Start Us Up by Lexi Blake is now live!
From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, discover The Park Avenue Promise Series...
Three young women make a pact in high school—
to always be friends and to one day make it big in Manhattan.
She's a high-tech boss who lost it all...
Ivy Jensen was the darling of the tech world, right up until her company fell apart completely after she trusted the wrong person. Her reputation in tatters, she finds herself back in the tiny apartment she grew up in, living with her mom. When a group of angel investors offer her a meeting, she knows she has to come up with the new big idea or her career is over.
He's an up and coming coder...
Heath Marino has always been fascinated with writing code. He's worked on a dozen games and apps and is considered one of the industry's more eccentric talents. But now he's back in New York to spend time with his grandmother. She was known as one of the city's greatest matchmakers, and he wants to know why. Surely there's some kind of code in his grandmother's methods, and he's going to find them.
When Ivy meets Heath it's instant attraction, but she's got a career to get back to and he just might be her on-ramp. It could be a perfect partnership or absolute heartbreak.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!
Amazon: https://bit.ly/43toWF1
Apple Books: http://bit.ly/3UugkKm
Nook: http://bit.ly/3KwmuVF
Kobo: https://bit.ly/408fCDE
Google Play: https://bit.ly/3UDa2YY
Audible: https://bit.ly/3KmleoR
Narrated by: Kitty Bang
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3KRJfVs
Review:
3.75-4 stars
****
This was a good book. Start Us Up is the first book in a brand-new series by Lexi Blake. This is Ivy and Heath's book. Ivy is was a rising star in the tech world when her company went under and her boyfriend, who she worked with, left her in the lurch. Nursing her pride, she is trying to find the next new thing in order to gain her footing in her career. Her friend introduces her to Heath, who has a great idea for a new matchmaking app, in hopes that they will hit it off romantically, which Ivy is not interested in. Heath's grandmother is a legendary, successful matchmaker in her neighborhood of NYC. He wants to start a company where he matches couples up using his grandmother's formula. Ivy is interested in his app, though not just for matchmaking, but for all kinds of other things like restaurants and shopping. She sees in this app the chance to redeem herself to the public and other techies. As Ivy and Heath work together, they get closer and develop feelings for each other. They must race to complete their app before their competition, and Ivy's bitter ex, can.
This is book is a contemporary romance with no romantic suspense, which is a departure for Ms. Blake, who is one of my favorite authors. At first, I felt very disoriented because it seemed like a different writing style than I am used to. The book took some time for me to get into, but it felt more and more like a Lexi Blake book as it went on. The story was good. Ivy and Heath had a reverse grumpy sunshine dynamic. Ivy had some pretty serious baggage to get over, from her past relationship and her parents. She needed some therapy, I think. Heath seemed a little too sunshine at first, almost bland. But as the book went on, I really liked him. He was a doll and adored Ivy, who grew some and who I liked as well. Their romance was a little lower heat and chemistry than I usually find in Lexi Blake books. Also, I would have loved an epilogue and more information about their app. But I still enjoyed this book. There was a fun cast of side characters, including Ivy's two best friends who I think the next two books will feature. I liked them all and I look forward to more to come from this series.
Overall, this was a good book and start to a new series. I was glad Ivy and Heath got together and fell in love. I look forward to more from Ms. Blake and this series in the future.
Meet Lexi
New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she's sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn't until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.
Connect with Lexi
Website: www.lexiblake.net
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5124235.Lexi_Blake
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