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authorrubyduvall's Reviews (154)
Too much filler, too much jargon (a little goes a long way), and way too much focus on the dead spouse. The epilogue consisted entirely of a visit to Arlington with the H/h’s engagement getting only a mention. That should’ve been the other way around. It’s repeated often in the book that the dead spouse asked the heroine to move on if anything happened to him, but the book itself sure didn’t get that message. Thus, the unnecessary focus on the dead spouse and the filler took away a lot of time that could’ve been spent developing deeper chemistry between Jesse and Ellie. In the end, the most thrilling sex scene (a brief one) was of Jesse fulfilling Ellie’s “bad boy” fantasy.
Some interesting world building and an intriguing premise, but the execution is lacking. The characterization is spotty, and the story beats meant to build chemistry and break down obstacles just aren’t as well thought out as they should be. The writing, at times, was a bit juvenile. And I’m not talking about explicit language. I don’t mind that sort of thing (although this book has much more than just a sprinkling of f-bombs and its use became tired). Basically, I wasn’t convinced the characters had fallen in love.
I was pretty excited to read this installment of the series. I'm a sucker for the trope where the hero falls in love with the woman he'd been overlooking for years.
I did appreciate how well set up the protagonists' shared interest in writing was, but a couple things bumped my rating down to 4 stars.
1) I already knew from previous books that there'd be a lot of banter, but the amount in Colin and Penelope's book was mind-numbing. Everyone had to get a quip in, it was infuriating! I skimmed the 2nd epilogue because it was 80% banter, and not the sexy kind.
2) I really wished there had been at least one more sex scene because it would've been a palate-cleanser after all the banter, and after Penelope had been pining for twelve long years.
I did appreciate how well set up the protagonists' shared interest in writing was, but a couple things bumped my rating down to 4 stars.
1) I already knew from previous books that there'd be a lot of banter, but the amount in Colin and Penelope's book was mind-numbing. Everyone had to get a quip in, it was infuriating! I skimmed the 2nd epilogue because it was 80% banter, and not the sexy kind.
2) I really wished there had been at least one more sex scene because it would've been a palate-cleanser after all the banter, and after Penelope had been pining for twelve long years.
Really wonderful writing throughout this book. Realistic, understandable, poignant emotions from characters who knew their own minds and were self-aware. Red-hot sex. I suppose Candace's parents' change-of-heart at the end seemed a bit abrupt (perhaps because it all happened off-page), but it wasn't a huge deal.
I managed to make it to the end, but I’m not feeling all that satisfied. The pacing was too slow, and Kit's damage just bugged the hell out of me. She just wanted to be mad about the company's second attempt to recruit her. Oh no, a job offer that now also includes funding for the mentor she really likes!! Might as well be stabbing her and setting her house on fire, I guess?!
Anyway, she blamed Ben despite plenty of evidence that he wasn’t using her and despite getting zero clarification from anyone. She basically had a tantrum over what only amounted to a two-hour lunch explaining to her boss/mentor why she didn’t want to trade herself for his funding. Oh no, what a chore!
Poor Ben, having to walk on eggshells around her. And she even let her brother think Ben had "betrayed" her with—again—a job offer, thus guaranteeing that Alex would treat Ben like shit the first time they ever met. Great!
Kit at least admitted that casting aspersions about Ben to her brother was a terrible thing to do, and that she fucked up by assuming that Ben broached some boundary when the research company Beaumont clearly has other recruiters who are perfectly capable of learning her weak spots. It was also nice to see her do a fair share of The Grovel at the end—took the sting out a bit. But I don’t think this author’s pacing or heat level is for me.
Anyway, she blamed Ben despite plenty of evidence that he wasn’t using her and despite getting zero clarification from anyone. She basically had a tantrum over what only amounted to a two-hour lunch explaining to her boss/mentor why she didn’t want to trade herself for his funding. Oh no, what a chore!
Poor Ben, having to walk on eggshells around her. And she even let her brother think Ben had "betrayed" her with—again—a job offer, thus guaranteeing that Alex would treat Ben like shit the first time they ever met. Great!
Kit at least admitted that casting aspersions about Ben to her brother was a terrible thing to do, and that she fucked up by assuming that Ben broached some boundary when the research company Beaumont clearly has other recruiters who are perfectly capable of learning her weak spots. It was also nice to see her do a fair share of The Grovel at the end—took the sting out a bit. But I don’t think this author’s pacing or heat level is for me.
Some of the sex scenes were kinda hot? But mostly I was confused by the book's lopsided emotional arc and underdeveloped plot. Blake's decision to stop having sex and just date for a bit felt contrived. "Oh, I want to go back to the sexual tension. Here, let's just decide that you can't take long walks with someone and also have sex with them that night!" I was also pretty appalled at the Coleman brothers' blatant sexual comments toward Jaxi after she'd "made her choice." The number of close family relations (literally or allegedly) sharing sexual partners—like, at the same time—was also squicky. I gotta stop announcing that "the book I just started is so good!" because I always end up not liking it much.
