Cold Hearted Casanova by L.J. Shen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Riggs Bates may be a billionaire, but he knows money can’t buy happiness. He keeps his financial status a secret and takes his women the same way he takes his meals—a different one three times a day. That’s until he’s caught sleeping with a married newswoman by none other than her ambitious assistant.

Daphne “Duffy” Markham wants two things in life: marry well and stay in the States. So when her almost-fiancé takes off to “find himself” and her work visa approaches expiration, Duffy resorts to the only thing she has left—blackmail. Luckily, Riggs needs an excuse to stay in New York as badly as she does, so their first meeting quickly leads to a begrudging engagement.

Armed with strict house rules and their mutual distaste for one another, Riggs and Duffy soon find there’s no denying the spark between them…or the fact that this fake marriage is starting to feel a little too real.

A Billionaire, a Brit, and One Very Bad Idea

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂🤨🤣🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

🛡️ Audiobook Review: Cold Hearted Casanova (Cruel Castaways, #3)

Author: L.J. Shen
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Marriage of Convenience
Narrators: Tor Thom and Heather Long

🦸🏼‍♀️ The Heroine: Daphne “Duffy” Markham

Duffy Markham is a British expat whose life in New York is hanging by a thread. Her job at a major television news station has been overshadowed for years by her boss Gretchen’s endless personal demands—errands, bills, groceries, even parent‑teacher conferences. And now, with Gretchen leaving for a prestigious new position, the station hasn’t bothered to renew Duffy’s visa. Add in a fresh breakup with her longtime boyfriend—who casually announced he was disappearing to Nepal for six months—and Duffy is left heartbroken, overwhelmed, and staring down the possibility of being forced back to England.

She’s a woman who masks vulnerability with polish and ambition, but beneath the surface she’s aching for stability, belonging, and a life that finally feels like her own.

🦸🏻‍♂️ The Hero: Riggs Bates

Riggs Bates is a billionaire who has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure no one knows he’s a billionaire. Traumatized by past experiences and deeply distrustful of people’s motives, he hides behind a carefully curated façade: cheap clothes, subway rides, dive bars, and a modest job as a photographer for Discovery magazine. His nomadic lifestyle suits him—no attachments, no expectations, no risks.

He’s charming, reckless, and emotionally unavailable by design. Women drift in and out of his life, but no one gets close enough to matter. Riggs is a man who believes freedom is safer than connection… until Duffy crashes into his world.

🔥 Plot Dynamics

The story ignites when Duffy arrives at Gretchen’s apartment after midnight to deliver a last‑minute birthday gift. Instead of a quick drop‑off, she walks straight into a scandal: Gretchen—married, ambitious, and image‑obsessed—is in the middle of an affair with Riggs.

Riggs barely pauses when Duffy enters, but Gretchen panics. Duffy never signed an NDA, and one whisper to the press could destroy Gretchen’s new career. For once, Duffy holds the power. She needs a way to stay in the U.S., and if Gretchen can’t sponsor her visa, an American husband certainly could. Riggs is single, present, and suddenly very invested in keeping this quiet.

What follows is a deliciously messy marriage‑of‑convenience setup that forces two guarded, complicated people into each other’s orbit.

🌟 Strengths

• Riggs’s initial misjudgment of Duffy as shallow and opportunistic creates a compelling dynamic. As he learns her history and sees her compassion, his assumptions unravel beautifully.
• Riggs’s emotional arc is one of the story’s strongest elements. His resistance to attachment softens as he discovers the real woman behind Duffy’s polished exterior.
• The fake‑engagement/marriage trope is executed with charm—forced proximity, simmering tension, and the slow reveal of vulnerabilities on both sides.

💔 Limitations

• Despite their growing connection, both characters struggle with communication at critical moments. Their emotional immaturity and impulsiveness sometimes feel inconsistent with their ages and life experiences.
• Riggs’s anger over Duffy’s concerns about money feels unfair. She isn’t greedy—she’s terrified of losing her home and livelihood. His reaction reads more like projection than justified frustration.

🎙 Audiobook Narration

The dual‑POV narration by Tor Thom and Heather Long brings the story to life with mixed results. Tor Thom delivers a rich, natural performance that suits Riggs perfectly. Heather Long’s British accent fits Duffy’s background, but her tone leans overly posh and occasionally stiff. Her male character voices, especially Riggs, can be distracting and sometimes undermine emotional moments.

💭 Final Thoughts

This audiobook blends humor, scandal, and emotional vulnerability into a lively, trope‑driven romance that’s both entertaining and heartfelt. While the characters’ immaturity and communication issues can be frustrating, their growth—and the chemistry that develops through forced proximity—makes the journey worthwhile. The narration has its highs and lows, but the story itself offers a satisfying mix of tension, transformation, and unexpected tenderness.

Overall, it’s an engaging, imperfect, but ultimately rewarding listen—especially for fans of messy beginnings, reluctant vulnerability, and the irresistible chaos of a marriage‑of‑convenience romance.

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