This Man

This Man Trilogy, Book 1

By: Jodi Ellen Malpas

Narrated by: Edita Brychta

Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Named one of "The 20 Greatest Ever Romance Novels According to Goodreads Reviews" by O, The Oprah Magazine

Young interior designer Ava O'Shea has no idea what awaits her at the Manor. A run-of-the-mill consultation with a stodgy country gent seems likely, but what Ava finds instead is Jesse Ward - a devastatingly handsome, utterly confident, pleasure-seeking playboy who knows no boundaries.

Ava doesn't want to be attracted to this man, and yet she can't control the overwhelming desire that he stirs in her. She knows that her heart will never survive him and her instinct is telling her to run, but Jesse is not willing to let her go. He wants her and is determined to have her.

©2013 Jode Ellen Malpas (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Similar

This book was similar to a book I had previously read. There was a lot of damatic scenes, the sex scenes was well detailed and good, most of the scenes seemed unrealisitic or predictable.

Absolutely beautiful story

I absolutely fell in love with this series a few years ago and now enjoy it on audio too. Jesse and Ava are an amazing couple who I just can’t get enough up. Jodi is a brilliant writer. I LOVE all her books.

Jesse Ward & Ava O'Shea (26)

Audible review. Single POV (Ava's). Book 1 of 5 in the This Man series. The narrator does a great job but I did listen to it at speed 1.3x. The intro & finale music is unnecessary. Trigger warnings: cheating ex-boyfriend; sex w/o condoms & stolen birth control; @n@l sex; Jesse's secrets.

Jesse hires Ava to design the interior decoration of new rooms at The Manor, his sex club. Ava is so drawn to Jesse she misses all of the clues as to what type of establishment The Manor is (she thinks it's a hotel). Jesse won't tell Ava his age because he's so much older than her, he's afraid she'll leave him if he tells her what The Manor really is (his family already disowned him after his uncle left it to him), he pursues her even after she continuously pushes him away. On to book 2.

Tip: Listen to chapter 34 (Jesse's POV) after chapter 7.

Weird quirk: Jesse eats peanut butter out of a jar with his finger.

Side characters: Uncle Carmichael (Jesse's uncle); Dan (Ava's brother); John (The Manor's bouncer); Sarah (works at The Manor); Sam (30, wealthy playboy, parents died when he was 19; Jesse's friend) & Kate (Ava's friend & roommate; hooking up w/Sam; used to date Dan); Drew (Jesse's friend) & Victoria (Ava's coworker; dating Drew); Patrick (Ava's boss); Tom (gay; Ava's coworker) & Sally (Ava's coworker); Matt (Ava's ex-boyfriend; they dated 4 years; he cheated; they've been apart for 4 months at the beginning of the story)

Phrases: "Central Jesse Cloud 9," "ish," "3, 2, 1, 0/the countdown," "make friends," "lady," "I feel a trample coming on," "sense f*ck," "sleepy sex," "reminder f*ck," "watch your mouth," "you make me crazy." JP

1st× listening 03JAN21; 2nd× listening 03SEP21. I own the 4 paperbacks, the 4 ebooks, the 4 audiobooks, plus Drew's story in audio & ebook, & the ebook bonus scene part II of 'Beneath This Man'.

Amazing read

Love Jodi Ellen Malala books ! Jesse getting so drunk at the ends leaves you wanting more
Ava always running is keeps you guessing! Love the series wish she would write another

slow at beginning but so worth the wait!

absolutely loved this book. at first it started slow but after it explained things it got really good!

Worth the credit!

New narrator for me. Finally, I'm getting around to listening to this series 🤞Holy hell 😳 the sexual tension is immediate and intense. Insta-lust, dominant, possessive, 🥵🥵🥵!! Age gap?

IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS FOLKS!!

Any additional comments?

This book is right up there with 50 shades for me. I think that says it all.

Great performance. Lacking story.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. I'm one of the Christian Gray recovery victims looking for a fill. This is not it. There wasn't much to the plot, and there was no dimension in the two main characters. He's over the top (as was Christian Gray), but he never gives a reason. Even the inner monologue leaves me unsatisfied. The last 1/8 of the book actually spins up curiosity enough where, sad to say, I invested in the second book just in hopes of getting any answer at all about why Ava and Jesse do the things they do. So far, the second one is much better, but I think it's pretty unfair to basically use a whole book as a means of being a cliffhanger for a second. I'll give it to the publishers for keeping the reader just curious enough to hope the characters have any reason at all behind their actions--it's a smart sales strategy, unfortunately.

What could Jodi Ellen Malpas have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

See comments above. Make sense of the characters' actions and have a developed plot.

Which scene was your favorite?

I literally don't have one.

Could you see This Man being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No. I can't see anyone finding sympathy or empathy for either main character. Again, the only reason I am listening to the second one is because I am nosy and hate to leave things unfinished. A series definitely wouldn't work, and I wouldn't recommend a film.

Any additional comments?

I would've named the main character something other than Ava (a la Ana in 50 Shades), and with her being older and more experienced than Ana, I'd liked to have seen her make more sense. Mind you, there were several points in 50 Shades that made me crazy with the decisions Ana made, but they were realistic, based on the depth of character that was clearly painted. In this case Ava accepts a domineering man who really does nothing other than sex her up and send her flowers, with no understanding or communication about why--then her way of rebelling is by making and breaking promises constantly. I don't know these characters, other than the fact that they are physically attracted to each other, which was not established by words or situation, but by a literal electrical jolt between them when they touched the first time. From there, he bosses her around and she hates him for it, but loves him and does it anyway. Then she lies to him, breaks promises---oh yeah, I already said that. That's how the book feels. Ugh.

FRUSTRATING !!

The story appeared to have alot of background, however, after thinking it would be revealed at the next chapter, it never was. It just frustrated me, and Jessie was so (to much) dominating, his secrets were kept for you to wonder "why".....I would not have gone on to book 2 if I hadn't already purchased it.

Boring

I really had trouble getting into this story. Honestly it reminded me of several others I've read just not as good. Disappointing