Flipping the Script

Legacy Mechanics #1

by Willow Dixon

Jesse

After years of working my butt off, I'm finally living the life I always wanted. I have a job I love, friends who've become family, and I'm enjoying the freedom of being single.

Then Sebastian, my childhood rival, moves back to town, and my perfect life is thrown into chaos. We've always hated each other, but now there's something else between us. Something wild and primal. Something that wants to make Sebastian submit as much as it wants to claim him.

Hooking up with the guy I hate is probably the stupidest thing I've done, and that's saying a lot. But it's hard to remember why it's a bad idea when he's the only person who's ever made me lose control and the only man I can't stay away from.

Sebastian

Retiring from the music industry at twenty-five wasn't in my long-term plans. Neither was moving home after being away for seven years. But here I am with a serious case of burnout and no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life.

I hoped that moving back would give me a chance to shed my public persona and just be Sebastian again, but that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.

The only thing in my life that makes sense is my old rivalry with Jesse, the guy I've hated since we were eight. Arguing with him is as exhilarating as it is familiar, and no one is more surprised than me when a fight leads to our first kiss, then more.

Jesse may be the most annoying person I've ever known, but the tension between us is too strong to ignore. I hate that I want him but love that he can't stay away from me either.

Jesse and Sebastian's book is an enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a mechanic with a secret and a retired musician looking for his place in the world. You can expect hurt/comfort, forced proximity, "there's only one bed," found family, lots of heat, tons of dirty talk, primal play, hate s*x, and fighting as these two childhood rivals figure out that sometimes what you need has been in front of you all along. It is the first book in the exciting new Legacy Mechanics series but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Genres: M M Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, LGBT, Found Family

328 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2024

About the author

What can I say about myself? It’s kind of like being the new kid in school and being asked to tell everyone a bit about yourself. Anyone else forget everything they’ve ever liked, thought of, and even their name in those moments?

A few facts about me; I’m a veteran, I’m Canadian, and I love books! I’ve been writing my own stories since I was eight and wrote my first novel at sixteen. I’m the first to admit those attempts weren’t my best work, but they started me on a journey of creating stories that has led me to fulfilling my dream of becoming an author. I’ve written and published in several genres under different names, but MM is by far my favorite, and I’m so happy to be able to share my stories with people today.

I currently live on Canada’s east coast with my kiddo and my cats. I have a shoe collecting addiction, and I enjoy taking long walks, discussions with friends, and reading anything and everything I can get my hands on.

Reviews

[Llakshmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was going surprisingly well until they said “I love you” and realised the book is over? when they’ve quite literally only fought and fucked? what happened to relationship development? to character development? to plot???

[ivy]

No rating - skimmed the majority
So much repetitive inner monologue and unnecessary random side character conversations I don’t have the patience or attention span for

[Emna · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @66 %
seriously, who's giving me back my time ???????

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse + Sebastian
Enemies to lovers | Hate sex | Touch-starved MC

"Bas was mine, and I was his. We might not have taken an easy route to get here but now that I had him, I was never letting him go."

I love Willow and enjoyed this book but the beginning kind of dragged so 4⭐️.

P.S. The way that their family found out about their relationship was hilarious.


⚠️ possible spoilers below in tropes and triggers







Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Mechanic + musician
Hate sex
Hands free 💦
First time bare with each other
Exhibitionism
Found family
Versatile roles
Touch starved MC
Stuck in a storm
Only one bed

TWs:
Stalking (not between MCs)

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flipping the Script is book one in Willow Dixon’s new Legacy Mechanics series, and I really enjoyed it! The tension, the push and pull between these two was so hot. Jesse and Sebastian’s chemistry was so hot it was off the charts. I’m really looking forward to the next book alrea

[Dani (Daniiireads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse and Sebastian have hated each other since they were children, but as we all know, there's a fine line between love and hate. All it takes is for these two to be thrown together again against their will, pound it out (in every sense of the word), and realize that maybe they've had feelings for each other all along.

I'll be honest, I may be a bit biased with how much I adored Jesse and Bas together because if Willow writes it I'm going to love it, but these two were just precious, ok?! The animosity, the tension, the banter... AND THE SPICE 🥵

What to expect:
- mechanic + retired musician
- childhood rivals to lovers
- fucking and fighting
- monster 🍆 with fancy accessories
- all the banter + spice
- forced proximity
- only one bed
- hurt x comfort
- found family
- touch starved MC

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What I was feeling wasn’t desire, not really. It was darker than that. It was an intense need to see him submit. To see him come apart and know that I was the one who’d done that to him."

Flipping the Script is the first book in Willow Dixon's new Legacy Mechanics linked series, but it can also be read as a standalone.

This is Jesse and Sebastian's story, featuring a mechanic with a secret life and a retired rock star looking for his happy ever after....

What To Expect:

❥MM small town romance
❥Enemies-to-lovers
❥Hurt/comfort
❥Forced proximity
❥Only one bed
❥ALL THE STEAM
❥Primal play
❥Hate s*x
❥HEA

Loved it!

4.5 stars

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropes: enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, found family, failed one night stand, secret relationship
Feels: 4/5
Steam*: 4/5
Kinks: flip fuck, dick piercing, exhibitionism/public sex (not because they like performing in front of others, they just can't wait)
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: bad parents, former sex worker MC, stalker, some drug use references, minor character overdose in past

4.5 Stars

I was nervous to read this book because this author has been hit or miss for me. But this book worked for me. It was right up my alley.

Sebastian and Jesse have known each other since they were 8 years old and they are now 25. Sebastian is bi but not out, and Jesse is gay and out. They basically hated each other since they met, they never got along, they always tormented each other and fought whenever they interacted. They didn't deliberately seek each other out, but there lives were intertwined especially because their siblings have been dating since they were teens. Sebastian is close to Jesse's family.

Sebastian was a gangly nerd growing up but he is a singer and songwriter and he left town at 18 to make a living with his band. They've only seen each other occasionally since then. Sebastian isn't good with socializing and the pressures of his career, so he quits and comes to his hometown to work as a tattoo artist. Jesse is a mechanic, who until recently was also moonlighting as an illegal escort, mostly doing companionship stuff. He got into some debt and needed the extra cash but he's doing better now.

When they meet again, they pick right up on slinging insults, trash talking. They end up accidentally interacting more than they intended and fighting turns physical and they realize there is an underlying mutual attraction. Trading sexual barbs becomes another way to win between them, and they hook up. They mean it to be a one-time thing, but every so often they keep seeing each other at social events and whenever they spend more than a few moments together they end up hooking up. They go weeks at times without seeing each other, weeks between their hookups, but they can't resist when the other one is right in front of them. Every time they spend a little more time together they talk, and they share pieces of themselves and they get to know each other better and feelings develop. Their hookups are hot, their animosity lasts long enough to enjoy, it's not just an instant easy relationship.

I really liked the intense animosity between them. Their chemistry was great and I loved that they were strong enough characters to fight each other, they were equals. I liked the secret relationship element, I have a weakness for 'oops I can't stop hooking up with him and whoops now he's kind of the most important person to me accidentally'. And they kept snuggling and having tender touches after sex even while trying to stay prickly with each other. It was nice how connected their lives and families were, it made for some great opportunities to keep them connected, to build fondness, and there were some funny moments between the siblings.

Some notable moments:

"I wanted to see his face twist up in pleasure, wanted to hear him moan my name. I wanted to watch him submit and let me make him come, not because I wanted to give him pleasure per se, but more because I wanted to fuck with him."

I loved how he sighed with reluctant acceptance and said this. "“Let’s go.” “Huh?” I asked, his resigned tone knocking me free from my thoughts. “Either get your ass into the back room so we can finish this or walk away. Otherwise I’m gonna pull your dick out right here and give everyone a show.”"

This is sibling moment was glorious. "“Everything is fine.” “Fine?” Adam spluttered. I nodded, keeping my customer service smile on and folded my hands on the table serenely. “I just saw your dick on your phone. That’s not fine.” “Ew.” Hannah wrinkled her nose. “Your fault for snooping,” I said pointedly. “But that wasn’t my dick.” “It wasn’t?” Adam looked relieved for about half a second, then his earlier horror returned. “Oh god!” He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head. “Nope, not any better.”"


*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.

**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.

[✨Lucy IntheSky☄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving it 2.75⭐ and that's being generous because I did like the main characters, but most of things used in this book weren't working, so instead of getting a really good somewhat enemies to lovers trope, we got a lot of useless banter and very little intimate time with the main couple getting to know each other or talking on-page.

🟢 Childhood enemies to lovers
🔵 Both about 25
🟣 Gay/bisexual
🟡 Opposites attract
🟠 Found family (prior to them getting together already)
🟢 Main love story completely underdeveloped
🔵 This series should be read after Crimson Club
🌶️ Good sex, descriptive, oral, rimming, penetrative; both vers

Jesse was a likeable character, at least for me. A tall drink of water with depth and interesting past that wasn't explored more, just told in a few sentences, which took away the complexity this story could've had.

Sebastian was a rock star/songwriter that very much reminded me (no idea why) of the frontman of the group HIM from Europe (their song Gone With The Sin was like constantly playing when I was reading this book) and I really liked him, but again instead of giving him depth - at least in the second part of the book - he was still stuck on terrible bratty remarks to Jesse, so that relationship development was missing.

“Why is this so damn hot?” I asked, unable to tear my gaze from his flushed face.
“No clue.” He stopped struggling and lay passively.
“Guess we’re just a couple of perverts.”
“Guess so.”
I dropped my chest on his, enjoying having him under me. “You bring out the worst in me.”



The sex was great, it was fantastic, Jesse and Sebastian had amazing sexual chemistry, but the rest wasn't. I liked the cabin scene where they were grappling and rubbing off on each other and all the times they were intimate and talked more about themselves, but those moments were pretty rare.

After a very intense hook-up they go for weeks of not seeing each other and we don't know what the hell they're doing, then it's sex again, then off again, sex again and suddenly - I love you! Out of fucking nowhere with just a few hook-ups and one long conversation.

The story stayed superficial despite having a big potential to evolve into a fantastic love story, not to mention (again) the pointless dialogues with other side characters. This is something that's present in all of this author's books and takes away the quality of the story.
The guys are not little kids or actors in a low rated sitcom, if you're writing funny and conversational dialogues with guys only, at least make it believable. It can be funny and goofy without being damn stupid, that's what I think.

A quick, abrupt ending, the epilogue after 4 years with Sebastian going on tour and them having a long distance relationship. That's it. 👎


I'll read the next installment but I'm betting all my money on it not being good. I'm not even going to expect anything, I just know it's not gonna be good.

[Miss S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been looking forward to reading this new series from Willow Dixon, even though I've been sad about saying goodbye to our Crimson guys, BUT we do get a little dose from our beloved men, as this book is about Jesse, Quinn's little (step)brother. So we get to see Quinn and a few others ♥

Anyhow, this is a series all on its own, and reading any previous books isn't necessary at all.

About this book, it was so good. I loved the tension between Jesse and Sebastian, because despite their hateful words and obvious dislike of each other, they can't help but react to each other's proximity. It's clear that they're very attracted to each other, and the rivalry between them only makes it hotter. Especially when they give into their wants and go from enemies to.... enemies who fornicate.

I kissed the guy I’d hated since we were eight, and I not only liked it, I loved it.

The steam was definitely steaming, and you can't help but get carried away in how these guys go from hate s*x to being each other's comfort in some really hard times.

Sebastian is struggling after retiring from his music career, and Jesse has a secret from his past which only his close family knows about. He's afraid how other people will react if they find out, and he fears that he might even lose his job.

His past is also creating a little bit of drama in the present time as he's gotten an admirer who is a bit obsessed with Jesse, and Sebastian gets involved in that as well.

I was hoping for a little more angst and action for that whole ordeal, but it was a little anti-climax.
But anyhow, the whole situation made Jesse and Sebastian become even closer, and that really shows when they happen to get stuck in Sebastian's cabin for the night. I was swooning so hard.

I also laughed out loud a few times during the book.

“This whole situation is weird as hell, but you draw the line at me calling you Daddy?”

I adored both Jesse and Sebastian, and usually I end up picking a favorite without wanting to, but it wasn’t the case here. I loved them both equally and they were both my favorites ♥

I’m already excited for the next book.

❥ Dual POV
❥ MM Romance
❥ Hate to Love
❥ Childhood Rivals
❥ Hurt/Comfort
❥ Mechanic x Musician
❥ Forced Proximity
❥ ‘Only One Bed’
❥ Found Family
❥ Steamy Encounters
❥ Hate S*x
❥ Dirty Talk

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Read the full review on my blog here with edits and quotes.

[Kaity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio: 4.5-5 stars for Iggy Toma and Tim Paige, although at times they sounded identical! Haha

Book: 3-3.5 stars

Thank god I finished a book!!! Haha I will say I loved the banter, but the way they went from “enemies with benefits” to “oh I love you, let’s date now” and was waaay too fast. It should have been fleshed out more. But even with that said I was hooked from page one.

[Bookloversofantastic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved that story, the vibe, the tension, the dynamic were explosive. So much “hate”, so much banter, and at the same time so much emotional relief. Sebastian and Jess are one side of the same coin, they are everything the other needs.

After 7 years of touring with his band, Sebastian is back home in need of a big break but his return is not really what he thought it would be. People are more interested in his “sexu*l exploit” than in his career. While trying to find his footing again, he cannot stop himself from pushing Jess, to irritate him - until the day when their banter becomes a kiss and then something more !!
Jess hates Sebastian, there was always something about him that irritated him, and now he’s back in his life. Sharing siblings who are dating means that their paths cross often and he finds it more and more difficult to resist his burning attraction for him.

So much tension, h*te s€x !! I was really excited about this book and I really loved it. I cannot wait to read more of this series !!!

I received an ARC Copy of this book from Foreword PR, this review is from my own thoughts 😍

[Aricka Decker]

TIME OF DEATH : 19%

Listen this is just not for me. Nothing Tim Paige or Iggy Toma could do to save the story for me. This is just pretty fucking cringe. Like I feel like I’m fighting my own body to keep from wanting to scoff the entire time. What is this? Super fucking weird bro and I can already tell this is going to have 0 story and just be two dudes fighting and fucking the entire time like they’re not actual adults. If that’s also a kink they have, well bro not to yuck someone’s yum but that shit is not for me dawg. Thank god I got this 80% off on the sale. Idk I just need to realize this author is not for me everything I’ve read has been 3 stars or lower for me personally but I hope them the best and that their fans have a great time , but they gotta go on my no read list.

[lilacbaby (alex) [deep in the worlds longest reading slump]]

ERRRRRRR 🚨🚨🚨

Not rating this one cause I’m DNFing at 32%

Nothing about this worked for me unfortunately. The characters were so immature and their conversations were all incredibly stupid. Legit they were like:
“Go fuck yourself”
“No, you go fuck yourself”
“I know you are but what am I?”

BORING

What are we doing, Willow?!
I feel like there have been a couple of strong books in the archives but the latest additions have been supremely mid.

[ʚ Aileen ɞ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm… not sure how I feel about this one. It started off pretty strong, and I really liked the writing style, but then things got kind of repetitive. In my opinion, the main characters didn’t have any real connection and totally lacked chemistry. Honestly, it might have worked better as a friends-with-benefits kind of story. I'm curious about Isaac's book, though, so I'll stick with the series for now.

[Juju · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
..
"Pissing Sebastian off was fun. I had no idea why I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t deny the little thrill I felt every time he glared at me or tossed one of his angry barbs my way." .. ..

MM small town romance. I felt it was more dislike to love, rather than true enemies to lovers story. The MC's had long held mis-perceptions of the other.

🔸️Mechanic
🔸️Retired Musician
🔸️Hurt/Comfort
🔸️Forced Proximity
🔸️Found Family
🔸️Dirty Talk
🔸️Hate Sex

I liked the spice & chemistry between the 2 mc's.

And loved the hot banter & the barbs. 😉 The hate sex was 🔥.

There were a couple things I would have liked a bit more hashed out, but nothing major. Good story and an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the Author, for providing me with this ARC. 😊

[TeeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I mostly enjoyed this book, but not quite enough. I had some issues with how the story was mapped out. This is a mutual dislike-to-lovers story, in my opinion. The story moved pretty slow for 90% of the book and Sebastian and Jesse are sniping at each other until about 90%, and then all of a sudden, all the feelings come out and they are professing their love. Then, with that, it felt like a race to the finish. The pacing just felt off, and the emotions just didn't feel believable. I wanted to like this more than I did. I have always enjoyed Willow Dixon's work. I was also excited to learn more about Jesse after meeting him in Dad Next Door. Each of the characters were great, and I loved them individually. This story felt like it was more sex than emotion and romance. If that's what you want, then this is perfect for you. No shame there. That's just not everything I was expecting from this story. I still ate this up because, like I said, I liked the characters, and the smut was fun. I did like meeting some new characters at Jesse's mechanic job. I am looking forward to Isaac and Jamie's book because hearing about their shenanigans was hilarious, and I can only imagine what they will get up to in their own story. So, overall, this is good, not great. Read it for the good characters and smut, but not so much the emotions and romance.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mayra · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st read Sep 2024 —> 4/5

A great start for Willow Dixon’s new series. Having met Jesse in the previous two books (last two of the Crimson Club series), I was looking forward to his story, and Willow didn’t disappoint.

From “hate” to hate sex to love, Sebastian and Jesse had quite the journey to figure out what they meant to each other. Having met when children and being antagonistic asshats to each other throughout their childhood and into their adult lives, figuring out what’s behind all those feelings isn’t an easy task.

This book is steamy and full of heart. We get to see the MCs coming out of their shells and being vulnerable with each other…eventually. I wouldn’t mind having a bit more of them being a couple, but I loved the glimpses we get anyway.

I can’t wait for what’s to come in this series.

Thank you ForewordPR and Willow Dixon for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebekah Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

enemies to lover for the win!

This book was everything I was hoping for! The hate sex was always spicy and the love making was the sweetest! The fighting was always solid! I loved this whole book! I can’t wait to read more.

[Ellie ♡]

DNF @ 34%
I’ve been trying to read this book for more than a week but I’m bored. Nothing against it, it’s just me I guess.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Wow, I did not see this coming. This was surprisingly good, like good ol' Willow Dixon.
I can't wait for the next one!

[Bernice Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

✍︎ 𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚃𝚘 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
✍︎ 𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚁𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚜
✍︎ 𝙷𝚞𝚛𝚝/𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝
✍︎ 𝙵𝚘𝚝𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚢
✍︎ 𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝙵𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢
✍︎ 𝙷𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚂𝚎̂𝚡 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙵𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐
✍︎ 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚢
✍︎ 𝙳𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚔
✍︎ 𝙻𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝙾𝚏 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚝



“𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓴 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓰𝓸 𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓾𝓼. 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸.” 𝓘 𝓼𝓷𝓾𝓬𝓴 𝓪 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓪𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓶. 𝓗𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝔂 𝓰𝓪𝔃𝓮, 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓼 𝓼𝓸 𝓯𝓾𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝓱𝓸𝓹𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓶𝔂 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓶𝔂 𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓽. “𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷’𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻.”

✎ 𝙵𝙻𝙸𝙿𝙿𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝙲𝚁𝙸���𝚃 is the first book in the 𝙻𝙴𝙶𝙰𝙲𝚈 𝙼𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙸𝙲𝚂 𝚂𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂 by 𝚆𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙾𝚆 𝙳𝙸𝚇𝙾𝙽.The story was everything and more.

✎ 𝙹𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙴 & 𝚂𝙴𝙱𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰𝙽 had always not liked each other since they were children.And this continued till their teenage years till 𝚂𝙴𝙱𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰𝙽 decided to move from town to persue his passion for music.Fast forward,𝚂𝙴𝙱𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰𝙽 is back to town after some years later after retiring from music and 𝙹𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙴 is now working as a mechanic and they still don’t like each other.Their family leave next to each other and their younger siblings are dating,so they are bound to see each other often.Will these two be able to refrain themselves from k!lling each other?🤣

✎ I enjoyed reading this book about these two idiots inlove🤣.I love the whole there’s a thin line between love and hate situation going on in this book and with 𝙹𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙴 & 𝚂𝙴𝙱𝙰𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙰𝙽,that line was basically nonexistent.

✎ If You love found family,characters with insecurities,”I Love him and I’m not gonna to pretend anymore”,then this book is for you.

[jaz! · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
(ARC)

I'm starting to think that Willow Dixon writes books for me and me specifically because I eat up these books EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I didn't how badly I needed retired rockstar turned tattoo artist x ex-escort turned mechanic who "hate" each other and have since childhood with a dash of primal kink and hate sex until it was placed in my hands and now my life has been changed for the better. The only reason that this book didn't get a five star for me is because I wish we had a bit more time with the couple as a couple and in love but other than that this book is literally so good.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a re-read of this book.I enjoyed Jesse & Sebastian-enemies to lovers.First time i read it i gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & i still feel the same.I loved the push & pull between them & could of easily read more about their relationship, but it seemed as soon as they stopped fighting, they realise they're in love & the book was over.I love Willows writing & would of loved more on their relationship.Overall i love this whole series.
spice-🌶🌶🌶

[Val MM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish half stars were a thing because this was really mid and only worthy of 2.5/5 stars. So much nothing happens and then the ending is rushed. Like did we need the stalker plot line? The I Love Yous were seemingly out of nowhere and then it was bam…. We’re now together and the epilogue is 3 years later. Only read this because I enjoyed It’s Complicated which is the second book in the series that I read out of order. This one is nothing like that.

[Monikat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't stop grinning I absolutely loved this book. All the right things for an enemies to lovers book.

Very good start. The enemies part is absolutely scorching hot 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
HOT! hot! HOT! 'enemy' encounter. Sxy AF.
*LMAO, Willow Dixon you got my number 🤩🤩🤩🤩 Taunting me with a band named Vessel???!!!
I'm a Sleep Token die hard!!!😁😁😁😁😁🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[Kelsey’s Kindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this one! The enemies to lovers was *chefs kiss* ! The tension 🔥 the fighting ugh so good. Great start to this new series! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the mechanic’s stories!

[Maddie Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one so much and went to read book two immediately...only to realize that it doesn't come out for another month. Enemies to lovers perfection. Can't wait to read more by this author!

[꧁•Zakiyya•꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟's

How is this my first time reading something by this author?

Jesse and Sebastian were two wonderfully written characters.

The story was addictive and their banter was top-tier, one of the best I’ve ever read.

These two had insane chemistry and were so incredibly hot together.

I loved the possessiveness, it’s something I always look for in the books I read and this one was done really well.

Their growing connection was gradual and fit perfectly with how guarded they both were with their feelings.

This new series is off to a really good start and I’m definitely going to be looking forward to the next one... 💙🥰💙

[Mirjam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the potential for an exciting enemies-to-lovers romance with its intriguing premise of childhood rivals reconnecting, but it ultimately fell flat for me.
The dynamic between Jesse and Sebastian was frustrating rather than captivating. Their constant bickering felt repetitive, and while enemies-to-lovers can be fun, their relationship didn’t have the emotional depth I was hoping for. The tension felt forced, and instead of chemistry, it sometimes came off as immature squabbling.







The “primal play” and hate-to-love trope had promise, but it seemed to rely too heavily on steamy scenes without enough character development or emotional connection. The back-and-forth between them became exhausting rather than thrilling, and it was hard to root for them as a couple.







Overall, while this book had some steamy moments, it lacked the emotional engagement and complexity I look for in a good romance. 2.5 stars for the potential and the spice, but it didn’t quite deliver the satisfying love story I expected.


ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Part of the Legacy Mechanics series but can be read as a standalone.