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White Balance
His world was grey. She gave him back his colour.
In one stolen moment, a man bared his soul. She only saw him through her camera lens but she's overwhelmed by the desire to comfort him.
When Bailey meets scarily attractive Aiden, she's struck by the oddest feeling he's in pain. He soon proves how bogus first impressions can be. He's not in pain. He causes pain, belittling with his intelligence and humiliating with his wit.
Aiden's life is wildly out of balance. But no-one needs to know that, least of all the sparkling Bailey, even if it means ruining a perfectly good professional relationship with the only woman who ever made him forget Shannon.
Then together they save a man's life, Aiden's two realities collide and Bailey discovers she's stolen his soul.
In one stolen moment, a man bared his soul. She only saw him through her camera lens but she's overwhelmed by the desire to comfort him.
When Bailey meets scarily attractive Aiden, she's struck by the oddest feeling he's in pain. He soon proves how bogus first impressions can be. He's not in pain. He causes pain, belittling with his intelligence and humiliating with his wit.
Aiden's life is wildly out of balance. But no-one needs to know that, least of all the sparkling Bailey, even if it means ruining a perfectly good professional relationship with the only woman who ever made him forget Shannon.
Then together they save a man's life, Aiden's two realities collide and Bailey discovers she's stolen his soul.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2012
16 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Ainslie Paton
40 books143 followersAinslie Paton always wanted to write stories to make people smile, but the need to eat, accumulate books, and have bedclothes to read under was ever present. She sold out, and worked as a flack, a suit, and a creative, ghosting for business leaders, rabble-rousers, and politicians, and making words happen for companies, governments, causes, conditions, high-profile CEOs, low-profile celebs, and the occasional misguided royal. She still does that. She also writes for love and so she can buy shoes, and the good cat food.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 20, 2015
White Balance by Ainslie Paton is a story about a big doofus, a warrior princess, a reformed narrator and a cute fairy who worms her way into the story and tends to go off script. It begins with 'Once Upon a Time' and ends with 'And They Lived Happily Ever After.'
Any book that I have read so far by Ainslie Paton I have enjoyed, and this one does not stray from that line. Set in Australia in the business world it is a fascinating look at characters and their lives, both in relation to themselves and to others. It explores loss and pain, friendship and love, light and dark, finding the balance and following your heart in all things.
White Balance is a gritty story, a story of recovery and choosing to live. A story of reaching out and seeing and being with. The characters wormed their way into my heart and I followed their ups and downs, never sure where they might move next. While it is a romance, I hesitated to even name it that, because it goes beyond into another realm.
This book did need some more proof reading, there were a larger number of typos than I like to come across, however it didn't stop me reading.
If you'd like a full review for White Balance then read this review by Jane at Dear Author as I think her review is very fair indeed and she puts it far better than I could. In the meantime I'll be organising my next read by Ainslie Paton. For as long as she is writing, I'll be reading her books.
Any book that I have read so far by Ainslie Paton I have enjoyed, and this one does not stray from that line. Set in Australia in the business world it is a fascinating look at characters and their lives, both in relation to themselves and to others. It explores loss and pain, friendship and love, light and dark, finding the balance and following your heart in all things.
White Balance is a gritty story, a story of recovery and choosing to live. A story of reaching out and seeing and being with. The characters wormed their way into my heart and I followed their ups and downs, never sure where they might move next. While it is a romance, I hesitated to even name it that, because it goes beyond into another realm.
This book did need some more proof reading, there were a larger number of typos than I like to come across, however it didn't stop me reading.
If you'd like a full review for White Balance then read this review by Jane at Dear Author as I think her review is very fair indeed and she puts it far better than I could. In the meantime I'll be organising my next read by Ainslie Paton. For as long as she is writing, I'll be reading her books.
April 9, 2014
I liked this one. The characters were interesting, the writing was smooth, the setting was new.
The motivations/characterizations didn't always work for me, though. As I read those spoilers over, I'm finding myself feeling more negatively toward the book - I think it's a testament about how strong the OTHER aspects of the book are that I was able to mostly gloss over those issues and still enjoy the read very much.
The motivations/characterizations didn't always work for me, though. As I read those spoilers over, I'm finding myself feeling more negatively toward the book - I think it's a testament about how strong the OTHER aspects of the book are that I was able to mostly gloss over those issues and still enjoy the read very much.
freebie
July 20, 2013
FREEBIE!!!
His world was grey. She gave him back his colour.
In one stolen moment, a man bared his soul. She only saw him through her camera lens but she's overwhelmed by the desire to comfort him.
When Bailey meets scarily attractive Aiden, she's struck by the oddest feeling he's in pain. He soon proves how bogus first impressions can be. He's not in pain. He causes pain, belittling with his intelligence and humiliating with his wit.
Aiden's life is wildly out of balance. But no-one needs to know that, least of all the sparkling Bailey, even if it means ruining a perfectly good professional relationship with the only woman who ever made him forget Shannon.
Then together they save a man's life, Aiden's two realities collide and Bailey discovers she's stolen his soul.
His world was grey. She gave him back his colour.
In one stolen moment, a man bared his soul. She only saw him through her camera lens but she's overwhelmed by the desire to comfort him.
When Bailey meets scarily attractive Aiden, she's struck by the oddest feeling he's in pain. He soon proves how bogus first impressions can be. He's not in pain. He causes pain, belittling with his intelligence and humiliating with his wit.
Aiden's life is wildly out of balance. But no-one needs to know that, least of all the sparkling Bailey, even if it means ruining a perfectly good professional relationship with the only woman who ever made him forget Shannon.
Then together they save a man's life, Aiden's two realities collide and Bailey discovers she's stolen his soul.
October 17, 2013
First, let me say I loved the storyline and the use of photography's "white balance" analogy. You could actually feel the depth of aiden's pain.
My rating would have been 5 stars except that there was a tendency by the author to overuse metaphors. If the author was from USA, there would have been some mixing of some her metaphors, which leads to the other issue. Being a reader from the USA, I stumbled over more Aussie slang then some of the other books. I love to read foreign authors and will look up most words if I'm unaware of their meaning, but contemporary phraseology can't be looked up. It makes for a lot of stumbling.
Again, I love this authors gift of storytelling. I just wished this one was metaphor-edited a little more. I do plan to read more of Ainslie Paton.
My rating would have been 5 stars except that there was a tendency by the author to overuse metaphors. If the author was from USA, there would have been some mixing of some her metaphors, which leads to the other issue. Being a reader from the USA, I stumbled over more Aussie slang then some of the other books. I love to read foreign authors and will look up most words if I'm unaware of their meaning, but contemporary phraseology can't be looked up. It makes for a lot of stumbling.
Again, I love this authors gift of storytelling. I just wished this one was metaphor-edited a little more. I do plan to read more of Ainslie Paton.
January 11, 2014
I loved this book. White Balance had me from page 1. I've read Ainslie Paton's work before, particularly Desk Jockey Jam, which was also a 5 star read for me - but Jam is so very different from White Balance. Talk about versatile.
White Balance has the most incredibly plaintive, sad, poignant tone I can remember encountering in a book in eons. I was completely invested in all the main characters, particularly Bailey, Aiden, Blake and Olivia, but also the two children in the book, and the people who were so 'strong' off the page - Shannon - who dies before the book ever began.
If you're ready for a character-driven romance, rather than a sex-driven story... please give this one a try.
White Balance has the most incredibly plaintive, sad, poignant tone I can remember encountering in a book in eons. I was completely invested in all the main characters, particularly Bailey, Aiden, Blake and Olivia, but also the two children in the book, and the people who were so 'strong' off the page - Shannon - who dies before the book ever began.
If you're ready for a character-driven romance, rather than a sex-driven story... please give this one a try.
July 20, 2013
I really enjoyed this story. I found it so captivating that I absolutely could not put it down. The characters were real and believable, and I wanted to keep learning their stories. Very well written and thought out. I would highly recommend.
May 22, 2016
There were lots of errors in this book like odd sentences and repeated words and comma instead of apostrophe, etc. Those kind of things. Threw me out a bit. Story was pretty good though.
Just disappointed in the lack of editing.
Just disappointed in the lack of editing.
January 30, 2023
Good story. Shows how life events, even those we have no control over, can impact how we see our lives and change our reactions. Ending was a little abrupt in my opinion and there were some spelling and sentence structure mistakes, at least in the kindle version.
June 21, 2019
3.5. I’ve liked others by this author more, but it was still quality stuff.
March 8, 2020
The ending was very rushed
September 10, 2015
I don't know what's wrong with me - a bit of bitterness in my personal life and suddenly I' overflowing with the high ratings!
So I started this a few days/weeks ago and dropped it after only reading a chapter. I thought it was yet another YA/NA book about a girl who has a terrible tragedy in life which she hides behind a veneer of conformity until she meets the bad-boy rocker with tattoos and bad language who shows her how to feel, and they both have stupid names and it's written in the first person POV.
But anyway, I started reading this again, from the beginning, and it is NOTHING like I imagined, indeed it isn't even NA/YA.
So, Bailey posts a daily photo to her blog. On her way to having a major operation on her back she takes a picture of a man sitting by the beach early one morning – a picture of devastation and loss. Feeling that she has intruded on something private she never uses the picture but files it away with all her other rejects.
Aidan is a hot-shot in advertising. His young wife has died tragically and he is struggling to do anything other than work. His home is a pit and he is unable to enter certain rooms.
Aidan's best friend Blake (OK, they have stupid NA/YA names but I forgive them because they are Australian) is also in advertising. He is married to Aiden's wife's best friend. Blake has a whole lot of ambition but lacks the talent to deliver. He is also an old colleague and friend of Bailey's.
Blake's plans draw Aiden and Bailey together. So, it's a fairly typical contemporary romance. What makes it different is the way that Ms Paton weaves her story, the details of trying to win business, the Big Brother scheme that Aidan has been roped into by his dead wife and a delightfully obtuse social worker. There are no larger than life villains here, the only person who is too good to be true is Blake's wife Olivia. Everyone else comes in delightful shades of grey – most of the time I loathed Blake and couldn't see why either Aidan or Bailey could be his friends, but he had redeeming qualities – and he was still an arrogant, self-obsessed twit at times. Light and shade all the way.
There were a few great lines – and more than a few typos – I have checked and I paid £2.66 for this so I am surprised to see so many silly typos (she'd for she's etc) but it didn't detract from the sheer joy of reading this novel. It was different, adult and yet, despite the circumstances, light-hearted.
I will look out for more of Ms Paton's books.
So I started this a few days/weeks ago and dropped it after only reading a chapter. I thought it was yet another YA/NA book about a girl who has a terrible tragedy in life which she hides behind a veneer of conformity until she meets the bad-boy rocker with tattoos and bad language who shows her how to feel, and they both have stupid names and it's written in the first person POV.
But anyway, I started reading this again, from the beginning, and it is NOTHING like I imagined, indeed it isn't even NA/YA.
So, Bailey posts a daily photo to her blog. On her way to having a major operation on her back she takes a picture of a man sitting by the beach early one morning – a picture of devastation and loss. Feeling that she has intruded on something private she never uses the picture but files it away with all her other rejects.
Aidan is a hot-shot in advertising. His young wife has died tragically and he is struggling to do anything other than work. His home is a pit and he is unable to enter certain rooms.
Aidan's best friend Blake (OK, they have stupid NA/YA names but I forgive them because they are Australian) is also in advertising. He is married to Aiden's wife's best friend. Blake has a whole lot of ambition but lacks the talent to deliver. He is also an old colleague and friend of Bailey's.
Blake's plans draw Aiden and Bailey together. So, it's a fairly typical contemporary romance. What makes it different is the way that Ms Paton weaves her story, the details of trying to win business, the Big Brother scheme that Aidan has been roped into by his dead wife and a delightfully obtuse social worker. There are no larger than life villains here, the only person who is too good to be true is Blake's wife Olivia. Everyone else comes in delightful shades of grey – most of the time I loathed Blake and couldn't see why either Aidan or Bailey could be his friends, but he had redeeming qualities – and he was still an arrogant, self-obsessed twit at times. Light and shade all the way.
There were a few great lines – and more than a few typos – I have checked and I paid £2.66 for this so I am surprised to see so many silly typos (she'd for she's etc) but it didn't detract from the sheer joy of reading this novel. It was different, adult and yet, despite the circumstances, light-hearted.
I will look out for more of Ms Paton's books.
August 13, 2016
Aiden is in the advertising business & at the start of the book he's deeply depressed after his wife & unborn child die in an accident. He's merely going through the motions at work & not even trying outside of work.
Bailey has her own business event planning & she does a daily photo blog. She loses her job due to circumstances outside her control, but for which she's blamed anyway.
They have a mutual friend, Blake who is also owns his own advertising business & he manipulates each of them to come work with him. Blake is quite the asshat. He manipulates every bit of the situation that he can & refuses to acknowledge how talented Bailey is.
Bailey extremely dislikes Aiden after they meet, but mostly that's because Blake has tied Aiden's hands with how much he can clue Bailey in on what's going down in the office. Then while he & Bailey are returning from a "getting to know" lunch, they come across a man who's in the process of having a heart attack & together they help save him. This creates a bond between them. As Bailey gets to know Aiden better, her feelings for him grow, but Aiden has a very difficult time moving on with his life after his wife's death.
There's not very much sex in this book, but the sexual tension if off-the-charts.
Bailey has her own business event planning & she does a daily photo blog. She loses her job due to circumstances outside her control, but for which she's blamed anyway.
They have a mutual friend, Blake who is also owns his own advertising business & he manipulates each of them to come work with him. Blake is quite the asshat. He manipulates every bit of the situation that he can & refuses to acknowledge how talented Bailey is.
Bailey extremely dislikes Aiden after they meet, but mostly that's because Blake has tied Aiden's hands with how much he can clue Bailey in on what's going down in the office. Then while he & Bailey are returning from a "getting to know" lunch, they come across a man who's in the process of having a heart attack & together they help save him. This creates a bond between them. As Bailey gets to know Aiden better, her feelings for him grow, but Aiden has a very difficult time moving on with his life after his wife's death.
There's not very much sex in this book, but the sexual tension if off-the-charts.
September 17, 2014
Generally, I like my romance with a dash of paranormal but this book was just wonderful! I can't believe it doesn't have more reviews. GO READ IT! The only reason it didn't get 5 stars from me is for the editing. It's like the editing stopped one third of the way through and then it was typos all over. A lot of "though" instead of "through" kind of thing that spellcheck doesn't catch. Aiden is an emotionally broken man but a brilliant marketing/ad agency whiz. Bailey is a physically broken woman who is struggling to make it in the marketing world. They have a few more things in common though - their best friend and sometimes huge jacka$$, Blake, and a photo blog called White Balance. This was a very well written book that takes you through each character's struggles. The story wouldn't have been as believable if the author hadn't taken the time to set the stage at the beginning with Aiden. The POV changes were so smooth that it felt more like a natural progression rather than an intermission or interruption of the story. I fell in love with each one of the characters. It was heartbreaking and beautiful and poetic and so much fun to read.
August 13, 2013
I love reading Ainslie books, they are a "can't put down book" that have me laughing as well as taking me on an emotional rollercoaster ride. The characters in this book are so real life, from their torments and fears to their hopes and dreams. For the Hero in this book, I would not wish the anguish he goes through on anyone but the process from anguish, anger, fear, guilt to love (being the light at the end of his tunnel) is very insightful and realistic. Our Heroine is also someone that has to battle with parents who do not have any faith in her abilities and are always critical. Her perseverance against the battle of insecurity, realising her self worth and that she is deserving of love (being the light at the end of her tunnel) is very true to life. Really worth reading.
July 4, 2014
3-1/2 to 4 stars. While there were some truly incredible scenes and emotions, there was also a fair amount of "filler." I don't mind prose, but at times it seemed like the author was trying just a bit too hard. Profound just happens; it isn't forced. Trying to force a deep, meaningful scene comes across as trite.
Both main characters have suffered and are still suffering. They have to get past the barriers they've created in order to move on. The fact that this is clearly not set in the states didn't bother me at all. I didn't feel lost or confused and was able to figure out any phrases or expressions that I was unfamiliar with.
To me, this read like a first novel. The writer is talented and I will certainly read more in the future.
Both main characters have suffered and are still suffering. They have to get past the barriers they've created in order to move on. The fact that this is clearly not set in the states didn't bother me at all. I didn't feel lost or confused and was able to figure out any phrases or expressions that I was unfamiliar with.
To me, this read like a first novel. The writer is talented and I will certainly read more in the future.
August 3, 2013
This book was fantastic filled with so much angst I nearly through my kindle a thousand times lol but in a good way if that's possible what Aiden went through was so sad I cried for his pain his sadness and then there was Bailey she was amazing going through her own pain but still a vibrant beautiful person who knew who she wanted from the start the whole Blake thing blew my mind I was like WTF just happened lol but it was so fun to read about loved the HEA only one thing from it being 5 star for me No Epilogue I love them so was a wee bit sad there was none but loved the book def a fan Ainslie
July 23, 2016
I loved this book. It has been on my TBR list forever. I didn't read it because the reviews weren't great and no one has really read it. My first mistake was reading to the reviews. My second was actually caring what those said reviews had said. This was such an amazing book. It was real! I loved both Bailey and Aiden. I loved the secondary characters, the story line, how the story played out, the development of the plot, I loved it all! Here's to great stories may they not be ruined by overshared opinions of others!
July 4, 2014
A complex, sexy contemporary romance that includes an unusual amount of focus on careers. I enjoyed Aiden, Bailey, and Blake enormously, all for different reasons.
Merged review:
A good contemporary romance with a few quirks. Over all, I liked how much their careers mattered to the characters (even when I wasn't sure what they were doing), and the complexity of the friendships was just as interesting as the romance.
Merged review:
A good contemporary romance with a few quirks. Over all, I liked how much their careers mattered to the characters (even when I wasn't sure what they were doing), and the complexity of the friendships was just as interesting as the romance.
Read
August 5, 2013Had to stop reading...had no idea what was going on. Didn't understand it at all. I just couldn't get into it. I felt like i was reading 2 completely different depressing stories that had nothing to do with each other. I feel bad stopping, but I just couldn't continue when I have so many more books to read. :(
December 24, 2013
When going into this story please keep an opened mind.
I have to admit, I read some of the review.
But in the end. This story is all about fate to me and I loved every part of it.
Aiden and Bailey are so freaking perfect for each other.
All I can say is add Aiden to my list of book boyfriends please
I was sad when the story ended.
please read this and enjoy it :)
I have to admit, I read some of the review.
But in the end. This story is all about fate to me and I loved every part of it.
Aiden and Bailey are so freaking perfect for each other.
All I can say is add Aiden to my list of book boyfriends please
I was sad when the story ended.
please read this and enjoy it :)
November 29, 2013
A good romance about a man who lost his pregnant wife in a tragic accident. Trapped in sadness and unable to move on. Things change, he meets a young boy in need of a "big brother", he goes to work with his best friend and through that job meets a brilliant and talented woman. Life isn't all plain sailing though because he can't let go of the past....
October 1, 2014
It took me a while to read this one after I bought it but - What a brilliant read. I've read some of the comments from other reviewers and just didn't get what they had against the book. One complained about metaphors that non Australians would not understand. Honestly don't remember any apart from gos - meant for gossip.
Do yourself a favour and give it a try.
Do yourself a favour and give it a try.
November 15, 2016
This isn't a perfect book. There are a lot of POVs and some sections could probably have used a stronger edit, but oh my god, the FEELINGS.
This is a story about grief. It is a story about healing. It is about relationships, in all their forms. It is about second chances. It is about people.
And I could not stop reading it. I liked this a lot, you guys. A lot, a lot.
This is a story about grief. It is a story about healing. It is about relationships, in all their forms. It is about second chances. It is about people.
And I could not stop reading it. I liked this a lot, you guys. A lot, a lot.
July 22, 2013
I love the characters in this story. I love the complex situation they're in, the work environment and all the little twists and turns. Reading an Ainslie Paton story is like visiting a new life. I love them.
September 16, 2013
Needs a lot of editing, for both grammar carnage and extreme length. Story was fine enough but was so bogged down by all the little details that it I just didn't care. I barely skimmed the last 5 chapters.
October 27, 2013
I really enjoyed 95% of this book. The characters seemed believably complex, their relationships were 3 dimensional. Then, at the very end, the hero made a Big Romantic Gesture that, aside from it's corniness, seemed completely out of character and pulled me right out of the plot. Grrr.
August 6, 2014
Different to a lot of other books I've been picking up lately, in a good way. I loved Aiden. I wanted to hug him so bad. There's a scene involving a ladder in a bedroom that made my cry actual tears. Actual. Tears. So yes, I got quite involved with Bailey and Aiden's journey.
August 19, 2015
Loved this book! Really well-developed characters, loads of back story and drama. Book is fast-paced and sucks you in from the very first page to the last. I was sorry when it ended as I wanted more...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews