Seeds of Betrayal by Lola Lockhart is the kind of college romance that grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go. It’s packed with delicious tension, stolen moments, and the kind of slow burn that has you flipping pages way past bedtime.

The story kicks off with a rule breaking disaster—trespassing, a forbidden kiss, and a security camera catching it all. Now, our sunshiney heroine is stuck doing community service with Alfie Spencer, the grumpy, brooding, infuriatingly hot geology nerd who also happens to be her brother’s best friend. As if that weren’t enough? He ropes her into a fake relationship to keep his elite, overbearing family at bay.

And wow—the chemistry between these two is off the charts. Alfie is the ultimate grump, but underneath that guarded exterior is a man who is secretly obsessed with her in all the best ways. Every look, every touch, every unspoken moment between them feels electric. The fake dating setup only adds to the angst, because the lines between real and pretend blur fast, and when feelings start creeping in? Total emotional chaos in the best way.

Lockhart does an incredible job balancing romance that will make you swoon with raw emotion, making Seeds of Betrayal both heart pounding and heart wrenching. If you love forbidden romance, tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, and a grumpy x sunshine dynamic that hurts in all the right ways, this book is perfect.

Thank you to Lola Lockhart for the ARC of this book!