Book Title: The Beat Match
Author: Kelly Siskind
Series: Showmen, Book 3
Rating: 4⭐
Release Date: September 16th, 2020
Synopsis: Weston and Annie couldn’t be more different and yet, they have so much in common. She’s trying to find herself and make sense of the life she’s built, while he’s trying to keep his head above water and prove that he can do it all. And when their two worlds collide, it suddenly becomes clear that things are better with someone else by your side.
Review: This slow burn, friends to lovers romance has a whole lot of heart, soul and love. I struggled through it at a point, but it’s still an incredible book. Weston and Annie are incredible characters with so much personality that it lights up the book from the first page onwards. Kelly Siskind has created a world of characters and a story that is captivating once you get into the heart of it. And with two leads who make you feel so much the whole time, it’s impossible to not enjoy this book.
Weston is a billionaire and he works for his father’s pharmaceutical company. He’s always trying to prove that he can do the job and the pressure is always pressing down on him. And he’s been raised to focus on himself and his family and not expose his bleeding heart. Especially when it comes to Annie, who also happens to be the sister of his late best friend. Annie, on the other hand, is a free spirit. She doesn’t take life too seriously, but she lives it to the maximum. For Annie, annoying Wes is a favourite pastime. She scrapbooks (including one of her frustrations with Wes) and she works as a bartender. Annie’s life is simple, but full and she’s never wanted anything but having her brother back just one more time.
“He knew the drill, why he still kept people at arm’s length. Emotional distance, fear of abandonment. He was so textbook the textbooks were jealous of him.”
Annie and Wes have their issues, mostly stemming from the fact that Wes is overly protective of Annie and she just wants to live her life. Because Wes made a promise to her late brother, he refuses to let her live her life the way she chooses. Wes doesn’t always know the right thing to say or do, but he’s not going to let anything happen to Annie, which is comforting enough. And it’s clear that even through all of this, the two of them have kept their feelings for each other under lock and key.
“He was usually the calm to her chaos. The caution to her impulsivity. But the heat from his hand seeped through her dress. Hamptons sunshine warm. And she suddenly wanted more chaos than calm. To lean into him, feel his sunlight in her bones, live wildly without worrying about consequences.”
I love that even though Weston is a stiff suit and he sits in a boardroom and is your quintessential billionaire alpha, he’s got a whole lot of different sides. One, the person he is when it comes to Annie. He drops everything to make sure she’s okay and he always helps her, even when he wishes he wouldn’t. Two, being a DJ. It’s not something you see in this kind of romance and I love that when he sheds his fancy suits and puts on his Falcon mask, he becomes this other person. Maybe that’s more who Wes is than Weston Aldrich.
There’s so much going on in this book and all of it connects together really well. It’s a contemporary romance with a hint of romantic suspense and then some. At first, the number of connecting dots was a little overwhelming, but you get used to all the lines and you fall into a rhythm with the story. This book had all the sexiness and steam that makes up a great romance novel, but it also had humour and sass and crazy chemistry between the characters. Even more, the supporting characters really did it for me too. It’s always nice to have a well-rounded cast of characters that you can love when you’re reading a book.
“A seamless beat match. Exactly how Wes and she had melded their lives: perfectly synchronized, stretching and adjusting to fit into each other’s worlds, whether bickering or laughing or making love. A harmonious relationship built on years of friendship.”
There were times when I felt like things were moving too slowly, but then it would pick up the pace and kick back into gear. This is my first Kelly Siskind book and it won’t be my last! Her writing style, the details that she doesn’t miss and the specifics all make for a great book combination. The Beat Match left me feeling everything at the end and I’m more than okay with that!
Thanks to Kelly Siskind for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
anna reads here 
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