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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
I almost did not post this book because I was so embarrassed to have read something with this title. My GR friends know that I am reasonably (or perhaps unreasonably) shameless in posting books here, owning up to reading, and even sometimes liking, things ridiculous, things smutty, and things very very basic. Truth be told there are only two one books I can recall deciding not to post due to embarrassment, but this almost became book three. Apparently I will admit to the smutty, but not the Hallmark-y or blatantly consumerist. But not posting was doing a disservice to a hard-working writer who put together a very solid genre romance just because her publisher gave it a terrible title, and that seemed unfair.
The book is really charming. Walker and Clara have been best friends since they met in college 10 years earlier when Walker dated Clara's roommate. Both came from troubled families from whom they were estranged and they became each other's families. Ten years later Clara is a hard-working journalist and Walker is a tech billionaire, and they remain the most important people in one another's lives as they casually date others but never commit to anyone but each other emotionally. Both fear the risk of losing the other and so they never pursue romantic partnership. Then one day someone leaves a baby on Walker's stoop saying it is his - there is no signature on the note, and apparently Walker is enough of a fuckboy that he is not sure whom the mother would be based on the age of the child. (I believe he narrows it down to a few options, but maybe I made that up.) He calls Clara, who had many younger siblings she was charged with raising so knows about babies, to come save him. She moves in for 3 weeks, and during that time as they each fall in love with the baby they lose the will to resist their love for one another. There are hurdles, but this is fairly low angst. The sex is sexy but not particularly graphic and the set up is fun, but the best part of this was the conversation between Walker and Clara. They are smart, and funny, but it is not just flirty banter like in most romances (which I often love, this is not an insult to that), it is fun and loving friend conversation and the dialogue sounds like real people actually talking to to one another. I also loved Clara's boss/friend and the person they hire as a nanny. There are some imperfect things. The baby's bio mother behaves in ways that do not ring true and Walker has a lot of free time for a billionaire who is still supposedly running a company, but overall this was fun and diverting. I am reading a very complicated book as my main read right now, and my sidepiece romances are a necessary escape -- this one did the job nicely.
The book is really charming. Walker and Clara have been best friends since they met in college 10 years earlier when Walker dated Clara's roommate. Both came from troubled families from whom they were estranged and they became each other's families. Ten years later Clara is a hard-working journalist and Walker is a tech billionaire, and they remain the most important people in one another's lives as they casually date others but never commit to anyone but each other emotionally. Both fear the risk of losing the other and so they never pursue romantic partnership. Then one day someone leaves a baby on Walker's stoop saying it is his - there is no signature on the note, and apparently Walker is enough of a fuckboy that he is not sure whom the mother would be based on the age of the child. (I believe he narrows it down to a few options, but maybe I made that up.) He calls Clara, who had many younger siblings she was charged with raising so knows about babies, to come save him. She moves in for 3 weeks, and during that time as they each fall in love with the baby they lose the will to resist their love for one another. There are hurdles, but this is fairly low angst. The sex is sexy but not particularly graphic and the set up is fun, but the best part of this was the conversation between Walker and Clara. They are smart, and funny, but it is not just flirty banter like in most romances (which I often love, this is not an insult to that), it is fun and loving friend conversation and the dialogue sounds like real people actually talking to to one another. I also loved Clara's boss/friend and the person they hire as a nanny. There are some imperfect things. The baby's bio mother behaves in ways that do not ring true and Walker has a lot of free time for a billionaire who is still supposedly running a company, but overall this was fun and diverting. I am reading a very complicated book as my main read right now, and my sidepiece romances are a necessary escape -- this one did the job nicely.
This was my first read by Victoria and it won't be my last this was a really sweet friend's to lovers romance and I enjoyed every single page of it. Walker and Clara have been friends since college they are both attracted to each other but have never acted on their feelings so when he calls for help after a baby is left on his doorstep, of course, she moves in to help. This was a great read and I would recommend it.
A warm and fuzzy feelings read. With some great moments of sweet, and some steamy moments too. This is one of the better friends-to-lovers reads I've read recently, and a large part of that is because of who the characters are. It makes such strong character sense that they would have this deep and abiding friendship that neither are willing to put at risk.
And the shake up to Walker's life was just the right nudge for both of them to reassess the way things were going.
All in all this was a quick and thoroughly entertaining read.
*I'm a lucky fish and received an ARC of this*
And the shake up to Walker's life was just the right nudge for both of them to reassess the way things were going.
All in all this was a quick and thoroughly entertaining read.
*I'm a lucky fish and received an ARC of this*
DNF at 48%.
Part of me wants to give this two stars because I feel this book fail is at least 50% on me.
I stopped and started this several times so apologies if I don't recall the intricacies of the plot correctly. Walker Beckett is a self-made billionaire, his BFF since college is Clara Anderson and they have always been buddies with no sexual tension.
Then a mystery woman leaves a small baby with Walker claiming he is the father. Horrified, Walker turns to Clara who he knows basically raised her brothers and sisters single-handedly. He asks Clara to move into his penthouse apartment for one month while he learns to deal with his baby.
Soon these BFFs are questioning the basis for their platonic friendship as they find living together is a tougher proposition than they expected.
So, as a cynical aside, do billionaires even know how to wear condoms properly? The proportion of billionaires who have sex, just the once, and use condoms and yet STILL impregnate their partner must be statistically significant. Is billionaire sperm just that potent? Sorry, I digress.
There was nothing wrong with this book and TBH if it hadn't been published at the same time as books by Sarina Bowen, Rosalind James and Amy Andrews I would probably have enjoyed it more. But in a week of outstanding books this just didn't do it for me. It felt like more of the same-old, same-old. Intense, immediate physical attraction (despite years of platonic friendship) but he doesn't think he can commit, she doesn't think he finds her attractive. They kiss, she dismisses it yadda, yadda, yadda.
When she went on a date with another guy I just couldn't even ....
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Part of me wants to give this two stars because I feel this book fail is at least 50% on me.
I stopped and started this several times so apologies if I don't recall the intricacies of the plot correctly. Walker Beckett is a self-made billionaire, his BFF since college is Clara Anderson and they have always been buddies with no sexual tension.
Then a mystery woman leaves a small baby with Walker claiming he is the father. Horrified, Walker turns to Clara who he knows basically raised her brothers and sisters single-handedly. He asks Clara to move into his penthouse apartment for one month while he learns to deal with his baby.
Soon these BFFs are questioning the basis for their platonic friendship as they find living together is a tougher proposition than they expected.
So, as a cynical aside, do billionaires even know how to wear condoms properly? The proportion of billionaires who have sex, just the once, and use condoms and yet STILL impregnate their partner must be statistically significant. Is billionaire sperm just that potent? Sorry, I digress.
There was nothing wrong with this book and TBH if it hadn't been published at the same time as books by Sarina Bowen, Rosalind James and Amy Andrews I would probably have enjoyed it more. But in a week of outstanding books this just didn't do it for me. It felt like more of the same-old, same-old. Intense, immediate physical attraction (despite years of platonic friendship) but he doesn't think he can commit, she doesn't think he finds her attractive. They kiss, she dismisses it yadda, yadda, yadda.
When she went on a date with another guy I just couldn't even ....
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.