diaryofthebookdragon's review
I get it that the characters in this book should have been cute and funny but for me they were just annoying.
Lesley is presented to us as self-assured middle-aged woman who learned from her mistakes and has great career and life. But she acts most of the time like a teenager. Well, being old does not equal to being mature, I guess.
And Dominic who is pissed of because she ditched his brother 20-years ago? I saw that it's going to turn into some 'great romance story' and although a lot of time has passed, changing one brother for another is still gross to me. Maybe I'm a prude, but there you got it.
Perhaps I should have given this book a little bit more time to win me over, but the pacing was so slow and I didn't like any of the characters.
I DNF-ed at 10%.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Lesley is presented to us as self-assured middle-aged woman who learned from her mistakes and has great career and life. But she acts most of the time like a teenager. Well, being old does not equal to being mature, I guess.
And Dominic who is pissed of because she ditched his brother 20-years ago? I saw that it's going to turn into some 'great romance story' and although a lot of time has passed, changing one brother for another is still gross to me. Maybe I'm a prude, but there you got it.
Perhaps I should have given this book a little bit more time to win me over, but the pacing was so slow and I didn't like any of the characters.
I DNF-ed at 10%.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
chelsea_jack's review
5.0
This Stephanie Plum-esque tale of renovations and romance gone wrong *and* right hit all the right notes for me.
I particularly loved the relationship between Dominic, our hero, and his son Kyle. The way they talked to each other was so endearing - there was something so guy-like about it, awkward and loving.
And of course, Dominic and Lesley have great chemistry. These two have a shared past filled with so much pain and deceit that at times it's hard to see how they'll navigate through it all.
A subplot with Lesley's grandfather finding love completes the love at all ages message. This feisty old guy was a refreshing change from the typical feisty old lady and it was fun to watch him scheme his way through a courtship.
See my complete review at: To Each Their Own Reviews
I particularly loved the relationship between Dominic, our hero, and his son Kyle. The way they talked to each other was so endearing - there was something so guy-like about it, awkward and loving.
And of course, Dominic and Lesley have great chemistry. These two have a shared past filled with so much pain and deceit that at times it's hard to see how they'll navigate through it all.
A subplot with Lesley's grandfather finding love completes the love at all ages message. This feisty old guy was a refreshing change from the typical feisty old lady and it was fun to watch him scheme his way through a courtship.
See my complete review at: To Each Their Own Reviews
katsmiao's review
5.0
I loved this book. It was great to read a book where the main characters are 40, not 20.
I also loved all the secondary characters, like GP and Dominic's completely insane mom and brother. The book is really well written (apart from some typos), it's super funny, and different enough that it doesn't read like just another romance.
This is the first book in a while that I've actually enjoyed reading and I didn't even skim one page. I just sat back with my cup of tea and enjoyed the book.
I also loved all the secondary characters, like GP and Dominic's completely insane mom and brother. The book is really well written (apart from some typos), it's super funny, and different enough that it doesn't read like just another romance.
This is the first book in a while that I've actually enjoyed reading and I didn't even skim one page. I just sat back with my cup of tea and enjoyed the book.
sarah1984's review
3.0
6/1 - Alrighty now, back to normal reading/reviewing schedules after the craziness of Christmas.
The argument over the tweezers on page 34 got me laughing and in a romance that's always a good thing. The line "No! What do you mean no?!" in response to a request for a particular item is always funny (for me), it's like the literary equivalent of slapstick comedy. Keep the laughs coming, please. To be continued...
27/1 - Unfortunately this was one of a number of Netgalley books I didn't get finished in time (I had three days left to read it when I started it on the 6th) over and around the Christmas period. If I ever have the chance to read it again I definitely will as it was shaping up to be a pretty decent romance.
The argument over the tweezers on page 34 got me laughing and in a romance that's always a good thing. The line "No! What do you mean no?!" in response to a request for a particular item is always funny (for me), it's like the literary equivalent of slapstick comedy. Keep the laughs coming, please. To be continued...
27/1 - Unfortunately this was one of a number of Netgalley books I didn't get finished in time (I had three days left to read it when I started it on the 6th) over and around the Christmas period. If I ever have the chance to read it again I definitely will as it was shaping up to be a pretty decent romance.
claudiap's review
2.0
This book started with interesting premises. It is very uncommon for me to read a love story with older people, so I bild up several expectations. And it was good, but I just disliked some attitudes of the characters which seem to me inadequate for their ages.
Personally, I really appreciated the Lesley's grandfather and the Dom's son. This characters were very well achieved and can captivate the reader.
I enjoyed getting to know more about the life of Italian families. The family dynamics in other countries is something that fascinates me and whenever I can get to know more about this I rejoice.
Personally, I just thought the pacing was too slow at various times. There were times I had to take deep breaths to get back to re-start readings.
#I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review#
Personally, I really appreciated the Lesley's grandfather and the Dom's son. This characters were very well achieved and can captivate the reader.
I enjoyed getting to know more about the life of Italian families. The family dynamics in other countries is something that fascinates me and whenever I can get to know more about this I rejoice.
Personally, I just thought the pacing was too slow at various times. There were times I had to take deep breaths to get back to re-start readings.
#I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review#
pzmimi's review
5.0
Very enjoyable book! Loved that the main characters were more "mature" than the typical "20-somethings" in most romance novels. I'd love to read more about the characters "back story." The book is full of interesting characters and I really hope she writes more books centered around the characters in this book.
margreads's review
4.0
4.5/5 - fun debut novel. Will definitely be looking for more from this author!
cassandra67b07's review
3.0
Points for older characters in a romance and a quick pace to the story. Negative points for some really messed up family dynamics, too many pratfalls, and serious anger issues from the hero.
I liked it enough to try another from this author, but would not reread.
I liked it enough to try another from this author, but would not reread.
poisonivy70's review
2.0
**ARC provided by Escape Publishing - Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
The Premise
Lesley returns to her old hometown, where her family still resides, to flip a house and along the way, she runs into Dominic, her former brother-in-law, who runs a hardware store. Lesley has a long, twisted and uncomfortable history with the Brennan family and would be more than happy to never see another one of them again. The feeling’s mutual with Dominic, who believes that Lesley ruined his little brother’s life. Now that she’s back in town, Dominic’s afraid she’ll drag up the past, the secrets, and the pain. They clash immediately, but mix in a teenage boy, a puppy, some white paint, and some loud music, and what starts as cold fury transforms into a nuclear attraction. This basic renovation becomes a major life refurbishment for them both.
The Good
I loved the fantastic dialogue - some really funny, witty stuff. I especially love Lesley’s wit and the banter between Lesley and everyone around her. This is an older romance, where the H/h are in their 40s, so this isn’t about the first bloom of love, but two people who have been around the block. It was a nice change of pace from all the NA books that are out now. When the focus was on Lesley and Dominic, I definitely enjoyed their chemistry. Seeing Dominic's relationship with his son was lovely, and slowly learning what happened years ago between Lesley, Dominic, his brother and Dominic's ex was telegraphed early but still well done.
The Bad
When the focus wasn’t on Lesley and Dominic, I felt the story was a bit disjointed. The start is rough, and it took me a little bit of time to get into the swing of the story. The times when the focus veered too much onto Lesley’s grandpa’s love life (which BTW, I enjoy older romance but I don’t need to know about nonagenarian sex, ever), failed to keep my attention, and I wanted to skim through those parts. I stuck it out, but I think the romance between Lesley and Dominic should have been the focal point, and it rambled on about the renovation more than I would have liked. I also had a problem with Dominic’s instinct to always blame Lesley - I hated it but I understood it, even if I wanted to punch him sometimes.
The Bottom Line (2.5 stars)
Loved the mature H/h romance when the book was focused on it, not so much when it wasn’t. I would be willing to read more from this author though - I liked her “voice.”
The Premise
Lesley returns to her old hometown, where her family still resides, to flip a house and along the way, she runs into Dominic, her former brother-in-law, who runs a hardware store. Lesley has a long, twisted and uncomfortable history with the Brennan family and would be more than happy to never see another one of them again. The feeling’s mutual with Dominic, who believes that Lesley ruined his little brother’s life. Now that she’s back in town, Dominic’s afraid she’ll drag up the past, the secrets, and the pain. They clash immediately, but mix in a teenage boy, a puppy, some white paint, and some loud music, and what starts as cold fury transforms into a nuclear attraction. This basic renovation becomes a major life refurbishment for them both.
The Good
I loved the fantastic dialogue - some really funny, witty stuff. I especially love Lesley’s wit and the banter between Lesley and everyone around her. This is an older romance, where the H/h are in their 40s, so this isn’t about the first bloom of love, but two people who have been around the block. It was a nice change of pace from all the NA books that are out now. When the focus was on Lesley and Dominic, I definitely enjoyed their chemistry. Seeing Dominic's relationship with his son was lovely, and slowly learning what happened years ago between Lesley, Dominic, his brother and Dominic's ex was telegraphed early but still well done.
The Bad
When the focus wasn’t on Lesley and Dominic, I felt the story was a bit disjointed. The start is rough, and it took me a little bit of time to get into the swing of the story. The times when the focus veered too much onto Lesley’s grandpa’s love life (which BTW, I enjoy older romance but I don’t need to know about nonagenarian sex, ever), failed to keep my attention, and I wanted to skim through those parts. I stuck it out, but I think the romance between Lesley and Dominic should have been the focal point, and it rambled on about the renovation more than I would have liked. I also had a problem with Dominic’s instinct to always blame Lesley - I hated it but I understood it, even if I wanted to punch him sometimes.
The Bottom Line (2.5 stars)
Loved the mature H/h romance when the book was focused on it, not so much when it wasn’t. I would be willing to read more from this author though - I liked her “voice.”
samnreader's review
It's a weird thing when you label something 'older couples' when the protagonists are right in your peer group. It's also weird that somehow the hero still manages like 7 years on the heroine, like WTF.
(I hope that's not always the case, I actually suspect it's flipped in the next book)
I digress. This book read a little old-fashioned and outdated in the humor, so much I kept checking to see it's only 6 years old. That was probably one of my bigger dislikes, I felt (though admittedly we're sick here so I might have been lapsing in attention span) that some of the jokes were culturally insensitive. That is a really distracting issue to me, and I would normally knock off a full star or two but I really don't k now the genesis of the jokes b/c I was paying bad attention and context does matter. I can see the bones of humor in her writing, but generally I didn't find it particularly hilarious. The family shenanigans were too OTT multiple times and I just couldn't set myself, a grounded (yet emotional) non-outrageous person in that scene. Interestingly, I thought the villians in the book were similarly uncomplicated and one-dimensional.
Kyle, the hero's son, was a smart but realistic 16 year old, which I did appreciate. There's lots of cuteness here, had it not been for some of the humor being too much or what I see as inappropriate, I would've like this a lot more. I did struggle with the pacing a little, but I think that's just me, and that's just today...probably.
I look forward to the follow up of this series. I'm having trouble judging whether this was me & my day or the book, so no rating. (I would say it's a 3 though)
(I hope that's not always the case, I actually suspect it's flipped in the next book)
I digress. This book read a little old-fashioned and outdated in the humor, so much I kept checking to see it's only 6 years old. That was probably one of my bigger dislikes, I felt (though admittedly we're sick here so I might have been lapsing in attention span) that some of the jokes were culturally insensitive. That is a really distracting issue to me, and I would normally knock off a full star or two but I really don't k now the genesis of the jokes b/c I was paying bad attention and context does matter. I can see the bones of humor in her writing, but generally I didn't find it particularly hilarious. The family shenanigans were too OTT multiple times and I just couldn't set myself, a grounded (yet emotional) non-outrageous person in that scene. Interestingly, I thought the villians in the book were similarly uncomplicated and one-dimensional.
Kyle, the hero's son, was a smart but realistic 16 year old, which I did appreciate. There's lots of cuteness here, had it not been for some of the humor being too much or what I see as inappropriate, I would've like this a lot more. I did struggle with the pacing a little, but I think that's just me, and that's just today...probably.
I look forward to the follow up of this series. I'm having trouble judging whether this was me & my day or the book, so no rating. (I would say it's a 3 though)