e-Audio, 11:56:33
Narrated by: Callie Dalton & Jason Clarke
Release Date: June 11, 2024
Published by: Books on Tape (Berkley)
Read from: June 12, 2024
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a copy of this e-audio from the publisher’s audio app in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Sexual content, Child abuse, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Stalking, Grief, Pregnancy, Car accident, Abandonment
For Readers Interested In: Romance, Adult, Workplace Romance, STEMA forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.
Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.
Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through – and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.
Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business – one that plays for keeps.
*MY THOUGHTS*
This one was a little different than the others. It seemed to be her most steamy, which is why I’m surprised it’s not my favorite of her books lol This had too much that didn’t add up. I know this is a romance book, but there’s only so much you can overlook.
So the first thing was her background. I hated what she went through, but I loved that she made something so other kids wouldn’t go through what her and her brother did. But I definitely didn’t love that she was so F capitalism but then at the end the thing happens and all the problems like go away. It literally made no sense. But I guess it was real. Everyone has their limits. I didn’t love it, but I guess we all knew she would be ok with it. And as one of my friends, Sarah, brought up, how are you affording ice skating at the competition level when you can barely afford food? I get for fun, but like at that level is something serious.
The other thing I didn’t care for was the male narrator. He was either too close to the mic or the two narrators were in two different places and one of them had equipment that was way more expensive than the other. Because he sounded like Batman and it took away from the story for me. The female narrator did an excellent job to combat that and keep me interested in the story.
The romance was ok. Kind of weird way to meet up if you ask me lol But eh. And the chemistry was there, but barely. It seemed like it was mostly lust and not real chemistry if that makes sense. Even after the first time. Idk it felt forced, not genuine like her others.
The plot was what kept me stuck to the pages tho. I live for academic dishonesty in Ali’s books. Because all of these people in these academic settings can’t be all good. Something has to go wrong. And go wrong it does. When the shit hits the fan in this one, it REALLY hits the fan. Sadly though, it was a bit predictable. But I didn’t know how DEEP it was going to go. And let me tell you, that damn person is an asshole and I HATE that they got anything out of that deal. They deserved prison time and an ass beating. I was so mad I was yelling at the book. I had to message Sarah as I read it because I was livid.
This one isn’t my favorite book by her, which is weird because it’s her most steamy lol But it’s I still enjoyed it a bit. I’m glad I read it, but I think this one was the most mid of her books so far. Things just didn’t really add up for me.
Overall, I give this
