The Bonus

I've read other books by this author and really liked them, but I think this is her best yet. #SpoilersAhead! The arc of their relationship spans the whole book. You expect ups and downs, conflicts and maybe a heartbreak or two in a romance book. This book had all that, and more. The writing is excellent. The main characters work things out together and separately without pages and whole chapters of inner dialogue. It takes time, it takes work, it takes compromise, and it takes growth, but they do make it work in the end. And we get to go along for the ride. #SpoilerAlert! I enjoyed the two children. Not everyone can write children into the story and make it work, but she did in this one. The mom, who seemed to be a horrible evil villain, turned out to be a woman who was trying to protect her children, but instead went wwwaaaaaayyyyy overboard in everything she said and did. She was reacting out of her own pain and heartache. The author glossed over how Grace was able to survive (and get a nanny from Italy??!!) once she left New York. There were a couple of other quibbles about points in the story, but those are minor. Still loved the book.

Emotional roller coaster. Swan never fails to deliver in yet another sweet, intelligent love story. She has the perfect balance and somehow always manages to take my heart through the ringer. The highs are high and the lows make you feel that gut wrenching pain you once felt when your heart was broken once upon a time. And yet, she manages to make you belly laugh and feel like you truly know these characters so much you wish they were real. I will never tire of reading her books. PLEASE NEVER STOP WRITING! Your stories are genuinely precious.

This was a first time Author for me. This was a really remarkable romance story between a hot blooded Italian boss who’s expected to marry an Italian virgin, and his Office Personal Assistant. It was a long book, that spanned almost a decade of their lives. I enjoyed it tremendously until I got to the end of the book. The Author wrote a note to pickup up a paperback copy of this book to get the final two surprise chapters, WTH. I already spent $5.00 for this book on my kindle app. It sounds like upselling to me, to ask me to spend another $15.95 at a book store for a hard copy of the book. Why couldn’t there simply be a link to BookFunnel to add the last two chapters. While I truly enjoyed this book. I’m not sure I will read this author again. Two additional chapters are not worth almost $16.00 to me . I gave the book an honest five stars for the story, but I’d give it no stars for the upselling gimmick at the end of the book.

One of my favorite authors, TLSwan has a gift for slowly exposing the weaknesses and pain within men who also hold positions of wealth and power and the women who love them despite their behavior.

This story stretches out over a decade since the first meeting of the MCs to the threshold of their HEA. Hopefully stories of their life after the end of this book will carry on in other books.

The characters are complex and troubled by past relationships and the blend of their personalities are both humorous and passionate when they come into conflict. Both demand respect and for Gabriel it is particularly challenging when his PA, Grace Porter, will set limits on how much he controls her outside of the office. She doesn't hesitate to sass him and he is both amused and frustrated by her wit. When she decides to resign after years of secretly loving him while he torments her by having her make arrangements for his hookup dates or send little gifts to his latest fling, a different side of Gabriel emerges. What results from their last meeting before she leaves NYC for Maine is the starting point for the rest of the story.

Definitely worth the time to read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I even cussed and swore at Gabriel because of the things he did and said. But in the end I totally adored him.

Gracie was amazing. And to think how much she put up with Gabriel's behavior and actions. And then I cried for her, and I hated Gabriel even more until the end. Extraordinary HEA!!

This book is well written, and having been a proofreader for many years, I found very little errors. And they were only minor typographical errors. It was a pleasure to read, and I highly recommend it! But, have the tissues on hand and plan to stay up all night reading. Definitely a "can't put down" read.

I’m especially partial to love-to-hate billionaire romances; more so when I have little idea where the author is heading. That said, I was convinced I’d picked up on the gist of the plot fairly quickly, only to be thrown off-kilter. Swan gives her readers the rough with the smooth in her latest fast-paced standalone novel, The Bonus. Her masterminding the laugh-out-loud with what-the-heck-just-happened scenarios, hit me exactly where I wanted them to. The ooh and aah moments either had me grinning from ear to ear or tearing up. Yes, heart-racing emotions abound.     

Swan’s hero, Gabriel Ferrara, is a perfectionist, and an overly demanding boss on top of that. Not to mention he’s drop-dead gorgeous with all the attributes that go with his Italian heritage. But wait! Not everything is sunshine and rainbows on the homefront, which ups the angst level to the want of a good reading device bashing! You can’t help liking him though. His inner thoughts put me in the picture, helping me understand his position regarding family duty, and to be honest, I had difficulty getting my head around what was expected of him. 

I admired Grace Porter, Gabriel’s PA. She never felt sorry for herself: certainly being a grab the bull by the horns kind of person. Even though Gabriel goes all-out to provoke her, she’s strong-willed and gives him as good as she gets. Ooh my, the sassy banter is nothing less than magnificent, but something’s been brewing since day one. We find out how she feels, yet what about her grumpy employer who’d come to rely on her over the years? You know when a spanner is thrown into the works, the backlash it causes? Her life-changing decision with secrecy attached does just that. So, the jaw-dropping plot twist didn’t just make me want to get to the end faster than fast, flipping the pages into silly-clock hours was what it was–sleep deficit be…oops, enough said! 

Family-orientated romance is also my thing and although I hated a relative–not saying who, Swan knocked the secondary character, plot development and steaminess out of the park. How Grace and Gabriel affronted specific issues frustrated me, only to make their story feel even more authentic. In all its epicness, the cherry on the top was exclusive bonus scenes from Gabriel’s POV. Bravo, Swan! 

From the time that I read The Bonus novella in Tee’s Christmas anthology, I’ve been dying to read the rest of Gabriel and Gracie’s story. I wasn’t disappointed! I was immediately hooked to this story from the very first page and quickly devoured it in a few days. It’s been a long time since a book has kept me up past my bedtime. But I just couldn’t get enough of this book and couple! Their story was so addictive and angst filled from beginning to end. Not to mention, Gabriel and Gracie’s story was such an emotional rollercoaster with plenty of highs and lows. But I was so invested in these two that I loved every moment of it.

The chemistry and banter between them was so good especially when things started to heat up! I also loved seeing how this grumpy billionaire took on fatherhood. Then there was the twins that brought plenty laughs and heartwarming moments to this story. Just seeing moments between Gabriel and the twins just tugged on my heartstrings especially in his growth as a father.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book that I honestly didn’t want it to end. The Bonus is an unforgettable love story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon! This is one book you won’t want to miss.

Gabriel and Grace….we first met them at the end of 2022 in a short story that ended on a bit of a cliff hanger. Finally in the middle of 2024 we get their conclusion. And oh yes….it was worth every second of waiting. 🩷🩷🩷🩷

Don’t worry if you didn’t read their short story - it’s now the beginning of the book. CEO Gabriel Ferrara and his personal assistant, Grace Porter work oh so well together. He’s amazingly hot and she’s in love with him.

I don’t want to give anything away because it’s so much better to read and let everything unfold for you. Steamy, funny, frustrating, sweet - it’s all there. It’s heartbreaking at times but don’t fret….TL Swan will mend your tattered heart and it will be more perfect than you can even imagine.