wilybooklover's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.5
This is called a slow-burn, but like... where is the burn?! It’s just slow! It felt like there was next-to-no relationship development even going past the halfway mark. Slow-burn isn’t just a book where the couple doesn’t get together until the end; it’s about a slow build-up of feelings and tension and that was just lacking in this book. Vanessa had more interaction and chemistry with Zac than Aiden (and I think I would have liked this book more if she had ended up with him instead).
Speaking of slow: this book was way too long for absolutely no reason. It needed a really good edit because it’s just full of repetitive filler that serves no actual purpose to the story. We get it, the hero is big. And the single sex scene was just bad. I don’t know if I can forgive this book for making me read the phrase ‘hot pipe’.
Aiden is characterised as grumpy but really, he’s just a selfish arsehole who only thinks of people in terms of what they can do for him. He doesn’t appear to care for anything or anyone but himself and his career. On top of that, he’s just dull with zero personality. I don’t understand what Vanessa sees in him. And I didn’t particularly like Vanessa either; she was completely lacking in self-awareness and literally laughs when Aiden is molested (her words) by a fan.
It wasn’t all bad — I liked the scene in the lift, and the marriage of convenience was plausible in a contemporary setting for once. There was delightfully little conflict in the actual romance itself, which is what I like to read. But there’s also a lot of misogyny in the way that women are written and (unchallenged) homophobic jokes in this book; I’ve heard that this is one of her better books in that regard so I won’t be trying more of her work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism
Minor: Homophobia
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