Review: Between Clouds and Stars by Sharlyn G. Branson
Note: This ARC was provided by Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
Between Clouds and Stars is my first Sharlyn G. Branson read and it's a contemporary romance between thirty-one-year-old airline magnate Nicholas Frey, who happens to be wealthy beyond words, and his twenty-three-year-old employee, Estelle Klide. For the life of me, I can't recall if I noticed the whole "set in the future" line in the synopsis but, when it was set didn't really matter all that much to me since my interest was snagged by the idea of a man who is used to having the world at his feet--inking deals, bedding women, etc.--and then falling for a woman whose past appears to have not fully let her go.
Now, based on the book's synopsis, you know that her past--aka her ex-husband--is going to wreak some sort of havoc on the new life she's trying to create for herself as well as what I guessed was going to be a blossoming relationship with her boss. I was looking forward to some suspense, but there wasn't really any suspense to speak of, which obviously led to a fair amount of disappointment on my end.
As far as the love story was concerned, I simply wasn't able to connect with either one of the main characters. I didn't feel that requisite chemistry between them. I want to be invested in the lives of the people I read about, regardless of whether their fictional or not. Nick was this wealthy alpha, yet there were times he came off as cheesy. Estelle, on the other hand, was this abuse survivor who was far from guarded or wary, quickly putting her fate--and her heart--in the hands of her boss. They lacked that all-important component of connection, both with each other and with me, the reader.
The writing was commendable, though on a side note, I wasn't sure if the line from Madonna's "Like a Virgin" was intentional or not but it had me shaking my head. There were moments where the storytelling felt choppy and repetitive. I know it's suppose to be kinda, sorta, maybe futuristic, but the only thing that really felt futuristic about it was the use of robots.
The story was okay. The characters were okay. And that's where my problem lies. I expected, wanted, hoped for more. Instead, Between Clouds and Stars fell flat more than once, and by the time I finished it, the one word in my head was "meh." This gets 2.5 stars. ♥
Now, based on the book's synopsis, you know that her past--aka her ex-husband--is going to wreak some sort of havoc on the new life she's trying to create for herself as well as what I guessed was going to be a blossoming relationship with her boss. I was looking forward to some suspense, but there wasn't really any suspense to speak of, which obviously led to a fair amount of disappointment on my end.
As far as the love story was concerned, I simply wasn't able to connect with either one of the main characters. I didn't feel that requisite chemistry between them. I want to be invested in the lives of the people I read about, regardless of whether their fictional or not. Nick was this wealthy alpha, yet there were times he came off as cheesy. Estelle, on the other hand, was this abuse survivor who was far from guarded or wary, quickly putting her fate--and her heart--in the hands of her boss. They lacked that all-important component of connection, both with each other and with me, the reader.
The writing was commendable, though on a side note, I wasn't sure if the line from Madonna's "Like a Virgin" was intentional or not but it had me shaking my head. There were moments where the storytelling felt choppy and repetitive. I know it's suppose to be kinda, sorta, maybe futuristic, but the only thing that really felt futuristic about it was the use of robots.
The story was okay. The characters were okay. And that's where my problem lies. I expected, wanted, hoped for more. Instead, Between Clouds and Stars fell flat more than once, and by the time I finished it, the one word in my head was "meh." This gets 2.5 stars. ♥
Release Date: 21 September 2016
Date Read: 21 September 2016
Learn more about Sharlyn G. Branson.
Purchase Between Clouds and Stars on Amazon.
Comments
Post a Comment