Official Review: It's Just Business... the Romancing of A...

KamalK · Post by **KamalK** » 12 Feb 2018, 05:17

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "It's Just Business... the Romancing of Ahjumma" by Wanda Voy.]

1 out of 4 stars

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Ki Soo is a successful businesswoman. She is known for her fierce character and sharp business mindedness. There is one other thing that has gained her notoriety- her flower boys. Ki Soo is not interested in having a serious relationship. So, she gets into contractual relationships with young, good-looking men. A trial run of two weeks allows her to gauge the personality of the flower boys. Their purpose, other than the intimate relations, is to be her escort to the corporate gatherings and events. In fifteen years of her life in Seoul, she has had many flower boys, but none of them had ever been her employee. And none of them had stayed for too long, until now.

Lee Ho Jun is the newly appointed Director of Creative Services at FloridaCorp, Ki Soo’s company. In recent years, he has quickly climbed up the ladder and wishes to keep ascending it by using Ki Soo. He knows that appearing by her side will do him a lot of good and will increase his stature in the community. So, he approaches Ki Soo with the intent of becoming her flower boy.

As they embark on the trial run, Ki Soo and Lee Ho Jun get to know each other. They uncover each other’s secrets, some of which are too dark to be allowed into the light. Will this relationship meet an end like all others, or will it evolve into something more meaningful? Will Ki Soo finally be able to fall in love with someone? Will she accept Lee Ho Jun’s dark past and allow him into her life?

It’s Just Business… the Romancing of Ahjumma by Wanda Voy is a romance novel. It is written in the third person, from the point of views of Ki Soo and Lee Ho Jun. The story spans over two weeks. Each chapter covers the events of one day at a time. As the novel is set in South Korea, it explores the Korean culture, its cuisine and general lifestyle. It also provides insight into the religions followed by the Koreans. Lee Ho Jun is shown to be Catholic, while Ki Soo is shown to be the follower of Buddhism. However, more information is provided about the Buddhist way of life. People interested in knowing these religions will like that. Several temples and locations of South Korea are used as the background for various scenes. The people who would like to visit South Korea, or have been there already, will appreciate the detailed description of the beautiful places depicted in the novel.

The premise of this story sounded similar to Fifty Shades of Grey. However, this novel isn’t explicitly erotic. The condition of contract and following rules to sustain the relationship overlaps with the scenario of the Fifty Shades novels. The people who like to read such kind of stories can opt for this. If you are tired of reading clichéd romance stories, you can give this one a go. It isn’t a general romance novel, and Ki Soo and Lee Ho Jun aren’t regular lovers. Ki Soo is shown to be a strong woman, mentally, physically and emotionally. She knows what she wants and has a very sorted out mentality when it comes to making choices about her personal and professional life. Lee Ho Jun is a sharp and witty man who knows how to navigate his way through the world. He has had a very unusual past and has struggled a lot in his life to reach his current position.

Despite its distinctive storyline and interesting characters, this novel failed to deliver. The fault lies in the writing style. It needs a lot of work. Maybe, the author had tried to simplify the writing in order to make it easier to read, but it seemed too simple. The conversations felt robotic, and there was no chemistry between the characters. It didn’t incite any excitement, and I don’t mean to be rude but, at times, it felt like I was reading an essay. A bit more imagination in the approach of storytelling would have worked wonders.

When you see the overall plot, it looks good. The author hasn’t kept the story limited to the protagonists. There are various side characters with their own past, and these characters play pivotal roles in the story. However, they were all very poorly written. None of them seemed relatable. It is imperative for the readers to feel connected to the characters. We need to be able to love them or hate them. While reading this novel, I felt nothing for anyone.

It isn’t that the story lacked substance. All the characters had a dark past, in one way or another. Several shocking things were revealed throughout the novel, and these things should have created strong responses. There were things in their pasts, there were situations in the story that would normally ache the reader’s heart. But the writer failed miserably at generating any feelings for the characters.

My rating for It’s Just Business… the Romancing of Ahjumma is 1 out of 4 stars. I believe that even the simplest of stories can become great if they are told in a good way. This story suffered from bad narration. Had it been written properly, it would have been enjoyable. The bad writing style negated any good thing that the story had. It lacked depth, and the readers can’t connect to superficial characters and stories. It had enough potential but lacked proper execution.

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It's Just Business... the Romancing of Ahjumma
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Cristina Chifane · Post by **Cristina Chifane** » 17 Feb 2018, 09:25

Thank you for your detailed review. I would have been interested in the details regarding the Korean culture, but your review made me think twice in choosing this novel.

Hildah Mose · Post by **Hildah Mose** » 17 Feb 2018, 10:12

What a waste. Such a good story narrated terribly. I would have loved to read it but I will have to pass. Thanks for the detailed review

NeonKay · Post by **NeonKay** » 17 Feb 2018, 23:11

This is quite a long review, however, it sums up the total feedback about the author and her story. I wish the author realizes this and would have made her story better.

Kat Berg · Post by **Kat Berg** » 18 Feb 2018, 02:24

The subject matter is interesting and has so much promise. I know exactly how it can be to read a book that sounds so promising but just doesn't deliver. I am always left thinking that the author gave me their first draft, not their best draft. And I always feel a bit cheated. Thanks for the detailed review.

Mercelle · Post by **Mercelle** » 18 Feb 2018, 10:46

This is where my budding relationship with this book ends. Until it's re-worked, I won't even go past the cover.

Boluwatife2658 · Post by **Boluwatife2658** » 24 Feb 2018, 16:07

What a very good story but wasn't ok about how it was narrated. That's fair

Brenda kimathi · Post by **Brenda kimathi** » 28 Feb 2018, 15:20

The review is long ,but,all in all it's interesting and gives one the desire to read this book

qsusan · Post by **qsusan** » 15 Mar 2018, 15:54

Its too bad about the style, reading the summary in the first half of the review made me really want to read the book. Sadly it the later half clearly states the faults.
I need to sink into its world to enjoy a book, I dont care so much about the details, I'm more about the feeling. So, unfortunately I don't think I will be reading this book but I might take a look at it because the premise is really interesting.