This book had me crying, laughing and frustrated all at the same time, and I loved it. From the beginning, I was rooting for Oliver, a.k.a., Hale, and Holland to open up to each other and learn to trust again. Oliver was a very tortured soul. The last thing he said to his parents was an argument and then he left his job and his entire life. He received a phone call-his parents had died and he needed to come home right away. Unfortunately, he also found out a secret that his parents had been keeping from him his entire life, and he spiraled out. He treated everybody horribly and honestly didn't know where his life was headed or what he was going to do. He literally gave up. Until, Holland entered his life and he found new purpose.
Holland was a woman who didn't like to rely on anyone, mainly because she never had anyone to rely on when she was younger. Shifted from foster home to foster home, her 'sister' was the only person she had ever been close to. She found it hard to trust anyone and/or believe that they only wanted to help her. So when "Hale" offers to help her with a project for work, she is skeptical. She also doesn't know that he is keeping a huge secret about who he really is.
When the secret about his identity comes out, can she move past it? Or, will she believe he only wants one thing from her and stop the relationship? When they become more than acquaintances, and he finds something in her apartment that hits a little to close to home and the secret his parents kept from him, will he leave her all alone? Or, will he man up and let himself be happy? Can two tortured souls find a way to follow the light the other brings into his or her life and be happy?
I really loved this story, especially how the author wrapped everything up, including the secret of his childhood. Pick up Mr. Big today and go on an emotional ride with Oliver and Holland. I received an ARC, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

Mr. Big is a compelling story full of tenderness, humor and raw emotion, and it is breathtakingly romantic and drop-dead sexy. Oliver Cody’s life was turned upside down when his parents suddenly died in a car accident and secrets were revealed. He feels lost and disillusioned, and he's ignoring his responsibilities at the highly successful tech company that he and his father built. He’s acting out and is quite the jerk.

Holland works for Oliver, but he’s been so absent that she doesn’t recognize him when they meet. They’re both instantly and intensely drawn to each other, and the chemistry between them sizzles, although Holland is understandably sassy and doesn’t tolerate Oliver’s unpleasant behavior. She challenges him, and he loves it. But he doesn’t divulge his identity, even when he and Holland begin working together on a project. As they get closer, he’s falling for Holland, and she’s falling for him, but Oliver's secret threatens their chance at happiness.

Delancey Stewart does an extraordinary job developing these two enigmatic characters and bringing them to life, and readers will be rooting for these two. Mr. Big has it all - tenderness, humor, heartfelt emotion and romance

I know, I know…the title and cover of this book are both huge clichés. To be honesty, Delancey Stewart is a new-to-me author and I actually wouldn’t have given this one a second look if it weren’t for the cover and title catching my attention and causing me to roll my eyes. Then I read the description and thought, “what the heck, I’ll give it a try.”

This story is a bit split for me. I was pulled in quickly at the beginning and really loved the first half of the book. Of course, I knew there would be some conflict once all of the secrets between Oliver aka Hale and Holland came out. I actually liked how that was handled and that wasn’t really my issue with the second half of the story.

Holland’s doubts and insecurities got to be a bit much. I totally understand her feelings and her thoughts are justified. I just didn’t need to read about those thoughts and feelings and insecurities so much. It really just got to be a bit repetitive. Enough that I’m knocking down my rating.

On the other hand, I could feel the pull between Oliver and Hale. The chemistry was written beautifully. Oliver’s angst and transformation were also wonderfully written. Ms. Stewart obviously has talent.

There were some points toward the end that I felt the story was going off the rails. The author somehow got it to stay on the rails, but it was taking corners on two wheels a few times. I think I understand what the author was trying to do, but it just wasn’t smoothly executed.

I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author. Although I didn’t love the whole book, I loved enough of it to be interested to read some more.

3.5 stars

Okay,
How to start off this review honestly without being overly negative. To start with let me first say that I liked this novel, From the hot as hell cover to the alluring and promising synopsis, i was completely invested and couldn't wait to read Mr. Big. When I started the novel I was intrigued. Oliver completely captured my attention.

His wild ways and the need to find himself has led him away from home and the business he is soon to inherit. But when he gets a phone call everything he was trying to find about himself comes crashing down around him and his world completely shatters. What's not to love about Oliver, He's rich but not in the self entitled way. When he comes back he decides he still doesn't want to be a part of the empire his dad and he built. That is until he runs into the fiery personality that is Holland O' Dell.

Okay now for the honesty part. This is where my attention veered off the path. I decided instead of skipping the whole book and marking it as a DNF i would skip chapters until I came to parts that gained my attention. My only issue with these parts had to do with predictability. I knew what was coming before it came.

More honesty,

When i reached the final few chapters....Holy hell was my attention captured! I'm glad I decided to read the few final chapters. So even though I didn't love this novel, I can't say I completely disliked it. I'm somewhere in the middle.

I probably will go back and give this novel another try. Maybe it was just me and the workings of a reading slump.

I have to admit that I had a preconceived idea of what this book would be like based on the title and cover. I figured it would be a lot of steam and little story. Was I wrong!! Don't get me wrong, it has it's sexy but it's also a great "office romance" of sorts. The story is very well done and although Holland grated on my nerves a bit I did enjoy both she and Oliver together. Oliver has had his world blown apart and is trying to come to terms with it and helping Holland helps him in the end. A great story that I will definitely be recommending to everyone.

Based on the blurb and cover this book wasn't at all what I expected. I thought I was getting a hot alpha, but I didn't. I couldn't connect with either character. Oliver seemed overly depressed and angry, and while I understand his being upset and mad, it seemed over the top, and not resolved until the end. And she was even worse. Everything was blamed on the fact that she was in foster care and therefore had a poor sense of self worth, which in turn made her make stupid decisions. I didn't buy it. And I didn't like her. I found myself skimming through a lot of it.

The blurb of Mr. Big sounded like something I needed to read!  I love angsty men who get tangled up with that feisty girl. Unfortunately, I didn't get that from this book.

Oliver is all over the place in this one!  Yes, he's been dealt a crappy hand, but there never seemed to be anything good happening to him. It all starts with the death of his parents and it goes down from there.  Every chance I thought the light was at the end of the tunnel, things took another turn for the worse.  I never felt like I got out of his depression throughout the whole book.  Needless to say, I was drowning in a character I really couldn't connect to or even like.

Holland is one of those girls who has herself all planned out.  This happens now, then this, then that.  We all know you can't plan every detail of your life.  It never works out that way.  So when things start to go awry from her list, she gets all wishy-washy. She's been pretty independent having grown up in the foster system, so I didn't get why she struggled at times.

Overall this book was a bummer to read. The work talk was not very appealing to me. I also didn't like that Oliver was a total ass at the end and that sealed the deal on him for me.  I was interested how others saw the book much differently than I, but, that's what makes everyone unique. It started promising, but then nothing really happened, and it dragged. You may grab this book and totally fall in love. I hope that you do!

reviewed by Deb

The blurb of Mr. Big sounded like something I needed to read!  I love angsty men who get tangled up with that feisty girl. Unfortunately, I didn't get that from this book. 

Oliver is all over the place in this one!  Yes, he's been dealt a crappy hand, but there never seemed to be anything good happening to him. It all starts with the death of his parents and it goes down from there.  Every chance I thought the light was at the end of the tunnel, things took another turn for the worse.  I never felt like I got out of his depression throughout the whole book.  Needless to say, I was drowning in a character I really couldn't connect to or even like.

Holland is one of those girls who has herself all planned out.  This happens now, then this, then that.  We all know you can't plan every detail of your life.  It never works out that way.  So when things start to go awry from her list, she gets all wishy-washy. She's been pretty independent having grown up in the foster system, so I didn't get why she struggled at times.

Overall this book was a bummer to read. The work talk was not very appealing to me. I also didn't like that Oliver was a total ass at the end and that sealed the deal on him for me.  I was interested how others saw the book much differently than I, but, that's what makes everyone unique. It started promising, but then nothing really happened, and it dragged. You may grab this book and totally fall in love. I hope that you do!

3 Stars/3 Flames

This book was gifted to me for a voluntary review.  The review and ratings are solely my opinions.

Holland had her life planned out ... that is after she aged out of foster care. She got the education and secured employment at the company she always wanted to work for, but she didn't get the position she wanted. So she secretly set out to adapt the company's technology and hopefully get the job she wanted.

Oliver had it all ... parents who loved him, education, wealth, a beautiful girl, and he was the CEO of the company he started with his father. But something was still missing, so he left that all behind to find himself. While he was gone an accident claimed the life of his parents and in the aftermath of their deaths, he found out he was adopted and his world spiraled downward.

When Oliver meets Holland in the company's coffee shop and he feels an instant connection with her. He helps her with her secret project, all the while keeping his identity a secret from her. By the time she learns that he is the CEO of the company she works for, she is in love with him. Will Holland be able to forgive Oliver for keeping the truth from her? Will she get the job she always wanted? Will Oliver become the A-hole he was when they met?

This is a sweet and steamy romance with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book!

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Random House - Loveswept through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I’m really on the fence with this character driven office romance. While I enjoyed the first part of the story, I lost interest in the second part and ended up skimming a lot. The writing style is strong, though, it flows well throughout the story. But I just wasn’t feeling the hero, Oliver Cody, at all. I had some issues with his behavior, his bitterness and anger felt overdone, his sense of entitlement was off-putting. This character needed to grow a lot. He acted a little too immature at time. Of course, he is confused and struggling with the aftermath of his parents’ death. I could understand that. But things have gone completely off track for him and he has left everything behind, including his CEO responsibilities.

A chance encounter with Holland will serve as a wake-up call and remind him of his role as CEO of a company in difficulty. I liked Holland enough. She was independent, smart and tough. Even though Oliver and Holland have opposite personalities, they have instant chemistry. Holland is decided to keep things on a work level and ignore the attraction that is growing between them. There was a lot of push and pull between them. Things go up and down for these two and it lasts throughout the entirety of the book. The ending was great, though. Whilst this book didn’t blow me away, I’ll definitely check out this author’s next books.

An advanced copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2100660065

4,25 Stars

Oliver Cody has been trying to 'find himself' for the better part of this last year - he still hasn't found the person he wants to be though. But his travel-time is over now. He has to come back home to take over the family company. But he's too mad, sad, angry to be of any help. Until he meets Holland. She's new at Cody's and she's almost done developing something new and groundbreaking - because she wants to get out of sales into her dream job. And she's almost got everything she need, she just needs some technical help. Enter Ollie. Only she doesn't know Ollie is the CEO - she only knows him as this surfer bum who hangs out at the company's coffee shop.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH HOLLAND & OLLIE?
WILL THERE BE A HEA??
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT! ☺

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Adorable!
I really enjoyed reading this book.
The cover is really hot, but also ridiculous - it doesn't have anything to do with the book. Ollie is a blond surfer-type and not a darkish guy. I don't know what the author was thinking when she approved that cover.
But, the story was good. I really liked it. It's adorable, funny, moving, frustrating, sexy - it has everything a good romance needs! It's nothing new or overly exciting - I felt like I read something exactly like it a million times before - but it's a great romance - and we love those kinds of romances!

MR. BIG was very adorable & sexy & moving romance! Run to your nearest amazon for your own Oliver - this one is MINE! ☺

Oliver and Holland do not have a great first meeting, second meeting or even third meeting. Oliver is reeling after the loss of his parents and a long kept secret that has him questioning everything about himself and his life. Holland is a woman on a mission and is taking no prisoners in her quest to cross off items on her list of where she wants to be in life. She was raised in foster care and her sense of self-worth is sometimes sketchy at best.

Ollie and Holland finally agree to work on a project together, after she comes up with the initial idea. She has no idea who Ollie is and he goes along with it for a while. Her snap judgments got old after a while. I am all for a woman knowing her worth, but her idea of Oliver being just above a homeless man got really old. She didn't want anyone to judge her upbringing, but she was quick to put him in a box in which he didn't belong.

Ollie has his own baggage and did not handle news of being lied to his whole life well at all. He was already struggling with his sense of worth and purpose before the tragedy that reshaped his life. He did not handle his emotions well at all and acted like a toddler at points. I did understand his anger and issues with how he was "lied" to his whole life. I thought he should have manned up earlier than he did and at least did what he could for the company that he was CEO of.

Both Ollie and Holland had a lot of growing up to do. The push/pull got old after a while and I was tired of both of them by the end. Pamela didn't help the situation at all and should have minded her own business from the beginning. She owed both of them an apology by the end and caused a lot of needless second-guessing by Ollie. He had enough on his plate without her meddling into his life. She didn't even know the whole story but still gave her advice anyway. She really did need to take a step back and realize that her life was not perfect, so she needed to recognize that she didn't really know a lot about relationships. None of them handled this relationship well and it saddened me at points to see how dysfunctional all of them were. The end was nice but too late for me to redeem this book totally. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Holland O’Dell has her life planned step by step. The first step would be to get a job. And she just did that except, she didn’t get exactly the job she wanted. Now she’s determined to prove everyone wrong and show that she’s capable to get the job she wants. She just needs a little help. And seeing as this guy is so willing to help her even though he doesn’t know her, she’s not about to say no. What she doesn’t know is that he’s also the CEO of the company she works for.

First impression: This book made me tear up.

The storyline of the book is not news. The millionaire falls in love with the average. That’s basically it. But the book is so well writing and so unbelievably emotional that I loved it anyways.

Holland is a strong, determined and hardworking woman. She never met her parents and the only family she has is the woman who was adopted with her. Basically, a sister. But her life is a lot more than her childhood. Her job situation is a lot more important to her than anything else at the moment, even getting a man.

Cody is a hard nut to crack. He just lost his parents and found out he has been lied to his entire life. So you have a lost, revolted and furious CEO who sees light for the first time in months in Holland.

So it’s all fun and games until she finds out that he’s the CEO. But even after that they get to an even tougher time. They’re apart for some time until the very end of the book and this is where the book gets real (in my opinion).

The final part of the book is just so incredibly sad. They do have a happily ever after but to get to that they went through a really hard time, mainly because of Cody. I’ve read that some people really hated this part, but to me it was simply heartbreaking but most of all real. Cody was dealing with a lot of angst so we can’t expect (at least I wasn’t expecting) a happily ever after without a lot of work. Good things take hard work and that’s exactly how Delancey Stewart did it. And in my opinion, she did it brilliantly. My eyes actually teared up whilst reading the final part of the book because Holland’s pain felt so incredibly real.

All in all, I loved the book. Mostly because it shows love exactly how it is, hard. It obviously has good moments but we can’t expect everything to be perfect along the way.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book. The characters had great dimension and the plot was intriguing. Overall the story is an emotional read; it’s about finding your light in the darkness. Looking inside yourself and finding the true happiness in life and embracing it for all it is worth. I did feel there was so much more promise than what the story entailed but overall it was a good read. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

While the writing was engaging and easy to read, I was unable to connect with the storyline on this one. This was extremely heavy on the business piece of the story, and that may have come at the sacrifice of chemistry between Holland and Oliver. I didn't particularly care for Oliver at all, and after a while his tantrums and wallowing became tiresome. There was also a bit of an insta-love element that didn't ring true for me. The interactions that Holland and Oliver had didn't add up to the supposed attraction they were both feeling. In the end, I found myself skimming and becoming increasingly more impatient with the story which led me to DNF at 30%.

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to read and review.

Nothing has ever been easy for Holland O’Dell. She grew up in foster care and has worked hard for everything she has achieved. Luckily, she is smart, was able to go to college and now she works for a great company. Unfortunately, it's not her dream job, but she is working on that. Holland is driven, goal oriented, sassy and opinionated. One day she has a chance meeting with Oliver Cody, the owner of the company she works for and it changes the course if her life.

Oliver is disillusioned with his life and is broody, withdrawn and has cut himself off from everyone. When he meets Holland, there is something about her that pulls him to her. He doesn't understand why, but Holland makes Oliver feel alive again and better than he has in a long time.

Oliver and Holland meet each other at the perfect time in their lives. Oliver is having a difficult time and meeting Holland helps him figure out what is important. In turn, Oliver helps Holland achieve some of her dreams. When they meet everything about their relationship feels right and they finally feel whole. Where one is weak, the other is strong. Oliver and Holland are realistic and easy to sympathize with and they have smoldering chemistry. This is a heartwarming story with interesting characters and a good plot line.

4.25-4.5 STARS

“Mr. Big” is the first book that I have read by author Delancey Stewart, and boy did it take me completely by surprise! What I initially believed to be a light-hearted romance turned out to be so much more. And there's nothing I love better than getting lost in a book that far exceeds my initial expectations.

Successful entrepreneur and CEO, Oliver Cody, walked away from his company to gain some much-needed perspective, when he was dealt a devastating blow. Now, he’s back, but unable to deal with the fallout from the tragic circumstances that have befallen him. Some may say he’s arrogant; some will claim he’s selfish; many will call him a jerk. But Holland O’Dell will call him a lifesaver.

Holland O’Dell is a woman striving to succeed in the male-dominated company that is Cody Technology. She has come up with a brilliant idea that will surely get her noticed, but she needs some expert advice to completely pull it off. Enter Oliver Cody, who offers Holland his help, all the while concealing his true identity. Their business arrangement turns into a connection on a more personal level that quickly transfers into the bedroom. But Holland is none too pleased to discover that her “lifesaver-turned-lover” just so happens to also be her boss.

Complications arise, as feelings of inadequacy develop on both sides. Holland fears that her relationship with Oliver will tarnish her success, while Oliver struggles with the past wreaking havoc with the present. And so… the drama unfolds…

Snarky banter and steamy sex aside, there's an intelligence behind the writing that is exemplified throughout this book--offered as sage advice from the secondary characters that act as the story’s “voice of reason.” There were many instances in which I wanted to shake some sense into the protagonists, but, thankfully, their confidants were there to do it for me. And while I take issue with certain actions and behaviors displayed by the central characters, overall, I found "Mr. Big" to be a delightfully surprising read.

The title and blurb caught my eye, the first chapters grabbed my attention and the delicious sweet and sexy romance kept me engaged throughout.

My enjoyment of this story was also influenced by the image I had of the book’s hero Oliver Cody. For some reason, Oliver Cody made me think of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow's super hero. Similarities besides a first name? They were both CEOs of their companies and both "left" for places unknown for a while before coming back home and both their fathers were keeping secrets from them. So not exactly similar to the book’s cover model but that’s also part of the fun in reading, you get to cast your own protagonists!

I like to read about brooding, closed off, jerkish heroes. They’re always the ones that fall in love harder and it’s a wonderful to see how they turn their lives around. But in getting to know Oliver, there’s really not a lot of jerk in him. He was mostly hurt and unprepared for the loss he suffered but behind the temporarily lost and vulnerable man lay a fun, sweet, thoughtful sexy and caring soul I found myself easily falling for right along with Holland whose life was thoroughly affected when she let the irritable, scruffy looking, line cutting man into her life.
“I looked up to find my gaze caught by a pair of crystal-blue eyes set in the face of an angel. A very pissed-off angel with a scowl and long dark auburn hair.”

Even though Holland and Oliver seemed to completely opposite, she had very little growing up but was self driven and he seemingly had everything but was lost, they both had a lot in common including an emptiness that vanishes when their lives collided with one another.
“The girl had something I needed. Maybe it was chemical. That was all I could think. But whatever it was, whatever this girl had, I wanted it. It was the first certainty I’d felt in the better part of a year.”

I know I’m not giving much away. If you’ve read my reviews you know I prefer to live the full emotional effect of reading a book without knowing much in advance. But I loved how the plot unfolded even though some developments were expected. The banter between Holland and Oliver was fun, the attraction palpable and the feelings they developed for each other felt very real.

Mr. Big is a standalone contemporary romance by Delancey Stewart. Told from both points of view, with a happy ending.

The cover of a book is very important. This one says sexy guy, alpha, powerful, dirty sex, etc. The story doesn't really reflect that type of guy, a small bit maybe. Oliver and Holland have an unusual start to their relationship and a surprising connection. Oliver is prone to adult tantrums until he meets Holland and she gets him back to himself. This story has so much potential, really deep subjects and an intelligent heroine. However, I felt myself drifting away once they really started their relationship. It was slow moving, chapters based on every day stuff and then it turns serious. Oliver was a big disappointment by focusing on a big secret and never once considered how she felt about it, he was often just a big man child. I just wasn't "wowed" by the story or the characters. I received my copy from Netgalley.