I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for review and I am here to give my honest opinion.

This is a part of the Jackson Falls series and it definitely can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed reading the romance between Elaina and Alex. This has the been a nice romance but I will say I didn't enjoy her relationship with her father.

Careless Whispers is a nice, slow-burn romance that focuses on two smart people who gradually learn that they’re much more than who they seem to be at first blush.  Business rivals to friends to lovers is the formula, and the formula works like gangbusters.

Stone-cold tobacco and holding company heiress and businesswoman Elaina “Evil Eyes” Robidoux is cold and ruthless in the business world, but her personal life is stained by the cool and rigid way in which she has been raised.  She has fallen back into bed with Robert, the One Who Got Away, only to learn he was trying to use her for money and dumps him immediately.  Their relationship had fallen apart when they were younger after a moment of passion with another man resulted in a shotgun wedding.  A miscarriage and a divorce ensued, leaving Elaina alone and something of a scandal to her closely knit perfectionist political family, which only gets worse when her ex marries her sister and her father becomes engaged to his mistress.  So yep.  Elaina has lousy luck with men and her family.

Project director Alex Tyson has attended Elaina’s brother’s political fundraiser at the family manse as part of a business engagement, and would rather be anywhere else.  He and Elaina haven’t gotten along since she tried to fire him, and she tries it again after Alex accuses her of benefitting from nepotism and being uncaring toward her employees.  Instead, Elaina’s controlling father Grant fires her and keeps Alex on the project.  Grant continues to suggest that Alex take over Elaina’s job, but he admires and respects her too much, and has no interest in doing a job he doesn’t feel suited for.  After a heart attack and bypass surgery, he’s come to understand what he truly values in life.

Furious, Elaina decides to start up her own business, and sets about trying to achieve her goals.  She knows her father wants to get into the hemp business, and cutting him off at the knees feels like a fine form of revenge.  She spends more time with Alex in order to get things moving, and they become closer.  But Grant’s machinations and their own frailties might tear them apart for good.

One feels great sympathy for Elaina and Alex; they have both been extremely ambitious and paid the price for cutting others out of their lives in favor of business matters.  They’re never pitiable and it’s easy to root hard for their upcoming happily ever after.

Each of them has learned a different lesson from the trauma they endured. Elaina’s was to knuckle down and try harder, Alex’s to search for what makes him truly happy, and that happiness is not tied to the business world.  They have a lot in common, and their chemistry is spicy and engrossing.  My only wish is that Elaina’s alcoholism might have been explored more; the way it’s treated in the story isn’t superficial, but it could’ve used more time to bloom.

The big fly in the ointment is Grant, who is one of the worst fathers I have ever read about in romancelandia, barring those who are actually physically and sexually abusive.  He’s a controlling monster who would gladly trample his kid’s hopes and dreams for a dollar, and doesn’t care a wit that he’s hurting Elaina.  Williams does try to leaven his behavior, and after a while it’s easy to see why Elaina has familial pride coursing through her veins, but I still wanted to punch Grant on her behalf.  Elaina and her siblings do turn the tables on him, but I’m curious to see how an even bigger comeuppance might be delivered unto him in the next book in the series.

Careless Whispers is perfect for any romance lover looking for something more adult, with a twist of soapy family and business drama.  It’s romantic, grown-up and smart about its characters and how they navigate their world and manage to find love.

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This enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance is book three of Synithia Williams’ Jackson Falls series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Readers who crave a romance set among family drama and high-stakes business deals will find their perfect match in Careless Whispers.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day.

This was a great read. I featured it as Book of the Day on all my social media platforms, and I included it in my monthly roundup of news releases for my Black Fiction Addiction blog.

Good book. Engaging characters, excellent writing, great romance. However too much other (family drama) slowed down the pace of the story AND got in the way of the romance.

Still a enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Williams books.

First of all, this series has the most beautiful covers, I can’t stop staring at the forehead touch on this one! And the colors are so gorgeous and exactly how I imagine Elaina and Alex. I’ve been really looking forward to getting Elaina’s story because we’ve seen glimmers of her in the first two books of the series and it was clear that there was so much going on there. She’s been so career-driven and I wanted to know more about her and what’s been her real determination.

Jackson Falls, the series, has been just the epitome of soap opera drama and this book was no different, which is sometimes exactly what you’re in the mood for. Jackson Falls, the city, reminds me of Pine Valley in All My Children because it seems like such a hot bed of of political and corporate intrigue. But more to my interests, it’s a major source of family and romantic drama, which sometimes is exactly what I need. Elaina has always been promised her family’s company is basically her birthright so she’s been working towards it her entire life – to the detriment of everything else in her life, relationships romantic and otherwise. We’d seen her be incredibly hard to her siblings in the other books but had no clue why.

I thought that Elaina’s background and family history with her father was really well developed and helped explain so much about her character. I particularly loved the development in this book between her and India. The relationship between her and her father was extremely complicated and I didn’t quite get how it was concluded in the end – it felt that Elaina got what she wanted but I didn’t understand how her father basically just let go at the end.

Spoiler:
Elaina was successful with her own business venture – which I loved – but then she also got her family’s company so I was confused at what that meant for her venture. I just wanted a brief note there about that to make me content
I did love Alex and Elaina’s relationship so much, it was steamy and felt like there was a reasonable (and hot!) amount of push and pull between the two. I loved that Alex allowed Elaina to be who she needed to be, but also allowed her to be soft, in her own way. Their relationship is what I loved about the book and this part of it was great for me. However in the previous books, and this one, Elaina has a drinking problem. It’s mentioned multiple times and she talks about how she knows when to stop but also that she knows she has a problem…

Spoiler:
But she never gets help. No one ever mentions to her that she should get help. At the end she mentions she has a therapist briefly but we don’t know for what. This was my main issue with the book that I couldn’t not think about – I just wish that it was mentioned that she was at least not drinking anymore. It felt odd to me that her drinking was mentioned so much but then never dealt with.
love the romance so much and felt like that part was great and that was what I was here for and was incredibly satisfied with that part. I just wanted a bit more on the other details.

CW: manipulative parents, alcohol abuse

Grade: B+

Carless Whispers by Cynthia Williams was great! Watch two prickly, suspicious, stubborn, desperate-to-be-loved people edge their way past each other's defenses and find the love of a lifetime despite themselves. A truly enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book. This was my first read from this author. I felt the characters were well developed and the plot was really good and detailed. The family drama and the steamy love making was intense. The author did a great job with the climax of the story and did an excellent job with the heroine. The main character was a beast but she was aware of her flaws and owned them. I love that the strength of women was evident. The book was tastefully crafted. I so loved it.

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a Synithia Williams fan, and I'm really enjoying the Jackson Falls series. This latest installment is stoking the fire. Absolutely loved Careless Whispers. Well written, great pacing, and a storyline that is engaging. I love when a character is perceived as cold-hearted and ruthless, mostly because I don't *need* to like a character in a novel, I just have to understand the motivation. I also love when I can root for someone and Elaina was someone I rooted for. I wanted her to win... and to get the guy. Also love the idea of falling in love with the man that took your job- enemies to lovers tale to sink your teeth into. This was a great read, and I'm already ready to pre-order the next book in the series. From the snippet we got at the end of Careless Whispers, it's going to be a BANGER.

Careless Whispers is a book about love, redemption, forgiveness, self love, and taking a chance. Elaina and Alex are opposites, yet similar. Elaina is a no nonsense woman and Alex is a little more relaxed. Overtime, the harsh the words become soft words and a a friendship is formed. Will Elaina allow Alex is to become more than her friend or continue with a friendship. This was a slow read for me. It took a while to pick up, but was a nice read.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance

This is Elaina’s story and I was very anxious to read it. She seems so cold in the previous books. She is anything but that. She has had to show a ruthlessness about her in the hopes that she will gain her dad’s approval. Let me just say that there is a special place in hell for parents who are like her father.

Alex is just trying to take it a little easy and work on something he’s passionate about. What he isn’t expecting is to be thrust into the middle of a family feud that he wants absolutely no part of.

Alex is able to see past Elaina’s hard crust. He sees how much she cares and how hard she works. I found it incredibly sad and frustrating that her family members were all so cold towards her. Nobody truly knew what she put up with, went through, and nobody cared to ask. I was so mad at everyone in this story except for Elaina.

I could write a novel just on how her family members made me feel, they were so horrible. But the redeeming person in Elaina’s life – herself! She knew how she had been groomed, knew that she was hard on the outside and accepted it all. She liked herself for who she was and didn’t want to become someone she knew to be fake.

Elaina was so strong throughout the story that she made everyone else pale in compassion in terms of their character.

I really enjoyed Elaina’s story, despite her family. I think you’ll see that she’s so much more than she’s portrayed in previous books.

I've been mulling over what to say about this book since I finished it yesterday because I really love Synithia Williams' brilliant writing and engaging characters, but I felt like this book was really bogged down by the familial drama that usually contributes to my love of this series.

Elaina is the oldest daughter, she is the one for whom control of the family business has always been the most appealing and something she has strived to be good at, and she is also cold as a sort of protective mechanism. Alex, her love interest, is the head of Research and Development and he is fed up with Elaina's stone-walling of him and his projects. The two of them butt heads frequently, but when Alex sees Elaina in a weak moment, he finds himself softening against her. Meanwhile, Grant, Elaina's father, is trying to undermine her at every turn. India, her sister who is now married to her ex-husband, doesn't actually understand Elaina at all and says some things that feel harsh but true. And then there are Zoe and Byron, her sister-in-law and brother whom she loves dearly. Plus her niece. So we have a large cast of characters even before you add in Alex's family who also play a key role in this book.

The large cast doesn't really bother me because I feel like Williams manages her cast well. What does bother me is that the way that Grant's actions and Alex's secret keeping (even with the best of intentions) play out doesn't leave me entirely convinced of the happy ending. Elaina has a troubling relationship with alcohol and it's very clear that she needs some therapy beyond what she mentions having had in the past. I felt like her family should have sort of stepped in at some point, despite her pointed words, which are so clearly defense mechanisms. All in all, I wound up so frustrated with the familial aspect of this book that my enjoyment of the romance just started to really pale in comparison.

If you are less sensitive to family members being awful then I absolutely believe you will enjoy this book, especially if you've liked the others. And the thing is, I did enjoy this book! Up until the end, I really liked Alex and Elaina together. I liked that Alex seemed to really see and understand Elaina. I loved seeing the softer side of Elaina and her trying to be brave and go for something absolutely terrifying to her. I loved that Alex was supportive and understanding of that and was willing to be patient. But I think Elaina was always the more vulnerable one in the relationship, which made the way the third act conflict was handled just really rub me the wrong way. So, a bit of a mixed bag, but I'm so glad this series isn't over!

CARELESS WHISPERS by best-selling author Synithia Williams is an amazing and fantastic book. This is the 4th book in her popular Jackson Falls Series. She definitely brings the drama in this book. The cover of the book is gorgeous and I was hooked after the very 1st chapter. I would suggest reading the previous books in the series so that you will be familiar with the characters. The previous books are FORBIDDEN PROMISES, THE PROMISE OF A KISS and SCANDALOUS SECRETS.

CARELESS WHISPERS tells the romance story of Elaina Robidoux and Alex Tyson. Elaina is the oldest of her siblings and she works for the family business, Robidoux Holdings. Elaina feels that she has to live up to the image that her mom distilled in her where love and business is concerned. Alex also works for Robidoux Holdings in the R & D department. Alex had made a major move to Jackson Falls due to a health issue and he vowed to live a stress-free life and live closer to his family. Elaina and Alex mix like oil and water because of the way she treats the employees that are under her leadership. Alex tells Elaina off and her father overheads her and promptly fires her and makes Alex acting CEO until he finds someone permanent. Alex is attracted to Elaina and wants to pursue her. Will Elaina pursue a relationship with Alex? Will Elaina get a chance to run the company again? Will Elaina learn to love and let go of the hurt? Will the pair get their happy-ever-after? You will have to read CARELESS WHISPERS to find out!

What I loved about this book is the drama and the family dynamics. I love how Elaina is a strong woman and she never gives up when things get tough. I also love how Alex shows Elaina how much he cares. CARELESS WHISPERS is well-written, and the storyline flows seamlessly. I absolutely love Lilah because she brings out Elaina’s soft side. The love scenes are hot and spicy. CARELESS WHISPERS has a lot of drama which I love. It kept me on the edge of my seat! I can read this book and series over and over again.

Make sure to grab your copy of CARELESS WHISPERS by Synithia Williams.

We've been waiting on Elaina's story for a long while. She has had a tough road when it comes to love. Her ex husband is now married to her younger sister, and all she has these days is her work. So when her father fires her, and hires Alex, her arch nemesis, she doesn't know how to handle life. She doesn't let it get her down though. She uses all of that ambition to work towards her own business. She is a heroine that some may find hard to love, but I love her for it.
The last thing Alex wanted to do was interfere with a family legacy. He knows more about that than most. He finds himself continually drawn to her, and can't help himself. One kiss sends them both on a chain of events that feel like fate. Alex is the perfect counterpart to Elaina, because he sees her soft side, and wants to take care of that, and be the person she relies on.
This book was everything I wanted it to be.

Tired of being trapped under her father's thumb, Elaina starts her own business. When her newest supplier turns out to have ties to her nemesis, Alex, she doesn't flinch. She's learned how to separate her emotions from her business decisions. The more she sees Alex outside of work, the more undeniable the attraction is between them. But when her father tries to use Alex to undermine her, will her family drama tear them apart?

This book engrossed me from start to finish. The story never dragged, even though it strongly focused on the character development. I couldn't help feeling for Elaina, and the way her father kept gaslighting her. It was wonderful to see Alex stand up for her, when even her siblings didn't have her back (they're clearly just as damaged by her father's manipulations as she is). This was an excellent portrayal of a dysfunctional family, and I was rooting for Elaina to escape and grow into her own person.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Careless Whispers is the third in the Jackson Falls series. It can work as a stand-alone, however there is some drama and character backstory from the first book that influences this one, so I think it would be a good idea to read that one first.

I had mixed feelings about Elaina going in. I like a complicated heroine, but I also didn’t know how I’d feel after having seen her through India and Travis’ perspective first. However, that ended up only enriching my experience, as she’s wonderfully complex and layered, always wanted her father’s respect but has made some mistakes that have led him to undervalue her. To have someone she actively dislikes be given the position she wants is yet another slap in the face, as she can’t seem to succeed in either her professional or personal life, and I felt for her, while rooting for her to succeed. That her siblings actually do have a lot of respect for her and they end up being the ones to help her when their father is determined to cut her down yet again is incredibly rewarding.

I really liked Alex, especially as he never saw Elaina in the same adversarial light she did him. He seems able to manage these complicated people, from placating Grant Robidoux to challenging Elaina both personally and professionally. He is the sort of balance she needs, being supportive, yet also having goals of his own.

As a final note, given my disappointment with the way the politics unfolded in Byron’s book, I did like seeing that he did end up becoming mayor in Jackson Falls. However, that does only continue to illustrate the issues I broached in that review, and present the reality in action that red states can have blue communities, and not commenting on the deeper implications of his senatorial loss vs. his local win still feels a bit in bad taste.

I liked this book overall, and this is the strongest in terms of the character development and romantic arc. If you’re looking for a soapy, dramatic romance, I think you’ll like this.

Elaina Robidoux is the oldest sister of her siblings Byron and India, who has always been the one to make sure everything is run to perfection from the Robidoux company business to family events and problem solving. Elaina always followed the advice her mother would give her growing up and she always fought hard to show her ruthless father Grant Robidoux that she can run the family business he always promised her. She never bothered to try to have a love life because a forced marriage by her father to her father’s mentee bad boy Travis when Elaina got pregnant by him. Now she had reconnected with another past love Robert who she has been secretly meeting for months when he would come to Raleigh trying to get investors for a hair product store he wants to open. She was hoping he was the one she can finally find love with until he asks her to invest in his startup business and when she refuses Robert should his true colors that he really wasn’t into Elaina.
Now Elaina is hurt and angry after she receive a text message while at work from Robert that was meant for another woman. She is furious so she brushes off Alex Tyson a Robidoux Holding Company executive who she has a not so good work relationship with and they have a combative conversation that Elaina’s father Grant overhears and fires Elaina on the spot from the company.
Elaina now has no job, is on the outs with her father, she refuses to go back and live on the family estate, her two siblings and their spouses walk on eggs shells when she is around, she feel love for her with a man is never going to happen with the marriage, children and happiness.
Alex Tyson feels bad because he feels the things he said to Elaina which her father overheard caused her to lose her job. So now he is trying to make things better by helping Elaina to start her own company where his father Thomas hemp farm can be a supplier for her.
I love this storyline of Elaina and all she has been through from a child, plus being the oldest she was made to feel responsible for her siblings and the family business. Always trying to live up to her father’s and mother’s expectations and not fail. She kept a lot of things bottle up inside and always showed a hard shell on the outside. Can Alex break the barriers that Elaina has and show her that she can find love and still be a business owner at the same time? You will have to read this storyline to find out.
This was a page-turner for me and when the book ended it left me wanting to know more.
I highly recommend this book to read and if you have not read the other books in the Jackson Fall series to read those too. The books can be read as stand-alones.
Cassandra H.
I voluntarily received a ARC from Netgalley and this review is of my own honest opinion and thoughts.

This series is definitely one of my favorites. I have been waiting for Elaina's HEA and it is finally here!

Elaina is smart, strong, and a bit hard to love. She doesn't realize that her directness can come across as prickly and rude. She works hard for what she wants and doesn't care who gets in her way.

Elaina is the CEO of the family business and is threatened by Alex, who has joined their business in R&D. Despite Elaina's prior firing of Alex, and her father's rehiring, Alex has no intentions for going after her job, though Elaina allows him to get under her skin.

A bumpy road is ahead for Elaina as she breaks out on her own to start a new business venture. Undeterred by her father's attempted interference, Elaina is forced to think outside the box to ensure her future success.

Alex can't deny his attraction to Elaina and their relationship may be just what Elaina needs to figure out what it is she really wants.

Thank you to Netgalley, Synithia Williams, and HQN books for an advanced copy of this book.

Elaina's journey of the heart is not to be missed!

I absolutely adore reading about strong women who are hard to love. Elaina's been groomed from the very beginning to fail at matters of the heart, being raised by a mother who instilled in her a drive to succeed without ever letting emotions get in the way and a father who manipulates her in every way possible, at every opportunity. Seeing her finally come into her own after getting to know her in the earlier two books makes this one unforgettable story that fulfilled all my hopes and dreams for her.

After her sham of a marriage crumbled into dust only to have her ex-husband and younger sister find their HEA together, Elaina is beyond cynical and more than a little jaded. Alex challenges her on every level, but he also demonstrates that he respects her and supports her even when he's standing up to her. He's the perfect balance for her, strong yet patient, determined yet flexible. When he inadvertently gets her fired, he doubles down on his support and makes sure she has the emotional strength to stand up to her father once and for all.

Alex is his own man, restarting his life with a different set of goals, but he's just as driven and focused as before. I loved the way he was with Elaina, and the way he managed Grant. There was just enough drama with him supporting his parents while being caught in the middle between Elaina's new venture and Grant's established business.

The HEA and resolution was simply brilliant, demonstrating the resiliency of the Robidoux family while paving the way for the next generation to succeed in spite of Grant's machinations. This is a standalone romance between Alex and Elaina, but it very nicely wraps up the interpersonal relationships between all three siblings and their partners so those who have read India's and Byron's stories will be more familiar with the family's history. I love everything about this series, and am looking forward to reading more from this author. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.