Keeping things professional with my employees has never been an issue. Until she waltzed onto my property.
Billie is talented. She's mouthy. And she's so damn tempting. I can't stop thinking about all the ways I could take her down a peg.
I can't stop thinking about her, period.
We clash from the moment we meet. And in a small town, on an even smaller farm, it’s hard to keep your distance. It’s even harder to keep that friction from turning to fire.
But keeping my distance? That might be the biggest struggle of all. Because Billie is the whole package, whip-smart with a body I fantasize about when I’m alone, and quite possibly the only woman who can save this business—and me.
She drives me crazy. In every sense of the word. Every smart-mouthed little comment—every game we play—I end up wanting more. Wanting her closer. With me. Under me.
I try not to let her get to me, but the more time we spend together the more I crave her. Her lips. Her trust. Her heart.
I want it all.
But at what cost?
Because suddenly I don’t just want to win races, I want to win the girl.
REVIEW: DNF for a multitude of reasons...
Ok. Nevermind. Sorry. I hit 15% and realized I was in over my head when it came to the things that concern me and I knew I was just going to pick it apart. I knew I hit my stopping point. I mean, I like a strong alpha male that knows what he wants. I enjoy a broody man that has a woman that turns his world upside down. I love a snarky heroine that gives me the giggles while giving the Hero the headache. To be fair, this book had all that - and YAY. Unfortunately, what he wanted was introduced very awkwardly...at a weird time. He's broody - but he legit went off the rails at their first meeting for. no. reason. at. all. and that was just awkward to read. And Billie was super snarky, but she was so completely off base with how she acted, because....because it didn't make any sense the way she was introduced to the way she actually acted in the interview and beyond. And he was downright unprofessional as was she. They are both very immature, despite the need for professionalism. Weird thing to bother me, because I like the snark - but it was very misplaced, so it was unnecessary drama to me. Sorry....
Based on Billie's situation, and where she was coming from, and what she was expected to do - I didn't understand her diatribe and her complaints. However, sure - it adds to the story because I’m sure she’s trying to paint a picture. It’s overly embellished with a thesaurus in hand, and problems that just make her look spoiled and selfish. (Hence my abundant eye rolls) Case in point: I understand not wanting to clean a house you’re moving into, especially if it's on a well to do family property – but it’s a free house that you’re moving into while you’re proving your abilities needed to actually keep the job you were hired for. While I know that can sound callous, I don’t think in reality it actually is. We’ve all had to build ourselves up. We’ve all had to prove ourselves at some point in our careers, and that’s really where she is sitting. At least, that’s the way I looked at it. So she was not really endearing herself to me because she looked like a brat, maybe even a spoiled brat...and I hate that in a heroine. Again....sorry.
Now, HE was unprofessional and completely acting off the cuff. I know he was overly emotional because of his family situation, but he’s over-reacting with her. However, she is the typical, almost required, stubborn, proud girl. One that feels she must prove herself. Again, I get the stigma, the stereotype of a woman in a male dominated sport, but…the ranting was weak. It’s almost like it follows what is required to raise eyebrows, to get heads bobbing. I get that she wants to make people invest in her emotions - but it was a massive turnoff for me. But still, I find her the "same ol same ol" kind of heroin and he’s the stereotypical "broody grumpy hero" I see so often. And if he was a dominant like he kept hinting towards, that would have definitely ruined the book for me because those have to be written a certain way, otherwise they read as tired and worn out. And the writing on this one didn't provide the heaviness that I felt that kind of storyline needed. So, I took my leave.
So, originally, I found Elsie Silver on a TikTok about her latest book, A False Start, so I figured I would give her a shot because that book looked SO good. It had all the right plot points to scream "pick me up!!" The book looked fun, intriguing, and had a storyline I would like to read, so I grabbed it on KU, but I also grabbed the first three books in the series as well. It was a series, so I figured I would want to get introduced to her writing and see how it progressed from one book to the next.
Hence me reading this one before the one I wanted to read...
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I want to say this - even though I DNF'd this one, I am still going to read A False Start because that was the one that caught my eye. I liked the plot of that one. Best Friend's little sister is a forbidden and favorite storyline of mine, so I will have that review up once I am done reading it.
Some of my first thoughts after diving into this one were that I felt like it was very wordy and sometimes it took away from the progression of the book, BUT it was easy enough to follow, so a little wiggle room on my end was necessary. Easy is good every now and then. It was just a simple read, but I felt it a solid introduction to Elsie Silver's writing.
But, then I got farther in and my eye-rolls were coming a little too frequently. Sadly, that caused me a lot of sighs and I had to hold back from skimming. It's on KU, so I knew I could return it at any point and I won't feel like I wasted my time or my money. However, it also made it too easy for me to say nope - so I have to take this all with a grain of salt. I usually try to give a new book/new author to the 20% mark before I throw in the towel. A few things kind of set off a few alarm bells after Billie and Vaughn met, but the beginning made me want to find out what was going on. There was some give and take on my end, but the concerns kept creeping in.
Some of my first thoughts after diving into this one were that I felt like it was very wordy and sometimes it took away from the progression of the book, BUT it was easy enough to follow, so a little wiggle room on my end was necessary. Easy is good every now and then. It was just a simple read, but I felt it a solid introduction to Elsie Silver's writing.
But, then I got farther in and my eye-rolls were coming a little too frequently. Sadly, that caused me a lot of sighs and I had to hold back from skimming. It's on KU, so I knew I could return it at any point and I won't feel like I wasted my time or my money. However, it also made it too easy for me to say nope - so I have to take this all with a grain of salt. I usually try to give a new book/new author to the 20% mark before I throw in the towel. A few things kind of set off a few alarm bells after Billie and Vaughn met, but the beginning made me want to find out what was going on. There was some give and take on my end, but the concerns kept creeping in.
But I'll keep reading.
I don't feel like many thoughts were fleshed out. There were some weird transitions, with thoughts coming out of left field, but I caught on. I mean, we went (internal/mentally) from family business drama to his mother meddling in his love life rather quickly - just to, I feel like, usher in a new scene instead of folding it in a little more smoothly. It felt almost giggle worthy but I still willingly followed along for a bit. Again, it was overly dramatic in some instances, to the point of rolling my eyes, but I was still very interested to see how it was going to play out.
Soo...I'll try to keep reading.
Soo...I'll try to keep reading.
Ok. Nevermind. Sorry. I hit 15% and realized I was in over my head when it came to the things that concern me and I knew I was just going to pick it apart. I knew I hit my stopping point. I mean, I like a strong alpha male that knows what he wants. I enjoy a broody man that has a woman that turns his world upside down. I love a snarky heroine that gives me the giggles while giving the Hero the headache. To be fair, this book had all that - and YAY. Unfortunately, what he wanted was introduced very awkwardly...at a weird time. He's broody - but he legit went off the rails at their first meeting for. no. reason. at. all. and that was just awkward to read. And Billie was super snarky, but she was so completely off base with how she acted, because....because it didn't make any sense the way she was introduced to the way she actually acted in the interview and beyond. And he was downright unprofessional as was she. They are both very immature, despite the need for professionalism. Weird thing to bother me, because I like the snark - but it was very misplaced, so it was unnecessary drama to me. Sorry....
Based on Billie's situation, and where she was coming from, and what she was expected to do - I didn't understand her diatribe and her complaints. However, sure - it adds to the story because I’m sure she’s trying to paint a picture. It’s overly embellished with a thesaurus in hand, and problems that just make her look spoiled and selfish. (Hence my abundant eye rolls) Case in point: I understand not wanting to clean a house you’re moving into, especially if it's on a well to do family property – but it’s a free house that you’re moving into while you’re proving your abilities needed to actually keep the job you were hired for. While I know that can sound callous, I don’t think in reality it actually is. We’ve all had to build ourselves up. We’ve all had to prove ourselves at some point in our careers, and that’s really where she is sitting. At least, that’s the way I looked at it. So she was not really endearing herself to me because she looked like a brat, maybe even a spoiled brat...and I hate that in a heroine. Again....sorry.
Now, HE was unprofessional and completely acting off the cuff. I know he was overly emotional because of his family situation, but he’s over-reacting with her. However, she is the typical, almost required, stubborn, proud girl. One that feels she must prove herself. Again, I get the stigma, the stereotype of a woman in a male dominated sport, but…the ranting was weak. It’s almost like it follows what is required to raise eyebrows, to get heads bobbing. I get that she wants to make people invest in her emotions - but it was a massive turnoff for me. But still, I find her the "same ol same ol" kind of heroin and he’s the stereotypical "broody grumpy hero" I see so often. And if he was a dominant like he kept hinting towards, that would have definitely ruined the book for me because those have to be written a certain way, otherwise they read as tired and worn out. And the writing on this one didn't provide the heaviness that I felt that kind of storyline needed. So, I took my leave.
Now, to be fair, I know I don't like sweet reads or light writing and I've made this mention many, many times. I crave the ability to read light sometimes, but if I don't "feel it" deep in my soul...or my gut, I struggle to get into it. This one was light writing (not heavy, emotional burdened writing) and so that made it rough for me especially knowing there were already some warning bells for me. I'm still excited to jump into A False Start next!
Absolutely no hate. Not mad. I just realize that she can clearly tell a story, but it's too "noisy" for my likes and had a few too many things that I don't enjoy reading. I can't wait to read A False Start, so fingers crossed I make it farther into that one.
~Bee
No giveaways for personal reads/KU reads
I’m a Canadian romance author who currently lives just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with my husband, son, and three dogs. I’ve been reading romance books since before I was probably supposed to and have never stopped.
In my free time I love to cook and try new foods, I love to travel, and I love spending time with my boys–especially outdoors. I’ve also become a big fan of my quiet 5 am mornings where I can sip a cup of hot coffee and disappear into a fictional world without interruption. I can’t wait to share my worlds with you!
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I LOVE that you're so honest with your reviews Bee! Some bloggers like to sugar coat reviews and say they love every book the author has written which really annoys me. I have favorite authors but I don't love every book they wrote and I'll be honest about it in my review as well but like you I don't let one book ruin it for me especially if it's a new-to-me author. I'll read other books by that person because maybe it was just that one particular book that I couldn't connect with.
ReplyDeleteArivanh, thank you so much!!! Your trust in my reviews is always a smile in my heart. I love discovering new to me authors, but I do have things that will push me to keep looking even if the book didn't agree with me. But, I am honest and will admit when something doesn't work. I admit that I am critical of it/about it in my next read of theirs. BUT - I like that we think along the same lines. I want to try more of her books and I will definitely keep you posted.
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