HATE NOTES by
VI KEELAND and PENELOPE WARD
It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.Something blue.
I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.”
Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.
The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed.
He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did notresult in a happily ever after.
But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined.
Something new.
But I have no idea how this one is going to end…
"One man's overlooked blessing is soon another man's gain."
I'm pretty sure this was my last attempt at any of Vinelope's co-written books. I am completely disillusioned with their predictable storylines, their battling characters, and the stupid idiotic quirks they give their heroines to make them seem "cute". I think I'm just done. I know I haven't enjoyed PW's work in some time, but I have always enjoyed VK's books because she can voice a hero like no other. She is very strong in that aspect and her stories never have overly dramatic actions. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me and that was rather shocking for me to admit. I don't know if one voice was more prominent over the other or if the heroine completely ruined it, but either way, it was not a win for me. I made it to 50% before I threw the towel in. I gave it a fair shake.
So, as it's becoming a pattern, we have a pretentious asshole for the hero and a completely obnoxious heroine with "unique quirks". Okay then. Like, I get it. I do. I totally get that we need some tension to build around the characters to make them enemies to lovers, or make it a nail biting pull towards each other. Obviously something has to fuel their desire. She is gorgeous. He is gorgeous. She air types angry words instead of discussing things like an adult. He makes smart ass comments that totally made me laugh out loud: "Someone needs a backspace key." It could be funny for me, but I think the aggravation of the heroine overshadowed it all for me. In the end, it all boiled down to the fact that the heroine acted like a naïve child with absolutely no respect for authority. She was always mad at him for something she did. Every single time, I shook my head at each one too. She precipitated each argument with her actions, and that triggered more unnecessary eye rolls and head shakes. I wanted to yell "GROW UP!!" at her. There was no personal space. There was no respect for your boss. I know they tried to play her off as snarky and strong, but quirky and the kind that gets under your skin. Instead, she came across as a petulant child throwing temper tantrums and doing obnoxious things because that's "who she was." C'mon, who stands on a rolling chair and "looks down" at their boss because he was standing in front of your desk, "looking down" at you and you weren't having it? Oh yeah, immature people do that. She has no business in a professional setting.
I like some reality behind my reads because I like to be able to connect with the characters, but when you spend more time talking about how ridiculous their actions are, or how odd their behavior is, it makes it hard to connect and enjoy. I guess I feel like the crazy side sorta came out of left field right from the beginning - and maybe my initial eye-roll should have told me that I needed to back away. I don't know. Gosh, I know I sound mean, but this seems to follow a trend with them, but why is the heroine always an idiot? She went to sell her unused wedding gown....says so in the synopsis, no secret, but little do we know, she needs the money because you can only eat ramen so many times. Ok, then why trade it in for a gown that's TOO small?? Ok, fate has to come into play, right? Not when you have to force it and write it in like that. Fate didn't seem like it was happenstance, it was literally planned and the meeting was ridiculous. Did I laugh? Sure!! Sure I did, because her strategery behind her meeting him alone was stupid funny. But when I feel like I am looking for more, I suppose this one missed the mark for me.
Now before someone says I sound like some bitter biddy, I do realize this is only a book, and there isn't a lot of authenticity you can throw into a book when it follows a time worn tradition of the norms for these authors - their books always sound so good, but it seems the flawless side of their execution is lacking lately. Their books seem to follow an outline each time as well: Girl meets Boy. Boy is a jerk. Girl is smitten, but realizes he is a jerk and stands up for herself. Sexual tension ensues. Boy admits feelings in his head. Boy tries to fight feelings. Boy can't. Boy gives in. Girl tries to all of the sudden deny. Girl pulls away. Boy fights for Girl. Apologies commence. Love at last. The end. I know how this works and I get it. I guess it just felt like a stamped book....a fill in the blank of sorts with no originality at all. I guess the appeal, the excitement of a Vinelope book, has just lost it's luster. It's safe to say I am probably done reading their co-written books. I am glad I got this through my Prime membership so I didn't waste any money on it, but there won't be a giveaway for it either.
This one, sadly, started out with an amazing synopsis, but the farther I got into it, the more I hated the heroine, then I started skimming.....and then I had to DNF. I knew it was over when I had the realization that it has taken me 3 days to get to 50%. That pretty much showed me that I wasn't invested in it and felt like I was wasting my time. Combined with the complete disrespect the heroine had, and the amount of eye-rolls and shouting matches I had with my kindle, I knew I needed to be done. And so I was....
~BEE
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~MEET VI KEELAND~
Vi Keeland is a native New Yorker with three children that occupy most of her free time, which she complains about often, but wouldn't change for the world. She is a bookworm and has been known to read her kindle at stop lights, while styling her hair, cleaning, walking, during sporting events, and frequently while pretending to work. She is a boring attorney by day, and an exciting smut author by night!
~CONNECT WITH VI~
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~MEET PENELOPE WARD~
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 11-year-old girl with autism and a 9-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.
~CONNECT WITH PENELOPE~
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LOVE your honesty!! I HATE when the heroine is a sniveling twit and this one sounds like she fits the bill. I'll stick to VI's solo books.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely NOT my favorite heroine. Yes, I will check out Vi's next solo book and go from there.
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