Tristan Miles is THE MAN.

The fact that he loved Claire for how she was and the way he grew to love her children absolutely tore me apart.

Claire got on my nerves and I wanted to scream at her through my kindle to get her shit together and stop with the back and forth pushing him away but it just made me love Tristan that much more for how stubborn he was to prove to her how amazing he was.

And the end.... "When my boys are men"

The Takeover, by T. L. Swan, is the second book in the Miles High Club series, and features Claire, a 38 year old widow and mother of three boys, and Tristan, a 34 year old wealthy and successful part-owner of a rival media business. As Claire struggles to keep the advertising company she and her late husband founded (she wants to pass it to her sons), she meets Tristan and turns down the offer for his company to purchase hers and bail her out. Months later, the two are both at a business conference and the sexual tension is off the charts! After a few rounds in the hotel room, they agree to spend a 'just this once' romantic weekend together in Paris, with plenty of time in the bedroom. So Claire is surprised, back at home and back in her day to day life, when playboy Tristan wants to pursue their relationship...

For me, this book started off strongly, setting up a rivalry and a multitude of practical hurdles this relationship would have to vault to succeed. I was totally on board with the 'hate-to-love' trope, and I thought the idea of a blended family situation was intriguing. However, after the characters return to the U.S. and are trying to determine what a real relationship would look like, the characters became whiny and annoying, and the writing quality took a nose dive.

Claire "giggled" after everything Tristan said, he insinuated himself into her life and took a hand in making parenting decisions without ever having a discussion about parenting with Claire. Tristan went from being very reluctant to having anything to do with Claire and her family to suddenly being at her house all the time and building model rockets with her sons. He gave sex advice to the oldest, and babysat the younger ones literally when Claire had no idea he was even at her home--and yet when she comes home to find him there cuddling with her youngest on the couch, she is just so pleased to see such a domestic scene. He basically goes into the relationship with the idea that he'll "put up with" her snot-nosed brats because there's just "something special" about her.

The big conflict/drama that happened in the last 25% was stupid, in my opinion--I don't understand Claire's reaction or resistance to the subject Tristan brings up. Despite multiple attempts to discuss the problem, Claire refuses to budge or even explain her reasoning, and so they break up and are both absolutely devastated and heartbroken. And then the resolution just happens--they both say 'okay, you win' and that's the end. It was super frustrating to read!

This book is long, and I felt every page. The sexy times were pretty steamy, though not always to my taste (re: seemed rough?). Overall I felt that the writing was simplistic and contradictory, and the characters seemed flat, immature, and annoying.
I've not read anything else by this author, but would be willing to give her another shot. Unfortunately for me, The Takeover rates a measly 2 stars.