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all_time_mon's review
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
3.75
the_discworldian's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes an author writes a foreword, or an afterword, where you have the sense they thought they were writing a different book than you read. This is NOT one of those times. Right at the front of the book, Synithia Williams talks about soap operas and how this is her very own. She set out to write a soap, and she managed.
I mean, what's not to love? A wealthy family (running a tobacco company...ouch) with a ruthless patriarch who demands everything for the family, a playboy-with-a-heart-of-gold son now cleaning up his act and running for senate, the ambitious ice queen daughter, and then the youngest daughter, India, who's just come home and seems like the most normal one but now has to face the man she's always loved - her sister's ex-husband. And that's just the beginning!
All things considered, Travis and India both seem quite grounded, surrounded by outsized personalities and family drama (Travis has oodles of his own, thanks) as they are. They're both fundamentally good people who genuinely like and respect each other as well as having the mandatory sizzling chemistry. The other characters are all intriguing and make me think Synithia Williams could get a 7 or 8-book series out of this town if she wants to. And I hope she wants to!
I mean, what's not to love? A wealthy family (running a tobacco company...ouch) with a ruthless patriarch who demands everything for the family, a playboy-with-a-heart-of-gold son now cleaning up his act and running for senate, the ambitious ice queen daughter, and then the youngest daughter, India, who's just come home and seems like the most normal one but now has to face the man she's always loved - her sister's ex-husband. And that's just the beginning!
All things considered, Travis and India both seem quite grounded, surrounded by outsized personalities and family drama (Travis has oodles of his own, thanks) as they are. They're both fundamentally good people who genuinely like and respect each other as well as having the mandatory sizzling chemistry. The other characters are all intriguing and make me think Synithia Williams could get a 7 or 8-book series out of this town if she wants to. And I hope she wants to!
alexandratheroux's review
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The author prefaced this book with the fact that she loved Soap Operas and that this book was written as a kind of homage to that.
She delivered on that feeling. The angst! The drama! Every chapter there was more twists and intrigue.
I liked India and Travis as characters but felt that their story focused too much on what they wanted/couldn't have with each other and didn't dive far enough into who they were as people.
This was a fun read but slow because drama.
darlenec's review against another edition
5.0
This book was like reading a real life relatable drama. In black families the dating a sisters ex isn’t the normal however the author made it work. An excellent start to this series
wawa_m's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars to be more accurate.
The characters in this series are strong and consistent. I like that. Although big moments were good, I found the filler moments a little bit meh and repetitive. However, in general, it was a nice and calm read.
The characters in this series are strong and consistent. I like that. Although big moments were good, I found the filler moments a little bit meh and repetitive. However, in general, it was a nice and calm read.
muga's review against another edition
DNF at page 183, this is too slow for what I usually like in my romances
cityofdeja's review against another edition
3.0
This book started off strong, but then it really started to drag after I hit the 50% mark. The story is mostly made up of “will they, won’t they” moments, so by the time the couple got together around 70% in, I didn’t feel the sparks that were described so much throughout the book. It was a lot more tell rather than show in that regard. Even the steamy scenes kind of a lacked an extra *something* for me.
I did enjoy the family dynamic and how fleshed out each of the characters were. Both the hero and heroine have interesting relationships with their families, and I thought they were very distinct and well portrayed; I really felt like I understood them and what they stood for. I just wish that that same care was put into the central romantic relationship since this is, in fact, a romance novel.
Overall, it was fine and I’ll probably read more from the author.
I did enjoy the family dynamic and how fleshed out each of the characters were. Both the hero and heroine have interesting relationships with their families, and I thought they were very distinct and well portrayed; I really felt like I understood them and what they stood for. I just wish that that same care was put into the central romantic relationship since this is, in fact, a romance novel.
Overall, it was fine and I’ll probably read more from the author.