Bentley: Vested Interest #1

Bentley is the latest book by one of my favorite authors, Melanie Moreland. Always willing to read a new story by Melanie, I was beyond static to find out that I was getting not one, or two, but three new book boyfriends! And if that wasn't a reason to read this new book, Melanie upped the ante by introducing us to all three in this first book. So now I'm hooked for at least two more boyfriends! Bentley, is the leader of the men of BAM! Set in his ways, serious, stuffy even. In Melanie's own words... "He is uptight, formal, and cold. Rigid and see in his ways, always following the same path." So what can change him? Emmy! His total opposite, "spontaneous and light" . He literally "falls for her... literally". From the day he stumbles upon her and her dreaded, ever present rucksack, Bentley was enthralled by the beauty who dared to nickname him Rigid! We love Emmy from the start! She is not the damsel in distress who is looking for a hero, but Rigid can't help but to want to apply for the job. But he had his work cut out for him with this non-shrinking violet. "Oh sh*t" a horrified voice, exclaimed. "I'm sorry!" . ...I booted the shabby rucksack that tripped me, knocking it out of the way. "Hey, no need to kick my stuff!" " you don't have enough room? You have to use the floor space too? " Are you hurt? " "No." "Then stop being such an ass." You can't call me an ass. " " I think I just did. " You don't even know me" " So, once I get to know you, I can call you an ass? " I believe it was that moment when "Rigid" fell for "Freddy". As did I! By the end of the first chapter, she has us eating out of her hand with her quick wit, and demeanor. Melanie sets the tone of how their relationship will progress from the beginning, with Emmy just being herself, which is exactly what he needs." Bentley Ridge. Bentley Ridge? "Yes." " your name is Bentley Ridge. " "We've established that, Emmy. Yes" "Did your parents not like you are something?" " excuse me? " "It sounds like a swanky subdivision. Come to Bentley Ridge Estates where the living is easy!" On yes! I love this girl! !!Soon after meeting Rigid and Freddy, we have the pleasure of drooling over his friends and business partners, Aiden and Mattox, the other BAM men,and just like that, BAM! Two more boyfriends. The relationship between these three men will capture your heart. Friends since college, who are more like brothers. I coined the term "Frothers" to describe them. No family could be closer than the one between these three men! Melanie has sealed the deal on which two stories to anticipate reading in 2018!Bentley is an easy read that I couldn't put down! In fact I am starting on my second read! It is amazing, sexy, and full of lovable characters. The love story alone would be reason enough for reading the book, but the relationship between the Frothers have me waiting for more. Give me more Vested Interest! Give me more BAM! I'm waiting for you Aiden and Maddox!

Quirky gal meets uptight businessman and they rescue each other. The Pros: kept turning the pages. The leads went from cardboard to real people by the end of the book. The author's grasp of the psychology of the bad guy & the good guy was excellent. (Can't clarify w/out spoilers.) The Cons: man, that's a cliched plot. You have to be exceptional to make material like that work. I'd call the first part of the book a near miss, and the last half successful. The author has a ton of potential. Yes, I am a stingy giver of stars!

If you like a closed-off alpha man who meets his match in a snarky woman, than you will love this story. Bentley is the first in a series of books, but standalone, about 3 friends who meet in college and form a bond that lasts. Bentley is the brains behind BAM, the company he started with his friends. He was left orphaned at age 5 and raised by very decent but cold relatives. He learns the proper way to act and behave and this keeps his life very ordered and calm. Then he literally trips over Emmy or her rucksack and meets not just his match love-wise but emotional-wise, too. She is open, opinionated, independent and funny, warming his heart like he has not felt since the death of his parents. Then throw in some mystery, new loves for his best friends, danger and you have a great story.The characters are well developed and interesting to meet. The interaction not just between the 2 lovers but between the friends is great. And, as any worthwhile story, the characters grow and change and you see new dimensions to their personalities. I just loved the whole package. Look forward to the next book in the series-Aiden.Warning: some strong language and sexual situations.

This was the first book for me by this author. While I liked the story I had a few mixed emotions about it along the way.I think all women think about being the one woman to change a guys relationship ways. Bentley is the ultimate focused man, on work and work alone. His meet cute with Emmy is extremely entertaining. While Emmy is such an independent strong woman who worked extremely hard to get where she is, doesn't fall all over herself for Rigid. To read how they both learn to trust one another and build this relationship that becomes the center of each others lives. It's entertaining to get know Cami, Dee, Aiden and Maddox. A few curve balls are thrown in and bring a reality value to things. But the "disconnect" I mentioned earlier was primarily because is seemed like Bentley's action and phrases in the beginning seemed so off. But I genuinely enjoyed the book and when I get KU again I will definitely finish the series.

What I love about Melanie Moreland's writing is that she never creates fake angst! The characters are honest about their feelings and concerns and any drama comes from the surrounding storyline not the internal questionings of the main characters.Bentley is an alpha businessman, staid and uncompromising. He lives for structure and routine, until now.Emmy is a whirlwind of light and joy, spontaneous, sassy and smart, she brings out a lighter side in Bentley (and his friends) that keeps him coming back for more.Bentley and Emmy both have trust issues that make it difficult to throw themselves headlong into a relationship, but drawn to each other they seem unable to walk away from this bond that grows stronger with every meeting. I love how they want the best for each other, always looking out for the other, how little things have larger meanings.I particularly liked the friendships and watching the burgeoning relationships in this one:Bentley, Aiden and Maddox all bring different things to the friendship but always have each others back. They all have their own appeal and I personally cannot wait to read more about Aiden.The girls Emmy, Cami and Dee are like a family, always there for each other with very different personalities but all with spark.Fast paced and with a thrilling storyline I definitely recommend this one, and I cant wait for the rest of the series.

I am obviously in the minority here as I really didn’t like this book and honestly don’t get all the 5* reviews. I found it twee; predictable storyline; the writing was somewhat immature; I’ve read the same wording and phrases a million times before in other books and the dialogue from Bentley was overly flowery when he was speaking to Emmy. And then came the drama; you could see the baddie from early on and again I didn’t feel the angst; something fundamental is lacking with the story telling and I was just not invested in these characters or their situation. And when it came to the reason behind the vendetta, it was like the blame game in the school yard, seriously these are adults not 6 year olds. I struggled to finish this but having paid £2.99 I was determined to do so but when I read the confrontation scene with the baddie I could not get passed the childish dialogue and reasoning for the vendetta and gladly gave up at 87%. I will not be reading more in the series.

This is the 1st book in a new series and what an amazing beginning Bentley and Emma’s story is. Bentley is a wealthy businessman who is set in his ways and portrays himself as cold and uptight, yet when he meets graphic design student Emmy, she brings out a totally different side to him. These two may be total opposites but together they are perfect. This is a beautifully written story which is sweet, humorous, entertaining, and with suspense, which all had me completely intrigued throughout this riveting and addictive page turner. I cannot wait to read Aiden’s story next. I highly recommend this talented authors work for all readers.

Oh dear I really wanted to like this book as I absolutely loved Beneath the scars book but this one just didn’t have any depth to the characters at all I found then mushy ,weak and a bit gullible it was so obvious who the baddie was because there was no other characters it could have been as there just wasn’t any, this book felt empty and didn’t hold my interest it was one of them books where you could put down and come back to in a couple of days. That said it wasn’t terrible (I’ve read worse) and I did like Emmy a lot she was funny and smart but Bentley was suppose to be cold and hard but from day one I didn’t feel that for me he was too soft and that irritated me.Shame because I not sure if I will download book 2

In all honesty I found this book to be somewhat of a letdown which is disappointing to confess given that I am a FAN of Melanie Moreland. For me when comparing Bentley to the other leading male that is The Contract's Richard van Ryan there is NO comparison. I found Bentley's character arc to be formulaic and very predictable. Where as a reader who really suspends all disbelief when investing into a book, when I finished The Contract I was in love with RvR; Bentley - not so much. <SPOILER ALERT> The kidnapping plot was too rushed and echoing other feedback, it was clear from the outset as to who the enemy is. By the end, I found myself wanting to know more of Bentley and what makes him tick and less of the niceness in that everyone ends up together.That being said, this has not put me off MM's works entirely. I will be reading Aiden the next instalment in the trilogy and hope that there is a huge improvement.