This is the first time I’m reading a romance novella by Ivy Layne and I found her writing style to be both engaging and easy to get into. The story centers around Josephine Miller, a computer science grad student at Georgia Tech and self-proclaimed geek and Holden Winters, a charismatic alpha male billionaire with a tragic family history.
The story opens with Josephine enduring a dull blind date with Stuart, her advisor’s nephew. She’s eager to end the evening until Stuart mentions he has a VIP invitation to Mana, the exclusive club she’s been dying to visit. Since it’s nearly impossible to get into this club Josephine decides to continue the date long enough to get in.
While Stuart rambles on about his dissertation on campaign finance, Josephine’s attention wanders and lands on a handsome stranger sitting on the couch nearby – Holden. With a confident smirk, he invites her to join him. Intrigued by his boldness, Josephine doesn’t hesitate when he asks her to leave with him. What follows is a sizzling one-night stand—completely out of character for her.
Holden, unexpectedly captivated, tracks her down on campus and invites her to dinner at his place. As their chemistry intensifies, a case of miscommunication threatens to derail their budding relationship. Both are left hurt and confused, believing the other walked away. Eventually, the truth surfaces when Josephine, her roommate Emily, and Holden’s cousin Tate uncover the person responsible for stirring the drama. With everything cleared up, the story wraps with a satisfying happily-ever-after.
Overall, this was a fast-paced, steamy read with all the right ingredients for a solid romance. The characters felt believable in their roles—Holden as the commanding alpha and Josephine as the intelligent, relatable nerd. I enjoyed the witty dialogue, dramatic twists, and vivid scene-setting. A strong introduction to what looks like an exciting series. Two thumbs up!
Rating: 4 Stars
Some of my favorite lines:
"I
like Josephine. You look like a Josephine." He must be a mind reader.
Answering the question on my lips, he said, "I'm Holden."
"Do
you usually steal women away from their dates?" I asked tartly, then
flushed at my tone. He laughed, looking down at me. I was five feet, five
inches tall—not short, but he towered above me. He must have been at least a
few inches over six feet. He grinned at me and shook his head, saying,
"Never. I can honestly say that I've never stolen a girl from her date in
the VIP Room at Mana before."
"So
you have stolen a woman from her date before? Just not there?" I asked in
the same tart tone. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but his complete
self-assurance made me want to poke at him, just a little.
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