This was my first book by Marni Mann, after seeing her everywhere, and I knew I needed to just jump in. I had heard that her books were spicy, but whoa buddy, it really was. Declan was a huge pig of a man. At first I was really put off by him, and the way that Hannah just got all hot and bothered by him immediately. I don't love arrogant men, but I do so love to see them break. I love office romance, and if you do too, you will be set on fire with this one. I really came around to Declan and Hannah grew on me as well, she got stronger and fought more, which I love. It was forbidden and the tension was off the charts.
The narrators really brought this one to life! You could feel the tension crackle.
Thank you to Valentine and Marni Mann for an early audio copy.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC/ALC of this title.

This is the first book that I've read from The Dalton Family series and it was book #4. Although I had no background, this could be read as a standalone. I don't think I missed out on anything by not reading the others.

If you're looking for a spicy read, this definitely has spice but the MMC (Declan) wasn't believable. The writing felt like it was trying to show how much he was "in love" with the FMC, Hannah, but he literally had no reason (or knew her for that matter) to "love" her. He was obsessed for sure. But it was all physical. Everything that he described of him being into her was just what she looked like. It didn't feel like he was even trying to establish WHY he liked her. I don't know, it didn't sit well with me.

Then it wasn't until 65%+ through that he was at his Cher in Clueless moment of "wait - i love Josh!" Where he started saying he was realizing the nice things she did for others and he liked that. But he still didn't know much about her.

I think it tried to be positioned as an "age gap" but she's in her mid-20s and he's only 32. Which nothing wrong. Nor was I looking for an age gap, but just to be aware when going into it.

I wouldn't read it again or really care about anything about their lives after. Ford Dalton has me intrigued, so maybe i'll see if there's something about him.

OMG THE SPICE. Declan Shaw, I am actually drooling. Marni outdoes herself YET AGAIN. The Dalton family keep surprising me with how INSANELY hot they are. Anxiously awaiting the next story. 10/5 spicy stars!

5 Star Review The Intern (The Dalton Family #4) by Marni Mann

AUDIO REVIEW:

Book four in The Dalton Brothers series and was a fabulous addition to the series. This is Hannah Dalton and Declan Shaw’s story. The Intern is an enemies to lovers story that ticked all the boxes for me; the characters were easy to relate to and I really liked them.

The Dalton name is well known in the legal world so when Declan turns up to be a mentor for her class, Hannah withholds her last name. From the moment they met the sparks flew and the chemistry between them is intense, making it impossible to ignore.

After a night of passion, Declan walks away and image Hannah’s shock when she arrives at the family law firm to begin her internship, only to learn that Declan is her new boss. Hannah could easily hold her own and she gave as good as she got which made for an entertaining read. The push and pull dynamic of their relationship was fun to read and I loved the journey and growth of these characters as their story progressed.

Narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Lee Samuels and they did a wonderful job with their performances. Their voices are easy to listen to and brought all the passion, drama and witty banter to life for me. They did the characters and the fabulous story that Ms. Mann wrote justice.

The Intern was well written, passionate with characters whose story you cannot help but quickly become invested in.

This book is completely filthy almost from the get-go which, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad thing in my book. However, Declan is SUCH an alphahole that it makes it hard to enjoy the filth. Does this guy really deserve hot sex in an alley with a 24 yr old? Nope.

Then the main plot begins, she is his intern at her uncles' law firm. Her uncles (cousins? idk) happen to be super close friends with Declan, and they are all former or current tomcats. Now why in the sam hill would her relatives, all super protective of her, assign her to this lech? He's a known womanizer that is f*cking law students and they're like oh yeah, let's put Hannah with him, that makes sense. Even after Declan is demanding she be removed, it makes zero sense.

The twist where she pretends she doesn't remember the dark alley f@ckfest is REALLY delicious though, and totally throws him for a loop. Watching an alphahole come unglued is really fun, this was probably my favorite part of the novel because he loses his mind.

There is a lot of crude sex in this book, not just literal sex scenes, but constant dirty talk in their POVs, especially Declan, and you really get an earful of what a douche he is. This is your king? Idgi. There is an an*l scene that features :zero prep, he just puts it right in, NO LUBE, just spit, and he's telling her 'trust me, it's gonna hurt but then feel indescribable' and SHE AGREES TO IT. This whole scene is his POV obviously because ummm no, this would be a train wreck IRL. And I mean, can he even know that it will be unbelievable pleasure for certain unless he's actually been on the receiving end of an*l sex? Maybe this was just a fantasy scene for him because I was like girl, ain't no WAY, get out of there!

Then the next scene is her POV and ironically she says "I was so excited I could hardly sit still the entire day" and you know I was guffawing.

The breakup scene was so upsetting because he was such a jerk for the entire book and then he throws it back in her face like he's the victim when he finds out she lied. Oh my god I wanted to stab him. You, sir, had sex with what you thought was a woman so blackout drunk she doesn't remember and you not only failed to tell her, you proceeded to have inappropriate bossy workplace sex for the next four months on top of it! There is zero grovel in this book, other than her begging him to forgive her, which made me sick.

I wanted so much to like this, I love dominant men, I love older heroes, but this guy is just a complete alphahole with no redeeming qualities, and Hannah unfortunately falls for him when he is just a total jerk to her. The problem with romanticizing men like this is that they rarely turn into sweet cuddlebugs like this guy did, in real life. There should be a warning label on books like this, that if a guy treats you this way IRL it's time to get your own lawyer and never speak to him again. I couldn't understand what she saw in him, other than that he was brilliant at his job, which made me feel sorry for her because that's not something to base a relationship on and you're gonna regret being with him later in life. Young and dumb syndrome. And it just seemed like he was attracted to her because she was young and hot.

I really liked the female narrator a lot, you could hear the smile in her voice, and the male narrator had a nice deep growly voice. But his vibe almost felt like reading a really dirty Dick Tracy novel, pardon the pun. I'm giving it 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️.5 because the sex was very very hot for the most part (as long as long as I could forget it was Declan) and the narrators were great.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely filthy in the best way. Appreciated listening to the audio because of the male narrator—he really brought the MC to life. Sucker for an alpha!

Holy WOW this was hot 🥵🔥 Marni’s books make you feel like you immediately need a cold shower.

Declan and Hannah? Yes. Just yes.

Office romance (boss / employee)
Slight age gap
Alpha hero
Rich rich MMC

This is such a sexy series and I swear it gets better with every book.

Sexy as sin, growly alpha male in a suit....check! Strong, intelligent female who holds her own with said alpha male...double check! Enough spice to make this a 4 alarm fire....triple check! If you like your men strong, growly control freaks who rock a suit and a strong, intelligent and independent woman that tear up the board room, office desk and anywhere else they find themselves then this is the spicy read for you! This book is part of a series and you might gain more enjoyment reading in order, but I'll confess that I haven't read them in the correct order and have still enjoyed every single word! The narration is fantastic especially our male lead as he brings the growly aspect to the forefront with his delightfully hot voice! I really can't wait to go back and listen to the few books at the beginning of this series so that I get the full entertainment value the author has woven for us!

A talented and driven young law student, Hannah Dalton, so impresses a visiting litigation mentor that they end up tangling sexually in an alley behind a campus bar after a mock trial.

Declan Shaw is the top litigator in the state and has a reputation for being a shark in the courtroom and a player outside of one. He doesn’t do feelings or long term so when Hannah reappears weeks later as his intern, apparently unaware of the incredible intercourse they shared, he reacts in full alphahole, bullying mode.

Despite Declan’s bad behaviour and Hannah’s determination to keep a level head, they fall into erotic combustion over and over again. Eventually, Declan realizes that he has fallen in love with Hannah and doesn’t deserve the awesomeness of her beauty, patience, and bright future, and manages to pull himself together.

The Intern is erotic romance, heavy and protracted on the steam, and rather thin in plot development. The reader’s enjoyment will be influenced by The Intern reaching its correct audience. I found this to be enjoyable and well written. But, ultimately it didn’t shatter any enemies-to-lovers, alphahole/bully, or workplace forbidden romance paradigms, better examples of which are found elsewhere.

The dual POV narration of the audiobook was skillful and stylishly done. A good performance overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to review the audiobook version of The Intern.

Hannah and Declan's story was steamy and quite entertaining. A litigator and the intern, their meet was steamy, and now everything is on the line for these two. They have to find a way to make it work and see if they even want to do this. So many emotions, I really liked the way t was written and I can't help but be attracted to these types of stories. The series is so good, I recommend you read them all.

This book is a little hard for me to review as I didn't care for the main characters or the lack of build up to a physical relationship. It seemed very detached and cold, and I couldn't get invested in the story. The writing style was good and the narrators did a good job, it just wasn't for me.

This was my second Marni Mann book, & so far I loved both! Declan Shaw & Hannah’s chemistry is so hot. Everything they do screams sexual tension. Double POV. Lawyers. Age Gap. A steamy enemy to lovers. Boss. Best friends cousin (forbidden fruit) Office romance. All my favs in one excellent delivery of this book.

Hannah is a lawyer student, such a mature, smart sweet & worked w Declan as professionally as she could. Declan is an alphahole that I can’t help but drool over, even though he says / does super as*holeish things, he eventually makes you melt like Hannah Nutella Brownies.

Ford & Sydney will forever hold a special place in my heart, but Declan & Hannah are next runners up!

The Intern is about Declan a lawyer who meets Hannah after being a guest speaker at her law school. There is instant attraction and they immediately have a one-night stand. The night is abruptly brought to an end. Hannah and Declan have no plans to see each other again. Lo and behold Declan is now on the partner track at Hannah's family firm and she is his Intern.

Ok, Boom - In theory, I would have loved this book however Declan wasn't my cup of tea. I love an alpha - a strong man who has feelings for his women and is bossy but lovely and takes control - Love that! This is not that! What I don't love is a Dick and Declan is a Dick - he's emotionally immature and takes it out on Hannah for a good part of this book.

He thinks he is the best at everything - there isn't a humble bone in this dude and to top it off when Hannah is put in the same impossible situation of having to work with her one-night stand -he takes his sexual frustration out on her by belittling her, telling the partners( her cousins) repeatedly he doesn't want to work with, having her work harder at his whims.

I had a hard time with him in general. I was rooting for Hannah to find someone else. eek. For me that is a bad sign - I should want the MCs together

I am sure this is someone else cup of tea, I just can't handle an MC who is a dick I don't think there was much development to make him not a dick.

I love spicy scenes in general and these were fire however sometimes the variceal when no sexual acts were happening was sexual for no reason... At one point Declan had thought - " the words were deep throating her" or something like that - but why did we need to use that word in a regular degular sentence? I was confused by this.

To wrap this up - I am sure someone would love this just wasn't for me

Love this audio book so much. I love this series from marni mann. The narrators were perfect. Definitely recommend this book!

Age gap, alpha, a whole lotta “good girl” trope going on.

Although this book is not my cup of tea, it’s well done.

A spicy age-gap, mentor, dominate alpha story. Declan Shaw is the epitome of grumpy lawyer that doesn’t do relationships. He can get any woman, any time, with no strings and that suits him just fine. Until Hannah, his new intern… and a Dalton.

Grumpy older alpha mentor, young and sweet law student. Things are steamy and they just get steamier.

I think this book is perfect for those that are into spicy books with enemy to lovers and age-gap tropes. I’d suggest reading vs audiobook, however. I think that the audiobook version just didn’t do it for me at all.

Hannah Dalton is so sweet comparatively to Declan Shaw who is tough and mean, and I am here for it! I loved the back and forth of these 2 characters and how you could always see how they were fighting their attraction. I binged this book in one day because I just could not put it down! I REALLY need to go back and read the first 2 since I started with the 3rd and 4th one!

Declan takes the title as the ALPHA. He tries hard to maintain his alpha status but has met his match with a Hannah. The first introduction is during a class followed promptly by a bar trip - where boy do things get interesting! Unknowing the two will later reconvene and find themselves working together. but it gets even hotter from there. The interaction between these two is fantastic. I love it when a woman doesn't back down and an Alpha meets his match in and out of the bedroom. Overall great book only other comment is about the ending - I wish the ending would have been crafted differently!

I’ve been extremely invested in this series and I was really excited to get to Hannah but this book didn’t do it for me. Declan is hot, sure, but he’s also an asshole and Hannah falls in love with him BEFORE he ever treats her remotely nicely or respectfully? It would be different if he was an asshole with a soft side for her but that’s doesn’t happen until way after she has fallen. She was way too easy with him and the second I thought she was finally going to stand for herself she went back to sleeping with him…
I enjoyed the other books a lot more and I’m still interested to read what seems to be Hannah’s brother story, but sadly this book was not a win in my book

Declan is one of California's most sought after litigators and he is in high demand at law firms around the state. While doing a favor to an old professor, he meets Hannah, a law student, and has an instant connection with her. While at a bar, things get heated between the two of them - I'm talking next level heat. Afterwards, Hannah goes to take a phone call with promise to come back to take the fun back to his place and when she comes back, she finds Declan gone and completely ghosted her.

Fast forward and Hannah is starting as an intern at her cousins law firm - The Dalton Group. She is being placed with the head litigator, as that is what she wants to do. What she doesn't expect is to come face to face with the one man who she loathes more than anything.

Declan recently accepted a job with The Dalton Group and doesn't expect to come face to face with the one woman who he can't keep his mind off of.

Will they be able to work together and put the past in the past? Or will this hateful relationship explode into undeniable chemistry like the first day that they met?

Declan is an alphahole FOR SURE. He's a top notch litigator and more than full of himself.

Hannah is a sweet college student working hard to gain a job at the family law firm.

Declan and Hannah meet when he volunteers at the college she attends to work with some of the students. They hook up in an alley and then go separate ways when Hannah goes to take a phone call and Declan doesn't wait around for her. FF to Hannah starting her internship at the family business and guess which brand new employee is her mentor? YOU GUESSED IT. 

I really enjoyed this one. There was a lot of personal growth and understanding without either MC changing who they really are. Hannah playing aloof to Declan was my favorite thing, poor Declan had no idea what to do with all those feelings! I also loved how everyone called him out on being into Hannah while he tried to deny it. 

This is #4 in a series but can be read as a stand-alone. I'm going to go ahead and read the rest of the series though because I'm loving the Dalton Family. I absolutely recommend this one and since it's already released no need to wait! ***Available on KU.***

#TheIntern #TheDaltonFamily #HannahAndDeclan#MarniMann #SavannahPeachwood #LeeSamuels#Alphahole #LoversToEnemiesBackToLovers#Romance #NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia#BookLover #Number15Of2023 #Audiobook #Num15of200Goal#AudiobookLover #SteamyRead #SteamyReader#SmutPlease #OfficeRomance #AgeGap #ForbiddenRomance