fabienne25's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jesslynn2000's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.5
kfriend's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely was interested in this premise- alpha, protective men, over the top possessive, save a single mom damsel in distress and Hallmark type swoony feels?! UHM SIGN ME UP- that sounds like a marvelous diversion and delicious entertainment.
Unfortunately- the book wasn't quite that. There were parts I liked, for sure. I liked that the men were already committed to this as a construct, and I thought we had some few unusual things with their personalities that I appreciated that made the nature of this harem highly original. The kids were adorable- and getting to watch the men be sweet and loving to them had me all swoony. And, I know some may gripe about instalove- but I'm actually fine with that- I like the cheesy, love at first sight commitment we got from the men, too. They were all in, and it gave me all those swoony Hallmark sweet and easy romance feels. They bent over backwards for her- and it was dreamy.
But, my list of quibbles is a bit longer than I'd like. First, these men weren't really "alpha"- at least in terms of how I've interpreted that trope. And while their generosity was over the top, and the insta love was over the top- I wouldn't really say they were over the top possessive in anyway. They were salivating over sharing her- which is RH, so I was fine with that- but where was this alpha possession I was expecting? I also felt like our heroine was a bit shallowly characterized- we had SO much emotional content to explore with her (single mother, poverty, on the run, ex husband, no family) but we get the same repetitive internal monologue about her insecurities in terms of her financial status relative to these men. It didn't do much to endear me to her, but even more so, I felt like we don't really know her as a character. And, what she did in the finale just made no sense- it felt so overly dramatic and frustrating. Fortunately we didn't have to suffer long before it was righted, but the ending felt so rushed and out of place compared to the rest of the story. I also found the whole modelling subplot to be just..well...weird. I get what the author was doing in terms of characterization, but I found those scenes distracting and odd. And, my largest quibble- the sexy time is a bit meh. This is a harem of over the top men- FOUR sexy guys. And we don't ever get to explore the group dynamic and only have a few sexy scenes in general. The cover and description just led me to believe this would be some alpha, sexy, steamy goodness. I wish my expectations been calibrated better by the cover and the description and the subtitle- I went into this expecting a story that it is not, and that influenced my experience.
Unfortunately- the book wasn't quite that. There were parts I liked, for sure. I liked that the men were already committed to this as a construct, and I thought we had some few unusual things with their personalities that I appreciated that made the nature of this harem highly original. The kids were adorable- and getting to watch the men be sweet and loving to them had me all swoony. And, I know some may gripe about instalove- but I'm actually fine with that- I like the cheesy, love at first sight commitment we got from the men, too. They were all in, and it gave me all those swoony Hallmark sweet and easy romance feels. They bent over backwards for her- and it was dreamy.
But, my list of quibbles is a bit longer than I'd like. First, these men weren't really "alpha"- at least in terms of how I've interpreted that trope. And while their generosity was over the top, and the insta love was over the top- I wouldn't really say they were over the top possessive in anyway. They were salivating over sharing her- which is RH, so I was fine with that- but where was this alpha possession I was expecting? I also felt like our heroine was a bit shallowly characterized- we had SO much emotional content to explore with her (single mother, poverty, on the run, ex husband, no family) but we get the same repetitive internal monologue about her insecurities in terms of her financial status relative to these men. It didn't do much to endear me to her, but even more so, I felt like we don't really know her as a character. And, what she did in the finale just made no sense- it felt so overly dramatic and frustrating. Fortunately we didn't have to suffer long before it was righted, but the ending felt so rushed and out of place compared to the rest of the story. I also found the whole modelling subplot to be just..well...weird. I get what the author was doing in terms of characterization, but I found those scenes distracting and odd. And, my largest quibble- the sexy time is a bit meh. This is a harem of over the top men- FOUR sexy guys. And we don't ever get to explore the group dynamic and only have a few sexy scenes in general. The cover and description just led me to believe this would be some alpha, sexy, steamy goodness. I wish my expectations been calibrated better by the cover and the description and the subtitle- I went into this expecting a story that it is not, and that influenced my experience.
leilorenzo's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
crystal_bookworm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I will admit that I almost didn't get this book as I felt the summary looked to be taking it a slightly creepy way. I am extremely glad I picked it up. This author made this book perfect with characters that you fell in love with and could also relate to. Lots of romance, steam, heat, family feels and hurt/ comfort. Definitely going to get the next one.
kayleereads's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
katkinslee's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's a nice fluffy type of read. If you like insta love then this one is for you. Everything happens very fast.
kittyemma9's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ashatroyal's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A little over dramatic for me. Too insta love. Shelby was doing too much at the end. It wasn’t that serious. Didn’t really keep my attention.
The author said in the back of the book that this was supposed to be a super light, Hallmark insta love book. If that’s your jam, you may really enjoy.
wingleaderreads_rae's review against another edition
4.0
If you're looking for a nice easy, instalove-y, low conflict, hallmark type reverse harem then this book is for you! Although it was a contemporary book, the men Shelby found was nothing short of fantasy. Seriously, they don't make men like that in the real world *sigh*
I'm usually not a fan of books involving kids (I'm a jealous/selfish bish and want the men all to myself please and thank you) I did actually enjoy the child element and will continue the series for sure
I'm usually not a fan of books involving kids (I'm a jealous/selfish bish and want the men all to myself please and thank you) I did actually enjoy the child element and will continue the series for sure