ABOUT THE BOOK
Grant Lasker is the first guy I fell in love with. The first guy I shared everything with. I thought what we had was perfect…until I found out I was just a bet to him. All the lavish gifts and attention were nothing more than tricks to fool me.
Grant always wins, no matter the collateral damage. I left him without a second glance and rebuilt my life, along with the walls around my heart.
Fourteen years later, I manage to find a job that pays enough to keep my beloved grandfather in a private assisted-living center.
There is just one problem…
The person I need to work for is Grant, and he seems to think I’m the one who betrayed him and is doing everything in his power to make my life hell.
But if he thinks he’s going to win again, he has another think coming.
MY REVIEW
There is nothing I love better than to read a second-chance romance where the reprehensible asshole gets his just desserts and has to grovel big time to be forgiven. In the end, I wanted more dirty revenge for what he put her through.
The book is divided into past and present. I was relieved to read about Aspen and Grant’s past on how they met in college and what happened to split them up. The aftermath of their budding relationship is so tragic and several years later they are both still empty husks of themselves.
Their first meeting is in college. Aspen is an orphan on a scholarship to a prestigious college with two loving grandparents who teach dance at their studio. Grant is a trust-fund child of two famous self-absorbed parents. Aspen works several jobs and studies hard while Grant plays polo and blows off his courses. As they are forced together as partners in a class, it doesn’t start out well. Aspen is a loner who is focused on getting her degree and making something of herself to make a comfortable life for herself and her grandparents. Grant is a cocky, self-serving rich boy genius who just wants his mom off his back and breezes through the classes with his family “royalty” earning him passing grades. As the two enemies become friends and then lovers, the combination of an off-hand bet Grant makes with his gross and nasty roommates and a personal tragedy that happens to Aspen, forces the two to go their separate ways with shattered hearts and no further contact until 14 years later.
Aspen’s desperation to take care of her grandfather places her in the precarious position of Grant’s assistant. Let the hatred begin! They both feel betrayed by each other regarding what happened in college, but they don’t have all of the facts. Their hearts are still broken and the attraction is still strong.
Grant is a freakin’ dick as he makes yet another stupid bet to make Aspen quit her job, but Aspen is made of stronger stuff. The hateful words and actions of Grant are so awful and inexcusable. He thought she was a gold digger in college after a misunderstood incident. In his defense, his heart had been protected before he met her because of his lonely upbringing with his unloving parents. It was an ultimate betrayal to him thinking she lied to him and wanted him for his money.
Aspen is so proud and private and she won’t give in to Grant’s bullying tactics to make her quit. She’s working to help her grandfather and doing her damnest to stay calm and control her loathing of the man who broke her heart and ruined her life. I couldn’t wait until Grant found out the truth about why she left so many years ago, but I was wrecked when everything came to light. It was so crushing to both of them knowing all of the time they lost. Trying to forgive and make amends for all that had gone down was going to be an insurmountable task, and Grant had a lot to make up for. In the end, after many tears and revealing truths, love conquered all.
Supporting characters include Aspen’s grandparents who are so loving and accepting. Grant’s many brothers make an appearance who are very protective of each other. The antagonists in the story are so nasty including the snotty, vindictive Sadie from college as well as Grant’s entitled roommates.
What an emotional rollercoaster! I laughed, cried, and wanted to kick ass. All in all, I couldn’t get enough of this story. Yes, it was probably a little too long and repetitive, but it was worth the read. Pick up this book! It’s a great addition to the Lasker Brothers series. Also, check out my review of book 2 in the series, My Grumpy Billionaire. It’s Griffin and Sierra’s story.
Thank you to Ms. Lee for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
The Lasker Brothers Series:
1. Baby for the Bosshole (2022)
2. My Grumpy Billionaire (2022)
3. The Ex I’d Love to Hate (2023)
4. Contractually Yours (2023)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nadia Lee writes sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Born with a love for excellent food, travel and adventure, she has lived in four different countries, kissed stingrays, been bitten by a shark, fed an elephant and petted tigers.
Currently, she shares a condo overlooking a small river and sakura trees in Japan with her husband and son. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading books by her favorite authors or planning another trip.
Follow Nadia on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+.