The Devil Wears Black

Satisfaction guaranteed! This is a phrase I stand behind when reading an L.J. Shen novel. It took some warming up to the characters, but that's what makes it so good as you watch the characters grow and morph into the people they are meant to be.

That gap between reality and our dreams? That's where life is tucked.

Maddie Goldbloom is a quirky, kind, wedding dress designer with a penchant for martyrdom and an addiction to one Chase Black, CEO of Black & Co. devil incarnate, arrogance personified. She thought she was rid of the cheating slimebag until he shows up six months later with a proposition that tore at her heartstrings and that she couldn't refuse.

Chase Black is a sarcastic jerk with no filter. He learned that love is fleeting and show more relationships are a dime a dozen until he met Martyr Maddie. A woman with no sense of fashion and no self-respect. When their relationship started getting too comfortable the first time, Chase called it off in an extremely hurtful and destructive way. Now he's back to plead (well, actually Chase doesn't plead, he manipulates) for Maddie's help in a fake relationship to make his terminally ill dad's last days in life enjoyable and happy.

OMG, I love this story. There is a lot going on. In true L.J. Shen fashion, there is a good amount of angst, laughter, sadness, and redemption that had me turning the pages like they were on fire. Maddie is such a pushover at first, but then she begins to come into her own and sticks to her guns about walking away from Chase after everything is over. My heart broke for her as she struggled to protect her heart while keeping her integrity and kindness intact with a man who I just wanted to kick in the balls. Chase is a truly unlikeable character at first. He grows on you gradually as the reader slowly learns the truth about his fucked up family dynamics and his reasons for pushing Maddie away. However, it takes his grand public gesture at the end to really seal the deal for me with his true intentions toward Maddie. I literally clapped with joy!

I loved Maddie's friend and neighbor Layla with her sarcastic wit and on-point advice. It is clear Chase's family loves Maddie as they accept her awkwardness and compassion as Chase's dad grows weaker. Chase's brother Julian and wife Amber are the exceptions, though things resolve themselves after a lot of backstabbing and messiness. Chase's adorable niece Clementine, whom Chase affectionately calls Booger Face, is a show stopper. And Chase's dad, Ronan, comes through by giving Chase the best advice of all.

I am so delighted to recommend this slow-build, tear-jerker of a story that reminds us to be ourselves, stand up for what we believe in, and take responsibility for our own actions. A memorable read for 2022.

Thank you to Ms. Shen for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review. show less

This enemies to lovers with fake fiance arrangement was entertaining, their chemistry, the steamy scenes were not as hot but they were there to spice the story, and the banter between Chad and Maddie was entertaining. This is more of a rom-com which is not what we usually read from the author, and although it was entertaining the storyline of a billionaire family and an inheritance and fake relationship in between has been done multiple times already, wanted to see something a bit more original with this standalone.


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I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Devil Wears Black by L.J. Shen accomplishes something I had thought would never happen, I read a billionaire romance and enjoyed it immensely. I think it’s because, in this book, the heroine wants nothing from the billionaire hero, and in most instances, she is the one with the power, he needs her more than she needs him. The story of Chase Black and Maddie Goldbloom is a fake relationship, second chance at love story with only one bed. I enjoyed watching Maddie come into her own strong and independent no longer willing to dim her lights for Chase in order to win his affection. Steam Level: Medium Publishing Date March 9, 2021 #TheDevil WearsBlack show more #LJShen #MontlakePublishing #ContemporaryRomance #NotYourAverageBillionaireRomance #NetGalley #bookstagrammer #bookstagram show less

3.75⭐️ talk about DRAMAAAAA!!! This was cute though and had me kicking my feet. Viable lesson: not everyone deserves your kindness & always be true to who you are at the core and not the personification placed on you by others.

Found this on an end of the year list of romance list on Goodreads and it was on Kindle Unlimited, so I thought why not?

I liked this book and it has lots of reasons not to, but for some reason it worked for me.

3.5 ish. I mean it could've been better. Maddy's character actually made me cringe at some places. The hero, uhh, what a terrible gaslighting jackass.

I loved this book.
The character development and the storyline