The Billionaire Bachelor by Jessica Lemmon — 'You may kiss the 'fake' bride'.

16 July 2016

The Billionaire Bachelor (Billionaire Bad Boys #1) by Jessica Lemmon (Goodreads, Twitter, Website)
Published by Forever on June 28th, 2016
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit
Amazon | Barnes & Noble



Manwhore. That's what the board of directors-and the tabloids-thinks of billionaire bachelor Reese Crane. Ordinarily he couldn't care less, but his playboy past is preventing the board from naming him CEO of Crane Hotels. Nothing-and no one-will keep him from his life's legacy. They want a settled man to lead the company? Then that's exactly what he'll give them.

Merina Van Heusen will do anything to get her parents' funky boutique hotel back-even marry cold-as-ice-but-sexy-as-hell Reese Crane. It's a simple business contract-six months of marriage, absolute secrecy, and the Van Heusen is all hers again. But when sparks fly between them, their passion quickly moves from the boardroom to the bedroom. And soon Merina is living her worst nightmare: falling in love with her husband...

I'm back, my lovely fellow mischievous readers! Excuse my current review style, I'm a little out of my element. I haven't been back on the blog for three months, so I'm currently struggling with creative writing. I've been writing news summaries all day at work, so I'm going to need to work on lengthy descriptions once again.

When did I ever doubt Jessica Lemmon? NEVER. I can absolutely vouch her writing gets better and better with every release.

Whenever I'm in need of a book with the perfect balance of swoon and ache, Jessica Lemmon is the key.

The Second Chance series author brings the bad boys back in motion; billionaire bachelor edition. Brooding billionaire (think Oliver Queen!) meets passionate and tough as nails heroine and go through one of the best romance tropes ever: fake relationships or in this case, marriage. Reese Crane needs to be CEO, but his manwhore reputation isn't exactly the x-factor his father's company board is looking for. Enter Merina Van Heusen--hurt after her parents sold their beloved Van Heusen hotel to the multi-millionaire hotelier Cranes without her knowledge. Reese has a plan, but he'll need Merina's full co-operation if she wants her family hotel back.

Oh gosh. Lemmon's writing is outstanding as ever—characters, plot and all. I adore Reese's brooding yet flirtatious persona. Strong, and stoic, but a broken hero—a perfect complement to Merina's spirited nature, which I commend the most. Merina is a character who wears her heart on her sleeve but in the typical naive manner, a Lemmon trademark. But don't be fooled. This isn't the rich guy falls for poor girl romance. Merina is a confident, no holds barred business woman—sassy, sexy and passionate. Everything I look for in a heroine.

JL's characters complemented each other, bouncing from flawed to flawlessly perfect when together. I can absolutely argue Reese and Merina are the best couple she's ever written. It's a unique frenemies to lovers romance, featuring hilarious banters and a sh*t ton of eye f*cking. Their romance is incredibly spicy, steamy and oozing with the perfect chemistry. Their relationship—extremely flawed, stemming from a business agreement all for the sake of convenience, but blooms into something raw and tender as past secrets begin exposure. The pacing? Just right. It's the perfect balance of a slow burn and an explosive romance.

Let's not forget how this romance author inserts the most perfect supporting characters aka the Cranes brothers, the next in the Billionaire Bad Boys series. I'm stoked, I tell ya! Lemmon's works are addicting, I always fall in love with every single couple. I'm excited for the next thing this series will bring. Tag Crane, I'm coming for you next.