Emma Chase - Tangled

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York's most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He'll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that's not really true.
When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father's investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy's life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.
How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? By making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can't live without.

Comment: I had this book to read since 2014, one year after it was published and when some hype was created around it. I can now see why it was so well received by many readers...

In this contemporary story, we have the POV of Drew Evans, a true womanizer but with a set of values that makes him be well liked and respected. 

Drew has a pretty charmed life but he isn't arrogant or mean, he is able to understand he has had the means to achieve his goals but he still appreciates his family and friends and he does give good advice to his young niece.

However, like any successful young man, he is a ladies' man and is not ashamed. Everything changes when he meets Kate, tries to charm her but fails. Then, what a coincidence that she is the new associate in the firm he works at! He can try to win her over but his boss, who happens to be his father too, decides they need to compete for a potential client. 

Drew certainly wasn't counting on finding in Kate his other - better - half...

This was a cute story. I think I understand the appeal after all most romance novels aren't told from the hero's POV.

Well, sure nowadays there are many more but often we're talking about NA and often such weirdly unlikely guys that it's incredible how much appreciation they have.

Anyway, this book is from 2013 and I can see why many readers have thought it to be a good one.

The story is pretty basic: Drew finds Kate intriguing because she seems to meet him face to face when it comes to challenges and work deals but it's clear they are attracted to each other. They start to butt heads which is sort of foreplay for them, they decide to give it a go and then a misunderstanding makes it go bad. Then, the rest of the book is how Drew tries to fix things.

In terms of plot, this is as simple as I've summarized. Obviously the appeal is in the details.

Drew is a cute narrator. The story is, indeed, told as if he is talking directly to the reader, there's a certain sense of communication but he still manages to be a character and not know-it-all smarter than others. I liked his style but I can understand why for some people he might come across as too cocky or even "fake". I would not agree with that but he is a clearly privileged man with a lot of free time among his professional duties, so I can see why for some he feels like a joker/comedian when the situation should be addressed more seriously.

His relationship with Kate is cute, filled with funny but touching moments. I would not say this is a comedy but things from Drew's POV might look so.

I liked Kate, she is a steady but confident heroine, she was game for their personal challenges and intimate moments but she was no dummy. I think her vulnerable side as well portrayed and I believed Drew's description of her personality.

The secondary characters were interesting, seemed a little too perfectly described but that felt partial because of Drew's POV. I especially liked his niece and his sister.

Yes, some other characters felt too handy to exist in his "world" but the aim of this book was definitely trying to not be complicated, the author had an intention with this story and her goal was quite simplistic. I like it for what it is, no secret agenda to be worried about.

This was a cute read, easy and entertaining. I really liked the schemes Drew invents to win Kate again. This is a good book to relax with. I'll likely read the sequel at some point. Soon if i can get the book in the near future.

Grade: 8/10