08/27/2026
HAPPY RELEASE DAY 🏳️🌈💕Dana Hawkins Author
Forced Proximity is a book that will make you ✨ swoon ✨ I was batting my eyelashes and kicking my feet for this one. I love a slow burn and I loved forced proximity. Add in enemies to lovers and I am locked in! I loved these characters, this story, and just all of the goodness in this book!
These characters. I LOVE a strong woman. Give me strength and independence and determination all day. Lexi is not just good at her job, but she is dedicated, precise, and takes her role very seriously. But she is also soft, underneath the trauma that she needs to shed there is the heart and soul of a bisexual woman who just needs the right human who will love and protect her but also respect her and accept that her job is what defines her self worth and identity.
Justin is the man that you want to hate because on the outside his life is picture perfect and you can’t help but blame him for it. But then you realize that is just a heavily curated facade and he has trauma that runs deep, with triggers that can be easily set off, and desperately needs to find a woman who will love him. I adore his transition in this book. I love his need to take care of her in all the simple ways like just feeding her, and wanting to know how to help manage her diabetes.
Their chemistry is off the charts. Love that tension, that slow burn, the little digs amid the soft glances, and the yearning was soooo good. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the subtle flirting without flirting, because that would cross a line and Lexi could never. The gym scene, the basketball court, all the accidental touches that made their skin light up with fire. Gah, so good!
I adore Dana’s writing. She has a gift for people. Her characters are the kind that stay with you. Dana doesn’t just tell you what’s happening and how people feel, she shows you. The orange juice scene and the aftermath conversation absolutely sealed it for me. Hearing both their povs on that particular situation was almost comical and I love that Dana can bring some of that levity to a serious situation. Go grab this book, I promise you won’t regret it!
