Romance Redefined by SJD Peterson
Review by Lauren
source: copy from publisher; all opinions are my own
Official Summary (add on Goodreads): Opposites attract, but are some differences too drastic for a romance to survive?
On the surface, Benson Howard Winthrop III and Hugh Bayard have a lot in common: they’re young, handsome, and blessed to be one of the wealthiest couples in the country. Surely they have everything anyone could want. But Ben is no longer satisfied with their long-running relationship. Hugh’s need to control every situation is suffocating him, and Ben needs to know if he can make it on his own merits by following his passion.
But Ben’s mother isn’t about to let her son live in a rundown apartment as a struggling actor. She’s determined to get him back to his rightful place at the top of the social ladder—and back with Hugh.
Rekindling their romance will require more than doing what’s expected. Ben and Hugh need to understand and embrace each other’s differences. They’ll have to support each other even when one makes a decision the other doesn’t agree with. For their passionate love to grow, they will need to redefine the meaning of romance… only then can they find true happiness.
Review: I really loved the premise of this one! Ben has loved Hugh for years, and it's obvious he would still be with the man if he thought Hugh could give him what he wanted. What that is is essentially emotion - and attention. Hugh closes himself off, even with Ben, and he doesn't always treat Ben how someone should if they are really in love. Also, Ben has dreams of his own and he wants the chance to pursue them on his own terms, instead of just using family money to get what he wants. What made me not love this book quite as much is that I didn't think there was enough of Ben and Hugh working on their relationship. Yes, they are in each others lives throughout the book and getting pulled back into each other's orbit, but it didn't seem like the bigger conversations and/or revelations happened until later in the book and I would have liked it more throughout. Regardless, I did really enjoy this one! It's an intriguing look at a relationship - a bit of a second chance romance, if you will.
5 comments:
You find a lot of books that have premises I've never seen before. Not that I read contemp, but they're diff from books I've seen other bloggers review. I'm glad you enjoyed this one, even if there wasn't as much focus on the relationship-fixing as you would've liked.
I like that it sounds like their family seems to like them together. That definitely intrigues me. I'm glad to find a book like that is out there. Great review!
In real life we (us females) are always trying to work on the relationship right away. I think it sounds like how 2 guys would go about it. I love looking into other people's relationships/problems so this book sounds good to me. Great review!
I'm not sure if I've ever actually read a second chance romance! I think the premise confuses me a little because surely a couple broke up for a reason? Although I suppose if it was more of a drift, or a reunion of high school sweethearts it would make sense.
It's a shame you felt like the characters didn't work through their relationship enough throughout the story! I think that would be a super important element for something like a second chance romance.
But I'm glad you were able to enjoy it overall, Lauren! Thanks for the lovely review ^.^
Sounds like an interesting set-up for a romance novel. That's too bad they didn't work as much on their relationship as you would've liked. The second chance type of plot does sound well done.
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