Story Rating: 4 stars
Audio Rating: 4.5 stars

Narrator: Tim Paige
Length: 6 hours, 35 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Amazon/Audible | iBooks
Book Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks

Shae Shanahan is a small town man in his early 20s exploring New York City with a friend from home. Shae’s working temp jobs to make ends meet and that’s how he gets assigned to a job as an assistant to the beautiful and exacting Rowan Abernathy, a celebrity stylist for talk show hostess, Kendall Jacobs. Rowan always styles Kendall flawlessly for her show, but his attention to other details–like his personal and professional calendar–is negligible. Shae has no idea about fashion or styling, but he can set up a spreadsheet and mind a calendar. And, since he’s kind of desperate, Shae’s willing to try, despite Rowan’s history of pissing off his assistants or firing them quickly.

It’s initially a mess, naturally, because of Rowan’s demanding nature. Yet, Shae’s trial-by-fire goes better than expected. The longer they work together, Rowan’s requirements become less grating on Shae. In fact, Shae grows so comfortable he begins happily poking his salty boss for his pretentious attitude. Their banter begets a camaraderie that prompts Shae to put up a protective front when they run into Rowan’s ex-lover. In the day-to-day, Shae and Rowan are comfortable together, but that one kiss really opens Shae’s eyes to the possibilities. They have a ten-year age gap and an enormous cultural divide regarding fashion, but Rowan’s dependance on Shae soon becomes more than employer/employee.

Tim Paige narrates this book with his usual amazing emotion and timing. I enjoyed it more than once, with Shae’s voice pulling us along the entire story. His acerbic wit is a hoot, and I love how he charmed everyone, including Rowan. Shae and Rowan came off as having an intense chemistry, with just the right cadence to emote the fun and flirty moments, as well as their careful personal explorations. Shae is adorable as a young man finding all the fun in NYC, and Rowan’s generous personality is revealed in cautious increments, as he’s so protective of his image, and afraid of being exploited or hurt, again. Shae’s affected more than he expected to be in those moments, creating a bond neither man can deny.

I really enjoyed this age gap, odd couple romance that made me smile often. The issues that surround employer/employee relationships were explored and discussed thoroughly the longer these men orbited one another while experiencing a mutual attraction. Shae’s a little oblivious to Rowan’s attraction, at first, but he becomes more assertive of his needs and desires over the course of the many months on the job. I liked how sweet Kendall was written, and how she cared for both Rowan and Shae. I also adored Shae’s family, and how loving they were of him, and Rowan, when they finally met.

This is a sweet audiobook, with an engaging story. I loved it from the first to the fourth (fifth?) listen. The narration really gave life to the characters, and I was happy the ending was so delicious.