To work together with the person you hate the most, to save your home…

Synopsis

He wasn’t banking on someone else taking the reins…

Lady Estelle Foxbrooke is done cleaning up the mess left by her wild parents. She’s got a plan: take the reins and save the family estate her way. But then she’s saddled with a business partner she’s hated all her life. He’s her twin brother’s worst enemy and looms in her path like a six-foot-four hurdle.

After a catastrophic business failure, rich and successful James Hunter-Savage has watched his dream life in London crash and burn. Forced to ditch the city for the Somerset countryside, he’s now living with his parents and expected to work with the infuriatingly attractive Estelle. She’s sharper than a whip, pushes all his buttons, and seems determined to break him.

As Estelle and James jockey for position, their explosive personalities combust into passion, sending Estelle’s plans to the edge of ruin. With James’s flimsy reputation in tatters, and the biggest event on the Foxbrooke calendar on the brink of collapse, will they realise their love is worth fighting for? Or are their hearts and hard work heading for the ultimate fall?

The Upper Crush is a laugh-out-loud, enemies-to-lovers, steamy, standalone, smalltown romantic comedy with a fiery country girl giving a cocky city boy a run for his money. No cheating or cliffhanger, but snort-laughs, swoons and a deliciously happy ending guaranteed in this sparkling and sizzling romcom!

My review

Lady Estelle Foxbrooke may be a lady in name, but she also carries around the burden of the wild life her parents have. Once again it’s up to her to save the day, and she is ready to take the reins and save the family estate. But this time it will be on her terms.
That is until she learns that her business partner is no one else but James Hunter – Savage, the man she has hated all her life, and her twin brother’s enemy.
But for her home, she is ready to work together with her nemesis.
Yet what Estelle doesn’t know, is that James has seen his life fall apart after one wrong decision. Living back with his excentric parents, James is forced to work with Estelle, in order to restore his reputation.
But working together is not easy, and it’s only because of Estelle’s despise of James. Because they both have explosive personalities, and also their visions clash.
Yet that doesn’t stop their feelings to shift into the passionate kind…

When I started with this book, I kinda knew what to expect, but in a way, I also didn’t know what to expect. I have to admit, I haven’t read the previous books of this series, and while everything what happened before, and all the dynamics were explained very clearly, I now have the need to read those parts too. Although that won’t be a too big of a sacrifice! 😊

I liked Estelle from the very start. Because it’s obvious she is a fierce woman, knowing her mind. But it’s also clear that somehow she is carrying around a lot of burden. Not only because her parents don’t have the most conventional relationship, but also because she is the one that has to come and save the day.
And with a strong-willed family like hers, it isn’t always that easy to stand her ground.

Yet we also see the very protective nature of Estelle. Because for sure she deeply despises James for the way he has behaved towards her twin brother. And for sure she won’t ever forget that or will let the past be in the past.

And that protectiveness turns her into a feisty tiger, ready to make James pay for what he has done. The things she does to make it clear to James what she thinks of him are just over the top hilarious. If only I could come up with some of her ideas! 😊

Nevertheless, no matter how much Estelle tries to fight it, it’s clear that there is something simmering between the pair. And wow, for sure that gave some serious sparks when the heat just got too much!
I have to say, I don’t know how Estelle managed to resist James that long! Because that man for sure knows how to get a woman all flustered!

But don’t be fooled by James’ behaviour. Because once I learnt about his real situation, and how he is struggling to not only save his face but so much more, I understood him so much better. His reputation is just a façade, while he is trying his best to just keep everything afloat.
And his own family isn’t truly helping around…

Beside the attraction between Estelle and James, it was just too funny to see them clashing. They have different views over how to make the event a success, each with their own reasons. And there isn’t a wrong side or a right side, as each side was comprehendible.

This isn’t only a steamy romance (but there is plenty of it 😊) but there is also a lot of room for several kind of drama, jeopardizing everything that has been building up till that point. By that drama we can see how fragile not only Estelle’s and James’ relationship is, but also how important openness and communication is…

I truly enjoyed reading this book, even if sometimes I wished that they would finally be getting to the point I wanted them to come, as there were coming curveballs after curveballs. All while I just wanted to see their happiness!

But most important, I truly enjoyed reading how people may have a certain idea of you, only learning by spending time together (forced or not), that to each story there are two sides. And that we never know what is hidden behind the façade, who is hidden behind a reputation, until we take the time to discover those bits, by exposing layer after layer.

This was a great book to read and made me very eager to discover what happened previously as I know that Estelle’s siblings for sure will be just as amazing to get to know as Estelle was in this book!