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A Reluctant Enterprise
Groomed for high-stakes business since her childhood in Sweden, Sylvie Thorn resides in Manhattan. As Thorn Enterprise’s US branch president, she goes into business with Maeve DeForest, a party-loving socialite.
Aeron DeForest, Maeve’s clandestine daughter, was brought up by nannies and sent off to boarding schools and has always been invisible to her mother. After college, Aeron moves to the Adirondacks and becomes a successful horror novelist.
When Maeve dies, Sylvie learns Maeve has a daughter, and she needs Aeron to sign vital papers. After an initial clash, they reluctantly start working together. Just when they start to believe in love and their all-consuming passion, outside forces threaten to keep them apart forever.
Aeron DeForest, Maeve’s clandestine daughter, was brought up by nannies and sent off to boarding schools and has always been invisible to her mother. After college, Aeron moves to the Adirondacks and becomes a successful horror novelist.
When Maeve dies, Sylvie learns Maeve has a daughter, and she needs Aeron to sign vital papers. After an initial clash, they reluctantly start working together. Just when they start to believe in love and their all-consuming passion, outside forces threaten to keep them apart forever.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2016
8 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Gun Brooke
44 books225 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 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 26, 2020
All they do is talk about, read about or have flashbacks about Aeron's dead mother or to mix it up Sylvie's father. Those two had their little club with with parental issues. Yes, the writing was good and ignoring the flashbacks so was the story but there was no chemistry between MCs.
March 7, 2017
Gun Brooke is one of my favorite authors. Her style of writing corresponds to almost everything that I love in romance novels. I have read fourteen published books of hers which I rated with an average score above four stars. Her specialization are tender, warm love stories with some angst and drama, and with an age difference in relationships between the protagonists.
A Reluctant Enterprise is exactly so. If you liked Course of Action or Fierce Overture, you will like this story too. Moreover you will meet the main characters from both of these books again, which is very nicely incorporated into the plot.
I recommend this book to all Gun Brook's fans, but also to those who want to read a gentle, heartwarming story with two likable but vulnerable main characters with some flaws and a lot emotional baggage from years with unfit parents.
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
A Reluctant Enterprise is exactly so. If you liked Course of Action or Fierce Overture, you will like this story too. Moreover you will meet the main characters from both of these books again, which is very nicely incorporated into the plot.
I recommend this book to all Gun Brook's fans, but also to those who want to read a gentle, heartwarming story with two likable but vulnerable main characters with some flaws and a lot emotional baggage from years with unfit parents.
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
May 8, 2016
Very intriguing to say the least,two highly intelligent flawed characters treated badly by their parents because that's how they themselves were also treated growing up,this book had so much risky topics of substance that the author dealt with like dyslexia,statutory rape,abandon mother,teen pregnancy,father's verbal abuse etc..their love making scenes was well done,love the POV back and forth from both main characters...good ending and i recommend to all
June 10, 2016
Aeron DeForest had a childhood void of love. Her mother a rich Manhattan heiress Maeve DeForest spent more time partying and chasing men, than she ever spent with her daughter. Aeron was sent off to boarding school and was basically raised by her mother’s housekeeper and then the school administrator. Now as an adult Aeron has become a reclusive but successful horror novelist. One phone call uproots her comfortable life that she has spent years protecting. Her mother is dead, and her will must be tended to.
Sylvie Thorn is a Swedish business mogul that resides in in New York. Her childhood was equally as horrible. Her father’s commands must be followed at all times. Her dyslexia has always made him think less of her and she has been subjected to years of ridicule at her father’s hand. Sylvie escaped to the States to be out from under his constant control. By doing so she became Maeve DeForest’s business partner, starting up a chain of high-end boutique spas. Sylvie had come to respect Maeve, and for all her faults as a mother she was a great friend to Sylvie. Now her company is in the hands of Maeve’s only child Aeron. These two must find a way to work together.
While both Sylvie and Aeron grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths, they both endured harshness by parents who lacked the emotional capacity to give unconditional love. Their childhoods would be a feast for a team of psychologists. In terms of the book, this angst took up the most of story. While interesting, it left very little in the way of romance. These ladies gravitate towards each other with the understanding of the how badly the past has hurt them, and that becomes the foundation of their relationship. I had trouble with grasping the love story. It just didn’t come off that natural to me. At one point these two have a breakup and quite honestly one of the characters was so harsh I am surprised the other even gave her the time of day after that. So all in all the book is good, it’s just too angst filled in the non-romance kind of way.
My Blog: www.romanticreaderblog.com
Sylvie Thorn is a Swedish business mogul that resides in in New York. Her childhood was equally as horrible. Her father’s commands must be followed at all times. Her dyslexia has always made him think less of her and she has been subjected to years of ridicule at her father’s hand. Sylvie escaped to the States to be out from under his constant control. By doing so she became Maeve DeForest’s business partner, starting up a chain of high-end boutique spas. Sylvie had come to respect Maeve, and for all her faults as a mother she was a great friend to Sylvie. Now her company is in the hands of Maeve’s only child Aeron. These two must find a way to work together.
While both Sylvie and Aeron grew up with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths, they both endured harshness by parents who lacked the emotional capacity to give unconditional love. Their childhoods would be a feast for a team of psychologists. In terms of the book, this angst took up the most of story. While interesting, it left very little in the way of romance. These ladies gravitate towards each other with the understanding of the how badly the past has hurt them, and that becomes the foundation of their relationship. I had trouble with grasping the love story. It just didn’t come off that natural to me. At one point these two have a breakup and quite honestly one of the characters was so harsh I am surprised the other even gave her the time of day after that. So all in all the book is good, it’s just too angst filled in the non-romance kind of way.
My Blog: www.romanticreaderblog.com
June 3, 2016
Sometimes a little angst adds to a romance novel. The reader wishes that happiness with a new love can somehow make up for the sorrow the character has experienced in the past. Finding true love makes everything bright and shiny and we readers are right there glowing along with the happy couple.
Aeron DeForest lives as a recluse in the Adirondacks pounding out horror novels under the name A.D. Solo. She has major abandonment issues courtesy of her (now dead) wealthy single parent Maeve. Maeve was an indifferent mother, shipping Aeron off at an early age to boarding school and requesting her daughter pretend to be her cousin or little sister when men Maeve dated would call.
Sylvie is a 40 yr old Swedish heiress to her Thorne family fortunes and runs the American division of her father’s empire. An only child, she was never good enough to please her father thanks to her dyslexia. Hoping someday to leave her tyrannical dad and his empire behind, she opens a chain of Swedish spas with Maeve DeForest as a silent partner. The problem is, Maeve has died leaving a will that stipulates Sylvie must teach 26 year old Aeron how to be a businesswoman or Sylvie risks losing Maeve’s investment and her dream of independence from dear old nasty dad.
A little angst is a good thing. A Reluctant Enterprise drowns in angst and makes for a difficult read. The author uses flashbacks to reinforce the hard lives both leading ladies have endured. So much time is spent rehashing the challenges they have faced in the past that there is little time left for a relationship to develop. The reasons why these two women are thrust together feel contrived. I still don’t understand fully why Aeron had to accompany Sylvie back to Sweden to endure the wrath of her father first hand. Sylvie’s dyslexia shapes her life yet she never mentions this to Aeron and it has no impact on their relationship. There were too many situations where I struggled to either follow the reasons behind actions taken or bothered enough to care whether these two were meant for each other.
It is rare for me to not love an angst-filled tale. The characters are memorable as are many scenes in both New York and Sweden. It is unfortunate that the developing relationship between these two women takes a back seat to their sad childhoods.
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
Aeron DeForest lives as a recluse in the Adirondacks pounding out horror novels under the name A.D. Solo. She has major abandonment issues courtesy of her (now dead) wealthy single parent Maeve. Maeve was an indifferent mother, shipping Aeron off at an early age to boarding school and requesting her daughter pretend to be her cousin or little sister when men Maeve dated would call.
Sylvie is a 40 yr old Swedish heiress to her Thorne family fortunes and runs the American division of her father’s empire. An only child, she was never good enough to please her father thanks to her dyslexia. Hoping someday to leave her tyrannical dad and his empire behind, she opens a chain of Swedish spas with Maeve DeForest as a silent partner. The problem is, Maeve has died leaving a will that stipulates Sylvie must teach 26 year old Aeron how to be a businesswoman or Sylvie risks losing Maeve’s investment and her dream of independence from dear old nasty dad.
A little angst is a good thing. A Reluctant Enterprise drowns in angst and makes for a difficult read. The author uses flashbacks to reinforce the hard lives both leading ladies have endured. So much time is spent rehashing the challenges they have faced in the past that there is little time left for a relationship to develop. The reasons why these two women are thrust together feel contrived. I still don’t understand fully why Aeron had to accompany Sylvie back to Sweden to endure the wrath of her father first hand. Sylvie’s dyslexia shapes her life yet she never mentions this to Aeron and it has no impact on their relationship. There were too many situations where I struggled to either follow the reasons behind actions taken or bothered enough to care whether these two were meant for each other.
It is rare for me to not love an angst-filled tale. The characters are memorable as are many scenes in both New York and Sweden. It is unfortunate that the developing relationship between these two women takes a back seat to their sad childhoods.
ARC received from publisher via NetGalley
June 18, 2016
I'm not going to bother recapping the story or talking in depth about the characters because Agirlcandream, Tiff and Lexxi Kitty already said everything I would.
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Gun Brooke's books, especially her contemporary fiction. Unfortunately, this one left me disappointed. The premise came across as contrived, the characters were difficult to connect with, and while the romance itself was fine, the book's construction--particularly with the flashbacks--didn't work for me at all. If the flashbacks had been left out and Aeron and Sylvie had done more talking about their childhoods and getting to know each other, I would have probably enjoyed it much more.
I almost gave the book two stars, but I was so happy to see Helena and Noelle from Fierce Overture, and even more happy to see Carolyn and Annelie from Course of Action and what's going on with their marriage. If you've been following their stories from book to book, it's worth reading for that alone.
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Gun Brooke's books, especially her contemporary fiction. Unfortunately, this one left me disappointed. The premise came across as contrived, the characters were difficult to connect with, and while the romance itself was fine, the book's construction--particularly with the flashbacks--didn't work for me at all. If the flashbacks had been left out and Aeron and Sylvie had done more talking about their childhoods and getting to know each other, I would have probably enjoyed it much more.
I almost gave the book two stars, but I was so happy to see Helena and Noelle from Fierce Overture, and even more happy to see Carolyn and Annelie from Course of Action and what's going on with their marriage. If you've been following their stories from book to book, it's worth reading for that alone.
February 7, 2017
Gun Brooke continues to keep me captivated with her stories and their characters. The women in her stories can be funny, strong, smart, wacky and always intriguing. This story of dysfunctional families who shape the lives of these two women with self doubt and low self-esteem gives Drama new meaning. I enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to much much more.
September 3, 2019
I’ve had this book for a long time on my kindle but kept putting of reading it. Brooke is one of my favourite writers. Somehow the blurb of this book didn’t attract me. Though this is not one of her best book in my opinion I did enjoy reading it. The romance is a bit thin and there could have been less flashbacks for my taste, but is was well written. I also enjoyed reading about some of the characters from previous books. It’s one of the things I like about reading books from Gun Brooke, they keep me up on what happens with the characters in her books that I’ve grown attached to.
3.4 stars
3.4 stars
January 30, 2020
This is a hard work read - I was going to use the word turgid, but that's unfair. It never took off, but rather, relentlessly made on through the story. The ending was quick, mercifully, and I can move on.
December 23, 2017
I really liked the first 80% of this book. It was the last 20% that almost caused it to go from a 4 to a 3-star. But I liked it quite a lot, and it was better than other 3-star books I've read so it stays at 4-star despite the weak ending. I will probably read it again. It was very angsty, and a good listen for my commute.
July 11, 2016
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an impartial review.
I usually like Gun's stories a little more than I liked this one. It suffers from trying to do too much. There are a plethora of flashbacks in the story that honesty didn't add that much and could have been summed up in a couple of lines of dialogue between characters instead. And for all the time spent dwelling on why Mauve sent Aeron away, and why they weren't close, the diary really didn't clear that up, so it felt like much ado about nothing.
This also meant less time for the leads to interact with each other, so I didn't feel like their relationship really had a lot of substance. There's also the usual contrived breakup at the 3/4 mark, so nothing terribly original here. You do get to spend some time with characters from some of Gun's previous stories, although the likelihood of all of these characters being connected is slim, so maybe just one couple would have done. I did like the characters, and the way they interacted, I just wish there had been more of a focus on them, and less on the childhood dramas.
I usually like Gun's stories a little more than I liked this one. It suffers from trying to do too much. There are a plethora of flashbacks in the story that honesty didn't add that much and could have been summed up in a couple of lines of dialogue between characters instead. And for all the time spent dwelling on why Mauve sent Aeron away, and why they weren't close, the diary really didn't clear that up, so it felt like much ado about nothing.
This also meant less time for the leads to interact with each other, so I didn't feel like their relationship really had a lot of substance. There's also the usual contrived breakup at the 3/4 mark, so nothing terribly original here. You do get to spend some time with characters from some of Gun's previous stories, although the likelihood of all of these characters being connected is slim, so maybe just one couple would have done. I did like the characters, and the way they interacted, I just wish there had been more of a focus on them, and less on the childhood dramas.
June 9, 2016
3 1/2 stars
It wasn't my favorite Gun book, but it actually made me want to read Fierce Overture and Course of Action again. It was a little too many flashbacks and not enough "real time" for my taste.
It wasn't my favorite Gun book, but it actually made me want to read Fierce Overture and Course of Action again. It was a little too many flashbacks and not enough "real time" for my taste.
July 31, 2016
I usually like Gun Brooke's books, but this one just wasn't for me. Too much drama, too many flashbacks, too less chemistry. I wanted to like the story, but I head a hard time finishing it. I expected something totally different (maybe that was my problem)
July 13, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
This is the fourth book that I have read by Gun Brooke. And the second, I believe, in that ‘secret’ ‘undisclosed’ series. Some authors have series that involve friends, close or distant (Galli’s friends might interact with each other, but more distantly than those in, say, Brayden’s friend series – who actually work together; Brooke’s unnamed, ‘hidden’ series involves friends slightly more distant than those in Galli’s series; though, to a certain extent, closer than in the unnamed series in Bradshaw’s series (she has several named series; but her characters can and do interact between series; then there’s Molly, who pops up in a bunch of books, but has no specific series of her own – the unnamed series I refer to here would be the one involving Molly).
Characters
There are two main characters and two points of views in this book.
Aeron DeForest is a 26 year old woman who has had a strained relationship with her family. This, in its way, is putting it politely. She doesn’t know who her father is, and never got along with her druggy party girl mother Maeve. Mostly because Maeve is/was a rotten mother. Was because Maeve has died at the young age of 43. Aeron prefers to live as a recluse, though does interact, on occasion, with others, including with her next door neighbors (one of whom happens to be a famous actress). Living as a recluse works for her, since (1) technically she doesn’t have to work because of her massive trust fund; (2) she’s a successful horror novelist. She’s judgmental, quick to become angry, and has a massive rejection phobia.
Sylvie Thorn is 40 and a native of Sweden. She has been in the US since she has been 25, running the Thorn Industries USA division. Though she also has her own business she’s been nursing along, a Swedish massage spa. Sylvie has an icy way to her, the way she stands, walks, and interacts with people, though on the inside she’s a ball of emotions. Super emotional. Also, her father abused her. And her mother did almost nothing to stop it. She still wants her father’s approval, and doesn’t put any blame on her mother for the abuse. While there might have been some super tight hand holding, the abuse I speak of is of the emotional kind. Daniel Thorn terrorized his daughter, to the point that she would lose control of her bowels while out in public and being gripped by him.
Plot
The plot is relatively simple and relatively goofy. Maeve, as noted above, has died. She’s worth billions. Somewhere around 25 billion. Her daughter, Aeron, will receive the vast majority of those billions, but only if she agrees to some stipulations. Mostly – Aeron would be tutored by Maeve’s business partner, Sylvie, and would then have to pass some kind of test. Doing so will give Aeron the billions; and if Sylvie agrees, she’ll get the spa business shares owned by Maeve’s estate. Aeron agrees but only because she wants to know more about her mother, the kind of things Sylvie would know since Sylvie does not seem like Maeve’s normal party girl friends. Sylvie agrees because she wants the shares so she can have more control of her business. So that she can make her spa side business successful and therefore show up her father who continually expects her to fail.
So the book consists of Sylvie and Aeron being forced to spend time together. Though the long and short of it seems to consist of Sylvie allowing Aeron to use one of her apartment rooms to store documents that Aeron would go through (and the documents would be stored there so that, if Aeron had any questions she could ask Sylvie; and the documents would be secure from the prying eyes/hands of reporters); visiting a spa and getting a massage; and heading off to visit Sylvie’s family in Sweden. Aeron does not seem to actually get taught anything business related, and while Sylvie is willing to answer questions, she seems mostly used to be nearby while Aeron reads some emotional documents (but never seems to ask any questions).
Oh, and there are flash backs throughout the book. Three kinds – Sylvie remembering how horrible her childhood was (which is how I know Sylvie peed on herself); Aeron remembering how horrible her childhood was; and Aeron’s reading of Maeve’s journal, which revealed how horrible Maeve’s life was.
Overall
I’m not sure how I might have felt about this book if not for the simple fact that I kind of despised both main characters from the beginning. From the first time I meet them. And neither grows on me. My feelings for the super rich whiny little twits, ‘my childhood was soo hard, and my parents were so mean!’, never improved.
That probably colors how I see the two as a couple. Therefore I’ll just note that I did not see their connection, romantically, as being that realistic, but then my thoughts are colored by my dislike of the two characters.
Overall I’d probably give this book a rating nearish 2.7 stars. If that.
June 10 2016
This is the fourth book that I have read by Gun Brooke. And the second, I believe, in that ‘secret’ ‘undisclosed’ series. Some authors have series that involve friends, close or distant (Galli’s friends might interact with each other, but more distantly than those in, say, Brayden’s friend series – who actually work together; Brooke’s unnamed, ‘hidden’ series involves friends slightly more distant than those in Galli’s series; though, to a certain extent, closer than in the unnamed series in Bradshaw’s series (she has several named series; but her characters can and do interact between series; then there’s Molly, who pops up in a bunch of books, but has no specific series of her own – the unnamed series I refer to here would be the one involving Molly).
Characters
There are two main characters and two points of views in this book.
Aeron DeForest is a 26 year old woman who has had a strained relationship with her family. This, in its way, is putting it politely. She doesn’t know who her father is, and never got along with her druggy party girl mother Maeve. Mostly because Maeve is/was a rotten mother. Was because Maeve has died at the young age of 43. Aeron prefers to live as a recluse, though does interact, on occasion, with others, including with her next door neighbors (one of whom happens to be a famous actress). Living as a recluse works for her, since (1) technically she doesn’t have to work because of her massive trust fund; (2) she’s a successful horror novelist. She’s judgmental, quick to become angry, and has a massive rejection phobia.
Sylvie Thorn is 40 and a native of Sweden. She has been in the US since she has been 25, running the Thorn Industries USA division. Though she also has her own business she’s been nursing along, a Swedish massage spa. Sylvie has an icy way to her, the way she stands, walks, and interacts with people, though on the inside she’s a ball of emotions. Super emotional. Also, her father abused her. And her mother did almost nothing to stop it. She still wants her father’s approval, and doesn’t put any blame on her mother for the abuse. While there might have been some super tight hand holding, the abuse I speak of is of the emotional kind. Daniel Thorn terrorized his daughter, to the point that she would lose control of her bowels while out in public and being gripped by him.
Plot
The plot is relatively simple and relatively goofy. Maeve, as noted above, has died. She’s worth billions. Somewhere around 25 billion. Her daughter, Aeron, will receive the vast majority of those billions, but only if she agrees to some stipulations. Mostly – Aeron would be tutored by Maeve’s business partner, Sylvie, and would then have to pass some kind of test. Doing so will give Aeron the billions; and if Sylvie agrees, she’ll get the spa business shares owned by Maeve’s estate. Aeron agrees but only because she wants to know more about her mother, the kind of things Sylvie would know since Sylvie does not seem like Maeve’s normal party girl friends. Sylvie agrees because she wants the shares so she can have more control of her business. So that she can make her spa side business successful and therefore show up her father who continually expects her to fail.
So the book consists of Sylvie and Aeron being forced to spend time together. Though the long and short of it seems to consist of Sylvie allowing Aeron to use one of her apartment rooms to store documents that Aeron would go through (and the documents would be stored there so that, if Aeron had any questions she could ask Sylvie; and the documents would be secure from the prying eyes/hands of reporters); visiting a spa and getting a massage; and heading off to visit Sylvie’s family in Sweden. Aeron does not seem to actually get taught anything business related, and while Sylvie is willing to answer questions, she seems mostly used to be nearby while Aeron reads some emotional documents (but never seems to ask any questions).
Oh, and there are flash backs throughout the book. Three kinds – Sylvie remembering how horrible her childhood was (which is how I know Sylvie peed on herself); Aeron remembering how horrible her childhood was; and Aeron’s reading of Maeve’s journal, which revealed how horrible Maeve’s life was.
Overall
I’m not sure how I might have felt about this book if not for the simple fact that I kind of despised both main characters from the beginning. From the first time I meet them. And neither grows on me. My feelings for the super rich whiny little twits, ‘my childhood was soo hard, and my parents were so mean!’, never improved.
That probably colors how I see the two as a couple. Therefore I’ll just note that I did not see their connection, romantically, as being that realistic, but then my thoughts are colored by my dislike of the two characters.
Overall I’d probably give this book a rating nearish 2.7 stars. If that.
June 10 2016
January 12, 2019
Although there were many flashbacks at different points of the book, I thought that it blended in nicely with the rest of the story and didn't detract from it at all.
I wish there was more written about Aeron and Sylvie's romance. I thought that the pace of the relationship was a little quick for them to declare their love for one another.
The minor characters were mostly nice to read.
This is the first book from Gun Brooke that I've read and although not great, it won't deter me from reading her other works.
Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-KY
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wish there was more written about Aeron and Sylvie's romance. I thought that the pace of the relationship was a little quick for them to declare their love for one another.
The minor characters were mostly nice to read.
This is the first book from Gun Brooke that I've read and although not great, it won't deter me from reading her other works.
Review also posted here: https://wp.me/p4Pp9O-KY
I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2016
I truly enjoyed this even though both characters had their flaws they did't use it as a crutch.
Given by NetGalley for a honest review
Given by NetGalley for a honest review
June 10, 2016
Well written, yes, but I found no spark in this story.
May 23, 2016
Raised in affluence but with no parental approval, Sylvie and Aeron try to establish their independence while longing for a meaningful connection. Each with an emotionally impoverished childhood causes difficulties with trust as well as personal insight. Aeron struggles with understanding her deceased mother’s life and the reason for rejection. Sylvie strives to succeed on her own in a different enterprise than that dictated by her family. The women challenge each other and themselves for acceptance. Clearly developed characters, maybe a bit much internal back and forth, but well written and a good story.
July 1, 2016
This had an interesting set up, with the main characters drawn together by the conditions of a will. As usual for a Gun Brookes romance, there was an age difference between the couple and the "all lesbians everywhere know one another" support network that meant Aeron and Sylvie interact with characters who got together in a previous books. I'm a sucker for the whole "opposites made to work together and falling for each other despite themselves" trope, so this was right up my street.
June 1, 2016
Very disappointing read, but then again Gun Brooke is either hit or miss with me. The setup for the story was illogical and I would be able to suspend disbelief if given compelling characters with chemistry or a serviceable storyline but neither occurs here. Basically upon the death of her mother, estranged daughter Aeron finds out about dead mom's business partner--Sylvie--and in order for Sylvie to receive mom's shares she has to teach Aeron about business while Aeron has to...hell, I have no idea. It made no sense in the read and it's not like anyone tried to develop that whole quid pro quo stipulation. It's basically a reason to force two characters together in close quarters with sexy condo sharing, couples' massages, sexy cabin sharing, sexy trip to Sweden sharing, etc. It's all terribly cliched from the get-go. I'd even be willing to overlook the tired setup if the two characters had anything resembling chemistry between them. Nope. It's another one of those "Why waste pages on showing a relationship develop, I'll just cut to the chase and TELL the audience they're hot for each other instead!" stories. Since fulfilling the terms of this weird will wasn't confusing enough, there are also unsatisfying subplots about the dead mom herself and why she treated her daughter like she was trying to remake Mommie Dearest, Sylvie dealing with her dyslexia (i.e. guess what really has nothing to do with the story?), Aeron trying to figure out who her father was (by reading a single diary her mother left behind at the apparent speed of one entry a week), plodding flashbacks to miserable childhoods, and cameos by characters from the author's other books who really only serve the purpose of pushing the characters together through overt dialogue.
A Reluctant Enterprise was more a description of how I felt having to read and finish this book. This is an example of everything that irritates me in lesbian romance novels.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
A Reluctant Enterprise was more a description of how I felt having to read and finish this book. This is an example of everything that irritates me in lesbian romance novels.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
November 21, 2017
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book by Gun Brooke that I've ever read and unfortunately I didn't enjoy it much. I appreciate the author's efforts and a good edition (as usual) by this publisher but I have a few issues with this book. One is that I didn't find believable the way the main characters got to know each other (the strange conditions of the will). Normally I wouldn't mind much if the characters have chemistry or if the story develops into something gripping and interesting but this wasn't the case for me.
I found that there was a great deal of description of how the characters felt that sometimes made dialogues hard to follow. For me, the dialogues were more fluid to read by skipping the descriptions in between. Also, in my opinion, the alternation between the past and present in the story made it less dynamic.
Overall, the level of angst was too much for my taste though I appreciate that some readers might like it. In conclusion, it didn't work for me but if you are looking for a tour the force in angst and drama more than a sweet romance, give it a go.
See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com
This is the first book by Gun Brooke that I've ever read and unfortunately I didn't enjoy it much. I appreciate the author's efforts and a good edition (as usual) by this publisher but I have a few issues with this book. One is that I didn't find believable the way the main characters got to know each other (the strange conditions of the will). Normally I wouldn't mind much if the characters have chemistry or if the story develops into something gripping and interesting but this wasn't the case for me.
I found that there was a great deal of description of how the characters felt that sometimes made dialogues hard to follow. For me, the dialogues were more fluid to read by skipping the descriptions in between. Also, in my opinion, the alternation between the past and present in the story made it less dynamic.
Overall, the level of angst was too much for my taste though I appreciate that some readers might like it. In conclusion, it didn't work for me but if you are looking for a tour the force in angst and drama more than a sweet romance, give it a go.
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July 7, 2016
It was an average book for me. I'm not sure why I feel differently from the other readers/reviewers but it felt a little bland. I don't think there was enough depth for the leads to be "in love". I think I like the author's other books more.
September 21, 2018
No hay forma de poner solo media estrella, no mas como por el que haya escrito algo?
Que terrible libro, no puedo creer que esto haya sido publicado, mucho menos que haya pasado por un editor, los personajes son horribles, en solo un párrafo logra (magistralmente) contradecir el argumento de ese párrafo, como? no se pero lo logra, todo el libro parece que se le olvidara que escribió en la línea anterior y todo el tiempo es una contradicción tras otra, además de lo que se supone que son argumentos que en realidad son solo ideas sueltas de un lado a otro, no hay desarrollo de nada no hay cierres no hay nada. Horrible y no se que es peor que parezca un borrador mal hecho o que lo hayan publicado.
Que terrible libro, no puedo creer que esto haya sido publicado, mucho menos que haya pasado por un editor, los personajes son horribles, en solo un párrafo logra (magistralmente) contradecir el argumento de ese párrafo, como? no se pero lo logra, todo el libro parece que se le olvidara que escribió en la línea anterior y todo el tiempo es una contradicción tras otra, además de lo que se supone que son argumentos que en realidad son solo ideas sueltas de un lado a otro, no hay desarrollo de nada no hay cierres no hay nada. Horrible y no se que es peor que parezca un borrador mal hecho o que lo hayan publicado.
November 23, 2017
Loved this book. Could not put it down!!
July 17, 2016
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I love Gun Brooke and have read all of her works, but I was left feeling very disappointed after finishing this one. I didn't connect to the characters at all; I feel that I would have if there were more connection between the two characters. Instead, there are many flashbacks of the two women's childhoods. I felt as if the connection and attraction between these two were nonexistent; I was surprised when they kissed the first time not noticing the building tension that usually exists in Gun Brooke's novels. This was an average book, and though it was good, I was left wanting much more.
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