3.75 Stars
His voice was capable of talking me out of my panties.
This was adorable. Point blank. It was a cute relatively quick read. (I read it in one sitting 😁)
It had all the makings of a solid romance including the hilarious dynamic of a sassy little nine year old girl, Olivia. Tbh I think Olivia was my favorite character. She might've been Pierce's niece but she the stole the show for me.
“Get out of my room, Uncle Brooks. I would like to be left alone.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I mean every word I say.” She sounded just like me. “Should I say them in French for you to better understand?”
I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that it's been a while since I enjoyed a Whitney G. book. They've been piling up on my TBR list but this one just screamed read it asap once I heard about it. So, I did. And it was a nice reminder of how much I enjoy this authors work. Her stories are always creative and filled with little nuggets of sass and quality comedy. So, I'll pretend to be surprised when I decide to dive into all her previous releases I've set aside until now.
But, and I say this still with a happy just finished a book I enjoyed warmth in my stomach...I also didn't enjoy this one as much as I hoped. (frowny face) Let me explain..
The opening chapters and ones that followed had me hooked. I was invested. And so, as the story progressed I naturally was just eating up all that sexual tension between Pierce and Harlow. Although, looking back there wasn't as much as I expected and now I'm a little sad. 😔 Anyway! I think once I reached the halfway mark, and they finally crossed the boss/nanny line and became more I found myself underwhelmed. I know! I was as surprised as you are. That's THE moment we impatiently wait for.
As the story continued and eventually wrapped up that feeling stuck with me. And I think it had alot to do with the disjointed way the book is paced. The timeline is very unclear and marked by diaper changes etc. And yes, while that was amusing (and added character) it also left me feeling at a loss of how long Harlow had been working for Pierce and even how long they'd been together romantically. Call it a pet peeve but I hate when I can't get a clear grasp on the timeline in a book.
So, while I do believe that was the main contributing factor in my discontent with the romance aspect of the story there was also the niggling issue of feeling as if there was no depth between Harlow and Pierce. It was clear from the jump they had an attraction and some chemistry (although not as electric as other books by this author 🥵). I felt we didn't actually see Harlow and Pierce develop any feelings or fall in love with one another. We were simply told they did. Part of that, I know, was how the story is told and how we jump days/weeks in nearly every chapter so it was hard to pick up on little details. Sadly I don't remember any little details sprinkled in that did anything to further that connection between the two either.
To say I was a bit meh when the heat spiked between them was disappointing for me. (seriously what is wrong with me 😫) I felt like there just wasn't any true one-on-one moments where they showed the reader they had a deep connection. Something worth crossing those lines to take hold of and make your own, ya know? Just like they had the hots for one another. 😆
Aside from Harlow's dream of owning her own bakery and her history of brutal honesty and then lying just enough to get by I don't think I actually knew who Harlow was as a person.
I do feel we were given more knowledge about Pierce and what made him into the man he is when the book opens. And we see a little of the man he is outside of his business but it felt like it was still out of reach. Just a tease really and I wanted to dig deeper. Especially when you know who pops up toward the end!
And maybe I found the premise about the lie Harlow told a bit ridiculous. Not at the beginning but maybe when the truth comes out? I sorta really really hate when one of the MCs, particularly the MMC find out the truth about something and then completely obliterate the FMC. Basically just hey I know the truth you lying dick and then they cut all ties immediately. Including a bunch of interruptions and never letting the other person get one second to explain before the scene is done. Ugh. Yeah, I am not a fan of that sort of scene and that'll never change unless the lie, motives or deception is just unforgivable. In this books case it was not. I was a bit annoyed how dramatic the scene was tbh because it was like, not that big a deal to me? 🤷🏻♀️
Definitely a me problem. 😆
Ultimately though the only thing that could have made this book better for me was more depth between Harlow and Pierce. I just didn't feel that had some deep meaningful connection the way the author portrayed it to be. It felt like there were holes in their relationship partly because of all the scenes and conversations we never get to see or experience first hand or in real time. Even a few on page dates, late night convos, sweet text messages or intimate early mornings in bed would have made such a huge difference. That's the good stuff I want to nibble on, thankyouverymuch!
But alas the book is done. And while I wouldn't call everything I detailed above a rant (except maybe the lie reveal scene lol) I would categorize it as a disappointment for me. I expected more and I wanted more from the story that just wasn't there.
I'd also say that everything I detailed above was definitely a me problem and not necessarily a book/writing problem. I'm a picky reader as it is so again, maybe I expected too much. 🤣🤷🏻♀️
Bottom line was I did enjoy this. It was everything I expected it to be (for the most part). It was fun, it was cute and considering I wanted/expected more from it like a momma bear watching her child perform. I like to think of it as a compliment rather than a critique whenever it happens.
Just give me more of those (intimate moments) goodies, Whitney! Don't leave me starving out here. A girl's gotta eat. 💜😉🤌🏻