What an awesome read for a Sunday afternoon! I loved the characters Shelby and Jackson, their fighting and romance were super funny. The secondary characters made the story so much fun. This was a fantastic book.
At Arm's Length: An Enemies to Lovers Romantic Comedy
by D.E. Haggerty
Falling for the man who has a crush on my best friend? Worst. Idea. Ever. Plus - he hates me.
Jackson Schmidt is the biggest jerkity jerk ever. They should totally erect a statue to commemorate his jerkityness, jerkdom-- Uggh! There are literally not enough words for 'jerk' to depict the man.
Unfortunately, Jackson is also the most gorgeous specimen of manhood I've ever laid eyes on. One look at him and I want to jump and climb him like a tree. But whenever he opens his mouth, his status as the biggest bastard on the planet is immediately reinstated. It's impossible for the man to say anything remotely nice - at least not to me. To my best friend, though? To her, he's Mr. Perfect Gentleman. Did I mention he's carrying a torch for my engaged best friend?
My libido does not give one flying hoot Jackson is a dick who has a crush on my bestie. Nope. Not at all. No matter how much of a schmuck the man is - and trust me he takes schmuck to the next level - I continue to pant after him like a nerdy freshman crushing on the prom king. If I want to keep my sanity, I'm going to have to keep Jackson AT ARM'S LENGTH.
Beh. Sanity is totally overrated.
Hit BUY NOW to discover if these two enemies can become lovers.
This enemies to lovers romantic comedy features a woman who won't let a little thing like missing a forearm stop her, a hunky man she wants to rub up against like a cat in heat except he totally hates her, and a nosy, interfering Grandma who is determined to push the two together.
At Arm's Length is book 2 of the Love in the Suburbs series but can be read as a standalone.
Jackson Schmidt is the biggest jerkity jerk ever. They should totally erect a statue to commemorate his jerkityness, jerkdom-- Uggh! There are literally not enough words for 'jerk' to depict the man.
Unfortunately, Jackson is also the most gorgeous specimen of manhood I've ever laid eyes on. One look at him and I want to jump and climb him like a tree. But whenever he opens his mouth, his status as the biggest bastard on the planet is immediately reinstated. It's impossible for the man to say anything remotely nice - at least not to me. To my best friend, though? To her, he's Mr. Perfect Gentleman. Did I mention he's carrying a torch for my engaged best friend?
My libido does not give one flying hoot Jackson is a dick who has a crush on my bestie. Nope. Not at all. No matter how much of a schmuck the man is - and trust me he takes schmuck to the next level - I continue to pant after him like a nerdy freshman crushing on the prom king. If I want to keep my sanity, I'm going to have to keep Jackson AT ARM'S LENGTH.
Beh. Sanity is totally overrated.
Hit BUY NOW to discover if these two enemies can become lovers.
This enemies to lovers romantic comedy features a woman who won't let a little thing like missing a forearm stop her, a hunky man she wants to rub up against like a cat in heat except he totally hates her, and a nosy, interfering Grandma who is determined to push the two together.
At Arm's Length is book 2 of the Love in the Suburbs series but can be read as a standalone.
Reviews
So Funny
Funny
A funny quirky story. Shelby is like a fairy on steroids. The energizer bunny has nothing on her. Grandma takes her job as matchmaker seriously and is devious in her schemes. Jackson is getting over a broken engagement. He is a total stud. This story is funny as Jackson and Shelby work out their issues and realize their attraction. Fun times!
Not totally sure why they were enemies
This book describes Shelby, a quirky game development freelancer and some guys her friend's matchmaking grandmother attempts to set her up with. She thinks Jackson is a super jerk but he's also a hunk so of course they end up together. I didn't really get the jerk aspect. The heroine thinks he reacted badly to her missing arm but it didn't really seem all that awful. Maybe you had to be there to get it. There is also some career-related reactions that left me a little cold because she makes rather hasty assumptions.
I liked that the heroine has a prosthetic arm because you don't see disabled heroines very often in a romance and because she doesn't let it define her.
The matchmaking grandma is apparently a fixture that ties the series together and I enjoyed her antics. I haven't read the other books but would like to find out what happens in the third part that gets foreshadowed here.
All in all, it's light, easy read.
I got a free review copy from Booksirens and I'm leaving a voluntary review.
Must read series!
Want a good laugh? Read this series then! To funny, the characters, especially grandma, will have you laughing out loud!
Quick and Entertaining Enemies-to-Lovers
Rated 3.0 to 3.5 stars. I received an ARC from BookSirens for an honest review.
At Arm's Length begins with a bang as Shelby, our gamer geek heroine, professes her undying hatred for gorgeous jerk Jackson. In her quest to grow her business, Shelby has to learn how to grow up (a process she finds distinctively unappealing). Along the way, she gets consumed into Grandma Nancy's crazy matchmaking plans and figuring out where Jackson belongs in her life. D.E. Haggerty delivers a fast-paced, quirky, enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy that will leave readers laughing at both Shelby and Jackson's antics, but most importantly the craziness that is Grandma Nancy.
At Arm's Length is the second book in the series, but can be read as a standalone. I have not read the first book, which might influence my score, so I recommend reading Frankie's story first. Haggerty's story is certainly funny and has quite a few good one liners, but it is lacking depth that would vault this story from 3.0-3.5 to 3.5-4.0 stars easily. So much of Shelby and Jackson's story was a rapid whirlwind that seemed a little bit out there and childish, but a bit more detail and depth could have converted this into a really solid romantic comedy. Grandma Nancy was absolutely crazy and her antics thoroughly reminded me of my own matchmaking relatives, which makes At Arm's Length a bit more relatable. Overall, At Arm's Length is a short romantic comedy with an enemies to lovers theme and quirky grandmothers that needs just a bit more depth to become something great. If you are in the mood for a laugh or a quick crazy read, grab Haggerty's Love in the Suburbs series.
At Arm's Length
Another good story about believable and likeable characters. I have enjoyed reading her other stories and I look forward to reading more.
Shelby and Jackson’s love story
Loved this book! This book is the story of friendship. A group of friends that shared their experiences and a matchmaker grandma that help things going forward. This book concentrate mainly in Shelby, a woman that born without her right forearm and hand however, she is a successful software engineer. Her best friend Frankie, initiate business with Jackson. Jackson and Shelby can stay close without arguing but Shelby was extremely attracted to him.
I loved the way the author created a female strong character, not the perfect girl, with the perfect body. She is more than a person that didn’t want to see different but at a same time didn’t want to be normal. She just wanted to be seen and accepted as she was.
Jackson, on the other hand was scared to felt in love with her because he was hurt by his ex fiancée.
In summary, the book is amazing, funny specially with grandma, entertaining, deep, realistic and lovely. I loved the characters and the plot. Excellent!
ARC Review
I received this ARC for an honest review. This is the story of Shelby and Jackson. If you like a feel good romance with laughter thrown in, this is the book for you. Shelby is amazing and has to overcome preconceived notions about her arm. You can tell throughout the story that this is hard for her and she tries to act like it doesn't bother her at all. Jackson has to get over past hurt to move forward with his current feelings. I loved this story and the flow of it was amazing! I definitely recommend this book and loved every minute of it!
