Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Cody Madrid wasn’t born into privilege. He grew up in a crime-infested trailer park and suffered a childhood from hell. The gritty start to life didn’t break him. It fired his determination to make something of himself. With discipline, hard work and some unexpected luck, he founded Starwest Industries and built it into a multimillion-dollar empire.Ben Jackson grew up in a loving family, enjoyed a picture-perfect childhood and aspires to become a fine artist. He’s vacationing in Greece when he literally falls at Cody’s feet. Their meeting is electric, but forestalled when Ben receives tragic news from home. As a result, he puts his artistic ambitions on hold, and looks for a full-time job to help support his family.
When Ben is hired by Starwest Industries, he has no idea that Cody Madrid owns the company. Their professional relationship means Ben has to work closely with the most compelling man he’s ever met without falling in love with him. Though Cody is still closeted, he finds himself falling hard and fast for the blond, blue-eyed Ben. But Cody has issues to work on, and someone has a hold on Ben. He’s been trapped into living a lie that could ruin any chance of a future with Cody.
This was a low angst story about two men who meet in Greece and feel a connection and then later run into each other back in the US when they find they work for the same company. Turns out Cody is the owner of the company Ben now works for. In addition to that complication, Cody doesn’t want anyone to know he is gay and Ben doesn’t want to be in a relationship with someone who is not “out”.
I liked the set up of the book and the beginning when they meet in Greece. Unfortunately the rest of the story didn’t work for me. There is a plotline I don’t want to spoil, but it has to do with how Ben ends up working with Cody. I thought it was completely unrealistic and I didn’t buy a second of it. It was so over the top that I struggled to keep reading the book.
I was hoping that once I got past that I would connect with the characters or the plot but I didn’t. I couldn’t believe any of it. These guys are only together two times and then Cody is deciding he can’t live without Ben and he’s going to change his entire life by coming out for him so they can be together. Two times! I didn’t feel any connection between these two at all. There was a lot of telling their feelings and not enough showing. It’s also a pet peeve of mine when authors use the coming out plotline device and then skim over it and make it seem like some Disney movie grand gesture. Coming out is very serious and should be treated as such in my opinion.
There was nothing wrong with the writing style or the technical aspect of the writing so this may appeal to different readers. If you enjoy light, low-angst, insta-love this may work for you.
Cover: The cover artwork was done The Book Khaleesi. I think it is a good representation of the story.
Sales Link: Amazon
Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 163 pages
Published June 16th 2017
ASINB071LJRTJG
Published June 16th 2017
ASINB071LJRTJG
