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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
I’m going to preface this review by saying that I have loved almost all of Anna Zaires’ books. But, this one I could not get into. I barely finished it. I understand that the male love interest is supposed to be cocky and egotistical, but Marcus is over the top cocky, rude and is downright abusive towards the heroine. I love a good stalker romance but, most of his actions are mentally/emotionally abusive. In the beginning, he flaunts the fact that the woman he was supposed to meet is the “perfect” woman that he’s looking to marry. So, Emma literally spends the rest of the book “knowing” that she’s not good enough for Marcus and that she’s “just a fling”. He grabs her phone from her hand and goes through it without asking and while she’s actively trying to get it back from him. He continually disrespects her boundaries. Had this been a dark romance like most of her genre (ie her kidnapping/Stockholm Syndrome trope), this wouldn’t bother me as much. Needless to say, I won’t read the sequel.
Both of these books DRUG on for me. There was no reason to try and force this story into a duet. It led to a lot of unnecessary repetition that could have easily been avoided if this had been one book instead of two. Despite the unnecessary length, I didn't feel like I knew either Emma or Marcus particularly well (and what I did know of Marcus, I didn't like, but I'll get to that below). They both felt like one dimensional stereotypes vs. realistic multi-faceted characters. Emma in particular had a lot of potential as a character, it just wasn't ever developed.
Additionally, the romance felt very rushed and "insta-lovey", especially with so many pages of story to work with. I want to feel the emotion between characters and watch their relationship evolve, and I didn't get that here. I never once felt like Emma or Marcus either one had a legitimate reason to say they "loved" the other person. Lust, absolutely. Obsession (especially from Marcus), you bet. But love? Yeah, I wasn't feeling that one.
So, all of that said, my biggest issue was Marcus. Manipulative, bullish, alpha men are NOT my jam - and that's Marcus to a "T". That said, it's not necessarily a deal breaker. I've read plenty of books with a similar type of MMC that I've enjoyed or even loved. The difference between those books and this one though are the men in those books are truly taken to task for their behavior. The FMCs refuse to put up with that bullsh**, and you ultimately get the satisfaction of seeing the MMC make an effort to check some of the more toxic behaviors. That's not how this one goes down. When everything finally comes to light and Emma gets an idea of all the crap Marcus has been doing behind the scenes, it's all quickly glossed over and they move right into their HEA. Maybe Marcus realized the error of his ways, but given what we actually see on page, it's far more likely he continued on being an obsessive, manipulative asshol*. This type of behavior is why dark romance isn't something I read a lot of (though, at least when I do, I can go in eyes wide open to what type of characters I'll likely be dealing with). This duet is absolutely not dark, but it is by an author who typically writes in that sub-genre, which may explain a little of why Marcus was written the way he was. Regardless though, definitely not for me.
Additionally, the romance felt very rushed and "insta-lovey", especially with so many pages of story to work with. I want to feel the emotion between characters and watch their relationship evolve, and I didn't get that here. I never once felt like Emma or Marcus either one had a legitimate reason to say they "loved" the other person. Lust, absolutely. Obsession (especially from Marcus), you bet. But love? Yeah, I wasn't feeling that one.
So, all of that said, my biggest issue was Marcus. Manipulative, bullish, alpha men are NOT my jam - and that's Marcus to a "T". That said, it's not necessarily a deal breaker. I've read plenty of books with a similar type of MMC that I've enjoyed or even loved. The difference between those books and this one though are the men in those books are truly taken to task for their behavior. The FMCs refuse to put up with that bullsh**, and you ultimately get the satisfaction of seeing the MMC make an effort to check some of the more toxic behaviors. That's not how this one goes down. When everything finally comes to light and Emma gets an idea of all the crap Marcus has been doing behind the scenes, it's all quickly glossed over and they move right into their HEA. Maybe Marcus realized the error of his ways, but given what we actually see on page, it's far more likely he continued on being an obsessive, manipulative asshol*. This type of behavior is why dark romance isn't something I read a lot of (though, at least when I do, I can go in eyes wide open to what type of characters I'll likely be dealing with). This duet is absolutely not dark, but it is by an author who typically writes in that sub-genre, which may explain a little of why Marcus was written the way he was. Regardless though, definitely not for me.
✨✨✨Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC! ✨✨✨
I picked this up on a whim. I had never read a book by Anna Zaires before and this one grabbed me. I’m so glad I gave it a chance! This funny, sweet contemporary romance was exactly what I needed.
Marcus and Emma had a funny meet cute and instant chemistry. Almost from the beginning, Marcus was completely gone for Emma, even if he couldn’t admit that to himself. That is one of my favorite types of heroes.
I picked this up on a whim. I had never read a book by Anna Zaires before and this one grabbed me. I’m so glad I gave it a chance! This funny, sweet contemporary romance was exactly what I needed.
Marcus and Emma had a funny meet cute and instant chemistry. Almost from the beginning, Marcus was completely gone for Emma, even if he couldn’t admit that to himself. That is one of my favorite types of heroes.
Ok this one was a fast read and by the end I immediately picked up the conclusion to this duet.
Ava Erickson and Sebastian York did a great job.
I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the audiobook or the content of my review.
Ava Erickson and Sebastian York did a great job.
I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the audiobook or the content of my review.
Anna Zaires has captured my heart with this fun and titillating story of a blind date gone horribly wrong!
Marcus is a, 35 year old, Wall Street tycoon on the hunt for the perfect wife. When you can afford to be picky, why bother settling for someone that doesn’t understand the demands of a successful career.
Emma is a ,26 year old, single woman that lives a domesticated life in the company of her 3 cats. Her first impression of the 6’3, gorgeous and well-dressed, man was beyond her expectations, but his rude and intimidating behavior was not worth the time she is willing to put up with.
Marcus and Emma are the epitome of the term ‘opposites attract’, and watching the attraction grow between these two characters had my heart thumping on hyperdrive!
As a fan of her darker novels, Anna’s work has always had the ability to grasp my attention. This contemporary romance was just as engrossing and with her talent of writing cliffhangers, I cannot wait for the second installment of the Alpha Zone!
Marcus is a, 35 year old, Wall Street tycoon on the hunt for the perfect wife. When you can afford to be picky, why bother settling for someone that doesn’t understand the demands of a successful career.
Emma is a ,26 year old, single woman that lives a domesticated life in the company of her 3 cats. Her first impression of the 6’3, gorgeous and well-dressed, man was beyond her expectations, but his rude and intimidating behavior was not worth the time she is willing to put up with.
Marcus and Emma are the epitome of the term ‘opposites attract’, and watching the attraction grow between these two characters had my heart thumping on hyperdrive!
As a fan of her darker novels, Anna’s work has always had the ability to grasp my attention. This contemporary romance was just as engrossing and with her talent of writing cliffhangers, I cannot wait for the second installment of the Alpha Zone!
Marcus is a billionaire who has it all except for a wife.
Emma is a struggling bookstore worker looking to figure out what she wants.
They are complete opposites and he has the "Perfect date" set up through a matchmaker. Emma after being made fun of by her best friend for being a lonely cat lady goes to a dating app her friend made her set up to look for someone normal.
They end up at the same place and they think they are each others dates and things don't go well. He is a asshole to her and she's a bitch right back.
She leaves and they later figure out they were not each others set ups. But he can't get her out of his head so he finds her phone and stalks her and convinces her to go on a real date. He figures he can get her out of his system and move on to his perfect match. But he soon learns she's not like other girls and believes she can take care of herself and doesn't let him pay for her meals (even though she's struggling to make ends meet.)
He soon learns maybe she is his perfect match.
This book ends on a cliffhanger in the middle of the story so now I got to go read the 2nd on to get to the end of the story. I don't think this story needed cut into 2 as of right now. I will see if my opinion changes when I read the 2nd half.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the Audio Arc in exchange for my honest review
Emma is a struggling bookstore worker looking to figure out what she wants.
They are complete opposites and he has the "Perfect date" set up through a matchmaker. Emma after being made fun of by her best friend for being a lonely cat lady goes to a dating app her friend made her set up to look for someone normal.
They end up at the same place and they think they are each others dates and things don't go well. He is a asshole to her and she's a bitch right back.
She leaves and they later figure out they were not each others set ups. But he can't get her out of his head so he finds her phone and stalks her and convinces her to go on a real date. He figures he can get her out of his system and move on to his perfect match. But he soon learns she's not like other girls and believes she can take care of herself and doesn't let him pay for her meals (even though she's struggling to make ends meet.)
He soon learns maybe she is his perfect match.
This book ends on a cliffhanger in the middle of the story so now I got to go read the 2nd on to get to the end of the story. I don't think this story needed cut into 2 as of right now. I will see if my opinion changes when I read the 2nd half.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of the Audio Arc in exchange for my honest review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
ok this scratched an obsessed billionaire romance itch that i get every now and then. BUT the second he called her kitten i had to take a breather. good book other than that, but it did make me feel like i was back in highschool reading a wattpad book- which is EXACTLY the type of itch i had.
2 Stars
You know what. I don’t actually care about this book, like AT ALL. It was a matter of getting through it after the first few chapters. Just a stereotypical alpha male with v little personality even with an interesting background. The cats were fun but other than that I didn’t care about any of it.
But the last 15 mins r makin me wanna pick up the next one. Ughhhhhh.
You know what. I don’t actually care about this book, like AT ALL. It was a matter of getting through it after the first few chapters. Just a stereotypical alpha male with v little personality even with an interesting background. The cats were fun but other than that I didn’t care about any of it.
But the last 15 mins r makin me wanna pick up the next one. Ughhhhhh.
I received an ARC for an honest review.
I devoured this book. It was definitely an insta-love. I don't really enjoy insta-love, but I couldn't get enough of Marcus and Emma. They are fire together. They totally made me swooned and laughed. Marcus is such an alpha billionaire that I just couldn't help but have heart eyes for him. I'm also a cat lady so it made me love Emma even more. Lol. They're both so scared of falling in love/getting hurt that it made them hesitate about their relationship. I can't wait for the conclusion of their love story.
This story is totally different from the other books from Anna, and I want more. You insta-love folks will definitely enjoy this one.
I devoured this book. It was definitely an insta-love. I don't really enjoy insta-love, but I couldn't get enough of Marcus and Emma. They are fire together. They totally made me swooned and laughed. Marcus is such an alpha billionaire that I just couldn't help but have heart eyes for him. I'm also a cat lady so it made me love Emma even more. Lol. They're both so scared of falling in love/getting hurt that it made them hesitate about their relationship. I can't wait for the conclusion of their love story.
This story is totally different from the other books from Anna, and I want more. You insta-love folks will definitely enjoy this one.
4.5
I listened to this via Audible Escape and enjoyed enough that I had to borrow the next book as soon as I realized this was a duet!
I listened to this via Audible Escape and enjoyed enough that I had to borrow the next book as soon as I realized this was a duet!