Summary
One stormy night.
One hotel bar full of stranded travelers.
One available chair next to a charming, mysterious, and sexy-as-hell man.
There was something about him and our conversation that made me feel alive. That made me feel heard. That sparked a fire within me.
When our paths crossed again, I never expected the stranger to be Fordham Sharpe, one-third of the sinfully rich and ridiculously successful Sharpe International Network brothers. Nor did I expect we’d become partners—fifty-fifty—in a hotel transformation that dreams were made of.
My dreams, anyway.
To him, I was off limits. He was my venture partner, and we knew better than to mix business with pleasure. But we had one thing in common—we were both hiding. From our pasts. From unresolved family conflicts. From what really mattered—our hearts.
But as each day passed, our mutual attraction became harder to resist.
We agreed to the partnership to prove our worth to our families, but perhaps we’d only prove our need for something else. Each other.
Excerpt
Wind whips through the trees, and the sky flashes bright as the lightning strikes in the distance beyond. For the briefest of moments, I get a glimpse of the angry ocean beyond the wall of windows before me.
And then darkness hits again.
The drive here did little to abate my rage.
The half-drunk glass of whiskey in my hand even less so.
I was certain that with every mile I put between myself and my brothers, their placating tones, and bullshit explanations, the fury would dispel . . . but I was wrong.
The time has only served for my thoughts to run wilder, and the gut punch of hurt to intensify.
I can still see it. The newly printed hardcover on the table. The words on its pages edited for consumer resale. For the public with its voracious appetite for one of three things: scandalous backstories, a how-to guide to make billions out of nothing, or tidbits to tarnish a reputation.
Shock and awe have always sold well.
Who knew the benign biography of Maxton Sharpe, my father, would leave me feeling this way?
What was in the book shouldn’t have bugged me. Or rather, what wasn’t in the book. It shouldn’t still bug me.
But it does.
I take another sip, welcoming the burn and warmth of the alcohol, and mutter, “Just Ford.”
Fuck that.
Noises filter into my thoughts. The low hum of chatter from the bar patrons who are stuck here like I am. The howl of the wind outside. The vibration of my cell on the bar top beside me alerting text after fucking text. My brothers. Little too late on their part.
Dramatic.
Sensitive.
Ridiculous.
Aren’t those the words they used to describe me? To invalidate everything?
It’s only what the people you love say that matters.
My mom’s words echo in my head.
My phone vibrates with another text. What? Has the jet landed back in New York, and they’re suddenly worried about me driving into this storm? Where was their concern earlier?
Like I said, fuck that.
I’ll sulk through this drink.
And the next one.
And the one after that.
It’s not like I can go anywhere else right now.
Review
(audiobook) The story was just okay in my opinion, but with a couple of very interesting elements.
Ellery and Ford are like the mirror image of each other: both work at their family’s company; both have lost their parents; both have brothers. But they sure don’t have the same experience. While Ford has always been valued–at least he thought so until the beginning of the book–Ellery has been bullied by her misogynistic brothers. When they meet, they’re at a crossroads, and somehow they both think that buying the hotel where they spend the night talking is the solution to all their problems and the way to prove themselves. Which lead to a business partnership… and maybe more.
While they don’t admit it at first, the fact that that place means so much to them that they want to save it is revealing. I loved seeing them work together while managing their little fling.
I found Ford’s struggles after his father’s death quite compelling. Who doesn’t relate to someone looking for their parents’ approval. His closure was absolutely beautiful–though it could have happened way earlier in his story, saving him from so much suffering and doubt.
I was more dubious about Ellery’s struggles. Not that I didn’t understand why she wanted to prove herself–that was actually good, fighting the patriarchy and all that. But I really didn’t get why she refused to love. Her reasoning didn’t make sense in my opinion. And since it was the main source of the couple’s conflict, I just wanted to slap her.
Another tiny element in the story made me happy: the use of romance novels to spice up Ellery and Ford’s bed activities. It could have been ridiculous, but the author made it one of the hotest scenes in the story.
But really, what made the book more than acceptable was the narration. The female narrator did a great job, but the male narrator outdid himself in a couple of scenes. Quite an audiobook for a decent romance.
Quickie
- Series: SIN #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #billionaire romance #office romance #forced proximity
- Triggers: past death
- Main couple: Ellery Sinclair & Fordham Sharpe
- Hotness: 4/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + I knew romance novels were useful
- – I didn’t buy Ellery’s hang ups
Stalker mode
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