She’s a self-made fitness sensation. He’s a billionaire mogul. They’re sworn enemies and rivals… aren’t they?
Blake Avery knows all about hard work. She’s gone from making videos in her teenage bedroom to founding a booming fitness business and opening a state-of-the-art Manhattan gym. Now she’s on the cusp of realizing her wildest dreams, and she’s not going to let anyone stand in her way.
Certainly not man-of-the-hour Gabriel Mercer. He might be one of the biggest names in the fitness world and set women’s pulses soaring more than a grueling HIIT workout, but he grew up in a billionaire dynasty and had everything handed to him – or so Blake thinks.
But when Blake publicly criticizes Gabriel, she sparks a feud that neither entrepreneur is willing to back down from. And in an industry that seems determined to keep pushing them together, can Blake hold on to her grudge? Or will she finally warm up to Gabriel’s charm?
Not in a Billion Years by Camilla Isley Review
A Perfect Tonic for a Grey Day
I won’t deny, I very rarely read ‘RomComs’ – mostly because I find that most ‘RomComs’ are not generally very comedic, but I have long since been a fan of Camilla’s books, so when I was asked to take part in a blog tour for her latest novel, Not in a Billion Years, I was happy to put down my latest thriller and dive right in.
About the Author:
Camilla is an engineer who left science behind to enter the whimsical realm of romantic fiction.
She writes contemporary rom-coms. Her characters have big hearts, might be a little stubborn at times, and love to banter with each other. Every story she pens has a guaranteed HEA that will make your heart beat faster. Unless you’re a vampire, of course.
Camilla is a cat lover, coffee addict, and shoe hoarder. Besides writing, she loves reading—duh!—cooking, watching bad TV, and going to the movies—popcorn, please. She’s a bit of a foodie, nothing too serious. A keen traveler, Camilla knows mosquitoes play a role in the ecosystem, and she doesn’t want to starve all those frog princes out there, but she could really live without them.
This review is a little later that I had hoped as the dreaded Covid virus floored me again, but in a way, I was grateful to have something to cheer me up while I was in isolation for a week. When feeling truly sorry for myself, I fumbled around to find my kindle, snuggled up with my duvet and Lucozade, and settled in for what I hoped would be another hilarious, trope filled rollercoaster of romantic emotions.
As I mentioned before, I often find that many books labelled with the tag ‘RomCom’ are more Rom than Com, but Camilla is different. She has a sharp quick wit that translates well on the page and doesn’t just bring a smile to my lips but often a chuckle to my chest. This latest instalment was no exception to that. The insults traded between Blake and Gabriel quickly reminded me of those moments when I was first dating my husband when the snappy-catty remarks would spark tiny little fires between us. It feels real, and authentic and incredibly funny.
As a self-made fitness sensation, I did found Blakes prickly attitude at time irritating, she deserved more than to have to justify herself, but I feel my irritation was more to do with true representation of a woman in this world than a badly drawn character. In fact, I was irritated because she was so well drawn. For a young woman to have worked so hard to get from her teenage bedroom filming on her own to the dizzying heights she has achieved and still feel the need to ‘justify’ herself to a billionaire mogul is infuriating, but entirely believable at the same time.
As always, Camilla has created an entertaining ‘easy’ read that will have you flipping the pages quickly as you are drawn deeper into their world and the well rounded characters allow you to see not only quick sharp wit, but softer and loving personalities.
If you are looking for an escapist read to snuggle up with as the colder, darker miserable night draw in, this may just be the one for you.
Not i a Billion Years is published by: Boldwood Books
ISBN: 978-183751-941-5
Many thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto this Blog Tour.
