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My Review:Title: The Fortunate Ones
Author: R.S. Grey
Published by: audiOMG!
Release Date: December 26, 2017
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Length: 9 hours and 25 minutes
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Source: Library
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2018 #LetsReadIndie Challenge, Lenoreo's 2018 New Adult Challenge, Lenoreo's COYER Big Summer Birthday Bash 2018
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iTunes
My rating:
Blurb:At Twin Oaks Country Club, there are the fortunate ones, and then there are the rest of us: the waiters, the caddies, the valets, and in my case, the cabana girls. Most days, I’m poolside in a pleated skirt, dishing out margaritas to tycoons and titans. It’s not exactly my dream job, but it does come with one perk…
James Ashwood.
He’s my silver lining in a custom black suit.
Besides being a legacy member at the club, he’s a tech mogul and Austin’s most eligible bachelor. Oh, and those dimples? Yeah, they make my stomach dip too.
On good days, I catch his sleek Porsche winding down the tree-lined drive. On better days, I steal a glimpse of his handsome profile as we pass in the hall. And on the absolute best day, I find him alone at the bar, looking for company.
“Come have a seat.”
Those four little words set me down a path I never could have imagined. Private planes, penthouse suites, and temptations around every corner make it impossible to keep my distance. His world feels decadent and wild—but overindulgence comes with a cost. Every kiss comes with strings. Every erotic encounter is a promise I’m not ready to keep.
When I pump the brakes, he hits the gas. James doesn’t want to go slow—he wants a commitment.
And the thing about the fortunate ones?
They’re used to getting what they want.
4 stars — Brittany Pressley, the narrator for this one, did a pretty solid job. I liked most of the voices she did, but I wasn’t thrilled with the way she voiced James…though I can’t pinpoint why…I guess it just didn’t live up to the voice I had in my head for him. It grew on me as the story went on and I got used to it though.
I enjoyed the writing, as I have with all the other R.S. Grey books I’ve read/listened to recently. But I struggled with Brooke. I realize I’m supposed to in some ways…but I just really had a hard time with her choices and how she saw things happening. I guess I just had a hard time connecting with her character, b/c I didn’t always understand her damage, and how her past affected her, you know? Like I get that her Mom abandoning her had a profound effect on how she saw her future and what she wanted, but I still couldn’t connect for some reason. I liked her, don’t get me wrong…but I was dismayed with her on more than one occasion. She would behave badly, regret it, then not understand when James wasn’t immediately ready to forgive. It was hard on my heart.
She also came across very young, but I don’t always mind that. Sometimes I still feel that young at 38, so not everyone matures at the same rate…or rather, maturity doesn’t look the same on everyone.
And as a single POV book, it was hard to understand James that well. I feel like I missed out on so much of who he was, what made him him, all that good stuff. I missed out on the chance to really connect with him. I enjoyed most of what I saw though, he really did have a soft heart. But I couldn’t help but wonder about his past — where was his family?
As for their romance…it was fraught with such tension, that it was hard to get invested. Even many of their steamy encounters were preceded by fights, and so occasionally I was uncomfortable with the aggression of James. But yet I liked them together too, and I was rooting for them…honestly, it was confusing. I was super duper torn.
I enjoyed a lot of the side characters. Her sister Ellie was hilarious…I enjoyed that they were both close and yet still acted like siblings too. I enjoyed the side story with Brooke learning to accept Martha, and reconciling with her Mom a bit. And I thought her time with Nicholas, Diego, Olive and Luciana was adorable. While I struggled with the initial decisions before this, I did appreciate how it helped settle Brooke a bit…maybe clear up her life.
Basically, this was another solid romance from Ms. Grey. I can definitely see her being a must-read author in the future.
I’m not sure this one would be for me, but it sounds like it was one of those hard-fought for romances. Glad you enjoyed it, Lenoreo!
It definitely had it’s ups and downs. And thank you!!