More Than You Know - Jennifer Gracen

I rarely read books with characters a whole lot older than me, it isn't that I don't enjoy them, I just haven't had the same experiences to connect with the characters. That said, I am really glad More Than You Know ended up on my review shelf. Not only are the characters very detailed, but the book takes place in the glittery world of New York City and the elite hotels that only the wealthy visit. There's drama, there's singing, and there's a whole lot of hot and heavy.

Rating: 3.5 Stars
Published: December 2015
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amazon Goodreads

Dane Harrison is opening a new hotel, his favorite, most luxurious property yet. He likes perfection and the bar and lounge of the hotel must have the best singer on stage. After weeks of hunting for a smart, confident, sexy, and successful singer, Dane thinks he may just have to give in and take a second choice from the long list of women he's watched every evening. On a tip from his sister's friend, Dane travels to Long Island where he sees his dreams come to life in the form of Julia Shay. Not only is she everything he wanted in a singer, something about her is just drawing him in, the chemistry is off the charts. Julia wants nothing to do with rich hotel owner Dane, she's had enough rich men to last her a lifetime, but his job offer is one she can't refuse. With her best friend playing piano by her side, Julia makes a huge positive change in her life. When their chemistry comes between the job, Julia and Dane decide to have some no-strings attached fun.

Oh man, I would happily take a Dane Harrison of my own. I loved driven Dane, he sounded handsome, smart, and most of all, sensitive. He seemed to be the perfect man, even if he sometimes lost his temper and went a little alpha male. I enjoyed reading from his POV, because he really seemed to enjoy his family, his career, and his experiences with women. Charlotte on the other hand, while she's been dealt a rough hand, was sometimes hard to handle. I loved her as a character, especially at her age. I think she was incredibly well written, however it drove me nuts how against help and love she was. At times, I thought she had given in, only to throw walls up again. The push and pull was nuts, through out their entire relationship, however I ended up and enjoying their dialogue. At times snarky, sometimes funny, and always sexual, it was never boring when the two were together. The minor characters of best friends and family members, and even other hotel employees, really brought a lot of life to this novel. Gracen does a great job of writing unique voices into every character.

There's some complex drama to this book, some of it believable, some of it not, and some felt very forced. There were parts that I just wanted to say, "oh come on!" The entire book really focuses on the relationship growth between Dane and Julia, and while I loved that, it was really hard to make room for the other things taking place in their lives. I sort of felt like some things that would've been good to have more detailed were left out in order to allow Dane and Julia just a little more time together. Don't get me wrong, I loved their time together, but it kind of felt like personal life stopped for both characters.

I enjoyed this book; I liked the maturity of the characters, the dynamic of an older women and younger man, and the on-fire chemistry the two main characters shared. I really look forward to reading more of the Harrisons in book two, especially if the younger sibling is anything like Dane.