Conflicted Interest is a good debut novel by Ava Starke. The mystery, the secret that Theo was keeping was a little obvious, once details started pouring in, I figured out what he was keeping from Audrey and why. I also predicted how Audrey would react. But, just because Conflicted Interest was a little predictable does not mean that I did not enjoy reading the first part of Theo and Audrey's journey.
Theo and Audrey meet at the wedding of Audrey's ex boyfriend, who happens to be a friend of Theo's. They hit it off and indulge in a little fling while they're in Greece for the wedding and she figures that once she's back home in London, she'll never see him again, even if she wants to. But, when he extends a rather casual invitation to join him in Turkey, where he lives, should the occasion ever come up, she figures she may just take him up on his offer some day. After a week of flirtatious texts, and a hectic time for her in the office, she impulsively decides to fly to Turkey to visit him. While there, they enjoy each other, and even start falling for each other, even if they never voice their feelings, or even really discuss what their relationship might be.
Conflicted Interest is paced well for the most part, but dragged a little in the middle, when mundane points about both Audrey and Theo's business dealings were explained in too much detail. I'm still not sure what Audrey's big disdain for consultants is all about, nor am I sure what that says about her. She is a tad defensive, probably because of the bad breakup with her ex, but it makes her a little sensitive and prone to running without first getting an explanation. On the other hand, Theo is guilty of the same thing, hence the conflict at the end when the cliffhanger is presented. I could see the cliffhanger coming a mile away, but it was still a bit jolting because I could see both sides. Neither thought to ask the other for an explanation, and neither bothered, for their own pride's sake. That's pretty human of them, though, so I can't exactly fault them for it.
I am excited to read Conflicted Desire, am hoping it really does release this summer, rather than later.
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.