by 
Title: A Fair Warning
Author: Dianna Roman
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Ebook
Source: ARC from Netgalley
Rating: 4.0/5
A Fair Warning by Dianna Roman is a lighthearted enemies-to-lovers small-town romance. The main characters in this book are utterly devoted to each other and if you haven’t found your other shoe, you might be tempted to… get one. Xx
I was undecided for the first half of the book and almost DNFed it, but Chuck’s amazing personality inspired me to continue.
The main characters hold swords at each other’s necks — albeit half heartedly — for a good portion of the book and unlike popular opinion, yes and please serve me all the mushiness.
I needed about 200 more pages of the both of them in love doing the things of love in a lovely manner and with love.
Here’s the thing. Charlie — alias Chuck — is a little rascal as a kid and because he fancies himself in love with Poppy, he torments her. In true young boys fashion.
As expected, Poppy does not find it funny and bites back. Hard. After an altercation and probably the biggest misunderstanding in all of literary history, they pick up their swords and spar.
This sparring battle spans a decade they are both relentless. Determined to not be caught unawares, Poppy trains herself to detect malevolence in everything he does and is evidently hostile to him at every turn.
Little does she know that Charlie is head-over-heels in love with her! The pining in this book is at another level and when Charlie decides to bring on the steam, it burns to the ground.
Poppy never stood a chance and when Charlie made that comment about being ‘man enough’ to take care of her the way her ex could never, I’m pretty sure I swooned.
For all my praise, I disliked many things about the female main character (FMC) — Her pugnacious temperament, contemptuous treatment of the male main character (MMC), and her internalised misogyny.
In some ways she was very relatable: her anxiety, need to belong, and love for her family. Regarding the MMC, in many ways I feel he sold himself short.
As a rule, I stay away from the enemies-to-lovers trope, so you should probably take my review with a pinch of salt.
The truth is that I do not understand hating — albeit pretend hating — and one day, changing all your feelings for that person.
This small-town romance features everything I detest about small towns: the invisible line between classes, the awkward name calling, the small dating pool, and the way everyone seems to be in everyone’s business.
The crazy thing is that Poppy treats Charlie contemptously along with the other townies and even plainly insults him.
She weaponizes everything he says against him, treats him horribly and frustrates every effort he makes to make amends.
I’m glad they were able to see the error of their ways and for all my complaints, the sweetness of their relationship was so endearing.
Their love for each other so palpable and bright.
This is definitely an author to check out. Her writing is clear and concise, the flow of the sentences drawing you in until 400 pages passes in a minute.
