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agrippinaes's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4 stars
What I Liked: This is a really nice, easy read. The writing is very strong and its focus on characterisation is great. There’s a lot of nice ideas packed into it and I think for the most part the book pulled them off well.
I liked the main character, Kit; her responses to winning the lottery and so on were interesting and I found her to be quite a sympathetic character for the majority of the storyuntil all the stuff at the end, but I think that’s intentional.. I also thought Ben was a real sweetie, for the most part; he learned from his mistakes early on and I really enjoyed reading his POV.
I thought their relationship was great, it had a warm kind of chemistry. It’s a bit of a slow-burn in a lot of ways, and the build up is really good.
I also liked all of the stuff around the renovation works - Tucker’s Salvage sounded great, the house sounded lovely, and I really liked how Kit’s desire for home was presented.
The relationships outside of the romance were good, too. Ben’s relationship with his father, Sharon and River worked really well and I thought that his backstory involving his mother was sad but effective. Kit’s relationships, too, added a lot to the story; Zoe and Greer are great friends and I liked that she had this loyalty and support to her colleagues.
I actually found one of the most emotional parts of the book was Kit’s backstory, particularly her relationship with her brother.
I thought the ending was very good; I wasn’t so keen on but the grovel and reunion was well-written. In particular, I liked Kit’s conversation with Ben’s father, it was quite touching and I thought it worked well as a way to make her see past her grudge.
What I Didn’t: I liked it a lot, but I did think some of it was a bit too slow. The pacing was off a little - it took a while for me to get into it properly.
Overall: It’s a lovely book, very gentler and sweet whilst also being quite emotional and sexy, but the pacing is a little slow. Still, the writing is absolutely gorgeous.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you’re looking for a slower, gentle contemporary romance with a heroine in STEM and a charming hero.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Warnings:
Also, two notes about the backstories that can’t be summed up as easily:
The hero’s relationship with his mother is very strained, stemming from the fact that she left his father for another man. It’s made clear in the text that whilst his mother loves him she did not want to be a mother and he felt neglected by her.
The heroine’s father is an alcoholic and gambling addict, and her childhood was very disrupted. She was pretty much entirely raised by her older brother, who acted as a parental figure.
What I Liked: This is a really nice, easy read. The writing is very strong and its focus on characterisation is great. There’s a lot of nice ideas packed into it and I think for the most part the book pulled them off well.
I liked the main character, Kit; her responses to winning the lottery and so on were interesting and I found her to be quite a sympathetic character for the majority of the story
I thought their relationship was great, it had a warm kind of chemistry. It’s a bit of a slow-burn in a lot of ways, and the build up is really good.
Spoiler
I also liked that the book spends a lot of time on them actually together, so to speak, before the third-act break up.I also liked all of the stuff around the renovation works - Tucker’s Salvage sounded great, the house sounded lovely, and I really liked how Kit’s desire for home was presented.
The relationships outside of the romance were good, too. Ben’s relationship with his father, Sharon and River worked really well and I thought that his backstory involving his mother was sad but effective. Kit’s relationships, too, added a lot to the story; Zoe and Greer are great friends and I liked that she had this loyalty and support to her colleagues.
I actually found one of the most emotional parts of the book was Kit’s backstory, particularly her relationship with her brother.
Spoiler
Their argument broke my heart and I was so angry at Alex for the way he spoke to her during it, although I was glad he apologised.I thought the ending was very good; I wasn’t so keen on
Spoiler
the misunderstanding as it felt a bit forcedWhat I Didn’t: I liked it a lot, but I did think some of it was a bit too slow. The pacing was off a little - it took a while for me to get into it properly.
Overall: It’s a lovely book, very gentler and sweet whilst also being quite emotional and sexy, but the pacing is a little slow. Still, the writing is absolutely gorgeous.
Would I Recommend It?: Yes, if you’re looking for a slower, gentle contemporary romance with a heroine in STEM and a charming hero.
Would I Read Something By The Author Again?: Yes.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
Alcoholism, gambling addiction, arson.Also, two notes about the backstories that can’t be summed up as easily:
The hero’s relationship with his mother is very strained, stemming from the fact that she left his father for another man. It’s made clear in the text that whilst his mother loves him she did not want to be a mother and he felt neglected by her.
The heroine’s father is an alcoholic and gambling addict, and her childhood was very disrupted. She was pretty much entirely raised by her older brother, who acted as a parental figure.
lyzaface's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
4.25
mardell's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Kate Clayborn and what a delightful start. Immediately you get a sense of her commitment to creating complex leads, people surrounded by community and family and work. Kit is a scientist who longs for a true home (even if it’s falling apart) while Ben is the consultant come to sweep her off her professional feet (while negotiating his own uneasy homecoming). In this intricate environment, Clayborn makes the inevitable but challenging connection between the materials researcher and her hot recruiter feel like a complete journey of self-discovery alongside a deeply romantic love story. Because it’s not just a conflict of interest that separates Ben and Kit, but a very different idea of what a successful and happy life looks like. She also introduces you to the next two heroines and you already feel like they’re your friends as well as Kit’s.
kristenesantos's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
sara11_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this on a recent road trip and it was fine, but not memorable. It kept me entertained for the drive, but it wasn't compelling (not the narrators fault, both are good). Disappointing for a KC book since I usually love her writing. However, I'm interested enough in the side characters to try the second book.
winemakerssister's review against another edition
4.0
Kit and her two friends won the lottery, but it hasn't had much of an effect on her life. Except that she's been able to purchase a run-down 1870s row house. Otherwise she continues to work as a lab assistant and metallurgical engineer at the local university.
Ben arrives on the scene to recruit her to work at a large corporation, but she's not the least bit interested. She has carved out a niche for herself in this small university town and isn't interested in moving. But she is interested in Ben....
Cover: Okay
Narrators: Carly Robins did a good job. Will Damron sometimes veers into an overly dramatic/used-car-salesman voice.
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: She's definitely a Ravenclaw. Ben is more difficult to sort. He has qualities of both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but I think I'll sort him into Slytherin because of his earlier ambition. (Although I keep changing my mind...)
Themes: lottery winner, scientist, house renovation, friends, family
Ben arrives on the scene to recruit her to work at a large corporation, but she's not the least bit interested. She has carved out a niche for herself in this small university town and isn't interested in moving. But she is interested in Ben....
Cover: Okay
Narrators: Carly Robins did a good job. Will Damron sometimes veers into an overly dramatic/used-car-salesman voice.
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: She's definitely a Ravenclaw. Ben is more difficult to sort. He has qualities of both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but I think I'll sort him into Slytherin because of his earlier ambition. (Although I keep changing my mind...)
Themes: lottery winner, scientist, house renovation, friends, family
sheenareadsstuff's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
last_page_ache's review against another edition
5.0
This book ruined me in the best way possible. Kate Clayborn is one those authors for me, whose writing always works. No matter what and who she's writing about, I'm immersed I'm there for it! This one is especially dear and relatable. Not wanting and dreading change and having an older brother and an alcoholic father with a gambling problem hit really close to home. Unlike Kit I had a mom, but I understood her complicated relationship with her dad too well. Important aspect in the book is her job, she's a scientist, a metallurgist so this is like an OG steminist romance. Ali Hazelwood fans get on this bandwaggon!! The vibes are immaculate and there is a lot of science talk and "corporate science" ethical issues so it plays a big role. Also she first meets Ben as he's trying to recruit her. The taboo!! Their relationship has such a lovely, natural flow to it and I adored both of them. I will not say a lot about him because he is a bit of a mystery but he is, just like every Clayborn hero, absolutely in love and will do anything for her! He is flawed and he is layered and you will absolutely love him and maybe even cry for him. I know I did.
smgossett77's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mo_reads_more's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I've decided Kate Clayborn is an author whom I must read her entire body of published works. There is something about her writing that does it for me, and this one is no exception. Slow born, the best trope, and this one is a good 50% build-up where I was feeling the tension. I'm also a sucker for angst/comfort, and this book gets ANGSTY. It is arguably one of, in not the most, angsty books I've read all year. I was feeling at at like 2AM. Ben's chapter later in the book had me in pain.
While I feel strongly about this book, I feel impartial to Ben. The first half of the book, I loved this man. Did he come off sexist at first? A bit, but let's be honest, his error is an extremely common one unfortunately. Did he not do his research first? No, but it made it cuter later in the story when he was so interested in her that he went and read all of her published work and he valued her in everyway possible. Was his crush on her adorable and giving me butterflies? 100% yes. Where I started getting icky vibes from him was after they started having sex, and I think I know why this happened, but I'll get to that. After Ben and Kit started having sex, there weren't very many cute moments from Ben's point of view. This is a complaint for me because I am a sucker for the mmc's POV in a romance because I love seeing emotions from men I feel like aren't shown often in real life, and Ben went from fulfilling this requirement for me, to losing it immediately after they get together. He starts mentioning her body and how hes attracted to her breasts or neck way more than he ever did before. He doesn't even say "have sex" or "make love" with her, he literally uses the f word, which doesn't feel romantic to me. Then he kind of only thinks about sex when he's around her, to the point where there was a really cute line of him saying he wants to be the one she finds comfort in, who she loves, who is her best friend, but then he ends the statement by talking about how he wants to be the one who makes her scream when f*s her. Like that is just not romantic! It ruined Ben for me during the section of the book.
There are two possible reasons I think this may have happened. Storywise, we know Ben pretended for a long time he wanted to hang out with Kit because they were recruitment opportunities. Then, they finally kiss for the first time, and it's at that points he starts only thinking about sex. So, we could infer he was supressing those sexual thoughts until that point and so we as readers would not have been aware of them. However, I'm more inclined to believe that there was a weird shift in Ben because Clayborn may have been trying to appeal to an audience who prioritize spiciness in a novel. We know a lot of people like spice and they won't read a book unless it has some in it. Therefore, with this being her debut novel, I would not be shocked if she wrote the characters the way she wanted to and then threw in some parts of him lusting extensively after her. It's also just possible Clayborn was finding her style and just decided she didn't like adding that stuff in her future books, because I didn't see that in the other two books I have read from her. Either way, I didn't like it but I could understand why it may have been there.
Kit was a great character. She is a perfect example of a feminst character who isn't forcibly feministic. In a lot of books, female character have narration that blatantly states their feminist views so we assume they are a strong female lead, and that ends up portraying them as inauthentic. Instead, Kit shows us she is a strong female lead through her actions. She is in a male dominated field, and she addresses her struggles with that gender factor, but then we see her handle Todd. Kit gets angry when all the men in her life are pushing her to do more with her knowledge and skills when she is content with where she is in life, which is so valid, and SHOWS us her feminist ideologies without being annoying. I also don't think she makes any decisions because a man told her it was what she wanted. Ben tries to at first, for his own benefit, and then for what he thinks is her benefit, but it shows his character growth by the end when he no longer does this. Just, Kit was a great character, I loved her and her journey.
This was a digitally published book first before going to print, and I'm not sure if the editing is more lax for digitally released books or not, but there were a lot of grammatical issues. This is her debut novel, and luckily I went in already having two Claynorn books under my belt so I understood her writing style. There are times where I have to reread her sentences because they don't make sense at first but when I look closer I realize they are 100% right, and this is something I don't mind doing (I get distracted a lot and reread sentences anyways). However, there was an abundance of actual errors in this books. Many were repeated words/phases, or just random words that I could tell would make sense if she wrote the sentence differently, which leads me to assume it was an editing mistake. It does take away from the story a bit. There were times I was in all the feels and then there would be a big error and I would get distracted trying to figure it out. However, I still got through the book just fine and it became easier to look past.
While I feel strongly about this book, I feel impartial to Ben. The first half of the book, I loved this man. Did he come off sexist at first? A bit, but let's be honest, his error is an extremely common one unfortunately. Did he not do his research first? No, but it made it cuter later in the story when he was so interested in her that he went and read all of her published work and he valued her in everyway possible. Was his crush on her adorable and giving me butterflies? 100% yes. Where I started getting icky vibes from him was after they started having sex, and I think I know why this happened, but I'll get to that. After Ben and Kit started having sex, there weren't very many cute moments from Ben's point of view. This is a complaint for me because I am a sucker for the mmc's POV in a romance because I love seeing emotions from men I feel like aren't shown often in real life, and Ben went from fulfilling this requirement for me, to losing it immediately after they get together. He starts mentioning her body and how hes attracted to her breasts or neck way more than he ever did before. He doesn't even say "have sex" or "make love" with her, he literally uses the f word, which doesn't feel romantic to me. Then he kind of only thinks about sex when he's around her, to the point where there was a really cute line of him saying he wants to be the one she finds comfort in, who she loves, who is her best friend, but then he ends the statement by talking about how he wants to be the one who makes her scream when f*s her. Like that is just not romantic! It ruined Ben for me during the section of the book.
There are two possible reasons I think this may have happened. Storywise, we know Ben pretended for a long time he wanted to hang out with Kit because they were recruitment opportunities. Then, they finally kiss for the first time, and it's at that points he starts only thinking about sex. So, we could infer he was supressing those sexual thoughts until that point and so we as readers would not have been aware of them. However, I'm more inclined to believe that there was a weird shift in Ben because Clayborn may have been trying to appeal to an audience who prioritize spiciness in a novel. We know a lot of people like spice and they won't read a book unless it has some in it. Therefore, with this being her debut novel, I would not be shocked if she wrote the characters the way she wanted to and then threw in some parts of him lusting extensively after her. It's also just possible Clayborn was finding her style and just decided she didn't like adding that stuff in her future books, because I didn't see that in the other two books I have read from her. Either way, I didn't like it but I could understand why it may have been there.
Kit was a great character. She is a perfect example of a feminst character who isn't forcibly feministic. In a lot of books, female character have narration that blatantly states their feminist views so we assume they are a strong female lead, and that ends up portraying them as inauthentic. Instead, Kit shows us she is a strong female lead through her actions. She is in a male dominated field, and she addresses her struggles with that gender factor, but then we see her handle Todd. Kit gets angry when all the men in her life are pushing her to do more with her knowledge and skills when she is content with where she is in life, which is so valid, and SHOWS us her feminist ideologies without being annoying. I also don't think she makes any decisions because a man told her it was what she wanted. Ben tries to at first, for his own benefit, and then for what he thinks is her benefit, but it shows his character growth by the end when he no longer does this. Just, Kit was a great character, I loved her and her journey.
This was a digitally published book first before going to print, and I'm not sure if the editing is more lax for digitally released books or not, but there were a lot of grammatical issues. This is her debut novel, and luckily I went in already having two Claynorn books under my belt so I understood her writing style. There are times where I have to reread her sentences because they don't make sense at first but when I look closer I realize they are 100% right, and this is something I don't mind doing (I get distracted a lot and reread sentences anyways). However, there was an abundance of actual errors in this books. Many were repeated words/phases, or just random words that I could tell would make sense if she wrote the sentence differently, which leads me to assume it was an editing mistake. It does take away from the story a bit. There were times I was in all the feels and then there would be a big error and I would get distracted trying to figure it out. However, I still got through the book just fine and it became easier to look past.