The Unlikely Pair (Unlikely Dilemmas Book 2) by Jax Calder

Get ready for a political comedic thriller in The Unlikely Pair. This an opponent to lover romance that shows that two very different men can make the unlikeliest pair that will sacrifice everything for love.


From the blurb:

What happens when you find yourself stranded in the wilderness with your political enemy?

Getting stranded in the freezing wilderness with my archenemy wasn’t on today’s to-do list. But somehow, that’s where I’ve ended up.

Harry Matheson, my political rival, has always been smarmy, arrogant, and entitled. It figures that even this plane crash has barely ruffled his well-coiffed hair.

It’s all fine, though, because our pilot has gone to call for help and rescue should be imminent.

Fast forward a few frigid hours…

Umm…maybe it’s not so fine, because it appears our pilot is part of an international terrorist group intent on kidnapping us.

Now Harry and I have to flee through the wilderness—together.

Unfortunately, being adept at political debates and parliamentary procedures doesn’t exactly prepare you for the basics of finding food, keeping warm, and evading the local wildlife while playing high-stakes hide-and-seek with armed terrorists.

The only way Harry and I have any hope of surviving is to stick together.

The problem is, the line separating hate and love has begun to blur, and the last thing I need is to fall for my enemy.

The Unlikely Pair is an enemies-to-lovers romance featuring a romp through the political wilderness where hearts, quite literally, go off the beaten path.


SNik's review:

Second in series (Unlikely Dilemmas), but can be read as a standalone. Adversaries to lovers. Opposites attract. Dual POV. 

Toby and Harry couldn’t be any more different, from their politics, to their family upbringing, to their public lives, and whenever they debate in the House of Commons it is both entertaining and brutal. A plane crash has Harry and Toby navigating how to work together to survive and unexpectedly they find not only do they find themselves saving each other but also learning more about each other as well. 

This story was an amazing description of two men experiencing the desperation to survive, the strong bonds that occur when you rely entirely on another person, and how everything becomes more meaningful when living in the moment. I enjoyed every page filled with banter, discovering the small things a person does reveals their true self underneath their public facade, and that love can blossom under the harshest of conditions for Harry and Toby. Entertaining and definitely a romance that will stick with you long after the book is finished.

Molly Otto's review:

Here I was thinking Jax couldn't best the brilliance that was THE UNLIKELY HEIR well she has proven me wrong. This book has intrigue that has you on your seat wanting more from the beginning and just doesn't let go, with the bonus of a brilliant sense of humor for those who don't love straight up thriller stories. This is a true enemies to lovers where these men are on such opposite sides of the political spectrum, yet together, they make a better person. They help one another open up to new possibilities that will forever change the course of both men's lives. It was truly a wonderful read that I could not recommend enough.


Rogue's Review:

- enemies to lovers
- rom-com
- pansexual rep

This is the second in a series - Unlikely Dilemmas - this can be read as a standalone. There's a cameo from the couple in the first book but this very much Harry and Toby's story. As with the first book, you very much have to suspend all disbelief but that's what good fiction is all about. Harry and Toby regularly spar verbally across the floor as MPs in the House of Commons, but there is a real antagonism there on Toby's part, we find out why that is later on in the story. Toby is pansexual and happy with hookups, and no desire for a long term relationship.

Keep your couple germs to yourself, please.

Then Harry and Toby are thrown together in a life or death survival situation, and I loved the snark and banter between them, their chemistry is intense but they do band together to survive, as they have to in such an extreme situation. I loved the section of the story where they live happily in their cabin, forging a life together and finding comfort in each other. It's a nice happy spot in an otherwise tense situation, although I wish we had found why they landed in that situation in the first place, it feels like an unfinished thread although I hope in the 3rd book we find out.

“Actually, I think you’re more of a salad fork.” “Exactly how am I a salad fork?” “Formal, rarely needed, and incredibly pretentious,” I offer.

There is such a satisfying ending for these two, not least because of Harry standing up to his party and standing up for Toby very publicly, I got a really good feeling when that happened, I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed the whole story, and now I can't wait for the third.

Heather's Review:

Enemies/Rivals to lovers and these two rival politicians are chef's kiss!    With deep-seated political differences that come down to perspective and a plane crash that strands them in the Finnish wilderness, they first set their differences aside and then set the pages on fire as Harry opens up to Toby with some of his biggest secrets!

I love the push and pull in this book and how their time away changes them and how Harry grows in the aftermath...

This book was in part sweet, steamy, funny and poignant - and reached such a satisfying conclusion... you have to add it to your TBR immediately!

The Unlikely Pair is currently available as an e-book