Title: Mr. Misunderstood
Author: Sara Jane Stone
Publisher: Sara Jane Stone
Release Date: March 3, 2019
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Book Version: eBook ARC
Reviewed For: Author's Pal
Rule #1: Maintain Control.
You think you know me. The cars, the penthouse, the reputation for delivering women to that “Oh, yes, Gavin” moment… Yeah, I’m the bad boy billionaire who drives your fantasies.
But I’ve traveled a long road to get here. And I played by the rules—the ones I wrote to guarantee I didn’t return to whom I was before.
Until now. The pictures, the story—it’s my past coming back to haunt me. I’ve lost control. And to get it back, I need to change the story.
So I asked my best friend and neighbor for help. Kayla agreed—if I support her growing pack of four-legged misfits.
My life is under control again.
Only I’m falling for my best friend. Now, my New York City apartment is full of rescued pups, my country retreat looks more like an animal sanctuary, and Kayla’s guarding her heart.
And I’m running out of time to prove the girl next door belongs with the billionaire.
The road from Rags to Riches is one Gavin knows all too well. His journey to becoming who he is now wasn't easy, and it's a part of him he'd rather forget. He has his comfortable life, luxuries at the tips of his fingers, superficial happiness a suitable cover to the alternative. Except his past won't stay buried and someone is determined to strip away his carefully polished facade.
Kayla is Gavin's best friend. Their friendship has withstood time, odds, and one divorce (Kayla's). She's confident in who she is now, happy amongst her four-legged rescues, content to love Gavin from afar. Cracks begin to appear in the carefully constructed wall around her heart after Gavin asks her to play his fiancee, but she's reluctant to let it come completely down. Been-there-done-that and how-could-someone-like-him-ever-love-someone-like-me played a huge part in that.
Time was important in this relationship. I don't mean the time they've already had together. No, I mean they time they have together. Every aspect of their friendship is natural. It seemed only logical that it progressed into something deeper, right? But that move demanded more than either were prepared for. Friendship provides some allowance to hide parts of you you'd rather forget, though I don't believe that's really a good reason to not be open with someone you call your best friend.
Love, however, doesn't grant such an allowance. It requires blatant openness, complete honesty. It provokes unwanted discomfort that can only be ignored for a time before trying to hide from yourself wears and tears at the relationship. It was a huge leap of faith for Gavin and Kayla to make. Was it worth it though?
This romance is rife with tropes that will satisfy just about any reader's fancy--billionaire, fake engagement, friends-to-lovers, revenge--without making you feel like you've read this before. Ms. Stone did a beautiful job bringing these two to life, giving them depth and layers that I appreciated discovering in this well-written, slightly humorous, slightly mysterious/suspenseful romance.
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