Objecting To Her by JJ Arias is an enemies-to-lovers story that has you wondering if the two leads are going to strangle each other or rip each other’s clothes off.
Ari Vidal has done it. She’s graduated from law school and started her dream job at the Miami prosecutor’s office. She’s ready to shed off the stress of the last three years, especially since she no longer has to face and compete with her school rival, Sloane Medina. She’s ready to get to work, help people get justice and shine on her own. But fate has a strange sense of humor, and it’s more apparent when she walks into her new job and finds Sloane sitting at the table. Ari’s plans of being the top lawyer take on a whole new meaning, especially if it means she can finally beat Sloane.
Working in the Miami prosecutor’s office was not the big law career Sloan Medina expected to have. She’d planned to work at a prestigious Manhattan law firm with a hot girlfriend and mingle with rich clients. But when a family tragedy strikes, she’s forced to stay home. Gone are the bright lights of New York, along with her girlfriend. Instead she’s in a dingy, cramped office in Miami vying for position. And what’s worse, her law school nemesis is in close proximity yet again.
From the beginning, it looks like Ari and Sloane are picking up where they left off. But as they get thrown together time and again, the urge to strangle each other gives way to mutual respect. Soon they find their icy layers melting and revealing a long, hidden attraction buried underneath the frost. As the passion burns hotter, they discover they have more in common than either thought possible. Now if they can just get out of their own way and give love a chance.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
While this is an enemies-to-lovers story, Arias puts varying degrees of ice queen-ness into her characters, which makes an interesting dynamic that pulls you into two directions of liking and disliking both of them at various points.
Sloane is mean, like to the point where I wondered if I was ever really going to like her. She’s cold, distant, and doesn’t refer to Ari by name. So, I continued to wonder “Sloane is redeemable. Right?” And she is. It takes a little bit of time to get there, but she does show her human side as her interactions with Ari become less hostile and more respectful. It also helps when we delve into the reason why she gave up a big career in New York, which is also linked to the reason she appears to have this icy veneer.
Ari is more of girl-next-door type. She is likeable, has a loving supportive family, and is respected by her friends and peers. But when she interacts with Sloane, her competitiveness comes to the surface and all bets are off, making her an ice queen in disguise.
You can feel a definite chill when these two women duel. But as they work more together, the ice begins to thaw, and the competition that drove them apart also makes them a perfect team. When they finally realize this, it’s great to watch them work together, tease each other, and ultimately realize that the sins of the past have no bearing on who they could be to each other in the future.
Cons And Heads Up
The only issue I had was when I read Sloane’s perspective, she refers to Ari by a nickname for almost a third of the book. This was one of the aspects that had me questioning if Sloane had any redeemable qualities. I understand it’s meant to establish her tumultuous relationship and rivalry with Ari, but I think it just went on a little too long.
The Conclusion
This was a fun book that gives the right amount of tension, good and bad, to an intriguing rivalry. Arias stretches out Sloane’s ice queen personae and gives some of the same characteristics to Ari and the result is two women who are explosive, whether they’re shouting at each other or making out in their office. Definitely pick this one up today and watch these two women fight and love with the passion only they’re tumultuous relationship can conjure.
Excerpt from Objecting To Her by JJ Arias
Ari regretted having lost sight of Sloane. As soon as she pushed her chair back, it nailed one of her friends in the thigh…
“Careful.” Sloane’s voice was deep and taunting. “You don’t want to be charged with battery before you have your cute little shield to protect you.”
Ari glared at the guy exaggerating his injury before narrowing her gaze at the smirking Sloane…”Battery requires intent. I can’t form intent to hit him if I didn’t know he was there.”
Sloan’s throat danced when she chuckled.
“It looked to me like you laid in wait until we were leaving. If that’s not evidence of intent, I don’t know what is,” she replied, her hazel eyes gleaming.
Gritting her teeth, Ari had to stop herself from sneering.
“Come on,” Jasmine said, wrapper her fingers lightly around Ari’s wrist.
Sloane’s shit-eating grin spread like a plague across her face. “You better listen to Samwise.”
“That’s not even the right reference –” Ari started, but stopped when Sloane couldn’t contain her laughter. She was baiting her on purpose.
Glancing at the group of friends waiting for her by the door, Sloane returned her attention to Ari as if overcome with pity. She leaned over, her golden skin reeking of coconut tanning oil. “You know, if you’re going to survive ten seconds in a courtroom, you’re going to have to buck up, Buttercup.”
Ari resisted moving away. She hated the proximity but couldn’t let herself look weak. With her fists balled at her sides, she remained motionless and tried not to react while Sloane’s breath assaulted the shell of her ear.
“You’re too easy to get a rise out of,” Sloan whispered. “Don’t make it as fun for opposing counsel as you’ve made it for me all these years.”
Rage blurred Ari’s vision, but she gritted her teeth instead of responding. Pretending not to be rattled, Ari turned to grab her bag off the chair as Sloan sauntered away, obviously pleased with herself.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9788725895995
Publisher: Indie author
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