This is the story of funny but flailing Oxford student, Arden St. Ives, and the enigmatic billionaire he falls in love with…but will closed off Caspian Hart be able to return Arden’s love? With some (I think) tongue in cheek nods to Fifty Shades of Grey, although thankfully much better written, this has plenty of laughs, mostly at Arden’s expense, without becoming silly about it.
While I found it funny, certainly witty, and I appreciated even though Arden was head over heels with Caspian he didn’t just let Caspian walk all over him, I struggled to get through the story. Because it’s told entirely from Arden’s POV it unfortunately provided little insight into Caspian’s mind or motivations. Also, the tentative HFN ending about killed me.
The real gem I found here is Joel Leslie’s narration. He perfectly captures how out-of-his-depth Arden is, how Arden grows, and conveys the brilliant-yet-tragic tones of Caspian beautifully. Leslie’s voice was so rife with humor and emotion…he just keeps getting better in his character voices and performances.
Truthfully, the story wasn’t for me but the audio kept me going throughout and I found it to be a delightful listen.