Do Your Worst

I’m a big romance reader, but I’m also a fan of horror, mysteries, curses, and the like. So when I learned about Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan, I knew I had to read it. An enemies-to-lovers paranormal-ish romance set in a Scottish castle, it follows an American curse breaker and an English archeologist. Both are working at the same castle, and their respective jobs are a bit at odds with each other. Riley is trying to kick off her career, while Clark is trying to repair his, and they’re getting in one another’s ways. But they also can’t deny their obvious mutual attraction. Plot twist: What if their rivalry and their attraction are both part of the curse?

Tropes & Narrative Devices:

• Enemies to lovers
• Enemies with benefits
• Opposites attract
• Breaking curses
• Sex magic
• Third-person narrative, dual perspective

What I Liked:

• The whole curse premise. This castle is apparently cursed; Riley breaks curses. The key is figuring out what the curse is and how to break it… which is trickier than it sounds! Cursed objects, hidden messages, different interpretations of what the curse means and how to override it— there’s a lot of fun to be had here!
• The Scottish castle setting. I’ve never been to Scotland but I’d love to go someday, and for me it’s a joy to get to know the location via fiction. I’d also love to see some castles, so the castle setting captured my interest.
• Riley and Clark are such opposite characters. Riley comes across as impulsive and daring; Clark is much more cautious and straight-laced. They clash a lot, but that’s where all the sparks are.
• The cat that Clark has adopted, whether or not he’s accepted that yet.
• Their deeper conversations about family expectations and legacy.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

• Nothing in particular; overall I liked this!

Final Thoughts

Do Your Worst is a fun and action-packed romance with a hint of the paranormal. It didn’t play out quite how I expected, but I still enjoyed it. Riley and Clark have great banter and chemistry, and I liked the twists and turns the curse led them on. This is one of only a few romances I’ve read with curses as a central theme, but I’d love to read more like it!

Get the Book

You can buy Do Your Worst here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan
Audience	Adult
Genre	Paranormal Romance
Setting	Scotland
Number of Pages	352
Format I Read	Paperback
Original Publication Date	November 14, 2023
Publisher	Berkley

Official Summary

Sparks fly when an occult expert and a disgraced archeologist become enemies-with-benefits in this steamy romance from “go-to author” Rosie Danan (The New York Times Book Review).

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she’s pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired.

Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed “curse breaker” to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even.

Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.