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The Blush Factor
Eleanor Ashcroft is at the top of her game. Revered by stockholders, feared in boardrooms and by employees all over the Eastern Seaboard, her life changes when she decides to restore an inherited makeup company to its former glory. While doing research, Eleanor discovers the YouTube makeup gurus and the most successful channel, “The Blush Factor,” becomes her guilty pleasure. She finds the much-younger woman in the videos mesmerizing and profoundly attractive in a way she had never felt about a woman before.
Addison Garry loves makeup. A YouTube celebrity, her video tutorials and reviews attract hordes of viewers. When Eleanor wants Addison to do consulting for her company, Addison needs the money and knows she can’t refuse the infamous businesswoman. Working with Eleanor, Addison finds it hard to act strictly professional as she both fears her and dreams of winning her heart. Eleanor in turn realizes that her attraction to Addison is not a mere midlife crisis at all, but looks very much like love.
Addison Garry loves makeup. A YouTube celebrity, her video tutorials and reviews attract hordes of viewers. When Eleanor wants Addison to do consulting for her company, Addison needs the money and knows she can’t refuse the infamous businesswoman. Working with Eleanor, Addison finds it hard to act strictly professional as she both fears her and dreams of winning her heart. Eleanor in turn realizes that her attraction to Addison is not a mere midlife crisis at all, but looks very much like love.
264 pages, Paperback
First published February 16, 2014
6 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
About the author
Gun Brooke
40 books227 followersGun Brooke resides in the countryside in Sweden with her very patient family. A retired neonatal intensive care nurse, she now writes full time, only rarely taking a break to create web sites for herself or others and to do computer graphics. Gun writes both romances and sci-fi. She is the recipient of the 2009 Alice B. Medal for "body of work."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 22, 2018
DNF at 87%. It's too cheesy, the characters are not exactly one dimensional but not that far off of that either, the dialogue is oftentimes stiff and forced and I don't get the main conflict at all, seems like a complete non-issue to me.
Furthermore, Eleanor is "twice her age", so let's do some math. Addison's parents died when she was 19 and she's taken care of her sister for 8 years, that means she's 27 years old. So Eleanor being twice her age is around 54 years old. And that 54 years old business tycoon multimillionaire if not multibillionaire is acting like an adolescent kid in love. I am not convinced.
I tried to get through it all but now that I've gotten to the main conflict I just can't keep reading this, not worth my time.
Furthermore, Eleanor is "twice her age", so let's do some math. Addison's parents died when she was 19 and she's taken care of her sister for 8 years, that means she's 27 years old. So Eleanor being twice her age is around 54 years old. And that 54 years old business tycoon multimillionaire if not multibillionaire is acting like an adolescent kid in love. I am not convinced.
I tried to get through it all but now that I've gotten to the main conflict I just can't keep reading this, not worth my time.
November 11, 2015
I read this book in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down.
As others have mentioned, this is a typical May-December romance. I can't explain why I liked it so much but I just did!
4.5 stars
As others have mentioned, this is a typical May-December romance. I can't explain why I liked it so much but I just did!
4.5 stars
December 24, 2014
It's always a treat to read a Gun Brooke book. I sometimes wish I could just live in one of her tales, her characters are so appealing and real and the love always so nice. This may be my favorite yet by the author, though I wouldn't have minded seeing Manon, Eryn, Vivian and Mike (wonderful characters from Coffee Sonata) pop in for a visit. Their music group (Chicory Ariose) is referenced more than once in Blush Factor.
I refuse to use the word "predictable" since Eleanor and Addison have their own dynamics going on that are different than the ones women share in other novels by Gun Brooke. The May-December romance motif may have been used before, but it's a popular one in lesfic and it works very well here. My only complaint is that Blush Factor had to end. It's a wonderful day's escape and just plain delightful. :)
I refuse to use the word "predictable" since Eleanor and Addison have their own dynamics going on that are different than the ones women share in other novels by Gun Brooke. The May-December romance motif may have been used before, but it's a popular one in lesfic and it works very well here. My only complaint is that Blush Factor had to end. It's a wonderful day's escape and just plain delightful. :)
May 30, 2019
Seriously one of my favourites I've read this year so far!
May 30, 2019
4 stars
This was my first experience with a Gun Brooks novel and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. The whole story read like a well written fanfiction and I’m not mad at it.
Truthfully this story gives off serous Devil Wears Prada vibes, which might be why I liked it so much. Any age gap romance story involving a powerful business woman with short silver hair and a young impressionable brunette, will remind me of DWP.
The romance happened quite quickly and the entire story wasn’t a long read. In all honesty I would have liked to have read a few more scenes establishing these characters more fully, but that desire is mainly from my own selfishness. I didn’t want it to end.
If you’re looking for a light book full of fluff, I’d recommend this one.
This was my first experience with a Gun Brooks novel and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. The whole story read like a well written fanfiction and I’m not mad at it.
Truthfully this story gives off serous Devil Wears Prada vibes, which might be why I liked it so much. Any age gap romance story involving a powerful business woman with short silver hair and a young impressionable brunette, will remind me of DWP.
The romance happened quite quickly and the entire story wasn’t a long read. In all honesty I would have liked to have read a few more scenes establishing these characters more fully, but that desire is mainly from my own selfishness. I didn’t want it to end.
If you’re looking for a light book full of fluff, I’d recommend this one.
June 3, 2017
A tender May-December love story with engaging characters. A very good and enjoyable read that goes on my re-read list.
May 20, 2014
This is a very well-written book, with a nice pace, very enjoyable, interesting, heartwarming and with an uncommon storyline. It keeps you hooked from the beginning to the end, even wishing for more. The chemistry between the main characters is really appealing and hot and the secondary characters are not only nice but also contribute importantly to the story .
This is a book I certainly recommend with no doubt. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
*From here on the review contains ~ SPOILERS ~.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, so I must confess I was a bit skeptical and reluctant at first when I realized the big age gap between the main characters, however, without noticing I forgot completely about it and found myself drawn into the story. The characters were appealing, interesting and lovable, each of them dealing with their own demons and finally helping each other to overcome them. I consider they were appropriately developed and the storyline reaffirmed both of their personalities which I think is important in order to make a story more believable. Also the secondary characters kept this storyline fresh, interesting, and funny.
To be more specific about their interaction, I think it was sweet and real how their love was stronger than any of their difficulties. On one side, Eleonor's fear to fall in love and give herself completely to someone, fearful to go through the same suffering that one of her relatives went through. And on the other hand, Addison harbors feelings of guilt (parent's demise), and is always concern about demonstrating herself and others her capacity to raise her sister and help her with her disease. Fortunately their love for each other was way too powerful to help them overcome their own fears.
One of the most appealing things about this book was their conversations and thoughts (I found myself grinning several times), the dialogue was one of the best I've read, perhaps the story allows that, but still, it has a very proportional amount of flirting, honesty, warmness, discussions and endearment that I think is something hard to find in a book. Also, the topics discussed throughout the book such as business (marketing), medicine terms and more, portrayed the good research the author did.
Something I loved about this story (which at the beginning I thought could be a flaw) is how both women didn't give any importance to the big age difference clearly evident. Their love was more intense than any preconceived judgment.
Also, something that pleased me greatly, was the very mature way Eleonor handled her sexuality, no drama but only acceptance, and I think it was really outstanding considering her fame and being "straight" all her life. And even though there was a moment of hesitation about assuming her feelings, her strong emotions towards Addison made it impossible for her to deny them or don't act on them.
One flaw I found in this book is that the story focused more on different affairs such as the Ashcroft's company and Stacey's illness than in the relationship itself, however, I guess these matters were the ones who brought them together even more, allowing them go beyond the attraction to a more emotional relationship. So, in this case I assume it was quite necessary for the relationship to grow further and deeper. (I still wish they'd had more trouble-free times so that I could have enjoyed a bit more of the interaction between them, which was fantastic btw).
Reaching the end of the book the story focused especially on the couple (nice) but still there was a secret that hadn’t been revealed. This kept me hooked much more just to see how they'd handle the situation. I have to say this part was a bit unnerving due to Addison's behavior, however it was understandable since she were still a prisoner of her own demons. Fortunately her little sister (one of my fave characters) was simply amazing and helped her understand what she was doing and was about to lose if she didn’t stop feeling intimidated by other people's good intentions, especially by the ones who truly love her, in this case, Eleonor. Apparently that was exactly what Addison needed to hear to stop being stubborn and eventually go in search of her love. Later, there was a really interesting encounter between them that ended up being intense and beautiful and where the so-expected love scene took place.
This love scene was really hot by the way, the sparks between them were sweet and sexy at same time, words and actions were in sync. A great scene after all.
Finally, the epilogue was very descriptive and showed the dynamic of their new life together.
Altogether, this is a very enjoyable story that makes you laugh with some of the character's occurrences, is also heart-warming, interesting, heart-wrenching, and ultimately very hot when it came to the chemistry between the couple.
Nice book. Period. :)
This is a book I certainly recommend with no doubt. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
*From here on the review contains ~ SPOILERS ~.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, so I must confess I was a bit skeptical and reluctant at first when I realized the big age gap between the main characters, however, without noticing I forgot completely about it and found myself drawn into the story. The characters were appealing, interesting and lovable, each of them dealing with their own demons and finally helping each other to overcome them. I consider they were appropriately developed and the storyline reaffirmed both of their personalities which I think is important in order to make a story more believable. Also the secondary characters kept this storyline fresh, interesting, and funny.
To be more specific about their interaction, I think it was sweet and real how their love was stronger than any of their difficulties. On one side, Eleonor's fear to fall in love and give herself completely to someone, fearful to go through the same suffering that one of her relatives went through. And on the other hand, Addison harbors feelings of guilt (parent's demise), and is always concern about demonstrating herself and others her capacity to raise her sister and help her with her disease. Fortunately their love for each other was way too powerful to help them overcome their own fears.
One of the most appealing things about this book was their conversations and thoughts (I found myself grinning several times), the dialogue was one of the best I've read, perhaps the story allows that, but still, it has a very proportional amount of flirting, honesty, warmness, discussions and endearment that I think is something hard to find in a book. Also, the topics discussed throughout the book such as business (marketing), medicine terms and more, portrayed the good research the author did.
Something I loved about this story (which at the beginning I thought could be a flaw) is how both women didn't give any importance to the big age difference clearly evident. Their love was more intense than any preconceived judgment.
Also, something that pleased me greatly, was the very mature way Eleonor handled her sexuality, no drama but only acceptance, and I think it was really outstanding considering her fame and being "straight" all her life. And even though there was a moment of hesitation about assuming her feelings, her strong emotions towards Addison made it impossible for her to deny them or don't act on them.
One flaw I found in this book is that the story focused more on different affairs such as the Ashcroft's company and Stacey's illness than in the relationship itself, however, I guess these matters were the ones who brought them together even more, allowing them go beyond the attraction to a more emotional relationship. So, in this case I assume it was quite necessary for the relationship to grow further and deeper. (I still wish they'd had more trouble-free times so that I could have enjoyed a bit more of the interaction between them, which was fantastic btw).
Reaching the end of the book the story focused especially on the couple (nice) but still there was a secret that hadn’t been revealed. This kept me hooked much more just to see how they'd handle the situation. I have to say this part was a bit unnerving due to Addison's behavior, however it was understandable since she were still a prisoner of her own demons. Fortunately her little sister (one of my fave characters) was simply amazing and helped her understand what she was doing and was about to lose if she didn’t stop feeling intimidated by other people's good intentions, especially by the ones who truly love her, in this case, Eleonor. Apparently that was exactly what Addison needed to hear to stop being stubborn and eventually go in search of her love. Later, there was a really interesting encounter between them that ended up being intense and beautiful and where the so-expected love scene took place.
This love scene was really hot by the way, the sparks between them were sweet and sexy at same time, words and actions were in sync. A great scene after all.
Finally, the epilogue was very descriptive and showed the dynamic of their new life together.
Altogether, this is a very enjoyable story that makes you laugh with some of the character's occurrences, is also heart-warming, interesting, heart-wrenching, and ultimately very hot when it came to the chemistry between the couple.
Nice book. Period. :)
July 19, 2016
Hmm, let's see. I've read this type of book before - several times, in fact. Before I read it, I wrote down my predicted plot:
Younger, poorer woman falls for an older, wealthier, take charge woman. Younger woman, or an immediate family member, runs into monetary problems (medical bills, mortgage, etc), which older woman pays for, which makes younger woman feel inadequate (questions herself and her ability to take care of herself and/or other dependents). Big fight ensues. Then they make up. The end.
Oh geez, did I nail it or what? :D
So, yeah, that is pretty much what happened in this book. I've read that story before. Multiple times. And nothing in this book makes it stand out more than the other times I've read it.
Also, don't judge a book by its cover, etc, etc, but this book's cover is bad. Really bad. I did not take this into consideration for my review and rating of said book.
Younger, poorer woman falls for an older, wealthier, take charge woman. Younger woman, or an immediate family member, runs into monetary problems (medical bills, mortgage, etc), which older woman pays for, which makes younger woman feel inadequate (questions herself and her ability to take care of herself and/or other dependents). Big fight ensues. Then they make up. The end.
Oh geez, did I nail it or what? :D
So, yeah, that is pretty much what happened in this book. I've read that story before. Multiple times. And nothing in this book makes it stand out more than the other times I've read it.
Also, don't judge a book by its cover, etc, etc, but this book's cover is bad. Really bad. I did not take this into consideration for my review and rating of said book.
April 2, 2022
◦ The Blush Factor
◦ Gun Brooke
◦ MC Eleanor Ashcroft & Addison Garry
Age-Gap
Eleanor is determine to restore her company to is original glory. She watches and loves Addison’s YouTube channel. she decides to reach out to Addison and ask for help with her company.
Addison has a lot of responsibilities now that she has guardianship of her sister, who is ill.She carries a great deal of pain from her parents death. She is doing the best she can to take care of her sister.
Eleanor wants to be there for Addison and her sister in every way. Ease her financial stress. Addison feels like Eleanor does not trust her to take care of her sister. There is some miscommunication.
I loved this book. Eleanor loved Addison and her sister Stacey. She wanted to have a family with Addison.
I highly recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
◦ Gun Brooke
◦ MC Eleanor Ashcroft & Addison Garry
Age-Gap
Eleanor is determine to restore her company to is original glory. She watches and loves Addison’s YouTube channel. she decides to reach out to Addison and ask for help with her company.
Addison has a lot of responsibilities now that she has guardianship of her sister, who is ill.She carries a great deal of pain from her parents death. She is doing the best she can to take care of her sister.
Eleanor wants to be there for Addison and her sister in every way. Ease her financial stress. Addison feels like Eleanor does not trust her to take care of her sister. There is some miscommunication.
I loved this book. Eleanor loved Addison and her sister Stacey. She wanted to have a family with Addison.
I highly recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 4, 2014
Eleanor Ashcroft is the woman with power, feared within boardrooms and employees throughout her business empire, yet her life changes when she decides to restore her makeup company back to it's former glory. To do this Eleanor sets sights on a young woman who has YouTube's most successful make-up channel "The Blush Factor". This isn't the only thing that Eleanor has her sights set on with regards to Addison Garry.
When Addison Garry is approached by Eleanor to do consulting for her company, she isn't so sure; however, she needs the money, especially to help pay for her sister's medical bills. As time goes by Addison finds it harder and harder to act professional with Eleanor as she tries desperately to win over her heart. Eleanor soon realises that her feelings for Addison have far outgrown a simple midlife crisis "crush" and are turning into love.
I thought that this was a lovely, believable love story, which portrayed natural emotions of human beings, rather than super-duper fictional characters. I enjoyed how these characters actually got to know each other; with that I was able to learn more about the characters and their lives so I could see how they were in their current situations. Not only this but I was able to learn who the characters were, resulting in being able to empathize with them.
I enjoyed this book and would happily read again.
Link to: NetGalley
Link to: My Blog
When Addison Garry is approached by Eleanor to do consulting for her company, she isn't so sure; however, she needs the money, especially to help pay for her sister's medical bills. As time goes by Addison finds it harder and harder to act professional with Eleanor as she tries desperately to win over her heart. Eleanor soon realises that her feelings for Addison have far outgrown a simple midlife crisis "crush" and are turning into love.
I thought that this was a lovely, believable love story, which portrayed natural emotions of human beings, rather than super-duper fictional characters. I enjoyed how these characters actually got to know each other; with that I was able to learn more about the characters and their lives so I could see how they were in their current situations. Not only this but I was able to learn who the characters were, resulting in being able to empathize with them.
I enjoyed this book and would happily read again.
Link to: NetGalley
Link to: My Blog
February 4, 2021
The biggest, biggest plus about this book: it is a real age-gap romance with a gap of 23 years between the two MCs. We love this. What more, the author totally makes it work.
Eleanor Ashford is a very successful business woman who has inherited a dying make-up company, Face Exquisite that she is determined to turn around. The biggest problem with Face Exquisite is that it has no connect with the younger demographic. Addison Garr is a YouTube make-up celebrity with each of her make-up videos garnering almost a million views. Eleanor contacts Addison to offer her a consultancy position with Face Exquisite.
Read full review @https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...
Eleanor Ashford is a very successful business woman who has inherited a dying make-up company, Face Exquisite that she is determined to turn around. The biggest problem with Face Exquisite is that it has no connect with the younger demographic. Addison Garr is a YouTube make-up celebrity with each of her make-up videos garnering almost a million views. Eleanor contacts Addison to offer her a consultancy position with Face Exquisite.
Read full review @https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...
July 3, 2014
I was actually surprised by this book. It's a light read - goes by quickly if you have a couple of hours free. Overall, it's the story of the stereotypical hard core business woman who is softened by a You Tube sensation that she hires as a consultant - who is also 1/2 her age.
The one thing that bothered me is that Eleanor's(the business mogul) vocabulary actually made her feel old... which didn't help me when Addison kept saying she didn't think of Eleanor as 2x older than her. Other than that - everything with this book seemed to flow and seemed to progress in a normal, mutual obsession way. :-)
The one thing that bothered me is that Eleanor's(the business mogul) vocabulary actually made her feel old... which didn't help me when Addison kept saying she didn't think of Eleanor as 2x older than her. Other than that - everything with this book seemed to flow and seemed to progress in a normal, mutual obsession way. :-)
January 13, 2014
Never judge a book by its cover - I don't really like the cover but I thought I should give the story a chance. And I wasn't disappointed. I really liked the story and the main characters Addie and Eleanor and how their relationship grew. In the beginning it was just an infatuation but it became stronger as they grew closer. We hear their stories - how Ellie got the company and what had happened to Addie and Stacey when they were young. What a nice little book. I wanted to read more and maybe the story could have gone a little deeper. Who knows, maybe there will be a sequel ;)
May 21, 2018
.
Really cute story with enjoyable characters and good chemistry. It only started breaking near the end when the conflict felt a little forced and the "fixing" of it a little rushed.
Really cute story with enjoyable characters and good chemistry. It only started breaking near the end when the conflict felt a little forced and the "fixing" of it a little rushed.
March 30, 2014
It starts one way and ends another. I liked it, but I've LOVED other titles by Gun.
November 10, 2019
Another wonderful story!
What a great story from this author! I gotta applaud her and all of stories - where does she get all these ideas!!?
Addison & Eleanor are in love, in denial,in love, in a big fight and then, thankfully, in love and together, forever I hope... I gotta say that Stacey almost stole the story. What an awesome young lady!
This was an enjoyable read and I can't wait to read more books from Gun Brooke!
What a great story from this author! I gotta applaud her and all of stories - where does she get all these ideas!!?
Addison & Eleanor are in love, in denial,in love, in a big fight and then, thankfully, in love and together, forever I hope... I gotta say that Stacey almost stole the story. What an awesome young lady!
This was an enjoyable read and I can't wait to read more books from Gun Brooke!
March 3, 2018
Fine.
This book was fine. Nothing special and nothing depressing. It's just there. Not very original and could have been a carbon copy of every book in this genre. Take NO chances and just eek out two hundred pages. Yeah, just fine.
This book was fine. Nothing special and nothing depressing. It's just there. Not very original and could have been a carbon copy of every book in this genre. Take NO chances and just eek out two hundred pages. Yeah, just fine.
June 8, 2017
Loved it! Funny, with parts of sadness, and foremost keeps you interested at all times. This is one of the books I've read within hours because it was hard to put it down.
October 7, 2024
addison didn’t deserve elenaor
April 23, 2023
I have read this book repeatedly, very good book. Highly recommend
March 7, 2015
There are light spoilers within this review.
I'm a sucker for May/December romances and Gun seems to favour these. I liked that the characters actually talked to each other and got to know each other, rather than the usual met and fall in love in two weeks with little interaction stories that seem to be the norm in this category. I also liked that there wasn't a lot of gnashing of teeth over the age difference. I very much enjoyed Stacey's character and her relationship with Addie. But the story came undone due to a contrived split up drama towards the end (which seems obligatory in all Lesfic, so I guess it was to be expected). The story could also have used a more thorough edit, there were misplaced or wrong words, and changed name spelling etc. throughout that broke the flow when reading. It's a nice enough read though.
I'm a sucker for May/December romances and Gun seems to favour these. I liked that the characters actually talked to each other and got to know each other, rather than the usual met and fall in love in two weeks with little interaction stories that seem to be the norm in this category. I also liked that there wasn't a lot of gnashing of teeth over the age difference. I very much enjoyed Stacey's character and her relationship with Addie. But the story came undone due to a contrived split up drama towards the end (which seems obligatory in all Lesfic, so I guess it was to be expected). The story could also have used a more thorough edit, there were misplaced or wrong words, and changed name spelling etc. throughout that broke the flow when reading. It's a nice enough read though.
April 3, 2014
Gun Brooke is a wonderful author. The Blush Factor is a great romance that will make you smile after you have read it. Eleanor is a older executive and Addison is a young Youtube Makeup Guru. When the ladies meet sparks fly and age will not make a difference. The plot and characters were interesting and well developed.
March 31, 2015
So much better than the terrible cover makes it seem it will be. A well paced romance with just the right amount of angst. Older / younger romance so avoid if that's a deal breaker. I found some of the dialogue a little clunky at times -- usually 'older' / dated words supposedly coming from the younger character's mouth but nothing so bad it took me out of the book completely.
May 12, 2014
A sweet May/December romance.
It was fun, romantic and hot.
I've enjoyed it a lot and will certainly read it again.
For me Gun Brooke's books are always worth my time.
So I'll be eagerly waiting for her next release.
It was fun, romantic and hot.
I've enjoyed it a lot and will certainly read it again.
For me Gun Brooke's books are always worth my time.
So I'll be eagerly waiting for her next release.
July 21, 2015
I really liked this book, it has a natural flow to the story in such a way that I couldn't put it down! The characters are very likable and funny, and a little bit of drama added layers to what would be considered a cliché story.
February 22, 2016
Ms. Brooke is a good writer and I love her characters. I like stories with an older accomplished woman who has made it in the business world and an up and coming younger woman. This one didn't disappoint.
January 24, 2016
Quick read, your rather cliched, may-december romance but I picked it up knowing what it would be like. It met my expectations and totally reminded me of the mirandy pairing from The Devil Wears Prada!
January 4, 2016
I really liked it. Believable romance development, likeable characters all around. I'll definitely read this again.
January 7, 2014
Enjoyable, but I wanted to see more of the work Addison was doing.
February 10, 2014
I like the author's other books better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews