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Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai
5.0

Livvy and Nicholas meet for an illicit night of sex once a year. There are two rules - one night only, no one can know. Childhood sweethearts, they broke up after a terrible accident and a terrible deal broke their two families apart.

After a decade of one nights, Livvy doesn't text Nicholas. When he finds out she has returned to their hometown, passion, temper, and family drama threaten to either finally bring them together or forever end everything.

SO GOOD. Ugh. I need to process and will write a better review later.

Second Read - ALL THE STARS.

I'm so into the Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers, enemies to lovers tropes. Thank you Baz Luhrmann for forever marking adolescent Beth.

Alisha Rai grips you from the first pages of this splendid romance. It is highly emotionally charged, erotic yet tender, and so full of a cast of wonderful characters. I re-read this to prepare for [b:Hurts to Love You|35068637|Hurts to Love You (Forbidden Hearts, #3)|Alisha Rai|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1504987659s/35068637.jpg|56364085] and I am so happy I did.

I love that while both Livvie and Nicholas obviously had other lovers, they both had special things they kept sacred to their relationship. I love that Nicholas denied himself BJs because they were too personal, to connected to his feelings for Livvie. I also loved how Livvie used her love of tattooing to put a permanent tribute to every one of her birthdays spent with Nicholas on her body. When they both discover these things, I die.