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lucyylu's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed getting to know how the younger sister felt about the family after everyone seems to assume how she feels in the other books. In each of these books the falling out or problem happened at exactly the same time. I saw 70% on my kindle and knew exactly what was going to happen, I wish it wasn't so predictable and repetitive when it came to the structure of the books. I would have also enjoyed seeing Sam explore her relationship with kink a bit more.
hkluvbooks22's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
SO GOOODDDDD
lesburrata's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
lilyps's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Stuffy bodyguard and wild child romance with background family drama
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
“If you’re so worried about me running off, why don’t you tie me up so I can’t go anywhere?”
I've never had the best of luck with either of these authors' solo books, so it's a nice surprise that my fave book so far from either of them is one that they co-authored. This book needed to deliver a little more... something for me, but it was still a really fun time, a nice quick read.
This is the third book in a series, but I skipped straight to this one because I adore a bodyguard trope so much. (Now that I've finished, I'm thinking I miiiiight go back and read the other books?) Bianca is the bratty and headstrong youngest daughter of a billionaire family, coddled by her overprotective mother because she's the baby of the family, and also because of her diabetes. When things from her mother's past start popping up, Bianca needs a bodyguard, and Sam comes into the picture. A lot of the storyline here is very simple and very tropey, but with a lot of elements that I loved. I loved that Bianca is the impetus for their meeting, because she's so determined to have at least some say in her life. Brat-taming isn't my favourite trope, but the authors struck just the right tone for me, with Bianca deliberately acting out and trying to touch a nerve in Sam's cool façade and then happily reaping what she sowed. Sam herself was really dreamy, and I loved the way she was described, with so much masc strength and a few feminine elements. (Butch women with long pretty hair are my eternal catnip.) Her backstory wasn't the most inspired thing in the world, but I still enjoyed it for the vulnerability she displays. The plot plays out in a kind of predictable way, and I'm not in love with some of the messaging? Or some of the ways it could be interpreted, I guess? But I mean, it definitely wasn't bad. I wanted a few more actual bodyguarding scenes, but those that we got were fine. I loved the bits at the club and in the carpark; a lot of great sexiness. As I've said before for both these authors, there's something in the writing that doesn't quite strike home, doesn't quite make me feel the romance. It was a little too plain? But at the same time, I just had a lot of fun with this.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Abby Craden, which... gah. Amazing as always. I always adore her butch voices but her cutesy femme voices are growing on me too. I think writing this review has convinced me to go back and try the other books in the series. I'm hoping I'll like them just as much, or more!
Content warnings:
Spoiler
light D/s dynamics, spankingsoy_ahoy's review against another edition
5.0
This was actually an unexpectedly great kinky romance I only picked out because I wanted to read something easy on the plane, but I somehow I missed that it's the third book of a series (although it reads perfectly fine as a standalone since each book spotlights a different couple). Now I'm eager to read the other two books as well. Extra points for the butch bodyguard and repeatedly using the words "lesbian" and "butch" throughout the book (which you would think would be lowest possible bar in wlw novels and yet it's somehow mind bogglingly rare).