About the Book

Laurene King had it all: beauty, wealth, and a sexy secret affair with Reese Ashbourne— the brooding heir of her family’s sworn enemy.

But one reckless night shattered everything.

Tragedy struck. Laurene disappeared. And Reese was left with betrayal, unanswered questions, and scars he’ll never forget.

Now, Laurene is back, forced to return to the life she fled, but her homecoming comes with a cruel twist. Their families, teetering on the edge of ruin, have resurrected an old deal to save themselves: an Ashbourne and a King must marry—or lose everything.

Only this time, Reese is the groom. Not his brother.

Haunted by the past, Reese craves revenge as much as he still craves her. Trapped in a forced proximity neither can escape, their chemistry ignites—and so do their secrets.

But someone knows the truth about that night. The lies that tore them apart are unraveling, and the shadowy danger lurking in their luxurious world could destroy them both.

With their second chance at love and their families’ legacies hanging by a thread, Laurene and Reese must choose: bury the past or watch everything crumble to ashes.

The clock is ticking, and some truths are better left buried…

Review

Lush was marketed as a mystery book with themes found in an 80s soap opera. That was the perfect way to sell this book. It was precisely that. I must applaud the author for recognizing that and leaning into that genre. There wasn’t a second where I was not entertained.

Years ago, Reese Ashbourne and Laurene King were lovers and hid their relationship from their families—two prominent families within the city. The Ashbournes and the Kings are enemies; however, they are willing to plot for the sake of their legacies. Their plot involved having Laurene marry Reese’s other brother. Of course, Reese and Laurene were distraught and plotted together in secret. However, tragedy struck, and Laurene flees, and Reese mourns. After being summoned by her mother, Laurene returns to the city, and a new plan is established— now Laurene and Reese must marry.

This book was rich people drama. Excellent rich people drama. It’s soapy, yet it doesn’t feel corny or making fun of the genre. Montford does a great job setting the scene and building this rich, dangerous world. There were layers upon layers of material here. Reese and Laurene are the main characters; however, every character felt fully fleshed out and had their own story and motive. I’m excited to see where this series goes and what happens with the other characters.

Reese and Laurene were the perfect characters to kick off this series. Both have been victims of their families’ legacies and puppets. And when they attempted to break free from it all, it all went horribly wrong. Reese lost a brother and felt betrayed by Laurene. He’s always felt like the last option and screw-up in his family, and he thought Laurene really saw him. Laurene was alone and missing her voice. They are still healing from the results of what happened six years ago while dealing with their parents. When they see each other after so many years, they have a lot of hurt feelings that they have to work through. Also, they have to deal with someone blackmailing them. A lot is going on in their life as they rediscover their love for each other.

Besides Reese and Laurene, everyone in this book is a suspect. I wasn’t sure who I could trust and who was blackmailing Reese and Laurene. I made at least three different final guesses before it was eventually revealed. My first guess was correct, but with how everyone was acting, I kept second-guessing myself.

Final Thoughts:

Lush is a great 80s soapy romance book. It contains a lot of blackmail, lies, and twists and turns. It’s an entertaining ride that almost feels like a television show. The mystery is strong and engaging.

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