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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
I was so excited to be able to get an advance copy of this book, as I have loved the “Off the Subject” series and I wasn’t disappointed with the third installment.
Each book interlopes back to other character so it actual feels like one continuous story. Although you don’t need to read the first two books, but I recommend you do.
Lexi story develops more from the second book, and we see her come to terms with her past. In the meantime, she meets Ben and dares to believe she could be happy with him, and have a future after all. That is until Reed, Lexi’s over protective older brother, reveals Ben’s secret. Who will Lexi believe?
I couldn’t put this book down, I just had to finish it and know what was going to happen. I started on a Sunday morning, and finished on Monday afternoon. In certain parts of the book, I found myself holding my breath with what was happening, it was so intriguing. My only criticism is that it took a bit long for Lexi and Ben to finally get together, but when they did, BOOM!
This book, and series for that matter, is one for the romantics with a bit of hot and heavy happening. It is a must read.
Each book interlopes back to other character so it actual feels like one continuous story. Although you don’t need to read the first two books, but I recommend you do.
Lexi story develops more from the second book, and we see her come to terms with her past. In the meantime, she meets Ben and dares to believe she could be happy with him, and have a future after all. That is until Reed, Lexi’s over protective older brother, reveals Ben’s secret. Who will Lexi believe?
I couldn’t put this book down, I just had to finish it and know what was going to happen. I started on a Sunday morning, and finished on Monday afternoon. In certain parts of the book, I found myself holding my breath with what was happening, it was so intriguing. My only criticism is that it took a bit long for Lexi and Ben to finally get together, but when they did, BOOM!
This book, and series for that matter, is one for the romantics with a bit of hot and heavy happening. It is a must read.
~~I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review~~
Holy Mary Mother of God was this book amazeballs!!!!! I had happy/sad tears, no not the sloppy ugly tears, but the tears that you get when you are so unbelievably happy. And that is what this book has made me, so unbelievably happy that I will probably have to re-read it, and soon!!
Ben and Lexi's chemistry is hot, she is the most beautiful person that Ben has ever seen, and Lexi can't Ben out of her head. Ben is Lexi's hero on more than one occasion.
Denise has written this book with more passion that I have words for. I became speechless after I read this book. There were no words that I had to describe this book. It is that awesome!!
Holy Mary Mother of God was this book amazeballs!!!!! I had happy/sad tears, no not the sloppy ugly tears, but the tears that you get when you are so unbelievably happy. And that is what this book has made me, so unbelievably happy that I will probably have to re-read it, and soon!!
Ben and Lexi's chemistry is hot, she is the most beautiful person that Ben has ever seen, and Lexi can't Ben out of her head. Ben is Lexi's hero on more than one occasion.
Denise has written this book with more passion that I have words for. I became speechless after I read this book. There were no words that I had to describe this book. It is that awesome!!
3.5-4 Stars
Unfortunately, it didn't measure up to the previous two books. It was still good, but it wasn't that good. I loved the premise. Lexi dealing with her issue and trying to gain more confidence and at the same time having to face her past. But... the romance started too far into the book.
I hoped for the double POV to bring more insight and depth into the relationship but it didn't deliver. There was nothing wrong with Ben, but he didn't sweep me off my feet.
Also, a big chunk of the book revolves around Caroline and Reed's issue and I craved to read about their interactions. Yet, we get to see the consequences and when things get heated, Reed isn't in the book anymore, popping only at the end. I was so hoping for some kind of final lets-make-peace moment between the two of them, a conversation, a fight, anything. But Swank just cut it and gave us the "oh, and they got back together." What the hell? I enjoyed Caroline's pain throughout the book because I was banking on that final moment of resolution. It made me feel bad about the whole thing in the end.
Unfortunately, it didn't measure up to the previous two books. It was still good, but it wasn't that good. I loved the premise. Lexi dealing with her issue and trying to gain more confidence and at the same time having to face her past. But... the romance started too far into the book.
I hoped for the double POV to bring more insight and depth into the relationship but it didn't deliver. There was nothing wrong with Ben, but he didn't sweep me off my feet.
Also, a big chunk of the book revolves around Caroline and Reed's issue and I craved to read about their interactions. Yet, we get to see the consequences and when things get heated, Reed isn't in the book anymore, popping only at the end. I was so hoping for some kind of final lets-make-peace moment between the two of them, a conversation, a fight, anything. But Swank just cut it and gave us the "oh, and they got back together." What the hell? I enjoyed Caroline's pain throughout the book because I was banking on that final moment of resolution. It made me feel bad about the whole thing in the end.
Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads.
Denise Grover Swank's Off the Subject series just keeps getting better and better. Business as Usual was fantastic and is, without a doubt, my favorite in the series so far.
Business as Usual is the story of Lexi Pendergraft, little sis to smoking hot nerd Reed from Redesigned. If you read Redesigned, you know that Lexi was raped. It's affected her relationships with men since, for obvious reasons. Lexi is a special character. She's easy to like. She spends more time thinking about others than herself. She loves her big brother, but wants to break free of his protection. She appreciates him, but he's taking things to a bit of an extreme. In time we learn more about why he's so overprotective of her and the lengths he's truly going to in order to protect her. Their relationship might not be perfect, but how many sibling relationships are? Theirs is strong, if flawed.
Ben Masterson just might replace Reed as my favorite Off the Subject leading man to date. He's sweet and swoony, sexy as hell and he's trying to escape his past, too. A psychotic ex girlfriend all but ruined his life and he's been trying to fight back ever since. He's dedicated and hardworking and cares about those close to him. He is a genuinely good guy. He and Lexi meet briefly a couple times before he comes to her rescue one night. There's definitely an attraction from the start, but their friendship (and more) builds slowly, realistically.
As much as I liked Lexi and Ben separately, together they were even better. They understood each other and brought out each other's strengths. Ben was protective of her, but not controlling like her brother was. He was also patient when it came to her issues with intimacy. There were a lot of feels between the two of them and I liked watching them grow together. Their relationship was a great second chance for both of them.
I thought Business as Usual was fantastic. The romance was sweet and sexy. The characters strong and complex, but imperfect. It pained me to see Reed and Caroline's relationship unraveling because of his secrets. I was a huge fan of them from Redesigned. It took some time for it all to make sense, but things ended on a higher note than I feared they would.Business as Usual had a bit of mystery, a bit of suspense and a unique plot that kept me guessing as to what would happen next. Denise hit it out of the park with this one. I'm not sure if she plans to continue this series, but I really hope so. Either way, I look forward to whatever she comes up with next. I just love her characters.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Denise Grover Swank's Off the Subject series just keeps getting better and better. Business as Usual was fantastic and is, without a doubt, my favorite in the series so far.
Business as Usual is the story of Lexi Pendergraft, little sis to smoking hot nerd Reed from Redesigned. If you read Redesigned, you know that Lexi was raped. It's affected her relationships with men since, for obvious reasons. Lexi is a special character. She's easy to like. She spends more time thinking about others than herself. She loves her big brother, but wants to break free of his protection. She appreciates him, but he's taking things to a bit of an extreme. In time we learn more about why he's so overprotective of her and the lengths he's truly going to in order to protect her. Their relationship might not be perfect, but how many sibling relationships are? Theirs is strong, if flawed.
Ben Masterson just might replace Reed as my favorite Off the Subject leading man to date. He's sweet and swoony, sexy as hell and he's trying to escape his past, too. A psychotic ex girlfriend all but ruined his life and he's been trying to fight back ever since. He's dedicated and hardworking and cares about those close to him. He is a genuinely good guy. He and Lexi meet briefly a couple times before he comes to her rescue one night. There's definitely an attraction from the start, but their friendship (and more) builds slowly, realistically.
As much as I liked Lexi and Ben separately, together they were even better. They understood each other and brought out each other's strengths. Ben was protective of her, but not controlling like her brother was. He was also patient when it came to her issues with intimacy. There were a lot of feels between the two of them and I liked watching them grow together. Their relationship was a great second chance for both of them.
I thought Business as Usual was fantastic. The romance was sweet and sexy. The characters strong and complex, but imperfect. It pained me to see Reed and Caroline's relationship unraveling because of his secrets. I was a huge fan of them from Redesigned. It took some time for it all to make sense, but things ended on a higher note than I feared they would.Business as Usual had a bit of mystery, a bit of suspense and a unique plot that kept me guessing as to what would happen next. Denise hit it out of the park with this one. I'm not sure if she plans to continue this series, but I really hope so. Either way, I look forward to whatever she comes up with next. I just love her characters.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The format of this book was different from the previous books in the series. It took a while to get into. I preferred just being in the girls' minds in the first two books, but this was interesting to see what the guys were thinking of the interactions. Hope there's another book in the series!
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
Business As Usual was a great read. I originally started reading it back when I read the other books in this series, but I just couldn't deal with it at the time. I wasn't in the right headspace to read it. I read the prologue and had to set it aside. The prologue was too realistic for me. It was too much like my own experiences and I just wasn't in a place where I could/wanted to read it. I finally went back to read Lexi's story and I'm glad I did.
Business As Usual was such a great read. Ben and Lexi were perfect for each other. What they have both been through...it just works. I was waiting for Lexi to find out what happened to Ben and hoping it wouldn't be too bad when she did. They just are so cute together! Because of their past and what happened it makes it work even more. Lexi gets to know Ben before she knows what happened to him and it is just amazing.
Lexi was raped and since then she has a new identity at a new school where her overbearing brother keeps tabs on her. She cannot really just go out and do what she wants since her brother blames himself somewhat for not keeping her safe before. If you read have read Redesigned, the second book in the series, then you know the brother already and a bit of Lexi's story. He really is way too overprotective of her. She will never move on and learn to be strong and okay if he doesn't let her be herself.
Ben has a crazy ex who accused him of raping her when he didn't. Now that crazy ex? Oh did I hate her. I wish nothing but bad things on people like her. Argh! Because of her false claims Ben lost his scholarship and is working a ton to try and finish up his school year. He gets a job as a tutor with Lexi's brother as well as working at a bar and a few other things. He has a lot going on and doesn't need any distractions.
When Lexi puts on a play to help her school program she is working on she finds that dressing up with a wig and such makes her feel different. It makes her more confident and like she is not that broken girl anymore. It was so great watching Lexi really grow and learn to move on, to be strong and not let her rape rule her life anymore. She starts acting out with her brother, making him see that she is an adult and can do what she wants. He can't control her anymore. She doesn't always make the best decisions still, but luckily she has people who look out for her. She first meets Ben when they go to the bar after the play and she is in disguise. There is just something there between them that slowly grows to more. Neither of them think they want anything right now, but they just can't help but be together.
Ben is amazing with Lexi. He knows pretty quick who she is even though she doesn't think he does (since she is always in a disguise). She worries about telling him who she really is and about her overbearing brother, but he never pressures her to tell him. He likes her for who she is and he lets her move at her own pace. He was wonderful. He finds that obviously something bad happened to her, and once he finds out what it is his turn to worry what will happen when she finds out about his past. Oh, I just loved him. He was so sweet and kind and caring. He was amazing.
Throughout the story Lexi's brother is also acting stranger than normal. He is cranky and tired and lashes out and is just not himself. Lexi knows something is going on, but she doesn't know what. That is partly why she does some not so smart things. She wants to find out what is going on and help her brother like he has been helping her. It was intense at times, especially when Lexi has to deal with her past head on, but it just shows how strong she really is. There are some bumps in the road, she does take time to really be comfortable with everything, but I loved it. It was hard for me to read at times because of my own past, but it was a great read.
Business As Usual was a great read. I originally started reading it back when I read the other books in this series, but I just couldn't deal with it at the time. I wasn't in the right headspace to read it. I read the prologue and had to set it aside. The prologue was too realistic for me. It was too much like my own experiences and I just wasn't in a place where I could/wanted to read it. I finally went back to read Lexi's story and I'm glad I did.
Business As Usual was such a great read. Ben and Lexi were perfect for each other. What they have both been through...it just works. I was waiting for Lexi to find out what happened to Ben and hoping it wouldn't be too bad when she did. They just are so cute together! Because of their past and what happened it makes it work even more. Lexi gets to know Ben before she knows what happened to him and it is just amazing.
Lexi was raped and since then she has a new identity at a new school where her overbearing brother keeps tabs on her. She cannot really just go out and do what she wants since her brother blames himself somewhat for not keeping her safe before. If you read have read Redesigned, the second book in the series, then you know the brother already and a bit of Lexi's story. He really is way too overprotective of her. She will never move on and learn to be strong and okay if he doesn't let her be herself.
Ben has a crazy ex who accused him of raping her when he didn't. Now that crazy ex? Oh did I hate her. I wish nothing but bad things on people like her. Argh! Because of her false claims Ben lost his scholarship and is working a ton to try and finish up his school year. He gets a job as a tutor with Lexi's brother as well as working at a bar and a few other things. He has a lot going on and doesn't need any distractions.
When Lexi puts on a play to help her school program she is working on she finds that dressing up with a wig and such makes her feel different. It makes her more confident and like she is not that broken girl anymore. It was so great watching Lexi really grow and learn to move on, to be strong and not let her rape rule her life anymore. She starts acting out with her brother, making him see that she is an adult and can do what she wants. He can't control her anymore. She doesn't always make the best decisions still, but luckily she has people who look out for her. She first meets Ben when they go to the bar after the play and she is in disguise. There is just something there between them that slowly grows to more. Neither of them think they want anything right now, but they just can't help but be together.
Ben is amazing with Lexi. He knows pretty quick who she is even though she doesn't think he does (since she is always in a disguise). She worries about telling him who she really is and about her overbearing brother, but he never pressures her to tell him. He likes her for who she is and he lets her move at her own pace. He was wonderful. He finds that obviously something bad happened to her, and once he finds out what it is his turn to worry what will happen when she finds out about his past. Oh, I just loved him. He was so sweet and kind and caring. He was amazing.
Throughout the story Lexi's brother is also acting stranger than normal. He is cranky and tired and lashes out and is just not himself. Lexi knows something is going on, but she doesn't know what. That is partly why she does some not so smart things. She wants to find out what is going on and help her brother like he has been helping her. It was intense at times, especially when Lexi has to deal with her past head on, but it just shows how strong she really is. There are some bumps in the road, she does take time to really be comfortable with everything, but I loved it. It was hard for me to read at times because of my own past, but it was a great read.
This was my favorite of the Off the Subject Series so far!
Denise Grover Swank writes characters that are realistic, complex, and flawed. The story of Lexi and Ben was well written. I was rooting for Ben from the beginning. It was even better that we were able to see more of Caroline, Reed, Tucker and Scarlett. I love a series that let's you see where the characters path takes them beyond the first story and Denise Grover Swank does not disappoint!
Denise Grover Swank writes characters that are realistic, complex, and flawed. The story of Lexi and Ben was well written. I was rooting for Ben from the beginning. It was even better that we were able to see more of Caroline, Reed, Tucker and Scarlett. I love a series that let's you see where the characters path takes them beyond the first story and Denise Grover Swank does not disappoint!
When I finished After Math, I was really surprised with how much I liked it. I just finished Redesigned so I could read this one and enjoyed that one as well. This one is Lexi's story, and I'm so glad she decided to tell it. Lexi is a great character, and she really did have some unresolved things going on from the second book, where we met her. I suppose if BAU hadn't been written, we could have been happy with her ending, but obviously she had more to say.
I wasn't sure I'd be thrilled that this one moves to a dual POV format unlike the other ones. It worked for me, and I liked getting inside Ben's head, but it made me wish for Reed's POV too from the second book.
In any case, I kind of felt like Ben was almost too open with Lexi about how he felt about her. It didn't feel as manly as I saw Ben in my head, but it all made sense I think with everything he's been through and such. I really liked how he was with Lexi, and Lexi deserved something good, so that made me happy.
If you dig the NA trend, definitely check this series out. I love the way she tells stories. :o)
I wasn't sure I'd be thrilled that this one moves to a dual POV format unlike the other ones. It worked for me, and I liked getting inside Ben's head, but it made me wish for Reed's POV too from the second book.
Spoiler
Speaking of Reed, I didn't really like that he was a total nutcake in this one. There was a lot going on throughout the whole book, and Reed and Caroline's side story wasn't a happy one. And even though I knew the whole time they were going to make up, I just didn't like that. Reed was amazing in book two, and this just didn't jibe and kind of messed up how I felt about him. Oh well.In any case, I kind of felt like Ben was almost too open with Lexi about how he felt about her. It didn't feel as manly as I saw Ben in my head, but it all made sense I think with everything he's been through and such. I really liked how he was with Lexi, and Lexi deserved something good, so that made me happy.
If you dig the NA trend, definitely check this series out. I love the way she tells stories. :o)