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tagoreketabkhane31's review
2.0
*Actual rating: 2.5/5 Stars*
The second book in the Jade Harbour miniseries, the story follows one of the side characters from the first book, Raymond "Ray"Chao, and Elvin Goh, his assistnat who is devoted to him. There is no set timeline as to when the book actually takes place, but the story opens with Elivn and Ray and the lifestyle that they have set - with Ray, who identifies as pansexual, having different partners over, and Elvin, who is demisexual, coming in the morning to get Ray ready, and pretty much doing everything for him.
Ray cannot function without Elvin, and Elvin has been in love with Ray for a long time, and has never acted on those feelings, simply doing his job. After joining Ray on an assignment and spending more time with him in enclosed quarters, their feelings for each other start to come out - you get the idea. The trope here is opposties attract, and friends to lovers.
It was mid, at best. The biggest distraction for me was the power imbalance between the two of them of not only being boss and employee, but there was also the fact that in terms of wealth there was an imbalance, and how the narrative went about "rectifying" their relationship to make it balanced. There was only chapter where Ray wand concerned about Elvin falling for him as they were boss and employee - let alone the fact that Elvin (even if he had not been in love with him) literally did everything for him.), and that Elvin also did not stop and consider that he did those things as his assistant, because of his feelings towards Ray, not because they were part of the job description.
There were some nice moments I guess, and I actually liked some of the storyline before it got lost in the Ray and Elvin angst show (which didn't make sense that Ray really did not know Elvin, and yet we are to believe the man fell in love after rutting on him?)
The second book in the Jade Harbour miniseries, the story follows one of the side characters from the first book, Raymond "Ray"Chao, and Elvin Goh, his assistnat who is devoted to him. There is no set timeline as to when the book actually takes place, but the story opens with Elivn and Ray and the lifestyle that they have set - with Ray, who identifies as pansexual, having different partners over, and Elvin, who is demisexual, coming in the morning to get Ray ready, and pretty much doing everything for him.
Ray cannot function without Elvin, and Elvin has been in love with Ray for a long time, and has never acted on those feelings, simply doing his job. After joining Ray on an assignment and spending more time with him in enclosed quarters, their feelings for each other start to come out - you get the idea. The trope here is opposties attract, and friends to lovers.
It was mid, at best. The biggest distraction for me was the power imbalance between the two of them of not only being boss and employee, but there was also the fact that in terms of wealth there was an imbalance, and how the narrative went about "rectifying" their relationship to make it balanced. There was only chapter where Ray wand concerned about Elvin falling for him as they were boss and employee - let alone the fact that Elvin (even if he had not been in love with him) literally did everything for him.), and that Elvin also did not stop and consider that he did those things as his assistant, because of his feelings towards Ray, not because they were part of the job description.
There were some nice moments I guess, and I actually liked some of the storyline before it got lost in the Ray and Elvin angst show (which didn't make sense that Ray really did not know Elvin, and yet we are to believe the man fell in love after rutting on him?)
bradleyj's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I’m a BIG fan of Hudson Lin’s writing style! I live in Toronto so reading fictional stories about your own city is always really fun. It was a fast paced book and while I didn’t totally vibe with Edwin, loved Ray. A lot. The secondary characters are also really well thought out like Ming and Ginny! Totally didn’t see Ray getting arrested coming but knew something big was going to have to happen. I felt like everything moved too fast after that point and it skipped right to the happily ever after but at the same time, I appreciate a clean ending. another great read from Hudson Lin and can’t wait to read more!
bookspastbedtime's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This started off better than I expected, but quickly went downhill. Thought the chemistry between the two characters was lacking, and I wasn't really buying the sudden epiphany that the playboy love interest was all of a sudden in love with his employee after years of not seeing him romantically. Also thought the ending was quite rushed and strange, and I really couldn't stand behind the decisions made.
bojangles's review
I may come back to this one day, but my loan on the ebook from the library came and went, and I didn't care to renew it, so clearly the book didn't capture my attention. I thought it was interesting, and it probably would've had something thoughtful to say about corporate finance bros actually facing consequences for their actions. But the prose and the characters were not interesting enough for me to care I guess.
bentenuala's review
holy Jesus what was the love interest a helpless little twink OHMYGOD. Please. You can still move. And do something. To the mmc, lower your testosterone levels. Please.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
“If you let me, I’ll take care of you.”
3.5 stars. A good office romance with a fair few bumps. In a lot of ways, I feel about this the same way I felt about Lin's last release. The romance was impeccable! It was so good! I was obsessed from almost the very beginning. On the other hands, the plot had hiccoughs and elements that I didn't absolutely love. But on the other other hand, I do think some kudos is due for the fact that the author takes on some things that not a lot of other romance writers would.
So this is a boss/employee romance between a high-powered, very wealthy executive and his long-time assistant who comes from a much more humble background. Opposites attract, and all that. Elvin is completely devoted to Ray; he loves being his assistant and he's been pining for him for years. I loooove these sort of romances where one character has been silently devoted and super loyal to another one for years without them knowing. I also enjoyed how Elvin's demisexuality played into the romance and the plot. Ray was charming; a little obnoxious, but he was supposed to be like that. They complemented each other so well.
Just as in the first book, I appreciated the fact that the wealth gap was talked about, but I wasn't really satisfied with the conversations that we had. I definitely felt like more could have been said and done, and in a less simplistic way. The plot also lost me a lot because it was definitely very frustrating seeing Ray make decisions that we already know are bad decisions. I kept thinking a lot of the time that he just wasn't acting in a way a typical romance hero would. But the more I think about that, the more I appreciate it. Especially because he makes his mistakes and then we get to see the consequences roll out and it happens in a way that you wouldn't expect from a regular contemporary romance. Or at least, I didn't, and I do appreciate that... up to a point. Some of the ways the plot fell together in the end were just kind of perfunctory and I didn't get the sense of mounting tension or expectation that I wanted, so that was a little bit of a disappointment as well.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Tyler Tetsuda and he was great again, though not super polished. Despite my complaints, I really really enjoyed the romance between Elvin and Ray. They were so so sweet together and I just wish I could have read about them in a different sort of book, with a different sort of plot. I still liked this a lot overall and I know I'll be reading from Hudson Lin again.
andrea_author's review
5.0
Personal assistant Elvin is in love with his boss, Raymond. Even though Elvin knows nothing can come of it. When Raymond investigates a business his company has acquired, he suspects that something isn't right. With Elvin at his side, he uncovers some dangerous truths. Can Raymond extract his company from the situation and keep Elvin safe?
This is a well-written, intriguing romantic suspense. I loved the characters and the chemistry between them. The plot is full of unexpected twists.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is a well-written, intriguing romantic suspense. I loved the characters and the chemistry between them. The plot is full of unexpected twists.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
sbelasco40's review
3.0
This was...okay? It felt kind of flat to me, and also like no one ever had any real consequences for their actions, but given that it centers around financial crime, maybe that is actually quite accurate. It made me think of how one of my writing profs told me that you can't protect your characters. These characters felt very protected.
_ashton_reads_'s review
3.0
I enjoyed the demisexual rep, but found all the business details a bit dull and would’ve liked more focus on the romance.