Side Effects LJ Greene Publication date: December 13th 2021 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Who can you trust?
Ally Michels is fresh out of her MBA program at Cal and has landed her dream job at hot, up-and-coming video game developer, Jet Stream Studios, all thanks to her uncle, Jet’s largest venture capital investor. She’s feeling pretty good about her future until an inadvertent blurt in a company meeting brings down upon her the dangerous attention of Jet’s co-founder and chief developer, Marcus Abby.
Beautiful, brilliant, and vicious, Marcus is every bit the arrogant, deceitful founder her uncle warned her about. But in the power-fueled world of venture capital investing, things aren’t always what they seem. When Ally finds herself caught up in a play for corporate control, she must work with Marcus to save the company and an ideal she believes in, while navigating perilous family loyalties and fighting to hold onto her own integrity.
For Ally, there’s just one rule: never, ever trust Marcus Abby. Because the one man she needs to stop a high-stakes plot is the one man who has every reason to want her gone.
SIDE EFFECTS is an adult contemporary, twisty, underhanded, certainly unscrupulous . . . romance.
I went into this, not realising that I have actually read an earlier book in the series. In all honesty, it didn't matter if you have or haven't read the other books. There are characters that are mentioned and our hero, Marcus, has appeared in a previous book, but you don't lose any understanding or enjoyment by not having read them.
Side Effects is an enemies to lovers romance, something that I'm a bit of a fan of. Ally is trying to prove herself in her new job, she has got the job through her Uncle, who is a big investor in the firm, but she knows that she has the skills in her own right. Unfortunately, one of the owners, Marcus, can't stand her. He's not the easiest man to get along with, but he really doesn't seem to like Ally. As they work together though, he begins to appreciate her skills. The more time that they spend together, the more that they like one another and understand where they are coming from.
In many ways, the romance in this book is almost secondary. I say almost because this is certainly a romance and the story of Ally and Marcus's romance. For much of the book though, we are learning about the company that they work for and how they are handling what is happening. The romance evolves out of this and I think that it is this that makes it such a good read.
This was a great romance and one that I really enjoyed.
Author Bio:
Romance author, obsessive multi-tasker, California native, music lover with no apparent musical talent, travel enthusiast, and cheese connoisseur.
Connie stared out at the quiet Cornish sea as the hazy early morning light bathed the horizon in a beautiful golden glow. She inhaled the salty, cleansing ocean air, looked down at the handwritten note and wiped away the lone tear that had started to fall…
When Connie Christie’s mother summons her home from the city to Magpie Cove to take over the family business – a quaint, charming museum – Connie is reluctant. The cove holds nothing more than bad memories for Connie, memories she’d rather leave buried…
The tiny coastal museum is a hub for the local community but it is struggling to survive, and despite herself, Connie is determined to save the business that has been in her family for generations. Discovering her great-grandmother’s diary tucked away in a dusty box in the attic – which reveals her struggles as a young woman – gives Connie a surprising clue to unlocking the secrets in her own past. Maybe what happened to her all those years ago wasn’t her fault after all?
Connie starts to relish her work at the museum and the beautiful, calm surroundings of Magpie Cove. A chance encounter with handsome local entrepreneur, Alex Gordon, leaves her with more than just butterflies. Perhaps embracing a new start in her old home maybe isn’t the worst idea she’s ever had.
But just as Connie starts to feel like she finally belongs somewhere, the peace she has found crumbles when the one person she has tried for years to forget resurfaces… Can Connie finally find her home, and herself, in Magpie Cove, or will her painful past force her to run away again, this time for good?
From USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Kerr comes a heartfelt, emotional read, set on the beautiful coast of Cornwall. Fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Mary Alice Monroe and Pamela Kelleywill adore it.
Author Bio:
Kennedy Kerr has written and published poetry, children's and adult books. She lives in London and is originally from the West Country, which gave her accent a subtle (yet noticeable) pirate twang as well as a love of cream teas and all things mystical.
Kennedy loves mythology, magic, tarot, pretty much most music, fantasy and sci-fi novels, luxury skincare products, spas, candlelight and stormy beaches. She is the proud owner of a cuddly black cat called Twinkle, who evidently believes she is a princess. Kennedy also loves cooking and baking all types of food, which is almost as much fun as eating it.
Find out more about on her Facebook Author page: facebook.com/kennedykerrauthor; she is also on Twitter as @KennedyKerr5.
My Review
It's a long time since I last visited Cornwall, but this book conjures up the place exactly as I remembered it. Beautiful coastal scenery, small fishing villages, and the hint of smugglers around every corner. This book is the story of Connie and Alex, but in many ways, that takes second place to Connie and the other women who grew up in Magpie Cove. Connie has returned home to work in her family's museum after losing her job in the theater due to cutbacks. It isn't what she wants to do, but the more time she spends there the more she enjoys it. Much of this book focuses on the person who is leaving threatening notes for Connie. It's something that she experienced in her teenage years and one of the reasons that she was so keen to getaway. There are a number of people who could be responsible for it and Connie does suspect a few people for while. I had worked out by the end who it was and sort of why, but that doesn't really matter. This book does have a romance element, but really that's a secondary storyline. I like the way that this played out. Connie doesn't instantly fall for Alex and when she eventually recognizes her feelings, everything doesn't play out as you might expect in a 'classic' romance, which I really enjoyed. This was a great read that kept you turning the pages. There were elements of suspense, romance, and returning home after an interval and working out your place in life. All in all a good read. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
Zeno De Rossi is arrogant and callous. Nothing like the boy I grew up with.
He’s poised to take over the most powerful mafia family in New York.
To him, I’m nothing but the daughter of a soldier—a member of the staff at his grand estate…
Until his estranged brother comes home and shows an interest in me.
Now, I’m trapped in a dangerous dance between two men who hate one another.
Both have secrets.
Neither is safe.
They won’t quit until they destroy one another, and I have become their weapon of choice.
This is the familiar story of a second daughter, her struggling family, and the wealthy men who can change their fortunes forever; however, you will find no gentlemen on these pages, nor tittering debutants. In this dark retelling of a Jane Austen classic, our elusive hero is a mafia king, ruthless and calculating; and our heroine is a headstrong modern woman born and raised in the servant’s quarters of his estate. Complete with romance, heartbreak, violence, manipulation, and mind-blowing twists, this edgy retelling is perfect for Austen fans who like the darker side of Darcy.
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“This is where you tell me it’s fine. No need to worry,” I tease with an uneasy smile, giving into the pressure to fill the silence.
“And what if it’s not fine?” he finally asks, his voice coarse as volcanic stone. Affected and raw. “What if none of it’s fine—your anger at me or your prolonged stay at Hardwick?”
I’m so stunned by his words that I nearly spill my glass of wine as I lower it to the table next to me. “I’d ask for an explanation.” I can’t fathom why my presence would be so damn upsetting to him.
“And if I refuse?” He steps closer so that I have to crane my neck to keep my eyes on his.
I don’t understand this game he’s playing, but I won’t let him win either. “Then I’d say you’re the one with a problem.”
His hands are so fast, he’s spun me around to face the wall behind me before I know what’s happened. He keeps his strong fingers firm around my waist, holding me in place when his mouth lowers to my ear. “What if I make it your problem as well? I see the way you look at me, Luisa. I’m not the only one who’s torn.”
I place my hands on the wall to ground myself. His grip assures he won’t let me fall, but the world suddenly tilts on its axis. “I wouldn’t be torn if you wouldn’t be such an ass.” My words are breathy, more so than I’d like, but his nearness has made my entire system unsteady.
I have no idea where any of this is coming from.
Why, after so many years of stilted encounters, is he changing the rules?
“I wouldn’t have to be an ass if you weren’t so fucking beautiful.” He spits the words with savage hostility. An admission ripped from deep within him against his will. “This … this is what you do to me.” His right hand snakes farther around toward my belly, his palm pressing flat against me and tugging me flush against his rigid frame.
The length of his impossibly hard cock molds itself into the soft flesh of my backside. Words escape me. My lungs no longer expand and contract in a proper rhythm. Every ounce of blood in my body rushes to my core for a mindless moment.
Jill is a Texan, born and raised. She manages the hectic social calendars for her three active children and occasionally spends an evening with her dashing husband. Aside from being an author and a mom, she's a travel junkie and loves to read when she is not lost in her own stories.
With Jill’s books, you can count on confident heroines, plenty of steamy tension, and deliciously assertive leading men. There are no guarantees in life, but with her books, you know everything will work out in the end. However, a perfect ending would not be nearly as satisfying without a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Jill loves to add plenty of adversity in her stories, creating unforgettably dynamic characters and sneaky plot twists you will never see coming.
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My Review
There is always a danger when attempting a retelling of a well-loved book, that it just won't measure up. Pride and Prejudice is one of those books that most romance fans will have read and probably know incredibly well. Fortunately, Savage Pride works well as a retelling and I really enjoyed this mafia based version of the story.
Luisa and Zeno make a great modern Elizabeth and Darcy and I loved reading their story with the push and pull as they fight their feelings for one another. While this is a retelling, it's not exactly the same, so no matter how well you know the original, there is plenty here to keep you guessing. I think part of the joy of this kind of book is spotting both the things that have been faithfully reproduced from the original and those that have been subtly changed.
There is one aspect of this book that isn't brilliant and that is because it's a duet, I've got to wait to find out how it's all going to pan out. Of course, I know how the original book went, but there's nothing to say that it will be exactly the same here. I can't wait to get my hands on Silent Prejudice and see where things are going to go.
