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sarareadsromance's review
4.0
I just love reading books from authors that are new to me! I am so glad I decided to pick up the ARC for The Benefactor which is book two in the See No Evil Trilogy. Nana Malone is a fantastic writer. I said this once and I’ll say it a million times, but when an author’s writing vividly comes to the picture in my head, I know I am reading something good! This is what this book helped me do.
This book is written so well. I felt all the things that Ben and Livy felt. Ben and Livy are such a great duo. Ben is a drop dead gorgeous and sinful man. He’s my favorite type of alpha. Tall, arrogant, charming, smart and has a beautiful accent. Talk about perfect. As for Olivia (Livy) she is such a sweet, inquisitive, smart woman. I loved her and I could really connect with her. They have such great energy. I loved the back and forth between the two. They knew that they should give into the sexual tension throughout the book.
There is so much that happened in this book and I am so excited to dive into The Benefactor. If you are looking for a suspenseful, twisty, secret society read this book is for you. With a little bit of danger and a little bit of steam this is the perfect stick to your chair and don't move until you're finished kind of read!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received a eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is written so well. I felt all the things that Ben and Livy felt. Ben and Livy are such a great duo. Ben is a drop dead gorgeous and sinful man. He’s my favorite type of alpha. Tall, arrogant, charming, smart and has a beautiful accent. Talk about perfect. As for Olivia (Livy) she is such a sweet, inquisitive, smart woman. I loved her and I could really connect with her. They have such great energy. I loved the back and forth between the two. They knew that they should give into the sexual tension throughout the book.
There is so much that happened in this book and I am so excited to dive into The Benefactor. If you are looking for a suspenseful, twisty, secret society read this book is for you. With a little bit of danger and a little bit of steam this is the perfect stick to your chair and don't move until you're finished kind of read!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received a eARC in exchange for an honest review.
thatfabchick's review
5.0
Fun fun fun
This book was amazing I had such a great time reading this book.
This book was sexy and adventurous and they kept me on my toes. I really found the chemistry between Ben and Olivia to be very steamy. This book is also very funny I found myself cracking up at so many points in this book and never let you feel like it was too serious but it did make the serious parts feel very exciting.
I Actually got this book as an audio and loved every moment of it. The narrators were fantastic. Mari is one of my favorite narrators and I think she just brings out a femininity sweetness to Livy.
This book does contain a cliffhanger and I believe so does the next book has a cliffhanger. None of the books are standalone so you must read them along together. But I do think you’re going to have such a good time with us book.
If you’re just looking for a good time reading a book, nothing too serious ,action maybe some suspense, secret society people trying to plot others demise and English rich people stuff this is is for you.
This book was amazing I had such a great time reading this book.
This book was sexy and adventurous and they kept me on my toes. I really found the chemistry between Ben and Olivia to be very steamy. This book is also very funny I found myself cracking up at so many points in this book and never let you feel like it was too serious but it did make the serious parts feel very exciting.
I Actually got this book as an audio and loved every moment of it. The narrators were fantastic. Mari is one of my favorite narrators and I think she just brings out a femininity sweetness to Livy.
This book does contain a cliffhanger and I believe so does the next book has a cliffhanger. None of the books are standalone so you must read them along together. But I do think you’re going to have such a good time with us book.
If you’re just looking for a good time reading a book, nothing too serious ,action maybe some suspense, secret society people trying to plot others demise and English rich people stuff this is is for you.
jasreads24's review
2.0
I’m being generous with 3 stars, it’s probably more like 2.5-2.75 but I couldn’t finish, I’m halfway through and I’m bored and I know nothing about these characters but surface level information. One thing I’m confident in is that they really want to fuck each other, ok but what else???? They literally can’t stop saying how much they want to fuck, like it’s laid on THICK.
There’s so much going on in this book and the author fails to let us in on the secrets. It’s a secret society, it’s a heist going on, it’s a death that is apparently driving this whole plot, it’s romance, or more like lust, characters are getting targeted with muggings, and I still don’t know what happening. It’s all over the place and sometimes the tone of the book is inconsistent. For the most part , it’s really serious and solemn, then one part it gets silly and lighthearted, then back to serious. It’s confusing.
While reading this I just felt like I walked into a conversation that started 10 minutes ago and no one is explaining what the conversation is about but instead they keep going and the conversation gets deeper and deeper and I’m just getting more lost.
And one thing that bothers me is one of the main characters is named Olivia but each chapter she has is titled “Livy” and no one ever calls her that!!!! Like it’s weird and pointless.
There’s so much going on in this book and the author fails to let us in on the secrets. It’s a secret society, it’s a heist going on, it’s a death that is apparently driving this whole plot, it’s romance, or more like lust, characters are getting targeted with muggings, and I still don’t know what happening. It’s all over the place and sometimes the tone of the book is inconsistent. For the most part , it’s really serious and solemn, then one part it gets silly and lighthearted, then back to serious. It’s confusing.
While reading this I just felt like I walked into a conversation that started 10 minutes ago and no one is explaining what the conversation is about but instead they keep going and the conversation gets deeper and deeper and I’m just getting more lost.
And one thing that bothers me is one of the main characters is named Olivia but each chapter she has is titled “Livy” and no one ever calls her that!!!! Like it’s weird and pointless.
nikitanavalkar's review
3.5 Stars
Book hangover + sickness = moody, grumpy me. Which means my reading suffers. I so wanted to love this secret society, heisty book, but I wasn’t super impressed. Arrogant billionaire Ben has a one track mind and the attention span of a poodle, when he’s supposed to be this suave modern rogue with smarts. Livy’s character I couldn’t pin down because it kept changing so often. And both have a penchant for making the worst stupid decisions that belie their supposedly smart, hotshot characters. Their insta love + friends to lovers dynamic is supposed to be electric but I felt a lot of tell no show, with long internal monologues and little actual chemistry. But like I said, I was grumpy, so it could be a case of it’s not you it’s me. While I do want to complete the trilogy after that cliffy, I really actually want Bridge’s book because of certain little tidbits thrown at us.
Book hangover + sickness = moody, grumpy me. Which means my reading suffers. I so wanted to love this secret society, heisty book, but I wasn’t super impressed. Arrogant billionaire Ben has a one track mind and the attention span of a poodle, when he’s supposed to be this suave modern rogue with smarts. Livy’s character I couldn’t pin down because it kept changing so often. And both have a penchant for making the worst stupid decisions that belie their supposedly smart, hotshot characters. Their insta love + friends to lovers dynamic is supposed to be electric but I felt a lot of tell no show, with long internal monologues and little actual chemistry. But like I said, I was grumpy, so it could be a case of it’s not you it’s me. While I do want to complete the trilogy after that cliffy, I really actually want Bridge’s book because of certain little tidbits thrown at us.
claracavanaugh's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lowkeyreader's review
4.0
Nana Malone has once again intrigued me into her trilogy. I was intrigued by Ben and Olivia’s story This kind of gives me Nicole French's vibes, but less dark. Big Ben just hook you in from the very beginning. I can't wait for the continuation of the book. The story line is filled with mystery, secrets, and lies, which just makes it so captivating and you can't help but get sucked into it!
vera_allbookedup's review
5.0
I loved this book! The suspense and intrigue hooked me right in. The secrecy and the ruthlessness. The thrill of it all. I liked how Olivia and Ben developed their relationship slowly and how open they were with each other. I dare say they brought out all the hidden gems of one another. I cannot wait to see what happens next for the these two. The suspense is killing me!
lovetolovebooks's review
4.0
Big Ben...
Equal parts James Bond vibes, secret societies, and workplace romance. This book was so much freaking fun! I knew I was going to love this book beacuse on page two it made me cackle. Not laugh. Cackle. Maybe it's just my immature humor but c'mon..."Statue Dick"!
I listened to the audiobook which I highly recommend because the narrators did such a fantastic job. Do you love men with accents? Then yeah this audiobook is for you.
Ben is part of a secret society called the Elite, but years ago something bad happened. One of his best friends Toby was killed by his fellow brothers inside the Elite. So Ben and a group of his closest friends are out to find the truth and seek revenge for Toby. Along the way, he meets Olivia. He has to leave a USB drive full of information in Olivia's purse at a party, but after the coast is clear he comes back and is willing to use all of his charms to get it back from her. But Olivia is on to him and will not release it back to him that easily. What follows is a cat and mouse game. They form a good friendship and workplace relationship, but they can only ignore their attraction to one another for so long...
All the while enemies are waiting and watching them both in the shadows.
Nana's writing will hook you, make you crave more, and also bring a blush upon those cheeks. I'm so glad that the third and final book is coming out soon because I'm gonna need to binge books two and three soon. The ending of Big Ben? I'm scared.
So does Big Ben live up to his name? Read for yourself and find out ;)
Overall rating 4 stars
Steaminess 3 stars
CW- scenes of violence/fighting
Equal parts James Bond vibes, secret societies, and workplace romance. This book was so much freaking fun! I knew I was going to love this book beacuse on page two it made me cackle. Not laugh. Cackle. Maybe it's just my immature humor but c'mon..."Statue Dick"!
I listened to the audiobook which I highly recommend because the narrators did such a fantastic job. Do you love men with accents? Then yeah this audiobook is for you.
Ben is part of a secret society called the Elite, but years ago something bad happened. One of his best friends Toby was killed by his fellow brothers inside the Elite. So Ben and a group of his closest friends are out to find the truth and seek revenge for Toby. Along the way, he meets Olivia. He has to leave a USB drive full of information in Olivia's purse at a party, but after the coast is clear he comes back and is willing to use all of his charms to get it back from her. But Olivia is on to him and will not release it back to him that easily. What follows is a cat and mouse game. They form a good friendship and workplace relationship, but they can only ignore their attraction to one another for so long...
All the while enemies are waiting and watching them both in the shadows.
Nana's writing will hook you, make you crave more, and also bring a blush upon those cheeks. I'm so glad that the third and final book is coming out soon because I'm gonna need to binge books two and three soon. The ending of Big Ben? I'm scared.
So does Big Ben live up to his name? Read for yourself and find out ;)
Overall rating 4 stars
Steaminess 3 stars
CW- scenes of violence/fighting
shell74's review
4.0
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
See the full review at HarlequinJunkie
Big Ben was a steamy, suspenseful romance that will whip readers into a frenzy and leave them wanting oh so much more. But honestly, that’s exactly what I expect from the wonderful Nana Malone.
I’m not even really sure where to begin, there was so much that happened–and so much that I liked!–about Big Ben. I guess first of all, you know a Nana Malone book is going to have a hot-as-sin hero, which is just what we had with Ben Covington. He was a bit posh and had an arrogance to him that was equal parts charming and exasperating for our heroine Livy. Much to our entertainment. Ben was naughty in all the right ways as well as he was simply a nice, standup guy. And we got to see that naughtiness immediately... Read More
See the full review at HarlequinJunkie
Big Ben was a steamy, suspenseful romance that will whip readers into a frenzy and leave them wanting oh so much more. But honestly, that’s exactly what I expect from the wonderful Nana Malone.
I’m not even really sure where to begin, there was so much that happened–and so much that I liked!–about Big Ben. I guess first of all, you know a Nana Malone book is going to have a hot-as-sin hero, which is just what we had with Ben Covington. He was a bit posh and had an arrogance to him that was equal parts charming and exasperating for our heroine Livy. Much to our entertainment. Ben was naughty in all the right ways as well as he was simply a nice, standup guy. And we got to see that naughtiness immediately... Read More
lisa_schell's review
3.0
So I thought I would explain the 3 stars. I usually don't write reviews for 3 star books. But here it goes, this is a really good story. Ms. Malone writes wonderful characters and I love her tongue and cheek sense of humor. What I don't like about Ms. Malone's work is that she doesn't always tell a complete story. So if you like a good 1/3 of a story this book is for you. This is where this book lost a star.
Another reason this book lost a star is not the fault of Ms. Malone at all. The editor/copywriter/formatter did a lousy job on the Kindle edition with running together words, spacing and sentences. If the person who uploaded the Kindle format afterward had taken one look at it before it was released they would have seen mistakes from the first page on. It was so bad it made it difficult to read at times.
Reviews do help authors which is the only reason I wrote a review for this 3 star book.
Another reason this book lost a star is not the fault of Ms. Malone at all. The editor/copywriter/formatter did a lousy job on the Kindle edition with running together words, spacing and sentences. If the person who uploaded the Kindle format afterward had taken one look at it before it was released they would have seen mistakes from the first page on. It was so bad it made it difficult to read at times.
Reviews do help authors which is the only reason I wrote a review for this 3 star book.