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shellysbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
Bryan is best friends friends with Alexis, brother, Maxwell. They are reunited at a STEP show and they both are instantly attracted to each other after their encounter. As you can imagine, Maxwell isn’t thrilled with the thought of his sister, dating his best friend. These tropes are one of my favorite. Especially when the older brother is all sorts of out of pocket and ready to draw blood. But anyway let me get back on track.
Bryan and Alexis strike up an arrangement and real feelings get involved. I really liked this couple. They both are hard working, successful and I loved how Bryan was a mentor. Alexis was no nonsense and worked hard at achieving her goals and I loved her family unit. Bryan was very involved in the community and those are things you don’t see enough of in romances these days. I love how I found myself easily relating to the characters in this story.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. The story was well written with engaging and realistic characters. I loved the secondary characters and what they brought to the table. The whole time I was reading I felt like I was apart of the group. The story was cute, romantic and I loved how any drama in the book was dealt with in a believable manner. Nothing was over the top or made my eyes roll. It had a real feel which I loved. I have looked up Kianna Alexander’s catalog of books and have some major catching up to do!
*NetGalley Review*
Bryan and Alexis strike up an arrangement and real feelings get involved. I really liked this couple. They both are hard working, successful and I loved how Bryan was a mentor. Alexis was no nonsense and worked hard at achieving her goals and I loved her family unit. Bryan was very involved in the community and those are things you don’t see enough of in romances these days. I love how I found myself easily relating to the characters in this story.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. The story was well written with engaging and realistic characters. I loved the secondary characters and what they brought to the table. The whole time I was reading I felt like I was apart of the group. The story was cute, romantic and I loved how any drama in the book was dealt with in a believable manner. Nothing was over the top or made my eyes roll. It had a real feel which I loved. I have looked up Kianna Alexander’s catalog of books and have some major catching up to do!
*NetGalley Review*
ironskin's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this; there’s heaps to love.
Ultimately I found the pacing a bit weird, and there was lots of build up to no conflict and the third act conflict was so out of left field it was a bit confusing as to why it was an issue.
I will hope for more next time, I’ll still read more from this author who seems promising.
(Also I was listening at first and heard “autistic” instead of artistic and it made sense except for only ever mentioning it and not otherwise behaving ND and I wondered if maybe the author wanted to write an ND character but wasnt autistic so hadn’t mastered it and I looked up info on the author and then finally looked at the book in print and it all made more sense)
Ultimately I found the pacing a bit weird, and there was lots of build up to no conflict and the third act conflict was so out of left field it was a bit confusing as to why it was an issue.
I will hope for more next time, I’ll still read more from this author who seems promising.
(Also I was listening at first and heard “autistic” instead of artistic and it made sense except for only ever mentioning it and not otherwise behaving ND and I wondered if maybe the author wanted to write an ND character but wasnt autistic so hadn’t mastered it and I looked up info on the author and then finally looked at the book in print and it all made more sense)
turophile's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I wanted to like this book more. It's a fun premise - modern fake engagement of convenience between two old friends. The hero and heroine worked in adjacent industries, Alexis is a budding fashion designer and Sydney's marketing director for a textile company that will be manufacturing her first commercial line. There's a lot to work with, but unfortunately the book relied too much on some tropes that drove me crazy. Worst among them -Sydney is one of Alexis's brother Maxwell's fraternity brothers. And Maxwell spends most of the book warning Sydney not to mess with his sister. As someone with an older brother, I just find this trope bizaare and problematic.
I could have ignored that but there's just wasn't enough development of Alexis and Sydney's relationship. They hooked up way too fast.
It wasn't terrible, it's just that I know it could have been so much more.
I could have ignored that but there's just wasn't enough development of Alexis and Sydney's relationship. They hooked up way too fast.
It wasn't terrible, it's just that I know it could have been so much more.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
3.0
Couldn’t Ask for More by Kianna Alexander is a 2017 Sourcebooks Casablanca publication.
Who doesn’t like a nice southern gentleman?
Bryan is in charge of his family’s textile company, but the business has been in a slump. Bryan’s own father begins to doubt him, threatening to bring in Bryan’s charismatic cousin to liven things up.
Alexis has a hit fashion line, but her new slogan is a hard sell. To make the slogan more appealing, her publicist claims the line landed Alexis a fiancé.
With Bryan and Alexis both in need of a little occupational help, they decide to fake an engagement- what could possibly go wrong?
Okay, the fake engagement is hardly a new idea. But, believe it or not, it happens outside of the realm of romance novels. Celebrities in all fields from athletes, to reality stars, to musicians, and actors have all benefited from a cleverly staged romance.
So, I don’t mind when authors use this recurring romance trope. It all has to do with how well the author spins the material to keep it fresh. In this case, I immediately warmed up to Bryan because of his mentor program.
“It was one thing to make a living, but it felt far better to make a difference”
Alexis is a strong female character, confident and proud of her work, but also has a strong family unit in her corner.
“If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.”
However, I must confess, as cute as this story is, and as much as I liked the characters, there isn’t a great deal of emotional depth here. The conflict comes a little too late and was a bit contradictory to the well -constructed image of the characters, up to that point. As a result, it fell a little flat, which made the redemption parts a little anti-climactic.
That said, I was in the right mood for this type of book. Sure, it’s lightweight stuff, but I found it entertaining enough, and it was a very welcome diversion from life’s stresses, and even gave my mood a much needed lift, which made it worth the time I spent reading it. 3.5 stars
Who doesn’t like a nice southern gentleman?
Bryan is in charge of his family’s textile company, but the business has been in a slump. Bryan’s own father begins to doubt him, threatening to bring in Bryan’s charismatic cousin to liven things up.
Alexis has a hit fashion line, but her new slogan is a hard sell. To make the slogan more appealing, her publicist claims the line landed Alexis a fiancé.
With Bryan and Alexis both in need of a little occupational help, they decide to fake an engagement- what could possibly go wrong?
Okay, the fake engagement is hardly a new idea. But, believe it or not, it happens outside of the realm of romance novels. Celebrities in all fields from athletes, to reality stars, to musicians, and actors have all benefited from a cleverly staged romance.
So, I don’t mind when authors use this recurring romance trope. It all has to do with how well the author spins the material to keep it fresh. In this case, I immediately warmed up to Bryan because of his mentor program.
“It was one thing to make a living, but it felt far better to make a difference”
Alexis is a strong female character, confident and proud of her work, but also has a strong family unit in her corner.
“If you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.”
However, I must confess, as cute as this story is, and as much as I liked the characters, there isn’t a great deal of emotional depth here. The conflict comes a little too late and was a bit contradictory to the well -constructed image of the characters, up to that point. As a result, it fell a little flat, which made the redemption parts a little anti-climactic.
That said, I was in the right mood for this type of book. Sure, it’s lightweight stuff, but I found it entertaining enough, and it was a very welcome diversion from life’s stresses, and even gave my mood a much needed lift, which made it worth the time I spent reading it. 3.5 stars
shoshanaf's review
2.0
Couldn’t Ask for More by Kianna Alexander Narrated by Simi Howe
Alexis Devers is ready to launch her first fashion line but needs a fabulous fiancé to complete the picture for the press. Bryan James loves his family textile business, however his father has him under extreme pressure to land a new client fast! When the two meet at a fraternity/sorority step show they hatch a plan that enables both of them to succeed; a fake engagement. Will their engagement end in flames or real feelings and happiness? Fashionistas rejoice, this steamy, contemporary romance sizzles off the page with yards of love and family drama. Howe’s voice lends itself well to the full cast of characters. Her smooth narration helps the listener to understand the abundance of fashion and business details. Howe brings the lush North Carolina setting into focus creating a rich backdrop. Fans of Brenda Jackson or Robyn Carr will enjoy the latest installment of the Southern Gentlemen series.
Alexis Devers is ready to launch her first fashion line but needs a fabulous fiancé to complete the picture for the press. Bryan James loves his family textile business, however his father has him under extreme pressure to land a new client fast! When the two meet at a fraternity/sorority step show they hatch a plan that enables both of them to succeed; a fake engagement. Will their engagement end in flames or real feelings and happiness? Fashionistas rejoice, this steamy, contemporary romance sizzles off the page with yards of love and family drama. Howe’s voice lends itself well to the full cast of characters. Her smooth narration helps the listener to understand the abundance of fashion and business details. Howe brings the lush North Carolina setting into focus creating a rich backdrop. Fans of Brenda Jackson or Robyn Carr will enjoy the latest installment of the Southern Gentlemen series.
missmarketpaperback's review
4.0
So I met this author at an author signing. She writes the setting of Raleigh SO WELL. Maybe my favorite part of the book but I guess I’m biased.
The couple is great. Bryan is a mentor to kids, which is the most adorable. Alexis is ambitious and her career is taking off.
This is a very black book. Alexis and Ryan are both deeply involved in Greek life from their college and they talk about their family traditions. It was a really cool perspective and one that is very grounded in North Carolina. I loved it.
Max, Alexis’ brother, and Oscar, Bryan’s father, are both kind of terrible. Max is redeemed a little bit, but I wish there was more. I also felt like in the second half of fhe book the relationship moves super fast, but I still bought the love story.
The couple is great. Bryan is a mentor to kids, which is the most adorable. Alexis is ambitious and her career is taking off.
This is a very black book. Alexis and Ryan are both deeply involved in Greek life from their college and they talk about their family traditions. It was a really cool perspective and one that is very grounded in North Carolina. I loved it.
Max, Alexis’ brother, and Oscar, Bryan’s father, are both kind of terrible. Max is redeemed a little bit, but I wish there was more. I also felt like in the second half of fhe book the relationship moves super fast, but I still bought the love story.
wordwoonders's review
2.0
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
TW: Abusive relationship, on page sex, mention of the death of a sibling
*I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review*
Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders
I’m so sad. When I was approached to review this book I was SO excited, a romance with a mainly black cast, fake engagement, both ambitious and career oriented hero and heroine, it all sounds right up my alley. And for the most part this book did get the job done, it was a quick read with a cutesy romance but a few things in it unfortunately did not work for me so I ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped.
My first issue with the book was the writing, it was not the kind I enjoy. To me, it read awkward a lot of the time, it needed it to be more polished and some sentences were redundant, for example, here’s a quote directly from the book, that uses two successive sentences to mean the exact same thing:
“Maxwell, on the other hand, didn’t look very happy. “Bryan, I know you better quit looking at my baby sister like that.” Maxwell appeared less than pleased.
Moreover, when reading smutty scenes…I do not like them to be overly flowery because that usually ends up sounding quite ridiculous, sex doesn’t need to sound poetic, and that unfortunately was the case here and sentences like “Surrendering to the glory of the lovemaking, she cried out as orgasm flung her soul skyward” and “His body stirred, and the temptation to awaken her rose along with that part of his anatomy. She’s given him access to her private paradise, and he was hooked” just made me cringe. The whole book isn’t definitely like this but there was a lot more of this than I would like.
Like I said Couldn’t Ask for More has some tropes I enjoy immensely, especially the fake engagement, I just live for when fake relationships turn real. What made me enjoy it even more in this book’s case is that they never hid their attraction to each other, they were always straightforward with each other sharing whatever they and whatever they feel with each other which means that the conflict was never based on miscommunication, which is something that infuriates me and is often associated with this trope. So I was actually happy and relieved when it wasn’t the case here. They talk to each other, open up to each other and their chemistry was just there. Eventhough I would’ve liked it to be a bit more showing not telling but it didn’t bothered me much.
Our heroine is Alexis, a very driven fashion designer who’s honest, confident and just gives off girl boss vibes. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. I loved how eventhough she was a very career driven woman, she was also family oriented, she’s very close with her parents and siblings. Then we have the hero, Bryan, who works at his family textile company and is very passionate about his work as well as helping the troubled teens of his community, which is something I really liked about him, he’s sweet and charming and would do anything to make Alexis happy.
The fact that they communicate with each other and don’t really have any issues with each other must mean that the book is low on angst, right? Well, almost. The romance is very easy going, has all the happy feels for 80 or 85% of the book and then everything goes up in flames, there’s a conflict that starts out of nothing just for the sake of drama and that pretty much ruined the book for me. A picture of Bryan kissing another woman leaks in the media before he gets a chance to talk to Alexis, she confronts him about it and he explains to her that the woman is the one who kissed him. She believes him but then proceeds to be mad about him having a past as a “womanizer” knowing that when they first met HE TOLD HER HE NEVER HAD A SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP, like? Why be mad about that now?
All in all, Couldn’t Ask for More has a lot of strengths that were ultimately overshadowed by its weaknesses for me.
TW: Abusive relationship, on page sex, mention of the death of a sibling
*I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review*
Full review originally posted on my blog: Word Wonders
I’m so sad. When I was approached to review this book I was SO excited, a romance with a mainly black cast, fake engagement, both ambitious and career oriented hero and heroine, it all sounds right up my alley. And for the most part this book did get the job done, it was a quick read with a cutesy romance but a few things in it unfortunately did not work for me so I ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped.
My first issue with the book was the writing, it was not the kind I enjoy. To me, it read awkward a lot of the time, it needed it to be more polished and some sentences were redundant, for example, here’s a quote directly from the book, that uses two successive sentences to mean the exact same thing:
“Maxwell, on the other hand, didn’t look very happy. “Bryan, I know you better quit looking at my baby sister like that.” Maxwell appeared less than pleased.
Moreover, when reading smutty scenes…I do not like them to be overly flowery because that usually ends up sounding quite ridiculous, sex doesn’t need to sound poetic, and that unfortunately was the case here and sentences like “Surrendering to the glory of the lovemaking, she cried out as orgasm flung her soul skyward” and “His body stirred, and the temptation to awaken her rose along with that part of his anatomy. She’s given him access to her private paradise, and he was hooked” just made me cringe. The whole book isn’t definitely like this but there was a lot more of this than I would like.
Like I said Couldn’t Ask for More has some tropes I enjoy immensely, especially the fake engagement, I just live for when fake relationships turn real. What made me enjoy it even more in this book’s case is that they never hid their attraction to each other, they were always straightforward with each other sharing whatever they and whatever they feel with each other which means that the conflict was never based on miscommunication, which is something that infuriates me and is often associated with this trope. So I was actually happy and relieved when it wasn’t the case here. They talk to each other, open up to each other and their chemistry was just there. Eventhough I would’ve liked it to be a bit more showing not telling but it didn’t bothered me much.
Our heroine is Alexis, a very driven fashion designer who’s honest, confident and just gives off girl boss vibes. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. I loved how eventhough she was a very career driven woman, she was also family oriented, she’s very close with her parents and siblings. Then we have the hero, Bryan, who works at his family textile company and is very passionate about his work as well as helping the troubled teens of his community, which is something I really liked about him, he’s sweet and charming and would do anything to make Alexis happy.
The fact that they communicate with each other and don’t really have any issues with each other must mean that the book is low on angst, right? Well, almost. The romance is very easy going, has all the happy feels for 80 or 85% of the book and then everything goes up in flames, there’s a conflict that starts out of nothing just for the sake of drama and that pretty much ruined the book for me.
All in all, Couldn’t Ask for More has a lot of strengths that were ultimately overshadowed by its weaknesses for me.
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