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Verdict: A tender, funny ice-queen slow burn between a perfectionist Oxford divorce lawyer and the film star she has secretly adored for years — a reader favourite, though fans of Meeting Millie split on how its characters carry over.
Best for: Readers who love ice queens, yearning, celebrity-crush romance and a warm friend group.
Heat level: 3/5 (romance.io: open door, 49 ratings)
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5 — a 4.26 Goodreads average across 5,700 ratings, 4.05 on StoryGraph from 1,295 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 3,616 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Ice queen, celebrity/non-celebrity, lawyer and client (forbidden), slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, found family, third-act breakup, series (Oxford Romance #2, readable as a standalone).
Tempting Olivia is Clare Ashton’s 2024 contemporary lesbian romance and the second Oxford Romance. Olivia Sachdeva, the youngest partner at an Oxford law firm, keeps her life flawless — apart from a secret habit of rewatching Kate Laurence romcoms. Then Kate walks into her office needing a divorce.
It holds a 4.26 average across 5,700 Goodreads ratings, with 82% of them four or five stars, 4.05 on StoryGraph from 1,295 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 3,616 Amazon ratings. It was on Kindle Unlimited at the time of writing.
What Is Tempting Olivia About?
Olivia is exacting, frosty and brilliant at her job. Kate is warm, famous, a mother of two and trying to end a marriage that was over almost before it started, without the press finding out. Olivia has to handle the case like the professional she is, which means not mentioning that she has had a crush on Kate since she was a teenager.
Around them orbit Olivia’s best friend Charlotte and Charlotte’s girlfriend Millie, both from the first book, who are far better at reading the room than Olivia would like.
What Makes This Celebrity Romance Work
- Olivia: Many readers say she is the most relatable Ashton heroine yet; watching the ice queen thaw is the point of the book.
- Yearning: Readers praise the slow build and the tender moments; one calls the yearning biblical.
- Humour: 58% of StoryGraph readers tagged it funny, and Millie steals scenes.
- A real person, not a star: Readers like that Kate is shown as a mum with a messy life, not a glamour figure.
- Representation: 91% of StoryGraph readers called the cast diverse; romance.io readers tag it South Asian/desi, and some readers praise the ADHD representation.
Book Synopsis
Olivia Sachdeva has a first from Oxford, a partnership at Bentley lawyers and very high standards. Her only indulgences are iced desserts and romcoms starring Kate Laurence. So when Kate herself arrives with a messy divorce and an even messier life, Olivia’s carefully ordered world starts to crack.
The case demands secrecy — difficult with friends like Charlotte and Millie. And Kate is not sure what to make of her frosty, formidable lawyer. Slowly, each glimpses the person behind the other’s mask.
My Review
Ashton’s great skill is interiority, and she has never had a better subject than Olivia: a woman who compartmentalises everything and finds her compartments spilling over. The romance is a patient slow burn — readers note the leads only start sharing their feelings around halfway — and the payoff, including a third-act breakup one reader calls brutal but earned, lands hard. It is also consistently funny, and the divorce plot gives it more structure than most celebrity romances.
The dissent comes mostly from Meeting Millie fans. Several felt Olivia, Charlotte or Millie were not quite the characters they knew, and one wished Olivia had been paired with someone else. The ADHD storyline divides readers — praised as intimate and accurate by some, called forced by others. A handful found the middle slow or felt no chemistry, and at least one audiobook listener missed book one’s narrator. None of this dents the overall picture: it is widely reread.
My honest note: Read Meeting Millie first if you can; then come here for the better love story.
| Element | In Tempting Olivia |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Olivia Sachdeva (divorce lawyer, mid-thirties) & Kate Laurence (film actor, mother of two) |
| Core tropes | Ice queen, celebrity crush, lawyer and client, slow burn |
| Setting | Oxford, England |
| Heat level | 3/5 on romance.io — open door |
| Length | 404 pages; 12 h 52 min audiobook |
| Series | Oxford Romance #2 of 3 — standalone romance, happy ending |
| Content notes | Sexual content, homophobia, outing, toxic relationship, infertility, gaslighting, miscarriage (minor) |
How Spicy Is Tempting Olivia?
Romance.io rates it 3 of 5, “open door,” from 49 ratings. StoryGraph users most often flag graphic sexual content, so expect a few on-page scenes rather than a heat-driven book.
Content notes submitted on StoryGraph include homophobia and lesbophobia, outing, a toxic relationship, infertility, gaslighting, bullying and — as minor warnings — miscarriage and child death.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a yearning ice-queen romance with humour and heart. It is on our celebrity lesbian romance and cozy lesbian romance lists.
You may want to skip it if: you dislike ice queens, third-act breakups, or sequels that reshape characters you already love.
In short: A warm, funny slow burn and one of the genre’s modern favourites.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 47% five stars, 35% four, 14% three, 2% two and under 1% one. On StoryGraph, 90% found the characters loveable and 70% tagged it emotional. It won second place in I Heart SapphFic’s reader vote for best cozy and comforting read. The Tantor audiobook, narrated by Shiloh Grey, runs 12 hours 52 minutes; listeners are mixed on the narrator change from book one.
Prefer audio? Listen to Tempting Olivia on Libro.fm — the audiobook shop that supports independent bookstores.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Olivia first. Second, the yearning. Third, the humour and Millie. Fourth, the ending.
What readers argue about and complain about: Continuity with Meeting Millie, above everything. Second, the ADHD storyline. Third, a slow middle for some. Fourth, the audiobook narrator.
The comparison worth making first: For the next Oxford Romance, read Discovering Nicola. For another funny celebrity romance, try Purposefully Accidental.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to read Meeting Millie before Tempting Olivia?
It is sold as a standalone, and it works as one. But Olivia, Charlotte and Millie all come from Meeting Millie, and readers who loved that book are the ones most divided on how they are portrayed here.
How spicy is Tempting Olivia?
Moderate. Romance.io rates it 3 of 5, “open door,” from 49 ratings, although StoryGraph users most often flag graphic sexual content.
Is there a third-act breakup in Tempting Olivia?
Yes. One reader calls it brutal but perfectly motivated, and says it makes the reconciliation land. The ending is happy.
Is Tempting Olivia on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, at the time of writing, or $6.99 to buy on Kindle. The Tantor audiobook, narrated by Shiloh Grey, runs 12 hours 52 minutes.
Is Tempting Olivia a celebrity romance?
Yes, though not a glamorous one. Kate is a famous film actor going through a divorce, and readers say the book shows her as an ordinary person with a messy life rather than Hollywood sparkle.
If You Loved Tempting Olivia, Read These Next
Try Discovering Nicola to continue the series, Purposefully Accidental for a warm celebrity romance, or For Her Consideration for another actor falling for someone outside the spotlight. For more, browse our celebrity lesbian romance list, our cozy lesbian romance list, or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Tempting Olivia sets out to thaw an ice queen with a celebrity crush, and it does it with warmth, wit and real yearning. What holds it back is only a series continuity debate and a divisive subplot. It is worth it. Check Tempting Olivia on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Tempting Olivia ranks as an excellent ice-queen romance — among Clare Ashton’s best.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 4.3/5
- ✓ 4.26 average across 5,700 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 82% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 4.05 on StoryGraph from 1,295 reviews
- ✓ 4.6 stars across 3,616 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
- ✓ Patient slow burn
- ✓ Yearning praised
- ✓ Earned third-act breakup
- ✓ No chemistry for a few
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.3/5
- ✓ 90% found them loveable
- ✓ Olivia deeply relatable
- ✓ Millie steals scenes
- ✓ Continuity complaints
Writing ★★★★☆ 4.3/5
- ✓ Rich interiority
- ✓ Funny
- ✓ Divorce plot adds structure
- ✓ Slow middle for some
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
- ✓ Tagged emotional by 70%
- ✓ Readers cried
- ✓ Tender moments
- ✓ ADHD arc divides
Heat Level ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ Romance.io 3/5, open door
- ✓ 49 heat ratings
- ✓ Graphic per StoryGraph
- ✓ Romance-led
Ending ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
- ✓ Happy ending
- ✓ Earned reconciliation
- ✓ Readers call it perfect
- ✓ Sets up book three
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 4.4/5
- ✓ Widely reread
- ✓ On Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Audiobook available
- ✓ Narrator change mixed
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