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Gilded Love #4
Loaded
With forced proximity and alcohol, what could possibly go wrong?
When billionaire Marsh's octogenarian grandmother summons him home for an urgent family dinner, he dreads being force-fed every embarrassing truth about his family he's tried to forget. Nevermind that Thanksgiving weekend is when he plans to propose to his girlfriend Jada, who knows nothing of his fortune, or that Marsh has hidden her away for years.
But the money may be the least of it—there's a reason why he's never brought her to Connecticut. The Brewsters are the special brand of unhinged reserved for the ultra-rich. Subjecting his woke Black girlfriend to his stuffy old money family seems like the least-romantic way to kick off his proposal weekend. After his family's shenanigans, will Jada even say yes?
When billionaire Marsh's octogenarian grandmother summons him home for an urgent family dinner, he dreads being force-fed every embarrassing truth about his family he's tried to forget. Nevermind that Thanksgiving weekend is when he plans to propose to his girlfriend Jada, who knows nothing of his fortune, or that Marsh has hidden her away for years.
But the money may be the least of it—there's a reason why he's never brought her to Connecticut. The Brewsters are the special brand of unhinged reserved for the ultra-rich. Subjecting his woke Black girlfriend to his stuffy old money family seems like the least-romantic way to kick off his proposal weekend. After his family's shenanigans, will Jada even say yes?
96 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 5, 2019
42 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
About the author
Kilby Blades
29 books514 followersKilby Blades is a USA Today Bestselling author of Romance and Women's Fiction. Her debut novel, "Snapdragon", was a HOLT Medallion finalist, a Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize Semi-Finalist, and an IPPY Award medalist. Kilby was honored with an RSJ Emma Award for Best Debut Author in 2018, and has been lauded by critics for "easing feminism and equality into her novels" (IndieReader) and "writing characters who complement each other like a fine wine does a good meal" (Publisher's Weekly).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 23, 2019
Marshall was born in a crazy family with loads of crazy old money!
What an enjoyable romcom tale! Marsh and Jada's story was such an interesting and fun read but Maw Maw wasn't the crazy one! It was the other relatives in the Brewster clan like the snobnobs: Steven, Biff, Minnie and Jason. Jada could fit in because of her career as a venture capitalist which made it easy for her to beef with the best of them in "Crazy Old Money" until she finds out that Paw Paw left Marsh 250 Millions in his will! Yep, that is Crazy Old Money!
Marshall Brewster is more than what is given in this story... think vigilante justice along with his associates, Kendrick and Avi in The Hexagon Univers !!!!! Hope we get future stories on Marsh and Jada!
5 Money rules the family stars!
What an enjoyable romcom tale! Marsh and Jada's story was such an interesting and fun read but Maw Maw wasn't the crazy one! It was the other relatives in the Brewster clan like the snobnobs: Steven, Biff, Minnie and Jason. Jada could fit in because of her career as a venture capitalist which made it easy for her to beef with the best of them in "Crazy Old Money" until she finds out that Paw Paw left Marsh 250 Millions in his will! Yep, that is Crazy Old Money!
Marshall Brewster is more than what is given in this story... think vigilante justice along with his associates, Kendrick and Avi in The Hexagon Univers !!!!! Hope we get future stories on Marsh and Jada!
5 Money rules the family stars!
Read
August 12, 2019A fun romcom with a hero who's been trying to conceal his horrible racist super-rich utterly messed up family from his girlfriend, until he finally has to bring her on a visit. The author makes the choice to play this mostly for laughs at the awful family's expense rather than as a horrific nightmare, though we remain aware of what a nightmare it could well be. This works because the heroine is confident and the hero a thoroughly decent guy who is ashamed of his family and stands up to them, plus some very satisfying come-uppances.
Part of a linked series which I haven't read but must explore.
Part of a linked series which I haven't read but must explore.
June 25, 2022
DNF at 39%
Yeah, definitely not for me. I can’t abide this level of racism and stoic endurance. I don’t think being Teflon to insults is in any way commendable nor appealing. I’m out.
And this family is too ugly. They just keep going from bad to worse. There’s no pleasure in being in this room. I also wonder about Black women who’d subject themselves to this rubbish treatment.
Yeah, definitely not for me. I can’t abide this level of racism and stoic endurance. I don’t think being Teflon to insults is in any way commendable nor appealing. I’m out.
And this family is too ugly. They just keep going from bad to worse. There’s no pleasure in being in this room. I also wonder about Black women who’d subject themselves to this rubbish treatment.
December 1, 2021
Amazon / Apple Books: coming soon / Nook / Kobo / Google Play
Marsh is finally bringing his girlfriend to meet his family. Yikes. He hasn't told her much about them, but she's about to get a crash course in horrible, rich assholes who are incredibly racist, politically incorrect, and out of touch. Marsh will be lucky to keep her after this...
Jada is a badass woman, though, and conducts herself with class and sass. She just needs a minute to get past the fact that Marsh didn't tell her how awful his family is, AND that he's not exactly the working class stiff he portrays himself as.
Like Vertical, this one just made me want more of this couple and world. I can't wait to see what happens for them next.
ARC provided by Grey's Promotions for an honest review.
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October 17, 2021
This is the first book I have read by this author but it certainly won’t be the last. Loaded is book 4 in the Gilded Love Series but it can certainly be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone. If you are looking for a fun, entertaining read look no further than this introduction to a world of crazy, quirky characters.
Marsh is taking his girlfriend Jada home to finally meet the family, its the holiday season and after years of dating he can’t avoid the family and the girlfriend meeting any longer. From the moment they arrive at the family home it’s obvious why he has avoided this meeting and this is when the fun and games begin….
A short story full of quirky, charismatic characters who will make you smile and make you giggle, they can be inappropriate but they are also characters you want more from. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author as soon as time permits.
Marsh is taking his girlfriend Jada home to finally meet the family, its the holiday season and after years of dating he can’t avoid the family and the girlfriend meeting any longer. From the moment they arrive at the family home it’s obvious why he has avoided this meeting and this is when the fun and games begin….
A short story full of quirky, charismatic characters who will make you smile and make you giggle, they can be inappropriate but they are also characters you want more from. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author as soon as time permits.
October 11, 2021
That was a treat for the ears, I really enjoyed it. New to me author gave me a taste and now I want more.
The mysterious entrance of Maw Maw was fun.
Marsh sure kept a lot of secrets I don’t blame Jada for being a bit hurt by it all. It wasn’t like they were just dating it has been a while.
The ending makes me want more!
Fantastic narration both voice fit the characters perfectly.
The mysterious entrance of Maw Maw was fun.
Marsh sure kept a lot of secrets I don’t blame Jada for being a bit hurt by it all. It wasn’t like they were just dating it has been a while.
The ending makes me want more!
Fantastic narration both voice fit the characters perfectly.
December 12, 2021
This one missed the mark for me I'm afraid. I listened to the audiobook as a Tim Paige fan and a new listener to Nicole Lewis both performed the novella well. I have never read a book by Kilby Blades before so I am unsure if this story leads off a main novel in the Gilded Love series but the ending sure made it feel unfinished and that it leads to a full length novel moving forward, which I would have preferred to know going in.
I got the premise of the story. The hero Marsh is from an old money family and is called home by his grandmother to a big family dinner and takes his fiancée along to meet the family for the first time. My issue was I just did not connect to the main characters at all. There were too many secondary characters I lost track of who was who and I gave up trying to keep track, my mind was blown. I think it's one I would need to listen to a few times for the volume of characters sinks in. So when the ending blow up between the hero and heroine came I was more annoyed I wasn't getting a rounded up story than I was about the couple not getting their HEA. I guess you really need to go into this one having read the previous books in the series to gain that connection and love for the story that was just missing for me.
I got the premise of the story. The hero Marsh is from an old money family and is called home by his grandmother to a big family dinner and takes his fiancée along to meet the family for the first time. My issue was I just did not connect to the main characters at all. There were too many secondary characters I lost track of who was who and I gave up trying to keep track, my mind was blown. I think it's one I would need to listen to a few times for the volume of characters sinks in. So when the ending blow up between the hero and heroine came I was more annoyed I wasn't getting a rounded up story than I was about the couple not getting their HEA. I guess you really need to go into this one having read the previous books in the series to gain that connection and love for the story that was just missing for me.
October 18, 2021
4 star review of Loaded (Gilded #4) by Kilby Blades
I love discovering new authors such as Kilby Blades and though my first it will not be my last. This was a well written story that ticked a number of boxes for me. I was invested in the story from the first to the last chapter.
Although Loaded is book four in the Gilded series, I had no trouble following it. It may not be a particularly long book but there was plenty of entertainment within the pages. I enjoyed the characters of Marsh and Jada, although I admit there were so many secondary characters that I did get a little lost at times.
After being together for years Marsh is taking his girlfriend home to meet the family whole family. Of course the fact that he is actually a billionaire is something he “forgot” to tell her which led to some tension, however it was quickly resolved . It was amusing to watch the family dynamics play out across the Thanksgiving dinner table. The characters were engaging and I loved Marsh’s feisty grandmother, what a great character she is.
All in all a fun, witty story that I really enjoyed.
I love discovering new authors such as Kilby Blades and though my first it will not be my last. This was a well written story that ticked a number of boxes for me. I was invested in the story from the first to the last chapter.
Although Loaded is book four in the Gilded series, I had no trouble following it. It may not be a particularly long book but there was plenty of entertainment within the pages. I enjoyed the characters of Marsh and Jada, although I admit there were so many secondary characters that I did get a little lost at times.
After being together for years Marsh is taking his girlfriend home to meet the family whole family. Of course the fact that he is actually a billionaire is something he “forgot” to tell her which led to some tension, however it was quickly resolved . It was amusing to watch the family dynamics play out across the Thanksgiving dinner table. The characters were engaging and I loved Marsh’s feisty grandmother, what a great character she is.
All in all a fun, witty story that I really enjoyed.
June 4, 2020
Crazy Old Money is a fast-paced novella. Marsh takes his girlfriend, Jada, to his hometown to finally meet his family and celebrate the holiday after years of dating. At first I wondered why he waited such a long time to bring her around to meet his family, but once his family is introduced, the reason is obvious. His family is full of quirky, and at times, inappropriate, members. It certainly made for an interesting dinner! I only wished I had gotten to know them better, which wasn't really possible with the length of this story. Still, I found it to be a quick, enjoyable read.
**I won a copy from the author; a review was not required**
**I won a copy from the author; a review was not required**
November 24, 2019
Okay...right off the top: this was a clean, well-written read, and I was expecting some sexy-times. Still, the actual story made up for the lack of heat. 'Crazy Old Money' was rife with social commentary, and funny as hell.
This is my first Kilby Blades book, and it won't be my last...especially as some of her other books have sexy-times, and are of a darker nature.
This is my first Kilby Blades book, and it won't be my last...especially as some of her other books have sexy-times, and are of a darker nature.
April 12, 2019
I was a little nervous before starting Kilby Blades’s Crazy Old Money: A BWWM Billionaire Romantic Comedy. Not due to the BWWM part. I mean, so what? Nope, it was the word “woke” in the publisher’s blurb. I simply had no idea what it meant and was a bit afraid that I’d fallen too far behind on modern slang to follow along the story. Happily that wasn’t an issue. Even happier, this was a well written and truly enjoyable story. I liked the leads here, Jada and Marsh, though I disliked Marsh’s failure to give her a better “head’s up” on what she was going to encounter. I may have really disliked most of Marsh’s family, but they were indeed the “crazy old money” advertised by the title. I also loved how Jada handled everything. She’s one neat gal. Frankly I loved this story as a whole. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to reading another book by this author.
Oh, and by the way, “woke” means perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice. Good to know.
Oh, and by the way, “woke” means perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice. Good to know.
November 6, 2023
Ahh, what a short and sweet Christmassy novella. This was only 96 pages, so I finished in under an hour and it was perfect!
There was conflict, a protective book boyfriend, rich family problems, and a badass independent black heroine which I LOVEDD!
This book follows a side character from The Gilded Love series named Marsh as he introduces his long term girlfriend Jada to his judgmental, snobby family in CT.
It was super cute. Honestly because it was so short, there is not a lot to say about it. However, you can definitely read this as a stand alone and it is super sweet!
There was conflict, a protective book boyfriend, rich family problems, and a badass independent black heroine which I LOVEDD!
This book follows a side character from The Gilded Love series named Marsh as he introduces his long term girlfriend Jada to his judgmental, snobby family in CT.
It was super cute. Honestly because it was so short, there is not a lot to say about it. However, you can definitely read this as a stand alone and it is super sweet!
June 20, 2022
This is a fun little novella that would make a great bottle episode of a tv show.
We all know Thanksgiving amongst the family can be... interesting. It often brings together disparate family members and the gives the terrible ones an audience to act out and the not so terrible ones reinforcement that their decision to remain away is a good one.
In this one we have Marsh. A billionaire scion of an old money billionaire family. Marsh has been living on the west coast, working a 9-to-5 job and living modestly. You wouldn't know he was the son of a wealthy family with a multi-billion dollar business. His girlfriend of several years, Jada, certainly doesn't know. But she is about to learn.
Marsh wants to propose and deciding that now is the time to introduce Jada to his family in all their terrible dysfunctional glory, he whisks her across the country with a ring in his pocket and hope that once she learns all about him she won't go running away with her hair on fire.
So yeah, this novella packs a nice little comic punch as we live the awkwardness of an about-to-be fiancee meeting her prospective in-laws for the first time. And they have a LOT going on. There are business shenanigans, terrible marriages, some resentments, some jealousies, lots of booze, a few cringey moments (Marsh is white, Jada is black and some members of this family demonstrate how they've never interacted socially with black people).
But Marsh and Jada are sweet and in love. She bats every ball -- both hard and soft -- thrown her way. And he is committed to her deep in his bones. Their biggest hurdle isn't her accepting his family, but learning how much of himself he's never revealed before now.
The author handles the various characters in the small space so very well and tells a fun and satisfying story.
We all know Thanksgiving amongst the family can be... interesting. It often brings together disparate family members and the gives the terrible ones an audience to act out and the not so terrible ones reinforcement that their decision to remain away is a good one.
In this one we have Marsh. A billionaire scion of an old money billionaire family. Marsh has been living on the west coast, working a 9-to-5 job and living modestly. You wouldn't know he was the son of a wealthy family with a multi-billion dollar business. His girlfriend of several years, Jada, certainly doesn't know. But she is about to learn.
Marsh wants to propose and deciding that now is the time to introduce Jada to his family in all their terrible dysfunctional glory, he whisks her across the country with a ring in his pocket and hope that once she learns all about him she won't go running away with her hair on fire.
So yeah, this novella packs a nice little comic punch as we live the awkwardness of an about-to-be fiancee meeting her prospective in-laws for the first time. And they have a LOT going on. There are business shenanigans, terrible marriages, some resentments, some jealousies, lots of booze, a few cringey moments (Marsh is white, Jada is black and some members of this family demonstrate how they've never interacted socially with black people).
But Marsh and Jada are sweet and in love. She bats every ball -- both hard and soft -- thrown her way. And he is committed to her deep in his bones. Their biggest hurdle isn't her accepting his family, but learning how much of himself he's never revealed before now.
The author handles the various characters in the small space so very well and tells a fun and satisfying story.
October 18, 2021
Marsh and Jada go to his family's Thanksgiving dinner and things don't go as planned. First he hasn't told her that he's rich and he hasn't told his family about her either. But Jada manages to handle it all. This was a short story but I didn't feel that anything was left out. I enjoyed this story. The narration by Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis brought the story to life.
August 15, 2024
"Loaded: A HolidayRomance" by Kilby Blades is book four in the "Gilded Love" series. I enjoyed reading Marsh and Jada's story. Marsh comes from old family money, and he never mentioned it to his soon to be fiancee, Jada. They have been dating for 4 years, and she has never met his family other than his mom and dad. His grandmother wants the family to get together for Thanksgiving because she has news she wants to share with the family. Marsh is nervous about bringing Jada home with him. My favorite part was when the grandma started telling everyone her news, and they were all shocked. The way she did it was priceless. If you want a quick and fun read, then this is the book for you.
May 11, 2024
4 Stars!
Crazy Old Money is an expansion of the novella previously released in the Worst Holiday Ever anthology. With his girlfriend Jada in tow, Marsh is spending Thanksgiving at his Grandmother's along with his parents and dreaded extended family. Kooky, crazy and downright malicious relatives are a given. Although short in length, I was taken in by the admirable and loving Marsh. His character jumped off the page and was everything I loved in a hero (minus his little omission.) Since the story takes place with Marsh's family, It didn't leave much room to get to know Jada as well as I would have liked. The story and sweet romantic elements were still compelling, nonetheless.
I always expect great writing with diversity, capable heroines, and empathetic heroes from this author. What I hadn't anticipated was a similar feeling as when I had read this author's book, Snapdragon. Although this novella is labeled a romantic comedy, the atmosphere felt familiar. Since I loved Snapdragon, I was surprised to find out that the author has now created a universe that would interconnect with that duet, this novella, and a couple of her future works. I am absolutely thrilled!
Crazy Old Money is an expansion of the novella previously released in the Worst Holiday Ever anthology. With his girlfriend Jada in tow, Marsh is spending Thanksgiving at his Grandmother's along with his parents and dreaded extended family. Kooky, crazy and downright malicious relatives are a given. Although short in length, I was taken in by the admirable and loving Marsh. His character jumped off the page and was everything I loved in a hero (minus his little omission.) Since the story takes place with Marsh's family, It didn't leave much room to get to know Jada as well as I would have liked. The story and sweet romantic elements were still compelling, nonetheless.
I always expect great writing with diversity, capable heroines, and empathetic heroes from this author. What I hadn't anticipated was a similar feeling as when I had read this author's book, Snapdragon. Although this novella is labeled a romantic comedy, the atmosphere felt familiar. Since I loved Snapdragon, I was surprised to find out that the author has now created a universe that would interconnect with that duet, this novella, and a couple of her future works. I am absolutely thrilled!
March 30, 2019
This book was fun to read. Marsh has put off for years introducing his girlfriend to his family and for good reasons. Some of them are sweet, most are caustic, plus there is the issue of how much money he has. Jada gets understandably upset with him when all the facts come out but more surprises are in store for her. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series.
October 22, 2021
Tis the Season! Fantastic Story & Narration🎧
Loaded
A Holiday Romance
By: Kilby Blades
Narrated by: Tim Paige, Nicole Lewis
Series: Gilded Love, Book 4
This is a fabulous holiday romance novella, the story is original and well written with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. As most of us know, the holidays can bring up some family fun and drama, not necessarily in that order, and some families more than others and Kilby Blades shows us just how much more it could be with some families, most particularly the Brewster family. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. Jada and Marsh have been dating for several years, Marsh has kept her away from his family for several reasons, one being he knows they are judgmental and a bit eccentric, the other being he has not been entirely truthful with who he is and how much wealth he really has. He wants to spend the rest of his life with Jada and plans are proposing to her. Marsh has stayed away from his family but his grandmother requests his presence and he must attend, it is also time for Jada to meet his family, while he gave her a bit of a heads up, some of them had some cringeworthy behavior, I could understand Marsh not wanting to subject Jada to that, but she was a good sport about it and handled herself quite elegantly. What gets to her the most is when Marsh’s secrets are spilled. Holy moly, what a family dinner that was. Kudos to the grandmother, the most sensible of the crowd. This novella contains an impressive amount of story, it is wonderfully plotted with plenty of drama, both family and relationship, some angst, heartfelt and emotional moments, a nice twist thanks to the Grandmother and a sweet romance. Kilby Blades, thank you for this wonderful story.
🎧📚🎧 And for the amazing narration, Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis are the perfect cast to bring these characters and their story to life. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, gave each a voice that fit that character’s persona to a tee, sounding believable and just as I pictured the character to sound. You could hear how much heart they put into their work as they captured the characters’ emotions and projected them into their performance. They set the perfect tone for the story, handled the witty dialogue with ease and landed the humor effortlessly, never missing a beat. Thank you for the wonderfully entertaining listen.
Loaded
A Holiday Romance
By: Kilby Blades
Narrated by: Tim Paige, Nicole Lewis
Series: Gilded Love, Book 4
This is a fabulous holiday romance novella, the story is original and well written with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. As most of us know, the holidays can bring up some family fun and drama, not necessarily in that order, and some families more than others and Kilby Blades shows us just how much more it could be with some families, most particularly the Brewster family. The characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. Jada and Marsh have been dating for several years, Marsh has kept her away from his family for several reasons, one being he knows they are judgmental and a bit eccentric, the other being he has not been entirely truthful with who he is and how much wealth he really has. He wants to spend the rest of his life with Jada and plans are proposing to her. Marsh has stayed away from his family but his grandmother requests his presence and he must attend, it is also time for Jada to meet his family, while he gave her a bit of a heads up, some of them had some cringeworthy behavior, I could understand Marsh not wanting to subject Jada to that, but she was a good sport about it and handled herself quite elegantly. What gets to her the most is when Marsh’s secrets are spilled. Holy moly, what a family dinner that was. Kudos to the grandmother, the most sensible of the crowd. This novella contains an impressive amount of story, it is wonderfully plotted with plenty of drama, both family and relationship, some angst, heartfelt and emotional moments, a nice twist thanks to the Grandmother and a sweet romance. Kilby Blades, thank you for this wonderful story.
🎧📚🎧 And for the amazing narration, Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis are the perfect cast to bring these characters and their story to life. They had a complete understanding of the characters they portrayed, gave each a voice that fit that character’s persona to a tee, sounding believable and just as I pictured the character to sound. You could hear how much heart they put into their work as they captured the characters’ emotions and projected them into their performance. They set the perfect tone for the story, handled the witty dialogue with ease and landed the humor effortlessly, never missing a beat. Thank you for the wonderfully entertaining listen.
April 10, 2019
❄💕❄ A revelatory dinner party even Agatha Christie couldn't top; how fast should Jada run?!😲
April 5, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
❄🍗💍❄ 4 and a bit 🌟stars
I really liked the beginning and latter segments of this story of Marsh and Jada's Thanksgiving from purgatory with the Connecticut Brewsters. Marsh has a few secrets up his sleeve, but the best laid plans of mice and men ... 😕!
Jada is a confident and successful venture capitalist who thinks she's Teflon, cool, collected, and impervious to rudeness and ready to meet Marsh's extended family over the 🍗turkey and trimmings. The bulk of this novella focuses on that meeting and sometimes my attention flagged as it got a bit too descriptive of ambience for me. With thirteen people at the table and pre-dinner drinks gathering, each given a chance to interact with the couple and reveal their axes to grind and personalities, it's a lot to take in. But there's an excellent reason for spending so much of the story on the secondary characters which is revealed towards the end thanks to Maw Maw, the family matriarch. There's romance but it's buried in certain segments of the story. And the final epilogue, just when I thought it would be an excellent ending, cracks open the door to more mystery with Marsh.
I've read several of Blades' works in recent months and this one suffers a bit in comparison to her full-length novels The Secret Ingredient and Friended which I loved. I am inclined to think it's because of the shorter length that gives limited attention to the first years of Jada and Marsh's romance because, apart from that, the writing is good and the couple likable.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest review.
April 5, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
❄🍗💍❄ 4 and a bit 🌟stars
I really liked the beginning and latter segments of this story of Marsh and Jada's Thanksgiving from purgatory with the Connecticut Brewsters. Marsh has a few secrets up his sleeve, but the best laid plans of mice and men ... 😕!
Jada is a confident and successful venture capitalist who thinks she's Teflon, cool, collected, and impervious to rudeness and ready to meet Marsh's extended family over the 🍗turkey and trimmings. The bulk of this novella focuses on that meeting and sometimes my attention flagged as it got a bit too descriptive of ambience for me. With thirteen people at the table and pre-dinner drinks gathering, each given a chance to interact with the couple and reveal their axes to grind and personalities, it's a lot to take in. But there's an excellent reason for spending so much of the story on the secondary characters which is revealed towards the end thanks to Maw Maw, the family matriarch. There's romance but it's buried in certain segments of the story. And the final epilogue, just when I thought it would be an excellent ending, cracks open the door to more mystery with Marsh.
I've read several of Blades' works in recent months and this one suffers a bit in comparison to her full-length novels The Secret Ingredient and Friended which I loved. I am inclined to think it's because of the shorter length that gives limited attention to the first years of Jada and Marsh's romance because, apart from that, the writing is good and the couple likable.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the story; this is my voluntary and honest review.
October 12, 2021
Loaded
Series: Gilded Love, Book 4
By: Kilby Blades
Narrated by: Tim Paige, Nicole Lewis
It's never to early to listen to a holiday romance, and this one is snapshot of so many houses! So many personalities come home and have to be integrated. Here we spend the holiday with Marsh, who is taking his girlfriend,Jada, whom he has been sheltering from his family with him. Not only is she the complete opposite of them, but there are secrets Marsh has held which will now come to light. He planned on proposing, but now that they have met, will his family accept her? And will she still say yes? Being book 4 in this series and it stands alone, there is some history that may have made the listen even better. Marsh is an interesting character and while I understand what motivated his secrets, it's a little disconcerting. Jada has a lot of class and handles herself with a calming grace. It's a quick, fun listen, perfect for the holiday.
Tim Paige brings his A-game as Marsh. Always on point, he hones the personality of his character and makes him his own. Nicole Lewis is new to me, and I loved her voice. She has a richness and includes the emotions just as Jada feels them. These two were awesome together.
Series: Gilded Love, Book 4
By: Kilby Blades
Narrated by: Tim Paige, Nicole Lewis
It's never to early to listen to a holiday romance, and this one is snapshot of so many houses! So many personalities come home and have to be integrated. Here we spend the holiday with Marsh, who is taking his girlfriend,Jada, whom he has been sheltering from his family with him. Not only is she the complete opposite of them, but there are secrets Marsh has held which will now come to light. He planned on proposing, but now that they have met, will his family accept her? And will she still say yes? Being book 4 in this series and it stands alone, there is some history that may have made the listen even better. Marsh is an interesting character and while I understand what motivated his secrets, it's a little disconcerting. Jada has a lot of class and handles herself with a calming grace. It's a quick, fun listen, perfect for the holiday.
Tim Paige brings his A-game as Marsh. Always on point, he hones the personality of his character and makes him his own. Nicole Lewis is new to me, and I loved her voice. She has a richness and includes the emotions just as Jada feels them. These two were awesome together.
December 4, 2021
Loaded is a short and quick holiday romance in Kilby Blades’ Gilded Love Series. It is short and ended rather abruptly and didn’t feel completely finished. The narration done by Tim Paige (one of my faves!) and Nicole Lewis is the reason I picked up this book. Their storytelling is flawless and kept me engaged and listening to the story. I don’t know if it is because I am not familiar with the series but I felt I was missing a bit of background to their story. Marsh and Jada have been dating for 4 years. He has kept the fact that he comes from family money and is essentially a billionaire from everyone in his life including Jada. Now Marsh is on his way home for the holidays and Jada is about to entire a world of intense family drama with no background to go on. I was really impressed with her ability to hold her own. She is a strong and confident and I admired her ability to fit in seamlessly. I was a bit frustrated with Marsh and his lack of communication and then when the truth comes out and conflict was resolved it felt like an extremely rushed ending and left me feeling a little gypped and I didn’t connect with the characters as I would have liked to. My recommendation would be to check out the other books in the series first before giving this one a try.
October 18, 2021
This is an adorable stand alone short jam packed with family drama, hidden secrets, a lot of money and a family matriarch who won't take crap from anyone. I haven't read anything else from this series or author and it was a great little treat of a story.
Marsh hasn't been completely honest with his lovely girlfriend on all the nitty gritty details of his family... like how much money they (and by extension he) are worth. His plans for the Thanksgiving weekend are more of the romantic 'start of the rest of our lives together' variety, but a call for all the family to assemble coming from the head of the family, his sharp as a tack grandmother, he can't fight it. Can one night exposed to all the snobby and judgmental part of the family be balanced by the good hearted members of the family? Will Marsh win Jada forever or will it be too much to handle?
The Audiobook for this short is narrated by the ever talented Tim Paige and new to me Nicole Lewis. They both did an excellent job of bringing this very lively and full story to my ears. Those "say what?" moments had impact and the emotional moments were tender.
I received an advance copy of the audio for honest review.
Marsh hasn't been completely honest with his lovely girlfriend on all the nitty gritty details of his family... like how much money they (and by extension he) are worth. His plans for the Thanksgiving weekend are more of the romantic 'start of the rest of our lives together' variety, but a call for all the family to assemble coming from the head of the family, his sharp as a tack grandmother, he can't fight it. Can one night exposed to all the snobby and judgmental part of the family be balanced by the good hearted members of the family? Will Marsh win Jada forever or will it be too much to handle?
The Audiobook for this short is narrated by the ever talented Tim Paige and new to me Nicole Lewis. They both did an excellent job of bringing this very lively and full story to my ears. Those "say what?" moments had impact and the emotional moments were tender.
I received an advance copy of the audio for honest review.
October 20, 2021
𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱: 𝗔 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗯𝘆 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 … 𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗳𝘀
Marsh is a multi-millionaire but has never told his girlfriend Jada the complete truth about his family. When they arrive in Connecticut for Thanksgiving dinner at his Mama’s place, the whole truth about who he is comes to light.
Loaded was my first book by Kilby Blades and unfortunately I just did not connect with this story in anyway. I felt little to no connection to the main characters. In my opinion it is a clean romance which I usually avoid.
Audio … Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis did a good job narrating the story.
Genre/Tropes … Holiday Romance, Interracial Romance, Millionaire Romance
POV … First Person Dual
*advanced copy requested and honestly reviewed on behalf of Canadian Girl Book Blog*
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Marsh is a multi-millionaire but has never told his girlfriend Jada the complete truth about his family. When they arrive in Connecticut for Thanksgiving dinner at his Mama’s place, the whole truth about who he is comes to light.
Loaded was my first book by Kilby Blades and unfortunately I just did not connect with this story in anyway. I felt little to no connection to the main characters. In my opinion it is a clean romance which I usually avoid.
Audio … Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis did a good job narrating the story.
Genre/Tropes … Holiday Romance, Interracial Romance, Millionaire Romance
POV … First Person Dual
*advanced copy requested and honestly reviewed on behalf of Canadian Girl Book Blog*
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August 9, 2019
2.75 Stars. (BW/WM). An Amazon e-book. Short story. Bland. “Crazy Rich White People”. The Asian story was funnier. The author’s writing is good. ...Interesting plot-check. Well developed likable characters-check. Well plotted storyline that moves and keeps reader engaged-fumble. Most of the story takes place at The hero’s childhood home among his immediate and extended family members. March Brewster is a very wealthy man from ‘old money’, he has kept his billionaire portfolio from his girlfriend of many years because he perceived that she had negative feelings toward rich white men. When the current head of the family’s multi billion dollar company summoned March home for Thanksgiving, he decided to bring Jada, his black girlfriend, since it had been his intention to propose marriage to her. Shortly after March and Jada arrived, the antics commenced and the drama began. There wasn’t any animus regarding Jada’s race but it is open season on everything thing else; so, Jada and March and both their families will get to attend this couple’s nuptials .
October 17, 2021
My first read by Kilby Blades, sadly it was only a short one. I would have so loved this to be a full length novel. It didn’t hurt that Tim Paige was narrating Marsh, I could listen to his sexy rumble all day, every day. Nicole Lewis narrated Marsh’s girlfriend Jade, and she succeeded in getting just the right amount of sass and awe in her voice that I actually believed Marsh and Jade had the whole 4 year relationship going on, with of course the added unexpected deception. Not that Marsh intentionally wanted to be deceitful, he’s just embarrassed by his family and their wealth, he’s also very much down to earth, and he knew there would be some cringeworthy moments when his two worlds collided (understatement). All that said, it does deal with some real issues, all written with the ease of someone who can relate only too well to the circumstances. All perfectly narrated in this quick, fun audio. What a wonderful, highly enjoyable romance. I loved it, maybe I need to look in to more of this series.
November 4, 2021
Oh, boy, has Marsh been keeping some secrets from Jada!
This was such a fun, quirky holiday romcom. Marsh comes from a family that not only has tons of money, but it has gobs of disfunction and judgement to pass around well. When they're called back to Marsh's family's home for the holidays, Jada gets her first inkling that she may not know as much about Marsh as she thinks she knows. Marsh, for his part, was really trying to step away from the craziness and be his own man. So the lie of omission was for a pretty decent reason. I mean, if I was related to this family, I may have done the same!
This is a really enjoyable holiday romcom, with lots of laugh out loud moments, made all the better by great narration by Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis. I could hear Jada's ire and frustration, and her determination and grit, in every word. And Tim perfectly captures Marsh's lack of control, anxiety and feeling of inevitability as he watched this train wreck of a family reunion unfold. They really brought the words to life.
This was such a fun, quirky holiday romcom. Marsh comes from a family that not only has tons of money, but it has gobs of disfunction and judgement to pass around well. When they're called back to Marsh's family's home for the holidays, Jada gets her first inkling that she may not know as much about Marsh as she thinks she knows. Marsh, for his part, was really trying to step away from the craziness and be his own man. So the lie of omission was for a pretty decent reason. I mean, if I was related to this family, I may have done the same!
This is a really enjoyable holiday romcom, with lots of laugh out loud moments, made all the better by great narration by Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis. I could hear Jada's ire and frustration, and her determination and grit, in every word. And Tim perfectly captures Marsh's lack of control, anxiety and feeling of inevitability as he watched this train wreck of a family reunion unfold. They really brought the words to life.
July 16, 2024
Audiobook Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Secrets can come back to bite you!
I want to start by saying that I listened to Loaded after Vertical because that's the reading order that both Amazon and Goodreads have for the books but I think they have it wrong. At the end of Loaded the epilogue refers to things that will happen in Vertical. Also, the publication dates shown on Amazon would indicate that Loaded was published before Vertical. It didn't really mess things up for me, listening to them the way that I did but I know a lot of readers prefer to read series in the correct order.
So now for the story, Marsh has been keeping a big secret from Jada and when she finds out it jeopardizes plans that he has made. His stuffy Connecticut family is pretty awful to Jada but she's tough and their comments don't hurt her nearly as much as leaning what Marsh has been keeping from her.
I enjoyed listening to this a lot and the ending was a little bit humorous when Jada teases Marsh about something. I won't say what because it's a little bit of a spoiler.
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Secrets can come back to bite you!
I want to start by saying that I listened to Loaded after Vertical because that's the reading order that both Amazon and Goodreads have for the books but I think they have it wrong. At the end of Loaded the epilogue refers to things that will happen in Vertical. Also, the publication dates shown on Amazon would indicate that Loaded was published before Vertical. It didn't really mess things up for me, listening to them the way that I did but I know a lot of readers prefer to read series in the correct order.
So now for the story, Marsh has been keeping a big secret from Jada and when she finds out it jeopardizes plans that he has made. His stuffy Connecticut family is pretty awful to Jada but she's tough and their comments don't hurt her nearly as much as leaning what Marsh has been keeping from her.
I enjoyed listening to this a lot and the ending was a little bit humorous when Jada teases Marsh about something. I won't say what because it's a little bit of a spoiler.
October 19, 2021
So. Stinkin. Cute! I’d never read/listened to anything from Kilby Blades before. I would absolutely listen to her books again. This was such a cute novella. Marsh and Jada are so sweet together. The family is so unique and quirky, especially mawmaw. There’s clearly never a dull moment with this charismatic family. Even though this was a novella, the world and character building were excellent. If Kilby Blades can do this great of a job in a short novella, I can’t wait to see what she’s done with the whole “Gilded Love” series!
Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis were great as always. They were perfectly cast for these roles. Tim really brought out Marsh’s strength, humor, kindness, and humility, while Nicole brought out Jada’s confidence, witty spunk, and sass. The timing, pitch, pace, and tone were spot on. I absolutely recommend treating your ears to this fantastic narration!
5 crazy-old-money stars!
NOLA504NERDS BLOG
Tim Paige and Nicole Lewis were great as always. They were perfectly cast for these roles. Tim really brought out Marsh’s strength, humor, kindness, and humility, while Nicole brought out Jada’s confidence, witty spunk, and sass. The timing, pitch, pace, and tone were spot on. I absolutely recommend treating your ears to this fantastic narration!
5 crazy-old-money stars!
NOLA504NERDS BLOG
January 4, 2023
This was a short but fun introduction into what could possibly be a really interesting world and cast of characters, but like always, one partner withholding vital information of their background from the other is a horrible plot device - especially given the length of their relationship and the fact that his family had known about her. Not cool and I wish that there could have been some other precipitator to Marsh's desperate dread of his family visit.
I loved how non-conforming Marsh's mom was and how laid back his dad seems to be... and their ongoing issues. I also loved how smart and capable Jada was, and that she didn't turn into a simpering idiot when confronted with the madness that was Marsh's extended family.
Was it a tad on the melodramatic side, with some eye-rolling going on? Absolutely, but sometimes I quite like that if it's done right. Now I'm off to find out if there's more to come.
I loved how non-conforming Marsh's mom was and how laid back his dad seems to be... and their ongoing issues. I also loved how smart and capable Jada was, and that she didn't turn into a simpering idiot when confronted with the madness that was Marsh's extended family.
Was it a tad on the melodramatic side, with some eye-rolling going on? Absolutely, but sometimes I quite like that if it's done right. Now I'm off to find out if there's more to come.
September 25, 2023
This mixed race couple romance novella is set during Thanksgiving when Human rights attorney, Marsh takes his girlfriend of colour (a very successful Venture Capitalist) home to meet his ultra rich, old moneyed family. This is something that he has avoided for nearly four years but he has to go home now, as he has been summoned by his grandmother. He has also planned a wedding proposal so he needs to introduce his girlfriend to his racist and snobbish family. Jada is completely clueless as to just how rich her boyfriend is and receives a rude shock when she arrives at his family home. Most of the story focuses on his very unpleasant family and how different he is compared to them. Jada and his love for her are evident in their personal dialogue which is heartwarming. This story touches on several sensitive topics surrounding racism, inter-racial relationships, stereotypes and money matters but it is a sweet story with touches of humour.
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