Actual rating 2.5 stars.
It's ok, I liked it just fine.
It took a while for me to get into the book, but after a while I did.
I feel like I misjudged both of the lead characters at the beginning, however, by the end I saw them in a different light.
For most of the first part I couldn't stand the female lead, Tate. I found her unlikable and too prejudiced, but not in a cut way, in an annoying one. Afterwards, I chanced my mind a little bit, but I still had problems with her character. She is insecure, I get that, however, her reasons for being mistrustful where not sufficient for me. In fact, I think you can be that mistrustful of men without having those reasons. Then, it was a bit over the top the fact that she insisted in calling James a bad boy only because of his tattoos, after a while it started to seem like she lacked brains.
James is nice, but for a while there, while I was founding Tate annoying, I started to think he had no self-respect or pride because of the way he kept chasing Tate while she was so demeaning towards him and was so convinced to know what kind of person he was. I didn't understand why he kept putting up with that. But, after that first part, I started to see that his personality was that easy going and untroubled, he doesn't take things that seriously or personally. Besides. in the end, he stands his ground and acts very well.
I have a big problem with an aspect of James personality though, and in a way, with the message send with it.
He has been previously married. When he explains and gives his reasons of why he married his ex-wife I wanted to vomit. He says he didn't love her, but since she was pregnant, he wanted to be in the baby's life, be a good father. In my opinion, that is no reason to marry someone you don't love. You can be in your child's life without having to be married. To actually marry the woman out of some kind of misguided obligation is wrong, irresponsable, unhealthy, backwards and lacks judgment. I can't support that way of thinking, no.
The story that follows in Boston, after the first part, is nice and interesting. Nevertheless, the overall feeling that I get from the novel is a forgettable story, not bad, but it isn't great either. Thus, my 2.5 rating.
Audiobook: Loooove the voice of the narrator, very manly and strong. On the other hand, the editing of the audiobook needed more work, you can hear the narrator clear his throat in several occasions.
P.S: I wound't classify this contemporary romance as erotica as it shows on the genres' list.