REVIEW: The Hook by Elisa Gioia

In The Hook by Elisa Gioia, after learning that her boyfriend was cheating on her, Gioia didn’t handle the news well, and instead she used work as a distraction. Given the assignment to produce an ad for an international record company, she works effortlessly to create the perfect ad. Except when her internet falters and she finds herself failing to send her ad in on time, it seems she finds a savior in Christian; a handsome man that might just be a blessing in disguise until she learns just who he really is.

”So you have to send this email to Madame…?”
“Rottweiler,” I breathed, defeated. “That woman will devour anyone in her path. She has an iceberg for a heart.”

 

How this story opened with the prologue gripped my attention and didn’t let go, as it introduced me to the heroine and how she’s not coping all that well with the fact that her boyfriend was cheating on her. However, it was from the moment that Gioia and Christian met that made this story captivating and fast-paced, because Christian is a good guy despite the secret he’s keeping. So many questions floated through my mind such as when Gioia learned the truth how would she react to Christian’s secret? Would she ever be able to trust a man again? What happens when her ex tries to win her back?

For most of this book, I really liked Gioia. Yet, there were moments when I did get frustrated by her. How could she even consider going back to her ex-boyfriend? Despite Christian lying by omission about who he really was, why couldn’t she just give him a chance? The dialogue between Gioia and Christian made me smile and laugh whenever they bantered. He really knows how to get under the heroine’s skin and bring out a different side to her; a fun side that’s been missing since her ex betrayed her. However, I kept getting annoyed by the heroine’s indecisiveness, of whether she should give Christian a chance or not. At times, I thought she’d finally decide to take a chance and then the next she doesn’t know what she wants.

”Don’t be shocked if you end up single. Do you treat all men this way?”
“Just you, Kelly.” How did he have my number?
I could hear his smile on the other end of the line. “That’s the first time a woman has ever hung up on me.”
“You’re used to women who do whatever you say, Mr. Kelly. I’m happy to be the first and the second woman to defy you.” I hung up again, silenced the phone, and threw it in my bag.

While Christian, I was absolutely charmed by him. He’s confident, charismatic and persistent. I liked that he didn’t give up on pursuing the heroine, despite the fact that he gave her ample reason to with her indecisiveness. The nickname he gave her made me smile, because it definitely suits her due to the way she argues with him when she discovers his secret.

As for the romance, there wasn’t a lot. But there was a hot sex scene towards the end, which did great justice to this couple’s strong chemistry. However, Gioia not knowing what she wants made me feel sorry for Christian. How could she not see that he was different to her ex? He certainly proved himself with his determination to make things right.

Overall, this was a good book where some of the secondary characters I liked and others I didn’t. Doesn’t Gioia’s ex realize that no means no? That by the heroine saying no means she will never be able to trust him again, and that there’s no way she wouldn’t be reminded of his unfaithfulness if she did happen to succumb to her ex. The way Ms. Gioia wrapped up this story left me disappointed since it was a cliffhanger, and I was really hoping this couple would get a happy ending after the obstacles they faced. I would recommend The Hook by Elisa Gioia, if you enjoy stories that end in cliffhangers, or a heroine that finally manages to find Mr. Right but don’t realize until it’s too late.

Book Info:

 Published: April 26th, 2016 | Amazon Crossing |

Gioia thought she had found the love of her life. But when her punk-rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her, she’s left glued to social media for clues about what he’s up to. Devastated by what she finds, she takes solace in her ad agency job and throws herself into a project for an international record company. She struggles to make deadlines and finds herself once again at the mercy of the Internet. That’s when sexy businessman Christian comes to her rescue.

Christian is everything a girl could want—clever, charming, and handsome enough to appear in Vogue. But Gioia can’t help wondering if he has an ulterior motive. And when her ex-boyfriend reappears in her life, she begins to doubt everything. Will her heart lead her to the right decision? Or will she get caught in the hooks of these two charismatic men?