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ezrasupremacy's review
3.0
happy 130th book of the year to me
anyway, this book was alright, it resonated with me less than the previous one bc it’s less gratifying to have a couple be together and then fight than to have to fight each other and themselves to get together, but i still liked their dynamic.
i also very much liked that we got to look a bit more into lewis and aaron’s relationship, as well as the foreshadowing for the next book in the series (which i will ofc be starting immediately, thank you very much).
my only real issues were a) that there was a lot more sex in this and i really hate smut and b) that the age gap made the amount of caretaking owen did of mason a little weird. like, on the surface i think a relationship like that is cute (and enviable), but based on my own stellar math skills (lie) i’d guess their age gap is 11 years, and they seemed at very different places in their lives, so to have the relationship be so caretaker - caregiver at times was a bit odd.
anyway that’s all, onto the next book
anyway, this book was alright, it resonated with me less than the previous one bc it’s less gratifying to have a couple be together and then fight than to have to fight each other and themselves to get together, but i still liked their dynamic.
i also very much liked that we got to look a bit more into lewis and aaron’s relationship, as well as the foreshadowing for the next book in the series (which i will ofc be starting immediately, thank you very much).
my only real issues were a) that there was a lot more sex in this and i really hate smut and b) that the age gap made the amount of caretaking owen did of mason a little weird. like, on the surface i think a relationship like that is cute (and enviable), but based on my own stellar math skills (lie) i’d guess their age gap is 11 years, and they seemed at very different places in their lives, so to have the relationship be so caretaker - caregiver at times was a bit odd.
anyway that’s all, onto the next book
moll_ereads's review
3.0
3.5 rounded down - this was cute and i loved owen so much!!! But i just didnt think it was as good as total creative control !
imme_van_gorp's review
4.0
|| 3.5 stars ||
This book is about gorgeous model/influencer Mason, who is trying to make it in the TV business, and professional gardener Owen, who is Lewis’s brother from book 1. Owen and Mason already vaguely knew each other from when Mason dated Lewis, and Owen has always had a bit of a crush on him. He admired Mason’s beauty, and he wondered if there was more behind the man than the superficial stuff he shows online.
When the opportunity arises for Owen and Mason to do a TV segment together on gardening, Mason jumps at the chance, and Owen tentatively agrees as well, even if it might only be to make Mason happy.
What Owen doesn’t know, however, is that Mason has been instructed by the TV producer to show a flirty “will they/won’t they?” relationship to the viewers, and thus, when the two grow closer over the weeks, the question will remain: what is real between them and what is fake?
I felt like this was written very well and the pacing was also super pleasant. The chemistry between Mason and Owen was great, and their medium slow-burn mixed in with a bit of pining was just lovely. I truly loved Mason and his character was right up my alley.
My only true complaint is that I simply did not like Owen much. His holier-than-thou attitude annoyed me quite a bit and some of his personality traits started to truly grate on me in the second half of the book. Honestly, I personally think Mason could have done better than him. I just feel like Owen didn’t always appreciate Mason for the caring and bubbly person he was aside from his stunning good looks.
But oh well, other than that, they really were cute together. And I did like reading about their relationship a lot. The rest of the actual plot was also very entertaining!
'Creative Types' series:
1. Total Creative Control - 4.5 stars
2. Home Grown Talent - 3.5 stars
This book is about gorgeous model/influencer Mason, who is trying to make it in the TV business, and professional gardener Owen, who is Lewis’s brother from book 1. Owen and Mason already vaguely knew each other from when Mason dated Lewis, and Owen has always had a bit of a crush on him. He admired Mason’s beauty, and he wondered if there was more behind the man than the superficial stuff he shows online.
When the opportunity arises for Owen and Mason to do a TV segment together on gardening, Mason jumps at the chance, and Owen tentatively agrees as well, even if it might only be to make Mason happy.
What Owen doesn’t know, however, is that Mason has been instructed by the TV producer to show a flirty “will they/won’t they?” relationship to the viewers, and thus, when the two grow closer over the weeks, the question will remain: what is real between them and what is fake?
I felt like this was written very well and the pacing was also super pleasant. The chemistry between Mason and Owen was great, and their medium slow-burn mixed in with a bit of pining was just lovely. I truly loved Mason and his character was right up my alley.
My only true complaint is that I simply did not like Owen much. His holier-than-thou attitude annoyed me quite a bit and some of his personality traits started to truly grate on me in the second half of the book. Honestly, I personally think Mason could have done better than him. I just feel like Owen didn’t always appreciate Mason for the caring and bubbly person he was aside from his stunning good looks.
But oh well, other than that, they really were cute together. And I did like reading about their relationship a lot. The rest of the actual plot was also very entertaining!
'Creative Types' series:
1. Total Creative Control - 4.5 stars
2. Home Grown Talent - 3.5 stars
endemictoearth's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This was a breath of fresh air. Originally, I actually read this before the first book in the series, but immediately went back to read Aaron and Lewis's story.
This is a slight twist on the fake dating trope in that they are already aware of each other and are intrigued, but haven't really been thrown together much. So, instead of their relationship being allowed to grow organically (lol), they then start working with each other almost immediately, and the waters get very muddied indeed. I liked how honest Mason (mostly) was about how he had to publicize aspects of their relationship, while still trying to let Owen know he really does like him. This book didn't follow the typical beats, but made sense to me. It was more, “How much of this is real/how much of my heart am I willing to risk?”
Having both characters getting to know each other while we get to know them worked really well and I was pretty enthralled (which is not a word I use often to describe my reading experience.) I must admit I also like seeing the evil industry types get their comeuppance in these books . . . very cathartic.
Audio review April 2024: Simon Goldhill is a wonderful narrator, with a casual style that has a lot of emotion behind it. Mason is deliberately given a couple of different intonations, which matches his character putting on a shallow/cheery front to hide his more complicated past with hidden depths. And Owen is more consistent, as is to be expected of someone so solid and straightforward.
I was eagerly awaiting this audio version ever since I listened to the first one, and now I am fairly feral for the audio for the third book, which was narrowly my favorite of the series. Fingers crossed that it also gets an audiobook soon!
I received a copy for review from Gay Romance Reviews and these are my honest opinions.
This is a slight twist on the fake dating trope in that they are already aware of each other and are intrigued, but haven't really been thrown together much. So, instead of their relationship being allowed to grow organically (lol), they then start working with each other almost immediately, and the waters get very muddied indeed. I liked how honest Mason (mostly) was about how he had to publicize aspects of their relationship, while still trying to let Owen know he really does like him. This book didn't follow the typical beats, but made sense to me. It was more, “How much of this is real/how much of my heart am I willing to risk?”
Having both characters getting to know each other while we get to know them worked really well and I was pretty enthralled (which is not a word I use often to describe my reading experience.) I must admit I also like seeing the evil industry types get their comeuppance in these books . . . very cathartic.
Audio review April 2024: Simon Goldhill is a wonderful narrator, with a casual style that has a lot of emotion behind it. Mason is deliberately given a couple of different intonations, which matches his character putting on a shallow/cheery front to hide his more complicated past with hidden depths. And Owen is more consistent, as is to be expected of someone so solid and straightforward.
I was eagerly awaiting this audio version ever since I listened to the first one, and now I am fairly feral for the audio for the third book, which was narrowly my favorite of the series. Fingers crossed that it also gets an audiobook soon!
I received a copy for review from Gay Romance Reviews and these are my honest opinions.
unusablebooklore's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This book was so darn good.
Spicy
Workplace
Brothers Ex
Reality TV
Reality TV
Owen is a total care taker daddy. Definitely book boyfriend material. Be still my heart. He calls Mason “Petal” and it is foot kicking, skin tingling, goodness. I. LOVED. IT.
This book was FAR spicier than the first book. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't expecting it. I was pretty content with a low spice read, but this brought it.
The narration is excellent, Simon Goldhill was exceptional, well paced and I want him to read to me all day. He voiced each character individually and made it easy to keep track of who was talking to who.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
notguilty's review
5.0
A fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable audiobook. Sharp, witty, and flirtatious.
Joanna & Sally’s writing styles are perfectly suited to narration, and believe me, narrator Simon Goldhill is absolutely wonderful.
English charm, a gorgeous gardener and a young model trying to make his career. Things are about to get messy, and not just from digging in the ground.
It doesn’t take long to see how great these two would be together, and how horribly things could go wrong! Social media and the TV industry can be toxic and with every hashtag and selfie, with every manager and TV producer, more and more of yourself is given over to others, and that can be a scary place. Especially if you are a salt-of-the-earth type who barely knows what a hashtag is.
I’m always a big fan of stories where they both have faults and/or make mistakes. I like the equal footing it brings to a relationship.
There’s also a super satisfying ending to all the drama!
eliezrah's review
5.0
This was a great book by two new to me authors. It's the 2nd book in the Creative Types series, and considering I didn't know it was part of a series when I read it, it's safe to say it can be read as a standalone. The couple from book 1 are in this book, but I didn't feel like I missed anything but not reading it (yet.) I absolutely loved the story between Mason & Owen, and it was great seeing them grow together and develop their relationship. The writing flowed well and kept me turning the pages. I definitely recommend this book and can't wait for book 3!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
claygirley's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
emilyrpf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
netslummer's review
4.0
Owen Hunter, the older brother of Lewis from [b:Total Creative Control|59006555|Total Creative Control (Creative Types, #1)|Joanna Chambers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1631773284l/59006555._SY75_.jpg|93029199] is happy. He has a house with a small garden and a thriving gardening business. When Owen goes to a TV awards show to support his brother, he runs into the flakey Mason Nash, former ex-boyfriend of Lewis.
Unfortunately the pair hit it off a bit...while Mason is absolutely trashed.
Mason is a model and Instagram influencer. He's been vying for a spot on a weekend TV show and, when a chance encounter with Owen Hunter leads to a weekend gardening spot on the morning show Weekend Wellness, the pair are thrust together and expected to be flirty. Unfortunately it quickly becomes real for both of them.
Can the pair overcome their differences regarding social media exposure and truth to end up together?
I spent most of this book HATING Mason. And frustrated with how shockingly low Owen's self esteem is? Like he's HOT AS SHIT as per the book but he thinks he's less hot than his brother so NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY BE INTO HIM. I was so frustrated.
After skipping over all the sex scenes and tolerating the insta-love aspects, I thought this was...okay. It's worth the ride but I genuinely did not enjoy the first 30 to 40% of this book.
Unfortunately the pair hit it off a bit...while Mason is absolutely trashed.
Mason is a model and Instagram influencer. He's been vying for a spot on a weekend TV show and, when a chance encounter with Owen Hunter leads to a weekend gardening spot on the morning show Weekend Wellness, the pair are thrust together and expected to be flirty. Unfortunately it quickly becomes real for both of them.
Can the pair overcome their differences regarding social media exposure and truth to end up together?
I spent most of this book HATING Mason. And frustrated with how shockingly low Owen's self esteem is? Like he's HOT AS SHIT as per the book but he thinks he's less hot than his brother so NO ONE COULD POSSIBLY BE INTO HIM. I was so frustrated.
After skipping over all the sex scenes and tolerating the insta-love aspects, I thought this was...okay. It's worth the ride but I genuinely did not enjoy the first 30 to 40% of this book.