There was something missing for me, but this has all of the ingredients of a GREAT book - Grant's signature quirky humor, an unexpected pairing, a fake relationship scheme that quickly gets out of control, and a coldhearted billionaire who finally meets his match. I wanted to love it so hard, and I did enjoy it quite a bit. I loved the outlandishness and the comedy aspect, and I'm always a sucker for a fake relationship romance. The opposites attract dynamic also worked, and it's easy to get caught up in the story. For me, I was distracted at the start by the many characters - while this says it's a total standalone, I kept trying to remember if I'd heard names before in past Grant romances - and then somewhere along the way the emotional connection started to feel a little lacking. I still enjoyed this (I'm a huge fan of Grant's work for a reason), it was just easier to put down than others I've read.
The story follows Begonia and Hayes, two strangers who meet in the most memorable of ways. Begonia is on a post-divorce vacation and minding her own business in her rental property when Hayes enters and claims that he's the owner of the building... and he didn't rent it out. After their initial encounter spirals out of control, Hayes finds himself blackmailing Begonia to be his fake girlfriend. As the last eligible billionaire, everyone is obsessed with Hayes' love life - and he's been burned too many times before to want something real. Claiming that this hot mess of a woman is his girlfriend is sure to get his family to stop meddling, but things don't go as planned. As the two spend time together, Hayes and Begonia strike up a friendship that feels like more. Whether it's friends with benefits or something real is yet to be determined.
I've never been a fan of friends with benefits, so that's where this started to go off course for me. At one point, Begonia literally says (in reference to a potential hookup between them), “You don’t have to kiss me, you don’t have to look at me, we don’t have to have the lights on, and we can keep touching to a minimum," and I think my love of the book sort of curled up and died in that moment, lol. Not completely, but it definitely put a damper on things for me. Everything else about the book is 5-star-worthy, but the lackluster emotional connection and Begonia's self-esteem issues kept me from loving the book. We see a lot of resistance from both characters to fall for real, even if it was happening against their will. I did love Hayes though; it was great to see this unfeeling guy fall for someone so bold and vibrant. Opposites definitely attract in this case, and they balance each other out perfectly. Overall, not one of my favorites from the author, but still a very solid rom com.
Tammy Moldovan
Jeeves Reads Romance