Pure Seduction (Chamberlin Brothers Series , #1)

by Ella Frank

[Berls]

There was a lot about this book I enjoyed but there was a lot that didn't do it for me either -- making it a middle of the road 3 star read for me. I feel like it had a lot of potential to be better than it was. In fact, at the start I was excited to think that I saw future books in the siblings, but by the end I had decided I probably wouldn't continue the series.

I love second chance romances, which this most definitely was. And that part was done really well. They've both moved on with their lives - their very different lives - and are basically happy, if single. But deep down, they're also both still hung up on that teenage romance from 17/18 years ago. I loved watching how Noah's return to town, dictated by the death of his evil father's will, forced them back together and the old sparks started to fly. And there are some really great characters - from Noah's siblings, to Laurel's friends, to the small town (which I'm always a sucker for). So that's the part I really liked.

What I didn't love I can't really talk too much about because it's spoilery. But it's a common trope that's not my favorite - although I'll concede the way it was done in this book was better than most. I also didn't love the amount of explicit sex. Don't get me wrong - I'm an erotica reader. But it felt out of place and in replacement of plot/character/relationship development in this book and just didn't work for me all the way. Some was good - but it went too far.

Elizabeth Hart and Nelson Hobbs narrated this together and it was an enjoyable listen. Neither narrator is new-to-me; in fact, I think I've heard them narrate together before. They are a good match and bring the characters to life really well. All in all, an enjoyable listen and I wouldn't hesitate to listen to either again - solo or together.