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elenajohansen's review
4.0
A satisfying payoff to the first novella, though I was surprised how much longer and meatier this one was. If you view the two of them together as a single work, it's about 300 pages, of which the first hundred is the first novella and the rest the second. So Be My Fantasy was effectively Act I of the story, giving us a good point to stick the "will they or won't they work out" cliffhanger.
One aspect I think was stronger here was the fact that this is a second-chance romance, which I feel was skated over in the first novella. It's maybe not as strong a use of the trope as I've seen elsewhere--these aren't childhood or high-school sweethearts reuniting, merely two people who dated briefly (and chastely) as adults trying again under different circumstances. But that's addressed as a corollary to the conflict of Luca and Elizabeth dating the first time as, essentially, a business merger, and how she is no longer willing to settle for that. Luca's aim now has to be to convince her he no longer wants that, and I think that's a powerful and appropriate motivation for his actions.
He continues to be a charmer, and I may have fallen a little in love with him myself. The dinner scene with his parents blindsided me with their charm as well, so I see why it was an effective tactic on Elizabeth.
I think I still prefer Rai's more recent works, as Girl Gone Viral was one of my best books of 2020, but her back catalog is proving to be worth the time to investigate, and there's still more I have to get to while I'm waiting for the next Modern Love book.
One aspect I think was stronger here was the fact that this is a second-chance romance, which I feel was skated over in the first novella. It's maybe not as strong a use of the trope as I've seen elsewhere--these aren't childhood or high-school sweethearts reuniting, merely two people who dated briefly (and chastely) as adults trying again under different circumstances. But that's addressed as a corollary to the conflict of Luca and Elizabeth dating the first time as, essentially, a business merger, and how she is no longer willing to settle for that. Luca's aim now has to be to convince her he no longer wants that, and I think that's a powerful and appropriate motivation for his actions.
He continues to be a charmer, and I may have fallen a little in love with him myself. The dinner scene with his parents blindsided me with their charm as well, so I see why it was an effective tactic on Elizabeth.
I think I still prefer Rai's more recent works, as Girl Gone Viral was one of my best books of 2020, but her back catalog is proving to be worth the time to investigate, and there's still more I have to get to while I'm waiting for the next Modern Love book.
northship's review
3.0
it was... okay? idk, i just don't think i like this serial novella thing. the first one felt really incomplete to me, and this one felt like a perfunctory ending with almost no tension (like, luca is almost too perfect, there was never any doubt he was going to do the right thing and be amazing?) anyway i enjoyed reading it because i really like rai's writing, but plot-wise and characterwise, i think she's better when she's given the space to expand in an actual novel.
nyi_ju's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
readingjedi's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
anabelsbrother's review
3.0
3.5 stars
thank you Rachel for bringing to my attention the fact that this book has been released! I immediately one-clicked because no self control lol
anyway, I love this one a lot more than the first book. I wasn't sure if I liked Luca before, but he grew on me in this one. still very much adore Elizabeth / Tess.
thank you Rachel for bringing to my attention the fact that this book has been released! I immediately one-clicked because no self control lol
anyway, I love this one a lot more than the first book. I wasn't sure if I liked Luca before, but he grew on me in this one. still very much adore Elizabeth / Tess.
rashbrook's review
3.0
I didn’t read the first book, but didn’t really need to, to understand the arc of the story. This is a pleasurable erotic novel about wealthy people. Yep that sums it up!
marimaiz's review
5.0
I thought this book was a great way of finishing the story for Elizabeth and Luke. It's a great read.
crystalisreading's review
3.0
I think this book would have benefited from being in one volume with its predecessor, instead of two separate books...I was off to a really slow start with this one, and had to try several times before I got far enough back into the story to start caring about Elizabeth/ Tess and Luca again. Once I did, I remembered how sweet AND steamy their love was, and why I liked the first book so much. I ended up enjoying it a lot, despite not being terribly into their kinks. Their issues and how they slowly found each other, despite them (aka mostly how Luca overcame his boneheaded mistakes of the past), were believable and sweet. Overall a very enjoyable read. I would probably recommend, if you were going to read the duology, though, read them at the same time, to maintain the momentum and sense of engagement.
kazen's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Note: Be My Fantasy and Stay My Fantasy are halves of a full novel - pick them up as a set or you risk being less than satisfied. This review treats both books as one whole.
This book reminded me why I love Alisha Rai - fully formed characters with realistic emotional journeys, interestingly complicated scenarios, and smoking hot sex.
The good:
- Elizabeth knows what she wants and goes after it. Having a public image to maintain cramps her style, but with the help of a friend she still manages to part-own a pleasure club, complete with a fantasy room built to her specifications.
- Luca is a gentleman. He sticks up for Elizabeth when someone at a party puts her down, and he knows when to back down in an argument. He also knows when to apologize and how to compromise.
- The dynamic between the two is complex but doesn't become muddled. There are reasons they doubt each other at times, but they communicate and work things out.
- If you're into light kink you'll enjoy the scenes of voyeurism (staged performances), Domination and submission, spanking, and roleplay.
- The book is paced well, fits its pages, and reads quick.
The not-so-good:
- This should really be one novel, not two. I get why - this is an earlier, indie release from Rai - but think about it as one book.
Rai's more recent releases have been too angsty for my taste - see the Forbidden Hearts series - so I enjoyed finding this book in her backlist.
Note: Be My Fantasy and Stay My Fantasy are halves of a full novel - pick them up as a set or you risk being less than satisfied. This review treats both books as one whole.
This book reminded me why I love Alisha Rai - fully formed characters with realistic emotional journeys, interestingly complicated scenarios, and smoking hot sex.
The good:
- Elizabeth knows what she wants and goes after it. Having a public image to maintain cramps her style, but with the help of a friend she still manages to part-own a pleasure club, complete with a fantasy room built to her specifications.
- Luca is a gentleman. He sticks up for Elizabeth when someone at a party puts her down, and he knows when to back down in an argument. He also knows when to apologize and how to compromise.
- The dynamic between the two is complex but doesn't become muddled. There are reasons they doubt each other at times, but they communicate and work things out.
- If you're into light kink you'll enjoy the scenes of voyeurism (staged performances), Domination and submission, spanking, and roleplay.
- The book is paced well, fits its pages, and reads quick.
The not-so-good:
- This should really be one novel, not two. I get why - this is an earlier, indie release from Rai - but think about it as one book.
Rai's more recent releases have been too angsty for my taste - see the Forbidden Hearts series - so I enjoyed finding this book in her backlist.