Southern Gentleman

I’ll admit, I rolled my eyes at the ‘hate-to-lust’ setup—until Joe Arden’s Greyson Montgomery opened his mouth. That voice? A mix of honeyed arrogance and barely leashed frustration, like a man who’s spent 35 years being told he’s perfect and *hates* that you’re the first person to call him on it. Arden’s performance is the audiobook’s secret weapon; he makes Greyson’s privilege obnoxious *and* oddly endearing, especially in the boardroom scenes where his drawl tightens with irritation. Emma Wilder’s narration as the heroine is just as sharp, though I wished she’d leaned harder into the character’s exhaustion in the later chapters—some of the emotional beats after the pregnancy reveal could’ve used more rawness. The story’s first half is a delightful power struggle, with Peterson nailing the ‘enemies who *definitely* track each other’s coffee orders’ energy. But the third act stumbles slightly when the conflict shifts from external (corporate sabotage, family expectations) to internal (trust issues), and the resolution feels rushed compared to the meticulous buildup. That said, the steam level is *chef’s kiss*—the office tryst scene is so charged with repressed tension that I actually paused to fan myself. And the Southern Gothic undertones (a crumbling mansion, a meddling matriarch, whispers of ‘family legacy’) give this this more texture than your average romance. If you love morally gray heroes who *think* they’re in control, heroines who weaponize spreadsheets, and narration that makes a simple ‘darlin’’ sound like a threat, this is your next listen. Just don’t blame me if you start side-eyeing your own boss.