| Series: | Amato Brothers #2 |
| Pub. Date: | Nov. 29, 2016 |
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Narrators: | Joe Arden Maxine Mitchell |
| Length: | 6 hrs 44 min |
| Source: | Publisher |
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We are on to the second of our devastatingly handsome Amato brothers, the tight knit Italian family of five brothers ranging from professional athletes to corporate moguls to models and actors. I had a great connection to Alessio Ace Amato in the first book, Heartless, so I was looking forward to this next installment. This was a dual narration by Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell, and they did a good job with the performance. I normally don't like male narrators attempting female voices, but Joe Arden did an acceptable job.
We meet our heroine, Maren Greene, as she is being thrown a divorce party by her closest friends. So she is now a 35 year old divorced mother, re-entering the work force for the first time in 10 years. I didn't feel like she was bitter about her circumstances, however. So I was glad she was not portrayed in that fashion. She was a good mom and mature heroine, with a little bit of insecurity here and there. Overall, Maren was a very realistic heroine. Unfortunately I just couldn't relate to her and was unable to connect to her character.
Dante Amato is a corporate mogul in the tech industry, and the middle Amato brother. He is younger than our heroine at 27 years old, but to him age is just a number and he isn't concerned that Maren is older. I had a fairly good picture of him in my head... the debonair Italian in an expensive suit. He had an alluring sensuality thing going on, and he was a great dirty talker without being crass. I liked that he was serious and dedicated to his company, but was also not a manwhore. So many of these rich handsome men are portrayed as players, but Dante was more of a monogamous sort and I appreciated that.
The relationship between these two worked sometimes, but not others. Don't get me wrong, they were sweet and steamy in turns. I just am not a fan of the older woman - younger man trope. Plus I am a reader who puts herself in the place of the main character, and I couldn't relate to Maren enough to do that. I did like the diversity of having both Cuban and Italian heritage in the story, and I liked both Dante and Maren's families. I kind of got wrapped up in Maren's sleazy ex, and wanted her to stick it to him a bit more. (Me, bitter? Nah. LoL) That being said, there was one or two many coincidences with the story as to where people worked, where they lived, and who they were dating. That kind of threw me out of the story because it was so realistic in some aspects, but all those coincidences piled up to be unrealistic.
This was a quick read/listen, and it did hold my attention. I hope this review doesn't have a negative tone because I like this author and her writing style... I just wish I could have connected. I recommend this book to fans of the older woman/younger man trope... or anyone who would relate to Maren as a 35 y/o divorced mother.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Tantor Audio.
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