Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Do Your Worst is a recent Adult Romance release from Rosie Danan. In this story we follow Riley Rhodes, a young American woman trying to make a go as a curse breaker, and Clark Edgewater, a disgraced young archaeologist trying to rebuild his tarnished reputation.
The setting is Arden Castle, an infamous Scottish castle known for its centuries-long curse. Riley gets the opportunity to travel there to try her best to break the curse before the new owners turn it into a luxury getaway spot.
Meanwhile, Clark is there working for the HES, surveying the site, making sure anything of historical significance is found, documented and handled properly.
There’s instant attraction, but also a healthy dose of animosity. This is definitely an opposites attract scenario, with their personalities clashing hard and often.
They’re both trying to drive each other away, but the chemistry keeps bringing them together. There are some silly moments, where you can hardly believe they’re making the choices they are, but as they begin to open up to one another, their personalities truly blossom.
I loved both of these characters. Riley is head strong and determined. She’s pushing to try to prove herself and I think she saw a bit of that reflected in Clark’s personality.
Clark is such a sweetie. He’s been hurt, so he has a bit of a wall up, but there’s also an innocence about him that is so charming. You can tell how much he is intrigued by Riley. It’s cute as heck.
I really loved this set-up and the setting. The story kicks off very quickly. I liked that Danan didn’t waste time before getting us to Scotland. The idea of the curse and the history of the castle were both interesting. I would love to get an assignment like Riley had here.
I also really enjoyed how different these two characters were, but how well their personalities played off one another. The banter was great, as were the steamy scenes. I think Danan did a fantastic job building out the relationship dynamics. Their push-and-pull was enticing.
The conclusion to this was very cutesy as well. It got me in my feels, but I was also intrigued by how it left off. Could we be seeing more of Riley and Clark in the future? I definitely think it’s a possibility.
Whether or not we are getting more with them, or maybe getting some stories with side characters involved, like Clark’s brother, whatever it is, I will read it. This was a strong Romance for me. It had just the right mix of humor, steam, and inclusion of work and family issues, for my taste.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had never read from Danan before, so this was a delightful surprise.
I am looking forward to picking up more of her work.