Member Reviews
"Finding Sky" by Cass Sellars is a touching and heartfelt read that navigates the complexities of love and self-discovery, leaving you with a warm feeling.
I like the main characters - they were both multi-faceted and had great chemistry. I was especially taken aback by Skylar's backstory and how well the author had depicted such a difficult story. The build up between the two leads was well written and the embezzlement reveal at the end was very interesting. I did have some issues though - I found Jess's actions very unrealistic for a CEO (there's no way you take your new employee to a bar and launch into very personal conversations within days of meeting them in real life), and found her persistence inappropriate and bordering on harassment. I'm not sure I'm okay with how she refused to take no for an answer at several points throughout the book. Having said that, the main characters were cute together and the writing was engaging.
A strong three stars.
Skylar and Jess were intriguing. As much as they were both unavailable for their own individual reasons, they just seemed to work. A little bit of background mystery gave the book a bit more weight.
Would've been great if all players had a bit more weight and this was fleshed out more but overall I think the bones were strong.
I think this is my first time reading for this author. I liked the writing and the story as well as J character, Shy wan an ok. I honestly read the first few chapters with no issue then I got further and there, I started to skip some parts.
Its good romance overall.
Jess Evans is an entrepreneur running a successful family business. She is a dynamic leader and is well loved by her employees. The company has been having some losses, and Jess is trying to find the reason. Skylar Addison has been hired as the new financial manager. She feels this position is one which will make a name for herself. Intelligent, driven, and tenacious are adjectives that describe her approach to work.
Although there are sparks between the women, Skylar does not feel an office romance is something she wants. Jess, on the other hand, knows early on in their relationship that Skylar is the “one” for her.
This is a simple romantic plot without much angst. The financial investigation was not very complicated and the plot was a little slow. I liked both of the characters and felt Ms. Sellars developed them well.
I rate this romance as 3.5 out of 5 stars. This is a good book but does not compare to her excellent “Lightning” series. I look forward to her next book.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
So I love the cover of this book, it really sets the mood, very well done.
Skylar starts a new job as finance manager at Ivan Associates where her predecessor made a real mess of the finances. The CEO of the company is Jess, she has a reputation as womanizer, but she is a serial monogamist. Jess is in a casual adult relationship with Witney. Witney seems in it just because Jess is the CEO and happens to be hot as well. Witney is super clingy and annoying. Jess doesn’t really have feelings for her, no butterflies and she starts to think she might need to settle for it. Until she can’t stop thinking about Sky. Sky is jaded by her past and has some trust issues, but she lets Jess in. They connect and are willing to try to overcome all the complications of a employer-employee relationship, until something happens. The frail trust Sky has gets broken, will they ever get back from it? All the while they have to keep working together. Sky has found suspicious invoices and she discovers some disturbing things about them. This might just be the thing to bring them together again.
I liked the description of the meetings on the floor, the view from Jess’s balcony and the mood settings. Just like the cover they made me feel like I was there. I loved it.
Jess Ivan is a successful entrepreneur, and her life seemingly couldn't be better. But when Skylar comes to work at Jess's company, she discovers a fraud scheme that rocks Jess's world. The two women grow closer as they work to uncover the truth and fight to save Jess's business.
Contrary to what the summary made me think, the focus on the book was really the romance side of things, which was a really sweet little slow burn. The whole fraud side of things was interesting as a catalyst for our two leading ladies, but I think it was resolved a little too easily in the end. I really enjoyed both Skyla and Jess as characters, particularly the evolution of their characters. I really liked the way they were both very sure of themselves and they knew what they wanted.
I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What a sexy enjoyable read! It is so easy to fall into this world and feel invested in every character of this story. The pace was spot on and the backstory was just sublime.
I couldn't connect to this book, the cheating aspect was offputting and I couldn't finish it.
It was written well, and characters were encouraged, but this book was not for me.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley and all opinions are my own.
Luanna
3.5 stars - Finding Sky is a typical office romance between two highly likable characters.
Starting Finding Sky, I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little hesitant, but the chemistry between Jess and Sky instantly pulled me into the story.
Jess Ivan is the CEO of the company she inherited from her father. Skylar is hired as the new accountant manager. Going through the numbers, Sky discovers discrepancies and starts digging into it with Jess’ help.
I want to say that the synopsis isn’t quite accurate. I was looking forward to the corporate investigation/amateur sleuthing part of the story I was promised on the BSB website, but it only really happens at the 75% mark and it is resolved pretty quickly in a very predictable way. Disappointing.
Finding Sky was my first book by Cass Sellar and I would definitely read more of her work in the future. The pacing of this novel was good and so was the writing as a whole. The general plot of the book isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but that isn’t negative in itself. However, I think the execution could’ve been stronger had the characters been a little bit more believable.
Jess is a CEO in her 40s, but she acts like a 17 year-old with a school crush. Don’t get me wrong, I love that she’s not your typical ice queen boss lady, but you’d think she’d at least think twice before inviting her new employee out to a bar on the first day they work together...
As for Sky, I pretty much figured out her backstory before it was revealed. For someone who doesn’t trust easily, I thought she’d be more guarded and reluctant to start a relationship with her boss. Sky actually reminded me of Emma Swan quite a bit and it’s no wonder I liked her so much as a character.
If you like these tropes: office romance, boss/employee, rich girl/poor girl, you’ll probably really enjoy this book :)
Thanks to Bold Strokes Books for providing me with a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
Jess is a high powered exec who is great at running her father's company. Gorgeous, well to do and intelligent.
Skylar is a brilliant bean counter aka accounting manager. Skylar lands her dream job at Jess's company.
Something us wrong with the numbers though - how is the company bleeding money?
Jess and Skylar fight their attraction as they navigate business and trust issues.
Finding Sky is a fantastic love story with a nice touch of mystery thrown in for good measure. Skylar is the new finance officer at Jess Ivan's company. The last person in the position had been a real flop and Skylar is a refreshing change of pace. She has a strong work ethic, but there is something in her past that Jess can't quite figure out. The two share a chemistry with each other which is initially discarded since getting involved in a boss/employee relationship would not be a good thing for either of them. But the more they work together, the more they draw closer to each other.
I loved the added mysteries of Skylar's past as well as what she finds while going back through the company records. While a good bit of it can be guessed by the reader, it is still a very enjoyable trip to the end. I loved the character development, especially some of the side characters like Yolanda. The author helps you get to know them and to care about them, which ultimately makes you want Jess and Skylar to get together.
I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
This book has a lot of awesome things in it. Age-gap, forbidden tones of office romance, plus accounting done sexy. I have so much respect for anyone who can make financial data interesting, and it was! Jess made me drool, I won’t lie. I love a strong butch character who isn’t afraid to let her feelings show. Skyler is a bit of a manic pixie girl, but when the chips are down, she is able to stand strong and defend herself.
I loved the tension between Skyler and Jess. They had some truly sweet moments in between the tension, with Jess being the perfect gentle-butch and helping Skyler with her move and taking her out even though she believes there is nothing between them. This is aggravated by the fact that Jess is currently in a relationship. However, the chemistry they have is undeniable and I was fervently cheering them on from the sidelines. I think Jess and Skyler complete each other. Both of them are broken in different ways, but together they provide deep insight and confidence they have something someone else needs.
The one sour note in this sweet symphony of healing and redemption is Whitney. I wished a few scenes were FTB. I did not want to be present for those.
Having said that, this novel really made me think about things like triggers and empathy, the importance of a safety net and how we are all but one step away from treading water after our boat vanishes. Sellers touched on some tough topics, but does it in a respectful and sympathetic way.
I received an ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: four stars
This could've been a 5 star read! It had everything i liked in a book! Age-gap, a Successful and Strong CEO, an office romance, and 2 very likable characters! The first quarter of the book led me to believe that this would be the great read that i thought it would turn out to be! i was stuck to the book, was very engaged actually and then small details started irritating me!
Jess could've been your favorite CEO and actually i could've easily had a huge crush on her (being a corporate slave and all). But then i started thinking of my own CEO and damn that is DEF not how a CEO acts! Those small tiny details really bothered me unfortunately! (I dont want to have spoilers here but a CEO does not take a new hire for drinks and spills her guts for ex.. Also, a CEO does not disappear from the face of the earth for some time just because she has a fight with her potential GF).
That is why i find it so hard to rate this book because i actually really liked the plot. I liked both characters like i said and i was totally rooting for them because i felt the connection.
This is my first read by this author and i have to admit Cass Sellars is a talented writer. I liked the story of the Ex Girlfriend a lot and i liked the character itself and how it added to the overall plot.
Overall i recommend this book, and i will be reading more of this author.
My rating is a 3.25 and i received this ARC for an honest review.
4/5
This book was surprisingly engaging and romantic. I say surprisingly because based on the summary I was expecting a very different story. To me the story was more about the journey of Jess and Skylar getting to know each other and sharing their past and fears and overcoming them than about the business fraud. Which completely work in this case. Sure the fraud plot was happening in the background and had a resolution but it was not the main theme.
This story was refreshing and touched on many topics that are of great importance. I enjoyed how their love for each other developed and it was very engaging (read it all in one seating).
I will definitely recommend this book to friends.
This ARC was provided by Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley for an honest review
Whenever I read a Cass Sellars book, I am always looking for a lot of emotion, paired with an enjoyable mystery that makes the feelings felt by the leads just that bit more enjoyable. This one has some really great leads, and a hot and heavy romance that was allowed to brew before boiling over. What was a little disappointing was that the mystery that was mentioned in the blurb was virtually non existent until the very end.
Jess Ivan is a charismatic CEO of a San Francisco Real Estate company who's known to be a bit of a player despite her philanthropic work. Skylar Addison is a tough, self-taught financial officer who was recently hired by Jess's company. Skylar has always been an admirer of Jess because of her work, so when they meet for the first time, there's an immediate connection there. I love that Jess is a complicated person who is a little too much of an idealist so much of the things that Jess does she doesn't think about the consequences before she does something even if she is coming from the right place. There's a great sequence that highlights this, and is probably my favorite part of the book. She does something stupid, and even though her friends know it was coming from a desire to make sure Skylar is happy, it comes back to bite her when Skylar finds out. It's a classic set up but it ends up being such a great pay off. This is also due to Skylar being such a great character in her own right, that you could see that her reaction would not be good to say the least.
If anything I was a little disappointed with the financial crimes plot. Even though Sky was obviously on to something - she kept bringing it up to Jess during their-finding-excuses-to-be-alone-together-without-realizing- it - meetings, it didn't have a lot of weight to it. Jess and Sky are both people who pride themselves on their integrity, so that a years' long scheme should carry more emotional weight to it, I think. It was still fun watching Sky and Jess puzzle it out, but until just the end, it only felt like an interesting puzzle, and not something more personal.
I could be way off the mark there with my interpretation, but this is still a fine book, and may be worth a re-read to see just how many bread crumbs I may have missed. If you're a fan of hot and dramatic office romances, this is for you. Just don't expect much on the intrigue front.
I think this is my first time reading for this author. I liked the writing and the story as well as J character, Shy wan an ok. I honestly read the first few chapters with no issue then I got further and there, I started to skip some parts.
Its good romance overall.
I have read several Cass Sellars books. What I have enjoyed is that they are to some extent different because of the main characters. The reads are different because there is usually one if not two unique characters. In this read, it is Skylar Addison from how she dresses and how she acts. Skylar is likable and interesting. She just wants to keep her head down and do good work. But what she really wants is to connect with somebody. Then there is Jess Ivan. Jess inherited her father's company and works hard to keep it going strong. I thought the interaction between Jess and Skylar was very appealing. I enjoyed how they challenge, encourage, and support each other. In general, it is a good story and read.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45483655-finding-sky" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Finding Sky" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557146716l/45483655._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45483655-finding-sky">Finding Sky</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15515426.Cass_Sellars">Cass Sellars</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3008361662">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A sweet work-place romance featuring Jess (company owner) and Skylar/Sky (accountant). The chemistry between the main characters was believable and the storyline flowed nicely then Ms. Sellars surprised me with a deft twist in her plot. Easily recommend this read with 4 stars.<br />I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books for an un-biased review.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31134832-gail">View all my reviews</a>
Jess is the CEO of Ivan Associates, the Real Estate Company her father started.
Skylar is the new finance/accounting person at IA. And she has a ton to clean up after what the previous woman, Pam, did to the company's finances. Skylar also has quite the backstory that we do eventually get to learn as the book goes on.
And, of course, the two women get closer and closer as the book progresses. Made harder by the fact that they are boss and employee.
And then Skylar figures out that someone is stealing from IA and she and Jess have to not only figure out how to repair their relationship, but, also figure out who has betrayed Jess' family.
It was a fun read. I don't always love the boss/employee stories, ut, this one really worked and the characters were all very unique which made it even more enjoyable.
I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.