What’s a girl to do when the man she’s loved her entire life thinks of her as a little sister? Worse, her own big sister was the one who broke his heart years earlier. For Ivy Grayson, the chance to get him to see her in a different light comes when she receives an unexpected invitation to move into his luxury New York apartment building. Manhattan also just happens to be the perfect place to pursue her wish to become a successful artist. But how many dreams can one woman expect to come true?
Billionaire financier James Jordon has everything a man could want—except love. When Ivy’s family asks him to keep an eye on their “little girl” in the big city, he agrees. But the innocent girl he knew is now a dynamic woman who knows what she wants, and how to get it. He may have promised himself to keep things platonic, but ignoring the game of love isn’t an option. Especially when Ivy is so eager to play.
Reader Beware: This book contains a May-December Trope.
It’s been a long time— well, not so long if you count Historicals, since I read a contemporary romance with a May-December Trope. This is also a friends to lover’s tale as well.
That being said I loved it! There’s hilarity, the laugh out loud variety, for our hero, James. He gets the royal of all-hell-breaking-loose in this story. For those who read Warren’s first book in the series James is the fiancé left at the altar, by beauty Madelyn. In this book you find out Madelyn’s much-younger sister, Ivy, has loved James for years and wants him to see her as more than just a friend or little sister.
One of my hesitations in this whole story is that Ivy feels like an enigma to me. I related to James, his fears and inhibitions as well as his coming realization that Ivy means more to him beyond the boundaries he put in place before. Yet, with Ivy I didn’t grasp her as well. I felt like I was always skimming the surface of her subconscious versus swimming in it.
That being said, this is my second Warren novel and I find that this author writes fun romances with some conflict, but her characters are definitely not tortured souls with issues or the need for redemption. Meaning: reading this book won’t rip your heart out, but it should put a smile on your face.
As for pacing, the book clips along pretty quick from the beginning to mid-way through. From there though it tapers off, there’s also some external events added in that I found it difficult to understand their purpose. If only to side track the main characters from their original conflicts momentarily. After a certain point these added events were barely mentioned.
Overall, this is another story that I liked, and enjoyed the giggles, but there was something lacking for me. I think if you enjoy stories that won’t emotionally drain you or require a deep commitment then this is a book you should pick up. The hot sexy, Billionaire hero doesn’t hurt either.
Reviewed by Landra
Heat Level: Hot
Kindle | Nook | iTunes | Kobo | Google Plus