Ambitious. Intense. Irresistible. I never wanted to fall for a man. And definitely not two men. They tear me apart until I don’t know how I’ll ever be whole again. Until I’m not sure I want to be. How can I choose between two halves of myself? THE EVOLUTION OF MAN is the second novel in the USA Today bestselling duet, which begins with Survival of the Richest. * * * * * “Pure writing gold … * * * *
“Pure writing gold filled with heartmelting swoons, angst and a lovestory of the ages.” – Bookgasms Book Blog
“I think this book nearly broke me and I’m not even mad about it. From start to finish, the emotion in this one is intense.” – Courtenay B, Goodreads reader
“Skye Warren delivers a story of strength, perseverance, and the effects of a cannonball through the heart Not at all what I expected and everything I wanted.” – Di, Twisted Book Reviews
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This is the second part to Survival of the Richest. We ended off with Harper being at odds with both Christopher and Sutton. Now Harper and her mom have moved to Tanglewood. Harper’s mom only has months to live, and Harper is dead set on restoring the library. Throughout the majority of the book we don’t see very much from Christopher but we do gets bits and pieces of understanding of where his mindset is at. Sutton seems to be Harper’s knight in shinning Armour. Helping her navigate the pain and hurt she is dealing with from losing her mother and pushing all those feelings into restoring the library.
I loved the overall storyline, the side characters were a strength in building Harper, Christopher, and Sutton up. I liked Harper a lot more in the first book, but felt she was a bit wishy washy in this one. After the way she left things off with Sutton I would have expected her to break off ties with him or at least for him to apologize and grovel a bit instead it was almost like it never happened in her eyes. Christopher was more of the hurt party between the two and she claimed to be so in love with him, but she still wouldn’t give Sutton up and actually used him to get to Christopher. There is a whole twist with Sutton that kind of came up and disappeared just as fast, that really should have been more developed because the set up made it seem like useless knowledge. What really made me feel like this was more of a 3 star instead of 4 or 5 star was the ending. we have two books and a lengthy prologue to get to the final conclusion, the final decision of who she chooses and once we get there is was really anticlimactic. Without spoiling for anyone – Harper finds out that one of them lied about “something” – I can understand why he lied because it was to help her and make her feel better – she asks him if its true and that is it we never hear or see him again. Much later the other one shows up and all is right with the world they are together the end. We still dont get any further insight on the person she actually “chooses” or any actual development on their relationship. With that said/observed I still really enjoyed the journey, it was still a great read that I would recommend. I just didn’t like the ending, and maybe someone else would like it more than I did.
The Audio by Erin Mallon was wonderfully done. She is one of my favorite narrators and as always amazing.
WOW!
This book destroyed me emotionally!
Harper, Christopher, and Sutton still confused about their relationship with each other and what it means to be together as a trio. The anger, resentment and frustration in these characters was evident and very strong. I am feeling weak after reading this book, like I swam a hundred miles and then ran for two hundred miles. It exhausted me.
Skye Warren writes books that the reader can relate to, even if the characters are rich and famous, their problems and chaos, their love and hate, are painted by the author in very vivid colours.
6 Stars!
Awesome sauce! I’m a huge fan of just about anything Skye Warren… 🙂
This book is a good read and page Turner, funny and irresistible characters.
There are only two things Harper truly loved and she was about to lose both of them. Her mother was dying of cancer and she didn’t acquire the library in enough time to save it from nearly being fully demolished. Not only that, she’s not seen or heard from either Christopher or Sutton in almost six months.
Skye Warren has taken this book, given it an angst filled storyline with such flawed characters and made me fall in love with them. The emotional drama of Harper, Christopher and Sutton will take you through a diverse range throughout the entire book. There was no way to stay neutral without feeling some type of reaction or opinion throughout the entire thing. The ending surprised me, but in a good way. You for sure don’t want to miss this one.
The Evolution of man, the conclusion of the trust fund duet.
What a rollercoaster of emotions, not only things get more complicated between Christopher and Harper but also things with Sutton started to change in a way that no one sees it coming.
“Sometimes you need the darkness to shine. And sometimes you need death to come fully alive.”
Harper is so confused she doesn’t know what is going on with Sutton and Christopher they keep messing around with her emotions and even with her life.. she has to find a solution for their situation and for the library that is a constant problem around them.. she wants to keep it and restored, they want to tear it down.. their motives are not clear but sooner or later the truth will show and hearts will start to be broke..
“This is another game. Another conquest. Another way to make me love you and then push me away. I won’t survive it, Christopher.”
In The Evolution of man we get to see a more mature Harper, life hasn’t been easy on her and she has to endure so many heartbreaking moments that leads her to finally be able to see and understand what she had to do in order to finally be with the man she loved ..
“I’m lying at the bottom of a pond, looking up at my reflection. And there’s only one face I see. One person I want by my side at the hardest moment of my life. He isn’t here.”
Christopher is more distant and heartbroken he feels secluded and isolated in a way and that’s exactly what he ups to do .. leaving harper wondering if he even loves her. he still being a stubborn man giving her a hard time.. even if it means following decisions that will hurt the woman he loves..
“I should have made you mine then, Harper. You were mine, even then.”
We also get to see Sutton, confused and aggressive but with more passion and needs not caring to show all of himself, being vulnerable to them. there is a scene that I really love when Sutton opens up to Harper, he shows a duality in his emotions he was being so vulnerable but also so strong and it felt like when he was speaking to her as if you could feel his passion and rage all the emotions he had inside of him.
“What do I want? I want to go back in time before I ever met Sutton or Christopher. I want to be the kind of woman who doesn’t fall in love. I want the world to be a place where men don’t leave and mothers don’t die, but I can’t say those things.”
Overall the conclusion of the trust fund duet is good, love the passion and the depth of each character, the angst and the twists of the story, you really never know what’s coming, keeping you hooked till the end.. really love the conclusion! now I’m dying to know more about Sutton as I have a few questions that were left unclear…
Loving Sky Warren’s books, Looking forward to starting The Pawn
Good, but the main character was too tragic and got lost in the ending. Not as well written as her other books I have read.
I feel like I just walked through the desert without water. I had to reach my destination, but I couldn’t stop to take a drink. My throat has closed up, yet my heart half healed. I loved and hated this heartbreaking journey. I knew what awaited me at the end, but the detours were what was needed to see me through.
This book was a daunting, an emotionally charged headache and I wanted so much more with that ending. I can’t give you any spoilers. I don’t think I’ve read a triangle quite like this before. Carnal pins and needles, I want to break my kindle and hug it at the same time. What are doing to me? Unconventional meets unexpected, I was jumping from limb to limb on the verge of falling. You know what would make me feel better? Another book. And I never say that. I feel like it ended like it should, yet I need more. I can’t say why though. It’s spoilerish.
This story will make squirm with need and make you want something so far from normal, knowing it’ll never work. I was desperate for something I couldn’t understand. Still don’t understand. I loved this book even more for that bit of indecisiveness I felt in my core. And like all other Skye Warren books I’ve read, I felt everything right down to my toes. Indecision is beside the point, Harper is what made this duet what it is. Her strength and growth gave me goosebumps and her insight gave strength to womanhood. I loved her character as a whole, right down to taking what she wanted and fighting through dust and rubble to rebuild. I said this after the first book, Team Harper. I originally rated this 4 stars, but as I wrote this review, I fell even more in love with message behind it.
Skye Warren delivers a story of strength, perseverance, and the effects of a cannonball through the heart! Not at all what I expected and everything I wanted.
This story kept me guessing. I liked that it wasn’t predictable. A powerful story with a full gamut of emotions. A must read!!!
Excellent read. Heartbreaker that kept me guessing till the end.
This 2nd book in the duet picks right up where the first one ended. Christipher, Sutton, and Harper are involved in some twisted dark triangle that is very, very broken like the Tanglewood Library. Poor Harper, feeling that she has to fix the people in the West side of town by giving them back their library and by ixing her mother – that if she fails there will be nothing left of herself. Sutton and Christopher are both vying for her affections, one dark and the other light. Who is the one for her? She has loved Christopher since she first saw him at 16. Is he worthy of her love? Sutton is sweet and understanding, he listens to her. With Christopher, it is all passion. With both of them it is steamy off the charts!!! What secrets do both men have that can change all their lives? All is revealed at the end of this wonderful book!!! Read, weep and enjoy!!!
This makes me want to open a library. A great story about a girl who can’t decide who is her future
This was the first time I read one of Skye’s stories, and if I’m being completely honest the Survival of the Richest series isn’t normally the type of read I seek out. But there’s never anything wrong with pushing past comfort zones and usual routines, and the first novel delivered from the first chapter.
The first book of this duet centers on Harper St. Claire, a girl emotionally older than her years and on the verge of transforming into a woman. Initially, I wondered if her teenage voice was too mature for the character in the story, but my concerns soon faded. Harper’s life could easily be compared to a prime-time soap – family wealth, high society, and over the top drama. She bounces between the households of her divorced parents and endures a revolving door of subsequent step-mothers, step-fathers, and step-siblings. By the time she is introduced to current step-mother, Louise, and step-brother Christopher Bardot, her policy regarding their new relationship is deeply rooted – “I don’t want to mess with them. They’ll be gone next year.”
In this case, Harper is only partly correct. While Louise quickly fades from her father’s world, Christopher holds on. Over the course of several years, a long-distance friendship and bond builds between the two former step-siblings, but despite Harper’s growing attraction and greatest wishes where Christopher is concerned, they are kept apart by one obstacle after another. Christopher comes from humble beginnings and his ambition and his acumen for business drive him to become a self-made millionaire, earning the respect of Harper’s father. From the first time me meets Harper, Christopher is compelled to protect her at all costs and when Harper’s father burdens him with a life-altering responsibility, the job at hand threatens their chances at a future together.
But just when things couldn’t seem any more complicated, Harper is introduced to Christopher’s business partner, Sutton Mayfair. In looks and personality, Sutton is everything that Christopher is not. Despite pining after Christopher for years, Harper notices and appreciates the differences between the two men, and Sutton is immediately attracted to her. He sees things in Harper that she wishes Christopher could acknowledge. What quickly develops is an intense love triangle that made Survival of the Richest unputdownable. I was desperate for Harper to choose the man who was best for her. I bounced back and forth between Christopher and Sutton, wondering if there was one clear choice over another and even questioning at times if she should walk away from both men altogether.
I won’t lie, the ending of the first book snuck up on me quickly and left me hungry for more. I had some time to theorize how the story of Harper, Christopher, and Sutton would play itself out. The chemistry between Harper and her love interests runs the spectrum of loving and intimate to primal and possessive.
The Evolution of Man picks up not long after the end of Book 1. Passions between Harper, Christopher, and Sutton haven’t abated, but have definitely skewed darker. Harper has now focused her attentions on the restoration of an abandoned library and taking care of her mother, who is losing her battle with cancer. Christopher and Sutton have also apparently moved on, but it soon becomes clear that these three can’t leave one another alone for long. They are angry, hurt, obsessed, and in denial of it all. The trio inevitably finds their way back into each other’s company and when they do, the chemistry explodes.
I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say I was hoping for something more from this second installment after such a great set up during the first book. Page wise, it wasn’t much shorter than the first, but I just didn’t experience the same level of tension as I had during Survival of the Richest. Perhaps the overall story could have benefitted from an additional story arc in this book. Perhaps not. Maybe I’d built up the possibilities for a sequel too large in my imagination. It just felt as though there was a missing piece to the continuation, although I can’t quite put my finger on what that piece is. It’s entirely possible these two books will read perfectly when they are enjoyed one right after the other.
Ultimately, I didn’t feel as though the story was fully resolved, which makes me wonder if more installments will be forthcoming. Regardless, I did fly through this book and am going to rate it with the same 4 stars as the first novel. Warren’s narrative voice stands out from many of the other books I’ve read this year. Harper, Christopher, and Sutton are fascinating characters to read and if you’re in the mood for a passionate read with a fair dose of angst, the Survival of the Richest series is a great choice.
Wow! I love all of Warren’s books and this series is one of her best. It feels like she out does herself with each new series or stand alone.
Christopher was so dark and tempting, cruel even, until you worked beneath his walls.
Sutton! He seemed so easy to figure out. So easy breezy and sweet. Yet there was that niggling underneath that something wasn’t as it seemed, was there ever. Very steamy! Such longing and sadness.
The heroine was in such a dilema. But did she work it out.
Contains such flawed beautiful characters. Angst, love, sexual tension, and love twine through the pages. Wonderful series. I read both books in two days, not much sleep. But they were so worth it!
Rollercoaster. Got me teary-eyed before even reaching halfway or on any plot twist or climax. The connection between the two men. The hidden secrets. Freaking amazing. The realism behind everything and Harper staying true to character as she always has since the day she produced Medusa, its the same but of course, more mature by the end while the men honestly stay the same as they’ve always been. Calculating, manipulative and diabolical. Except by the end of this story, you’ll find out whom is which
I guess I can call it a HEA and the story is fine without it but if u want an epilogue for a certain question that might nag you, you’ll need to sign up her newsletter
i did not like this book at all it went in circles with no real resolution or development of the main characters. First book was excellent this was not. I would not recommend this.
3.75
I liked the writing. I really enjoyed the story. I loved it and hated it at the same time. The h needed to walk away from the H’s just once, or tell them off at least. It wrapped up a little to suddenly for me leaving some unanswered questions.
What I saw in this book is that Harper is broken, shattered into a million pieces. She’s watching her mother die from cancer, day by day, and she’s helpless to stop it. She’s also torn between two men. Christopher is a major class asshole and yet, she can’t help being in love with him. She fell in love with him when she was sixteen, but when he was appointed executor of her father’s will, she lost him. Harper also lusts for Sutton and he’s a kinder man, more considerate to her, but he doesn’t have her heart. Her precious library is broken, its foundation damaged, and somehow it feels like a metaphor of her soul.
This book is dark, twisted, intense, harbors three damaged souls, very intense and passionate. However, the passion is not fiery hot, but more of the molten, slow to burn kind. Harper taunts Christopher constantly, wanting to break him or find his inner core and see if he ever felt something for her. She also uses Sutton to poke at Christopher. And all this while she’s caring for her dying mother, resisting the idea of losing her. Harper feels like a kettle in a stove, heating up until it boils. She feverishly works in the library, wanting to bring knowledge to the rundown south side of Tanglewood. In a way, I think that her actions to rescue the library are a symbol that she is the one who needs rescue desperately.
Avery, Gabriel Miller’s wife, appears prominently in the story and I think we’ll get another story about them from what we see in this story.
Overall, this book has tragic loss, frustration, unrequited love, hot passionate sexy times, threesomes and repentance. I didn’t like Harper a lot in this book, because although she is kind and generous to her mother and her girlfriends, she’s brusque with other people, hurtful with Christopher and uses Sutton. She’s breaking apart, and she needs support that is rarely given to her. However, in being so selfish, she uses and discards Sutton, while loving Christopher, who is always cruel to her. We see glimpses of caring and protectiveness, which point toward Christopher’s feelings for her, but it’s too twisted, too frustrating, too late. Even though I enjoyed reading the book because of the author’s brilliant writing, the book left me with some dissatisfactions, mainly a not convincing finale. Christopher is an anti-hero since he is mostly hurtful to Harper, very enigmatic, unavailable, never present at times of crisis. His turn-around was not convincing.
The Evolution of Man is the conclusion of Survival of the Richest duet. This story is captivating, heart-wrenching and engaging. It will have you at the edge of your seat wanting more. I loved this love triangle story. Sutton, Harper and Christopher were all complex flawed characters who will keep you drawn to the pages of the novel. Their push and pull dynamics will surprise you and the twists will have you enthralled.
This book will evoke a range of emotion from you. It was steamy with lots of mind-games, it will make you smile and sad and at time anger you but you will love every moment of it all.
The story was told from Harper’s POV yet you will feel connected to all the characters and will be rooting for them all.
This angsty, riveting page-turner was a fantastic read and the perfect conclusion to this duet. Worthy of more than 5 stars I loved it and would highly recommend it.
I was so excited for this to come out!! The only problem I have with the Evolution of Man is that it’s over I need more Harper, Christopher, and Sutton! Thank you Skye Warren for another beautiful read
#TEAMCHRISTOPHER