Story Rating: 4 stars
Audio Rating: 4 stars
Narrator: Aiden Snow, Tim Paige
Length: 6 hours, 36 minutes
Audiobook Buy Links: Amazon/Audible | iBooks
Book Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks
Gabe really needs a job. He was in college, but had to leave, and now he’s sitting in front of Logan Mitchell trying to secure a spot as the man’s assistant. In celebration, Gabe attends his roommate’s work party and comes face to face with the man of his dreams—Marcus St James. Marcus is successful as the president of the number one news network, older than Gabe, and way out of Gabe’s league. One fib to get Marcus’ attention shouldn’t hurt. Gabe is definitely not Logan Mitchell, but Marcus doesn’t know that, and their attraction turns into one hot encounter in the newsroom. Except Marcus is calling Gabe by the wrong name.
Gabe never expected to see Marcus again, but there he is, standing inside the offices of Mitchell & Madison, and Gabe is in a whole lot of trouble. He has to make things right with work and he has to make things right with Marcus, because Gabe wants a whole lot more than one night. But Marcus isn’t the relationship kind and it’s going to take all of Gabe’s charm to make Marcus see him as his equal. Good thing Gabe is up to the task.
When I see the name Logan Mitchell in a blurb from Ella Frank, it’s an easy choice to read the book. This is the same Logan from Frank’s Temptation series and this book opens in his offices with Logan interviewing Gabe. While Gabe does stay connected to Logan in a work aspect, this is Gabe and Marcus’ book and seeing Logan is just an added bonus.
When Gabe sees Marcus, he knows he wants him, and he sets out to get him. While Gabe is less experienced in everything compared to Marcus, he’s confident and tenacious and Marcus is attracted right away. The story is character driven as we learn about the men separately and then how they interact together. Marcus feels deceived with how they met and Gabe has to make things right, which leads them to spending more time together.
The plot is not complicated and not too much happens, but both men find exactly what they need in the other. Marcus thinks he has no time in his life for a relationship and he’s much more rigid with his schedule and his time. The chemistry between them sparks and there is a natural progression to their relationship, with Gabe surprising Marcus at every turn.
I would have liked some more detail on Gabe’s college scholarship and him leaving school, as that area didn’t all come together for me. Also, the Logan Mitchell that we know is incredibly protective of his reputation and company and he seemed a little too easy going here for what Gabe was pulling off.
The book ends on a soft cliffhanger or a “to be continued,” as the story between Gabe and Marcus inevitably hits a snag. Gabe might have expected too much from Marcus too soon and Marcus hasn’t really gotten on board with including another person in life when making decisions. Overall, Gabe and Marcus are the type of characters Frank does well and if you are looking for two characters with chemistry trying to navigate what a relationship could look like for them, give this one a try.
This book worked well for me in the audio version. It’s the type of story that lends itself well to being in audio and it was great to be in Frank’s Chicago world once again. The two narrators, Tim Paige and Aiden Snow, carry the story well with alternating POVs and they both have great presence and inflection and the conversations feel real. The narrators, however, sound incredibly alike and while it was a smooth transition between the chapters, I often wondered why two narrators were needed on this audio. I did like the atmosphere that they created and Gabe and Marcus will make an impact in your ears.
