Tina Chen just wants a degree and a job, so her parents never have to worry about making rent again. She has no time for Blake Reynolds, the sexy billionaire who stands to inherit Cyclone Systems. But when he makes an offhand comment about what it means to be poor, she loses her cool and tells him he couldn’t last a month living her life.
To her shock, Blake offers her a trade: She’ll get his income, his house, his car. In exchange, he’ll work her hours and send money home to her family. No expectations; no future obligations.
But before long, they’re trading not just lives, but secrets, kisses, and heated nights together. No expectations might break Tina’s heart…but Blake’s secrets could ruin her life.
This is the first book in the Cyclone series.
The problem for me and a Milan book is that once I start reading I can’t put it down. I’ll say that’s because she does an excellent job of playing/raising stakes, giving me characters I can root for, supplying a decent dose of feminism and heroes who are feminists, and making me feel. Yes, I truly feel something when I read one of her books. Meaning I either cry, laugh out loud, giggle, or experience some sort of real emotion for what I’m reading.
That being said neither of the main characters stole the show for me.
Sure I really enjoyed Tina. She’s hardcore, hardworking, and gives as good as she gets. The girl is smart and has a mouth on her, but she loves her family and is loyal to the core. Hell, she straight up tells it like it is all the time—to the hero, to her friends, to her professors. Yep, I liked her, but internally her something about her didn’t relate to me. In ways I found her as judgmental as the ones she accused of judging her.
I liked Blake. He’s not an alpha hero or an average hero. No he’s anything but, no cookie cutter versions here. Yet, he’s courteous, thoughtful, and the type of guy who gives, gives, and gives some more. In his interactions with the heroine he’s always trying to provide her what she wants; not what he thinks she needs, which is very refreshing. Blake is also dealing with some very relatable issues. I can’t dive deeper on this because spoilers, but once again Milan put something into a book I hadn’t seen before and did it well.
The plot, the pacing, and the storyline were a good mix of reality and fiction because let’s face it a billionaire doesn’t trade places with a poor person. If it does happen we don’t hear about it too often, at least it doesn’t happen the way it happened in the book. There were a few times a skimmed some paragraphs, mainly I found it happening when there were giant chunks of internal.
Now the biggest thing I want to talk about is the character who stole the show—Adam Reynolds. This book is worth buying just to read all the crazy, wacked out things Blake’s father does and says. This man is charisma and dirty words on a stick. I could like that stick all day. Yep, I went there. He’s foul-mouthed and unrepentant. He owns what he does and who is without remorse. Honestly, with a few exceptions, I want to be as brave and status-quo-challenging as this man is. The best way to explain this is with the following:
“But my dad being my dad, it took him about thirty seconds to drop pan f-bomb. The teacher, of course, interrupted him. And explained that she didn’t allow those words in her classroom.”
“I can imagine that went over really well.”
“Your imagination is precisely on point. Dad said, ‘Why the f–k not?’ And when she tried to explain that the kids had to learn professionalism for their future careers, he came back with ‘Why are you lying to them? Businessmen swear all the f–king time.”
Yep, and that’s why if Adam Reynolds was real I’d marry him. I may be depraved, but the heart wants and all that jazz.
Overall, for a New Adult it explores some character facets I haven’t seen before. I enjoyed the different approach, the unconventional hero and heroine along with the over-the-top-billionaire-CEO-father. I would’ve liked a little less internal and a little more action, but the feely-good-goo is a requirement and at the end of the day it worked. I’m anxious to see what comes next from Milan. She’s good at keeping me on my toes.
Reviewed by Landra
Heat Level: Hot
