going to eat you.”
And the steam 🥵 dear lord! From the against the wall robe scene, to the sun roof rain scene, to the Fleetwood Mac jet scene, to the shower (sometimes with dildos) and somnophilia scenes🔥, jeeeezus this book was steeeamy. Sure, smex happens at 74%, but I did NOT feel the slow burn 🔥. So much tension kept me… ahem… satisfied😅💦. I love how Lottie brings out his alpha side… gah… and his dirty mouth 🥵. How he manages to have a sane conversation while smexing Lottie was beyond me 😅.
I hope we get to see books for his brothers… especially the brother that has a connection to Lottie’s sister 😉. Their text message thread was hilarious lol. Gahhh! I loved it!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating/sharing/owd/omd
-somnophilia (I know! I was surprised! lol)
-edging 🔥
-I don’t remember there being any safe sex talk 🤔but both haven’t been with someone in a while -
This was a really enjoyable and fun book to read on a lazy Sunday and I was especially happy to find it on Kindle Unlimited 😊
✅ I LIKED HUXLEY'S inner thoughts at the beginning of the book - his POV was definitely my favorite and I just liked how he approached his business deals with such a logical but cut throat mentality. I found his voice more humorous than the typical "alpha businessman" love interests you read about
🆗 LOTTIE WAS ENTERTAINING but her characterization was a bit confusing. She was a self-characterized "doormat", but I actually found her to be incredibly confrontational, especially when it came to Huxley. So it was harder to understand her.
✅ I WAS WORRIED this was going to be wayyy too cliche but it surprised me with some of the unique situations this couple was put into 😂 Ovearll, while there were some cliche parts, I thought the romance still stood out from other fake-dating books I've read
✅ I REALLY LIKED THE ROMANCE and will definitely be picking up more of Meghan Quinn's books in the future 💕 There was a decent amount of tension building up to them being together, some really heartwarming scenes, but then also a lot of steam too!
🆗 THE ENDING was just okay... at first, I thought there was going to be minimal drama with how things were going, but then that didn't end up being the case 😣 It all came together eventually, but it's just hard to find a romcom where I don't find the drama that causes the inevitable fallout too over to the top and obnoxious
Overall, I read this book in one sitting today so obviously I really liked it even though it wasn't perfect. I think it could have been a little bit shorter but I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a fake-dating romcom with lots of banter, lots of tension and steamy scenes, an alpha-hole businessman love interest, and a cute ending! -
Long and boring, and the heroine is annoying.
-
THIS BOOK WAS PERFECTION — it was the most perfect rom-com I think I have ever read. You had me at billionaire romance and fake dating.
It was not only a cute book but it was HILARIOUS. Also Huxley Cane, oh my….. he was EVERYTHING. I loved him and Lottie together so much.
This book was so sweet yet so spicy. Meghan Quinn, I don’t know what you put in this book but I am quite literally obsessed.
Why can’t meet cutes like this happen in real life ugh!!!!
“You’re my number one, you’re the person I trust, the person I know will always be by my side, cheering for me and telling me when I’m an a—. And I’ll do everything possible to make you happy.” -
This book started off great. The early chapters were hilarious, flirty, and the banter between the MCs were so much fun, it had me genuinely laughing out loud multiple times.
But then it slowly changed towards the middle, those moments become 'over the top', what was supposed to be funny didn't work anymore. Also the characters got so annoying and dramatic. Overall just meh from me. -
Fake Romance ✔️
Enemies to Lovers✔️
Grumpy/ sunshine✔️
Spicy 🔥🔥🔥✔️
Todos los clichés y tópicos que me gustan.
Los protagonistas me agradaron tenían una gran química y ni que se diga de la tensión sexual.
Los dos eran polos opuestos ella, desinhibida, espontánea y él frío siempre en control.
Estuvo bueno, mi único problema es que fue demasiado largo -
Cheesy? Maybe a little bit. Yet, this rom-com book had an easy-to-read, light-hearted and lively story exactly what I was looking for. My depressed mood got better after reading it.
However, I found the main female character's immature personality quite annoying, but their hilarious antics... GOD... made me laugh a lot, and the sex scenes were also hot! ;)
So, all in all, it was definitely a fun read for me! -
Don't let that cute cover fool you - this is SMOKIN' HOT, with sexual tension dripping from every page. I was HOOKED from the start, and I devoured it at an alarming rate, even for one of Quinn's rom coms. And this IS a rom com, albeit a very tense and steamy one. I loved the playfulness and humor of the story, the interactions with our hero's brothers, the vibrancy of the connection, the push/pull, and sizzle of chemistry. This workaholic alpha doesn't know what hit him - our heroine is bold and proves herself to be strong and stubborn too. Their connection is absolute FIRE, and I loved the friction between them. It's a hot slow burn from strangers to enemies to lovers, and I was all too happy to hold on for the ride.
The story follows Huxley, a guy who is married to his job. There's never been anything more important in his life than work, especially since he's in business with his brothers. So when a deal seems to be slipping through his fingers, Huxley lets loose a few lies in an act of desperation. He claims to be engaged with a baby on the way, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Unsure how to handle the predicament he's gotten himself into, Huxley's guard is down when he meets an unusual woman. Lottie meets Huxley while wandering through a rich neighborhood (looking for a rich husband, as one does), and she's also feeling desperate. The two discover that they might be able to help each other out, and that's the foundation of their not so meet cute. But as the two spend time together, their clashes begin to escalate - and there seems to be a fine line between love and hate.
I always, ALWAYS look forward to new books by Quinn, and I went into this one blind. It's the start of what I sincerely hope is a brand new series, and I loved the vibe. It's got tons of humor and great family connections, as well as the sexual tension that Quinn has been ramping up with some of her newest releases. This book is seriously fan-worthy at times, with a torturous slow burn that borders on scorching. Huxley and Lottie have zero problems with their chemistry - it's their communication that could use a little help. I loved watching this workaholic discover that he's got a jealous, possessive side, and it rears its ugly head many times. Their path to love has bumps along the way, but I SO appreciated that the vibe remained (mostly) light throughout. It's certainly not as angst-ridden as some of Quinn's other romances, which means that cute cover is not inaccurate... this just isn't your momma's rom com, lol. I was lucky enough to receive an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this steamy fake relationship romance. -
I went into it with low expectations thinking it would just be some cheesy type of enemies to lovers book. But let me tell you, THIS EXCEEDED my expectations!! Not only was the spice on point but also the character development of both Huxley and Lottie was amazing! Everything felt so real. I can easily see this being made into a movie one day! 6/5 recommend
-
Meghan Quinn's books have never failed in making me laugh my guts out. Going in if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's the comedy. Her books are so much fun. The sense of humour in her books just clicks with me every single time. I had a blast with this book.
-
If I had an iota of desperation, I'd probably look for a rich man with a big ehhhhhh heart too 🤌🏼🙂
RTC -
I can't do this anymore. I'm dnfing it at chapter 11.
I really thought i would like it but i'm mostly bored and annoyed. Nothing is working for me. I don't like a single character. Lottie is immature, annoying and so over the top, i don't find her funny at all. A lot of her actions are stupid or make no sense. Her sister Kelsey annoyed me too, always on Huxley's side and not her sister's, which is supposed to be funny but it's not. Huxley is the typical rude rich guy who thinks the world revolves around him, nothing new here. I'm 40% in and where is the chemistry? that fake fiancee goodness and sexual tension? nowhere to be seen...
Maybe this author and her humour are just not for me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ -
4⭐️ 3.5🌶
I have not genuinely laughed while reading a book in soooo long! But this book had me literally tearing up because I was laughing so freaking much!! I’m sad that I waited so long to finally read this.
Lottie and Huxley were beyond funny together and their banter just was chefs kiss. Truly such a fun freaking read!! I’m a sucker for fake dating/fake engagement because you always get to see two characters try so hard not to fall for each other and then BAMMM they are in love. I eat it up every time. That being said the last 10% was extra af and a little cheesy for my personal liking.
But overall would recommend if you want a spicy romcom!!!!! -
-
This was a rollercoaster for me
3.75⭐️
I avoided so much the third act problem.
I liked it but didn’t love it. I’m not the biggest enemies to lovers fan and that’s what it gave. Also, I was thrown off by some elements of the book, it’s a personal problem I think.
The spice was really good, it was kinda the best thing.
I just didn’t feel the tension that was building and the third act was so unnecessary like THEY JUST GOT TOGETHER. It was 4.5 until that… UGH I wanted to love it but somethings clearly didn’t work out for me.
I do recommend it for anyone who likes enemies to lovers, fake dating & rich mc. -
DNF @ 24% ....it's probably unfair of me to rate this but im just not feeling it. Nothing is really working for me, I don't really like the characters and the premise isn't what I thought. Maybe I'm just not a fan of fake relationships. And also the H was being a dick once the contract was signed. What was supposed to be back and forth banter didn't work
-
4.5/5 ⭐️
Ahhhh this book was so cute & funny! It was marketed to be similar to pretty woman & it totally was! It was a light, fluffy, AND spicy read! Totally recommend:)
I have officially decided that engagement/marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes…& it’s 10x better when the male MC is filthy rich 🤑 -
written by a woman but not written by a woman
-
⭐️ one star -
Ok, I hated this book. Truly. It pains me to say this because I generally do enjoy Meghan Quinn’s NA genre stories, but her last few adult romances have been horrible. I thought I’d give her another chance with this one as the story seemed interesting - meet cute with a billionaire and a 28 yo fmc? Sounded great, especially since I prefer stories with adults vs the na genre romances
Well, don’t be fooled, this still reads like a na story, and truly it should have been one, because the characters do not read like adults, but rather they should have been written as early twenty somethings.
Things I didn’t like about this book:
1- Lottie. She’s a horrible person in the beginning of this book (see reason #2). She selfish, hostile, immature (she should be 23, not 28): and is a toxic individual. I avoid people like her irl, and I most certainly don’t want to read about someone like her as a fmc.
2- this story is way too choppy. It reads as if Quinn just threw in pre-written snippets throughout, but didn’t take the time to fully finesse them. Many of these snippet scenes read as if they came from the author’s scene pile, but she forgot to go back and apply the character arcs. (Yes, I know many people do this - and I’m not knocking the writing technique - just go back and make sure the scene gels with the arc.)
3- MQ should stick with NA. I didn’t buy that the mc’s were 35 and 28. There is no way a 35 yo billionaire would be acting like he does. The suspension of belief required here was just too much. These two are so immature, it’s painful.
4- way, way too many eff bombs. Like really - an unnecessary, distracting amount. Just because the characters are adults doesn’t mean they need to be written so narrowly. Who talks like this in real life? No one I know.
5- way, way too many oral sexy times. Really, I just wanted them to do the deed already. Scene after scene of oral sex got super annoying - all I could think was: you’re grown adults, you want each other, just get it on already - geez. And what 35 yo man is down for some dry humping? Is she serious with this? Are these mc’s supposed to be 16?
So there you have it. I haven’t written this much in a review in a while lol, but I really was disappointed - and mostly annoyed, but I did finish this hot mess.
Save your time and money and skip this one, and pick up a Quinn na romance instead - if you like that genre. She’s much better at those, truly. For myself, I think I’m done with trying a MQ adult genre, still too immature for this romance reader.
One disappointed star. -
If you know me then you know I am super picky when it comes to a rom-com. Sometimes I'll chuckle or on rare occasions I'll give a laugh ... so when I say that a few of these scenes had me straight up ROLLING, you know it's gotta be good!
Meghan Quinns delivers a hilarious modern take on Pretty Woman (one of my personal favs) and knocks it out of the park! Lottie and Huxley meet on the sidewalk of all places. Hux is looking for a fiance (who also needs to be pregnant) and Lottie is looking for a rich man to make her ex boss/friend jealous.
This story was so much freaking fun. If you are looking for a *spicy* grumpy/sunshine rom-com, you MUST pick this one up!
