{"id":19403,"date":"2021-06-18T00:00:39","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T22:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/?p=19403"},"modified":"2023-06-13T17:54:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T15:54:01","slug":"give-in-to-me-elle-spencer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelesbianreview.com\/give-in-to-me-elle-spencer\/","title":{"rendered":"Give In to Me by Elle Spencer: Book Review"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>Give In to Me by Elle Spencer<\/b><\/span> is an age gap romance between a world-renowned author and a not so renowned book critic.<\/p>\n Whitney Ainsworth is not living her best life. She\u2019s still smarting from her very public divorce from one of Hollywood\u2019s hottest leading ladies, and she\u2019s licking her wounds after her third book in a very popular series, bombed. It was received so poorly it\u2019s triggered a major case of writer\u2019s block. To keep her name relevant, she\u2019s giving speeches about achieving personal and professional success at random corporate events. She feels like a fraud and isn\u2019t sure how to snap out of it.<\/p>\n Gabriela Talbot has been a book lover her entire life. She runs her own book blog where she shares reviews and her love of literature with other fans. With the right inspiration and setting, she\u2019s determined to finish her first manuscript since graduating from college and become a published author.<\/p>\n Gabriela is thrilled when she gets the opportunity to interview her all-time favorite author for her blog. She\u2019s surprised because she totally trashed Whitney Ainsworth\u2019s last book in a review that happened to go viral.<\/p>\n Whitney\u2019s agent thinks a one-night stand might help her get her writing mojo back. The perfect opportunity presents itself in the form of a pretty, young book blogger with stars in her eyes.<\/p>\n When Gabriela turns up at Whitney\u2019s hotel suite, the chemistry is intense, and they\u2019re in bed together before they know it. When they wake up the next morning, Whitney is horrified to find out Gabriela is the woman behind her most scathing book review. Even though the sex was worthy of five stars, Whitney can\u2019t get Gabriela out of the suite fast enough.<\/p>\n Gabriela can\u2019t get Whitney out of her head, so she steadfastly pursues a friendship with the brooding author. Whitney\u2019s intrigued and the more she gets to know Gabriela, the safer she feels. Gabriela helps assuage Whitney\u2019s reticence about working with her ex-wife on the movie version of her first book, and she boosts Whitney\u2019s confidence about her work.<\/p>\n When Whitney gets back to her writing, Gabriela feels cut off and insignificant. Was she just there to prop up Whitney\u2019s bruised ego and help her overcome her self-doubt? Will a complicated ex-wife, an overprotective family, a meddling agent, and artistic insecurity keep Whitney and Gabriela from finding their way to love or will they figure out a way to create their own happily ever after?<\/p>\n First of all, a book about a successful author falling for a somewhat unknown book critic was the ultimate draw for me. I\u2019m not saying I review books hoping to find my soulmate, but the premise is appealing. As always, Spencer writes great banter. It\u2019s natural. It\u2019s not so perfect where you think, \u201cNobody is that witty all the time.\u201d Her jokes always land with me. Some are subtle and some are flat out hysterical. I think Whitney and Gabriela\u2019s chemistry\u2019s great. It\u2019s complicated which is always a plus for me. They\u2019ve got the whole age gap thing going on and occasionally, Whitney can be a convincing ice queen. The story is sufficiently layered. It is more complex than – two women meet, fall in love, break up, and then make up. I so appreciate it when an author takes the time to make the romance formula feel fresh.<\/p>\n Whitney is a wonderful character, but it took me a while to warm up to her. If you find yourself feeling the same way, just stick with her. She\u2019s a keeper.<\/p>\n Being a California native, I felt very at home in this book. Spencer nails the locales, the beach vibe, and the behind-the-scenes movie drama Southern California is known for. The entire atmosphere of the book feels right which in turn helps make Whitney and Gabriela feel authentic. There\u2019s an easiness to this romance that left me content and gratified.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me buy you a drink, Whit. Please.\u201d Brie knew she\u00a0sounded desperate, but she needed to set the record straight. She needed to explain her review, or more specifically, she needed to explain that she had no part in the review taking on a life of its own. How she\u2019d been horrified when people had started using her words to dump on Whitney. And she needed Whitney to know why she had been in the bar that night.<\/p>\n Whitney turned back and shot her a glare. \u201cI\u2019m not Whit. You\u2019re not Brie. And we\u2026\u201d She waved a hand between them. \u201cAre definitely not friends. Or anything else. Got it?\u201d She turned on her heel and carried on down the long hallway.<\/p>\n The words stung. She wanted to shout something like, \u201cHey, don\u2019t be so goddamned rude,\u201d but decided to catch up to her instead. \u201cJust five minutes and then I\u2019ll leave, I swear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you keep saying that. It\u2019s a shame you didn\u2019t have more to say before you decided to seduce me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a shame your agent wasn\u2019t more forthright with me,\u201d Brie snapped back. \u201cShe could\u2019ve used words like, she wants to fuck, not talk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, would that have changed your decision? Because it sure felt like you were just as into it as I was.\u201d<\/p>\n Brie grabbed Whitney\u2019s arm and stopped. \u201cLook, we can fight this out and leave each other bloody, or we can have a civilized conversation over a glass of wine where you can admit that you didn\u2019t really want to know who I was, and I\u2019ll admit that for me, I walked in expecting to get an interview. Instead, I got more than I ever could have\u00a0imagined, and I\u2019d really like to know if there\u2019s anywhere else for us to go.\u201d She let go of her arm. \u201cSorry I grabbed you like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Brie should\u2019ve backed away to give Whitney a little bit of breathing room, but she stayed right there in her personal space. She\u2019d let go of her arm, but it would\u2019ve been so easy to take her hand and intertwine their fingers. So easy to whisper, \u201cGod, you\u2019re beautiful. Mind if I stay right here forever?\u201d She tried to hold Whitney\u2019s stare, but the need to take everything in and commit it to memory overwhelmed her. She focused on those soft, kissable lips first. Then the neck she\u2019d spent quite a bit of time on. And the jawline she\u2019d run her tongue across until she\u2019d found a sensitive ear. Given the chance, she\u2019d whisper all kinds of sweet nothings, except they\u2019d mean everything. She\u2019d apologize and compliment and of course, try to seduce.<\/p>\n Her eyes met Whitney\u2019s again, and the hard glare brought her firmly back to the present. \u201cI\u2019m already bloody,\u201d she said before she walked away.<\/p>\n Despite the fact that Whitney went into the hotel bar, Brie felt increasingly sure that they would not share a bottle of wine or anything else. Ever. Her brisk saunter, and Brie had to admit, she had a great saunter, was saying \u201cFuck the fuck right off, you fucking fucker.\u201d Or something along those lines.<\/span><\/p>\n When you use the links in this review and buy within 24 hours of clicking then we get a small commission that helps us run the site and it costs you nothing extra<\/i><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ISBN number:<\/b> 9781635559101<\/p>\n Publisher: <\/b>Bold Strokes Books<\/p>\nPros And My Favourite Parts<\/b><\/h3>\n
Cons And Heads Up<\/b><\/h3>\n
The Conclusion<\/b><\/h3>\n
Excerpt from <\/b><\/span>Give In to Me by Elle Spencer<\/b><\/h2>\n
Get It Online<\/b><\/h3>\n
\nBits and Bobs<\/b><\/h3>\n