Saturday, December 29, 2018

Mini Reviews [20]

Tangled (Tangled, #1) by Emma Chase
Narrated by Sebastian York

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?

He’ll tell you he has the flu.

But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.


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I really love Emma Chase's Royally series, and I was looking forward to reading some of her other books. However, Drew didn't work for me. He's uses women and doesn't feel bad about it, which he will happily admit. He likes his lifestyle, his work, and the fact that women cling to him wherever he goes. Dude made me want to vomit. There was nothing attractive or appealing about him. Yes, he could be sweet and humorous, and I liked the scenes with his niece (she was the best character), but Drew's personality left something to be desired.

Of course, someone eventually comes along to challenge him and the way he views woman (imagine that), but he doesn't know what to do with his feelings. He's never genuinely cared about another woman before, and Kate is engaged to someone else. It was a complicated mess that wasn't always enjoyable to read about. I'm all for steamy sex scenes, but I didn't like spending a few hours of the audiobook in his apartment while they had sex for days. He's a condescending asshole even when he likes someone.

For those of you that have read this, I know Drew was supposed to have an arrogant personality, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't like it when guys are pushy until they get what they want, and I don't like men who talk about women like they're an object in the room. Drew didn't have to work very hard for what he wanted, and he didn't have to grow or change to achieve his goals. Eventually everything just fell into his lap -- figuratively and literally.



The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
Synopsis (via Goodreads): When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.

What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.

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The Idea of You was recommended to me by a friend, and while the ending was sad, it wasn't convincing. I didn't like Solène or most of the choices she made. She kept secrets even knowing they would hurt the people she loved. She was too concerned with how she would look, and how she would be impacted by things. Although, I can't say she wasn't considerate, because she did think about her daughter often, but her actions and decisions weren't always ideal. Hayes, the twenty-year-old guy, was often more mature and understanding than the thirty-nine-year-old woman.

Also, their age difference shouldn't have been an issue. The book makes it seem like they're doing something dirty because Hayes prefers to be in relationships with older women. They were both consenting adults, so her shame and discomfort over that felt wrong. He didn't care about their age difference, only his feelings for her, so why was she so resistant to commit to their relationship? Yes, the publicity did negatively affect her personal life, and the life of her daughter, but she knew that was a possibility before she started sneaking off to be with him. She knew there would be repercussions, so she should have committed fully or never gotten involved.

The posh boy band aspect was fun, and their dynamics were complex and interesting. I wish the book had focused on them more, and maybe touched on some of their relationships with each other. I think it would have worked better had the story been told from dual perspectives. We could have seen what his life was like when he was wasn't with Solène, which would have also shown us more of the band.

Solène wasn't someone I could relate to, and I found myself more frustrated than not. I kept reading out of curiosity, but the ending was predictable and very unsatisfying.

23 comments:

  1. I haven't read those. Maybe one day I will.

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  2. I have Tangled on my shelf and have liked Emma Chase's books. I'm not.sure if it will work for me though. I think I might feel like you with the MC.

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    1. Drew was really condescending and arrogant. He compared women to roller coasters, and said he never rode the same one twice. He admits to being terrible, so he knows what he's doing is wrong, he just doesn't care. There was very little character growth on his part, and even his apologies felt possessive and demanding.

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  3. I read Tangled some years ago and I liked it, I don't remember much but yeah, I think Drew was probably an arrogant prick, lol. The second book was a total disaster so it sort of ruined the first book for me.

    Someone recommended The Idea of You to me as well and I just can't bring myself to read it. Sounds like I made a good choice. It sounds kind of far fetched to me. And there's a sad ending? No thanks.

    Great reviews, Lindsi. Hope your next reads work out better.

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    1. Hmm -- I was considering the second book, but now I think I'll pass. Thanks for letting me know! Drew was really obnoxious and he knew it, but he also didn't care. I would have been more forgiving of his actions had he tried to improve throughout the story. I felt like there was no character growth, only him continuing to get what he wants. He basically forced her into the last dinner, and she had repeatedly told him no. He claimed to respect her, but I didn't see it.

      It was weird how the two of them met, and I wish his initial interest had been explained a little more. He likes her as soon as he sees her, but it was enough for him to spend time tracking her down. He was weirdly persistent about a women he met briefly (while she was supervising her child and her friends). I thought their relationship was sweet and believable, but I think the secrets tainted the good that they had. Her unwillingness to accept Hayes as a package, because of how it impacted her personal life.

      I'm listening to the audiobook for Circe right now, and reading Once Upon a River -- Circe is fantastic, and Once Upon a River has piqued my interest after a few chapters.

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  4. OOF. Tangled doesn't sound like something I would like either - I hate Drew's type and would likely rage than read.

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    1. I thought the book had an interesting perspective, because Drew told his own story. He would often pause to make comments about something that had just happened, or to assure us that he knew he was being a jerk. I appreciate that he realized how awful he was, but he also didn't care. He wasn't remorseful about his actions, just accepted himself as is.

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  5. I had listened to the audiobook of Tangled, and I don't know, Sebastian York made me love this book. Sorry it didn't work for you.

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    1. I listened to the audiobook! His voice was great, and I really think he captured Drew's personality, but I didn't like Drew. I didn't like how he treated women, the thoughts he often had about people in general, or how he pursued someone that was engaged to someone else. Even when he does have a shot at the relationship he wants, he feels like he can win her back with money and charm. He "knew" she wanted to be convinced to stay? I wish he'd asked her how she felt, or what she wanted. Her voice was rarely heard unless they were arguing, and we both know how that ended.

      It was definitely a character thing for me, but I'm happy your experience was much better! Emma Chase is still one of my favorite authors. <3

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  6. I'm not sure this book would be for me. I'd probably feel the same way you did.

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  7. I tried Thinking, but nope I could not to the audiobook. I think print would have worked better but those issues you had I had too

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    1. Tangled? I liked the narrator for the book, but not the character he was narrating for! I don't think a physical copy would have helped with that. ;)

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  8. Sorry to hear these weren't better reads for you. I don't think I would like the characters much either. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

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    1. They weren't terrible, but I did have a lot of issues with them. My current reads are fabulous! :)

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  9. Ah man. :/ I'm sorry neither of these worked for you! The guy in the first book sounds terrible.

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    1. I think he was supposed to be terrible, but I don't feel like he changed or grew throughout the book. He just continues to be terrible.

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  10. I've got Tangled to read, just haven't made myself get around to it. Now I'm a little unsure. The second one they talked about at Book Bonanza last summer, but even after picking it up, I wasn't sure it was for me. Now I know I probably won't try it. Thanks for sharing, sorry these didn't work for you!

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    1. I really like Emma Chase, so I was disappointed when Tangled didn't work for me. I'm sure some people will find him charming and witty, but he really got on my nerves. He didn't care when Katherine said no, he just kept pushing until he got what he wanted. He convinced himself her body language said the opposite of her mouth, though I think he should have respected her choices.

      The Idea of You was a hot mess, haha. Neither of them were too awful to finish, so there were obviously things about the stories I did like. However, I won't be revisiting them or continuing the Tangled series.

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  11. I bought Tangled on my Kindle years ago, but I keep passing over it every single time I come across the title. After your review, maybe I'll check out her other series when I feel like picking up one of her books. :)
    Jen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog

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    1. I would strongly suggest started with Royally Screwed! It's one of my favorites! I listened to the audiobooks for every single book in the series last year. There's a new one that I think was released in December, and I'm really looking forward to it! <3

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― Marissa Meyer, Heartless