A review by ritaslilnook
The Invitation by Vi Keeland

3.0

“You’re not a woman who needs a man. You’re a woman a man needs.”

I swooned. I did, I admit to it.

Hudson is an easy-to-love kind of man and Stella is the wildfire his life is lacking. This book promised to be a five-star steamy romance, however, it wasn’t steamy nor romantic enough.

Stella is the light of this book, a main character who is quirky, caring, empathic, and who appreciates life one Hershey bar at a time. She’s looking to start a perfume business based on an algorithm based on clients’ preferences. Hudson is the CEO of Rothschild Investments and Olivia, his sister, convinces him to help Stella launch her product by buying equity in her business.

Investment Management aside, this book did have everything to thrive. Imagine my surprise when the plot was revealed to be non-existent, the romance was rushed and the twist was as expected as the sun rising every morning.

This was my first Vi Keeland book, and I’m not saying it will be the last, but my expectations have been lowered.

It was sweet how they cared for each other, but there was no build-up. It’s as if one day they woke up and the love was there. Give me the slow burn, the sparks, the steaminess… not average, boring, love. I was promised more than that, wasn’t I? Weren’t we?!

Three-star for me.