SPOILER ALERT! I'm not in the business of ruining books, so if you haven't read this book yet, turn back now!
Author: Lexxi James
Series: The Boys of Bishop Mountain Series Book #1
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Strap in folks. I read this hot mess of a billionaire, military, brother's best friend, second chance romance so you don't have to. If the sheer amount of tropes packed into this book doesn't scare you away, maybe this review might.
Jess has been in love with her brother's best friend Mark since they were young. Though he's never treated her better than a bully, a brief kiss between them gives them a hint at what they could be, if Mark wasn't due to set off for a military mission. After a series of miscommunications, Jess is convinced Mark doesn't want to see her and he is convinced she deserted him when he needed her most.
When Mark visits his hometown 8 years later, he doesn't immediately recognize her. Once he discovers who she is, he offers her an obscene amount of money for her new charity and propositions her for a weeks-long affair. Not only does it feel like he's bribing her for 'services', but he admits to himself he's in love with her but wants to work it out of his system. What a gentleman.
"I'm still a red-headed mountain girl struggling to make my way in the world while he is the billionaire-in-the-making Marcus Evan Donovan." - Jess
Jess is a firecracker, willing to put in the work to stand up for what she believes in. She is babied heavily by her older brothers but no one can tell her what to do or what she wants in life. They are set on selling their deceased parents' land and frame it as in her best interest since she refuses to move on. In reality, they come off as just wanting the proceeds of the sale.
Their second chance romance is more of an extended one-night stand until Mark realizes he is willing to put in work to make it permanent. Even then, though the two have enough history to come between them, it's Mark's obsession with work and tendency to take things out on Jess that finally drives her away.
Not only a combat military man but also a billionaire CEO and a great cook, Mark is wishy-washy and weak. He lets his emotions get the best of him and lashes out when things don't go according to his plans.
After groveling over his latest emotional outburst and failed proposal, Jess pushes him away but only because she can't have kids. I absolutely hated how much of her self-worth for this more than less-than-perfect man is wrapped up in giving him biological children. Women are worth more than their ovaries and Jess' character deserved more than this warped thinking.
Thankfully or not, Mark reveals he was adopted so he is okay with Jess not being able to have children. He knew all along about her secret, hence them never using condoms. He proposes a second time and they run off to have marathon sex while their families cook for them in the kitchen next door because they will need their strength. I wish I had made up that last sentence.
The pacing of this book was off, in a big way. Mark and Jess spend more time apart than together, and as a result, there is little chemistry between them that isn't more tell than show. The story suffers from time jumps that just don't make sense and the climax of the story happens at the 60% mark, then there are still another 100 pages to go.
Plot holes I couldn't overlook:
Mark and Jess haven't seen each other in 8 years, even though he is still best friends with her brother and even employs him.
Zac, Mark's brother, has lunch with Jess weekly in their small town despite working in the city which is 3-4 hours away
It's mentioned Jess checks out Mark's third finger for a ring instead of the fourth finger.
Mark was hit by a bullet during the shootout scene but it's only mentioned as an afterthought a chapter later, not in the moment.
Mark only uses American cheese for grilled cheese, but then makes her one with tomatoes
It's winter, admittedly cold, but there is a scene where Mark is fishing in pajamas and sleeping outside
This might have been one of the worst contemporary romance books I've read, it was truly that awful. My sole purpose in finishing this book was so I could write this book review with all the spoilers imaginable to warn others away. Someone else must have hated this as much as I did right!?
Tropes and Themes: Billionaire, Military, Veteran, Second Chance Romance, Brother's Best Friend, Small Town, Enemies to Lovers.
Blurb
Jess
Meet Mark Donovan.
Ex-Army sniper.
CEO of a multi-billion dollar global empire.
Chiseled to the nth degree.
And a man I want nothing to do with.
I know the type.
Dangerous. Sexy.
A bad-boy who fills out a Tom Ford suit or pair of Calvin's in equally drool-worthy ways.
At his core,
The worst kind of heart-breaker.
The kind who doesn't even know he did it.
Mark
Eight years ago I nearly died.
And it wasn't that I didn't remember her.
I didn't recognize her. There's a difference.
She was a kid.
And I was a soldier…
Two seconds from deploying with her brother for our third, and final, tour.
One I wasn’t sure I'd be coming back from.
She thinks I don't remember.
That kiss was beautiful. Innocent.
It kept me alive when I thought it might be my last.
How could I ever forget?
I came back broken. Heartless. Ruthless.
I grew rich beyond my wildest dreams by burying the best parts of myself.
Who I was. What I'd been through.
Killing away all the pieces of me that mattered…everything except that kiss.
So, shove me off all you want, country girl.
Because you've just landed in my sights,
And you're about to be mine.
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