Series: The Graysons #1Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Signet Select
Publication Date: 1/7/14
Format: eARC
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3 stars
From New York Times bestselling author Tracy Anne Warren comes a sexy and romantic new contemporary series about corporate combat in the boardroom and under-the-covers passion in the bedroom...…
Idealistic good girl Madelyn Grayson believes in doing what’s right. Even as a high-powered executive in the mad world of advertising, she doesn’t cut corners, making her ad campaigns sizzle without having to burn anyone along the way.
Rival exec Zack Douglas never wastes an opportunity to land the next big deal—especially when it benefits him. A bad boy with a reputation to match, he has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get ahead, no matter who gets in the way.
When a hot promotion pops up at their company, both Zack and Madelyn wind up on the short list for the position. But as the two square off, they discover that being heated rivals in the office makes for scorching bed play behind closed doors. Will Madelyn’s steamy, secret affair with Mr. Vice make her compromise her ideals—or worse, lose her heart?
First Impression... That guy is cute. And what a great smirk. I hope The Last Man on Earth is as fun as it looks.
The Story... I went into The Last Man on Earth expecting a work place rivalry-turn-romance, a bit like Tangled. I mostly got what I expected, with the exception that the rivalry was very short lived. The story focused more on Madelyn and Zack's secret relationship, and that these two want very different things. Madelyn wants love and marriage. Zack wants no commitments and complication-free relationship, for as long as it lasts. With such different outlooks on their situation, emotions eventually clash and force the two to make hard choices, and possibly the wrong choices. Hopefully Zack and Madelyn can get it together before it's all too late.
The Characters... I liked Zack and Madelyn, mostly. They were both fun, sexy and likeable, but completely frustrating in their actions. There were times the made me smile, but also roll my eyes and frown. Madelyn pushed Zack for more, which is totally her prerogative. Fine. But her actions when she didn't get the answer she wanted annoyed me. Looking back, Zack actually didn't annoy me, besides the fact he was slow to accept his and Madelyn's feelings. At any rate, I felt enough to care, so there's that.
The Writing... The Last Man on Earth had a nice, breezy pace that had me flying through the story in only a few hours. The dialogue was fun and witty.
I did have issues with the transitions. A lot of time felt rushed, or that it passed with little indication of exactly how much had gone by, or happened off page. I did read an advance copy, with no paragraph breaks, so maybe if I had at least had that, I would have found the transitions to be easier. It was jarring, and can account for some of my lack of connection.
Could I Put The Last Man on Earth Down? I wouldn't consider this to be an un-putdownable read, but I did like it. And the pace was fast enough to hold my interest.
In the End... The Last Man on Earth was a somewhat fun and sexy read. The characters frustrated me, but I did want to read until the very end. I wanted to see them through the bad times. It looks like the next book, The Man Plan, will be about one of Madelyn's sisters and a surprising character from this book. That should be very interesting indeed.
In the End... The Last Man on Earth was a somewhat fun and sexy read. The characters frustrated me, but I did want to read until the very end. I wanted to see them through the bad times. It looks like the next book, The Man Plan, will be about one of Madelyn's sisters and a surprising character from this book. That should be very interesting indeed.
Favorite Quote:
"Shall I let you in on a little secret of my own? You make me nervous too."
"I do not."
"Here, feel." He placed her right hand against his chest, over his heart, and held it tight. Beneath her flattened palm, she could feel the muscle beat, hard and quick.
"See how fast it's pounding?" he said. "Just like a drum."
"That doesn't prove you're nervous."
"It proves I want you, and that's enough to make any man nervous."
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That guy on the cover is very cute! Its too bad the characters come off a bit frustrating because it sounds like a cute read. Great review Andrea!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you enjoyed this in spite of some frustrating character actions. At least it was a quick read. Great review, Andrea. :)
ReplyDeleteI wanted to read this because of the covers, but your mention of the characters being frustrating with their expectations is changing my decision. I'm not sure I can handle annoying characters. Plus, it's disappointing that the rivalry wasn't long-lived.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, great review, Andrea! I'm glad you liked it in general.
Sounds cute. I like his smirk too.
ReplyDeleteI want to sit on his face!
ReplyDelete:) I like his smirk, too, Andrea. LOL I'm glad that overall, this book gave you what you were looking for. I can see where Madelyn's behavior would be irritating. And it is really bothersome when the transitions aren't smooth. Zack seems more likable. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI do like the cover! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the book in general. I like some witty dialogue.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Andrea and Madelyn decisions annoyed me as well. It is so not what I would do. It always amazes me that people so successful in business can have messy personal issues.
ReplyDeleteThe perils of reading ARCs. I just read a book where the most of the words that starts with "f" or has it in them deleted. Like de(fi)ne, (fl)oor, etc. I get that it's an ARC and will have errors but it does affect our level of enjoyment. You did great in keeping things in perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like I've read a lot of romances with cute set-ups but frustrating characters (and hasty skipping to major scenes). The poorly formatted ebooks are such an irritation, too! It's good you enjoyed it overall, but it is disappointing that it wasn't a complete lovefest, too.
ReplyDeleteWendy @ The Midnight Garden
Well yeah it's hard not to look at that cover. He is cute, indeed. I'm so sorry that the character annoyed you here, but still glad you enjoyed it at the end. Great review, Andrea :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Review Andrea! I'm glad that you enjoyed this light breezy read. However, I can see why you would be frustrated with the story's lack of transitions, and it being rushed. Loved the quote that you picked!!!
ReplyDeletelove the cover heh, wonderful review fun light and breezy books are fun sometimes. Sorry that their actions sometimes had you rolling your eyes, i get the feeling.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah that cover is great...he alone makes me want to read this book lol. There seems to be a lot of books like this, that have a lot of potential to be great, but are just let down by a few minor things. It still sounds like a fun romantic read though...and yeah Mr Sexy Smirk is still looking at me ;)
ReplyDeleteJarring? That's a good way to describe the lack of transitions. I need those transitions. The story needs to flow not feeling jarring. Now that I look at this one, I do remember it and I was considering it but not so much any more.
ReplyDeleteGreat review.