At Twin Oaks Country Club, there are the fortunate ones, and then there are the rest of us: the waiters, the caddies, the valets, and in my case, the cabana girls. Most days, I’m poolside in a pleated skirt, dishing out margaritas to tycoons and titans. It’s not exactly my dream job, but it does come with one perk… suit.
Besides being a legacy member at the club, he’s a tech mogul and Austin’s most eligible bachelor. Oh, and those dimples? Yeah, they make my stomach dip too.
On good days, I catch his sleek Porsche winding down the tree-lined drive. On better days, I steal a glimpse of his handsome profile as we pass in the hall. And on the absolute best day, I find him alone at the bar, looking for company.
“Come have a seat.”
Those four little words set me down a path I never could have imagined. Private planes, penthouse suites, and temptations around every corner make it impossible to keep my distance. His world feels decadent and wild—but overindulgence comes with a cost. Every kiss comes with strings. Every erotic encounter is a promise I’m not ready to keep.
When I pump the brakes, he hits the gas. James doesn’t want to go slow—he wants a commitment.
And the thing about the fortunate ones?
They’re used to getting what they want.
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Every time I read another one of R.S. Grey’s books I fall more in love with her writing. I absolutely love her romantic comedies and would suggest them to anyone! When I read the description I knew that this would be a great book, but I didn’t expect to go on a journey filled with lots of laughter, massive amounts of undeniable attraction, and so much heartache. I was sitting on the edge of my seat the whole book wondering if Brooke and James would end up together.
I completely fell in love with James’s character! He is a charming man who knows exactly what he wants but is afraid of tying Brooke down with a marriage and family. Brooke has always dreamed of going overseas to tutor language learning students, but when she meets James her future suddenly isn’t so clear. No matter how many times they go back and forth they always end up finding their way back to each other somehow, until Brooke gets a job offer in Spain and she must choose between her dream and a future with James.
This couple might be one of the most frustrating that I’ve read about yet. But this is the most rewarding love story. It shows you that love isn’t easy and sometimes we find it at the least expecting time in the least expecting people. It also perfectly summed up the quote, “If you love someone, let them go and if they love you they will find their way back.” Now I’ll be looking over my shoulder constantly trying to find the James to my Brooke.
Can a book be both angsty and funny? This one certainly is! I loved the light-hearted feeling of the author’s writing and I also loved the strong emotions in the characters. It felt a little like a couple who fell in love at the wrong time in their lives and for a while it seemed like they were never going to get their HEA. The story kept me glued to my Kindle as I read and hoped and despaired.
There’s a very strong attraction between James and Brooke, but they have a big obstacle; he’s eleven years older than her; when they compare their five-year plans, Brooke’s plan is to be working as a nanny, teaching languages to her charges and traveling the world; James’ is to be settled down with a wife and kids. Brooke goes into panic mode but James understands; he wants for her to enjoy life and travel, but that will not be with him. The book felt like a series of lost opportunities, they seem to be in different places in life.
Brooke also has unresolved feelings about her mother. When Brooke was little, her mother fell in love with another guy and divorced her father. She’s now traveling with her husband in Peace Corp missions, and Brooke feels like her mother abandoned her. Her calls go unanswered and unreturned. Part of her traveling obsession comes from these unresolved feelings.
Although the book sometimes felt like an impending train wreck, I could understand Brooke’s uncertainties and issues. She misses her mother terribly and feels abandoned by her. She has a desire to live life, so settling down with James scares her. She needed to live life, grow up, resolve her mommy issues, become the woman she was destined to be, and she couldn’t do that while settling down with a man. This is the aspect that I liked about the story. Although at times I felt frustrated with Brooke and her decisions, I realized that she was doing what she needed to finally understand that home is where the person you love is. Even thought I suffered through the story, I loved the slow burn, the obstacles, and the growing up. I felt for James because the woman he loved kept leaving him and didn’t want to stay for him, but in the end, he got a better bargain. Great book!
First, I just want to say that I enjoyed this eARC. It’s different than what I was expecting, but still great. Thanks to the author for providing me a copy in exchange for a honest review. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.
This was well-written, and very entertaining (I laughed and cried and swooned), but based on the summary, I was expecting a whirlwind romance. And while there was romance, it wasn’t the main part of the book. There was pretty much zero romance for the first half of the book. And even for some time after that, it still wasn’t super romantic.
Even though I’m a die-hard romance fan, and pretty much want it to be a major plot in the books I read, I still liked this story…a lot. The characters were amazing (Brooke, James, and Ellie to name a few), and I enjoyed their interactions. There was a healthy dose of drama with the going ons at the club, the attraction between Brooke and James, etc., so beware if drama’s not your thing.
James is definitely going on my book boyfriend list. He’s such a sweetheart, and I just love him to bits. I liked Brooke for the most part, but sometimes I just wanted to shake her and tell her to knock it off and open her eyes. She came to the right conclusion eventually, so points for that.
This was a fast, enjoyable read. I can’t wait to see what the author publishes next, and to go back to read her older books. Definitely check her out if you haven’t already! And might I recommend Scoring Wilder by her? It’s fantastic!
So far, this is my least favorite book by R.S. Grey. I liked it even less than Anything I Can Do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s way better than some other books I’ve read! But by this author, this one is at the bottom of my list.
First off, I’M SO ANNOYED THE GIRL ON THE COVER IS BLONDE! Brooke has “jet black hair.” Especially coming from an indie author who I know would have a huge say (if not all the say) in what her covers look like.
Every other book I’ve read by this author has been a dual POV. I think the single POV threw me off a bit cause I was expecting chapters from James’ perspective. Honestly, it kinda felt like she was trying to channel Mariana Zapata’s writing style but wasn’t quite able to pull it off.
I understand that in real life, things are all one sided. We don’t get other people’s POV in real life but this is a fictional story and I would have liked to get some of James’ perspective. We only get tiny glimpses of his sensitive side and emotions. Mostly we get the gruff, unfeeling exterior.
I found Brooke to be a bit immature and annoying sometimes, and I don’t understand wanderlust at all. It’s not something I’ve ever had so I have a hard time connecting to characters who want to travel the world.
James and Brooke “fell in love” extremely fast. Like they barely new each other at all. I know that it is possible to “just know” sometimes, but I do understand why Brooke was so hesitant to be with James. Especially when he laid marriage and babies out on the table immediately.
The most liked review on goodreads said that there’s rape in this book. I beg to differ! James kisses her “forcefully” and sometimes won’t let her go when they’re kissing, but he never rapes her. All that is apart of the weird game they play. By the time they get to actual sex, she spreads her legs willingly. And there’s only one detailed sex scene in the whole book, which was pretty disappointing. The second one was a fade out. I was expecting one in the end after they get back together, and she talks about herself having “the orgasam to end all orgasams,” but we don’t get to read about how it came about. I would have liked a real love scene showing not only their lust, but their love as well.
I was rather disappointed with the ending too. I would have liked to see more into the future. That 5 years later they were always talking about would have been the perfect cherry on top. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any of that.
I still love this author and will continue to read her books. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea. Arrogant Devil is by far her BEST book, so do yourself a favor and go read that one!
It took me a minute to get into it, but once I did, it was a good one. My only one small problem that I had was that there was a lot of internal dialogue. I’m a dialogue whore because I feel it moves a book along and doesn’t get boring. But other than that, I really enjoyed it. Oh, I hope Brooke’s sister gets a book, she was a lot of fun.
This is such a great read! The characters were so fun and likeable. I thought Brooke was absolutely adorable. James is such a strong character, who knows exactly what he wants out of life. I could barely put this book down and can’t wait to go see if Ellie has a book too.
This book was great. I loved this story. It was told in such a great manner. I definitely recommend this boom and this author.