Zoe I got the three A.M. call no one ever wants. After I fumbled and dropped the phone, I finally heard the news I’d always dreaded. My father was in the hospital. And I was in Europe six thousand miles away from Los Angeles. I hopped one plane, then another. Then I was on a city bus to the hospital because I was stuck in L.A. without a car, which was like being in a river without a boat and without a paddle. The city wasn’t looking like it was going to be so lonely once I got the bus driver Max’s number, though.
Max Zoe actually asked me to let her know which stop was hers. None of my riders talked to me unless it was to get out of paying the fare. This one did. She was tall, pretty, and looked upset. So I gave her my number. Never expected her to call. But she did, and I brought her home, and then…I helped her feel better. But her father got well and she wasn’t planning to stay. She was ready to go off on her next adventure when all I wanted was for her to remain in Los Angeles—for me. I hugged her, let her get on a plane…and now all I have to do is persuade her to come back to me. Convincing a woman with wanderlust, that’s not going to be easy.
Sylvie Fox is the USA Today bestselling author of smart women’s fiction. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Budapest, where she enjoys yoga, knitting, farm-to-table cooking, and life with her son. When she’s not writing, her nose is stuck in a book.
There were so many enjoyable components to this story. I loved the familial bonds and the relationships that both Max and Zoe had with their fathers. Though painful they were realistic. I loved the development of Max and Zoe's relationship. Max was very sweet, charming and endearing from the very beginning. I even liked the comic strips interspersed throughout the story. It was such a unique idea and added such a surprising element to the book. A side piece of entertainment if you will. And although I didn't completely grasp every reference to some of the comic strips (maybe some went too far over my head), it was still interesting.
So what didn't I like about this book? Zoe. I didn't like her from the start and as hard as I tried to sway my own mind, it just wouldn't budge. She didn't appeal to me and I had absolutely no desire to connect with her.
Overall, it was wonderfully written with an intriguing method of storytelling.
The great plot was well written and the characters were so well developed that as I turned each page the chemistry between the characters kept me totally hooked until the very last page!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This author sure knows how to spin a story. The characters once again are well developed and engaging with plenty of heat to make you fan yourself as you keep turning the pages. Storyline flowed smoothly making this an enjoyable book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I agree with another review that the cover is slightly incongruous to the story.
That non-withstanding, the story was pretty cute, and the cartoons were a very novel idea. They fit in to the plotline 99% of the time, but I found a couple that I had to go back to look at and wonder why they were there. Those took me out of the story, and it was unfortunate.
The characters, not just the H/h, were multi-layered and interesting, and I'll probably grab the other books in this series to read about the auxiliary peeps we met in this story.
Very well written, compelling storyline, and satisfying ending. Solid four stars.
**I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
A Sober And Sweet Story About Two Adults Who Find One Another While Caring For Aging Parents!
At five feet eleven inches, Zoe Andreis, thirty-two, towers above many men. Her old fashioned father worries she will have a hard time finding a husband. The Greek beauty has traveled the world for ten years while working on her comic strip, aptly named Wanderlust. She comments on foreign cultures, moving every year or so. She has been in Budapest for the past eighteen months.
She is now back in L.A. for an undetermined amount of time to oversee her father's care after a health scare. She and and her two brothers had lost their mother to cancer when she was fifteen, so Zoe flew back and took charge when her brother called with the news. She had a huge network of family and friends willing to help her father through his crisis, which made things easier on everyone. Her father wasn't himself now, and was in and out of the hospital for several weeks without a diagnosis. She was en route to the hospital again when an usually young and attractive bus driver caught her attention.
Max Kiss had spent his life in his dead brother's shadow. He was never quite enough, unable to completely fill the void for his much older parents. His Hungarian parents left their country after 1956 and settled in the U.S. There was no Hungarian community in L.A. then, so Max was raised without a network of friends and family. Max's mother died from a stroke four years earlier without much warning, and soon after it became apparent that his father suffered from Alzheimer's. Max suddenly found himself caring for his father, and he vowed to be there for him. His hobby of buying and repairing luxury watches was his only pleasure now. He hoped to one day make a business of his hobby, after retiring from his job of driving the bus.
When Zoe heads for the hospital and gets on Max's bus, he is surprised to find himself attracted to her. She is definitely not his type. But they begin an easy conversation, and he soon discovers that she lives in Hungary. They discuss Hungarian restaurants, and he takes a chance and invites her to join him at a new one.
Over the course of several weeks, Max and Zoe comfort one another as they each deal with their aging parents and family drama. Max hints at wanting more, but Zoe prefers to avoid all serious discussions. She isn't ready for settling down or having a family of her own, perhaps in large part due to unresolved family problems.
The book alternates POVs between Max and Zoe, with an occasional POV from Dominic, Zoe's father. He has a little story of his own intermixed in Max and Zoe's. A glance at characters in other stories in the series is also provided.
This is a simple story that moves slowly. If you aren't already aware that the storyline revolves around aging parents, you might wonder where the story is going. But it does eventually become clear, and when it does, it is sad and touching. Being a caretaker is emotionally draining, so it is easy to root for the couple's happiness! Max and Zoe eventually earn a well-deserved HEA.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked reading Stirred by Sylvie Fox, as I have with the other books in the Hollywood Hunks series which I have read. This is the story of Zoe Andreis and Max Kiss. These two could not be more opposite in their approach to live if they tried. She has been exploring the world for the last 10 years moving every couple of years to a new country and city while he has a stayed in the same city and has a the same stable job. But as we all know opposites do attract and Zoe and Max have a definite chemical attraction that heats up when rubbed together. The question is whether Max can get Zoe to realize that coming back home to LA is a good thing.
Stirred is not my favorite book in this series. But that has to do with the way Max is written. He is so nice and just such a softy but there is no real deep-seeded Alpha in him that I got from reading the story. I guess I just love my Alpha men too much, even when they are soft and protective of their women there is still a hint of that strength coming through. But I still enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next in this series.
I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own.
Zoe is being forced back to the states because her dad is sick. Something they cannot pin down keeps making him visit the ER.... She doesn't have a car to get there so public transit it is. Meeting Max her bus driver is an unexpected twist. Especially when she only signed up for a temporary physical thing....
Max has to deal with his fathers declinging health and memory loss, it's time for care.... Having a Zoe sized distraction gives him something pleasant to think about, but she is going back to Europe...
I liked this story, though I couldn't follow the change in time or places as well in the arc copy I recieved. It made me teary eyed all the things these two were facing and holding on to. Especially Adonis. I absoultely thought the romance between Bridgett and her dad was super cute.
I loved the ending and hope that her cartoon family does come true.
I am looking forward to reading Adonis's story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was an amazing Sylvie Fox novel! The characters and storyline drew the reader in from the onset. Kept tension and passions high throughout, while leaving the reader wondering what was going to happen next - even wanting the book to continue. The quirks, history, depth, desires, and personal details given to each of the characters gave them identity and individualism (including secondaries). Zoe was back in the states to see to her father's health. Max knew all to well what health issues could do to family members - been there, doing that! He was there for comfort, to help forget. When comforting turns to loving and Max wants Zoe to stay in L.A. can Zoe give up her desire to escape/ to run? Is Max worth taking a chance?
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Max and Zoe are a very complicated couple. The two meet while dealing with serious family problems. Max is a bus driver who is in denial that his father and last living relative is slowly dying and suffering from Alzheimer. Then we have Zoe that ran away from home and doesn’t speak with her brother but she has come back home to help her father from his medical scare. In dealing with the possible loss of her father Zoe will finally have to deal with all of the hurt and pain of past mistakes. But with all the upheaval that they face the both of them coming together and falling in love really shows how love can uplift and make you a better version of yourself. I loved this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I could not put this book down! Such beautifully written characters, that I just couldn’t wait to learn about.
Zoe is a comic strip writer who travels around the world. When she gets called back to California for a family emergency she meets a bus driver called Max and both are instantly attracted to one another, but both are guarded, wary of relationships and dealing with issues from their past. The resulting story is both happy, sad, sweet, sexy, funny and endearing.
I can’t wait to read further books in the series to find out what happens to other characters in the book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Zoe is living the dream travelling around the world & drawing a comic strip about her adventures. However when her father falls ill she rushes to LA to be by his side.
Max ambles through life looking after his elderly father who is suffering with Alzheimer's. His hobby is restoring old watches & he drives a bus as his day job.
When their two worlds collide the outcome shocks them both & makes them wonder if maybe their lives are sadly lacking.
I did enjoy this book though I tended to skip past the comic strip drawings. I enjoyed Zoe & Max's relationship & surprisingly I also enjoyed Dominic's chapters too. A good solid story
Zoe was a wreck yes she was living the life of Riley sort of, but when her father was put in the hospital she dropped everything to fly thousands of miles to be at his side. Back in Los Angeles she meets Max, their connection is undeniable bit she lives across the country and he will not leave Los Angeles. When it is time to leave they are both hurting but neither says a word. Know time has past and they miss each other who breaks the distance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Zoe is back in the States to check on her father after a health scare. Max is a bus driver with an ill elderly father. They meet when Zoe catches his bus to visit her father in the hospital. The attraction is immediate between them. Zoe gives Max her number and he uses it. Will Max be able yo convince Zoe to stay? What is wrong with her father? Why doesn't she stay closer to her family? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A quick enjoyable read. I felt that the author had the ability to convey some depth to the personalities of the characters bringing a greater sense of reality to her story. The writing draws you in and keeps you interested until the end. The chemistry between the H and h is great plus their attitudes and events going on make the story even richer.
I received a free copy of this book. This review was posted voluntarily.
Loved the book it was great the story was well written and the characters were interesting. Zoe came back to LA from Europe because her father was in hospital, that is when she met Max he was the bus driver that helped her. His voice got to her deep and sexy, Zoe got Maxs number so if she could ring him.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book. This is another really enjoyable, entertaining book from Sylvie Fox. I didn’t want to put it down. “Stirred” has a Great, entertaining storyline and well written, really engaging characters. I enjoyed their story from beginning to end. This is an interesting, engrossing, must read book
I have read many of Sylvie's books and enjoyed every one. This was a really great read and the characters are well suited. I definitely recommend you read this book as it is so well written and worth reading. I Voluntarily Reviewed an ARC Copy Of This Book.
This story was waaay better than Shaken. Zoe and Max were both lovely character, fun to read about. Despite being disappointed with Shaken, this was a good read, so I will read more from this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a cute story. Max and Zoe have family issues to tackle and end up helping each other as life throws them a few curve balls. Zoe is in denial about what she wants from life. Max is a little faster than her at figuring out his desires.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I liked Max & Zoe's story. Good characters. A bit of a heartfelt book. Am voluntarily leaving my honest review for a free copy of the book via booksprout.
When I first saw the blurb and cover of Stirred, I was expecting a poignant story of two people bonding over their aging fathers. I didn’t get that exactly. I did enjoy the novel, it was just more cute and flirty then I was expecting. I loved the addition of the comics; I thought they added a fun element to the story.
Zoe is independent and spunky but she loves her father. I loved that she came home to fight for his health. It hit a little close to home since a pulmonary embolism is what caused my stepdad’s death. I could sympathize with Max on that one. Max was charming and sweet. And maybe a tad too soft for my tastes—I like my sweet tempered with a side of alpha. I felt like he let Zoe walk all over him. I loved the secondary story of Dominic and Bridget; I thought it was adorable watching them flirt with each other. I didn’t understand all the side characters but that could be because I’m just now jumping into the series.
Overall, it’s a solid and well written story. A bit quirky and while it may not end up on my top 10 for the year or my re-read list, I did enjoy it. If you like quirky, sweet romances then this one might be for you.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. For more reviews, visit
This audiobook was a fun listen. I liked the main characters and a few of the other characters were very memorable. Zoe and Max had a relationship where in all likelihood there shouldn't have been a relationship. She travels and lives all over the world and Max is very much rooted in one place.. The attraction was there to start with, but the relationship needed something else going for it to make it plausible. They have in common the fact that they are both (temporarily on Zoe's part) taking care of ailing fathers. They each seemed to help the other with that. I loved that Zoe marched to her own drum and that Max was so caring. I also really enjoyed Zoe's father Dominic and his antics. The story was very light and enjoyable and the narration was excellent. It was definitely worth the time invested to listen to it. I was given a complimentary copy of this book.