What do you think?
Rate this book
Hostile Takeover
Years ago, Chase Richards and Mathias Tobler fell in love while training for the US Olympic fencing team. Afterward, they even attended the same business school so they could be together. Then Chase left Mathias alone and heartbroken in Italy. But all of that is ancient history by the time Chase thunders back into Mathias’s safe, settled life with a business deal.
There’s no way Mathias is going to do business with Chase. He spent nine years picking up the pieces and has moved on in life—and love. But Chase won’t give up without a he concocts a scheme to manipulate the market and take over the Tobler family business. If Mathias wants to save it, he’ll have to face off against Chase over crossed sabers.
Chase has a reputation as an unscrupulous corporate raider, but the Tobler business holds little interest for him. In reality, he wants Mathias. Chase must win him back—by any means necessary—before Mathias gives his heart to someone else. But how does a cold-blooded corporate raider convince the man he loves that his heart really isn’t made of stone?
There’s no way Mathias is going to do business with Chase. He spent nine years picking up the pieces and has moved on in life—and love. But Chase won’t give up without a he concocts a scheme to manipulate the market and take over the Tobler family business. If Mathias wants to save it, he’ll have to face off against Chase over crossed sabers.
Chase has a reputation as an unscrupulous corporate raider, but the Tobler business holds little interest for him. In reality, he wants Mathias. Chase must win him back—by any means necessary—before Mathias gives his heart to someone else. But how does a cold-blooded corporate raider convince the man he loves that his heart really isn’t made of stone?
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2012
5 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
E.M. Lynley
48 books234 followersEM Lynley writes gay erotic romance. She loves books where the hero gets the guy and the loving is 11 on a scale of 10. Her Precious Gems series is best described as “Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone”—only gayer. The Delectable series is Gay Romance with Taste.
A Rainbow Award winner and EPPIE finalist, EM has worked in high finance, high tech, and in the wine industry, though she'd rather be writing hot, romantic man-on-man action. She spent 10 years as an economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House Staff Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles, her creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and worked in London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay Area is home for now.
She is the author of Sex, Lies & Wedding Bells, the Precious Gems series from Dreamspinner Press, and the Rewriting History series starring a sexy jewel thief, among others. Her books are available in print and e-book from Amazon & other book distributors.
A Rainbow Award winner and EPPIE finalist, EM has worked in high finance, high tech, and in the wine industry, though she'd rather be writing hot, romantic man-on-man action. She spent 10 years as an economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House Staff Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles, her creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and worked in London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay Area is home for now.
She is the author of Sex, Lies & Wedding Bells, the Precious Gems series from Dreamspinner Press, and the Rewriting History series starring a sexy jewel thief, among others. Her books are available in print and e-book from Amazon & other book distributors.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 12, 2012
I've found you again, awful female ex, hiding within the pages of yet another m/m romance! Your fingernails are "long and pink," you live in high heels, you're fashionable, beautiful, vapid and vacuous, bitchy, unfaithful (i.e. "slutty"), talentless, manipulative, superficial, childish, demanding, and unreasonable, a heartless ice-queen or a predatory man-eater (or both!) only there to make your interchangeable husbands/boyfriends/partners miserable. You have no other characteristics. You're not human, but an alien from the planet of psychological abuse or a demon straight out of hell. Do you subsist somehow on the pain of these men? Do you drink their frustrated, closeted tears? Is that why you keep popping back up in story after story after story?
Like a cryptozoologist on the hunt for Bigfoot, I stalk you around the internet, waiting for you to make yet another inevitable appearance where your sole quality is to be stereotypically terrible enough to drive the dude into the arms of the other dude. And here you are! So exciting. I will be sure to alert the US Fish and Wildlife services about your existence; they've stopped taking my calls, but I'm certain that with this new proof they'll believe me.
Like a cryptozoologist on the hunt for Bigfoot, I stalk you around the internet, waiting for you to make yet another inevitable appearance where your sole quality is to be stereotypically terrible enough to drive the dude into the arms of the other dude. And here you are! So exciting. I will be sure to alert the US Fish and Wildlife services about your existence; they've stopped taking my calls, but I'm certain that with this new proof they'll believe me.
October 2, 2012
Miss Lynley...please stop turning your okay fanfics into sub-par ebooks, like you did with Sex Lies and Wedding Bells and now this. Fanfic is forgiving. We know or know something of the characters beforehand and can let a lot slide. Most times we LOVE the characters in a fanfic (this was originally J2 fanfiction) and for that reason alone we let things pass. But in original fic we don't start liking the characters beforehand and you need to WORK to develop them, to make them believable and likeable.
With original fiction where you have to take the time and effort to build a plot, character, story progression etc. This was in a word - a fiasco.
With original fiction where you have to take the time and effort to build a plot, character, story progression etc. This was in a word - a fiasco.
September 30, 2012
4.5 stars
When I read stories of war-real one or corporate war-I expect the opponents to be ruthless, smart, and use everything in their disposal for their advantage. This is what you'd find in this book. Still, in the core, this is a sweet, romantic book. The author didn't indulge herself with financial lingo, even though her background allowed her to do so.
Chase and Matthias at one point were fencing athletes who later went to Duke's Fuqoa School of Business together. They also used to be lovers for three years, before Chase's evil father schemed them and led to bad break up. They were to travel to Europe together, but Chase told Matthias to go there first. When Matthias called him from Venice, Italy, asking when Chase would come, he had to accept that Chase was not coming at all, and their relationship was over.
Fast forward nine years, Chase now was CEO of his family's company, as was Matthias of his family's. Chase read a news of Matthias engagement with Brooke, a former Miss Texas. This triggered emotional heap on Chase. He wanted to talk to Matthias again, so he put together a good proposal to buy off parts of Matthias' company. Suspicious of Chase's motive, Matthias decided to sell those parts to someone else instead. When Chase demanded an explanation, Matthias told him that Chase had turned into his manipulative father. This angered Chase, and he started a war to take over Matthias' company. He was ruthless, and the two fought in business, in personal life, and in fencing court.
Would Chase succeed in getting what he wanted? At what price? Would Matthias fight his ex-lover to the end?
I enjoyed this book at the end, much more than at the beginning. The beginning is full of negative vibes from both characters. Thankfully, not the later parts.
Now, some warnings.
Flashback. The story jumps around from present time (Aug 2012) to 2001, 2003, and sometimes July 2012 (hence lost half star). Most of the flashbacks are various sex scenes. Some are important, but not all of them are. Sometimes, I felt like reading a flashback of a flashback! I think the author uses flashback like one uses footnote or reference in academic papers.
Cheating. There are couple of them. It's not on the main characters, and it's a retaliation.
I'm happy that it takes very long time before Matthias accepted Chase back, and they fought for it. There are several parts which I'm not sure are needed but in general the story is pretty tight.
The book is very romantic. Even when I read the heavily dramatic parts, I didn't really feel irritated like I usually feel when I read angsty story. Perhaps because I knew this was war. Both characters are likeable--most of the time. (Sometimes their stubborness just kill me). I really like the ending, which completes the circle where the story begins.
When I read stories of war-real one or corporate war-I expect the opponents to be ruthless, smart, and use everything in their disposal for their advantage. This is what you'd find in this book. Still, in the core, this is a sweet, romantic book. The author didn't indulge herself with financial lingo, even though her background allowed her to do so.
Chase and Matthias at one point were fencing athletes who later went to Duke's Fuqoa School of Business together. They also used to be lovers for three years, before Chase's evil father schemed them and led to bad break up. They were to travel to Europe together, but Chase told Matthias to go there first. When Matthias called him from Venice, Italy, asking when Chase would come, he had to accept that Chase was not coming at all, and their relationship was over.
Fast forward nine years, Chase now was CEO of his family's company, as was Matthias of his family's. Chase read a news of Matthias engagement with Brooke, a former Miss Texas. This triggered emotional heap on Chase. He wanted to talk to Matthias again, so he put together a good proposal to buy off parts of Matthias' company. Suspicious of Chase's motive, Matthias decided to sell those parts to someone else instead. When Chase demanded an explanation, Matthias told him that Chase had turned into his manipulative father. This angered Chase, and he started a war to take over Matthias' company. He was ruthless, and the two fought in business, in personal life, and in fencing court.
Would Chase succeed in getting what he wanted? At what price? Would Matthias fight his ex-lover to the end?
I enjoyed this book at the end, much more than at the beginning. The beginning is full of negative vibes from both characters. Thankfully, not the later parts.
Now, some warnings.
Flashback. The story jumps around from present time (Aug 2012) to 2001, 2003, and sometimes July 2012 (hence lost half star). Most of the flashbacks are various sex scenes. Some are important, but not all of them are. Sometimes, I felt like reading a flashback of a flashback! I think the author uses flashback like one uses footnote or reference in academic papers.
Cheating. There are couple of them. It's not on the main characters, and it's a retaliation.
I'm happy that it takes very long time before Matthias accepted Chase back, and they fought for it. There are several parts which I'm not sure are needed but in general the story is pretty tight.
The book is very romantic. Even when I read the heavily dramatic parts, I didn't really feel irritated like I usually feel when I read angsty story. Perhaps because I knew this was war. Both characters are likeable--most of the time. (Sometimes their stubborness just kill me). I really like the ending, which completes the circle where the story begins.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 29, 2012I was left feeling unsatisfied with the romance and both MC's were a bit of a hit and miss throughout. I had the same issues as MandyM did, the last quarter was the best part of the story and for that it gets 3 stars.
ETA: Since the blow-up and the fanfic debacle I will leave it unrated. Now if only the author had just let it go and not made such a big deal about removing the links to the fanfic for readers to compare.
ETA: Since the blow-up and the fanfic debacle I will leave it unrated. Now if only the author had just let it go and not made such a big deal about removing the links to the fanfic for readers to compare.
October 14, 2012
Chase and Mathias. Wow, what a ride. These frenemies just... pushed me through some emotional hoops that left me so mad, so frustrated, and so pissed off I was practically shouting! And that's how I know a good book from a meh book. There were lots of times I gritted my teeth, but also times when I laughed out loud. Case in point: "Insert tab A to slot B." How's that for brilliant dialogue? :) Loved it! And the whole duel scene for the fate of a corporation? Nice!
It was so annoying that these guys behaved one way, and then inside they were completely different! Sucks, but that's reality. People do wear masks for the benefit of other people, always just a bit of pretense to ward off those who might get too close and see you for you who truly are, in fear of rejection and disappointing. And Chase's Dad? I had murder on the brain!
I was glad I was forewarned about the time jumps. No, this is not a time travel story. I mean the story jumps from the past to the present and back again. They happened a LOT. It took some getting used to, but I get why this method was chosen: Instead of knowing right off the bat what caused the guys to break up back in the day, we get breadcrumbs to follow. The contrast between the warm, loving past and the brutal, cold present was startling--and effective. I kept turning the pages in a feverish rush to find out more about these guys and what was going to happen to them.
I highly recommend this!
It was so annoying that these guys behaved one way, and then inside they were completely different! Sucks, but that's reality. People do wear masks for the benefit of other people, always just a bit of pretense to ward off those who might get too close and see you for you who truly are, in fear of rejection and disappointing. And Chase's Dad? I had murder on the brain!
I was glad I was forewarned about the time jumps. No, this is not a time travel story. I mean the story jumps from the past to the present and back again. They happened a LOT. It took some getting used to, but I get why this method was chosen: Instead of knowing right off the bat what caused the guys to break up back in the day, we get breadcrumbs to follow. The contrast between the warm, loving past and the brutal, cold present was startling--and effective. I kept turning the pages in a feverish rush to find out more about these guys and what was going to happen to them.
I highly recommend this!
May 22, 2015
It's a little annoying author's style in this book how switch from present to past and do so too often.For this reason not everyone will like this book.I have a lot of patience when I read a book and in the end.. I liked
September 30, 2012
Wasn't for me, I found the bouncing between the years confusing and it ripped me right out of the story. I didn't like Chase at all and thought he was a total asshole right the way through the book. The female (yawn) Brooke was the usual revolting nasty manipulative yadayadayada..... and Tee whilst being a decent human being was so unbelievable forgiving it made me angry and think "what a complete doormat".
May 29, 2015
Not a fan I'm afraid. The flashbacks were just killing me. I don't wanna have to keep flipping around trying to figure out what year I'm in with each new chapter. It's freaking annoying. Anyway, that's what really stood out for me.
October 14, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. I even went back to read some scenes again already.
It's different from the average m/m romance and that's part of why I liked it so much. Despite some of the negative comments, I think the characters here are interesting and I cared about them. I wanted Mathias to be happy and I wondered for a while why on earth he would want Chase. But the flashbacks layer in the history of the two men and their personalities in a way that builds and builds, so it was haflway through before I really understood Chase and how he got so f*cked up. And then I could understand why he's such a bastard in the present-day story. But he was so wonderful in the flashbacks that I could understand why Mathias couldn't forget him. He's hard to like at first but I felt he was worth getting to know as a character.
I admit the way the flashbacks work didn't dawn on me at first, but then I saw the author's blog about what she did and it clicked. I went back and read some again to get it. (This link might help http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...)
There are some hot sex scenes too. But they were all part of the story and except for one, they didn't feel like they were out of place. And I loved the way the blindfold kept turning up and how it got resolved. And the ending was very romantic.
It's different from the average m/m romance and that's part of why I liked it so much. Despite some of the negative comments, I think the characters here are interesting and I cared about them. I wanted Mathias to be happy and I wondered for a while why on earth he would want Chase. But the flashbacks layer in the history of the two men and their personalities in a way that builds and builds, so it was haflway through before I really understood Chase and how he got so f*cked up. And then I could understand why he's such a bastard in the present-day story. But he was so wonderful in the flashbacks that I could understand why Mathias couldn't forget him. He's hard to like at first but I felt he was worth getting to know as a character.
I admit the way the flashbacks work didn't dawn on me at first, but then I saw the author's blog about what she did and it clicked. I went back and read some again to get it. (This link might help http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...)
There are some hot sex scenes too. But they were all part of the story and except for one, they didn't feel like they were out of place. And I loved the way the blindfold kept turning up and how it got resolved. And the ending was very romantic.
October 9, 2012
I loved it. The build up was slow, yet with the addition of flashback scenes, still sexy. These two had a lot of issues to work through that were entirely of their own making. Though there was an evil father who kept them apart, the fact that they stayed apart, and are fighting in the present, is of their own doing. You never even see the father in the present scenes. This book is entirely character driven, and it kept me up last night and made me finish it today even though I'm supposed to be working :) It nearly had me in tears a couple of times and I'll probably come back to it to read again later.
September 30, 2012
5 stars
WOW just WOW!
On reading the blurb(Dreamspinner Press), I knew this was the perfect book for me.
This book was fantastic :)
For me, it was a great joy to read and I look forward to reading more of Lynley's books.
WOW just WOW!
On reading the blurb(Dreamspinner Press), I knew this was the perfect book for me.
This book was fantastic :)
For me, it was a great joy to read and I look forward to reading more of Lynley's books.
November 3, 2013
Clunky, awkward, unconvincing, inconsistent, and predictable in prose, plot, and character. Not a hint of subtlety or nuance or subtext -- everything explained in plodding and obvious detail. MC Chase was odious, whiny, and spineless, MC Mathias , and secondary character Brooke was a complete cartoon caricature. And the flashbacks were enough to make anyone seasick.
A nearly painful reading experience.
eta -- Last night I went back and reread my review for another Lynley book, Rarer Than Rubies. Interestingly, I had similar comments for that book. These appear to be common characteristics in Lynley's writing. Perhaps a significant predictor for her other books?
A nearly painful reading experience.
eta -- Last night I went back and reread my review for another Lynley book, Rarer Than Rubies. Interestingly, I had similar comments for that book. These appear to be common characteristics in Lynley's writing. Perhaps a significant predictor for her other books?
July 16, 2017
I liked this. And I didn't like it.
I didn't like it because it challenged my ability for suspension of disbelief. I didn't like it because Chase, as a whole, seemed... not finished.
I liked it because it had potential. And because it kept me reading. And because the writing, though it had faults, didn't put me off. And because I loved their relationship when they were young. And because the evil ex wasn't really evil, just juvenile.
So 2.5 stars, rounding down.
I didn't like it because it challenged my ability for suspension of disbelief. I didn't like it because Chase, as a whole, seemed... not finished.
I liked it because it had potential. And because it kept me reading. And because the writing, though it had faults, didn't put me off. And because I loved their relationship when they were young. And because the evil ex wasn't really evil, just juvenile.
So 2.5 stars, rounding down.
November 29, 2012
1.5 stars but I'm rounding down.
I have the worst luck with books about business men from Texas.
I have the worst luck with books about business men from Texas.
October 1, 2012
Chase was an ass but I still really liked the story. Loved the ending.
December 7, 2012
Brooke was such an awful caricature of a southern pageant bimbo, I wish she'd been removed from the book. Ugh, every scene with her was repugnant.
So what about the MCs? Well both of them are psychotic, but once you get past that (and Brooke) this ain't a bad read. Rich boy Matthias seems like a good sort, a good looking fencing champion who is training for the Olympic team. Richer boy Chase is bipolar, a rapid cycling manic depressive who switches personality types faster than you can say "touché." He's a fencer too, and claims to be so shy that he puts on an arrogant facade to get through social situations. Yeah, sure, Chase. Matthias falls in love with the sweet side of Chase, and they plan a life together. Chase, however, has no real control over his hot and cold running personas: he dumps Matthias long (very long) distance in order to please his father. Chase, why couldn't you explain your plans to Matthais? Instead, Chase, crazy as a loon, claims, "Daddy made me dump you via a phone call while you were in Europe waiting for me, Matthias. Daddy mean, Daddy bad." This, after the pair have had a loving relationship throughout graduate school.
Matthais, heartbroken, returns home to run his family business. He's bisexual, and has settled in to marry the aforementioned Brooke. He's happy with his plans for a future with her. He's also a terrible judge of character. Chase (still unmedicated, still undiagnosed) has become a ruthless and immoral corporate raider. He spots Matt's wedding announcement and decides:
1. He, Chase, is still in love with Matt.
2. He will win Matt back, and they will love and live HEA
So, after a cold hearted breakup, nine years of no contact, and Matt's decision to marry Brooke, how on earth will Chase win back Matt? By running Matt's company into the ground! In his increasingly out of control manic states, Chase seemingly has no idea how to behave as a feeling human being. Matt justifibly doesn't trust Chase, and Chase proves that he is untrustworthy by seducing Brooke and wrangling a hostile takeover of Matt's family business.
Way to win back a long lost lover, Chase! Yet, Matt is still attracted to him in a weirdly codependent manner. Chase continues to blame his dishonesty, ruthlessness, cruelty and irrationality on Daddy. Daddy mean! Daddy bad.
This train wreck was actually quite a it of fun. I love how both Matt and Chase were so inconsistent as characters, you could not predict how they would respond. The fact that Chase challenges Matt to a dual--AND MATT ACCEPTS--indicated that both of these rich boys were quite unstable. I wish there had been more fencing in the book, fencing is hilarious! En garde! Pret! Allez! Ready, set, go, I'm not sure if this was meant to be funny. But I enjoyed every trashy, unlikely minute of it.
So what about the MCs? Well both of them are psychotic, but once you get past that (and Brooke) this ain't a bad read. Rich boy Matthias seems like a good sort, a good looking fencing champion who is training for the Olympic team. Richer boy Chase is bipolar, a rapid cycling manic depressive who switches personality types faster than you can say "touché." He's a fencer too, and claims to be so shy that he puts on an arrogant facade to get through social situations. Yeah, sure, Chase. Matthias falls in love with the sweet side of Chase, and they plan a life together. Chase, however, has no real control over his hot and cold running personas: he dumps Matthias long (very long) distance in order to please his father. Chase, why couldn't you explain your plans to Matthais? Instead, Chase, crazy as a loon, claims, "Daddy made me dump you via a phone call while you were in Europe waiting for me, Matthias. Daddy mean, Daddy bad." This, after the pair have had a loving relationship throughout graduate school.
Matthais, heartbroken, returns home to run his family business. He's bisexual, and has settled in to marry the aforementioned Brooke. He's happy with his plans for a future with her. He's also a terrible judge of character. Chase (still unmedicated, still undiagnosed) has become a ruthless and immoral corporate raider. He spots Matt's wedding announcement and decides:
1. He, Chase, is still in love with Matt.
2. He will win Matt back, and they will love and live HEA
So, after a cold hearted breakup, nine years of no contact, and Matt's decision to marry Brooke, how on earth will Chase win back Matt? By running Matt's company into the ground! In his increasingly out of control manic states, Chase seemingly has no idea how to behave as a feeling human being. Matt justifibly doesn't trust Chase, and Chase proves that he is untrustworthy by seducing Brooke and wrangling a hostile takeover of Matt's family business.
Way to win back a long lost lover, Chase! Yet, Matt is still attracted to him in a weirdly codependent manner. Chase continues to blame his dishonesty, ruthlessness, cruelty and irrationality on Daddy. Daddy mean! Daddy bad.
This train wreck was actually quite a it of fun. I love how both Matt and Chase were so inconsistent as characters, you could not predict how they would respond. The fact that Chase challenges Matt to a dual--AND MATT ACCEPTS--indicated that both of these rich boys were quite unstable. I wish there had been more fencing in the book, fencing is hilarious! En garde! Pret! Allez! Ready, set, go, I'm not sure if this was meant to be funny. But I enjoyed every trashy, unlikely minute of it.
October 13, 2012
I adored this book. It's the story of Mathias and Chase, former lovers who met while representing the US at the Olympics in fencing, whilst in college.
They were together for three years before Chase dumped Mathias without any explanation. 9 years later both men are on opposite sides of the corporate table when Chase attempts a hostile takeover of Mathias's company, a company handed down to Mathias from his father and grandfather before him. A company Mathias is determined to save. Through flashbacks we get to see how they met and broke up.
Chase initially comes over as very cold and manipulative but as the story unfolds, and we see what he really wants, what shaped him, and why he did what he did I found myself drawn to him. He is such a tortured, conflicted character, I'd even say he has a split personality, that you can't but feel sorry for him.
Mathias is lovely, a very gentle soul, far too trusting though, who never got over Chase, his first love, he's tried to move forward, even getting engaged, but he's not really happy.
Chase's brilliant, if flawed (and stupid) idea of how to get Mathias back is to make a bid to buy part, then all of his company, initially just to spend time with him in negotiations, but it doesn't quite work out like that, what we end up with is a complex story that weaves through the world of corporate warfare and also shows us that the path of true love never runs smooth. Both men are flawed and come over as real characters, making real mistakes, neither are perfect. So many times I just wanted Chase to talk to Mathias, tell him how he felt.
This book has everything you could want in a great story, and it keeps you guessing to the very end. Highly recommended.
They were together for three years before Chase dumped Mathias without any explanation. 9 years later both men are on opposite sides of the corporate table when Chase attempts a hostile takeover of Mathias's company, a company handed down to Mathias from his father and grandfather before him. A company Mathias is determined to save. Through flashbacks we get to see how they met and broke up.
Chase initially comes over as very cold and manipulative but as the story unfolds, and we see what he really wants, what shaped him, and why he did what he did I found myself drawn to him. He is such a tortured, conflicted character, I'd even say he has a split personality, that you can't but feel sorry for him.
Mathias is lovely, a very gentle soul, far too trusting though, who never got over Chase, his first love, he's tried to move forward, even getting engaged, but he's not really happy.
Chase's brilliant, if flawed (and stupid) idea of how to get Mathias back is to make a bid to buy part, then all of his company, initially just to spend time with him in negotiations, but it doesn't quite work out like that, what we end up with is a complex story that weaves through the world of corporate warfare and also shows us that the path of true love never runs smooth. Both men are flawed and come over as real characters, making real mistakes, neither are perfect. So many times I just wanted Chase to talk to Mathias, tell him how he felt.
This book has everything you could want in a great story, and it keeps you guessing to the very end. Highly recommended.
October 1, 2012
3.75 Stars
For the most part I enjoyed this book.
The main negative for me was the jumping backwards in time as the M.C's relived their initial years together. A lot of the jump backs came across as story fillers to add to the word count.
I felt sorry for Chase and Matthias and could sympathise with the reasons Chase let his life spiral out of control and in doing so lost the one important thing in his life, Matthias. For a shy introvert with a controlling, manipulative father, it was a foregone conclusion.
It may have taken nine years but at least Chase eventually found the guts to try and make things right.. Even if the way he went about it was more than wrong.
For the most part I enjoyed this book.
The main negative for me was the jumping backwards in time as the M.C's relived their initial years together. A lot of the jump backs came across as story fillers to add to the word count.
I felt sorry for Chase and Matthias and could sympathise with the reasons Chase let his life spiral out of control and in doing so lost the one important thing in his life, Matthias. For a shy introvert with a controlling, manipulative father, it was a foregone conclusion.
It may have taken nine years but at least Chase eventually found the guts to try and make things right.. Even if the way he went about it was more than wrong.
October 12, 2012
I really enjoyed the animosity between the characters in this story. I think the author did a great job showing the tension and stress of a coorporate takeover.
The author had an interesting way of skipping back and forth between several different time periods, but I never felt lost or confused. The jumps flowed nicely.
There was one woman in the novel portrayed as a gold-digging harpy, so if that annoys you - you might want to stay clear. In the author's defense, not all women in the book were portrayed that way... so it really was just written as a supporting character, not a slight on the female gender.
The author had an interesting way of skipping back and forth between several different time periods, but I never felt lost or confused. The jumps flowed nicely.
There was one woman in the novel portrayed as a gold-digging harpy, so if that annoys you - you might want to stay clear. In the author's defense, not all women in the book were portrayed that way... so it really was just written as a supporting character, not a slight on the female gender.
October 3, 2012
3.5 Stars. I would have rated this higher but the ending wrapped things up a little too quickly and perfectly for me.
November 27, 2012
Chase is too bound to his father's approval - damaged goods, but not showing the signs of years of emotional trauma. Mathias is too perfect - almost naive and not suited for the rough and tumble of the business world, until we find he has his own spine of steel as the story rolls on. Miscommunication: more like act of sabotage by an antagonistic father. Female character: a shallow society gal who redeems herself only in the very end.
So here are your tropes, and it doesn't sound like much. That is precisely why I fell in love with this book, though: there are no natural disasters, alien invasions, dreadful disease, criminal violations or Acts of God that would squish these two guys together, tear them asunder, and then lead them to find one another again. Nope, it's all their own doing, and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see writing that is not propped up by the crutches of outside force majeure. The drama is internal and so is the personal growth, for the both of them.
I would suggest that the reader does not view the structure of the story as "heavy on flashbacks", but rather as an intricate plait of related and mutually supportive story lines. The book as a whole is an exercise in masterful timeline manipulation. There are no holes, no loose ends, no unnecessary diversions. Full of surprises, every eye-opening event unfolds for a reason. The story would not have suffered, had the woman been a stronger person in many respects. The basic plot line would have still applied, but even so I am happy to recommend this book, knowing that I will end up rereading it in not too long.
So here are your tropes, and it doesn't sound like much. That is precisely why I fell in love with this book, though: there are no natural disasters, alien invasions, dreadful disease, criminal violations or Acts of God that would squish these two guys together, tear them asunder, and then lead them to find one another again. Nope, it's all their own doing, and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see writing that is not propped up by the crutches of outside force majeure. The drama is internal and so is the personal growth, for the both of them.
I would suggest that the reader does not view the structure of the story as "heavy on flashbacks", but rather as an intricate plait of related and mutually supportive story lines. The book as a whole is an exercise in masterful timeline manipulation. There are no holes, no loose ends, no unnecessary diversions. Full of surprises, every eye-opening event unfolds for a reason. The story would not have suffered, had the woman been a stronger person in many respects. The basic plot line would have still applied, but even so I am happy to recommend this book, knowing that I will end up rereading it in not too long.
April 23, 2017
2.5 stars.
Very inconsistent characterisation. I didn't mind the flashbacks in the beginning when they served a purpose but in the last third of the book, they seemed to only be adding pointless smut or fluff which was distracting and, eventually, annoying enough to skim.
I disliked pretty much every character except Mathias and, frankly, didn't really care enough for him to be pissed off that he was spineless enough to take Chase back.
The story itself was interesting enough to get me through to the quite sweet epilogue, albeit cursing and rolling my eyes at the characters the whole way.
Very inconsistent characterisation. I didn't mind the flashbacks in the beginning when they served a purpose but in the last third of the book, they seemed to only be adding pointless smut or fluff which was distracting and, eventually, annoying enough to skim.
I disliked pretty much every character except Mathias and, frankly, didn't really care enough for him to be pissed off that he was spineless enough to take Chase back.
The story itself was interesting enough to get me through to the quite sweet epilogue, albeit cursing and rolling my eyes at the characters the whole way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2013
Rating 2.25
Not going into a detailed review but I never connected with the MC's their initial separation worked but the Takeover felt forced (He all but destroyed the person he "supposedly loves"). Forgiveness was given to easily once again. I know when your in love it is easy to forgive but how are the parent able to so easily forgive someone who hurt their son. I know my mom would not forgive so easily. The whole limo scene was pushing the envelope, and I hate that the MC doesn't even gets upset about being used once again.
The one MC did to many awful things to be forgiven so quickly! He used his intimate knowledge about the person to take what he cared most about.
Not going into a detailed review but I never connected with the MC's their initial separation worked but the Takeover felt forced (He all but destroyed the person he "supposedly loves"). Forgiveness was given to easily once again. I know when your in love it is easy to forgive but how are the parent able to so easily forgive someone who hurt their son. I know my mom would not forgive so easily. The whole limo scene was pushing the envelope, and I hate that the MC doesn't even gets upset about being used once again.
The one MC did to many awful things to be forgiven so quickly! He used his intimate knowledge about the person to take what he cared most about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2014
Absolutely love it! I couldn't put it down til I finished it late in the night. The first few chapters took a while to get into the flow of the story with the flashbacks between characters. I thought the flashbacks were clever and timed well throughout the story especially stating the date clearly on each time. It was brilliantly done and very much enjoyed the characters especially their hot attractions with each other. Fantastic read! I got just about all Lynley`s books and they are awesome! Please keep up with wonderful stories :)
September 30, 2012
Jumps around way to much between many different years. I really didn't like the couple. Chase is an asshole, and Mathias should have moved on to someone better.
April 6, 2015
Another winner! Ms. Lynley is fast becoming a new favorite author.
October 7, 2017
I almost didn't rate this because it's hard for me to swallow second chance romance when the first chance had ended badly. I think it's only the last three chapters that convinced me that the book was okay.
The story itself moved quickly from one event to another. It's more telling than showing, I guess, so I went through the story briskly, moreover since I skipped all the old flashbacks because I was only interested in their present story.
The story itself moved quickly from one event to another. It's more telling than showing, I guess, so I went through the story briskly, moreover since I skipped all the old flashbacks because I was only interested in their present story.
April 19, 2023
This book does have some editing issues (i.e., mainly punctuation issues.) I tend to overlook that sort of thing in this sort of book, unless it's particularly egregious. Other than that, it was pretty good. The sexy scenes were sexy; I liked both of the main characters, and the conflict was the sort where you really want to keep reading to make sure the two of them get back together where they obviously belong!
December 30, 2015
2.5 Heart Review by Kimberley
I was quite anxious to read this book after stumbling across the blurb. I requested this book thinking that I was going to get this great story about these two powerful businessman who were college sweethearts who broke up and have the opportunity to reconnect and reunite years later. So I fully expected to like this book when I got it.
I wanted to like this book. I truly tried to get into this book. By the second chapter I just knew but it would be a struggle to complete this book. It wasn’t the writing that was bad as far as the editing and the character development was concerned. What drove me crazy were the constant flashbacks. I could’ve handled it once or twice, here or there within the story. But flashbacks throughout the entire book became confusing, irritating and quite tedious. Add to that the completely unlikable characters in this book and I just couldn’t remember what it was about the book that drew me to it in the first place. I don’t know which MC I disliked more. Chase was this odd combination of spoiled vindictive brat, insecure boy, and ruthless businessman.
Mathias was the nice guy but up to a certain point. Now he was an odd combination of extremely smart but was extremely stupid when it came to his lying, cheating, deceitful little witch of a fiancé.
The story starts off extremely slow and the flashbacks greatly contributed to that. It was almost as if you couldn’t move forward in the story properly because the author kept insisting on constantly taking you back. If there was a purpose to be served with the constant flashbacks I probably wouldn’t have minded but there didn’t seem to be a purpose to the flashbacks at all. There was nothing of value to be learned about these characters by constantly inserting these flashbacks into this book. The author could’ve told the story of Chase and Mathias’s breakup in a paragraph, as it was obvious as to why the two had broken up nine years earlier. It actually caused the book to drag along and created these clusters of ‘info dumps’ in the story that were just too much. I felt that these men weren’t progressing forward fast enough because the author kept taking you back to their starting point.
And then there were just too many stunts and shows in between to bring these men together. So much so, that by the time these man finally do end up back together you were too exhausted to even care.
The technical aspects of the book were on point. The editing was nice there were no misspelled words, plot holes or anything like that. The execution of the story, though, not so much.
The stunts and shows, combined with the constant flashbacks and unlikable characters just made it difficult for me to get through this book.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I was quite anxious to read this book after stumbling across the blurb. I requested this book thinking that I was going to get this great story about these two powerful businessman who were college sweethearts who broke up and have the opportunity to reconnect and reunite years later. So I fully expected to like this book when I got it.
I wanted to like this book. I truly tried to get into this book. By the second chapter I just knew but it would be a struggle to complete this book. It wasn’t the writing that was bad as far as the editing and the character development was concerned. What drove me crazy were the constant flashbacks. I could’ve handled it once or twice, here or there within the story. But flashbacks throughout the entire book became confusing, irritating and quite tedious. Add to that the completely unlikable characters in this book and I just couldn’t remember what it was about the book that drew me to it in the first place. I don’t know which MC I disliked more. Chase was this odd combination of spoiled vindictive brat, insecure boy, and ruthless businessman.
Mathias was the nice guy but up to a certain point. Now he was an odd combination of extremely smart but was extremely stupid when it came to his lying, cheating, deceitful little witch of a fiancé.
The story starts off extremely slow and the flashbacks greatly contributed to that. It was almost as if you couldn’t move forward in the story properly because the author kept insisting on constantly taking you back. If there was a purpose to be served with the constant flashbacks I probably wouldn’t have minded but there didn’t seem to be a purpose to the flashbacks at all. There was nothing of value to be learned about these characters by constantly inserting these flashbacks into this book. The author could’ve told the story of Chase and Mathias’s breakup in a paragraph, as it was obvious as to why the two had broken up nine years earlier. It actually caused the book to drag along and created these clusters of ‘info dumps’ in the story that were just too much. I felt that these men weren’t progressing forward fast enough because the author kept taking you back to their starting point.
And then there were just too many stunts and shows in between to bring these men together. So much so, that by the time these man finally do end up back together you were too exhausted to even care.
The technical aspects of the book were on point. The editing was nice there were no misspelled words, plot holes or anything like that. The execution of the story, though, not so much.
The stunts and shows, combined with the constant flashbacks and unlikable characters just made it difficult for me to get through this book.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
April 24, 2013
This plot...reminds me of manga.
And okay, I get why you would do all that timeline hopping (kind of) - because you want the story to unfold beautifully at just the right times in just the right way - but damn if it didn't make my head spin a little. I don't even know what time "present day" is anymore @_@
But damn. I had moments when I had chills because it was so impactful.
I don't quite understand how Brooke could be such a tool. For a supposedly conniving bitch, she really wasn't all that conniving.
There is so much gut-spilling to Mattie going around that every time it happens, it comes off as contrived and random. Well...maybe not random, but it certainly did not endear the characters to me any more.
The author found a different way to refer to a proverbial elephant in the room that wasn't altogether tacky, so that was cool.
Anyways, it really is manga-y. The focal of the fencing thing. The whole jazz with how mystified and solidified the whole became. I'm not sure how to explain it...It's like a Special Ability...Like in Skip Beat when those peeps can get so into acting that the personas almost take on a life of their own. Something like that...
The declarations of love were interesting. When they happened (don't pretend to be surprised; of course they were going to happen), I actually found the "I wouldn't choose anything/one over you" very believable. It wasn't the melodramatic declamations so often employed by authors. I'm not sure what exactly makes it so, but that's the impression I get.
I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. Other than the couple of elements that were really manga-fied, I thought it was really believable in a down-to-earth everyday common sense goodness sort of way. It kind of drags here and there, especially towards the end, but hey. C'est la vie. Life can't be incredibly interesting all the time.
And okay, I get why you would do all that timeline hopping (kind of) - because you want the story to unfold beautifully at just the right times in just the right way - but damn if it didn't make my head spin a little. I don't even know what time "present day" is anymore @_@
But damn. I had moments when I had chills because it was so impactful.
I don't quite understand how Brooke could be such a tool. For a supposedly conniving bitch, she really wasn't all that conniving.
There is so much gut-spilling to Mattie going around that every time it happens, it comes off as contrived and random. Well...maybe not random, but it certainly did not endear the characters to me any more.
The author found a different way to refer to a proverbial elephant in the room that wasn't altogether tacky, so that was cool.
Anyways, it really is manga-y. The focal of the fencing thing. The whole jazz with how mystified and solidified the whole became. I'm not sure how to explain it...It's like a Special Ability...Like in Skip Beat when those peeps can get so into acting that the personas almost take on a life of their own. Something like that...
The declarations of love were interesting. When they happened (don't pretend to be surprised; of course they were going to happen), I actually found the "I wouldn't choose anything/one over you" very believable. It wasn't the melodramatic declamations so often employed by authors. I'm not sure what exactly makes it so, but that's the impression I get.
I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. Other than the couple of elements that were really manga-fied, I thought it was really believable in a down-to-earth everyday common sense goodness sort of way. It kind of drags here and there, especially towards the end, but hey. C'est la vie. Life can't be incredibly interesting all the time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews