Buy:  Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

---

---

Review

“You’re my karma, sunshine. And I’m pretty sure you were made for me.”

3.5 stars

I love the set up for this book! Gemma hasn’t had much luck in love, and in a last-ditch effort to save her sagging relationship she is courtside at a basketball game with her douchebag boyfriend after winning tickets in a radio competition. When the kiss-cam lands on them, he ignores her – to her extreme embarrassment – but she is rescued by the gorgeous man sitting on her other side who swoops her up into a bone-melting kiss, to the delight of a cheering crowd. Fairy tale stuff, huh? Yep, even though it was just the beginning of the book, the chemistry is zinging and I was giddy with anticipation at all that was to come.

Her saviour offers her a ride home, and the conversation and banter is sensational! It’s funny, it’s flirty, and the connection between them is clear from the very beginning. Gemma is hilarious, she’s quirky but confident, and her lack of filter had me laughing out loud.

“So, do you?”
“Do I what?” he asks.
“Do a lot of lunges.”
A full smile breaks out on his face. “You’ll have to come to the gym with me sometime, find out for yourself.”
“Oh, no. Working out isn’t exactly my thing. Seriously, the last time I did a lunch I think I sprained by vagi-“ My lips slam closed. “My leg. A muscle in my leg.”

Chase Croft is a mysterious billionaire bad boy who is newly arrived back in town after a five-year hiatus and is ready to take over the family business. Controlled, and used to getting his own way, he is intrigued by Gemma – she is a breath of fresh air in his dull world – and he very quickly makes his intentions known.

“One night. No strings … That’s all I can offer. That’s all I need …I don’t do long term. Not ever.

When I saw this line I actually rolled my eyes – here we go again! It’s not a new concept for romance readers, but it’s one that drives a stake into the heart of hopeful heroines everywhere. Gemma isn’t interested in what he’s offering, so she immediately pulls away. Thankfully Chase realises pretty quickly that he’s already in too deep with Gemma, and if he wants her, his usual MO isn’t going to work. His job now is to convince Gemma of that.

“You don’t date,” I remind him… “You don’t do more”
“That’s true … Maybe that’s because I wasn’t doing it with you.”

The ‘relationship’ is a non-starter for most of the book. In fact, after their first epic encounter, it’s all push and pull, intense brooding, hot kisses, then more push and pull and intense brooding. They’re both guilty of it, and granted, they both have their reasons, but it’s frustrating, and it goes on for way too long.

“Are you ever gonna do it?” he asks abruptly.
I stare at him, confused. “Do what?”
“Let me in.” His eyes narrow. “Because this running away, pushing me away, keeping me at arm’s length shit is getting old.”

Yep, agreed! But Chase is a persistent man, and his controlling billionaire tendencies certainly come in handy.

“We’re going back to the city now. Specifically, to my apartment. More specifically, to my bed,” he says, his voice rough. “We aren’t leaving until we’ve worked out whatever this is between us – so, you might want to clear your schedule, sunshine. I have a feeling that’s gonna take a while”

When they FINALLY get it together, the romance is gorgeous. They are sweet and passionate, and they open up to each other beautifully, falling hard and fast. Gemma has a complicated past and she has erected walls to protect herself, but Chase makes quick work of breaking through to her, and it was beautiful to watch.

“Don’t tell me I don’t care about you, because it’s bullshit. Don’t tell me I’m not in this with you, because I am. I’m in it, sunshine. And I care – a hell of a lot more than I ever thought I would.” He drops his forehead to rest against mine, and his voice loses a tiny bit of its edge. “This relationship – it’s happening. You and me – we’re partners.”

Then there is the added complication of Chase’s celebrity status, and the nature of their first meeting making them a hot target for the media. Gemma’s life is quickly turned upside down by the interest in her life – with the paparazzi permanently camped outside of her home, and unsavoury characters paying her attention, spying her as a potential weakness for the smooth, controlled billionaire. The drama got a little bit much towards the end. All external to the relationship, thankfully, but it did seem a bit extreme.

But the story ends well, and there is a lot of humour throughout the book so it never feels overly heavy.

I really like the way the story is written. It’s like Gemma is having a conversation with us, and even though there is way more monologue than I usually like in a book, I did enjoy the way Gemma’s mind would wander, and the crazy tangents that she would take. It adds a great sense of lightness to the book, and reveals a lot about Gemma’s personality, she’s so endearing. I really liked her.

He’s a sculpture.
Painstakingly chiselled into perfection over the course of years, until arias could be written about his eyebrows, his cheekbones, the freaking shape of his nostrils.
And me?
Well, I’m probably a finger-painting.
Done by a three-year-old.
Without supervision.

And I loved Gemma’s friends, they were hilarious, and the girls all together were an absolute riot! And I love the introduction of Phoebe – I sense a possible story there, and would definitely be keen to read that one!

So yeah, I had mixed feelings about this one. It started off great and I love the set up – it’s imaginative, hot, exciting and my heart was pounding through the big moment and the sensational banter-fest that followed. The story lost momentum for me a bit with all of the back and forth, and I wasn’t invested in the love story as much as I wanted to be, but it was still an enjoyable read.

When you start to fall, don’t talk yourself out of it – the right man will be there at the bottom, to catch you. Take a risk on messy. Live fearlessly. Love recklessly. Most of all, just love.

3.5 stars.

 

The Boston Love series

Check out our Contemporary Romance Recommendations page for more great reads.