Thank you to Skye Warren and the team at Dangerous Press for the advance reader copy of One for the Money, releasing May 31st!
Skye Warren has been the woman behind the scenes at Dangerous Press. She started what has grown into one of my fave publishers and I am so excited to be reviewing this story. This is Eva’s story and I have wanted to be in her head since she strolled onto the page, so I am pumped!
I am a member of the Dangerous Press review team, but I stand by my reviews remaining honest and true.
“Finn Hughes knows about secrets. His family is as wealthy as the Rockefellers. And as powerful as the Kennedys. No one knows that the men in his line have a debilitating, early-onset illness. He’s managed the business from a young age while his father served as the figurehead. All the while knowing there’s a ticking clock on his ability to lead.
Eva Morelli is the oldest daughter. The responsible one. The caring one. The one who doesn’t have time for her own interests.
Especially not her interest in the charismatic, mysterious Finn Hughes.
A fake relationship is the answer to both their problems.
It will keep the swarming society mothers from throwing their daughters at him.
And it will keep Eva’s mother from bothering her about marriage.
Then the fake relationship starts to feel real.
But there’s no chance for them. No hope for a woman who’s had her heart broken. And no future for a man whose fate was decided long ago.”
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Eva Morelli is the one keeping the Morelli family afloat, even if they have not figured that out yet. The eldest Morelli sister has been a fixture in everyone else’s stories for so long, she always seemed cold and like she was hiding something. She’s been hurt before, had her heartbroken by a man who never should have played with it. That has not stopped Eva’s mother from wanting her to find a husband and find him quickly as she is already 33 years old. Enter Finneas Hughes, Finn is the eldest son in the Hughes family, a modern-day equivalent to the Kennedys or Vanderbilts, in contrast to the old money families like the Morellis and Constantines. Finn has a bit of a playboy reputation and is very anti-marriage. He’s 29 years old and harbouring a secret, a family history of dementia that he is terrified of repeating. I adored both Eva and Finn! Both of these characters spend all their time taking care of their families and not themselves. Now they can be the one who cares for each other’s well-being, except it is just not that simple. One of the best parts about a book about a Morelli is checking in on the other Morellis. I loved getting to spend time with a bunch of them, including getting to know Lizzy better, seeing Tiernan and Bianca as a part of the family, and Eva’s special relationships with Leo and Haley. The Hughes family intrigued me and I hope we see more from Finn’s younger brother Hemingway in the future.
- Setting: The setting gives quite a heavy dose of Bishop’s Landing as these Dangerous Press tend to do. A fun setting was featured in the first few chapters when Finn surprised Eva by whisking her away to cool settings like an underground casino. I also loved everything Eva’s condo represented, the bit of freedom she strives for under the weight of being a Morelli.
- Pacing: This book flew by, or more likely I could not put it down. I was hooked from the opening chapters. This book was predictable but that did not bother me much. It may some readers but I just found the story so compelling that I was not disappointed that I was guessing story beats. Now I am sad I have to wait until August for the next instalment.
- Romance: I loved how almost immediately Finn and Eva were drawn to each other. It was as if they saw the “innate sadness” as Finn put it, in each other and wanted to provide the care and comfort to start healing that sadness. What begins as a fake dating scheme, cannot help but cascade into real feelings. Real feelings that Finn fights against. He is your classic tortured hero, who does not want to burden his future wife and pass on his “family curse” to any future children. Skye Warren writes such great sex scenes and Eva and Finn had amazing chemistry in and out of bed. Finn’s reluctance did not bug me, I see this as a relationship worth fighting for and have no doubt Eva is going to convince him they are worth the try.
One for the Money receives five out of five stars.
You can pick up the story below…
Amazon | Amazon INTL | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google Play
Thank you again to Skye and the whole team at Dangerous Press for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
