Jessica Clare

The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who are incredibly wealthy—but not always so successful when it comes to love… Real-estate tycoon Hunter Buchanan has a dark past that’s left him scarred and living as a recluse on his family’s palatial estate. Hunter is ready to give up on love—until he spots an enigmatic red-haired beauty and comes up with an elaborate scheme to meet her. Gretchen Petty is in need of a paycheck—and a change. So when a job opportunity in an upstate New York mansion pops up, she accepts. And while she can overlook the oddities of her new job, she can’t ignore her new boss’s delectable body—or his barely leashed temper. Hunter’s afraid his plan might be unraveling before it’s truly begun, but Gretchen is about to show him that life can be full of surprises…

Beauty and the Billionaire

Lover of Romance 

Summary 
Hunter Buchanan, is a real estate tycoon, and because he is scarred, no woman will come near him. He is respected because of his wealth and business intellect, but that is as far as it goes. He is lonely and craves companionship, and when he spies Gretchen he knows that she is the one woman for him. So he devises a plan to bring her to his home to work on some letters for writing a book, hoping to make her see the man beneath the scars. Gretchen is a ghostwriter, and when she is given a great offer to write and transcribe some letters for a new book, she can’t pass this opportunity up. When she arrives though, the mansion has only a few servants, and has a rigid schedule, and the man of the house is a recluse, and is a bit of a beast at times. But she senses more from Hunter than meets the eye, and despite his scars, she sees a man that needs her and she sees the man beneath his rough exterior, a man that has never known love or affection, and has only a few friends and one loyal bitter servant. Soon Hunter and Gretchen will soon learn that you need to have faith in love or it won’t work, will these two find a balance in each other?

The Hero
Hunter Buchanan was kidnapped when he was a child, and trying to escape, ended up barely getting away alive, and was scarred for life. Hunter’s father was a man who cared more about money than his own son. But when Hunter went to college, the saving grace was the friends he made, friends that saw past his appearance and she the inner part of him. Hunter is a hero that is very “tortured male”…and it just broke my heart. It was quite heartbreaking seeing more and more of his character come through in this story, We see bits and pieces of him, a damaged man but not a broken one. He is on the hunt to be accepted and loved by a woman, to have passion and companionship. To be loved for who he is and not for his money.

The Heroine 
Gretchen is spirited and lively, and who wouldn’t love her. Gretchen makes a living by being a ghostwriter, but lately her writing has been falling short and she needs something more or she could be out on the streets soon. When she is given a offer, that is the best opportunity, but would have her living in a house with a man who is a recluse, she is cautious, but she is drawn to this opportunity. She soon sees that there is more to her boss than meets the eye, and sets out to show him who she really is. What I loved about Gretchen is her accepting nature, she doesn’t see Hunter as most others do, she sees a man hurting and in need of her. She takes a look at his scars, but doesn’t see a beast but a man worthy of love. Gretchen is bold and goes after her “prey” which was quite entertaining. I loved the way she goes after what she wants and is a fighter.

Plot and Story Line 
This is a “beauty and the beast” themed story but in a contemporary setting. Which I actually love this trope, and even though it can be overdone, I loved the way that Jessica Clare wrote this one. In the previous book, we see the beginning of the story happening, so it was fun seeing it just start off from where the first book left off. Beauty and the Billionaire, is a story that won my heart with every page written. I loved the different feel to this story from the first book. We have the Beauty (Gretchen), and the Beast (Hunter), and at first they don’t see much of each other, but Gretchen grows more bolder, and Hunter becomes more open to her advances, and it was quite entertaining seeing these two come together finally. There are quite a few obstacles that they need to overcome before they have any hope of getting their HEA, but they find it, and what a beautiful way it is found too. I love the flow of the story, and the writing just kept me reading and this was such a page turner, I had the most difficult time putting it down. This author has a talented way with her writing of captivating her audience. I found these two characters to be just wonderful for each other, and boy some of the bedroom scenes are quite thrilling and sexy, but what I loved most was seeing the love story to be the primary focus of the story, and seeing it grow and bloom was quite fun. Another great aspect was seeing the way this story comes together, it was very riveting at times, and kept me on tinder hooks, and it also gave us a little teaser at the end for the third book which I am very excited for now.

The Cover
I still don’t know what to think about the covers. I mean they are pretty of course, but they aren’t really relevant to the story in any way.

Overall View
Beauty and the Billioniare is an emotional love tale of compassion, trust, and what true love really takes….this is a story that is enthralls the reader with every page, a tender love story to capture you from page one. SIMPLY SPLENDID!!

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When I first started reading this, I was admittedly a little disappointed that it wasn't ONLY about Gretchen and Hunter's wedding. If you read my reviews on the earlier books in this series, you know I'm not a huge fan (understatement of the year) of Daphne. I thought she was a self-centered, spoiled brat — and other less flattering things, too. I didn't think I wanted to read any more about her. I didn't know if she actually deserved a happily ever after, after the way she treated everyone around her throughout the book. But, I trusted the author and kept reading because I hoped she was going to give me the story I didn't even know I wanted. And that's exactly what she did. In hindsight, a story SOLELY about Gretchen and Hunter's wedding would've been kind of boring. I think Daphne's storyline with her life coach, Wesley, added a little extra oomph to the story and, honestly, made me enjoy it all the more. It was nice to see her redeem herself and try to rebuild her relationship with her sisters.

There was plenty of Gretchen and Hunter in this novella, too, so don't worry. I adored this couple in their original book, Beauty and the Billionaire, so I was happy to get a little more of their love story in this novella. Gretchen was a bit of a mess in this book, but I felt like I understood where she was coming from. Planning a wedding is stressful... and she's a bit of a perfectionist. It was hard for her to let go. I mean, baking for 200 people? That's exactly the kind of stuff you PAY people to do for you, to lessen the stress on yourself. You know, especially when you're marrying a billionaire and money isn't an issue. But, I digress. Hunter and Gretchen's love is strong. He's still as swoony as ever. I loved getting to see them get their happily ever after. I wish there had been a little bit more sexy times, but I guess you can only do so much with 90 pages.

I am so glad Jessica decided to write another novella in her Billionaire Boys Club series. I wasn't quite ready to give these characters up quite yet and The Wedding novella was a perfect curtain call for this great cast of characters. Since it's under 100 pages, it's a super quick read-in-one-sitting type of book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Fans of the series might have mixed feelings because, well Daphne didn't exactly give us any reason to root for her throughout the series, but go in open-minded and you might enjoy it more than you expect.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

  We all make choices. Not all of them are good. It's how you recover that shows what kind of person you are.

"Every moment with you doesn't have to be a sexy moment. Just as long as it's with you."

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

Beauty and the Billionaire: The Wedding is the conclusion to both the Billionaire Boys Club series and the Billionaires and Bridesmaids series. I have to admit I’m a bit sad to see both series come to their ends, because I adore Jessica Clare’s billionaire books! That being said, this novella wasn’t quite wasn’t what I expected, though it was still fairly enjoyable. I loved that we got more Gretchen and Hunter, who make up my favorite couple Jessica Clare has written yet. But what surprised me was the big role Gretchen’s sister Daphne played. So if you’re expecting this novella to be solely about the upcoming nuptials, just be aware that half of it is Daphne’s story!

Gretchen is stressing out about her upcoming wedding. Nothing is going right for her, but at the end of the day, all that matters is that she’s marrying the love of her life, Hunter. Still, it’s not a story starring Gretchen without some ridiculous fun and messy entanglements. And of course, Hunter is still as devoted and in love with Gretchen as ever. He’s planning surprises for his bride, trying to show her just how much he adores her.

Then there’s Daphne’s story and her battle against her addictions and trying to make right with her family again. I wasn’t expecting to get her story in this novella, though I do appreciate Daphne getting her own little HEA with her life coach. I still don’t completely love her character, but I admired her determination to gain back her sisters’ trust and respect.

This novella was funny, quick, and sweet. I wish there was more (as I always do with novellas) but it’s a bittersweet ending for the series. I’m glad I got to see all the past characters one last time – so if you’re a fan of either series, make sure to pick this one up! I’m excited to see what else Jessica Clare has in store for her readers!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Amazon Ebook: http://amzn.to/2cblXJv
Audible: http://amzn.to/2i6xH3V

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Beauty and the Billionaire

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