July 2, 2014

REVIEW: Stranded With a Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #1)

Stranded With a Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #1), by Jessica Clare
Published April 16, 2013
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: paperback, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who have vowed success – at any cost. Not all of them are old money, but all of them are incredibly wealthy. They’re just not always as successful when it comes to love…

Billionaire Logan Hawkings needs a vacation. He’s had a rough time after the death of his father and the betrayal of his fiancĂ©e. But with a visit to a recent business acquisition—a private island resort in the Bahamas—he has a chance to mend his broken heart.
 

When a hurricane blows in, a misplaced passport and a stalled elevator bring Logan together with an unusual woman named Bronte. She’s unlike anyone he’s ever met—down to earth, incredibly sensual, and even quotes Plato. She also has no clue that he’s rich…

Bronte Dawson, a waitress from the Midwest, is stranded with the hotel’s domineering yet sexy manager Logan. What’s the harm in a little fling when it’s just the two of them, alone in paradise? But after several steamy island nights in Logan’s arms, Bronte’s ready to give her heart—and her body—to the man in charge.

But she soon discovers there’s more to Logan than he’s told her…a billion times more. Now, Bronte’s caught in a whirlwind affair with one of the world’s most powerful men. But can their love endure their differences or will it all just blow over?


I read Stranded With a Billionaire while on vacation with my family, and I have to say that, for me, this was the PERFECT vacation book. It was light, romantic, fun, and a very quick read.

Bronte is on the vacation from hell in the Carribean. The island she's on is being evacuated because of a hurricane, her roommate is a living nightmare, and to top it all off, she gets stuck in the elevator when trying to leave because of the weather. Good news - she gets stuck with a gorgeous, albeit grumpy, man, and they are the only two people left on the island. Thus starts a whirlwind romance not without its bumps in the road.

My new fascination are books with romances that start in high-stress situations, like getting stuck in an elevator. I loved that Bronte was a free-spirit with a philosophy degree and no idea what to do with it. She's a waitress waiting for her life to happen to her, and that's exactly what happens when she wins a trip to the Carribean in a radio contest.

Logan is a type-A alpha male who is extremely wary of all women since the one he dared care about turned out to be more interested in his two BILLION dollars than in him as a person. When he meets Bronte, she has no idea who he is or how much he has in the bank, so he's able to let down his guard around her and be real.

For how smart he is, Logan is really stupid when it comes to Bronte. It was my favorite part about him, actually. I mean, otherwise, the man is pretty perfect. He's rich, gorgeous, intelligent. He could use a bit of softening in the personality department, but Bronte brings that out in him. But, for all his demands that a woman must love him for him and not his wallet, it's typical that, when problems arise, he tries to use money to fix them. He forgets that Bronte is a simpler person. That imperfection in him really makes him an amazing character.

More than that, I loved Bronte's lightbulb moment when she realized that SHE was the one making his money an issue between them - not Logan. It was an insightful discovery and one I don't see too often in books like these. It was refreshing, and endeared me even more to a character I already liked quite a bit.

Stranded With a Billionaire is told in 3rd person, so we do get both Bronte's and Logan's POV. It's not overly sickeningly sweet, and the sex was hot, hot, HOT. I enjoyed it so much, that I immediately sought out the other books in this series, and even purchased book #2 (I've actually already read it, and loved it even more!). Jessica Clare is now on my radar - I'll be looking for more from her!

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