Reviewer: Tracy
Billionaire on the Loose by Jessica Clare
Series: Billionaires and Bridesmaids #5
Also in this series: The Billionaire and the Virgin, The Taming of the Billionaire, The Billionaire Takes a Bride, The Billionaire's Favorite Mistake
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: September 20th 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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Series Rating:

Taylor is a genius when it comes to computers, but understanding the opposite sex is beyond her. Because she always fumbles her flirtations, she needs help in finding her Prince Charming. So when her friend, Gretchen, sets her up as a tour guide for a new guy in town, she says yes despite her misgivings.

She just doesn’t expect Mr. Charming to actually be royalty...

A faction in his country wants him to be king, but Loch has no intention of taking the crown. To keep from being named as the next successor, he hatches a scheme to marry a totally unacceptable American woman. Quirky Taylor seems like the perfect person for the job, until Loch realizes he likes more about her than her ability to keep him off the throne.

When Loch’s secret schemes come out, his chance of happiness with Taylor are blown—unless he can find a way to get the nerdy object of his affection to believe she’s truly the queen of his heart...

Taylor is a klutz.  She is a wiz kid when it comes to computers but out in real life she doesn’t do so well.  She spends most of her time playing an online game and working her tech support job from home.  When her friend Gretchen asks her to come out of her hole to show someone around she has no idea what she’s in for.

Loch is something like 5^th in line to the throne of Bellissime.  Now that his cousin Alex has married an American (His Royal Princess) there are some factions in Bellissime that want to get Loch onto the throne instead of Alex.  He doesn’t want to be on the throne any more than the current queen wants him on the throne.  They decide to send Loch to America – supposedly for vacation – to get him out of the Bellissime public eye.  Once things have calmed down he can go home – but they’re thinking it will be a year or two.  Loch agrees but he’s certainly not happy about being away from his friends and homeland for that long.

Loch arrives in America and is bored silly.  He misses his drinking in the pub with his friends after a rousing polo match and he has nothing to do.  When he meets Taylor he’s surprised at how attracted to her he is as she’s not his type – and is a total klutz.  They spend the day together and have a great time – ending up in Taylor’s bed.  Loch really likes this girl but all of his attempts to get back together with her are thwarted by Taylor’s schedule.  He’s incredibly bored and just wants to go home to Bellissime.

Taylor really likes Loch as well but besides her game and work there’s another reason she’s not answering his calls.  She’s being emotionally blackmailed by a guy who plays her online game with her.  She keeps telling him she’s only his friend but he is needy and is pretty much cyber-stalking her.  He texts her constantly and threatens suicide when she doesn’t play or respond. She finally spends some time with Loch and finds herself falling in love with him. When Loch devises a plan to get back to Bellissime by marrying Taylor – a totally unsuitable American which will keep people from wanting him on the throne – he doesn’t bother telling Taylor what he’s doing.  She agrees and thinks he as in love with her as she is with him.  When she finds out the truth, however, Loch has a few lessons that he’ll learn whether he want to or not.

Billionaire on the Loose is a completely apt title for this book.  Loch is a wild card and has no idea of how real people live.  He’s wealthy and has servants to do things for him – he plays polo and drinks and generally has a good time.  There are people to do things for him so why do them himself?  When he gets to America to say he was adrift would be an understatement.  The guy wakes Taylor up after what’s supposed to be a one-night stand with her and asks her to make him breakfast.  In fact, I don’t think he actually asked – just said something to the effect of I want you to make me breakfast.  WTF?  Lol (FYI she didn’t) Luckily for Taylor (and the rest of us) he soon started doing things for himself.  I loved him most at the end of the book, however, as he finally figured his shit out and it changed his life.

Taylor was a good person.  She was just a computer nerd who had a degree that she really wasn’t using to its full advantage.  She loved playing her online game but when Sigmund started blackmailing her emotionally she felt she couldn’t quit.  Having Loch in her life really made her see a different side of herself and one she really liked.  Of course she was thoroughly hurt when she found out about Loch’s plan to marry her because she was unsuitable but in the end it worked out for her.  I loved her strength in the face of adversity.  I loved her quirkiness, her Dr. Who scarf that she wore even in warm weather, her Hello Kitty backpack that she carried instead of a purse – I just thought she was great.

Overall this was an adorable romance that made me smile – and it probably will do the same for you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Reviewer: Tracy
The Billionaire's Favorite Mistake by Jessica Clare
Series: Billionaires and Bridesmaids #4
Also in this series: The Billionaire and the Virgin, The Taming of the Billionaire, The Billionaire Takes a Bride, Billionaire on the Loose
Publisher: Intermix
Publication Date: June 21st 2016
Genres: Contemporary Romance
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Series Rating:

Greer has always been there for Asher, but she wishes she could break through her shyness and show how much she truly loves him. But after a steamy, mindless fling at Hunter and Gretchen’s engagement party, Greer finds herself tossed aside and forced to admit that you can’t love someone who doesn’t acknowledge you exist.

It’s a shame he got her pregnant.

After his fiancée betrayed him and tanked his business in one fell swoop, Asher has spent his time trying to rebuild his wealth and forget the past. But he doesn’t understand why Greer blew him off after their night together—until he catches a glimpse of her belly.

Now Asher is willing to do whatever it takes to convince Greer she belongs with him. And he’s very skilled at the art of persuasion.

Greer has been in love with Asher for many years.  She wants him to finally notice her as a woman rather than just a friend.  She completely works herself over and then heads to a costume party at their friends’ house.  By the time Greer arrives Asher is three sheets to the wind but she ends up going along with his suggestions anyway and then ends up sleeping with him in the middle of the garden on a bench.  And it’s the worst sex ever.  She’s a virgin and even she knows it’s the worst sex ever.  She’s pissed at Asher beyond belief and ends up blocking his number when he keeps trying to get in touch with her to apologize.  When she finds out she’s pregnant she’s even more pissed but determined to be the most wonderful mother ever.

Greer’s father is kind of like a fictional Hugh Hefner.  He runs a girly magazine, lives in a humongous house and has three girlfriends – triplets no less.  Stijn, Greer’s dad, was never attentive and really didn’t want Greer at all or even to have her around, but when her mother died he took Greer in just to make himself look like a compassionate guy.  Yeah, right.  Despite all of this Greer still finds that she wants to make him proud of her.  She heads to Vegas at his request to plan a party for him as he will be getting an award.

The party goes off without a hitch but Greer is shocked when she sees Asher there.  He’s actually a stockholder in her father’s company and that’s why he’s attending.  He guesses about Greer’s pregnancy but she informs him he’ll have nothing to do with the baby.  Asher knows he’ll have to win Greer back so he forms a plan that involves them kissing and more as well as Greer planning a wedding for her father to one of the triplets but even they don’t know who the lucky bride will be.

There were many things to like about this book.  I loved Asher’s determination to get Greer back after he screwed up their friendship and I was happy that he wanted her back as more than a friend and he finally realized his love for her.  He wasn’t truly a bad guy, he’d just had some hard knocks and had turned to alcohol to solve his problems.  We all know that never works in real life and it didn’t work in this book either.

Greer was a good woman who had had a pretty emotionless upbringing.  Her mother loved her to pieces but had turned to porn and drugs after she was turned out by Stijn and eventually OD’d when Greer was eight years old.  I can understand her having no faith in men being good fathers because of her upbringing.  This, however, did not apply to Asher and it took her way longer to see it than it should have.

My biggest issue with this book was Greer’s, imho, overblown and ridiculous anger toward Asher after their night at the party.  Yes, it was awful, HE WAS DRUNK.  She knew he was drunk and still went along with everything he tried and suggested and didn’t try to stop him or even suggest a condom.  I could understand her anger at first but to hold on to it for so long was too much.  She knew Asher and yes she had her feelings hurt but it seemed to me that she should have known him well enough to realize that that wasn’t him she slept with – it was the alcohol.  IDK, her attitude just irked me throughout the book.  I was happy when she finally forgave him and saw through his “kissing lessons” scheme – it just took way too long.

Overall it was a cute story and I enjoyed it.  Secondary characters (Stijn and his triplets as well as Gretchen) played a big role in this story and that made it all work well.  A good addition to the series.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5