Elita ₊✩ˎˊ˗'s Reviews > Act Your Age, Eve Brown

Brief summary: Eve’s parents demand that she find a job and stick with it. She manages to find a B&B that’s hiring, but unfortunately, the owner, Jacob, isn’t too fond of her and her quirks. Luckily for her, he wasn’t impressed with any of the other applicants either. After she exits the interview, he goes out to search for her and test out her skills. Great, right? WRONG!! She accidentally hits him with her car in the process. She feels guilty, so she offers to help him manage the B&B. He’s not happy about it, but he needs her. Even though they don’t particularly enjoy each other's company in the beginning, they grow on one another as they spend more time with each other.

Triggers: ableism, neglect from parents (happened in the past)

Dislikes:

I wanted the romance to be slower. I forgot the exact amount of time that passed, but I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) that it took two weeks or so for Jacob and Eve to fall in love. I’m a slow burn kind of gal, so I wish it spanned over a longer period of time. The couple was adorable regardless though, so I’m not going to bother changing the rating over this itty bitty detail.

Likes:

My baby boy, Jacob Wayne. I LOVED HIM!! SO MUCH!! Hands down one of the best heroes written in a romance book ever. No doubts about it. Here are some words to describe the love of my life: grumpy, blunt, judgmental, stubborn, a perfectionist, unintentionally hilarious, a cuddly teddy bear in human form, adorable, awkward, unreasonable, uptight (in the best way possible), a HUGE drama queen, hardworking, passionate about his profession and closed-off. That’s just naming a few. The man is so many things, most of them great.

I also loved his magnetic and enchanting lover, Eve. A few (not really) words to describe this masterpiece of a woman: entertaining, fun(ny), relatable, charming, lovable, charitable, helpful, capable, likes to please people and make them happy. Best of all: she likes romance novels (like us!!) She was an absolute joy to read about. I loved her character development. She went from viewing herself as a failure to becoming confident in herself and her abilities. As she should.

The bickering and banter! AHH IT WAS SO ADORABLE!!! I won’t even explain why it’s so good; I’ll let you see for yourself with this:

“Why on earth did you jump in? You’re injured, you clod.”
“Obviously, I came in to rescue you.”
“Rescue me? It’s a pond, Jacob.”
“And you’re a disaster. I’m surprised you didn’t slip under and crack your head open on a roach and drown on my property and send my insurance through the roof. Or something like that.”
“Oh, insurance. That’s why you jumped in to rescue me?”
“Obviously.”

The writing. Someone give this woman a Pulitzer Prize already. Her writing is so unique and engaging. It is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long, long time.

Diversity. Eve is a black, plus-size woman whose love interest has autism. That’s something I’ve never seen in a romance book before and probably won’t again, unfortunately. And her grandmother is pansexual. We need more books that normalize these things.

Every scene where Jacob was trying not to be physically attracted to Eve. At one point, he called her “hideously pretty.” BAHAHAHA HE’S SO CUTE!! Another example for y’all:

“Eve clapped her hands and did a little jump, and Jacob thanked every god he knew that the moon was currently covered by cloud, because if he’d seen that movement in any kind of light he probably would’ve noticed something awful. Like her tits. Or her thighs, in those tiny shorts he absolutely hadn’t been looking at.”

There were times where they would get so awkward around each other and it was adorable as frick.

The side characters were all gems. Every single one of them. Tess and Alex were a riot. Mont, Chloe, Dani, Lucy, Gigi and Shivani were fantastic too.

The way they can insult each other all they want, but the second someone else does it, they get pissed and defend them. For example, when Craig referred to Jacob as “Spock,” Eve publicly embarrassed the bully. Then, this ensued:

“I said it doesn’t bloody matter!” Craig barked, his face flushed red.
Jacob’s amusement drained away at that, replaced by a cold fury. “Do not,” he said quietly, “raise your voice at my employees.”

Not only were Jacob and Eve spectacular as individuals, but they were fantastic as a couple too! They complimented each other so perfectly with their grumpy-sunshine dynamic. They learned from each other and were able to grow in the short time they knew each other for. He made her more confident and got her to realize that she was indeed smart, capable and lovable — definitely not a failure, like she used to believe. She taught him how to open up to someone about his past. They even finish each other’s sentences!! How cute!! And the teasing!! UGH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CAN’T EVEN EXPRESS IT ADEQUATELY IN WORDS!! Also, their development was sooo good. They went from enemies to reluctant coworkers to friends to lovers. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the nicknames. He called her “sunshine.” That’s so adorable awww.

Last but not least, the steamy scenes. They were hilarious, yet still hot. It was the perfect balance of funny and sexy. Here’s a lil excerpt for everyone:

“Spread your legs wider.” Yes sir. She spread. “Good. Now bend your knees.”
Gosh, she didn’t think she was physically capable of disobeying the steel in his voice. As she exposed herself fully, she couldn’t help but mumble, “At this rate you’ll be able to see what I had for dinner.”
He arched an eyebrow. “That’s not how anatomy works, Eve.”
“I know—”
“And actually, what I can see is every inch of your wet little cunt, begging for it.”
“Oh,” she said faintly, collapsing under the weight of her enthusiasm. “Gosh. Okay.”

You’re welcome :)