Single Sundays: Trillion by Winter Renshaw

Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for Trillion (from Goodreads):
Trey Westcott—devastatingly gorgeous. Intimidatingly brilliant. Powerful beyond belief.

A man with all the money in the world—literally.

As the first trillionaire in existence, my boss lives a life most people can only dream of. Anything he wants—anything at all—is a snap-of-the-fingers away.

But when the coldhearted magnate snaps his fingers and requests me for a six month stint on his arm playing the role of his devoted fiancée, he makes an offer I can’t refuse.

And so I don’t.

But I make it clear that for the next 180 days, he’ll have my time, my body, my attention, my discreet professionalism—everything except my heart.

It’s not for sale.

Because all the money in the world can’t change the secret I’ve kept the last ten years. A secret that complicates the very business deal I’m to help him secure. A secret that makes the undeniable tension between us all the more forbidden.

Trey Westcott can have anything he wants … but he can never have me.

Even if he’s all I’ve ever wanted.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Must Read Author
Author: Winter Renshaw
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Heat Rating: Warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Date: August 6, 2020
Source & Format: Author–eARC | Thank you Winter Renshaw!

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

If you are in the market for a different type of romance, Winter Renshaw is the author for you. She always manages to write these bittersweet romances with a flare of dramatics that are unlike anything you’ve read before. And I love a good fake relationship story so this was a no brainer for me.

The Plot:

I really like the idea and the last 30% was great; but the pacing was just a little off for me. I think because you get the flashbacks to Sophie’s history and her story early on, you lose some of the suspense of her secretive past. So I felt like we were just going through the motions during the first half and it reached a bit of a stale point.

The Characters:

The second half is much stronger. It’s a different type of contemporary romance (which is what I expect with Winter’s novels) so it really has a harder edge to it that fascinates me as a reader because it challenges the characters. Once they were pushed, I felt like their reactions helped to evolve them as characters.

The Romance:

I think I’m in the minority about this one but I also wasn’t entirely sold on the attraction between the leads. Their banter hadn’t won me over mostly because I felt like they didn’t have that much. It was a lot of longing but not a ton of substance to back it up besides a few brief encounters.