karlauerr's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hanna's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
what's with the obsession with the duke of edinburgh louise
----
If I met Beck irl, I'd probably deck him but somehow, I still loved him with and for Stella.
Stella is such a sweetheart and I honestly feel like everyone who calls her a doormat just didn't pay attention at all. Yes, of course it's a bit naive to stay with your boyfriend for 7 years without getting a ring but I think that's totally acceptable when you first started dating at 18. Yes, I also would've liked for her to stand up to her ex and his new wife a lot sooner but I can also understand why she's just simply overwhelmed with the whole situation.
We see Beck develop a lot in this book and honestly, it's really a testament to Bay's writing skills to make him into a guy I'd root. He's such a dickhead at first, really only it for him and noone else, but sooner than later his evil cold heart starts to thaw for Stella and at the wedding they start to work together to help each other with their goals. I still didn't really like him that much outside of his interactions with Stella but this is a romance, so honestly, who cares about any other interactions.
Stella and Beck's relationship is absolutely adorable and I love how quickly but still realistically it developed from fake to real. Still, you could tell how much Beck already cared for Stella and her comfort at the wedding just a few days after they'd struck their deal and that is something we see throughout the whole book — Beck always being aware of Stella and her needs and I loved that so much.
Probably noone cared about this but me, but I couldn't really figure out where Stella lies on the rich/not rich scale and it annoyed me a bit. She knows everything about old money and its traditions and everyone accepts her in those circles (because she went to the same private schools!) but she also needs any job at all to be able to hold herself above water and is only able to wear cheap copies of luxury items. Maybe that was to make her more relatable to us fellow peasants but I wish we would've gotten a bit more back story on her that went beyond her relationship with Matt.
Back to positive things, Beck and Stella's spicy scenes were 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻. Really not stereotypical, leaning more into the kinky side, which I really didn't expect from these two but it was a very welcome surprise.
Somehow this review turned really negative oops but I honestly enjoyed this book! Yes, I had some criticisms but I had a really good and entertaining time listening to it 🫶🏻 I'm not 100% sold on this series but I think I'll still continue and see if the next hero is more to my taste :)
----
If I met Beck irl, I'd probably deck him but somehow, I still loved him with and for Stella.
Stella is such a sweetheart and I honestly feel like everyone who calls her a doormat just didn't pay attention at all. Yes, of course it's a bit naive to stay with your boyfriend for 7 years without getting a ring but I think that's totally acceptable when you first started dating at 18. Yes, I also would've liked for her to stand up to her ex and his new wife a lot sooner but I can also understand why she's just simply overwhelmed with the whole situation.
We see Beck develop a lot in this book and honestly, it's really a testament to Bay's writing skills to make him into a guy I'd root. He's such a dickhead at first, really only it for him and noone else, but sooner than later his evil cold heart starts to thaw for Stella and at the wedding they start to work together to help each other with their goals. I still didn't really like him that much outside of his interactions with Stella but this is a romance, so honestly, who cares about any other interactions.
Stella and Beck's relationship is absolutely adorable and I love how quickly but still realistically it developed from fake to real. Still, you could tell how much Beck already cared for Stella and her comfort at the wedding just a few days after they'd struck their deal and that is something we see throughout the whole book — Beck always being aware of Stella and her needs and I loved that so much.
Probably noone cared about this but me, but I couldn't really figure out where Stella lies on the rich/not rich scale and it annoyed me a bit. She knows everything about old money and its traditions and everyone accepts her in those circles (because she went to the same private schools!) but she also needs any job at all to be able to hold herself above water and is only able to wear cheap copies of luxury items. Maybe that was to make her more relatable to us fellow peasants but I wish we would've gotten a bit more back story on her that went beyond her relationship with Matt.
Back to positive things, Beck and Stella's spicy scenes were 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻. Really not stereotypical, leaning more into the kinky side, which I really didn't expect from these two but it was a very welcome surprise.
Somehow this review turned really negative oops but I honestly enjoyed this book! Yes, I had some criticisms but I had a really good and entertaining time listening to it 🫶🏻 I'm not 100% sold on this series but I think I'll still continue and see if the next hero is more to my taste :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
melmaus's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
smutbook_cami's review against another edition
5.0
Beck Wilde!
Loved this story. Anything Louise Bay writes is wonderful. I thought I had read this ear!her but somehow didn't. Never miss one of her books! Stella is perfect for Beck. Their chemistry was very appealing!
Loved this story. Anything Louise Bay writes is wonderful. I thought I had read this ear!her but somehow didn't. Never miss one of her books! Stella is perfect for Beck. Their chemistry was very appealing!
2blueshoes's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ok, this book was more charming than I expected. Sort of.
The premise had me rolling my eyes a bit with how extreme it was, but the more I got into the story the more authentic the characters seemed - and you couldn’t help but root for them in the end. The writing was clear, and though not poetic it certainly flowed well. There were a few odd formatting issues in the beginning and end of the book, but perhaps that’s a kindle thing.
Here’s the crux of it: The hero’s character is painted like a REAL asshole for the first half of the book, which made it hard to believe when his personality changed on a dime when he “found true love”. This book definitely strays mighty close to the “true love will change a bad boy” and “he was just waiting for the right woman” trope. The author goes into detail about how poorly the hero used to treat women, and yet we readers are meant to forgive this because he was “busy” and the women are not “the one”…
SIR, common decency is common decency. If anyone in real life treats ladies like this, don’t date them - run for the hills.
Had I started reading partway through the novel, I might have fallen hard for the hero. Once he sets eyes on the girl of his dreams (and um, sleeps with her) he is suddenly empowering of women. Oh the power of a romp with your soulmate! Suddenly the hero not only champions the heroine, but steps aside repeatedly to let her champion herself.
I did appreciate the hero’s back story, as it gave him some element of complexity that he would have otherwise lacked. I wish we got to meet his mother and see their relationship. In fact, I could have used a whole side story about the hero and his mother in exchange for endless pages of the hero moaning about being “new rich” instead of “old rich”.
While we are on the topic of “old rich” people and their tweed suits, I’ll throw out a compliment - this book does a MUCH better job at placing its narrative in England than most I’ve read. It steers clear of the constant British tropes, terrible cockney interjections, and general UK stereotype nonsense. The characters can drink somewhere other than a pub! The aristocracy don’t speak with Elizabethan airs! No one gave a lecture on duty or rode a double decker bus! Bravo all round.
The heroine was written very believably. The author does a great job of writing a character who emerges from a people pleasing pushover to a embodied and powerful woman.
However, watching your ex boyfriend marry your best friend will seriously fuck up your confidence and trust, and oh boy did it here. For me, the exhaustive monologue of the heroine’s inner turmoil and questioning made the book less of a fun beach read and more of an… emotional hike. Worth it when you get there, but man, the way up is rough.
I don’t know if I’d read another in this series.
The premise had me rolling my eyes a bit with how extreme it was, but the more I got into the story the more authentic the characters seemed - and you couldn’t help but root for them in the end. The writing was clear, and though not poetic it certainly flowed well. There were a few odd formatting issues in the beginning and end of the book, but perhaps that’s a kindle thing.
Here’s the crux of it: The hero’s character is painted like a REAL asshole for the first half of the book, which made it hard to believe when his personality changed on a dime when he “found true love”. This book definitely strays mighty close to the “true love will change a bad boy” and “he was just waiting for the right woman” trope. The author goes into detail about how poorly the hero used to treat women, and yet we readers are meant to forgive this because he was “busy” and the women are not “the one”…
SIR, common decency is common decency. If anyone in real life treats ladies like this, don’t date them - run for the hills.
Had I started reading partway through the novel, I might have fallen hard for the hero. Once he sets eyes on the girl of his dreams (and um, sleeps with her) he is suddenly empowering of women. Oh the power of a romp with your soulmate! Suddenly the hero not only champions the heroine, but steps aside repeatedly to let her champion herself.
I did appreciate the hero’s back story, as it gave him some element of complexity that he would have otherwise lacked. I wish we got to meet his mother and see their relationship. In fact, I could have used a whole side story about the hero and his mother in exchange for endless pages of the hero moaning about being “new rich” instead of “old rich”.
While we are on the topic of “old rich” people and their tweed suits, I’ll throw out a compliment - this book does a MUCH better job at placing its narrative in England than most I’ve read. It steers clear of the constant British tropes, terrible cockney interjections, and general UK stereotype nonsense. The characters can drink somewhere other than a pub! The aristocracy don’t speak with Elizabethan airs! No one gave a lecture on duty or rode a double decker bus! Bravo all round.
The heroine was written very believably. The author does a great job of writing a character who emerges from a people pleasing pushover to a embodied and powerful woman.
However, watching your ex boyfriend marry your best friend will seriously fuck up your confidence and trust, and oh boy did it here. For me, the exhaustive monologue of the heroine’s inner turmoil and questioning made the book less of a fun beach read and more of an… emotional hike. Worth it when you get there, but man, the way up is rough.
I don’t know if I’d read another in this series.
annabell_hrs's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
anaez's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
mizmanderz's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
msruh1979's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw the cover for Mr. Mayfair a few weeks ago, I just knew I was going to love it. It just screams LONDON to me. Always a fan of Louise Bay and this one is no exception. Louise spoils her readers with another yummy Brit and feisty young woman that capture you from the just reading the blurb. Stella finds out her very newly ex boyfriend is getting married to one of her childhood best friends. Still reeling, she meets Beck, a man on a mission that's needing Stella to make a very important introduction. Beck pretty much tells Stella she can write her own ticket and to make this introduction happen by taking him as her plus one to this wedding. What starts as just two strangers trying to get what they want leads to the always important happily ever after. New characters are introduced and I can't wait for the next book.
marianbooks613's review against another edition
4.0
Me gustó aunque no es nada del otro mundo, para mí fue ligera de leer, casi nada de drama solo hasta el final y se ve venir desde el principio. Los protagonistas me parecieron entretenidos, todo esto de fake dating pero que al final se enamoran siempre puede conmigo y que ella gane algo mucho es lo mejor... Aunque me hubiera gustado que ella se hubiera defendido del ex novio me gustó cómo le monto cara a la ex mejor amiga porque ¿Amigas como esas? Pa' que enemigos diría mi abuela.
En fin, la historia es buena, el spicy más que bueno... Una lectura buena si te gusta el fake dating y un grupo de amigos que siempre estar allí para el.
En fin, la historia es buena, el spicy más que bueno... Una lectura buena si te gusta el fake dating y un grupo de amigos que siempre estar allí para el.