Simon Pierce is the most powerful man in Manhattan. My rival since the ninth grade.
And now, my enemy with benefits.

Since the first day of high school, Simon and I have competed.
Top grades?
Simon wins.
Better manners?
Simon wins.
Irresistible stare?
Simon definitely wins.
So when the bossy billionaire suggests an enemies with benefits arrangement--
I dive in headfirst.
No feelings. No strings. No falling in love.
It's perfect. In theory.
Only the Simon who shares my bed isn't cutthroat and arrogant.
He's passionate and tender.
And pretty soon, I'm losing the one thing that matters:
My heart.

Review

I had been craving a good rivals to lover book, and when I say that Ruthless Rivals did what it needed to do and then some, I mean it. From the first page, I was sucked in, and I couldn’t put the book down. Kaswell is a new author to me. I saw a graphic on Instagram about one of her books (not from this series) and I read that one. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And despite not reading the other books in this series after reading the summary of this one, I could not wait. However, I will be going back to read them because I really like the family dynamics and the characters.

I think my favorite family relationship was the one between Opal and Simon. She was the Pierce family secret child, and after her mother passed away, Simon took Opal in. Simon was serious, stoic, and demanding, but he had a sweet spot for his teenage sister. Their interactions were great, and one of the many highlights in this book.

Another favorite relationship in this book was obviously romance. Vanessa and Simon have known each other for years. Competed against each other. Outwardly disliked each other. However, inside there was always a part of them that found the other to be attractive and wanted them. Right off the bat in the book, they entered an arrangement. And that led to more. And as they became something more, they realized there are some other issues within themselves that they had to address. Both Simon and Vanessa are incredibly human and had great character arcs.

Vanessa was very independent and has an organization that helps domestic abuse victims. It’s something very close to her heart since her mother was abused by her father. Witnessing those events in her childhood had a significant impact on her adult life. She didn’t trust men and thought that they all had potential to become violent.

Simon was the oldest sibling in his family and had to take on a lot of responsibility after his father died. And after one of his brothers was tragically killed, he still felt like a failure because of that. and his past dreams of becoming married and having children slipped away. He hid his emotions and didn’t date.

Final Thoughts

Ruthless Rivals tackled so many heavy issues including family, abuse and grief. It’s a heartbreaking story of two people trying to heal and trying to not let the choices of others and their past continue to haunt them.

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