The Upper Crush
Evie Alexander
530 pages
Emlin Press
published April 17, 2024
You know what I like about Evie’s books? I am always rooting for the characters to both succeed personally and for the couple to come to their senses and get their HEA. Estelle and James have great chemistry and can banter with the best of them. At times both of them can be a little insufferable and rigid but they are also relatable and lovable. Their story is part comedy, part figuring out who they are, part saving something that means a lot to them and of course part steamy romance. The two spend a lot of the book as enemies trying to make their way to each other, so there aren’t a ton of romps, but they definitely bring a little spice when they do happen and are worth the wait.
If you’ve read either of the other two books in the Foxbrooke series, you get little updates on the other couples, but this works perfectly as a stand alone too. Estelle was a supporting character in the other books in the series, so her personality is set from the start, but James starts out as a little bit of a mystery with I’m not sure if his character grows nearly as much as the reader learns what is behind the facade he shows the world. And I know this will sound weird but the two are opposites that are also very much alike. She’s a country girl as opposed to the city boy, but they both have strong convictions on how to make their festival a success.
I know I mentioned their chemistry, but it is worth another mention. So often enemies to lovers comes off as mean spirited and can be off putting, but Evie has the touch to make their standoffs both believable and full of that chemistry. Their love story was so much fun to read.
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, small town 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!
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