Stealing the Billionaire

S.M. West pens another amazing novel, and the story grabbed my attention from the very start and captivated it straight to the end. Eden Carpenter is trying to get back what is rightfully hers, except she has to find a way in to her old job to retrieve it, not an easy task after being fired. But she gets her foot in the door, finds the opportunity to grab what she came for and almost got out scot free, except security saw what she did and ran after her. Walker Drummond was in his car and he saw the woman in the red dress running and being chased, he lost sight of her, but the next thing he knows she is ducking into his car. Intrigued by her, he hears her out and without getting into precise details, he believes her and gets her out of there. He feels an instant attraction to her, and he asks her to accompany him to an event that night as a return favor. Walker is anti-relationship, he has some serious trust issues after catching his now ex-wife cheating, but there is something about Eden that makes him want to change his stance on relationships. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Eden is willing to deny herself because she wants someone who can commit to a relationship or give more of themselves than he is offering and when he comes around, it is absolutely explosive between them. Eden is on a mission for justice, she knows that she is not the only one her former boss stole from. Complicating things is that her former boss is friends and occasional business partners with Walker. I loved how everything played out in this book, the complexity of the characters and the layers of the story is fantastic, so is the writing and plotting. There is never a dull moment in the story and it has the perfect balance of drama, angst, some twists, mystery, heartfelt emotions and a steamy romance. S.M. West, thank you for another amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 And for the wonderful audiobook narration, Aaron Sherlock and Jo Raylan did an amazing job bringing these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who they were portraying and were believable in every role they played. Raylan’s Eden was spot on, grasping every side of her personality, from her strength and determination to her passion. Shedlock nailed it as the swoon worthy Walker, he too grasped all sides of his personality, from his standoffish side and cool, calm demeanor to his fierce side. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the character’s emotions and have you feel every single one. These versatile voice artists are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another amazing listen. 

Story: 3 ⭐️s
Narration: 5 ⭐️s

This story just wasn’t for me. Despite excellent narrator performances, I did not believe the connection between these two characters, both of which had personalities that were just too all over the map, while at the same time feeling undercooked to appeal. I was much more compelled by the secondary characters and their experiences (like Vanessa and Suki) than the MCs. Eden was supposedly this strong, competent person, but her reaction to Walker undercut that too much for me. And his insistence on white knighting, while sill calling her capable, make it feel as though he didn’t genuinely respect her capability. So, the connection between the two never clicked for me because of the inconsistencies in characterization. Perhaps also the all powerful billionaire trope is just generally wearing thin on me these days and there wasn’t enough that stood out about this story to overcome the shortcomings of the trope itself.

The best part of my StB experience was the narration. Aaron Sherlock and Jo Raylan are both ridiculously talented. Definitely a case where what would have been a lackluster readings experience, was still a positive listening experience.

Overall, though this fourth installment of the 6ix Loves series has a strong supporting cast of characters and a great audio production, the MCs just aren’t a compelling enough embodiment of a consistently less appealing trope.

I received an ALC copy of the audiobook via Home Cooked Books. All opinions are my own