It was just supposed to be a job. But now I’m stuck between two powerful, handsome billionaires intent on destroying one another. Will I make it out of this with my heart, soul, and body intact, or will this CRUSH ME?From the very beginning, I suspected I was making a bargain with the devil. I accepted Bryce Gentry’s position as his personal assistant knowing there was more to the job than … more to the job than answering emails and taking meeting notes. I mean, so what if he likes to watch me do my office work without my shirt on? No big deal. All I care about is making ends meet and taking care of my son. But Gentry seems determined to make me a pawn in his personal vendettas and power plays.
And then there’s Gentry’s handsome former collaborator and current rival: Jackson Vale. Jackson makes me FEEL. He makes me feel alive. Feel sexy. Feel in control and out of control at the same time. He makes me want a future when I can barely manage the day to day.
For a girl like me, it’s dangerous to want. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s to never put my heart on the line.
The stakes of these games are getting too high, too fast. It was just supposed to be a job. But now I’m stuck between two men intent on destroying one another. Will I make it out of this with my heart, soul, and body intact, or will this CRUSH ME?
Warning: Contains triggers and dark themes which may be distressing to some readers.
Book 1 of 2 Part Series. Second book available March 4, 2018.
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Actual Rating 3.80 stars
What I enjoy about Crush Me that it deals with a sensitive topic and how completely defines and rules the main character Calliope. She is a victim and that’s all she knows how to be. I really liked that the author does a great job highlighting the impossible pressure put on woman with men of power.
Calliope or Callie has been through a deal in her short 22 years of life. She’s fighting for custody her son to her ex, while battling to let go of traumas from her past. This book starts off with a job interview for a job Callie desperately needs, so desperately she let’s her new boss grope, fondle, and talk her like a complete slut. I can get it, she’s desperate. But events and situations arise that make Callie question everything while the chains of her hold her hostage.
I completely understand Callie’s mistrust of men and thinking that they all want to use her or take something from her. Especially when it comes to her body. She what she felt she had to by taking a job at Gentry Tech and her filthy pig of a boss. I also understand her constant questioning of men’s actions, but Jackson was different and I loved his character. I liked that Callie’s character sheds a very sad light on victims of sexual assault and child molestation. You see Callie’s struggles and you see how it gets her in bad situations. It messes with the way you think and see yourself. I felt for Callie. I also loved Jackson. He was a breath of fresh air and a true gentleman. While at first I found her to be mean and unfeeling, I loved Shannon by the end of this book as well. Yes she has some grudges against Callie from their childhood and she was oblivious to things Callie went through as a child, but she didn’t sugarcoat anything either. She told Callie when she was making mistakes and tried to make her be a better parent and make the right choices for Charlie. I saw that she really cared, but I understood her frustration with Callie.
At the same time that I empathized with Callie, I also lost all hope for her and her terrible decisions that put her in terrible situations. She was very naïve and easy to use. I wanted her to put up a better fight and not turn into the victim all the time. I hated that she threw away a good thing. She really doesn’t know what that is because she’s too busy thinking everyone wants to use her(then let’s herself get used). So she basically didn’t know how to judge anyone’s character. I was a little disappointed this wasn’t a standalone, but its OK.
All in all I loved the first half of this book. I flew through it so quickly and started disliking Callie in the second half. I loved Callie’s knowledge on robotics and its use in the story. I enjoyed this book.
Callie, a single mom, gets a job with Gentry only to be treated horribly. Callie deals with it because she needs the money to fight her ex who wants custody of her son. Then she meets Jackson while working for Gentry and everything changes. There twists and turns in this story surprised me leaving me anxious for the next book in this duet.
Sexy