3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
First time author for me and I am pleasantly surprised by the execution of this book. In a world filled with OTT possessive alpha males and simpering damsels in distress (and I am completely guilty of devouring those but a girl needs variety at times) this book was a breath of fresh air. Not only was it refreshing to read about MCs who are in their mid to late 30s, but especially those that behave according to their age. Also reading about an MMC who is vulnerable and doubts himself at times, makes them more human.
Cara the FMC was beautifully characterized. She's broken, not just by her cheating ex but by her guardian all through her childhood. But she has never given up and is constantly trying to better herself. All she is looking for is acknowledgement of her effort and support, which she hasn't gotten until the MMC enters her life. It was beautiful to see her come into her own and start to trust him. Of course it doesn't happen overnight and that was the beauty of it.
Ethan the MMC was a total breath of fresh air. He is confident and assertive but not an asshole. Whenever I've read any billionaire romance, I've rarely come across MMCs who are aware of their fallibility, those that don't think they are the shit just because they can throw money at any problem. Ethan is the exact opposite of that, while he is confident in what he has achieved, does throw money around to impress is lady, he is also aware that it can all be gone in the blink of an eye. And he continues to work hard to hold on to what he has achieved. I think I loved him a little more because of the way he interacted with all the lower staff - cleaning personnel, his driver, building security - he treated them as humans deserving of respect and I can't remember a billionaire book where this aspect was present.
His love for Cara was adorable to witness, he is such a green flag in that aspect. The way he thinks about each and every aspect of her wellbeing, even when he is going through difficult times was so well done. The way he second-guesses his actions based on her responses was adorable too. I didn't realize how quick their relationship developed until the FMC references it towards the end of the book but it was totally believable.
Now onto the cons, I can't really put my fingers on to one thing and say this was what made the book be less than 5 stars but it's there. The short chapter lengths got irritating after a while. There was no need to cut a different chapter just because the POV shifted but we are in the same scene. I would also have liked a bit more insight into each of the MCs lives. Although a lot is told, nothing is shown and it felt like you as the reader just had bits and pieces instead of a picture, if not the whole set of pictures as I would have preferred. The prose got a little too verbose at times, especially with the inner thoughts/monologues. But I am still interested in continuing the series and want to see what Nero is up to and why.