⭐︎4.5 stars!⭐︎
This is one of the best books that Lennox has done, to date.
The plot, the characters, the romance, the chemistry was all one point to make this a very interesting, fun and riveting standalone.
When they were 21 and about to graduate from Yale, Ellison, who has grown up with very wealthy parents, is dared by his other rich college buddies to kiss (or more) with the next waiter who comes through the door at the yacht club they're at. Several of his friends have already done something with the female waitresses at the club.
And who should walk in next, but Grey, a fellow Yale student but who is there on a full ride scholarship, and has a job lined up at one of the rich kids' parent's companies. He's grown up poor, but wants to make enough money to lift himself and his mom out of poverty.
Ellison has always had a low-key crush on Grey, the only guy he's ever truly wanted, but has never made a move.
With this "bet" or "dare" as it were, it pushes Ellison to make that move. Although for Ellison it is definitely more than a dare or what have you.
Grey is receptive to move as well, and in a supply closet at the club, they kiss and Grey goes down Ellison, and just as Ellison is about to go down on him, they're discovered by Ellison's parents and other big name people, even the people who were gonna hire Grey.
Flash forward 15 years later and we learn that Grey was humiliated, had his opportunity for employment taken away, and Ellison, who was too drunk and scared to do anything, said nothing at the time - although he later tried to, we learn, and we learn he even tried to apologize to Grey later on too, but Grey wouldn't hear of it. The damage had already been done.
But now Grey is a multi-billionaire (makes me uncomfy no matter what) because of smart investments he made which allowed him to grow his career. He's known for takeovers, ranging from being peaceful ones to hostile ones.
And his takeover of York Capital is definitely hostile. Ellison's father, Warren, is furious - and a total bastard - and says that his son, Ellison, will find a loophole to stop Grey from taking over the company (there's not.)
As for Ellison, he's finally been able to put in his two weeks as a corporate lawyer working for his father's company, to do something he really wants. He and his sister have been working on starting a private school in Vermont - and we got a fun shoutout to the Sunday Brother's orchard farm a time or two in this, the series by May Archer - and it needs funding from York Investment accounts or whatever they are to help provide scholarships to at least half the students there.
Which is Ellison's main reason for accepting being Grey's temporary PA and basically his errand boy for the 2 weeks technically left on his contract with York Capital.
Grey, of course, still has a lot of anger over what happened to him, and resentment towards Ellison. Of course, they both can't help but be attracted to each other.
Ellison apologizes several times for what had happened and even explains that it wasn't just a dare or anything like that, but Grey has walls upon walls, and isn't one to trust easily.
But he still can't deny his attraction to Ellison - and when it turns out that one of the buildings that Grey wants for a project he's doing, that the owner is Ellison's godfather, and that he's hosting a parting for the upcoming weekend in the Hamptons, Ellison suggests they pretend to be together in order for Ellison to butter up the guy into accepting Grey's proposal.
Their chemistry and UST was so good, I loved it. And yes, when they were both very jealous at others being maybe a little to...comfortable with the other, it was awesome, and the explosion of UST was just so good.
My only complaint came near the end, when we got contrived drama for drama's sake. It's like oh right, of course all these several factors worked together to make how everything happened happen - and having Grey be a typical idiot character who assumes things without asking the other for clarification and leaving without talking to them. HONESTLY. (At least Ellison pointed out in his thoughts how Grey should have just asked him. Like fuck yeah, he should have just asked>)
Also Ellison not thinking to tell Grey outright about what he'd learned, that was also contrived. Like he had no reason not to, even if it was him trying to help Grey...I don't get how not telling him was helping. He had to no how brittle Grey's tentative trust was. Not that I don't mostly blame Grey for the fuckery, but still, Ellison unknowingly didn't help matters.
Which makes it contrived, in my opinion, but there's no reason Ellison wouldn't tell Grey what he found out. He never even had a thought of "man if I don't tell Grey, will he misunderstand?" or any internal debate. He even came back from dropping off a friend at the airport in a happy mood expecting to have a good time with Grey.
So I maintain that it was highly contrived. There could have been plenty of drama that came from what was happening without the ridiculousness. (But I guess there wouldn't have been as much relationship drama, and we can't have that! *sigh*)
But ultimately, like most romances with the highly contrived drama near the very end, it was also fixed pretty quickly - and Grey got off maybe a little too easily with Ellison, but at least he apologized for being a moron - so it wasn't too bad to do deal with. Hence only giving .5 stars off and rounding up instead of giving more off for that fuckery.
The rest of this was strong enough for the contrived-ness to not bring this story down too much. The rest was just so good, and I couldn't stop reading, and I just loved these two together.
So overall, a definite win. One of this author's better ones, for sure. I definitely recommend this, two BIG thumbs up from me! ❤︎