The Mastermind by Nadia Han
He thrives in the dark until she sparks his flame, igniting his new purpose.
Magnetic, brilliant, and achingly stunning, Remington Starke is a dangerous man with a vision, a mission, and a threatening past that haunts him. That alone should keep him away from the only woman who has ever made him feel anything.
Creative, cautious, and canny, Audri Wu is imprisoned by a guilt that torments her soul. Despite the darkness, she sees the rainbow in the rain and the spark that lies beyond the hardened façade of a man who has a reputation for shattering hearts.
Her boss.
Her protector.
Her brother’s best friend.
Water to her fire.
As their romance begins, that past catches fire and burns away the lies, revealing deadly secrets that could destroy them both.
- File Name:the-mastermind-by-nadia-han.epub
- Original Title:The Mastermind : A Brother's Best Friend Romance (WaterFyre Rising Book 1)
- Creator:Nadia Han
- Language:en
- Identifier:MOBI-ASIN:B09VZK288Z
- Publisher:Prose & Concepts LLC
- Date:2022-06-08T16:00:00+00:00
- File Size:556.224 KB
Table of Content
- 1. Title Page
- 2. Dedication
- 3. Copyright
- 4. Contents
- 5. Notes
- 6. Prologue
- 7. Chapter 1 – Audri
- 8. Chapter 2 – Remington
- 9. Chapter 3 – Audri
- 10. Chapter 4 – Remington
- 11. Chapter 5 – Audri
- 12. Chapter 6 – Remington
- 13. Chapter 7 – Audri
- 14. Chapter 8 – Audri
- 15. Chapter 9 – Remington
- 16. Chapter 10 – Remington
- 17. Chapter 11 – Audri
- 18. Chapter 12 – Remington
- 19. Chapter 13 – Audri
- 20. Chapter 14 – Remington
- 21. Chapter 15 – Audri
- 22. Chapter 16 – Audri
- 23. Chapter 17 – Remington
- 24. Chapter 18 – Audri
- 25. Chapter 19 – Remington
- 26. Chapter 20 – Remington
- 27. Chapter 21 – Audri
- 28. Chapter 22 – Remington
- 29. Chapter 23 – Audri
- 30. Chapter 24 – Remington
- 31. Chapter 25 – Audri
- 32. Chapter 26 – Remington
- 33. Chapter 27 – Remington
- 34. Chapter 28 – Audri
- 35. Chapter 29 – Remington
- 36. Chapter 30 – Audri
- 37. Chapter 31 – Remington
- 38. Chapter 32 – Audri
- 39. Chapter 33 – Remington
- 40. Chapter 34 – Remington
- 41. Chapter 35 – Audri
- 42. Chapter 36 – Audri
- 43. Chapter 37 – Remington
- 44. Chapter 38 – Remington
- 45. Chapter 39 – Audri
- 46. Chapter 40 – Remington
- 47. Chapter 41 – Audri
- 48. Chapter 42 – Remington
- 49. Chapter 43 – Audri
- 50. Chapter 44 – Remington
- 51. Chapter 45 – Remington
- 52. Chapter 46 – Audri
- 53. Chapter 47 – Remington
- 54. Chapter 48 – Audri
- 55. Chapter 49 – Remington
- 56. Chapter 50 – Audri
- 57. Chapter 51 – Audri
- 58. Chapter 52 – Remington
- 59. Chapter 53 – Remington
- 60. Chapter 54 – Audri
- 61. Chapter 55 – Remington
- 62. Chapter 56 – Audri
- 63. Chapter 57 – Remington
- 64. Chapter 58 – Audri
- 65. Epilogue
- 66. Acknowledgments
- 67. About the Author
The Mastermind, Book 1 of the WaterFyre Rising series, was about 30-year-old Remington "Remi" Starke, the owner and CEO of Starke Global, and 28-year-old Audri Wu, the marketing director for Lafayette Marketing.
When he was just 15, Remington and his friends were witnesses to a crime that they kept to themselves, never knowing if it would come back to bite them in the A$$. While they were seen leaving the area where it took place, they were only warned to keep their trap shut or worse things could happen to them or their loved ones. None of them talked. Aubri, on the other hand, had survived a fire that took the life of her beloved father and her adorable kitten. This left her dealing with guilt and PTSD as she grew up.
Fifteen years later, Remington was a billionaire playboy who bought, reconstructed and sold other businesses. (He and his friends were also creating a game they had begun as teenagers.) One of those businesses happened to be the one where Audri worked as the marketing director. But once he was the new owner, he didn't follow his usual pattern of selling off the company.
The relationship between Remi and Audri was a slow burn, almost to the point of being boring. They did the usual push/pull between them, but finally found a firm footing that worked for both of them. There were the usual OW-wannabes that got in the way for a brief time, and then there were those who planted seeds of doubt to create havoc for them as well.
This story dragged quite a bit due to a lot of inner monologues and flashing back to things from the past for each of them. There was also the fact that the story had more than the usual amount of secondary characters, some of which popped into a scene and then vanished again, never to be seen or heard from again. That was quite distracting. The angst and drama kept going from "red alert" to almost nothing, and the emotional rollercoaster changed from dull to way over the top.
Both main characters were fully developed and mature, but they were more aloof than they needed to be. The communication between them fluctuated from decent to non-existent throughout the story. Several secondary characters from upcoming books in the series made a brief appearance, only to disappear again.
I had been looking forward to reading this book for so long that I think I may have overestimated its ability to hold my attention. First was the fact that the book was 58 chapters long. But the worst part was that it could have been much shorter had the author not used each chapter as an information dump. With every word and/or sentence that was repeated, there were even more words and sentences that were mind-boggling and detracted from the storyline. There was too much introspection that, to be honest, made the storyline fall flat off its axis. I lost count of how many times the author inserted the plans, blueprints, logistics, and ideas for the game Remi was designing with his friends. As the reader of a romance novel, my interest wasn't in finding out anything about the game. I wanted to read more about the relationship between Remi and Audri. But they were rarely together, and when they were, you never knew what would happen.
The plot had so many twists that it felt like it branched off into multiple dead ends. When the reader thought the story was going one way, it jerked around a major curve and went somewhere else altogether, creating havoc and confusion. There were too many things happening at any given time that caused an irregular flow of the storyline, so it wasn't a smooth read.
I only gave this book a three-star rating because of how the flow of the storyline was constantly interrupted. Here's hoping that the other books in the series fare better.
LOVED this book!!! Swoon worthy!!