Synopsis
In order to take over her estranged grandfather’s company, Trey infiltrates the Devereaux family. When she meets Jeremiah Benton, she doesn’t expect the attraction between them. She also doesn’t expect how protective he is of her estranged grandfather or getting closer to him with his influence.
Review
The prose is probably my favorite part of this book. It’s accessible. Easy to digest. Again, my favorite type.
I don’t like this pacing. Things are happening too quickly. As a reader, I hate this pacing.
I mentioned this in my Iron Widow review, but it’s worth mentioning again. There are pros and cons to a story that has a fast pace. I didn’t mention this then, but I think it depends on the reader. For me, the biggest pro is that something is always happening. There’s never a dull moment. However, the con is that there’s no time to rest. To spend time with characters and care about them. Things don’t slow down, so I’m just taken on a very fast ride.
Not all fast-paced stories are bad. Depending on the genre, I’m okay with it. For romance, I prefer a slower pace. It helps make the romance believable and the characters feel more real. It also helps any of the other themes that might be present.
Too many things are happening in this romance. A lot of it feels like unnecessary drama. Like everything is there to add unnecessary conflict. Due to that, nothing is explored with the exception of the romance. Even the romance doesn’t feel believable, though. At least, not to me. It happens too quickly.
The characters are established well. I don’t like the arcs they have. It doesn’t feel like they have one, especially Trey. It feels like she didn’t earn her happily ever after. Jeremiah’s arc is fine. I don’t have much to say about that. The problem is that all the characters feel like pieces to be moved around as the plot requires.
Conclusion
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this story. There’s too much unnecessary drama. The characters, while established, feel like pieces to move around the plot. I rated it 2 stars. The prose was good and I kind of enjoyed the romance.
Author’s Note
Hey, everyone! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed today’s review.
I need to be honest. This was a very hard review to type up. It kind of freaks me out to share it. I’ve never had this experience before.
While I don’t know the author personally, they’re my professor for Foundations in Romance. It feels very strange reviewing their book because I interact with them on a weekly basis. I knew I would be reading it this semester, but I didn’t consider how I would feel reviewing it.
I chose to review this because I review books. I’m critiquing the work, not the author. This is why, though it feels strange, I feel comfortable posting this review. At the end of the day, I’m an aspiring reviewer and it’s not personal. It’s just reader subjectivity.
My video review of this book will come out in 2023. If you want to be the first to see it, subscribe to my channel.
Anexis Matos 