Amélie S. Duncan

A free copy of this ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Well, I'm not going to rate this because, clearly, I'm not the right kind of readership for this romance novel.

I'll do my best to explain why...




I felt like the story had too many cliches and had me rolling my eyes in too many scenes. Most of the dialogues felt really forced and unnatural- some of them were way too predictable; the kind I've had already read in many other romances show more before.


And, as I've already pointed out on my updates, here's some of the overused tropes this novel has:

-Heroine who's beautiful but doesn't think she's beautiful ✓
-"Who could possibly find me attractive?" (and other phrases of that sort) ✓
-With Little to None sex life ✓
-Who has an evil ex-boyfriend. ✓
-Who's a hardworking girl and doesn't have time for romance ✓
-Who's about to fall for gorgeous, bad boy billionaire ✓
-Said bad boy billionaire may or may have not have dark secrets/dark past ✓


And I'm going to add a few more:

-Heroine is "too innocent" ✓
-Hero forces her to eat ✓ (that trope really bothers me)
-Hero forces his driver/bodyguard (can't remember what David was) on her, because he wants her "safe" ✓
-Heroine's reaction to the above is feeling glad because that means he "cares" ✓
-Heroine is wanted sexually by almost every male near her but she doesn't think that's possible because, yet again, "Who could possibly find me attractive?" ✓

And a lot more that I'm not going to spoil in case you like this kind of romance and want to read it for yourself.

Another thing that frustrated me was how fast the relationship evolved.

Of course, I understand that this is an erotic novel but, I've read a LOT of novels like this with better sexual tension and "suspense" leading up to the first sexual encounter. Their 'arrangement' (yep, it has one of those, too)
felt rushed and unbelieable. The author spent more time describing her innocence and inexperience than trying to make us understand the attraction (and, eventually, infatuation) that someone like her could possibly feel towards someone like him.

So, sadly, no. I didin't felt the connection nor chemistry between the main couple. Which was a dissapointment, because the sex scenes were well written and could have been a lot better than they turned out to be.


I did like a couple of things, though. It's not that the novel was terrible-- I've read a lot worse. It's just, I'll repeat, too predictable.

-The writing was great. I think the author has a lot of potential. I mean, WAY better than many other novels of the genre. (and, btw, I loved the very first line, the sentence which begins the novel.)
-I liked that the hero had a good relationship with his ex-wife. It was a relief that there wasn't an evil, crazy ex (well, other than the heroine's ex.) That is ONE stereotype I really hate.
- I thought the creepy scenes with Declan (near the end) were well-written. They gave me the chills. That entire part was scary as hell.

Well, overall, the book was not my kind of romance but I would totally recommend it for fans of books like Bared to you or for anyone who likes the the trope young, innocent and hardworking girl falls for dangerous older man- who, hey!, also happes to be a mysterious billionaire".

If that's your choice of romance, then this is totally for you! show less

Surprisingly adored this book - classified as dark when I requested it but it wasnt really - had a darkish premise with the Agency and everything but overall was not that bad. The underlying story and Agency was fun to read about - I didn't particularly care for the characters much through most of the book, however, come the last 20% of the book I was super invested and I really needed that ending - and then I remembered it was likely going to be a cliffhanger and now I'm left wanting book show more 2! OH THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLeaSE GIVE ME MORE! show less

This was a good read for me. The writing flowed well, and the story line was good. I thought that Tyler and Scarlet were good together, but I didn't feel the chemistry at times. Scarlet was very much submissive to every one else's desires, and it took a long time for her to stand up for herself. I felt like every one in her life treated her like a child, and she let them. Every one acted like her having a relationship was a horrible thing, and she's a 21 year old woman. I also felt like she show more pushed Tyler away at the time that they needed each other the most. I was happy to see them eventually work through their problems, and get their HEA. This was a first for me from this author, but it won't be my last. show less

REVIEW: There is a gritty side to the competitive world of ballet and sports. Parallels are drawn between the requirements for success in both the New York City Ballet and the New York FC. Two driven individuals, Tyler and Scarlet, are compelled to navigate the obstacles. Until they realize how much is missing from their lives without each other. Deceitful coaches and underhanded coworkers add to the struggle for publicity and fame. This is a sweet hot story of personal integrity and show more independence. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: My whole life I'd been driven by my mother to be one of the greatest ballerinas that the New York City Ballet has ever seen. She kept me in a glass viewing case, not meant to be handled or touched. But once I remove my pointe shoes, I yearn for independence, escape, and the freedom just to be me...and to have him, Tyler Wilson.

Tyler Wilson may be the star striker for New York FC and a serial womanizer, but underneath his frivolous bravado, I see the real Tyler - the kind, protective man I've known since childhood. Though he still sees me as a fragile, an untouchable princess.

Now we're kind of working together, I feel the crack of electric, sexual tension in the air with each glance shared and I have my chance. I will show Tyler I'm not just a ballerina in a box, and together, we will defy everyone and break the rules.

But we can never, ever be caught. show less