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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Well, that didn't take long. DNF @ 27%, and let me show you the quote that did it.
"Nothing. She's a grown woman. We have to respect her decisions."
Out of context, I'm all for this. In context, it pissed me off to no end. The hero says this to his younger brother because they've both been excluded from attending their sister's divorce hearing; she doesn't want them there, and so they're not going.
Too bad this is a complete 180 for the hero, who has been irritating me right from the beginning with his utter inability to respect the heroine's boundaries. She says she can't accept his gift of a spa afternoon because she barely knows him; he refuses to take it back and insists she use it. She says she wants to explore San Francisco on her own because she's new to town; he insists on going with her. She explicitly states that they can't date because she's a consultant newly assigned to his company and there's a clause about it in her contract; he asks, "Is there really no way around that?"
He's a control freak, and he gets what he wants. I was tolerating him even though he was acting inappropriately because the heroine a) was constantly flirting right back, which made it seem more like a game than being pursued by a creeper; and b) never stuck to those boundaries she attempted to set for more than two minutes at a time. She uses that gift card. She goes with him around San Francisco and has a great day. And at the point where I've given up reading, she's actually considering how to get around that no-dating-the-boss bit of her contract. She's clearly enabling his pursuit, despite her lip service to the contrary. So their dynamic isn't one that sets my world on fire, but I didn't consider it as harmful in this case as I so often do in other stories when a man thinks it's sexy to keep pushing a woman to accept him.
But if the hero outright states that he'll respect his sister's decisions, while constantly challenging his love interests...
That doesn't sit right with me.
I wasn't really enjoying the book anyway, it's got plenty of other issues. Stilted and unnatural dialogue, flat characters, weird pacing. I was hanging on in case things got better when they actually got together, but now I see I don't need to, because I simply can't respect the hero and his double standard for women's autonomy.
"Nothing. She's a grown woman. We have to respect her decisions."
Out of context, I'm all for this. In context, it pissed me off to no end. The hero says this to his younger brother because they've both been excluded from attending their sister's divorce hearing; she doesn't want them there, and so they're not going.
Too bad this is a complete 180 for the hero, who has been irritating me right from the beginning with his utter inability to respect the heroine's boundaries. She says she can't accept his gift of a spa afternoon because she barely knows him; he refuses to take it back and insists she use it. She says she wants to explore San Francisco on her own because she's new to town; he insists on going with her. She explicitly states that they can't date because she's a consultant newly assigned to his company and there's a clause about it in her contract; he asks, "Is there really no way around that?"
He's a control freak, and he gets what he wants. I was tolerating him even though he was acting inappropriately because the heroine a) was constantly flirting right back, which made it seem more like a game than being pursued by a creeper; and b) never stuck to those boundaries she attempted to set for more than two minutes at a time. She uses that gift card. She goes with him around San Francisco and has a great day. And at the point where I've given up reading, she's actually considering how to get around that no-dating-the-boss bit of her contract. She's clearly enabling his pursuit, despite her lip service to the contrary. So their dynamic isn't one that sets my world on fire, but I didn't consider it as harmful in this case as I so often do in other stories when a man thinks it's sexy to keep pushing a woman to accept him.
But if the hero outright states that he'll respect his sister's decisions, while constantly challenging his love interests...
That doesn't sit right with me.
I wasn't really enjoying the book anyway, it's got plenty of other issues. Stilted and unnatural dialogue, flat characters, weird pacing. I was hanging on in case things got better when they actually got together, but now I see I don't need to, because I simply can't respect the hero and his double standard for women's autonomy.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this but didn't love it. I found myself putting it down a lot but I was never tempted not to finish. Sebastian and Ava definitely had a bit of insta-romance going on but I enjoyed watching their story unfold. I think the rest of the Bennett family helped bump this up a star. I loved the family dynamics.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really good writing and interesting storyline. The characters are vivid and fun to read. Not just fluffy romance but got a little depth somewhere in between which balances it all out.
I started this audiobook on a whim yesterday whilst sun-tanning. I don't think I've seen it before, I just chose the first shorter thing that popped up. I knew nothing of the synopsis going into the story.
I've decided to rate it a two out of five for a number of reasons. Despite the low rating, I enjoyed the book but certain parts made me laugh - which certainly where not meant to be funny.
The story wasn't anything new or special, CEO falling for someone working under him. It was a lot of hours of sexual tension and desire. The leads often referenced their insecurities. Which would have been fine, would it not be for the fact that after accepting the other's reassurance, the same issue would pop up. When the leads talked to eachother, or described eachother, their words were often repeated a few chapters later. Basic stuff like, you are amazing, you are beautiful - it all felt a little, uncreative and impersonal. The repetitiveness was too constant for my liking. Once I'm pretty sure I heard the same set of three words (within the same sequence) in two sentences right after one another.
The reason for them staying apart was a bit of a weak excuse come to think of it. It feels like it was deliberately put in to act as bad excuse.
I think the majority of my dislike might have come from the narrators themselves. I enjoyed Aiden Snow's chapters a lot more than Kasha Kensington's. Which wasn't great since most of the book was from Ava's point of view. The voice Kensington' did for Sebastian during Ava's chapters didn't feel alluring or sexy at all. It was a big contrast to Snow's chapters, threw me off a lot. In addition, I don't know how I feel about listening to sex scenes vs reading them as this audiobook included some moaning? I don't know if that's normal for audiobooks? My rating might have been higher had I read a physical copy possibly.
I've decided to rate it a two out of five for a number of reasons. Despite the low rating, I enjoyed the book but certain parts made me laugh - which certainly where not meant to be funny.
The story wasn't anything new or special, CEO falling for someone working under him. It was a lot of hours of sexual tension and desire. The leads often referenced their insecurities. Which would have been fine, would it not be for the fact that after accepting the other's reassurance, the same issue would pop up. When the leads talked to eachother, or described eachother, their words were often repeated a few chapters later. Basic stuff like, you are amazing, you are beautiful - it all felt a little, uncreative and impersonal. The repetitiveness was too constant for my liking. Once I'm pretty sure I heard the same set of three words (within the same sequence) in two sentences right after one another.
The reason for them staying apart was a bit of a weak excuse come to think of it. It feels like it was deliberately put in to act as bad excuse.
I think the majority of my dislike might have come from the narrators themselves. I enjoyed Aiden Snow's chapters a lot more than Kasha Kensington's. Which wasn't great since most of the book was from Ava's point of view. The voice Kensington' did for Sebastian during Ava's chapters didn't feel alluring or sexy at all. It was a big contrast to Snow's chapters, threw me off a lot. In addition, I don't know how I feel about listening to sex scenes vs reading them as this audiobook included some moaning? I don't know if that's normal for audiobooks? My rating might have been higher had I read a physical copy possibly.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No