Review by beckyyreadss - Reluctantly Yours

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

beckyyreadss 's review for:

Reluctantly Yours by Erin Hawkins

3.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I bought this book on one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days, it looked cute, and I thought it was a workplace romance, but it wasn’t. It was alright, I wanted more.

This book has two points of view. The first is Barrett St. Clair and he has rebuilt his father’s media company with hard work and determination, but his single status leaves him on the outs with the one businessman he needs to get close to. A little white lie and he is suddenly in love, head over heels. Now he just needs to find a fake girlfriend, someone to keep up the appearances without any emotions. When he finds his mother’s fiery assistant in a compromising position, it’s the perfect opportunity to get what she wants: a girlfriend for business appearances, without any feelings involve. He won’t let the fact that he is wildly attracted to the petite redhead get in the way. But the closer she gets, the more his heart thaws and all too soon he finds himself having to choose between the business deal he is determined to land and the woman he has fallen hard for. The second point of view is Chloe Anderson and after two years as an editorial assistant to JoAnna St. Clair of the famed St. Clair Press, she has been given a chance to take on her dream job as an assistant editor. When her childhood best friend asks her to host her bachelorette weekend in the city, she is thrilled to show everyone how amazing her life is in New York. But when she fails to confirm the restaurant reservation and she is left with no event location an hour before the party starts, she’s desperate. Desperate enough to use her boss’s penthouse for a party while she’s out of town. No one will ever know. That is until her cold, dismissive son walks in. In order to keep his silence, Barrett demands a favour in return: he needs a date for a business dinner. That should be easy enough until his mother finds out and he seals her fate by telling her they are dating. It's that or kiss her job goodbye. While she is reluctant at first, the more time they spend together, the harder it is to fight her attraction to him. Beneath the brooding, icy demeanour lies a heart of gold. But when a scandalous discovery puts his deal at stake, and their relationship to the test, will Barrett prove he’s all about business?

It was very basic, and this storyline has been done a million times. However, I love a man broody and finding out he has feelings and questioning if he is in fact a man and not a robot. Barrett was likeable once he stopped being a grumpy git. I loved that by the end of the book he was basically a golden retriever, almost as much as Baxter. Unlike Chloe, who I liked at first and then she became unlikeable as the story was moving along. The second they were getting intimate; she was just getting unbearable and then they were boning like rabbits that I was getting bored. I don’t think the third act conflict was needed and just annoyed me. The miscommunication once the line was crossed between the fake relationship and the real relationship just annoyed me as well. It could have been resolved with one phone call. Plus, the third-act breakup was over the fact that Fred’s relationship was having a breakdown, like that had nothing to do with Chloe.

I liked the fake relationship aspect, and I would have liked more banter between them. Especially as they were getting closer. I liked how much Chloe was a reader and she was all like Belle when Beast gives her the library. I liked how shocked Barrett was when he sees how other people live that aren’t a nepo baby. I would have liked more tension and more build up before they started screwing like bunnies. I liked the side characters and Barrett’s cousin, and I was wanted to see more of her which I think we are going to see more of in the next book.

Overall, it was okay, I would have wanted more. The next book has already been teased, and I will read it and hopefully there is no miscommunication, and we see how this one goes.

Content Warnings