Review: Clean Slate By Lan LLP @authorlanllp

 

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Title: Clean Slate

Author: Lan LLP

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 29, 2016

Blurb

It started as a mother’s dying wish… CEO James “Max” Reid is a confident, self-made billionaire who thoroughly enjoys the fruits of his labor and success. The world sees him as a materialistic asshole, but not his ailing mother. She knows there’s much more to her son than what his arrogant façade portrays. Desperate to help Max discover who he truly is, she persuades him to make her an unbreakable promise. “Give from your heart, not your wallet.” He has no choice, but to fulfill her dying wish. It started as a family’s aspiration… Emilia Vitalia Young is the girl-next-door people can’t help but fall in love with. She comes from a family that believes happiness comes from putting others first. When an unexpected tragedy strikes, Emilia is left with an incurable heart, her family business, and a large inheritance. Being the sole survivor, she takes it upon herself to keep her family’s aspiration alive. What happens when fate gives them a clean slate?

Encountering Max at an orphanage in Vietnam changes the course of both their lives. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Emilia errs on the side of caution, fearing more heartbreak would destroy her completely. With a clean slate, it’s up to Max to put someone else before his own needs and desires. Can these two broken souls find a way to repair their damaged hearts?

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Review

Clean Slate by Lan LLP

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*** I voluntarily reviewed this book, I gained no monetary incentives nor was I specifically requested to review the book, these are my honest ramblings and I hope you enjoy reading them - kat***

I have not read a book by this author before but the blurb sounded like it could be a nice but interesting romance.

With our Main Male Character, Max Reid, being a Billionaire that has been focused on one thing - being the best and therefore proving a point to his father who left without a backwards glance when he was a kid, he is a typical Billionaire, and the only person who has any sway is his ailing mother, her dying wish was for him to listen to his heart, that giving money was not enough, he had to give some of himself too.

“Give from your heart, not your wallet.” I guess this is a valid point to listen too, as yes we can give money to charity, but if we give of ourselves wouldn't that be better? So I enjoyed Max's journey as he discovers that there is more to this world than being the Best and having millions in the bank.

Emilia Vitalia Young, the girl-next-door who believes happiness comes from putting others first. But she finds it very hard to keep that mission statement since the tragedy that struck her family. With an unsympathetic Fiancee who leaves her reeling with the news that he is not sure that he wants to marry her after all, she sets off to Vietnam to help out at an orphanage there.

With her focus on keeping her family’s tradition of 'Giving' alive. She sets off to Vietnam to help at one of the Orphanages there and try and figure out what she will do with her life when she gets back to the States.

When Max also trying to keep his promise to his mother signs up to help at the same Orphanage, the pair meet and the result changes the course of both their lives.

OK - here are my thoughts:

My favourite part of the book were the parts in Vietnam, and I guess the author being from there may be the reason why this part felt more alive.

My Least favourite part - was the drama that transpired when the pair get back to the states. - it was too predictable, as in that the pair couldn't just have a happy ending - no there had to be more drama and intrigue added.

I feel that the plot could have been tighter, the storyline seemed to drag quite a lot at the beginning and I nearly stopped reading. But I kept going and, in the end, I am glad I pushed myself to the end.

The Characters - I liked Emilia but I couldn't understand why she stayed with her fiancee so long until I got to a point in the book, then I realised why the author pushed it on for so long.

Max, his character did not gel properly for me, he was at some points a dominant alpha, wanting Emilia to submit to him, then he would swing to being soft and gentle. His character felt like the author was trying too hard to make him too much of a FSOG Mr Grey!

We were introduced to other couples in the story that to me could have been halved - unless they will be the main characters in a spin-off book? This is where for me I feel that these extra characters could have been tightened up to make the story flow better.

The Epilogue that tied up ends seemed rushed, and also tried to tie up too many loose ends, but then introduced Max meeting someone that was left open and not really concluded, and left me feeling that it had either been thrown in as a quick closure or that it was left like that so that if the author wished there may be another book in the future with these characters.

We had a bit of Suspense and drama thrown into the plot with the help of the Ex's (that was the predictable part, i just saw it coming from a mile away)

I think I would have preferred to have had more of the 'Orphanage' and less of the trivial States scenes as in my opinion the characters at the orphanage were more interesting and I wanted to know what happened to them more than what went on with one of Emilia's friend's.

View all Kat's reviews

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Author Bio

By profession, she’s technical and structured, but by choice, she enjoys being creative and spontaneous. Writing gives her the freedom to be whatever or wherever she wants to be as her mind takes her on adventures as far as her imagination can reach. When she’s not off on one of her writing journeys, her time is split amongst her two adorable little girls, her supportive husband, family, friends and an extremely rewarding job of caring for cancer patients.

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