This review has been a long time coming. I just actually finished the book since life got in the way and I couldn't better manage my time. I started this book two weeks ago and got to about 50% of it but eventually stopped, then resumed earlier last night and finished the rest of it in one go.I don't know where to start actually, cause I really have a lot to say.Caution: I haven't done a long review in a long time, but this one will be very long and may contain spoilers. :) "I would rather be heartless than heartbroken." As much as I want to hate Evelyn, I don't think I can. Frustrated with her, maybe, but she's just getting by her own way with all her "issues" and that makes her just another human trying to "survive" another day. The people she surrounds herself with though, she could do better without. "The things that mess up in life are the fantasies inside our heads telling us how life is meant to be. How life should be. When really, life is a living nightmare." Wade Parks, not necessarily Evelyn's boss, but the founder of the firm she works in. Another one of those rich "heroes" with a screwed up way of living and thinks they can get whatever the hell the want just because they can. Parks, as Evey likes to call him, is confusing as the heroine but can be really sweet when he puts his mind to it. LOL "And you will be mine. even if I have to fight you for you." If you think I hate Parks, I didn't, until in the end where he.... well, you have to find out what he did to make me go Anti-Wade-Parks on him. But throughout the book, he was hot and cold which was, for me, a good thing cause it made Evelyn on her toes and convincing her of opening up her horizons a bit. At least that's what I think.As a recovering alcoholic for nine months, I think Evey was a bit confined. Home-work-home-work. I think that was her routine and it was keeping her in focus but I think she isn't "living" at all, just trying to "survive" each day and is giving into the pressure that others are putting onto her, especially her best friend. "You haven't told him? Of course you haven't. Because you lie don't you, Evey? You lie and manipulate people so it suits you!" Steph is Evelyn's "awful" best friend. I think she is awful because she doesn't ask Evelyn what she wants at all. As a friend, I think the most you would do would be to talk to your friend, to be there for them when they need you, and to listen. I think the reason why Evey doesn't talk to Steph in most cases here is because she was afraid to be judged, and judge DID Steph do. Not only that, she was pressuring Evey to date her brother and has this fucked up fantasy of being her sister-in-law in the future, not even cringing when she thinks her best friend is having sex with her brother. Yes, and I cannot think of anymore synonyms to tell you how messed up that is in another way.Also, Steph had the nerve to give it to Evelyn but she is also confused as to where she was. She had a boyfriend who she didn't want and was always complaining and moaning about, and has a bad habit of collecting junk and scraps. She at least could admit to herself she has a problem as well, not just observing what mistakes Evey will be doing next, because that's what I think Steph is doing, she was watching Evey and waiting for her to slip up. So to conclude, Steph is just fucked up and selfish. At least Evelyn admits she's an alcoholic, how about her? And don't get me started on Alex, Julian, and Carla. *smh* "Then let me prove to you. If it's words you need then I'll give them to you. I'll write you a whole fucking novel if I have to." Back to Evelyn and Wade. So Wade wants Evelyn for more than just the sex, and Evelyn wants nothing to do with him because she doesn't want to feel emotions and get heartbroken. She's afraid and confused and every single time, she pushes Wade away. Wade is stubborn, he wants Evelyn and thinks she's his now but goes cold and distant when he chases her and realizes this. And this goes back and forth to the point where it becomes irritating and exhausting.And with all these pressures and her issues, Evelyn succumbs to what she fears the most. She fears she will be like her parents, that she will be just like another addict who went back to her addictions, and ironically, she did. And they all left her in the end.If I were Evelyn, I'd tell them all to shove it and fuck off instead of being sorry for herself. I stand by what I said earlier, she is better off without them. Maybe not Parks and her aunt and uncle, but the rest of them she could have done without. Why? Because as a person without any addictions whatsoever, if people push you and pressure you into doing stuff you don't want and messes up with the way you think things should be, it's only a matter of time where one will go off the rails, and that's what happened to Evelyn. "Sometimes it's easier to be strong because it seems so hard when you're weak." Ms. Lilly James book, by the end of it, will make you want more. I honestly could do without the grammatical errors, and too long unnecessary descriptions, but I surely can't wait to read the next succeeding books because she's still hiding a lot of Evelyn's issues, Wade's issues, and those mysterious glimpses wherein Evelyn thinks she's being followed. And I also can't wait for the enemies to follow through all their threats to her and Wade saves the day, that's what I'm looking forward the most, I think.Denying Mr. Parks is one hell of a book. This is one full of messed up characters and confusing personalities that would make you want to throttle them all to oblivion. However, I think it is because of these characters that I think I fell in too deep with the story and made this book (what's the word?) "effective", I guess? I'm not sure, but in reading through the book I got to feel anxious, giddy, disgusted, angry, and had the occasional laugh-out-loud moments. 4 stars ;) written by: hwangchinren ;)
Received a copy in exchange for an honest review“I looked up into his suggestive brown eyes and saw what gave me the hots for him in the first place. But I couldn’t go back to the past, and Travie had too many demons to remind me of. I shook my head and shifted away.”4 stars. This was a refreshing take on an almost “Grey” like book. Great debut novel from Lilly! Excited to see what she comes out with next!Evelyn Banks is her own worst enemy…A recovering alcoholic, the key to Evelyn’s continuing sobriety is to remain focused and controlled. She finally has her life on track with a new job at a law firm, but her world is shaken when she meets the firm’s gorgeous, charming, dominant CEO.Wade Parks asks for only one thing—to be obeyed…Wade’s perfect world is one of discipline and obedience. When he encounters his firm’s new employee, he begins a cat-and-mouse game in his pursuit of the feisty and independent Evelyn, determined to break through her cold demeanor and give her the discipline he’s sure she craves.Evelyn is willing to submit to his dominance, but her emotions are another matter…Both of Evelyn’s parents were addicts, incapable of giving her the slightest bit of affection, and she’s not equipped to deal with the rush of powerful emotions her relationship with Mr. Parks unleashes. So she turns to the only solace she knows—numbing her feelings with alcohol.He sees past Evelyn’s flaws, but some secrets hit too close to home…Just as Evelyn’s heart begins to thaw, Mr. Parks is reminded of his own troubled upbringing and he pulls away, leaving her feeling abandoned.But another very real danger is lurking, and Evelyn might be very wrong about the source of the threat…Can she be saved by denying Mr. Parks?Or is submitting to him the only way to save them both?Evey is a secretary at a law firm, she’s quit witted and super sassy, which I loved! She’s not big on affection and she doesn’t do relationships. Did I also mention she’s a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. She’s fighting to survive everyday, and it’s a struggle as you can imagine. Wade is a millionaire, and owns the law firm that Evey works for. When Wade sees/meets Evey he wants her and he’s not shy in telling her so. Once in his grasps, she fights like h@ll to stay away, but even she can admit, that she can’t stay away. He slowly starts to break down her walls against Evey’s better wishes. This book was so amazingly well written and the characters are beyond likeable and yeah, I loved the book!!**Received a copy in exchange for an honest review. Read and reviewed by Melissa for Alpha Book Club**
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**ARC received in exchange of an honest review***One stars are rare from me these days, but unfortunately I couldn't even with this book...Starting with the heroine...I find Evey completely innaproachable as a character, I felt no connection with her. She was quite rude in my opinion, the way she demoralized all her work collegues. I don't know if it was meant to be funny, but she just sounded like an awful person. No matter how right she was, she gave me the impression of a hollier than thou attitude towards them.And Mr. Parks...can I say innapropriate??? I mean, I LOVE CEO books and dark erotica. I love bossy heroes, but Wade Parks was not one of those, from the first minute he met Evey. He was a borderline bully and quite obnoxious too...Now to the writing, I can't help to feel like this book needed a better editing. Not only for the grammar mistakes, but for structure ones as well. I mean, the story is told from the heroine's POV but some of the things she described she couldn't know unless she was inside the other character's mind, like the author is. So to me this 1st person POV was mixed with a 3rd person POV, which ends up being a mess...If maybe at least the hero was written differently I could have liked it a bit, but the guy was almots creepy in the way he treated her from the first time they met. I would have run away from him instead of wanting him, which is something so very rare for me when it comes to male characters. I LOVE the jerks and I usually love the characters most peple would hate.Unfortunately I couldn't get past these things to like the story. Evey has a troubled past, but I didn't like her enough to sympathize with it. To me the main characters, plus Evey's best friend, were unlikeable and that mixed with a story that wasn't executed quite fittingly resulted in me not liking the book at all. Which is a shame because the premisse is good and from the blurb it seemed like a good story.
—Carol
***ARC gifted by author in exchange for an honest review***RATED A SOLID 4 STARS!!!The wealthy CEO, Wade Parks and the recovering alcoholic executive assistant, Evelyn make Denying Mr. Parks a very entertaining book. There is never a dull moment with these two, while Evey is hiding her past and current activities from her co-workers, friends, family and Mr. Park. Mr. Park is actively persuing Evey, for reasons that are even unknown to himself. This book illustrated some of the ugly sides of addiction from the lying, hiding and hurt that it causes. I thought that some of the situations that occurred at work may have been stretched a bit, especially in how employees were disciplined. However, in no way did this take away from the story or me wanting to read more. I'm ready for Addicted to Mr. Parks!
—Book Loving Fairy-Blog
3-3.5 “impossible sum” STARS This is Lilly James’ debut novel about an average, young woman and a dominant millionaire. I know, colour me grey, it’s been done many times over. But that’s where the cliché ends. This story was nothing like I expected; it was endearing, bittersweet and refreshing. Evelyn (Evey) Banks is a 25 year old associate secretary in a law firm and to say she was brash, foul mouthed and abrasive would be an understatement. Harsh words, sarcasm and indifference were her weapons of choice to keep people at arm’s length and herself numb from feeling. “Exposed and vulnerable is not something I am.I’m cold and withdrawn and that’s the way I like it.”Evey's childhood was bleak and hard with drug-addicts for parents. She cowers from affection, she doesn't do relationships only sex as the act without intimacy and she's a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Evey's now in survival mode. With nine months of sobriety under her belt, she's living with her best friend, Steph, and has a job she likes. “I am just an average woman in the middle of a billion others. There is nothing extraordinary about me.” Wade Parks is an American millionaire (story takes place in London) who owns the law firm Evey works at among other businesses. Of course, he's gorgeous, domineering and sex-on-a-stick. The minute Parks sees Evey, he must have her and he has no qualms about telling her. I didn't like Parks at first. I'm the first one to swoon over a dominant Alpha but I found his first moves on Evey to be closer to a self-harassment lawsuit waiting to happen. And his words and actions just cheapened Evey rather than built her up. Alas, despite Evey’s bold, angry and abrasive NOs to all of Parks' advances, she wants him, or more accurately, her body wants Parks.“Your mind is denying me Evelyn. You keep denying me, but your body is accepting every part of me.”Here ensues a cat and mouse game between Evey and Parks as he tears apart every barrier she puts in his way and unbeknownst to him, he also tears apart her carefully crafted and not so stable foundation.“I can read your body perfectly, your mind…nothing.” Evey is not your average woman. She is broken and unhinged and has struggled for the past year to be in a place where things are okay. As Parks unravels Evey's mind and body, she begins to spiral down into her old habits to escape all the feelings... Parks is a mystery. He grew on me as it became apparent that even though he doesn't understand it himself, he cares for Evey. One thing about Wade that I can't help but think will unearth more about him is his need for control. The chemistry and encounters between Evey and Parks are panty-dropping. It's not hard to understand why Evey can't resist him... While I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend this book, why 3-3.5 stars? This would have easily been a 4 stars read if this book had been edited. While I was able to work around it as the characters and story kept me engaged, it could be a deterrent for others. This was a truly original, emotional and touching story. This book ends on a serious cliffy...and I want the second book. ARC generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Guest reviewer for SlutSistas Book Blog. For more reviews and blog posts.
—Suzanne
