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    REVIEW: Headlines by Ella Frank

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    Prime Time: Headlines by Ella Frank

    USA TODAY bestselling author Ella Frank concludes the story of Sean Bailey and Alexander “Xander” Thorne in Headlines.

    Xander

    If I had to describe Sean Bailey, it would be as the sexy, caring, wonderful man I’ve gone and fallen in love with. I never could’ve imagined a world where he was my everything. But with each passing day, the connection between us grows stronger, and the idea of a world without him is something I can’t imagine.

    But Sean’s love doesn’t come without complications. As the older brother of my lifelong best friend, this new love has caused relationships to break down and communication to become stilted, and the one question that remains is: am I willing to give up the love and friendship of one for the chance of love and forever with another?

    Sean
    I didn’t mean to fall in love with Alexander Thorne, my brother’s ex and the number one prime-time news anchor in the country. I mean, no one could’ve seen that coming—least of all me. But that’s exactly what happened over these past couple of months: I fell in love.

    That’d be complicated enough, I suppose, but Xander? Well, he fell in love with me too, and while it’s caused some major upset in the dynamics around here, I have to believe that a love this real can only lead to somewhere amazing.

    This thing between us started out as a job, a friend helping out a friend. But after playing the role of Xander’s boyfriend, I find myself wanting the job full-time, because neither of us are playing anymore.

    Headlines is the final book of the Prime Time Series and should only be read after book one, Inside Affair, and book two, Breaking News.


    I was drawn to Prime Time because of its spectacular premise about an out and proud news anchor and his surly, straight detective bodyguard who’s also the big brother of his ex boyfriend cum best friend. It’s a fabulous setup that grabbed me immediately with its enemies to lovers, opposites attract, gay for you scenario.

    And the first book, Inside Affair held true to it’s promise. I was extremely wowed! However, the author tends to end her books with cliffhangers. This would have been okay had the succeeding books offer substantial plots to merit a separate volume.

    The second installment, Breaking News, moved the romance forward several notches. The rest of the book were non-events that weren’t adding anything to the story. It also ended with a cliffhanger.

    Headlines picked up on the aftermath of Sean’s younger brother Bailey finding out about his best friend and big brother. Bailey felt hurt and betrayed that the two important people in his life did not tell him about their relationship.

    Personally, I think this Bailey issue was dragged out for too long. I understand why he reacted that way but story-wise, I think this could have been resolved sooner.

    There’s not much I can say about Headlines because, again, there’s not much going on. There was a mini thread where Sean and Xander were splashed on the tabloids. I appreciated that the author did not make it into a coming out issue.

    However, it was also kind of blah because Xander immediately realized who leaked the story to the press. That it was a person he worked closely with and trusted should have been a bigger deal but it was treated as a non-event.

    I am of the opinion that the entire series could have been done as one book. Removing the fillers, all the essential plot points combined could have made it into a delicious, suspenseful slow-burn story bursting with USTs, snarky banter and first time gay revelations. Sadly, this third offering did not quite capture the magic of that wonderful opener.

    On the upside, Sean and Xander were really good together. There was an almost break up courtesy of Sean’s self-sacrificing nature but Xander kept his head. They remained solid throughout the Bailey debacle. The way they went from strength to strength as a couple and me rooting for their HEA was what kept me reading.

    The part that brought Headlines up to a 3-star rating was the epilogue. It was a lovely tribute and I think it was the perfect way to end the series.

    So do I recommend Prime Time?

    Yes, if you want to witness Sean and Xander’s beautiful romance. This was what made it worth sticking with them until the end.

    No, if you hate cliffhangers or are looking for a trilogy with solid sequels.

    P.S.

    The Prime Time books are not standalones. Check out my reviews of the first two books:
    Inside Affair by Ella Frank (4.5 stars)
    Breaking News by Ella Frank (3 stars)

    Rating:
    3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

    Soundtrack: Alan
    Artist: Perfume Genius
    Album: No Shape


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    INSIDE AFFAIR | BREAKING NEWS | HEADLINES

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    REVIEW: Breaking News by Ella Frank

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    Prime Time: Breaking New – Ella Frank

    Breaking News is the continuation of Xander and Sean’s story and should only be read after book one, Inside Affair.

    Xander

    Sean Bailey, the older brother of my lifelong best friend, has always been a surly, temperamental pain in my ass. But sometime during the last few weeks, I’ve gone and fallen head over heels for him.

    Gruff and charming, charismatic in his own way, I’ve found myself looking past my preconceptions and discovered a whole new side to Detective Dick—a side I could fall in love with.

    But life isn’t always easy—it can change course in the blink of an eye. Sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. I know this because last night I experienced both sides.

    I went to Sean for help in guarding my body; what I didn’t expect was for him to steal my heart. 


    Like many readers, I was excited to delve into this Prime Time sequel as we were left with one heck of a cliffhanger in Inside Affair. Like some of them, I expected more. This review echos their reactions.

    Breaking News picks up right after that momentous awards ceremony where the stalker finally decided to make his move.

    While I am ecstatic that Xander and Sean lost none of their magical chemistry, there was really nothing earth-shaking happening in the story. Not that that I was bored, more like the story was ‘just there’ and wasn’t really grabbing me.

    I felt it would have done the overall presentation a whole lot of good if the entire series was one book instead of chopping it to 3 volumes. Cliffhangers are Ella Frank‘s thing and which, I believe does work wonders if executed properly. However, Breaking News felt like we were dropped smack in the middle of a story that was just there to set up the next big event.

    On the upside, Xander and Sean took their relationship to a higher level. Sean really stepped up his game here! And boy did he ace it. Not only risking his life to save Xander but also making sure he was emotionally okay too after the trauma.

    Xander was okay for the most part, but had panic attacks triggered by unexpected noises. Sean takes him to his secret getaway to recuperate and woos him with an outdoor spa and a sky full of stars. It was all very romantic until sophisticated, city boy Xander was jumped on by a teeny tiny frog. All hell broke loose…

    So yeah, romance-wise, things are pretty spectacular. Xander and Sean still has one of my favorite gay-for-you stories out there. The way they sync together was almost flawless. I loved the way they continue to discover new things about each other. It’s amazing how a person they knew their whole life could surprise them in so many ways. The book really did a great job highlighting that.

    Overall, I got that middle book feels mixed in with a wonderful relationship development. This ends with another cliffhanger but one I already expected so it wasn’t that shocking.

    I love this series, most especially the characters so I am looking forward to the third book. Xander and Sean went from fake to real to intense and now they just need to let the rest of the world know. The rest of the world a.k.a. Bailey a.k.a. Sean’s lil bro a.k.a. Xander’s bestfriend a.k.a. ex. If only it’s that easy…

    “Thank you for showing me the real you. I had no idea what I was missing.”

    “And what was that?”

    “Someone truly magnificent.”

    P.S.

    The books end in cliffhangers so Prime Time is best experienced as a binge read. Find out where it all started and check out my review of Inside Affair, book one of Prime Time, here.

    Rating:
    3 Stars – not exactly setting my world on fire but I liked it

    Soundtrack: I’ll Maybe Let You
    Artist: The Irrepressibles
    Album: Mirror Mirror


    If you like my content, please consider using my Amazon affiliate links below to get your copy of Prime Time. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying Amazon purchases at no additional cost to you.