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joresana's review against another edition
5.0
I downloaded this book for free during a promotion on Amazon; I would have paid for it. I love the idea of going on a game show and trying to live as people did in the past. Most of the characters are very well done. I really enjoyed this book and have read it several times now. If I had one nitpick, it would be that the boyfriend is a bit too over the top in his behavior.
ajmarinell's review
4.0
A very light beach read. Neither the characters nor the story are too deep, but it was still a fun, quick book.
tarabithia's review against another edition
5.0
Cute story about a reality show. Nice, mindless read.
judascomplex's review
4.0
I'm fairly certain I picked this up from a BookBub promotion probably a couple years ago now (okay, I just checked and I exaggerate, it's only been almost a year) but it's another that I have no clue why I picked it up. It's continuing on in my apparent interest in reality TV show style books, but this is a little more rustic.
This was one hell of a ride.
Mira Walker has entered a "living history" reality show, in hopes that it will do something to shake up her life. She entered with her boyfriend--as you come in teams of two--in hope that maybe this will help them rekindle some of their affection, which has been absent recently. And hey, the prospect of winning a million dollars is cool too.
On the other side, we have Gabe and Alec Kincaid, twins and another team in the game. Given how close twins can be (especially these two) it seems a given that they'll be able to win the prize--and since Mira's boyfriend Scott has painted a target onto his own back on the first day, they're no threat in the least. What could go wrong?
Everything. Of course. This is both reality TV and a romance. Everything can and will go wrong.
A lot of romances (read as: pretty much all of them) set up something like this triangle at the start. Girl is with guy, things may or may not be going well for them--until enter dramatically the sexy swoon god and how could you POSSIBLY ever stay with your established relationship? I'm always a little hazy on whether or not the rationale behind the inevitable switch in relationship is valid or not. At first, I was hesitant for this. It's lust at first sight, Mira's focused on Gabe instantly, despite the fact that she's here with her boyfriend.
Except Scott kills any chance of me rooting for him very early on. I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. How Mira has lasted this long in the relationship I cannot EVEN fathom--though knowing what I do about toxic and abusive relationships, it's not uncommon. But dear God, he starts bad and goes downhill from there.
It allows this to be more than just a romance, more than just a competition--it acts as a way for Mira to re-find herself and make sure she's really on the path she wants to be. Gabe also toes the line nicely between alpha male and restrained gentleman, which is a nice change from the Super Hardcore Alpha Males that seem to show up in every romance and are incapable of having a conversation without it ending in sex. (I may have some opinions on this.) The banter between him and Alec is perfectly believable, and his handling of Mira and the competition as a whole is perfect.
And of course, in addition to this, it allows the romance to have a much wider cast of characters than just our two leads--since this is a TV show after all. Each character was well-thought-out, they all had their own story, and none of them felt like cardboard cutouts there because something had to be there. (Except for the characters who fit those stereotypes, in which case...that's the point.) You really get a feeling for who all these people are and grow connected to them, almost as if you were watching the show yourself.
And if you like dramatic endings, this one is a serious doozy. Just saying.
Solid writing, fun characters, interesting premise. Can't ask for much more than that.
Rating: **** (Recommended)
This was one hell of a ride.
Mira Walker has entered a "living history" reality show, in hopes that it will do something to shake up her life. She entered with her boyfriend--as you come in teams of two--in hope that maybe this will help them rekindle some of their affection, which has been absent recently. And hey, the prospect of winning a million dollars is cool too.
On the other side, we have Gabe and Alec Kincaid, twins and another team in the game. Given how close twins can be (especially these two) it seems a given that they'll be able to win the prize--and since Mira's boyfriend Scott has painted a target onto his own back on the first day, they're no threat in the least. What could go wrong?
Everything. Of course. This is both reality TV and a romance. Everything can and will go wrong.
A lot of romances (read as: pretty much all of them) set up something like this triangle at the start. Girl is with guy, things may or may not be going well for them--until enter dramatically the sexy swoon god and how could you POSSIBLY ever stay with your established relationship? I'm always a little hazy on whether or not the rationale behind the inevitable switch in relationship is valid or not. At first, I was hesitant for this. It's lust at first sight, Mira's focused on Gabe instantly, despite the fact that she's here with her boyfriend.
Except Scott kills any chance of me rooting for him very early on. I have never wanted to punch someone so much in my life. How Mira has lasted this long in the relationship I cannot EVEN fathom--though knowing what I do about toxic and abusive relationships, it's not uncommon. But dear God, he starts bad and goes downhill from there.
It allows this to be more than just a romance, more than just a competition--it acts as a way for Mira to re-find herself and make sure she's really on the path she wants to be. Gabe also toes the line nicely between alpha male and restrained gentleman, which is a nice change from the Super Hardcore Alpha Males that seem to show up in every romance and are incapable of having a conversation without it ending in sex. (I may have some opinions on this.) The banter between him and Alec is perfectly believable, and his handling of Mira and the competition as a whole is perfect.
And of course, in addition to this, it allows the romance to have a much wider cast of characters than just our two leads--since this is a TV show after all. Each character was well-thought-out, they all had their own story, and none of them felt like cardboard cutouts there because something had to be there. (Except for the characters who fit those stereotypes, in which case...that's the point.) You really get a feeling for who all these people are and grow connected to them, almost as if you were watching the show yourself.
And if you like dramatic endings, this one is a serious doozy. Just saying.
Solid writing, fun characters, interesting premise. Can't ask for much more than that.
Rating: **** (Recommended)
crhbrault's review
5.0
I enjoyed the unusual setting of a reality show - this was romantic with some steamy parts without being overly graphic. Cute courtship, little bit of a predictable thriller type ending. Overall, very enjoyable read that I found myself not wanting to put down.
traecrochet's review
3.0
This was a quick, fun read. I did find myself skipping over some parts because they were a little tedious, but overall, it was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the next one.
elenajohansen's review
4.0
It's rare that I like a book better as it goes along, but this story started out with two major strikes against it: a HUGE cast of characters, and Mira, who as our heroine was on the borderline of TSTL. Or at least, too stupid to date, because Scott is never anything but a Grade-A controlling asshole. It was hard for me to believe anyone could fall for his blatantly obvious emotional manipulation.
However, like any contest-style reality TV show, the huge cast of forgettable characters quickly gets pared down to a small handful of memorable ones, so I guess the initially overwhelming amount of names is forgivable. I mean, I love Top Chef, I can probably name all the winners if I dig through my memory banks, but the people who got eliminated in the first few challenges each season? There's no way I remember their names.
And Mira, well, we get to know Mira, and it turns out she's not as stupid or naive as she first appears. I'm not entirely sure I ever really liked her, but by the end I could tolerate her.
So why does this book still get four stars from me? GABE. I like my heroes thoughtful and considerate, and boy howdy, is Gabe just about the best of them. Can I marry Gabe? Because I would.
However, like any contest-style reality TV show, the huge cast of forgettable characters quickly gets pared down to a small handful of memorable ones, so I guess the initially overwhelming amount of names is forgivable. I mean, I love Top Chef, I can probably name all the winners if I dig through my memory banks, but the people who got eliminated in the first few challenges each season? There's no way I remember their names.
And Mira, well, we get to know Mira, and it turns out she's not as stupid or naive as she first appears. I'm not entirely sure I ever really liked her, but by the end I could tolerate her.
So why does this book still get four stars from me? GABE. I like my heroes thoughtful and considerate, and boy howdy, is Gabe just about the best of them. Can I marry Gabe? Because I would.
elenareadsalittle's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
tita_noir's review
3.0
I waffled with the rating of this book, but decided to finally give it three stars because despite some major problems with it, in the end it was an engaging read.
My Full Review Here
My Full Review Here
bananatricky's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine a reality TV show where contestants live like settlers in 1885.
Mira Walker is a management consultant with a distant and judgemental father, she and her boyfriend Scott enter a reality TV show where the winning couple can win $1 million. Scott is a lawyer and convinced that he has a winning strategy, highly competitive he wants to win at any cost.
Gabe and Alec Kincaid are brothers who have entered the competition for different reasons. Good looking and charming, the brothers have obviously been selected for their visual appeal.
From the moment Gabe first lays eyes on Mira as she stands watching a sunset outside their hotel on the eve of the competition he is struck by her smile and her capacity for joy.
When I got an email alert from eReaderIQ that this book was free (BTW check this site out - alerts when books by your favourite authors go down in price, or specific books, as well as general alerts when books drop significantly in price) I was intrigued because I had never seen/heard of this book from one of my favourite authors. This actually 'felt' more like a book by [a:Susan Elizabeth Phillips|41313|Susan Elizabeth Phillips|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1351268280p2/41313.jpg] than Rosalind James and I got the feeling that this might have been an old book from her back catalogue, although Goodreads informs me that this was first published in 2013, which is not that long ago.
Nevertheless, my feelings about the style and age of the novel aside, this was a fun read as the typical mixed bag of stereotypical contestants (token black couple, token hispanic couple, glamorous young women, intellectual couple, gay brother and sister, famous couple etc) learn to live like settlers, building fences, milking cows, living off the land and entering weekly competitions to survive being voted off the competition by their teammates. As always the competition has a few twists for the contestants, friendships are forged, alliances are formed and people reveal their true selves under pressure.
I read somewhere that everyone wants a Gabe and I couldn't agree more, a handsome charming Doctor with a heart of gold, he and Mira are destined for each other - although they aren't alone in showing well in adversity. Intrigued I have been drawn into buying the second book in the series, which I assume will feature Alec.
Mira Walker is a management consultant with a distant and judgemental father, she and her boyfriend Scott enter a reality TV show where the winning couple can win $1 million. Scott is a lawyer and convinced that he has a winning strategy, highly competitive he wants to win at any cost.
Gabe and Alec Kincaid are brothers who have entered the competition for different reasons. Good looking and charming, the brothers have obviously been selected for their visual appeal.
From the moment Gabe first lays eyes on Mira as she stands watching a sunset outside their hotel on the eve of the competition he is struck by her smile and her capacity for joy.
When I got an email alert from eReaderIQ that this book was free (BTW check this site out - alerts when books by your favourite authors go down in price, or specific books, as well as general alerts when books drop significantly in price) I was intrigued because I had never seen/heard of this book from one of my favourite authors. This actually 'felt' more like a book by [a:Susan Elizabeth Phillips|41313|Susan Elizabeth Phillips|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1351268280p2/41313.jpg] than Rosalind James and I got the feeling that this might have been an old book from her back catalogue, although Goodreads informs me that this was first published in 2013, which is not that long ago.
Nevertheless, my feelings about the style and age of the novel aside, this was a fun read as the typical mixed bag of stereotypical contestants (token black couple, token hispanic couple, glamorous young women, intellectual couple, gay brother and sister, famous couple etc) learn to live like settlers, building fences, milking cows, living off the land and entering weekly competitions to survive being voted off the competition by their teammates. As always the competition has a few twists for the contestants, friendships are forged, alliances are formed and people reveal their true selves under pressure.
I read somewhere that everyone wants a Gabe and I couldn't agree more, a handsome charming Doctor with a heart of gold, he and Mira are destined for each other - although they aren't alone in showing well in adversity. Intrigued I have been drawn into buying the second book in the series, which I assume will feature Alec.