ARC Review: The Last Man on Earth (The Graysons #1) by Tracy Anne Warren

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Signet Select
352 Pages

From New York Times bestselling author Tracy Anne Warren comes a sexy and romantic new contemporary series about corporate combat in the boardroom and under-the-covers passion in the bedroom...…

Idealistic good girl Madelyn Grayson believes in doing what’s right. Even as a high-powered executive in the mad world of advertising, she doesn’t cut corners, making her ad campaigns sizzle without having to burn anyone along the way.

Rival exec Zack Douglas never wastes an opportunity to land the next big deal—especially when it benefits him. A bad boy with a reputation to match, he has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to get ahead, no matter who gets in the way.

When a hot promotion pops up at their company, both Zack and Madelyn wind up on the short list for the position. But as the two square off, they discover that being heated rivals in the office makes for scorching bed play behind closed doors. Will Madelyn’s steamy, secret affair with Mr. Vice make her compromise her ideals—or worse, lose her heart?

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I really wanted to like this. Promise, I really did…

Madelyn Grayson and Zack Douglas work for the same advertising firm and are both striving to be at the top of their field, so naturally they’re rivals. Madelyn’s coming out of a long-term relationship after turning down a marriage proposal and Zack is the office playboy. Going with the theme of opposites attract, they fall in bed together and begin a steamy secret affair. 

Girl who wants a relationship and a guy who can’t give her one. The entire plot was full of clichés and extremely predictable. What starts as just sex becomes more. Madelyn came out of a relationship with a guy who was also her friend – you knew he was coming back. Zack is afraid of commitment – his past is littered with tragic relationships that ended badly. She wants him to change, he won’t. They break up and both end up depressed and realizing they love each other. Sigh…

Even worse, the characters themselves weren’t all that interesting. Zack at least had some personality. He was charming and funny (when he wasn’t being a spoiled child) and his character growth grows at a believable pace. Madelyn, however, spent the whole book whining about how she’s going to be single for the rest of her life and never have children (she’s like 28 or 29, I honestly can’t remember). She’s also a liar and a horrible friend. She lies to everyone in her life, letting them believe that she’s still in a relationship with her ex. Then she’s upset later when she has no one to talk to about Zack. She lies to her family and even to her ex. She also uses her ex to get back at Zack (didn’t see that one coming *rolls eyes*).

What killed it for me though was the ending. It was so over the top and cheesy that it almost hurt to read. Also, the events were completely out of character for Zack. There are ways to ‘go get the girl’ so to speak that actually keep with your character. 

While the cover was definitely hot, this book was not. The series is titled “The Graysons” which means it’s more of Madelyn’s family. To be honest, they didn’t really impress me much here so I do not know if I will be continuing the series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.