Book review: TRULY MADLY DEEPLY, by L.J. Shen

Forbidden Love #1

Calla & Row

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love being back in LJ Shen’s world, where the guys are jerks with a hidden vulnerability and the women seem vulnerable but have a hard core inside.  In this case, Ambrose Rhett Casablancas, is a famous chef, owner of six Michelin awards, childhood friend of Calla Litvin, who is beautiful, sunshiny, quirky, and best friends with his little sister Dylan.  Even though he’s such a grump, he’s always been there for Calla as a protector, dance teacher, ride to school, food provider.  

Cal has a dark past, she’s broken but that doesn’t stop her from always being uplifting and cheerful.  Her past trauma is the reason she has no love live.  

In this author’s love stories, characters enter into their love with a lot of reluctance or obstacles, but in this case, we get the male character has always been in love with Cal.  His unrequited love turns him into a jerk who is always grumpy with Cal, but nevertheless does his job as a friend.  I had such a love for him, because he defends himself, as he should, but he never reneges on being there for Cal.  

I found that Cal was very stubbornly broken, didn’t seek help for her situation, just kept it locked inside and festering.  I wanted to slap her silly because Row was perfect, he was there, he was devoted, but he was also leaving soon.

There’s no way to stay unemotional with an LJ Shen story.  She makes you laugh, snark, cry, sometimes you want to shake a stubborn fool, but always rejoice in the love that shines in all the ones around, like Cal’s Mamushka, Dylan’s snarkiness, Kieran’s kindness disguised in douchy-ness.

I liked the author’s message that even if you’re broken and reject love, you’re still deserving of devotion and long-lasting love and such is the case of Cal and Row.  Utterly entertaining, delightful, a little angsty, and fun.  And most of all, 🔥 

Purchase links

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cMvz9C

Add Truly, Madly, Deeply to Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/28rdvrh9  

 

For more information about L.J. Shen and her books, visit her website:

https://www.authorljshen.com

About the author

L.J. Shen is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, new adult, and young adult romance. Her books have been sold in twenty different countries, and she hopes to visit all of them.

She lives in Florida with her husband, three rowdy sons, and rowdier pets and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows, and reading to her heart’s content. Connect with her on her website at www.authorljshen.com or on Instagram (@authorljshen), or join her Facebook group at http://goo.gl/QZJ0NC. Sign up for her newsletter at https://bit.ly/3LhsIrb, and text SHEN to 313131 to get new release alerts (United States only).