**advance reader copy received via NetGalley**
“Really, Harvey. What good is all that money if you can’t have the one thing you want most in your life?” – Exes by Aria Hawthorne
I love me some classic romance tropes, and second chance romance is definitely a favorite. In this second chance romance from Aria Hawthorne’s Billionaire Romance series, ex-husband and real estate tycoon Harvey Zale locks horns with ex-wife Alma Castillo over his desire for corporate expansion and hers for preservation of historical architecture. I enjoyed the deep detail that the author provided on the area, the information on Tiffany stained-glass, and found the treasure hunt woven into the story to be exciting. Despite these positive takeaways, I found it hard to grasp that two ex-spouses could be sexting and calling…and not recognize one another. I did not enjoy the way the story started, and it took a bit for me to work my way into the tale. I found Alma’s sibling to be slightly annoying, simultaneously overbearing and shallow, and could not help noticing the multiple times fake eyelashes was mentioned in regard to that character. The way the author converted ex-wife into whore for her ex-husband was…not a favorite for me. I am unsure as to whether the wording was supposed to be steamy, but there are five references to her being this, all of which hit me decidedly off the mark. This read lands around my three-star mark, but fans of the author’s writing style or this series may have a different experience.
Ruckie
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Reviews by Ruckie 