Book info:
Author: Kendall Ryan
Audiobook Narrators: Ava Erickson and Jacob Morgan
Genre: Adult Romantic Comedy
Release Date: May 1st, 2018
Source: Audiobook gifted from InkSlingerPR did not affect my opinion in any way
My rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan comes a flirty new standalone about falling for your older brother's best friend.
There’s pretty much only one rule when you’re a guy.
Don’t be a douche.
Turns out, the fastest way to break that rule is to fall for your best friend’s sister.
Ava’s brilliant, sharp-tongued, gorgeous, and five years younger than me.
She’s the sexual equivalent of running with scissors. In a word, she’s dangerous. And completely off-limits.
Falling for her could ruin everything.
Yet I can’t seem to stop, even when her company is threatened by a lawsuit, and my promotion hinges on representing the opposing client—and winning.
I can’t see a way out of this mess that doesn’t end in a broken friendship, a broken heart, or a ruined career.
I may have broken the bro code when I fell for Ava. But do I have the balls to handle what comes next?
Kindle US | AMAZON UK | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Paperback
My Review:
While I've wanted to read a book by this author for quite a while, even downloaded several of her titles when they were on sale, this is actually the first one I've read, or listened to actually. I definitely enjoyed it. Now, I gave it 4 stars, but it might be a little closer to 3.5 because of a few issues I had with it. But as I've mentioned in the past, I always like to round up if I've enjoyed the book. This audiobook not only had different narrators for the two different characters, it was also done with what I think is called dual narrating? That is where the female narrator does all the female speaking parts, even when it is the male narrator's chapter. And vice versa for the male narrator with the speaking parts for the male characters. I've listened to books like this before, most notable the Harris Brothers series by Amy Daws, and it was great. However, there were some moments in this one that didn't quite match up like you'd hope. And in a way, I think these two narrators, were probably good at doing the opposite sex voices, as they were pretty good at sounding like different characters even staying with the same sex as they did. And even though at times the male voice droned a little, by the end, I definitely enjoyed his part.
Some things I really liked is that we would often get more than one chapter at a time from one of the character's viewpoints, when it made sense to do it that way. I've seen that before, but so often it is just the female character that gets it, and I loved that we got it from Barrett as well as Ava in this one. Barrett is Ava's brother's best friend. And while Ava had a crush on him for a long time, he never really noticed I guess. But Barrett has been attracted to her since she was in high school, although he definitely enjoyed being around her and hanging out long before then. The romance was pretty sweet, and the sex scenes definitely steamy, if a little vague at times. But that's okay. They weren't a fade to black type, and that made me happy. And let's just say the beginning of the book was so funny! Walking in on Barrett in the shower, accidentally slipping and pulling his sweat pants down in the parking lot, cooking in the kitchen and the cucumber joke.
Now, there were a few things that make it more of a 3.5, and I'll list those. First, the whole we can't be together, the whole "bro code" thing. Yeah, I get it, and I like it, and I know it was the point of the book. But it was like every other sentence for a while at the beginning of the story. And not just Barrett thinking that, even with Ava thinking it as well. Maybe if I'd been reading the physical book, where I could have skipped over that part while reading it wouldn't have bothered me as much. But, since I was listening to the audiobook, and I was stuck listening as it went along so I didn't miss anything else, I had to keep hearing it over and over. Also, while I didn't see the twist coming at the end, and I like that, I notice that the synopsis/blurb I got here for the tour kind of gives that away. It's not in the blurb on Goodreads. I think maybe it's better to keep it as a twist. But that's just my opinion.
Also, another thing, and this isn't just this book, this is any brother's best friend romance. If you are best friends with someone, and they're like family, wouldn't you want that person to be part of your family and be with your sister? I mean, if you can tell they like them more than a hook-up. Just my opinion again. Overall a good listen, probably an even better read!
About the Author:
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras
