Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Only one thing stands in the way of millionaire Gregory MacPherson’s project to revitalize the gritty neighborhood of Ball’s End: a run-down used bookstore. Since none of Mac’s employees seem to be able to get Hailey’s Comic out of the building Mac needs to tear down, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He expects to have it all under control, just like he has everything under control. What he doesn't expect is to fall hard and fast for the store’s owner—the colorful, willowy, and unexpectedly male, Hailey.

 

Hailey refuses to give up his lease, no matter how many incentives Mac dangles in front of him, but when it comes to consummating their mutual attraction, he’s a lot more flexible. Soon Mac is finding it as hard to pry himself out of Hailey’s bed as it is to pry Hailey out of the building. With time winding down and no other options, he does the unthinkable.

 

Mac is trying to improve Ball’s End. Hailey thinks it’s Mac who could stand to be improved. But with a few compromises, they might all end up Better Off.

 

 

First edition published under the title Him Improvement by Dreamspinner Press, September 2019.

Book Review

As sweet romances go, this is a good one. It has adorable main characters, just enough tension to keep me interested, and while the contrast between Gregory MacPherson II (Mac) and Hailey’s personalities is pretty pronounced, they manage to deal with their differences in a refreshingly straightforward and honest way. This results in a story with an interesting lack of conflict on the personal/emotional side – from the beginning, there was no doubt in my mind that Hailey and Mac would end up together. On the other hand, their different personalities and business interests are about as far apart as the North Pole is from Antarctica – and watching them learn and accept each other’s quirks was very entertaining.

Mac is a master negotiator, a tough businessman, and his lack of empathy is as notable as it is disturbing. He evicts people from their homes on a daily basis, all in the interest of “improving” their lives whether they want it or not, whether they can afford the new homes or not, and no matter that it results in the destruction of existing communities and neighborhoods. It is shocking how little attention Mac pays to these “details” – but I suspect a lot of it is not just a lack of empathy, but active repression. If Mac had looked at himself and what he does honestly before meeting Hailey, he would have stopped being a successful businessman years ago.

Hailey is determined to resist the eviction orders as long as he can, and as soon as he meets Mac, he makes it his personal mission to make Mac see the true human cost of inner-city revitalization. Hailey has a few quirks and secrets of his own, he knows his neighborhood and the people who live there on a personal basis, and he simply refuses to give up. His great sense of humor and very clever countermoves made me laugh more than once. He is as determined as he is charming, and that makes for an amusing adventure.

If you like sweet romances with a touch of tension, if you think a real estate developer can learn to find his human side, and if you’re looking for a fun read that may not be totally realistic but will tug at your heartstrings, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 163 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	07-June-2020
Price	$2.99 ebook, $9.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Tanya-Chris-ebook/dp/B088YY3RQH