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The Holbrook Cousins Saga #1
The Successor
Sleeping with the boss's heir is not in her job description.
As the executive assistant to a billionaire, Kate prides herself on achieving the impossible. She even manages to locate her boss's long-lost heir after a Holbrook family tragedy.
But Grant Holbrook, newly crowned heir to a multi-billion dollar fortune and America's most eligible bachelor, may be the one problem Kate won't be able to solve.
The first time she lays eyes on Grant, he's in jail with a bruise on his perfect jaw.
The second time she sees him, he makes it clear he doesn't just want her for her exceptional organizational skills and impeccable taste in fashion.
The third time…well that's when Kate realizes she may be in over her head.
Kate will lose her job and ruin her reputation when people in her posh New England hometown find out she's sleeping with her billionaire boss's heir. She wants to call it off—she has to call it off—but when secrets from her past start to resurface, Grant Holbrook's strong arms may be the only thing that can keep her safe.
The Successor is book 1 in the Holbrook Cousins Saga, but can be read as a standalone novel. This 80,000 word steamy romance novel has no cliffhangers but has a happily ever after.
357 pages, ebook
First published July 5, 2018
697 people are currently reading
379 people want to read
About the author
Alina Jacobs
87 books1,622 followersIf you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!
Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
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Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books…
Sign up for my mailing list to get special bonus content, free books, giveaways, and more!
http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 12, 2018
Reviewed on Behalf of http://bookaddict.live,
This is quite an unusual book, it’s not a fluffy romance it’s much more.
When Grant was adopted as a baby, he was very unlucky in his adoptive parents. So he joined the military straight from school. Grant is now a decorated Marine when Kate his birth father’s assistant finds him, and helps him to fit into a new life.
When Grant meets Kate he falls hard, and tries to be the man he thinks Kate needs and wants. Unfortunately there is a lot going in the background that prevents Kate from being wholeheartedly on board with the relationship.
I loved Grant right from the beginning when he rescues Gus from the pound. Poor Grant needed something of his own when going into an alien environment of his new life.
This is told from dual POV’s which is my preferred way of reading. As this is the first in the series, there is a lot of background with the family dynamics. This is the first book I have read by Alina Jacob and I’m please to say it won’t be my last. I enjoyed this book even though it tackles quite a few important issues. So I wonder who will be next Mark or Carter the other Holbrook cousins. I can’t wait.
This is quite an unusual book, it’s not a fluffy romance it’s much more.
When Grant was adopted as a baby, he was very unlucky in his adoptive parents. So he joined the military straight from school. Grant is now a decorated Marine when Kate his birth father’s assistant finds him, and helps him to fit into a new life.
When Grant meets Kate he falls hard, and tries to be the man he thinks Kate needs and wants. Unfortunately there is a lot going in the background that prevents Kate from being wholeheartedly on board with the relationship.
I loved Grant right from the beginning when he rescues Gus from the pound. Poor Grant needed something of his own when going into an alien environment of his new life.
This is told from dual POV’s which is my preferred way of reading. As this is the first in the series, there is a lot of background with the family dynamics. This is the first book I have read by Alina Jacob and I’m please to say it won’t be my last. I enjoyed this book even though it tackles quite a few important issues. So I wonder who will be next Mark or Carter the other Holbrook cousins. I can’t wait.
July 4, 2018
The Successor by Alina Jacobs is the First book in the Holbrook Cousin's Saga. This is the story of Kate and Grant.
Kate was asked by her boss, Walter Holbrook to go get his long lost son Grant. Grant has been away fighting for the Marines but has landed himself in trouble which has lead to him meeting Kate.
Kate has sworn off men after having such a bad time before. But Grant is slowly making that hard promise to keep. Grant has a instant attraction to Kate and works to bring that forward into something else.
Quick easy hot read!
Kate was asked by her boss, Walter Holbrook to go get his long lost son Grant. Grant has been away fighting for the Marines but has landed himself in trouble which has lead to him meeting Kate.
Kate has sworn off men after having such a bad time before. But Grant is slowly making that hard promise to keep. Grant has a instant attraction to Kate and works to bring that forward into something else.
Quick easy hot read!
July 4, 2018
I didn't really become absorbed in this story until the second half when the sequence of events become more interesting.
Kate appears to fall for the wrong guys and her latest disappointment has put her off getting involved with anyone.
Grant is a Marine who lands himself in trouble and ends up in jail. Being an adopted child, his life hasn't always been easy.
Being the personal assistant to Grant's biological father, a billionaire, she is tasked with getting him out of jail. She is efficient at her job and pulls the right strings to get him out, and in the process he turns into a celebrity.
The physical attraction between them is instant and Grant doesn't hesitate to go after what he wants. Kate doesn't resist either. He is overwhelmed with the opulence of his new surroundings and finds that Kate grounds him. His father has been through a lot in the past year and having Grant back in his life is a welcome reprieve. He fully expects Grant to play an active role in his company even though Grant and other members of the family have doubts. At this point Grant would do anything to stay close to Kate and he goes along with the plan.
Kate has been running away from a mistake which she keeps a secret and doesn't feel that she can become involved with Grant since his father is her boss. This is where I had difficulties connecting with Kate. She repeatedly gives into her desires, then pushes him out. She doesn't always take into account the effects of this massive change in his life. Besides, he shows signs of PTSD and she continues to push him. When her past resurfaces, she goes about it the wrong way. She is strong, efficient and intelligent and yet she caves in even though she knows that Alan has a history of abusing his position. He could have been reported, but she worries about her reputation and the problem only intensifies, to the point of putting her life in danger.
It's not until halfway through the book that I became really interested in the story. There is an increase in pace and the development of the story itself becomes so much better. Grant is a true hero, but I found Kate lacking as a female lead until the heat is on. Gus is just adorable and despite my apprehensions at the begenning, I enjoyed the rest of the story.
I received an eARC and the views expressed are my personal opinion.
Kate appears to fall for the wrong guys and her latest disappointment has put her off getting involved with anyone.
Grant is a Marine who lands himself in trouble and ends up in jail. Being an adopted child, his life hasn't always been easy.
Being the personal assistant to Grant's biological father, a billionaire, she is tasked with getting him out of jail. She is efficient at her job and pulls the right strings to get him out, and in the process he turns into a celebrity.
The physical attraction between them is instant and Grant doesn't hesitate to go after what he wants. Kate doesn't resist either. He is overwhelmed with the opulence of his new surroundings and finds that Kate grounds him. His father has been through a lot in the past year and having Grant back in his life is a welcome reprieve. He fully expects Grant to play an active role in his company even though Grant and other members of the family have doubts. At this point Grant would do anything to stay close to Kate and he goes along with the plan.
Kate has been running away from a mistake which she keeps a secret and doesn't feel that she can become involved with Grant since his father is her boss. This is where I had difficulties connecting with Kate. She repeatedly gives into her desires, then pushes him out. She doesn't always take into account the effects of this massive change in his life. Besides, he shows signs of PTSD and she continues to push him. When her past resurfaces, she goes about it the wrong way. She is strong, efficient and intelligent and yet she caves in even though she knows that Alan has a history of abusing his position. He could have been reported, but she worries about her reputation and the problem only intensifies, to the point of putting her life in danger.
It's not until halfway through the book that I became really interested in the story. There is an increase in pace and the development of the story itself becomes so much better. Grant is a true hero, but I found Kate lacking as a female lead until the heat is on. Gus is just adorable and despite my apprehensions at the begenning, I enjoyed the rest of the story.
I received an eARC and the views expressed are my personal opinion.
June 11, 2020
If you like DRAMA and more DRAMA this is your book! What a disaster! I started reading this book because I read Bridezillas & Billionaires of this author and I liked it. The plot seemed good. I was listed as a Rom-COM. However the book is a DRAMA. It was awful, Kate had zero personality, and she wasn’t also a good assistant because she never thought about finding out what has happened with Grants life before finding him. Nobody care of nobody as persons, Walter only wanted Grant for his Company, Kate only wanted him for Walter, Grant was lost the whole book. I cannot believe how bad Kate dealt with his pervious issues and problems. Nobody thought about searching psychologist help for Grant when he has been killing people the whole book. I finished it only to know how the author was going to solve Grant’s life. If I were him I will send them all to hell and start all over again, which is difficult for a poor veteran. The book had so many options but everything was wrongly followed up. The book IS NOT FUNNY AT ALL!!!!! Actually is pretty depressing, and nobody explained nothing!! I do not recommend this book as a ROM Com. I give to the author that she is pretty good and she kept me reading until the end of the book. Maybe if it was describes as Family drama, week characters, and if you like to suffer a lot through the book it would have been a 5 stars. In fact I recommend the editor and publishing company to do that.
December 12, 2018
The missing heir has been found
This book started out well for me but then it got stupid is the best thing I can say.
Grant was arrested for battery on a man who it turned out was abducting children, so he is a hero.
Then he has sex with his birth fathers assistant, who thinks he raped her and barges in his room with a gun, Grant attacks with a knife that he had strapped to his hip...where was the knife when he was arrested?
One thing I can say is you will fall in love with Gus.
This book started out well for me but then it got stupid is the best thing I can say.
Grant was arrested for battery on a man who it turned out was abducting children, so he is a hero.
Then he has sex with his birth fathers assistant, who thinks he raped her and barges in his room with a gun, Grant attacks with a knife that he had strapped to his hip...where was the knife when he was arrested?
One thing I can say is you will fall in love with Gus.
February 1, 2020
Boring
I have read a lot of books from this author and I have to say this one was not a good book ! If you read her other story's they are awesome funny and so many more wonderful experience. But this book really fell flat. I had a really hard time even finishing this book. I usually don't write bad reviews but I just had to tell how I really felt about this book. The story line started out good then really got foolish and unbelievable and really just on shot people and was no big deal ,just terrible !
I have read a lot of books from this author and I have to say this one was not a good book ! If you read her other story's they are awesome funny and so many more wonderful experience. But this book really fell flat. I had a really hard time even finishing this book. I usually don't write bad reviews but I just had to tell how I really felt about this book. The story line started out good then really got foolish and unbelievable and really just on shot people and was no big deal ,just terrible !
July 4, 2021
Grant's back story and personal struggles made this story for me. I literally just finished 11 other books by this author and NONE of the other men were as authentic, emotionally raw, and relatable as Grant.
The attraction, conflict, and love between Grant and Kate was exciting. I appreciated the entire Holbrook family and empathized greatly. This series is much darker than the others but still funny and heartwarming.
The attraction, conflict, and love between Grant and Kate was exciting. I appreciated the entire Holbrook family and empathized greatly. This series is much darker than the others but still funny and heartwarming.
July 6, 2020
Rough start
I could only make it to 20% on the Kindle before giving up. In the beginning the main male character, Grant, is a strong, articulate, decorated soldier who the other characters then treat like an invalid. The juxtaposition of his actions and others treatment of him from page to page is so extreme, I couldn't get past it.
I could only make it to 20% on the Kindle before giving up. In the beginning the main male character, Grant, is a strong, articulate, decorated soldier who the other characters then treat like an invalid. The juxtaposition of his actions and others treatment of him from page to page is so extreme, I couldn't get past it.
July 15, 2020
It was like a harlequin book.
I forced myself to finish it. The heroine was annoying. The hero was meh. The villains were dumb. The story really dragged. Some parts were ridiculous. I don’t really want to elaborate more in case someone else wants to read it. It lacked the humor of the two other books of hers I read. I won’t be finishing this series.
I forced myself to finish it. The heroine was annoying. The hero was meh. The villains were dumb. The story really dragged. Some parts were ridiculous. I don’t really want to elaborate more in case someone else wants to read it. It lacked the humor of the two other books of hers I read. I won’t be finishing this series.
October 19, 2021
Ridiculous, overly dramatic and poorly thought out.
Ridiculous, overly dramatic and poorly thought out. Every drama and complication a romance could have rolled into one story. The characters reactions were extreme, over the top and unrealistic. The sex was borderline assault and offensive half the time. The lead female character was portrayed as weak and indecisive.
Ridiculous, overly dramatic and poorly thought out. Every drama and complication a romance could have rolled into one story. The characters reactions were extreme, over the top and unrealistic. The sex was borderline assault and offensive half the time. The lead female character was portrayed as weak and indecisive.
February 10, 2025
Wishy Washy
I almost DNF’d this a couple times. I did not like Walter at the beginning. When he was 16, Walter gave up his son, Grant, for adoption. Now that he’s older (over 25 years, not sure exactly how long), and he is divorcing his wife (the biological mother of the child they gave up), and his children they had together during their marriage have tragically died, he decides he wants a relationship with his son. Grant is a marine, not sure if he was planning on getting out, or if it was the situation that prompted him to not re-enlist, but his father is TELLING him what he’s going to do. Kate, Walter’s assistant, is there to help Grant “acclimate” to life outside the marines, and she will tell Walter in one breath to let Grant decompress before throwing him into the thick of everything, then in the next breath, she’s telling Grant what he has to do and the public appearances he has to make. That’s just the beginning of the book!
THEN! Grant likes Kate, and Kate likes Grant. Kate doesn’t want to be with Grant because she works for his father. Grant doesn’t care and doesn’t think it’ll be an issue. These two go back and forth through the whole last 45% of the book of “I don’t want to be with you” and then thinking “why doesn’t he/she want me?” It was too much wishy washy back and forth teenager crap for a couple of people who are closing in on 30 (him at least, he did mention it at one point in his thoughts that he was getting close to 30). She kept pushing him away and then she’d be upset when he didn’t go to her. She would go to him and he would be receptive, then something would happen to make him mad or jealous or angry about her actions, and he would push her away, then wonder why she was avoiding him.
Not once was it mentioned that he had PTSD (although he probably did), but Kate blamed him pushing her away on PTSD.
The writing style was not what I expected when I read all the great reviews on how Grant was portrayed as the marine who was adopted at birth, yadda yadda. Not sure if I’ll read another book by this author.
I almost DNF’d this a couple times. I did not like Walter at the beginning. When he was 16, Walter gave up his son, Grant, for adoption. Now that he’s older (over 25 years, not sure exactly how long), and he is divorcing his wife (the biological mother of the child they gave up), and his children they had together during their marriage have tragically died, he decides he wants a relationship with his son. Grant is a marine, not sure if he was planning on getting out, or if it was the situation that prompted him to not re-enlist, but his father is TELLING him what he’s going to do. Kate, Walter’s assistant, is there to help Grant “acclimate” to life outside the marines, and she will tell Walter in one breath to let Grant decompress before throwing him into the thick of everything, then in the next breath, she’s telling Grant what he has to do and the public appearances he has to make. That’s just the beginning of the book!
THEN! Grant likes Kate, and Kate likes Grant. Kate doesn’t want to be with Grant because she works for his father. Grant doesn’t care and doesn’t think it’ll be an issue. These two go back and forth through the whole last 45% of the book of “I don’t want to be with you” and then thinking “why doesn’t he/she want me?” It was too much wishy washy back and forth teenager crap for a couple of people who are closing in on 30 (him at least, he did mention it at one point in his thoughts that he was getting close to 30). She kept pushing him away and then she’d be upset when he didn’t go to her. She would go to him and he would be receptive, then something would happen to make him mad or jealous or angry about her actions, and he would push her away, then wonder why she was avoiding him.
Not once was it mentioned that he had PTSD (although he probably did), but Kate blamed him pushing her away on PTSD.
The writing style was not what I expected when I read all the great reviews on how Grant was portrayed as the marine who was adopted at birth, yadda yadda. Not sure if I’ll read another book by this author.
June 14, 2018
This review and many others, both german and english, can also be found on my blog.
Diese und viele weitere Rezensionen, auf deutsch und englisch, findet ihr auch auf meinem Blog.
Ravenclaw Threadsister
The Successor is a romance novel by Alina Jacobs and I was able to read a digital ARC as part of a blogtour by Expresso Blogtours.
I did like the book overall, but while it started amazing it didn’t keep up.
What immediately stood out to me was how much I liked the characters.
I felt drawn to Kate right away. As an Executive Assistant she is a powerful Business Women and knows how to handle herself and deal with almost any situation. Despite this she isn’t arrogant and genuinely likes Walter as a person and not just for her paycheck. That her “secret” play such a big role adds another layer to her character.
Grant seemed pretty much perfect from the start as well. He is a tough military guy who grew up poor, but he neither seems to rebel against this new world he’s thrown into, nor does he seem to want to grab hold of it and use it for all it is worth.
He seems to be a genuinely nice guy and I really liked that while he appreciated Kate’s looks, he didn’t reduce her to that. He also appreciated her personality and treated her right.
While their immediate connection seemed somewhat ‘insta-lovey’ it nicely written and I rooted for them from the start.
It did go downhill from there, as the ’insta-love’ component grew to new heights and everything moved a little too fast for my tastes, at least in the romance department. I don’t mind how quickly they had Sex, what annoys me is how fast they seemed to fall in love.
While the writing was pretty good, there were a lot of times when Kate would speak her thoughts to herself, which was used to explain a lot of things . This ‘monologueing’ did take me out of the story a few times and could have been written better in my opinion.
I rated the book four stars, as I did enjoy it a lot.
Diese und viele weitere Rezensionen, auf deutsch und englisch, findet ihr auch auf meinem Blog.
Ravenclaw Threadsister
The Successor is a romance novel by Alina Jacobs and I was able to read a digital ARC as part of a blogtour by Expresso Blogtours.
I did like the book overall, but while it started amazing it didn’t keep up.
What immediately stood out to me was how much I liked the characters.
I felt drawn to Kate right away. As an Executive Assistant she is a powerful Business Women and knows how to handle herself and deal with almost any situation. Despite this she isn’t arrogant and genuinely likes Walter as a person and not just for her paycheck. That her “secret” play such a big role adds another layer to her character.
Grant seemed pretty much perfect from the start as well. He is a tough military guy who grew up poor, but he neither seems to rebel against this new world he’s thrown into, nor does he seem to want to grab hold of it and use it for all it is worth.
He seems to be a genuinely nice guy and I really liked that while he appreciated Kate’s looks, he didn’t reduce her to that. He also appreciated her personality and treated her right.
While their immediate connection seemed somewhat ‘insta-lovey’ it nicely written and I rooted for them from the start.
It did go downhill from there, as the ’insta-love’ component grew to new heights and everything moved a little too fast for my tastes, at least in the romance department. I don’t mind how quickly they had Sex, what annoys me is how fast they seemed to fall in love.
While the writing was pretty good, there were a lot of times when Kate would speak her thoughts to herself, which was used to explain a lot of things . This ‘monologueing’ did take me out of the story a few times and could have been written better in my opinion.
I rated the book four stars, as I did enjoy it a lot.
June 22, 2024
What to say?
In the craft of fiction writing, one is told to “show, don’t tell.” Well, this book does mostly telling and very little showing. It focuses primarily on action and very little on character development. Honestly, I got to know the opulent setting(s) better than the characters. The sentence structure was basic and repetitive and the writing was lackluster at best.
Additionally, the characters’ reactions were over-the-top (how many times does the average person break crockery or pull a weapon in a display of anger before you just nope on out of that situation?) and it seemed to skip forward in the story with very little build-up. I felt like I got thrown in the deep end over and over. And while I enjoy a little spice as much as the next person, I like a little build-up of romance and tension before we go for the gold, thankyouverymuch. This had less than none. I finished it because I started it, but I would not recommend it.
In the craft of fiction writing, one is told to “show, don’t tell.” Well, this book does mostly telling and very little showing. It focuses primarily on action and very little on character development. Honestly, I got to know the opulent setting(s) better than the characters. The sentence structure was basic and repetitive and the writing was lackluster at best.
Additionally, the characters’ reactions were over-the-top (how many times does the average person break crockery or pull a weapon in a display of anger before you just nope on out of that situation?) and it seemed to skip forward in the story with very little build-up. I felt like I got thrown in the deep end over and over. And while I enjoy a little spice as much as the next person, I like a little build-up of romance and tension before we go for the gold, thankyouverymuch. This had less than none. I finished it because I started it, but I would not recommend it.
July 7, 2018
3.5 Stars
The Successor is the first book in the Holbrook Cousins series, and is a decent kick-off to the series. Grant is a former Marine, carrying around a lot of baggage from his childhood and is now suffering from PTSD. He feels out of place amongst his family. Kate has had a string of bad relationships, so she's hesitant to get involved with Grant, especially since she works for his father. But there is an instant attraction between the two, and they just can't stay away from one another.
This story is good and The Successor is a relatively quick read, but I just didn't connect to Grant and Kate. Moreso, Kate. She kept pulling Grant in, then pushing him away, and I kind of got annoyed with how wishy-washy she was.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
The Successor is the first book in the Holbrook Cousins series, and is a decent kick-off to the series. Grant is a former Marine, carrying around a lot of baggage from his childhood and is now suffering from PTSD. He feels out of place amongst his family. Kate has had a string of bad relationships, so she's hesitant to get involved with Grant, especially since she works for his father. But there is an instant attraction between the two, and they just can't stay away from one another.
This story is good and The Successor is a relatively quick read, but I just didn't connect to Grant and Kate. Moreso, Kate. She kept pulling Grant in, then pushing him away, and I kind of got annoyed with how wishy-washy she was.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
July 26, 2020
I’ve read a lot of the author’s newer work and quite enjoyed it. Going back to the beginning has left me feeling a little out of sorts. I was hoping that the new cover indicated a more comedic bent ala the Frost brothers or Svensson clan books. And while this has some good funny moments, I was hoping for something just a little more. I loved the first couple of chapters. Kate is spunky and frighteningly efficient. Grant is all irresistible brooding bad boy. Then there’s everything in the middle that left me sort of “meh”; where neither of those characters were that bright and vibrant anymore. It took quite a while before I thought it got fun and interesting again. I like the author’s work, and having seen what happens in the aftermath, I want to know what kicked it all off.
October 5, 2020
Solid 3 star read for me this time! Sooo I decided to take a detour with my reading this time although I already started Parker’s book but I was really curious about the Holbrook family since the Svensson clan despise them greatly. I found it to be an okay read and found the romance to be very instant love in the first 50 pages. I also didn’t like how possessive or judgemental Grant was towards Kate for having previous relationships. *eye roll here* It’s honestly such a reading turn off when the man gets mad at the woman when they previous relations and accuse them of sleeping around when they can do the same! It literally drives me nuts with all these double standards! Hopefully the other books in the series get better! Until next time!
January 15, 2026
My thoughts
This is not the first book I read by Ms Jacobs, and if it were, I might not have plowed through so many of her later novels.
What I liked:
You can see Ms Jacob's voice developing.
The FMC and MMC were cute.
What I didn't like:
The tension was forced.
The timing was erratic - sometimes it was too fast sometimes; it was too slow.
The witty reparte that Miss Jacobs is known for wasn't there.
The characters weren't developed enough for their motivations and actions to be smooth/understandable/in-character.
All of this being said this novel reads like Miss Jacobs is clearing her throat - as in, she is learning her craft and will eventually become a fabulous, steamy romantic comedy writer.
This is not the first book I read by Ms Jacobs, and if it were, I might not have plowed through so many of her later novels.
What I liked:
You can see Ms Jacob's voice developing.
The FMC and MMC were cute.
What I didn't like:
The tension was forced.
The timing was erratic - sometimes it was too fast sometimes; it was too slow.
The witty reparte that Miss Jacobs is known for wasn't there.
The characters weren't developed enough for their motivations and actions to be smooth/understandable/in-character.
All of this being said this novel reads like Miss Jacobs is clearing her throat - as in, she is learning her craft and will eventually become a fabulous, steamy romantic comedy writer.
December 9, 2019
Kate works for billionaire Walter Holbrook. She has found Walter's son, Grant, who was adopted out after he was born as Walter and Grant's mother were too young to be parents. Walter's three children were burnt to death in a house fire so he asked Kate to track down Grant. Grant is a marine who has been awarded the Medal of Honour. He and Kate start having an affair. Danger is coming. A soon-to-be-ex-wife. A handsome marine. A very beautiful executive assistant. And a corgi puppy. This book has it all and I absolutely loved it. Very highly recommended as are all the books I have read written by this wonderful author.
April 14, 2024
This was my fifth book by Alina Jacobs. I liked that it wasn't a woman without means lusting after her boss. Yes it was her boss' son but she was already working for him, and she wasn't drownding in debt.
The only part I did not like about the book was the author refering to retired Marines as ex-marines. I know she did her research because there were many things correct about the Marines in the book, but we say once a Marine always a Marine. I was only going to do 3 stars because of this, but after thinking about it, I upgraded to a 4 star. While this part bothers me it did not really make me dislike the entire book by that much.
The only part I did not like about the book was the author refering to retired Marines as ex-marines. I know she did her research because there were many things correct about the Marines in the book, but we say once a Marine always a Marine. I was only going to do 3 stars because of this, but after thinking about it, I upgraded to a 4 star. While this part bothers me it did not really make me dislike the entire book by that much.
September 18, 2025
This book is probably one of my favorites this year. I say that a lot about the books that I read but this book in my opinion was perfect. I don't have anything negative to say about this book. Unless to say that there is some characters in this book that I love and I will never be able to look at someone with their name in a good light. Super well written characters were well-rounded with unique personalities. The author has you rooting for the FMC and the MMC from the first page. She handled PTSD and the attitude that comes back by military coming home from combat deployment. I cannot wait to read the screw up and find out how Carter finds the person of his dreams.
January 23, 2023
In order of least to most hated Holbrook books this one lands right in the middle. It is easy to tell this is an early entry for Alina Jacobs. Grant is written in broad strokes and I cannot see for the life of what Kate sees in him. Also - it bugged me that he finished this book barely hanging on and then suddenly by the time the Screwup rolls around he has undergone such a transformation he is basically running the company and looking down at both Carter and Allie. The best thing I can say about this is "It was better than The Scion"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2023
Transition
XXX! Adult content, reader discretion advised. Grant joined the Marines as soon as he finished High School. It’s all he has ever known. Kate was the granddaughter of a socialite and Executive Assistant to Walter Holbrook. Grant was in jail, his new pup in the pound when Kate found him. For Grant it was lustful love at first sight. Kate was just lust at first sight. Live would come later. After multiple near death experiences, a six people killed in self defense, two blackmail schemes and a partridge in a pear tree.
XXX! Adult content, reader discretion advised. Grant joined the Marines as soon as he finished High School. It’s all he has ever known. Kate was the granddaughter of a socialite and Executive Assistant to Walter Holbrook. Grant was in jail, his new pup in the pound when Kate found him. For Grant it was lustful love at first sight. Kate was just lust at first sight. Live would come later. After multiple near death experiences, a six people killed in self defense, two blackmail schemes and a partridge in a pear tree.
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February 15, 2025This book was baffling. If you told me that the editor accidentally took out plot points, and left in the stuff she meant to edit out, I would not be surprised.
I couldn't figure out how the MMC was magically in love with the FMC, almost nanoseconds after thinking/assuming she was sleeping with his dad (she wasn't).
Couldn't figure out why the FMC gave two sh*ts about the MMC.
Also
*spoiler*
If the FMC was so smart.......why didn't she go to the police with the obvious proof of blackmail? Baffling book.
I couldn't figure out how the MMC was magically in love with the FMC, almost nanoseconds after thinking/assuming she was sleeping with his dad (she wasn't).
Couldn't figure out why the FMC gave two sh*ts about the MMC.
Also
*spoiler*
If the FMC was so smart.......why didn't she go to the police with the obvious proof of blackmail? Baffling book.
November 14, 2025
Im not gonna lie, the only reason this wasn’t a 5 star for me was because it was in third person 😭 I didn’t realize how much I struggle reading in third person lol.
But back to the rollercoaster that is GRANT JONES/HOLBROOK 😅 This man truly gave me whiplash throughout the entire book. One second I loved him the next he was on my shit list? But he did redeem himself in the end.
This book had a little bit of everything & I just didn’t want stop reading (but ya know, responsibilities made me). Definitely a fave read & again - NOT disappointed by Alina 😇
But back to the rollercoaster that is GRANT JONES/HOLBROOK 😅 This man truly gave me whiplash throughout the entire book. One second I loved him the next he was on my shit list? But he did redeem himself in the end.
This book had a little bit of everything & I just didn’t want stop reading (but ya know, responsibilities made me). Definitely a fave read & again - NOT disappointed by Alina 😇
March 20, 2023
A adopted Holbrook? Who knew? Certainly not Walter Holbrook! Grant Jones was his oldest child and heir. By the time he married Danielle she had already given Grant up for adoption. Walter never knew about Grant until a tragic fire killed his three children and his wife's parents. His wife and her lover managed to escape the fire. Shortly after Walter learned about Grant and set his assistant Kate to find his son. Grant was in the Marines and had served three tours overseas.
December 27, 2023
a soldier returned to find he’s an heir to a fortune.
Ms Jacobs creates an incredible world populated by complex interesting characters. This is an amazing story with real emotion and fallible individuals. The story had complexity and at times moral gray areas. The stories in the series build on each other. I did not read the stories in order but am trying to fill in the blanks. The families are very interesting.
Ms Jacobs creates an incredible world populated by complex interesting characters. This is an amazing story with real emotion and fallible individuals. The story had complexity and at times moral gray areas. The stories in the series build on each other. I did not read the stories in order but am trying to fill in the blanks. The families are very interesting.
December 17, 2024
Just ok
I started with her newer books and I laughed so hard I peed a little lol. So I decided I would start from the beginning I believe this is the very 1st book that's why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. Not that it was a bad book it was good but I decided to read romcom and this was definitely not it at all. Like I said good book just needs to be labeled differently cus it just wasn't funny.
I started with her newer books and I laughed so hard I peed a little lol. So I decided I would start from the beginning I believe this is the very 1st book that's why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1. Not that it was a bad book it was good but I decided to read romcom and this was definitely not it at all. Like I said good book just needs to be labeled differently cus it just wasn't funny.
June 18, 2025
just eh
I found this book just eh. I’ve read more recent books from this author and found them very enjoyable so I went back to read her collection. However, I found the writing style of this book to be kind of rough to read. And it definitely seemed like Grant and Kate didn’t have a healthy relationship then again I’ve never been a fan of insta lust books. I don’t know, it was just eh.
I found this book just eh. I’ve read more recent books from this author and found them very enjoyable so I went back to read her collection. However, I found the writing style of this book to be kind of rough to read. And it definitely seemed like Grant and Kate didn’t have a healthy relationship then again I’ve never been a fan of insta lust books. I don’t know, it was just eh.
March 1, 2022
Was this for real?
Funny-ish? In what universe?
I held on, only a little bit past the rape that wasn’t. Not a likable H, not a likable h.
Together? A most unlikable pair.
Think I’ll find my ‘funny’ somewhere else. Along with more likable characters, and a bit more ‘romance’, with fewer shades of rape.
Funny-ish? In what universe?
I held on, only a little bit past the rape that wasn’t. Not a likable H, not a likable h.
Together? A most unlikable pair.
Think I’ll find my ‘funny’ somewhere else. Along with more likable characters, and a bit more ‘romance’, with fewer shades of rape.
August 2, 2022
It's hard to believe this was written before the Svensson Brothers series considering how poorly that was written. There are a lot of similar phrase and traits here, so it's clearly the same author, but the writing and the narrative is more sophisticated (or at least less irritating) than the later books, which is an odd progression.
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