2021: Oof, this did not do it for me in terms of smut, and it was pretty medium in terms of characters. Just ~fine~ all around.

I'm pretty nitpicky when it comes to romance novels; I definitely need a modern approach, with full on consent and a complete lack of misogyny to be considered a fantasy of mine. According to the back cover, this should have been a slam dunk for: lady software engineer wins over her Irish distillery owner with spreadsheets and a literal plan for them falling in love.

The premise was all there, but the characters made literally INSANE choices that never would have happened. When Daisy's friends found out that she was in a fake engagement, they said "that's cool. She's trying to save the company!" NO. THAT IS NOT COOL. WTF. That was not the response I was expecting. Also, they told WAY too many people that it was fake for it to ever hold up in court. When Liam is an asshat in the entire first half of the book, Daisy drools over his disrespect. UGH. Later on, when Liam literally crashes his motorcycle while Daisy is with him on, her entire family is just like "it's okay! You didn't kill her!" I did not believe a single word of it.

Also, there were too many moments that broke my immersion in the fiction for me to really recommend this book. It's been pointed out before, but THERE IS NO HALFTIME IN HOCKEY. So frustrating. And getting undressed only to reveal two Hulk faces on Daisy's bra?! So sorry, but there was way too much Marvel sexy underwear for me. There were also two typos that I found, which was pretty surprising, but I really wish this novel had been more thoroughly scoured this before publishing.

Lastly, I'm sensing a theme that women actually have a fantasy of men whisking them away on the back of a motorcycle?! I did not know this. This book covered both how uncomfortable it is to ride as well as how horrible it can be to crash, and it STILL ended with a motorcycle built for two! NO THANK YOU I would like to keep all of my brain inside of my skull, where it BELONGS.