At first sight, I was not sure at all, if I would like this kind of novel. I don´t like to read a novel, no matter what genre, only because the entire world goes crazy about it. This one finally made it into my shelf because I got asked if I could write a review about it. In order to do that, I need to read the book and so I asked the publisher for a reviewer´s copy and got one. And to be honest, I never had so much fun during reading.
Beautiful Bastard*
by Christina LaurenBeautiful Series #1
Publisher Gallery Books on February 12, 2013
Genre Love-Women-Erotica
Pages 320
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads
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An ambitious intern. A.perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name-calling. Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He´s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate – and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family´s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who´d been helping from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative – completely infuriating – creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he´s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe´s so tempting he´s willing to bend the rules – or outright smash them – if it means he can have her. All over the office. As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they´re willing to lose in order to win each other.
Story
Chloe works as an intern at the Ryan Media Group. Her boss is a Bastard – although a very handsome looking version of the male species. One day, when her boss isn´t capable anymore of keeping his hands off of her, she gets to experience that his businesslike and very sarcastic behavior is only a façade. Beneath that he´s a very seductive and steamy man how knows how to handle her. They share a more than hot encounter – one that lets her lose one of her briefs as well as it lets her doubt her mind. A mind that seems to forget that it´s never wise having sex with the boss – even if he looks like a God.
Style
Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings – in short: Christina Lauren – wrote their fantastic and very hilarious novel with salacious dialogues and cheeky slogans. And I haven´t got started even with those two great main figures! It is kind of needless to say, that the story of Beautiful Bastard itself is kind of a minor point here; with all those genius frictions and clashes between Chloe and Bennett. But if you think now that you´ll get to read a plot which seems to be afflicted with platitudes (something you´ll get to read in other novels of that kind en masse) you´re wrong. This story is because of that refreshing and very original in every aspect. The plot is flirtatious and full of life and stars in its center two characters which are equal in every way. Written in the first person by Chloe and Bennett, the reader gets to enjoy what happens from the female side as well as the male one. Hot thoughts are swirling around, steamy glances fly through the rooms and a hate-love relationship is about to develop with a simple ulterior motive: severe mutual desire.
The author duo presents Beautiful Bastard with the perfect combination of amusing smirking ambiguity, wit, and charm that is not only a brisk read; but also has lots of spirits and gives the reader great disport. Many misunderstandings between man and woman make the reader either laugh out loud, smirk or give him/her a set of hot ears – or all together at once. Oh yes, there are many scenes in which it gets very hot – and I mean really hot! Be aware, this novel contains a lot of mature words which definitely belong to the category X-rated. But they are on the point and the perfect fitting for the story.
Characters
Don´t expect some servile characters – there are none in here to find. Two very strong and in many ways very similar main figures meet and won´t give in an inch. Chloe and Bennett stand with both feet in life - even if those lives get enormous swirled around.
Chloe loves hot lingerie. That she wears every day wonderful designer clothes do the rest to her bosses´ self-control and make every day of him pure hell. She is quick-witted but respectful and trusts her boss, at least with his technical competence. But in other fields … One thing is for sure: she wants to learn as much from him as she can. But despite that, she also knows how to defend herself when he´s playing the asshole-boss-program (those are Chloe´s words, not mine).
Bennett Ryan is a man – literally. Blessed with a divine body, perfectly equipped, he is a boss who doesn´t only know what he wants but he´s also used to get it. He has some two-fisted requirements about his staff and reacts very sharp, and snappish if they don´t hold up to it. For him, his battles of words with Chloe, are only some kind of a warm-up and exciting foreplay. In short: he is an egregious Bastard, who has an arrogance of the body, which not everyone can withstand.
Conclusion
What a brilliant novel! Simply delicious and seldom I was entertained in such a hilarious way and had so much fun during reading. Here is a dreamlike interaction of humor and passion with a hint smugness offered, that is just fantastic. You have to read this!
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Mira TB in exchange for an unbiased review.
Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren is the combined pen of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction and together has produced twelve New York Times bestselling novels. They are published in over 28 languages, have received starred reviews from Kirkus, been selected as one of NPR´s Top 100 Swoon-Worthy Romances, and won both the Seal of Excellence award and Book of the Year from RT Magazine. Lauren Billings has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy of two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, bestie to a shoe-stealer, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance. Christina Hobbs used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you´ll probably find her on Tumblr. She is married and absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 15-year-old (right??), thinks she´s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter. She also likes to steal Lauren´s shoes.
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I love your review format a lot. GREAT JOB! I would love to have the full collection esp with the last and finally book coming soon BEAUTIFUL
ReplyDeleteHey, what a nice surprise! Thanks for your visit & thanks for the wonderful compliment - means a lot to me.
DeleteYes, I am looking forward to get it. All the others I already have in my shelf. The Beautiful pre-order is hanging on my board :-)