Loving the CEO cover art

Loving the CEO

A Friends-to-Lovers Romance (The Whitley Brothers)

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About this listen

Leo Whitley's story is a steamy friends-to-lovers romance. It can be listened to as a standalone.

When I find out on my wedding day that my fiancé is cheating on me, my whole world comes crashing down.

The only bright spot?
My best friend Leo is by my side every step of the way, offering his unconditional support — including a temporary getaway, which I so badly need right now.
Once in Boston, he invites me to stay with him until I get back on my feet. Temporarily, of course.

And I don’t even think twice before agreeing.
But I quickly question if this was the right thing to do.
Did I forget to mention Leo is the hottest man on the planet?

And now his hotness is front and center, as there’s plenty of opportunities to spy on those sexy muscles when he works out in his home gym...or when he gets out of the shower.

Then the oddest thing happens… Leo offers to be my dating coach to ‘help me get back into the game’.
On our first night out, I break out in goosebumps at the lightest touch or seductive smile. And when we get back to his place, well, we take the coaching a little too far and I have the hottest night of my life.

The question is, am I willing to risk my friendship with him for something more? Especially when I’m not even sure I’m ready for anything at all…

©2024 Layla Hagen (P)2024 Layla Hagen Romantic Comedy Romance
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4.5 stars

Swoony swoony Leo. I’m so happy he finally got the one that got away.
Connor Crais and Erin Mallon as Leo and Tory were amazing.

Leo & Tory

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Leo and Tory’s story was enjoyable. The narrators are great bringing the lead characters to life.

Finally❤️

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Fairly straightforward plot, though who knew so much money could be made in the estate agency world in only 10 years? FMC has a backbone, despite it having lain dormant in the years prior to the start of the novel. Not only does she demonstrate it at the crucial point where this part of her life begins, she continues to display it at further points of tension in the tale.

MMC actually shows a fairly significant level of personal development throughout the novel though perhaps rather more quickly than is entirely believable. He's classic book boyfriend material - sexy; protective but not controlling; thoughtful and successful. Are there any points to criticise about him? Well yes but only if you hate (as I do) the tendency to cliché - "this woman's going to be the death of me" - enough!

Other characters are reasonably relatable with the exception of the cheating fiancé and (possibly) the FMC's mother. Events are fairly realistic - no-one takes private jets to get places in a hurry or closes the whole of a restaurant for one private dining experience. Designer clothing isn't highlighted and even thoughtful gifts are often simple things like mugs or a waffle maker. Intimate scenes are frequent but not excessive, don't involve any kinks and are reasonably explicit but not overly graphic. The pace of the story felt right for the simplicity of the plot.

What really makes this audiobook shine is the outstanding narration. Ms Mallon has a bright and warm voice in which you can almost hear Tori's signature brilliant smile. Mr Crais' voice put me in mind of dense velvet or warm milk chocolate. He strikes the right note for a man of Leo's age and doesn't make the mistake of trying to adopt a tone with too much gravel or growl. Both narrators spoke the voices of other people (including that of their counterpart) well, using consistent and recognisable voices for other significant characters. They read with pace, flair and spirit which maintained my interest to the end. That's no mean feat given that the actual story is so straightforward.

Acute listeners might spot the occasional error such as Leo's name being used instead of that of his brother Nick. Whether this is a typographical error or one made by the narrator is impossible for me to tell but such minor mistakes didn't spoil my enjoyment of the tale. The novel was free from the Plus catalogue when I listened to it but has gone into my Wish List and was such a pleasant listening experience that I'm likely to use at least one credit to listen to another in the series (probably Nick's). If you want a gentle, feel-good, relatively sexy audio experience, I recommend this one!

Simple romance made swoon-worthy through excellent narration.

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