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A review by raddreader
Managed by Kristen Callihan
4.0
Overview:
Gabriel (29) & Sophie (25). Book 2 of a series. Standalone, but has recurring characters from Book 1. Dual POV. Slow burn. It has a HEA and an epilogue.
You should read book 1 first as it gives the background of the band and the dynamics between the characters are established in that book.
"It started off as a battle of wits. Me: the ordinary girl with a big mouth against Him: the sexy bastard with a big...ego.”
Gabriel (aka Sunshine, aka Scottie):
A devastatingly handsome Brit who is arrogant, uptight, hates weakness and is cold as ice. He’s the manager of the biggest rock band in the world and his life revolves around exerting control over all things (he uses control as its a mechanism to protect himself). He exudes confidence, he's standoffish and prickly. He looks like a male model and talks like a Duke.
“While Gabriel’s masculine beauty is truly breathtaking, the force of him is earthier, almost brutal. Most charismatic people make you want to be a part of their inner circle, make you feel special. With Gabriel the message is much different: here is a man with whom you do not fuck.”
The band he manages means the world to him. His mother committed suicide and his father was a drunk. The guys gave him friendship when he had none, a family when he had none and a purpose to his life. He will do anything and everything to make sure no one hurts them and to ensure they continue to succeed. However, he has a strong wall up between himself and the people who mean the most to him. Just another way to protect himself. “My mum, my dad…They…They fucking left me, yeah? The two people who were supposed to love me the most. Left. And I know the guys and Brenna love me. But if I let them in then…” He paces away before coming back, his eyes wide and pained. “If they’re fully in then I’m fully in. It will hurt more, Sophie. Do you understand? It will hurt more if…” He looks off, scowling so hard his lips pinch.
“Gabriel, they won’t leave—”
After an incident with one of the band members a year ago, Gabriel has pretty much abstained from sex as he doesn't like a strangers touch. It makes his skin crawl and is suffocating to him. So he has cut himself off from those he loves and cut himself off from strangers and has effectively isolated himself from relationships.
Sophie (aka Chatty Girl):
Her job is social media marketing and lifestyle photography. She has sarcastic humor and comes from a loving home. She fears never being good enough and being used up and tossed aside. She is not looking for casual sex or hookups. She's not ambitious and desires to have a home that she can share with someone who gets her completely, someone she can't keep her hands off of and someone who wants babies with her.
She used to be a paparazzi photographer and she took some extremely intrusive pictures of one of the band members at a really low point in his life. She acknowledges that that time in her life represented the ugliest, darkest version of herself, but she still has to win the respect of the band in order to succeed in her new job.
Sophie is outgoing, a natural-born talker and has no problem meeting new people. She likes to tease people to bring joy and levity to situations. She can easily laugh at the world and she doesn't really care what she's doing as long as she gets to live life, be happy, and enjoy new things. “I’ve always wanted to live a life less ordinary, see the world in a way few others have. And I know I’m not alone in that desire. Who wouldn’t want to escape the mundane? Yet, I’ve always known I was ordinary. Not in a bad way, but I was simply Sophie Darling: mostly happy, likes people, has a talent for taking snapshots of daily life. Nothing amazing."
Sophie has never been a part of a close-knit group of family and friends. She realizes that she is lonely, even though she is surrounded by people.
Together:
I absolutely loved these two together. They banter and spar like champs and their interactions were fun and funny. They are so opposite, but of course that makes for the best type of couple as they both bring things that are necessary for a successful relationship. Although they have instant chemistry, they actually have a really slow burn to the actual relationship and the first bedroom scene (happens around page 225).
Although Gabriel can't control her like everything else, he needs Sophie to bring fun to his life. She understands that he needs to be teased and challenged so that he can come out of his self imposed shell. She brings him comfort and warmth and is his biggest champion. "He’s…well, yes, he can be an ass, but he’s one of the best people I know. Behind all that starch is a marshmallow who any one of us would kill for.”.
Sophie get him. She sees things in him that no one else does. "I realize that no one else sees him this way, as the man who has tons of tidbits of knowledge stored up, the man who smiles frequently and with ease, and who teases me with jokes as lame as my own.”
On the flip side, Gabriel makes Sophie feel strong and worthy. His overwhelming presence makes her feel delicate and treasured. And, to his total bewilderment, she has gotten under his skin and she is someone he wants to fiercely protect and do nice things for. "For fuck’s sake, I’m making tea. For the insane chatty girl I met on a plane. If I haven’t fallen off the cliff already, I’m certainly teetering on the edge of it.”
Although they both have masks they wear around others (she makes jokes and smiles and he plays the standoffish robot) they are able to be real and intimate with each other when they are alone together. "I have never experienced intimacy. I did not know how good it felt to simply be with someone and let everything else melt away. The world can fuck off when I’m with Sophie Darling. There is only us. I don’t have to be anyone else but Gabriel.”.
Overall:
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I adored both the H/h and even though there were no bedroom scenes until late in the book, there was still plenty of steam (a specific scene with Gabriel and Sophie's lacy underwear comes to mind.....fan myself). The banter between these two was fun and witty and brought some good LOL moments. There is no OW/OM drama, no big secrets/lies, no triggers and a low level of angst. Lots of sexual tension. The secondary characters are integral to the story and I liked all of them just as much as the H/h. The book was pretty light, flowed well and was easy to stay engaged with. I liked this book slightly better than Book 1, but overall the series has been enjoyable and I would recommend.
"You’re my life, chatty girl. It has no joy without you in it.”
Quotes:
“I’m stuck next to the one afflicted with an apparently incurable case of verbal diarrhea.”
“Says the man who is socially constipated.”
“Madam, if this death trap of a conveyance were hurtling toward the Earth in a fiery ball of doom, and your mouth on my cock was the last bit of sex I’d ever have the chance to receive, I’d take off my seatbelt and throw myself toward death.”
“Shit on a toothpick. I cannot be crushing on this dude. He’s a dick. A hot dick, but still."
“Before bedtime, we’re politely encouraged to visit the first class lounge—yes, they have a motherfucking lounge on the plane. I mean, I knew about plane bars…the way a person knows about unicorns and Smurfs. But to experience it? Holy hell.”
“Besides, your brand of pretty is like a weapon. You reel victims in with it, just like a vampire does. I wouldn’t be surprised if you sparkle in the sun”
“He makes tea? Gabriel I’ve-no-time-for-mere-mortals Scott actually makes tea? And drinks it? Shut the front door and call me Mama.”
“Somewhere over the Atlantic, at thirty-five thousand feet, she wrapped herself around me, and my brain decided to equate her scent, the sound of her voice, the feel of her skin, with comfort.”
“You’re talking like a duke again.” She straightens and smoothes a hair back from her face. “Which means you’re feeling guilty.”
“It’s…hard letting people in. My dad was a drunk, almost never home. Mum was gone. And here were these four rich boys trying to take me in like I was Oliver fucking Twist.”
“Do you know how to dance flamenco?”
“In my mind I do. And I’m fabulous.”
“Don’t you go yammering off in Italian. I don’t care if it sounds like hot, buttered sex; I’m still pissed.”
Gabriel (29) & Sophie (25). Book 2 of a series. Standalone, but has recurring characters from Book 1. Dual POV. Slow burn. It has a HEA and an epilogue.
You should read book 1 first as it gives the background of the band and the dynamics between the characters are established in that book.
"It started off as a battle of wits. Me: the ordinary girl with a big mouth against Him: the sexy bastard with a big...ego.”
Gabriel (aka Sunshine, aka Scottie):
A devastatingly handsome Brit who is arrogant, uptight, hates weakness and is cold as ice. He’s the manager of the biggest rock band in the world and his life revolves around exerting control over all things (he uses control as its a mechanism to protect himself). He exudes confidence, he's standoffish and prickly. He looks like a male model and talks like a Duke.
“While Gabriel’s masculine beauty is truly breathtaking, the force of him is earthier, almost brutal. Most charismatic people make you want to be a part of their inner circle, make you feel special. With Gabriel the message is much different: here is a man with whom you do not fuck.”
The band he manages means the world to him. His mother committed suicide and his father was a drunk. The guys gave him friendship when he had none, a family when he had none and a purpose to his life. He will do anything and everything to make sure no one hurts them and to ensure they continue to succeed. However, he has a strong wall up between himself and the people who mean the most to him. Just another way to protect himself. “My mum, my dad…They…They fucking left me, yeah? The two people who were supposed to love me the most. Left. And I know the guys and Brenna love me. But if I let them in then…” He paces away before coming back, his eyes wide and pained. “If they’re fully in then I’m fully in. It will hurt more, Sophie. Do you understand? It will hurt more if…” He looks off, scowling so hard his lips pinch.
“Gabriel, they won’t leave—”
After an incident with one of the band members a year ago, Gabriel has pretty much abstained from sex as he doesn't like a strangers touch. It makes his skin crawl and is suffocating to him. So he has cut himself off from those he loves and cut himself off from strangers and has effectively isolated himself from relationships.
Sophie (aka Chatty Girl):
Her job is social media marketing and lifestyle photography. She has sarcastic humor and comes from a loving home. She fears never being good enough and being used up and tossed aside. She is not looking for casual sex or hookups. She's not ambitious and desires to have a home that she can share with someone who gets her completely, someone she can't keep her hands off of and someone who wants babies with her.
She used to be a paparazzi photographer and she took some extremely intrusive pictures of one of the band members at a really low point in his life. She acknowledges that that time in her life represented the ugliest, darkest version of herself, but she still has to win the respect of the band in order to succeed in her new job.
Sophie is outgoing, a natural-born talker and has no problem meeting new people. She likes to tease people to bring joy and levity to situations. She can easily laugh at the world and she doesn't really care what she's doing as long as she gets to live life, be happy, and enjoy new things. “I’ve always wanted to live a life less ordinary, see the world in a way few others have. And I know I’m not alone in that desire. Who wouldn’t want to escape the mundane? Yet, I’ve always known I was ordinary. Not in a bad way, but I was simply Sophie Darling: mostly happy, likes people, has a talent for taking snapshots of daily life. Nothing amazing."
Sophie has never been a part of a close-knit group of family and friends. She realizes that she is lonely, even though she is surrounded by people.
Together:
I absolutely loved these two together. They banter and spar like champs and their interactions were fun and funny. They are so opposite, but of course that makes for the best type of couple as they both bring things that are necessary for a successful relationship. Although they have instant chemistry, they actually have a really slow burn to the actual relationship and the first bedroom scene (happens around page 225).
Although Gabriel can't control her like everything else, he needs Sophie to bring fun to his life. She understands that he needs to be teased and challenged so that he can come out of his self imposed shell. She brings him comfort and warmth and is his biggest champion. "He’s…well, yes, he can be an ass, but he’s one of the best people I know. Behind all that starch is a marshmallow who any one of us would kill for.”.
Sophie get him. She sees things in him that no one else does. "I realize that no one else sees him this way, as the man who has tons of tidbits of knowledge stored up, the man who smiles frequently and with ease, and who teases me with jokes as lame as my own.”
On the flip side, Gabriel makes Sophie feel strong and worthy. His overwhelming presence makes her feel delicate and treasured. And, to his total bewilderment, she has gotten under his skin and she is someone he wants to fiercely protect and do nice things for. "For fuck’s sake, I’m making tea. For the insane chatty girl I met on a plane. If I haven’t fallen off the cliff already, I’m certainly teetering on the edge of it.”
Although they both have masks they wear around others (she makes jokes and smiles and he plays the standoffish robot) they are able to be real and intimate with each other when they are alone together. "I have never experienced intimacy. I did not know how good it felt to simply be with someone and let everything else melt away. The world can fuck off when I’m with Sophie Darling. There is only us. I don’t have to be anyone else but Gabriel.”.
Overall:
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I adored both the H/h and even though there were no bedroom scenes until late in the book, there was still plenty of steam (a specific scene with Gabriel and Sophie's lacy underwear comes to mind.....fan myself). The banter between these two was fun and witty and brought some good LOL moments. There is no OW/OM drama, no big secrets/lies, no triggers and a low level of angst. Lots of sexual tension. The secondary characters are integral to the story and I liked all of them just as much as the H/h. The book was pretty light, flowed well and was easy to stay engaged with. I liked this book slightly better than Book 1, but overall the series has been enjoyable and I would recommend.
"You’re my life, chatty girl. It has no joy without you in it.”
Quotes:
“I’m stuck next to the one afflicted with an apparently incurable case of verbal diarrhea.”
“Says the man who is socially constipated.”
“Madam, if this death trap of a conveyance were hurtling toward the Earth in a fiery ball of doom, and your mouth on my cock was the last bit of sex I’d ever have the chance to receive, I’d take off my seatbelt and throw myself toward death.”
“Shit on a toothpick. I cannot be crushing on this dude. He’s a dick. A hot dick, but still."
“Before bedtime, we’re politely encouraged to visit the first class lounge—yes, they have a motherfucking lounge on the plane. I mean, I knew about plane bars…the way a person knows about unicorns and Smurfs. But to experience it? Holy hell.”
“Besides, your brand of pretty is like a weapon. You reel victims in with it, just like a vampire does. I wouldn’t be surprised if you sparkle in the sun”
“He makes tea? Gabriel I’ve-no-time-for-mere-mortals Scott actually makes tea? And drinks it? Shut the front door and call me Mama.”
“Somewhere over the Atlantic, at thirty-five thousand feet, she wrapped herself around me, and my brain decided to equate her scent, the sound of her voice, the feel of her skin, with comfort.”
“You’re talking like a duke again.” She straightens and smoothes a hair back from her face. “Which means you’re feeling guilty.”
“It’s…hard letting people in. My dad was a drunk, almost never home. Mum was gone. And here were these four rich boys trying to take me in like I was Oliver fucking Twist.”
“Do you know how to dance flamenco?”
“In my mind I do. And I’m fabulous.”
“Don’t you go yammering off in Italian. I don’t care if it sounds like hot, buttered sex; I’m still pissed.”