Tangled by Emma Chase

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Tangled #1
Publication Date: 21st May 2013
Pages: 254
Book Source: Karen's Bookshelf

Synopsis: Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? 

He’ll tell you he has the flu.  But we all know that’s not really true.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating. 

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life? Can Drew Evans win at love? 

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

Karen's Thoughts:

After reading some rave reviews about this one and the excitement buzzing around Tangled I just couldn’t pass up the chance to read it. This book really tickled my sometimes warped sense of humour.

Tangled is written from the male point of view so we get the chance to delve into Drew’s very arrogant and crass thoughts.

Drew Evans has it all, good looks, high flying job, girls falling at his feet ... he’s rude and he’s crude and he’s very much a high flying player, yet at the same time he somehow manages to be very appealing. Some of the things that come out of Drew’s mouth are just vulgar ... but then his conversations with his 4 year old niece are charming and endearing … albeit there is a need for a curse word jar!

Drew sees Katherine Brookes at a club and he wants her and Drew is used to getting what he wants, yet Katherine seems to easily walk away. Drew soon discovers that Kate is the new employee at work and he struggles with his rule to not get involved with co-workers. Not a new storyline but I've never read anything quite as hilarious. 

There are a few movie references throughout the story ... this excerpt I found particularly funny, as the Braveheart movie is a favourite of mine. This is Drew getting some advice from one of his mates.

“What would William Wallace do?”  His eyes are serious.  Stirring.  Then his voice takes on a Scottish accent he doesn’t have.  “Aye…run, and you won’t get rejected…but years from now, would you be willin’ to trade all the days from now to then for a chance-just once chance-to go back and tell Kate she can take your balls and hang them from the rearview mirror of her car, but she can never take…your freedom!”

There are also great supporting characters, everyone just seems to fit well together in this story. Drew is trying to win Kate back …

“This is a good CD.”

She’s talking about the music that’s been playing in the background for the last few hours.

“I can’t take all the credit.  The boys helped me burn it.”

On cue, “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls pours from the speakers.

“Jack picked that one.”

I highly recommend Tangled if you're after a good laugh and don’t mind crass! Tangled is Emma Chase's debut, I'm looking forward to more from this author.  

Guest review by Karen Barr