Listen To Me (Fusion #1)by Kristen Proby
Published on William Morrow on April 12th, 2016
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
ADD TO GOODREADS
In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby’s brand new series, five best friends open a hot new restaurant, but one of them gets much more than she bargained for when a sexy former rock star walks through the doors—and into her heart.
Seduction is quickly becoming the hottest new restaurant in Portland, and Addison Wade is proud to claim 1/5 of the credit. She’s determined to make it a success and can’t think of a better way to bring in new customers than live music. But when former rock star Jake Keller swaggers through the doors to apply for the weekend gig, she knows she’s in trouble. Addie instantly recognizes him—his posters were plastered all over her bedroom walls in high school—he’s all bad boy...exactly her type and exactly what she doesn’t need.
Jake Keller walked away from the limelight five years ago and yearns to return to what’s always driven him: the music. If he gets to work for a smart-mouthed, funny-as-hell bombshell, all the better. But talking Addie into giving him the job is far easier than persuading her that he wants more than a romp in her bed. Just when she begins to drop her walls, Jake’s past finally catches up with him.
Will Addie be torn apart once again or will Jake be able to convince her to drown out her doubts and listen to her heart?
This is my first Kristen Proby book and while it didn't blow me away, I enjoyed the plot of the series—a group of independent ladies that works together as owners of a successful chic bar. It's like Sex and The City, small town version. Listen To Me is Addison 'Addie' Wade's book, one of the five ladies who run Seduction. She meets ex-rockstar Jake Keller (formerly Jake Knox) after he auditions as a musical act for their sexy restaurant called Seduction.
Addie's character blew hot and cold to me. She seemed like a really naive girl and couldn't see that she was already being taken advantage of, especially with her ex-boyfriends who were mainly musicians. But she also had moments when she was too petty and got mad for the wrong reasons. Though, I'd have to admit, her fashionable and sassy self was a breath of fresh air. I adored Jake Keller. He was incredibly down to earth, hilarious and too charming for his own good. I love the fact that he had a colourful past during his days as a celebrity musician.
Their romance build up was something I'd enjoyed as well. Their relationship transpired from enemies to lovers.
The Seduction girls were such a breath of fresh air! Their dynamic made the story fun to read and they definitely play significant roles in the main character's lives.
All in all, Listen To Me was a good read, but it lacked substance. I would definitely continue the rest of the series though, because I'm definitely excited for Landon and Cami's book!
The Rule Book (The Rule Breakers #1)
Published by Entangled Embrace on May 9th, 2016
Starr Media Second-Assistant Survival Guide1. Don't call your hot boss the antichrist to his face.2. Don't stare at hot boss's, um, package or his full sleeve of tattoos. (No. Really. Stop!)3. Don't get on the malicious first assistant's bad side.4. Don't forget to memorize the 300-page employee manual.5. If you value your cashmere, steer clear of boss’s dog.6. Boss’s dimples are lust-inducing. Do. Not. Give. In.7. “The elevator ate your clothes” is not a valid excuse for showing up to important meetings half dressed.8. Don't break seven of the rules within the first week of employment if you, ya know, are in dire need of money to support your sick mom.9. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the boss. See rule eight about sick mom.10. Never forget the rules.
Jennifer Blackwood's books sound really promising but there's always something lacking, in execution, perhaps? I read the first book to her Dexler University series, Unethical, but I didn't enjoy it. Frankly speaking, The Rule Book wasn't very different. The boss-secretary romance trope is definitely a guilty pleasure, so to say I'm disappointed was an understatement.
Lainey Taylor, the new second assistant to Brogan Starr aka The Antichrist, wasn't exactly an appealing character, although she had a few funny antics. Her first meeting with Brogan was hilarious, because she had no idea she was talking sh*t about her new boss... to her actual new boss. It got me cracking up, and so did a few more times as the story progressed. Honestly, the humor was the only thing that got me going. I didn't like that her character was a total doormat and she couldn't stick up for herself, especially with office bullying. I also couldn't relate to Brogan at all. He was too protective of his privacy to the point that it wasn't healthy, and his daddy issues were too much for my liking.
The Rule Book had so much potential, but it lacked proper execution and chemistry between the characters. Lainey and Brogan were so dull, and I couldn't even get in with the how the conflict was resolved. Everything happened so abruptly. I might check out the second book of this series, but it's definitely not something high on my agenda.
Bossedby Sloane Howell
Published by Loveswept on March 28th, 2017.
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
DNF
ADD TO GOODREADS
He’s the boss. But she’s ready to take charge.
In this provocative and sexy* office romance, a cheeky new hire tempts a hotshot sports agent to mix business with pleasure.
Jenny: Job interviews are a bitch under the best of circumstances, but when your potential boss is the world’s biggest prick, that’s when you should simply walk away. It’s just that I need this job so badly—and I’m mesmerized by Ethan Mason’s piercing gaze. Men like him aren’t supposed to exist in real life. But under the tailored suits and GQ looks, Ethan simmers with barely restrained ambition. And no matter how hard I work to fight the attraction, I’m going to get burned.
Ethan: You don’t become a top agent without learning how to close a deal. I always get what—or who—I want, by staying cool and in command. Then Jenny Jackson walks into my office with her lush curves and “screw you” attitude and blows away my intentions of keeping things professional. All I can think about is exploring the perfect body hidden beneath those conservative clothes or shutting her saucy mouth with one hot kiss. Jenny’s worth breaking the rules over—if I can convince her to break the rules for me.
I received a review copy courtesy of the author/publisher. This does not affect my opinion or views regarding the book whatsoever.
I picked up this book thinking I was in for something really good, but I was wrong. I wanted to like this book so bad, because like I said above, boss-secretary romances are just something I can't resist. But sad to say, this book was just blah.
I couldn't connect with the characters at all. Jenny was supposed to be this fierce heroine who would definitely never take crap from anyone and Ethan should have been the sexy CEO who'd couldn't resist being challenged by Jenny... but everything went downhill when the whole story, including the characters, turned extremely juvenile.
Let's not forget the writing too, because it slowly evolved into a he said-she said kind of narration, like bad fanfiction. Absolutely nothing in Bossed that bossed me to hold my interest.
As my first Sloane Howell book that was an unfortunate flop, I might still give her other books a chance. Hopefully her other books won't lead me to another DNF.
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