Cover Image: Strictly Business

Strictly Business

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Strictly Business is a wonderful read. I enjoyed this one so much. Switching places, secrets and twists will suck you right in. Jesse is trying to help his newly found twin brother out with why someone would want his farm so much. Crystal is just trying to help her uncle out because he is family. Little do either of them know what will hit them once they meet on the farm. It all started with switching and lies but it grows into something more. I love the chemistry between Jesse and Crystal. I love that we get to see more than a business side of Jesse as he falls into his brother's life. I love how close Jesse and his twin brother Scott become as they find out who is behind everything and why. As everything comes out you see strong bonds grow. I for one cannot wait for more from the Switch series and Scott's book next. I Loved this one. You need to meet Jesse and Crystal today.

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🌱🚜A beanstalk tale of love and secrets💕

I enjoyed Crystal and Jesse's story. The quirky rescued animals, the secret that Jesse's twin brother Scott is trying to protect, and the instant combustion when the two leads meet: all great elements.

Ruth Cardello is an author whose romances I've sought out in recent years. Family relationships and family secrets are prime themes in these stories and Scott, Jesse's recently-discovered twin brother, has a whopper of a secret he's having trouble guarding on his farm in Rhode Island. When Jesse offers to help his twin, he finds big changes and all for the better.

The romance definitely has some steamy content but I did not think it was pervasive or overdone. And I really got a kick out of city slicker businessman Jesse's interaction with the farm animals. Plus, Crystal can dress provocatively but she's a hardcore PHD'd biochemist with a successful business: not the poor damsel in distress AT ALL!

I am looking forward to the follow-up centering on Scott. Cardello really does alpha males transformed by the love of a good woman well.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the novel; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

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Love will always win!! Jesse and Crystal have a few hiccups on their way to their HEA but it will all be worth it once they’re there. They are engaging and their chemistry is off the charts. I loved meeting Alphonse (the duck) and Molly (the miniature cow) they kept me smiling the whole time. I’m really going to enjoy reading more of this new series.

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This book was cute and fun. Jesse and Scott are identical twins and decide to do a switch for business purposes. Jesse meets Crystal. This was more of an instalove story. There were a few twists and turns. This was my first book by this author, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. There was some character growth and great steam! Overall, I’m looking forward to the next one. Huge thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

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I love when an author starts a new series, and this series was no exception! Jessie and Scott are identical twins separated at birth and adopted by two different families. Jessie by a rich one and Scott by a farmer. Someone shows Jessie a picture of Scott while laughing about how much they look alike. Jessie and Scott find that they are brothers that were separated at birth. Scott is having trouble on his farm because he is growing a special bean and someone wants to buy his farm to get to it. He’s not equipped to handle it but Jessie is since he owns his own business. They switch places for what’s supposed to be a couple of hours. What Jessie didn’t take into consideration was the beautiful woman that is sent there by her uncle to give “Scott” the proposal. Crystal has no idea why her uncle sent her when she doesn’t even work for him. Needless to say that the switch is longer than a few hours and it becomes anything other than strictly business. I love a Ruth Cardello book and this one is no exception! What a fantastic start to this new series!

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Twin brothers Jesse and Scott could not be more unalike. Yet ruthless businessman Jesse believes that he can help his newly found brother, by blocking the sale of his adoptive parents’ farm. However, Jess is taken aback when Crystal arrives to propose a business agreement between Scott and her uncle, the owner of an oil company wishing to buy the farm. To complicate matters Jess does not enlighten Crystal that he is not Scott, and yet finds himself at odds by his deception. Scott soon finds himself hoping to win Crystal over before she realises his deception
This was a light read with some interesting twists along the way. Whilst I really enjoyed Crystal’s character, finding her to be sincere, I wasn’t won over by Jesse. His arrogance and attitude was at odds with Crystal’s friendliness, and I wondered how she would find his manner attractive. I would have like to have seen more between this couple, to understand their instant attraction to each. The next book following Scott, sounds to be interesting, especially since he has swapped places with Jesse.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Montlake. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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This was not great.
The romance? Very insta-love. They met and couldn't keep their hands off each other after that. The worst was their PDA and how cringe it was. It wasn't, "Awww they're cute." It was more of so inappropriate that it felt off and made everybody, including the reader, feel uncomfortable.

Jesse as a character was not fleshed out at all. We are told about his harsh demeanour and how he is the opposite of Scott but we never see it! So pray tell, how are we supposed to react when he acts all sweet and gentle with Crystal when we don't see any other side to him throughout the story?

The plotline? What? The concept is interesting but the execution was a hot mess in the sense that there wasn't one. What on earth was the result of all of it? That last scene where everyone was together made no sense. I still don't know how they're going to manage the farm hereon out.

The brothers hardly ever talk to each other. I think they only spoke twice, once in the beginning and again at the end. Huh? Why is this story relying on side characters to deliver messages between the two brothers? Also, did they find out about each other in another book? Because good golly, the info dumping in the beginning lacked quite a bit of finesse.

The suspense? Non-existent. It was all done via rose coloured tinted glasses very Hallmark-like.

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Twin brothers who were separated by being raised by separate adoptive parents find they have developed in different directions when they find each other in maturity. One is an established businessman, and the other is a farmer who has a oil industry tycoon intent at wanting to purchase his property. As he doesn’t want to sell at any price and feels helpless, so his business twin agrees to pose as him and deal with the situation. Having lived a self-centred life his world is turned upside down when he meets the prospective buyer’s female emissary that gives rise to a lustful mutual attraction while also realising that there is some hidden secret about the farm that is causing the interest; so resulting in a love story, a mystery, business manoeuvring, family sentiments and charitable works, far from stickly business.

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Jess is pretending to be his twin Scott so that he can help save his farm. Jesse was expecting the oil company to send a beautiful woman to drop the proposal but he wasn’t expecting to have such strong feelings towards her. In between enjoying himself at the farm and his attraction towards Crystal, Jesse is in no rush to return to back to stop pretending to be Scott.
I think this was a wonderful read. I likes Jesse and Crystal and their sizzling chemistry. Trusting someone with so many secrets is not easy and I enjoyed watching them find a middle ground to be together. I enjoyed Jesses story and now I cant wait for Scott’s HEA.

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I was a little disappointed by this, the premise was a lot more exciting than what was delivered. The writing is kind of uninspired, the characters didn't really have much chemistry and felt more like cardboard cutouts than three-dimensional people in love, it was really hard to root for them. The story itself meanders up and down and it was hard work to push through, which for this genre which I read a lot of, was surprising. Having said that this was my first Ruth Cardello, and I know she is very popular so it might have just been this one book or simply not my cup of tea!

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Jesse and Scott recently find out they are twins that were adopted by different families. Jesse steps in and impersonates Scott as a developer swarns around trying to get rights for Scott's farm land. Coming to find Scott is keep secrets, Jesse fights harder for his brother even though his heart is now after Crystal, the niece sent in to deliver the offer paperwork. So much fun within this book and I can't wait to ready the next book to find out more about Scott.

I received an ARC from Netgallery and I am voluntarily providing this review.

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A quick, easy formulaic read. What's not to like? Yes, of course they fall in love in a nanosecond and there's big problems to fix, but it was so much fun.

Surprisingly, there was a lot of techy, sciency information and I won't lie and say I grasped all of it, but I did get enough to be drawn into the plot and worry about the outcomes for everyone.

I've never read a Ruth Cardello book before, but I will read another for a hit of feel good romance.

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Jesse and Scott are twins separated at birth and reconnected as adults recently. Jesse pretends to be Scott to safeguard his farm from an oil company but a love interest who thinks he is his twin causes a bit of chaos. There are a lot of secrets, but also a lot of fun interactions. There are lots of twists and complications which lead into the next in series. The story is enjoyable and the animal antics are fun.
I received an ARC of this book but voluntarily leave this review.

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This book is not for me sexual graphic details are far too much. This book is verging on porn. I don't mind reading a little bit of sexual activity but this was just far too much.
I tried to read it but was having to skip paragraphs and chapters of unnecessary graphics. I got to the point where I just did not want to pick the book up and read more.
Not only will I not finish this book I will never want to read a book by this author again. The story might have been good if not for the graphic details which could have been toned down to make the story not seem preditory.

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A very good Ruth Cardello book. Jesse finds out he is a twin and goes to his farm to help. They switch places and some of what happens is quite funny. By the end of the book, Scott still wants to remain Jesse because of a woman. Lots of things happen on Scott's farm and Jesse learns about farm animals and the neighbor LJ. The characters are always so real in her books. This one was no exception. There were lots of secrets and a hot romance that has a lot of promise.. Scott is working on something that could change the world, but he needs help to navigate buisness because he doesn't have that kind of experience. Jesse has the experience but has no clue how to live on a farm. Very good story

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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This is such a fun and fantastic book. I was hooked from page one. Loved that when Jesse finds out about his twin, he switches place to help him. But what is his twin Scott hiding in his basement? How can he resist Crystal? Laughed at how he pretends to be a farmer and impresses Crystal anyway. Loved their first date. Can they trust each other? Is she being used by her uncle? So much to keep us guessing. Loved the sense of family and how they all interact with each other, it’s very heartwarming. Will they take a leap of faith and trust each other? I loved this book so much and can’t wait for Scott’s story. I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy and I highly recommend this book.

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Well hose me down!!! This book was incredible!!! I loved the whole switching vibe (I mean who doesn’t) and the story was clever and fast paced! I could not put it down!!! Loved it

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After reading a few psychological thrillers in a row I needed something uplifting and this delightful romance novel fit the bill perfectly. I loved the main characters and their story. The leading lady is a strong, independent, intelligent character which was refreshing to have in a romantic novel.
This story is uplifting but action packed too. I liked the plot, characters, character development and the location too. I read an uncorrected proof copy of this romance novel on NetGalley and gave it 5 stars as it suited my mood perfectly when I pondered what to read next. It is the kind of reading that makes you happy, and it is easy to read. I can only recommend it to other readers and hope this novel makes them smile too like it made me!

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The main character does indeed come across as an ass with how he behaves and treats animals as he did not seem to know much or care much about them.

Like others, I did not see what the entire logic is in this lustful meeting when Jesse switches places with Scott in order to get rid of the oil rep who actually used his niece to do it for him. She appears to be ‘hot’ but she acts like a nerd so you can see how the plot from a glance sounds interesting however I found there to be no logic, not much thought was written in this as you are just left kind of confused at their first encounters for them to feel that way towards each other. It is as if the author has presumed we should already know when in reality authors need to take the reader through each step in how they got so lustful towards each other. I mean, is that not the best part, the journey of how they even became attracted to each other? Yet this novel just skips out on it which is disappointing.

I did try to enjoy this, I just can’t lie about a poorly written piece of work.

Thank you to the publishers for this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts.

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Great start to a new series from an author whose work I always love. The story flows well has a ;little bit of intrigue to keep me engaged

What happens when you suddenly discover that you have an identical twin That is what happens to Jesse and he also discovers his twin is about to lose his farm in negotiations with a oil company So Jesse steps up and switches with his brother after all he has been trained all his life in negotiations and business. Things get complicated though when things aren't what they seem with his brother and he starts to fall for the woman who is negotiating for the oil company that is owned by her uncle. Can Jesse and Crystal have a future you will have to read to see

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