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Wicked Games #1
Wicked Beautiful
A ruthless businesswoman and the playboy who dumped her long ago find themselves embroiled in a high stakes game of love, lies and revenge.
Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.
Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.
Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love?
Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.
Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.
Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love?
380 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2015
About the author
J.T. Geissinger
36 books18.4k followersJ.T. Geissinger is a USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author of thirty-two novels. Ranging from funny, feisty romcoms to intense erotic thrillers, her books have sold over fifteen million copies and been translated into more than twenty languages.
She is a three-time nominee in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and the HOLT Medallion for Best Erotic Romance.
Newsletter ➡️ http://bit.ly/1IbgZZI
Reader group ➡️ http://bit.ly/2xbtnY3
Amazon ➡️ http://amzn.to/1xQN4za
She is a three-time nominee in both contemporary and paranormal romance for the RITA® Award, the highest distinction in romance fiction from the Romance Writers of America®. She is also a recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and the HOLT Medallion for Best Erotic Romance.
Newsletter ➡️ http://bit.ly/1IbgZZI
Reader group ➡️ http://bit.ly/2xbtnY3
Amazon ➡️ http://amzn.to/1xQN4za
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,144 reviews
April 21, 2021
4 Stars!
... Wicked delightful.
This was wicked good. Wicked entertaining. Wicked emotional. Wicked fun. Wicked hot. And wicked well-written. I hate a book that is unrealistic, and technically speaking, this was a tad fantastical. However, it cannot beat the fact that I enjoyed this book so wicked much.
Note: This is a second chance romance.
Victoria was a life coach and a best-selling author who went through a terrible past that made her as what she was now. She'd sworn every man and planned to make the man who shattered her heart and soul fifteen years ago pay. Parker did not recognize Victoria the first time he saw her. She changed so much, emotionally and physically. Victoria used it to her advantage. She would make him fall in love with her, destroy his reputation, and break his heart. The rest of the history you have to read to find out.
I didn't understand the importance of Mexico. What she doing there, by the way? She hid? After Parker told her everything, that's what she did? And apart from Mexico, the conclusion was pretty rushed. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but I felt like it wasn't properly resolved. Nevertheless, I liked the story as a whole and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I laughed out loud, and cried, and laughed out loud while crying. This book made me an idiot, and I'm educated, but I never once regretted anything though.
I recommend this to those who likes: J.T. Geissinger, second chance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, revenge, billionaire, emotional read, and a happily ever after.
... Wicked delightful.
This was wicked good. Wicked entertaining. Wicked emotional. Wicked fun. Wicked hot. And wicked well-written. I hate a book that is unrealistic, and technically speaking, this was a tad fantastical. However, it cannot beat the fact that I enjoyed this book so wicked much.
Note: This is a second chance romance.
“You have very low standards, my friend.” He shrugs. “Life is too short to look for perfection.”
Victoria was a life coach and a best-selling author who went through a terrible past that made her as what she was now. She'd sworn every man and planned to make the man who shattered her heart and soul fifteen years ago pay. Parker did not recognize Victoria the first time he saw her. She changed so much, emotionally and physically. Victoria used it to her advantage. She would make him fall in love with her, destroy his reputation, and break his heart. The rest of the history you have to read to find out.
"A man as beautiful as he is is undoubtedly used to having women throw themselves at his feet. A challenge will pique his interest. And I want him piqued. I want him so piqued, the top of his head gets pointed."
I didn't understand the importance of Mexico. What she doing there, by the way? She hid? After Parker told her everything, that's what she did? And apart from Mexico, the conclusion was pretty rushed. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but I felt like it wasn't properly resolved. Nevertheless, I liked the story as a whole and I look forward to the rest of the series.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I laughed out loud, and cried, and laughed out loud while crying. This book made me an idiot, and I'm educated, but I never once regretted anything though.
I recommend this to those who likes: J.T. Geissinger, second chance, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, revenge, billionaire, emotional read, and a happily ever after.
"I’ve finally realized that the only thing more damaging to your soul than hanging on to a grudge is…nothing ... Only forgiveness will set you free. Only forgiveness can heal your scars. Forgiveness not only for those who’ve wronged you but also for yourself."
December 3, 2018
I have a girl crush on JTG. Just putting that out there.
This book has one of the funniest, fiercest heroines, ever. Oh my gawd. Love it.
February 22, 2019
I loved this book so so so much! This is my second book of J. T. Geissinger and I think I found my smartest romance writer and I feel so delighted right now! A big applause to her. This book is funny, emotional, heart warming and also full of twists, heart felting, tear jerker, hot romance. With her talented words, dear Geissinger combined different genres and feelings, mixed them professionally and created an amazing write.
But first time I adored the supporting character more than the leading ones. Yeap, I’m talking about Abby. Intelligent, smart, honest, loyal, badass hacker! ( She has too many positive attributes so I can tolerate her Hello Kitty madness) So i can’t wait to read the second book to know more about her.
I’m also curious to learn more about Victoria and Parker. What will happen to them? Because their story hasn’t truly ended in this book! I loved to read more about them, too.
I already added this book to my all time favorites list so I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a fantastic reading!
But first time I adored the supporting character more than the leading ones. Yeap, I’m talking about Abby. Intelligent, smart, honest, loyal, badass hacker! ( She has too many positive attributes so I can tolerate her Hello Kitty madness) So i can’t wait to read the second book to know more about her.
I’m also curious to learn more about Victoria and Parker. What will happen to them? Because their story hasn’t truly ended in this book! I loved to read more about them, too.
I already added this book to my all time favorites list so I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a fantastic reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2016
"Only forgiveness will set you free. Only forgiveness can heal your scars. Forgiveness not only for those who've wronged you but also for yourself."
➦Reading this book was a lot of fun! We have a strong heroine, who is in the business of hating men and built a whole empire on it. She meets our hero 15 years after being dumped by him and she's out to get revenge on him. For breaking her heart... and vagina. Yep, apparently there are icicles in both.
➦So anywhoooo... the heroine's awesome plan is to have the hero fall head over heels for her and then dump him and break the poor bastard's heart.
➦But wait! There's a catch! This poor bloke doesn't recognize her because she's had numerous plastic surgeries to alter her appearance for the better.
➦There's just one tiny problem. He might or might not be the one to melt all the icicles. So how will it all end?
➦So I guess my only question is... "Did she get plastic surgery for her voice too?" Don't worry, I always ask this type of question when this trope comes up. :D
❤I really like the premise of the novel, however unbelievable it might be... fiction, people! It did create for much needed tension and torment. There are a lot of secrets that get uncovered throughout the novel. The writing is very engaging and kept me interested until the end. I loved all of the supporting characters and I'm itching to read the second book in this series!
➦Recommended to anyone who loves revenge plots, hate to love relationships, steamy reads with a lot of entertaining banter. I was LOL'ing quite a bit :) xoxo
May 2, 2020
5 stars multiplied by many more... Best book of second chances!!!
Let me tell you that I rarely like a "second chance" romance because I need either a very good explanation related to the separation in the past or an epic groveling; otherwise, I cannot accept the second chance. This book fulfilled these conditions for me; it was so amazingly written that I can’t tell you how much I loved this book.
I will try to express my thoughts and feelings but no review will do it justice, you should read it. It is an experience you shouldn’t miss.
So, what can I say? It has it all!
* Perfect plot...
* Perfect character development...
* Perfect surprises, unexpected plot twists...
* No stupid drama, but real angst...
* Very talented story-telling....
* Beautiful writing of emotions...
* Interesting, intriguing, emotional, funny, sad, exciting, thrilling, brilliant and hot, scorching hot...
I wanted to cry when I finished reading the book because I couldn’t get enough of it... I just wanted to read on and on...
The plot:
Firstly, we have a very interesting character: Victoria Price, aka the Queen Bitch, or as Parker calls her, Cruella. She is the writer of the book Bitches Do Better and many more books alike. A multi-millionaire, a heartless and ruthless woman. She is gorgeous with her Mexican blood. She tries to teach other women how to be strong in a men’s world. She once loved a boy too much, got heartbroken and was left alone with a tragedy, so she reinvented herself, even leaving her real name Isabel behind...
The Prologue begins describing how Isabel reinvented herself as Victoria...
“Once upon a time, I had a heart. It was a nice one, too, big and wide and tender. I loved everything with that heart...
When I was fifteen, I met a boy my heart loved even more than anything. My heart loved the boy so fiercely it would bolt, or skip a beat, or stall out altogether, just from the mention of his name. For two perfect years this boy was my heart’s true joy, and, in my innocence, I believed it would remain so forever. I believed my heart was safe with him, that a love so pure and good could never be defiled. I was wrong. The boy taught me a lesson, and the lesson was this:
Love is a fairy-tale. An illusion. A lie.
Love can wither like an apple blossom killed from frost, and so can hearts.
Mine did.
Now inside my chest where my heart used to beat so joyfully you’ll find only a jagged shard of ice. Into that frozen shard is carved a single, simple word: Revenge.”
Then we meet Parker... The blond, charismatic enigma...
After 16 years, Parker is now a rich and stunning young man who dates only women who do not demand a serious relationship. He is immediately attracted to Victoria Price but he doesn't recognize that she is Isabel and he is the one who once broke her. The man has his own secrets as well.
When fate brings them together by accident so many years later, Victoria thinks she has a chance... a chance to take her revenge...
Wow, then just wow...
with every lie hidden and with every truth discovered...
with every feeling hidden, buried and now revived...
the story takes you on a journey of a roller coaster of emotions!
I loved every minute of it.
* When it was fun, it was really fun, the banter and everything.
* When it was sad, it made my heart ache.
* When it was hot, it was melting hot.
* When there was sexual tension, it was off the charts.
* When it was stressful, the tension it caused nearly gave me a heart attack.
I felt every emotion deep and real.
The side characters are also awesome. Darcy, Tabby and Connor contributed to the story so much. By the way, this is Book 1 of the series "Wicked Games" and the 2nd book "Wicked Sexy" is about Tabby and Connor.
Writing:
The book is told by dual point of view, which is always the best for me so that I can get what the hero and the heroine both think and feel. The writing is captivating and it makes you feel... makes you feel a lot!!!
Safety:
If you need your MCs stay celibate during separation, then this is not the best choice for you.
However, I loved it because neither of them was to blame for the separation. If couples loving each other are separated because of the mistake of one of them, I don't care if they stay celibate or not during the separation, I just cannot forgive the mistake and I cannot make my peace with the lost years.
On the other hand, if the separation is because of outside effects and neither of them is to be blamed for it, then, I can make my peace with the non-celibacy issue. So it is up to you if this kind of second chance novel is for you or not :)
Recommendation:
I cannot recommend this book enough, it has taken its place in my “all-times-favorite-books shelf”.
****************************************
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
No one ever told me it could be like this. No one ever said it would be so easy to lose myself in a beautiful, brilliant boy. To lose myself and find myself, all at once.
***
It’s probably the hottest kiss I’ve ever had, too. It was definitely worth the slap. In fact, if she said the only way I’d be able to kiss her again is if she tied me up and played Fifty Shades of Grey with a leather belt across my ass, I’d beg, “Yes, please. Now, please.”
***
“In the spirit of full disclosure, I should probably tell you that this dress of yours, which is really more like visual Viagra than a dress, is going to cause an ocean of drool among all the poor bastards you’ll be passing tonight, so I’m going to have to stick very close to you in order to be ready to lend a gallant hand when you slip on said drool. Which is inevitable, considering the sheer amount of it we’ll be dealing with. So.”
I laugh a little shakily. “So be prepared to have a Parker barnacle?”
He nods seriously, though there’s a gleam of laughter in his eyes. “Yes.”
***
Everything this man says carries a subtext within a subtext beneath a hazy veil of misdirection and innuendo. It’s maddening.
***
“I’d kill to keep you looking at me like that forever.”
***
“Why is it that you see me so clearly when no one else does?” A stray lock of hair is falling into her eyes. I brush it from her forehead.
Keeping my voice low, I say, “Why is it that when I’m inside you, I feel like I’m finally home?”
***
“I want to know all the dark places in you,” he whispers vehemently, his arms like a vise. “I want to be the one who has the key that unlocks all your bolted doors and chases away all the monsters you keep hidden behind them. I want to be the light inside your darkness. I want to be your rock and your safety net, the soft place you can fall.”
***
“If you think you’re insulting me by calling me a jarhead, woman, think again; I’m proud to be a Marine! I was in goddamn Special Ops!” says Connor.
Tabby retorts with a snotty, “Not smart enough for the Navy SEALs, hmm? Or does that apelike body of yours not float?”
Let me tell you that I rarely like a "second chance" romance because I need either a very good explanation related to the separation in the past or an epic groveling; otherwise, I cannot accept the second chance. This book fulfilled these conditions for me; it was so amazingly written that I can’t tell you how much I loved this book.
I will try to express my thoughts and feelings but no review will do it justice, you should read it. It is an experience you shouldn’t miss.
So, what can I say? It has it all!
* Perfect plot...
* Perfect character development...
* Perfect surprises, unexpected plot twists...
* No stupid drama, but real angst...
* Very talented story-telling....
* Beautiful writing of emotions...
* Interesting, intriguing, emotional, funny, sad, exciting, thrilling, brilliant and hot, scorching hot...
I wanted to cry when I finished reading the book because I couldn’t get enough of it... I just wanted to read on and on...
The plot:
Firstly, we have a very interesting character: Victoria Price, aka the Queen Bitch, or as Parker calls her, Cruella. She is the writer of the book Bitches Do Better and many more books alike. A multi-millionaire, a heartless and ruthless woman. She is gorgeous with her Mexican blood. She tries to teach other women how to be strong in a men’s world. She once loved a boy too much, got heartbroken and was left alone with a tragedy, so she reinvented herself, even leaving her real name Isabel behind...
The Prologue begins describing how Isabel reinvented herself as Victoria...
“Once upon a time, I had a heart. It was a nice one, too, big and wide and tender. I loved everything with that heart...
When I was fifteen, I met a boy my heart loved even more than anything. My heart loved the boy so fiercely it would bolt, or skip a beat, or stall out altogether, just from the mention of his name. For two perfect years this boy was my heart’s true joy, and, in my innocence, I believed it would remain so forever. I believed my heart was safe with him, that a love so pure and good could never be defiled. I was wrong. The boy taught me a lesson, and the lesson was this:
Love is a fairy-tale. An illusion. A lie.
Love can wither like an apple blossom killed from frost, and so can hearts.
Mine did.
Now inside my chest where my heart used to beat so joyfully you’ll find only a jagged shard of ice. Into that frozen shard is carved a single, simple word: Revenge.”
Then we meet Parker... The blond, charismatic enigma...
After 16 years, Parker is now a rich and stunning young man who dates only women who do not demand a serious relationship. He is immediately attracted to Victoria Price but he doesn't recognize that she is Isabel and he is the one who once broke her. The man has his own secrets as well.
When fate brings them together by accident so many years later, Victoria thinks she has a chance... a chance to take her revenge...
Wow, then just wow...
with every lie hidden and with every truth discovered...
with every feeling hidden, buried and now revived...
the story takes you on a journey of a roller coaster of emotions!
I loved every minute of it.
* When it was fun, it was really fun, the banter and everything.
* When it was sad, it made my heart ache.
* When it was hot, it was melting hot.
* When there was sexual tension, it was off the charts.
* When it was stressful, the tension it caused nearly gave me a heart attack.
I felt every emotion deep and real.
The side characters are also awesome. Darcy, Tabby and Connor contributed to the story so much. By the way, this is Book 1 of the series "Wicked Games" and the 2nd book "Wicked Sexy" is about Tabby and Connor.
Writing:
The book is told by dual point of view, which is always the best for me so that I can get what the hero and the heroine both think and feel. The writing is captivating and it makes you feel... makes you feel a lot!!!
Safety:
If you need your MCs stay celibate during separation, then this is not the best choice for you.
However, I loved it because neither of them was to blame for the separation. If couples loving each other are separated because of the mistake of one of them, I don't care if they stay celibate or not during the separation, I just cannot forgive the mistake and I cannot make my peace with the lost years.
On the other hand, if the separation is because of outside effects and neither of them is to be blamed for it, then, I can make my peace with the non-celibacy issue. So it is up to you if this kind of second chance novel is for you or not :)
Recommendation:
I cannot recommend this book enough, it has taken its place in my “all-times-favorite-books shelf”.
****************************************
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
No one ever told me it could be like this. No one ever said it would be so easy to lose myself in a beautiful, brilliant boy. To lose myself and find myself, all at once.
***
It’s probably the hottest kiss I’ve ever had, too. It was definitely worth the slap. In fact, if she said the only way I’d be able to kiss her again is if she tied me up and played Fifty Shades of Grey with a leather belt across my ass, I’d beg, “Yes, please. Now, please.”
***
“In the spirit of full disclosure, I should probably tell you that this dress of yours, which is really more like visual Viagra than a dress, is going to cause an ocean of drool among all the poor bastards you’ll be passing tonight, so I’m going to have to stick very close to you in order to be ready to lend a gallant hand when you slip on said drool. Which is inevitable, considering the sheer amount of it we’ll be dealing with. So.”
I laugh a little shakily. “So be prepared to have a Parker barnacle?”
He nods seriously, though there’s a gleam of laughter in his eyes. “Yes.”
***
Everything this man says carries a subtext within a subtext beneath a hazy veil of misdirection and innuendo. It’s maddening.
***
“I’d kill to keep you looking at me like that forever.”
***
“Why is it that you see me so clearly when no one else does?” A stray lock of hair is falling into her eyes. I brush it from her forehead.
Keeping my voice low, I say, “Why is it that when I’m inside you, I feel like I’m finally home?”
***
“I want to know all the dark places in you,” he whispers vehemently, his arms like a vise. “I want to be the one who has the key that unlocks all your bolted doors and chases away all the monsters you keep hidden behind them. I want to be the light inside your darkness. I want to be your rock and your safety net, the soft place you can fall.”
***
“If you think you’re insulting me by calling me a jarhead, woman, think again; I’m proud to be a Marine! I was in goddamn Special Ops!” says Connor.
Tabby retorts with a snotty, “Not smart enough for the Navy SEALs, hmm? Or does that apelike body of yours not float?”
December 21, 2015
Title: Wicked Beautiful
Series: Standalone
Author: J.T. Geissinger
Release date: , 2015
Cliffhanger: No
HEA
I had mixed emotions when requesting this book on Netgalley. This is my second book by this author and while I found a lot to love in the last one I read, it did not end on a high note. It was one of those cases where I was completely immersed in the story in the first half and it slowly deteriorated into a disappointing place by the end. So why read another, you ask? I see so much potential in this author, she really has the ability to write an addictive story that you can't put down. There are parts that I enjoyed so much, it was a bitter pill to swallow when I had to hand out an average rating. So, I wanted to see what else was on offer and if I could find a better balance the second time around. Unfortunately, the same situation arose again: First half, addictive. Second half, frustrating. I'll get to that in a bit though.
Let's start out with what worked for me. In the beginning of the book we're introduced to Victoria. Ladies, she's a professional Bitch with a capitol B, and she's proud of it. I mean that in the most literal way. She makes a living being a bitch-and teaching other women to find empowerment through teaching them how to gain confidence and assertiveness. These typically praised traits in men are looked at negatively in women. She's made it her mission to change women's perception of strength and femininity. I loved her in the beginning. It was refreshing to find such a unique premise and I couldn't get enough of her ruthless and powerful personality.
What makes her less than authentic is her motivation in her quest to empower women. Though she does believe every word she says, what no one knows is that she's hiding a past and an identity that no one knows about.
I'm not that unsophisticated country girl anymore, that girl who loved with all her heart and soul. That girl is dead. There's only one girl left, the one made of ice and vengeance.
She's overcome a debilitating heartbreak and betrayal by the first man she ever loved. And because of this, her whole life derailed with no white knight to come and rescue her. So she became her own savior. A woman who succeeds no matter what the cost, and she surely doesn't become attached to any man longer than it takes to get some physical satisfaction. Until one night, she comes face to face with the man who ruined her and rebuilt her into the woman she's become. And she's not willing to let his transgressions go without getting her retribution.
This should have made the story for me. It's a personal weakness to read about revenge in any form in my books. There's just something about it that I love and it never fails to draw me in. This one worked...for a while. I was loving the delicious tension and the push and pull between the h/H. That sexual tension was honed to the finest point using some hate lust that was raw and intense.
"I want you so fucking badly I'll do almost anything to have you, and I think you want me the same way. But I won't beg. I won't be lied to. And I won't be led around by my balls. I only want it if it's real. Yes or no."
My breath is ragged. I feel as if I'm standing over rocks far below. "Parker-"
"Yes or no."
It became glaringly obvious that nothing was as it seemed when it came to their past. Although Parker is known as a Playboy, he's not an asshole and you just know the fall out is going to be crushing when the truth comes out. Their relationship is built on lies, deception, but more than that, real feelings of unwanted attraction on both their parts. Because they both know they're playing with fire being together-they just can't seem to deny themselves. It's a dangerous game they're both playing, and I wondered how they would come out unscathed.
My main problem with the book would be that in the last half, the drama took a turn towards ridiculous and unrealistic. I can see where a lot of people would have no problem with the plot, but for me, it's just something that I don't find appealing. I tried to ignore my impatience with the direction things went, but it was impossible. Another thing I just couldn't wrap my head around was the fact that though they were each other's first love and never got over each other...he didn't recognize her. And this is explained away because it's been fifteen years, she grew a couple of inches, had her nose and teeth fixed, got contacts, and is now rich. Really now? None of these things are enough to completely alter a person's appearance unrecognizable. Nope, not buying it.
If you were thinking of reading this, don't let my problems with it dissuade you. It's very likely you'll find a lot to enjoy. But I think this may be my last attempt with this author, it may be we just aren't a natural fit and that's okay.
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March 23, 2020
If it was only for the hero and heroine's bff Darcy, this book would be a 5 stars. But there was a plot/ story in the middle that wasn't good. Not a tiny bit.
I've been updating my progress and making notes. Pretty much what I wanted to say is there.
I'm just disappointed I didn't like this book as much as my GR friends who recommended it to me did. Honestly, the idea of a strong, badass"bitchy" heroine was just that: an idea. IMO, her strength was in reality a weakness. I understand what she and her family went through wasn't easy. But in the same time everything happened in the 2000s, not in the 1900s. Leading to a stupid reaction by her parents (specially the father) who locked her in the house so her pregnancy wouldn't shame the family. Her father turned to gambling and drinking losing all the family money. Money that would have been used for her brother's treatment. And because he didn't have such treatment, he died. I couldn't believe I read this. That was so the time we didn't have electricity.
So what happened was a woman who was "abandoned " pregnant by her bf (I have to say it was her father's doing, blackmailing him and I understood him) and gave the baby up to adoption. She changed her entire life with new name, plastic surgeries and became one of those people who help people. In her case, helping women to be a "bitch". But what she really did was building a strength in sand. She did all that, built her own empire based on what a man did to her in the past. She let a bad situation lead her entire life. She lived her life for the boy she loved. Because even if she thought she hated him, she really loved him. The way she was living her life, was more like an excuse to be close to the memories of her lost love. She never allowed herself to move on. And when she sees the hero again after 15 years, she plots this evil revenge against him, but she was never capable to put it in practice because she always gave in to her attraction/love to him. So her strength, bitchness, power and revenge, well, we never really get to experience. It was only in the blurb. And to make things worse, when it all was revealed, we found out her mother was the real bitch of the story. The hero did come back for the heroine and her mother told him she killed herself. I was just shocked with the evilness of that lady. And don't try to sell me the crap of trying to protect your daughter because of social differences. That's bs. And she should have come clean to her daughter when she realized all that hatred and pain she carried inside. That mother is a horrible parent as was her father.
And I won't even mention all the cyber crimes and hackers in the middle. Besides giving new identity to her boss, she wasn't able to do anything else. And for a hacker who allegedly broke into banks and military and whatever systems she was very incompetent. The author told us she was smart, but nuh nuh. Nope
And the end. The escape to Mexico. New identity. New life as a "peasant”.... lmao I was rolling my eyes so hard it gave me headache.
There are some more comments in my updates.
I've been updating my progress and making notes. Pretty much what I wanted to say is there.
I'm just disappointed I didn't like this book as much as my GR friends who recommended it to me did. Honestly, the idea of a strong, badass"bitchy" heroine was just that: an idea. IMO, her strength was in reality a weakness. I understand what she and her family went through wasn't easy. But in the same time everything happened in the 2000s, not in the 1900s. Leading to a stupid reaction by her parents (specially the father) who locked her in the house so her pregnancy wouldn't shame the family. Her father turned to gambling and drinking losing all the family money. Money that would have been used for her brother's treatment. And because he didn't have such treatment, he died. I couldn't believe I read this. That was so the time we didn't have electricity.
So what happened was a woman who was "abandoned " pregnant by her bf (I have to say it was her father's doing, blackmailing him and I understood him) and gave the baby up to adoption. She changed her entire life with new name, plastic surgeries and became one of those people who help people. In her case, helping women to be a "bitch". But what she really did was building a strength in sand. She did all that, built her own empire based on what a man did to her in the past. She let a bad situation lead her entire life. She lived her life for the boy she loved. Because even if she thought she hated him, she really loved him. The way she was living her life, was more like an excuse to be close to the memories of her lost love. She never allowed herself to move on. And when she sees the hero again after 15 years, she plots this evil revenge against him, but she was never capable to put it in practice because she always gave in to her attraction/love to him. So her strength, bitchness, power and revenge, well, we never really get to experience. It was only in the blurb. And to make things worse, when it all was revealed, we found out her mother was the real bitch of the story. The hero did come back for the heroine and her mother told him she killed herself. I was just shocked with the evilness of that lady. And don't try to sell me the crap of trying to protect your daughter because of social differences. That's bs. And she should have come clean to her daughter when she realized all that hatred and pain she carried inside. That mother is a horrible parent as was her father.
And I won't even mention all the cyber crimes and hackers in the middle. Besides giving new identity to her boss, she wasn't able to do anything else. And for a hacker who allegedly broke into banks and military and whatever systems she was very incompetent. The author told us she was smart, but nuh nuh. Nope
And the end. The escape to Mexico. New identity. New life as a "peasant”.... lmao I was rolling my eyes so hard it gave me headache.
There are some more comments in my updates.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2015
***3,75- 4 "The Revenge of Queen B." stars***
"Once upon a time, I had a heart.
It was a nice one, too, big and wide and tender...
Then, when I was fifteen, I met a boy my heart loved even more than anything...
I believed my heart was safe with him, that a love so pure and good could never be defiled.
I was wrong.
The boy taught me a lesson, and the lesson was this: love is a fairy-tale. An illusion. A lie. Love can wither like an apple blossom killed from frost, and so can hearts.
Mine did.
Now inside my chest where my heart used to beat so joyfully you’ll find only a jagged shard of ice. Into that frozen shard is carved a single, simple word:
Revenge."
That was a story of vengeance and deception...
A story full of passion...
But those who are seeking revenge, they know the truth or they think that they know it???
And how far can lead a person the seeking of revenge???
Well, Victoria Price is a Bitch. She is the Queen Bitch and she is proud for that!
She even have written a book for how to be a bitch and she made a shitload of money.
Now, why Victoria had become like that???
The answer is because of a man. A man that shuttered her heart and destroyed her family.
So Victoria had changed in every aspect. Body, heart and soul.
She is unrecognizable and she even had change her name...
Her birth name was Isabel and not Victoria.
Now, she is living her life like a total bitch with no strings attached and no heart involvement...
But what will happen when she meet by chance the man that caused her all this pain???
She will be ready to take her revenge...
"I can’t deny that I’m still profoundly physically attracted to him, that the electric connection I felt when I was a clueless little girl still remains, I hate him all the more."
But to succeed it, she had to be very close to him and thank God, that he is an insisted bastard and he wants her.
That is making her plans more easy for her.
She just forgot to calculate her own heart!!!
But she is determined to make him suffer, no matter what!!!
"His intensity scares me. So does the knowledge that he can’t be manipulated. He sees right through me. If I’m going to do this thing, if I’m really going to move forward with my plan for revenge, I have to accept the possibility that it might cost me a hell of a lot more than I’ve bargained for.
It might cost me what’s left of my cold, dead heart.
What the hell. I’ve lived through worse."
Parker was the womanizer type of guy. Something in his past had shattered his heart adn he refused to let her open again.
Victoria is getting his attention from the first moment, even though her bitchy ways irritated him as hell.
But at the same time, something is drawning him toward her and when he is really close to her, he feels something familiar inside of him.
Now, the only thing that he had to do is to soften the bitch and to make her his...
But there are some problems in that plan.
Victoria is keeping a distance between them and she is keeping things for him.
And he is so determined to found out the truth.
“I want to know all the dark places in you,” he whispers vehemently, his arms like a vise. “I want to be the one who has the key that unlocks all your bolted doors and chases away all the monsters you keep hidden behind them. I want to be the light inside your darkness. I want to be your rock and your safety net, the soft place you can fall.”
Victoria and Parker were so intriguing together.
I love their interactions so much and there was some serious chemistry between them.
But they were having issues... and their issues were all those secrets and lies between them.
“You act like you can’t stand me, but you kiss me like you’re starving. You look at me like you want to carve out my heart, but when I touch you, you tremble.”
“In anger.”
“Bullshit,” he snaps. “Don’t lie to me!”
Will Victoria take her revenge??? And with what cost???
And what will happen when the truth will be revealed???
What will happen when they will realize that there were more in what they thought they were true???
Is there any chance for those two to be together???
And the biggest question is... Will Victoria quit being a bitch???
"If you can't trust me, trust that.
Hearts can't lie"
I have to say that i liked so much Tabby. She was so funny and such a bada$$ chick.
And i liked Darcy too!!!
But what i liked very much where Victoria's nicknames...
Queen Bitch, Cruella and Maleficent... bahahaha...
That was a nice story that kept my interest from the first moment until the last...
All the time i was wondering of what will happen next and what the hell had taken place in the past...
And all the secrets and hidden truths were worthing the time, but all this pain that they got through was so unfair...
***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***
"Once upon a time, I had a heart.
It was a nice one, too, big and wide and tender...
Then, when I was fifteen, I met a boy my heart loved even more than anything...
I believed my heart was safe with him, that a love so pure and good could never be defiled.
I was wrong.
The boy taught me a lesson, and the lesson was this: love is a fairy-tale. An illusion. A lie. Love can wither like an apple blossom killed from frost, and so can hearts.
Mine did.
Now inside my chest where my heart used to beat so joyfully you’ll find only a jagged shard of ice. Into that frozen shard is carved a single, simple word:
Revenge."
That was a story of vengeance and deception...
A story full of passion...
But those who are seeking revenge, they know the truth or they think that they know it???
And how far can lead a person the seeking of revenge???
Well, Victoria Price is a Bitch. She is the Queen Bitch and she is proud for that!
She even have written a book for how to be a bitch and she made a shitload of money.
Now, why Victoria had become like that???
The answer is because of a man. A man that shuttered her heart and destroyed her family.
So Victoria had changed in every aspect. Body, heart and soul.
She is unrecognizable and she even had change her name...
Her birth name was Isabel and not Victoria.
Now, she is living her life like a total bitch with no strings attached and no heart involvement...
But what will happen when she meet by chance the man that caused her all this pain???
She will be ready to take her revenge...
"I can’t deny that I’m still profoundly physically attracted to him, that the electric connection I felt when I was a clueless little girl still remains, I hate him all the more."
But to succeed it, she had to be very close to him and thank God, that he is an insisted bastard and he wants her.
That is making her plans more easy for her.
She just forgot to calculate her own heart!!!
But she is determined to make him suffer, no matter what!!!
"His intensity scares me. So does the knowledge that he can’t be manipulated. He sees right through me. If I’m going to do this thing, if I’m really going to move forward with my plan for revenge, I have to accept the possibility that it might cost me a hell of a lot more than I’ve bargained for.
It might cost me what’s left of my cold, dead heart.
What the hell. I’ve lived through worse."
Parker was the womanizer type of guy. Something in his past had shattered his heart adn he refused to let her open again.
Victoria is getting his attention from the first moment, even though her bitchy ways irritated him as hell.
But at the same time, something is drawning him toward her and when he is really close to her, he feels something familiar inside of him.
Now, the only thing that he had to do is to soften the bitch and to make her his...
But there are some problems in that plan.
Victoria is keeping a distance between them and she is keeping things for him.
And he is so determined to found out the truth.
“I want to know all the dark places in you,” he whispers vehemently, his arms like a vise. “I want to be the one who has the key that unlocks all your bolted doors and chases away all the monsters you keep hidden behind them. I want to be the light inside your darkness. I want to be your rock and your safety net, the soft place you can fall.”
Victoria and Parker were so intriguing together.
I love their interactions so much and there was some serious chemistry between them.
But they were having issues... and their issues were all those secrets and lies between them.
“You act like you can’t stand me, but you kiss me like you’re starving. You look at me like you want to carve out my heart, but when I touch you, you tremble.”
“In anger.”
“Bullshit,” he snaps. “Don’t lie to me!”
Will Victoria take her revenge??? And with what cost???
And what will happen when the truth will be revealed???
What will happen when they will realize that there were more in what they thought they were true???
Is there any chance for those two to be together???
And the biggest question is... Will Victoria quit being a bitch???
"If you can't trust me, trust that.
Hearts can't lie"
I have to say that i liked so much Tabby. She was so funny and such a bada$$ chick.
And i liked Darcy too!!!
But what i liked very much where Victoria's nicknames...
Queen Bitch, Cruella and Maleficent... bahahaha...
That was a nice story that kept my interest from the first moment until the last...
All the time i was wondering of what will happen next and what the hell had taken place in the past...
And all the secrets and hidden truths were worthing the time, but all this pain that they got through was so unfair...
***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***
October 30, 2016
Honestly, has God actually been listening to my prayers when I asked for wonderful, mind blowing, out of the park books? Because I think he has!
THANK YOU LORD!
My mind cannot wrap around the FACT that this book has made me use a WHOLE box of tissues… (Spoiler? I don’t know…)
Wicked Beautiful by J. T. Geissinger has absolutely knocked my senses to over-drive and give me an absolute headache of the goods. Meaning that due to the non-lack of crying, my mind cannot take with conformity that this book has wrecked my soul with such a blissful attribute. Where shall I even start on?
OH YEAH! The Blur:
A ruthless businesswoman and the playboy who dumped her long ago find themselves embroiled in a high stakes game of love, lies and revenge.
Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.
Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.
Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love?
Just reading the summary does not give anything away that a whole tsunami of tears will combast in you… Or should I say, out of you? Hmm…
Okay so let’s start with what we know so far from the summary itself. The character change of Victoria Price is so intense and powerful, that the definition of bitch for me has absolutely changed completely. This hook portrays such an intense atmosphere of feminism anf the power that we as women, but also in general as humans, have towards society and the way society views us all. Honestly, this is what makes the book interesting to me. It gives great messages to women on how to control our emotions in a sense of proudness.
Now with Parker…. The whole “leaving and choosing the right for the love of my life” is so sweet but really cliché in a certain way.
The whole story made me cry… More like bawl myself to sleep with a headache! This was such a sweet and love-gone-wrong story that I highly recommend to everyone. The relationship between Parker and Victoria is obvious that is meant to be even when Victoria is actually Isabel. The hidden identity to get revenge on Parker’s disappearance is actually very intriguing. Parker, nit knowing that the love of his life is still alive makes me want to cuse to the world and say why it does this to people who are meant to be and truly and deeply love each other!
At the end of the day, the ending was just so UGHHH!!! Like… UGHH! I wanted to know more about “Laredo” and what happens to “her” and Parker and Isabel. Like, who leaves a story ending like this?
I���m hoping that the author does a 1.5 story of Parker and Isabel and lets us know what happened after the reconciliation with “Laredo” (I’m trying my best not to post spoilers hahaha!)
THANK YOU LORD!
My mind cannot wrap around the FACT that this book has made me use a WHOLE box of tissues… (Spoiler? I don’t know…)
Wicked Beautiful by J. T. Geissinger has absolutely knocked my senses to over-drive and give me an absolute headache of the goods. Meaning that due to the non-lack of crying, my mind cannot take with conformity that this book has wrecked my soul with such a blissful attribute. Where shall I even start on?
OH YEAH! The Blur:
A ruthless businesswoman and the playboy who dumped her long ago find themselves embroiled in a high stakes game of love, lies and revenge.
Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.
Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.
Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love?
Just reading the summary does not give anything away that a whole tsunami of tears will combast in you… Or should I say, out of you? Hmm…
Okay so let’s start with what we know so far from the summary itself. The character change of Victoria Price is so intense and powerful, that the definition of bitch for me has absolutely changed completely. This hook portrays such an intense atmosphere of feminism anf the power that we as women, but also in general as humans, have towards society and the way society views us all. Honestly, this is what makes the book interesting to me. It gives great messages to women on how to control our emotions in a sense of proudness.
Now with Parker…. The whole “leaving and choosing the right for the love of my life” is so sweet but really cliché in a certain way.
The whole story made me cry… More like bawl myself to sleep with a headache! This was such a sweet and love-gone-wrong story that I highly recommend to everyone. The relationship between Parker and Victoria is obvious that is meant to be even when Victoria is actually Isabel. The hidden identity to get revenge on Parker’s disappearance is actually very intriguing. Parker, nit knowing that the love of his life is still alive makes me want to cuse to the world and say why it does this to people who are meant to be and truly and deeply love each other!
At the end of the day, the ending was just so UGHHH!!! Like… UGHH! I wanted to know more about “Laredo” and what happens to “her” and Parker and Isabel. Like, who leaves a story ending like this?
I���m hoping that the author does a 1.5 story of Parker and Isabel and lets us know what happened after the reconciliation with “Laredo” (I’m trying my best not to post spoilers hahaha!)
July 13, 2016
This book is really fantastic. I had a great time reading this. It is refreshing, funny, hot, and with an amazing twist. I totally did not expect particularly scenes at the end. The author practically killed me with that thing. But let's start from the beginning.
About the plot: Victoria Price is a bitch. I mean, she made a career on being a bitch. She wants to show that a man can be manipulated according to your needs. And behind this is really desire to teach women to be strong, she is trying to convince them that they can be independent and successful in the men world. All they have to do is run their girl power and learn how to use it.
It sounds a little bit feminist? But most of all she wants to show women who come to the meetings and buys her a book that is worth fighting for themselves and their dreams. And she is not as she is without the reason.
Fifteen years ago her first and last love, not only broke her heart. He broke her and her family. But she did not give up and decided to fight for herself, never let the heart decide about her life again.
Victoria turned from gray mouse to untamed successful woman that men want and women want to be. So when she again sees the man who broke her so many years ago and realizes that he did not recognize her, she decides to take revenge.
Parker Maxwell is completely charmed by Victoria when he sees her for the first time. He decides to risk all his own rules to get her. He quickly see that what may have with her is something worth fighting because life gave him another chance for true love. Although he completely did not know that she is the same woman who he ever loved.
Final thoughts: I decided to read it after the description, but it positively surprised me even more than I thought. Reading this book was a great fun but also a lot of stormy emotion.
The main characters are very complex. You will like Victoria because she is strong and feisty, but quickly realizes that she has a weak side. She just plays her role really well. After the hero, Parker Maxwell you can expect another playboy. But it can't be more wrong. I really liked this character and strongly cheering for him to tear down the walls that Victoria built around herself. What can I say, I love the heroes, who are fighting for their women.
Their shared moments are very romantic and intense. They share a hot, full of feelings and good action scenes in bed and beyond. It's sexy, but with a good proportion between hot and erotic scenes and the theme of the book.
I also must write about secondary characters who are totally awesome! They brought so much to this book. And each on their own. Hilarious Darcy, whose almost every sentence made me laugh. Eccentric Tabby, feisty assistant, which is more like a family than an employee. She is completely kick-ass. Or even appearing only for a moment Luciano. And I do not even mention hot Connor about whom I want so much to read a book.
A lot of sarcastic and funny quotes. You can quote all night long, but I wouldn't like to lengthen this review too much. I have the impression that I already did. It was just very entertaining reading with all their exciting love - hate relationship, uncertainty of how it will end, and past, which is not pleasant for any of them. And of course the end, which I think I know, but do not know anything until the very end.
Ah and there is also a rule 6, 7 and 8 but I leave it to you to read.
***Quick Review:***
Series: Stand alone.
Grade/Tag Tabs: Contemporary Romance.
Release Date: December 1st, 2015.
Main characters: Victoria Price, aged 33, life coach and best-selling author who writes for women. Parker Maxwell, aged 34, american restauranteur and philanthropist.
Secondary characters: Totally amazing. All the scenes with friends are great and funny. In this book there is no character about whom you would not want to read more.
Location: Mostly Manhattan, New York.
Steamy:
Sensitive topic:
Love triangle:
Cheating:
Cliffhanger:
HEA:
Next in the series? Maybe. After reading this book, the first thing I did was I wrote to the author. I had to find out whether she intends to write a book about Tabby and Connor. And she said to me: "I probably will"! Yes! I really hope that she will do it.
***
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!
"Rule #1: Bitches don't carry their own luggage."
About the plot: Victoria Price is a bitch. I mean, she made a career on being a bitch. She wants to show that a man can be manipulated according to your needs. And behind this is really desire to teach women to be strong, she is trying to convince them that they can be independent and successful in the men world. All they have to do is run their girl power and learn how to use it.
"Rule #2: Bitches are never wrong."
It sounds a little bit feminist? But most of all she wants to show women who come to the meetings and buys her a book that is worth fighting for themselves and their dreams. And she is not as she is without the reason.
"Rule #3: Fake it 'til you make it, Bitch."
Fifteen years ago her first and last love, not only broke her heart. He broke her and her family. But she did not give up and decided to fight for herself, never let the heart decide about her life again.
"Rule #4: Bitches don't get mad, they get evil."
Victoria turned from gray mouse to untamed successful woman that men want and women want to be. So when she again sees the man who broke her so many years ago and realizes that he did not recognize her, she decides to take revenge.
"Rule #5: The only side a Bitch takes is her own."
Parker Maxwell is completely charmed by Victoria when he sees her for the first time. He decides to risk all his own rules to get her. He quickly see that what may have with her is something worth fighting because life gave him another chance for true love. Although he completely did not know that she is the same woman who he ever loved.
Final thoughts: I decided to read it after the description, but it positively surprised me even more than I thought. Reading this book was a great fun but also a lot of stormy emotion.
The main characters are very complex. You will like Victoria because she is strong and feisty, but quickly realizes that she has a weak side. She just plays her role really well. After the hero, Parker Maxwell you can expect another playboy. But it can't be more wrong. I really liked this character and strongly cheering for him to tear down the walls that Victoria built around herself. What can I say, I love the heroes, who are fighting for their women.
Their shared moments are very romantic and intense. They share a hot, full of feelings and good action scenes in bed and beyond. It's sexy, but with a good proportion between hot and erotic scenes and the theme of the book.
I also must write about secondary characters who are totally awesome! They brought so much to this book. And each on their own. Hilarious Darcy, whose almost every sentence made me laugh. Eccentric Tabby, feisty assistant, which is more like a family than an employee. She is completely kick-ass. Or even appearing only for a moment Luciano. And I do not even mention hot Connor about whom I want so much to read a book.
A lot of sarcastic and funny quotes. You can quote all night long, but I wouldn't like to lengthen this review too much. I have the impression that I already did. It was just very entertaining reading with all their exciting love - hate relationship, uncertainty of how it will end, and past, which is not pleasant for any of them. And of course the end, which I think I know, but do not know anything until the very end.
Ah and there is also a rule 6, 7 and 8 but I leave it to you to read.
"You always have the power to say, this is not how my story is going to end. "
***Quick Review:***
Series: Stand alone.
Grade/Tag Tabs: Contemporary Romance.
Release Date: December 1st, 2015.
Main characters: Victoria Price, aged 33, life coach and best-selling author who writes for women. Parker Maxwell, aged 34, american restauranteur and philanthropist.
Secondary characters: Totally amazing. All the scenes with friends are great and funny. In this book there is no character about whom you would not want to read more.
Location: Mostly Manhattan, New York.
Steamy:
Sensitive topic:
Love triangle:
Cheating:
Cliffhanger:
HEA:
Next in the series? Maybe. After reading this book, the first thing I did was I wrote to the author. I had to find out whether she intends to write a book about Tabby and Connor. And she said to me: "I probably will"! Yes! I really hope that she will do it.
***
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!
April 26, 2020
Buddy read with Lana.
It was great to belligerently complain about everything that bothered me in real-time. (sorry Lana :D)
Let's do it again soon!
I do have to admit, this book does contain a lot of great nuggets of info and interesting reflections on gender, success, confidence, and authenticity to name a few. It wasn't the point of view that was taken in the book that was interesting, but rather the discussions that it instigated.
It was also a bit of a mess and if it wasn't for the generally good quality of writing, there wouldn't be much to appreciate.
The story left me feeling tired, anxious and confused (not because it was hard to follow but because I couldn't find a reasonable explanation for some of the actions of the characters).
I did not like the heroine Victoria. I didn't agree with her "boss bitch", man-hater approach to feminism, and the fact that she did not have an honest bone in her body. I understand her early life trauma but I can't reconcile how that became the driving force behind her shallow and empty albeit rich existence. I suppose her creed is "do as I say not as I do". There were just too many moments in which she was a hypocrite (the Luciano debacle for example) and whatever allowances I was making at the beginning didn't hold up until the end.
I think the biggest problem was that the author needed to decide: "do I make this a light read peppered with some serious and dramatic moments or do I make it a dramatic read and pepper some light, comedy worthy situations, and banter. It felt like she couldn’t settle on one of them and it came out messy. It was heavy on the angst and drama despite the ridiculous and sometimes over the top plot that resembled a soap opera.
I generally don’t like second chance stories where a lot of time has passed during which one or both the main leads have had their life completely changed due to the break-up or the circumstances surrounding it. It gives me major anxiety because I’m a what-if kind of person and to think of the world of possibilities that never came to fruition because of miscommunication, stupidity, or malice from others .. yeah, it’s not pleasant and it takes a great plot and even better writing to pull it off.
I also didn’t like the ending. The so-called closure they got was long overdue but somehow it felt fabricated. Maybe I see it that way because too much has happened and I can't believe that it's all rainbows and butterflies suddenly.
One good thing I remember that stuck with me was the mention of the painting The Lovers by Magritte. I loved how it served as symbolism for the hero and heroine's story. Like I said before, there are good things to be found here, they just don't help the story.
It was great to belligerently complain about everything that bothered me in real-time. (sorry Lana :D)
Let's do it again soon!
I do have to admit, this book does contain a lot of great nuggets of info and interesting reflections on gender, success, confidence, and authenticity to name a few. It wasn't the point of view that was taken in the book that was interesting, but rather the discussions that it instigated.
It was also a bit of a mess and if it wasn't for the generally good quality of writing, there wouldn't be much to appreciate.
The story left me feeling tired, anxious and confused (not because it was hard to follow but because I couldn't find a reasonable explanation for some of the actions of the characters).
I did not like the heroine Victoria. I didn't agree with her "boss bitch", man-hater approach to feminism, and the fact that she did not have an honest bone in her body. I understand her early life trauma but I can't reconcile how that became the driving force behind her shallow and empty albeit rich existence. I suppose her creed is "do as I say not as I do". There were just too many moments in which she was a hypocrite (the Luciano debacle for example) and whatever allowances I was making at the beginning didn't hold up until the end.
I think the biggest problem was that the author needed to decide: "do I make this a light read peppered with some serious and dramatic moments or do I make it a dramatic read and pepper some light, comedy worthy situations, and banter. It felt like she couldn’t settle on one of them and it came out messy. It was heavy on the angst and drama despite the ridiculous and sometimes over the top plot that resembled a soap opera.
I generally don’t like second chance stories where a lot of time has passed during which one or both the main leads have had their life completely changed due to the break-up or the circumstances surrounding it. It gives me major anxiety because I’m a what-if kind of person and to think of the world of possibilities that never came to fruition because of miscommunication, stupidity, or malice from others .. yeah, it’s not pleasant and it takes a great plot and even better writing to pull it off.
I also didn’t like the ending. The so-called closure they got was long overdue but somehow it felt fabricated. Maybe I see it that way because too much has happened and I can't believe that it's all rainbows and butterflies suddenly.
One good thing I remember that stuck with me was the mention of the painting The Lovers by Magritte. I loved how it served as symbolism for the hero and heroine's story. Like I said before, there are good things to be found here, they just don't help the story.
Read
April 8, 2019DNF @ 65%
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I'm struggling to keep reading it, the story itself is not holding my attention.
TBH I'm feeling very annoyed with the main characters.
I think I'm not in the mood for this... or rather to say, this kind of drama.
So, I'd better stop here and move on.
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I'm struggling to keep reading it, the story itself is not holding my attention.
TBH I'm feeling very annoyed with the main characters.
I think I'm not in the mood for this... or rather to say, this kind of drama.
So, I'd better stop here and move on.
April 5, 2019
SO GOOD!!
I'll post a review...soonish
I'll post a review...soonish
June 29, 2017
4.25 -better than I expected- Stars
Not gonna lie. I was super skeptical of the premise before starting this book. 2nd chance romances where the H leaves mousy h to become a manwhore ain't my usual schtick, therefore; I avoided this book a long as I could.
Fortunately for me; this book was sitting in my kindle forever and before I could re-read the blurb or even remember my fear of the sketchy premise; I started reading it... and man I was hooked! Everything I was fearful of in the beginning (unredeemable, shallow, manwhore H and possible cliche revenge plot that turns h into a vajayjay clenching doormat) slowly started to unravel and prove me so wrong.
Yep, the H had good reasons and the h stayed strong, yet human all the way through this book. The secondary characters were brilliant and the plots and twists kept me turning every page with gusto.
Told in dual POV (mainly the h's) with HFN epilogue that kept me satisfied enough, yet also excited to see what's in store for the secondary characters story in book #2.
Not gonna lie. I was super skeptical of the premise before starting this book. 2nd chance romances where the H leaves mousy h to become a manwhore ain't my usual schtick, therefore; I avoided this book a long as I could.
Fortunately for me; this book was sitting in my kindle forever and before I could re-read the blurb or even remember my fear of the sketchy premise; I started reading it... and man I was hooked! Everything I was fearful of in the beginning (unredeemable, shallow, manwhore H and possible cliche revenge plot that turns h into a vajayjay clenching doormat) slowly started to unravel and prove me so wrong.
Yep, the H had good reasons and the h stayed strong, yet human all the way through this book. The secondary characters were brilliant and the plots and twists kept me turning every page with gusto.
Told in dual POV (mainly the h's) with HFN epilogue that kept me satisfied enough, yet also excited to see what's in store for the secondary characters story in book #2.
May 21, 2019
4++ stars.
Super engaging...…second chance love story...... chock-a-block full of secrets and lies.
We have a...……...
Strong, sassy heroine (Victoria)....with a sad and dark past, that she has gone to great lengths to conceal...but has now risen from the ashes to found her own enormously successful empire based on the empowerment of women.
And a...………..
Sexy, sweet hero (Parker) ....that is unaware his distant past is about to catch up with him soon in an earth shattering and extremely enlightening way!!!!
Such wickedly funny banter, this book was also intense and angsty at times with plenty of drama and a wonderful cast of secondary characters: Darcy (divine) and *Tabby (fierce) or is it the other way around . It doesn't really matter as I loved them both to death anyways....
Victoria maybe took a "titch" too long to forgive Parker IMHO but she was the one whom experienced the most betrayal in all their past scenarios so I get it...ABSOLUTELY GREAT READ....
Victoria Price: "The Queen Bitch"
* Tabby is the heroine in book 2 of this series (a must read).
Super engaging...…second chance love story...... chock-a-block full of secrets and lies.
We have a...……...
Strong, sassy heroine (Victoria)....with a sad and dark past, that she has gone to great lengths to conceal...but has now risen from the ashes to found her own enormously successful empire based on the empowerment of women.
And a...………..
Sexy, sweet hero (Parker) ....that is unaware his distant past is about to catch up with him soon in an earth shattering and extremely enlightening way!!!!
Such wickedly funny banter, this book was also intense and angsty at times with plenty of drama and a wonderful cast of secondary characters: Darcy (divine) and *Tabby (fierce) or is it the other way around . It doesn't really matter as I loved them both to death anyways....
Victoria maybe took a "titch" too long to forgive Parker IMHO but she was the one whom experienced the most betrayal in all their past scenarios so I get it...ABSOLUTELY GREAT READ....
Victoria Price: "The Queen Bitch"
* Tabby is the heroine in book 2 of this series (a must read).
July 26, 2016
This was such a great book. From the intense looks (ice cold and fiery hot), the dramatics, the angst, the banter, the secrets... All of that was wonderful. I felt the (unnecessary) pain of both Parker and Victoria. They endured so much loss, hurt and distance because of his dad's bigotry. So senseless.
This book had all the makings of a 5 star rating, but... I felt that the secrets dragged on for too long. Victoria/Isabel had many opportunities to come clean and didn't. This frustrated me because Parker was being so open and honest. And when he was talking about his first love, what about that story made her think he was talking about anybody but her??? I wanted to bash her in the head with my iPad!! I get she wanted revenge. I get that she went through a lot. But obviously he wasn't a bad guy.
Also, the ending was bittersweet and I wanted more. Yes, they came full circle. Anddddddd...........
This book had all the makings of a 5 star rating, but... I felt that the secrets dragged on for too long. Victoria/Isabel had many opportunities to come clean and didn't. This frustrated me because Parker was being so open and honest. And when he was talking about his first love, what about that story made her think he was talking about anybody but her??? I wanted to bash her in the head with my iPad!! I get she wanted revenge. I get that she went through a lot. But obviously he wasn't a bad guy.
Also, the ending was bittersweet and I wanted more. Yes, they came full circle. Anddddddd...........
December 18, 2018
2.5 stars
Liked the heroine before her reunion with the hero.
Didn't like the ending.
Liked the heroine before her reunion with the hero.
Didn't like the ending.
Want to read
April 11, 2017Update: Still free on all markets. Plus, Gio,my favorite recommendations ninja,likes this one so don't miss your chance.
*************** FREEBIE ALERT ***************
The always wonderful Anesha †Curious & Obsessive Bookworm tipped me off. THIS IS A FREEBIE. I don't know wether it's permanently free or just this week, I also don't have safety info.
BUT IT'S FREE FOR US AUSSIES and also in other Amazon stores.
Get your freebie!
https://www.amazon.com.au/d/ebook/Wic...
*************** FREEBIE ALERT ***************
The always wonderful Anesha †Curious & Obsessive Bookworm tipped me off. THIS IS A FREEBIE. I don't know wether it's permanently free or just this week, I also don't have safety info.
BUT IT'S FREE FOR US AUSSIES and also in other Amazon stores.
Get your freebie!
https://www.amazon.com.au/d/ebook/Wic...
August 27, 2016
"Bitch: noun a woman in control of herself, her life, and her destiny, who always gets what she wants."I saw my pal Maria was reading this, then I saw that the series is called “Wicked Games”, which is coincidentally the name of one of my all-time-most-loved songs, and then I decided to head to the iBooks store and impulse-buy the ebook without even reading the synposis. Luckily, this book does the song justice! Don't let the cliché cover fool you, this is a total gem of a read.
Victoria Price made a fortune preaching female empowerment in her debut novel "Bitches Do Better", since then, her career has expanded to include sold-out seminars and one-on-one life-coaching for prestigious clients. Victoria prides herself on her work ethic and her routine. She is fierce, passionate, and determined. Yet she has not always been this way. Victoria has a secret she guards fiercely. The crux of her secret stems from Parker Maxwell, a millionaire (although he doesn’t have as many millions as Victoria), playboy, restaurant-owner. Unfortunately, Parker’s pretty oblivious to the fact that he’s the bane of Victoria’s existence. As a result, Victoria is propelled by an inherent desire to ruin Parker.
I think I’d bore you all to death with the reasons as to why I loved this so much, so for convenience sake I’m going to try to keep it brief.
- The writing was pretty phenomenal; don’t get me wrong this is just alternating first person POV, which we all know is nothing special, but the voices were distinct and articulate without being frivolous.
- The whole book was so very feminist, it was brilliant. Victoria’s best friend, Darcy is a renowned food blogger critic extraordinaire AND a BBW. Victoria’s assistant, Tabby, is a hacker-genius-prodigy who dropped out of MIT because it was too easy.
- Victoria admitted to having had plastic surgery. She decided she wasn’t happy with something so she changed it. There was more to the story contextually, but the whole plastic surgery thing was handled OUTSIDE of the usual “s/he got in a tragic accident so they had their entire face reconstructed and now they’re a different person” storyline.
- Victoria’s self-confidence - “even a plain woman can be beautiful, if only she believes it. Perception is reality.”
- It was low-key a slow-burn romance, and it was actually successful in getting me H-O-T.
- The “suspenseful” element was well-handled, I was consistently playing the guessing game trying to figure out where the story was going.
- Character development FELT believable, the timeframe didn’t make things feel rushed or drawn-out.
- LOTS of trash talk about society’s stupid as hell ideals of behaviour, LOTS of unabashedly scorning societal conventions (docile women, hero-worship in men, body-shaming, etc).
- Discussion of racism; ““racism isn’t about where you were born. It’s about how small your heart is.”
- Addressed diaspora, the notion of “white superiority” that’s deeply ingrained from an obscenely young age and detrimental to POC’s self-worth; “I curl into a ball … wishing with all my might that I was a different girl, good enough for someone like him, good enough for his parents and his future and all the things he was destined to do, In other words, wishing I were white.”
- Absence of women competing to get the attention of men!!!!!!!
- There is really NO VILLAIN.
So yeah, I loved this.
With that, I’m going to abruptly segue to the reason this didn’t get 5 stars. The characters were diverse. Victoria herself is a Latina, her mother is El Salvadorian and her father is Mexican. Victoria has a fiery personality. Do you see my problem? Darcy is a 5’10, 210 pound African American, her mother is a Creole fortune teller from New Orleans. Darcy acts as the comedic relief throughout the story. In a moment of heavy tension she’s sitting watching the scene unfold with a jumbo pack of Doritos. Do you see my problem? There’s a minor character called Luciano, who’s an Italian man with skin “the color of a Starbucks macchiato”, he’s also vapid, brainless, chauvinistic, and speaks in broken English. Do you see my problem?
Perhaps I’m overanalyzing. I couldn’t help but feel like these characters that initially come across as great demonstrations of representation, are really just dolled-up stereotypes. I don’t know, this is how it felt to me, I’m conflicted. I hate to end on a negative note, but if you’ve read this book please let me know your thoughts on the characterizations!
April 30, 2017
Well, colour me surprised! Ladies and gentlemen, do not judge a book by its cover because "Wicked Beautiful" is not your typical insta love type of romance genre. In fact, it's more like "insta-hate."Well, for the heroine, Victoria Price, it is, because the male lead, Parker doesn't even recognize her. But then when you've changed your identify and had extensive plastic surgery that will happen. Years ago, Victoria was a young Mexican American named Isabel who fell in love with a rich man's son. That relationship ended up ruining Isabel and her family's life in Texas and now Victoria vows that Parker is going to pay. Needless to say, I was hooked into this story by the characters, the witty dialogue, and the writing. Definitely adding book 2!
May 9, 2019
This could have been a 6 star read. COULD HAVE BEEN!!!
I'm really kinda mad and deflated right now that the author fell short toward the end. WARNING: IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS, DON'T READ THIS REVIEW. I'm not going to put spoiler tags every which way.
So the plot is: Victoria Price (fake name) got her heart broken by her first love which motivated her to become a successful Bitch with a capital B. She's essentially a "man" in this sense. We meet her after she just had non-satisfying sex with yet another boy toy, and she leaves a string of these and have a reputation for doing so.
Our Hero, Parker Maxwell, is the exact same version of Victoria, just the male version. Except he's extremely astute and sensitive where she's concerned. He is a Hero to die for. Successful, kind, rich and hot but unspoiled. He also has a reputation of sleeping around, but that's bc he's unaccessible since his heart was broken by his first love (with her death, which he feels responsible for). He's closed off his heart to everyone else.
They meet, sparks fly. Immediately he notices there's something familiar about her. Well, because she's the girl he loved. He doesn't recognize her because she's had plastic surgery to create this new identity for herself and leave the not as attractive girl she was behind (who Parker loved anyway for the girl herself and found her beautiful right from the start).
Victoria is out for revenge on Parker because she thinks he left her. Parker doesn't know who she is but falls for her again right away. And of course everything is just a misunderstanding created by the interference of other people in their lives, etc.
The good:
* The writing is extremely sharp, witty, intelligent, believable, made me smile and even LOL somethings. You can FEEL the intelligence of the writer jump off the pages. She has a great way with words. Very few authors have this impact on me these days. VERY few!! And for that alone, I'd give this book 6 stars.
* The Hero, as I said, is to die for. Parker is such a GOOD person. He's gorgeous, rich, yet he falls IMMEDIATELY for a hispanic girl with glasses and a crooked nose and crooked teeth and a flat chest. They were each other's firsts. UNSPOILED. He's extremely yummy as a man. Confident, intelligent, and very sensitive, no bullshitting. He knows every time Victoria lies to him. He demands truth from her. I love it when he does that, the fact the he doesn't let her get away with anything. The fact that he gives her everything she wants if only she asks nicely. He'd give her the world. He won't let her push him around but he will be her equal, and he will be her safe place. WHAT A MAN!!
* The side characters - Darcy, Kai, Tabby, Connor (toward the end) - all wonderful characters and hilarious.
So what went wrong, you ask??
* Victoria. She was so smart, so wicked, so bossy, just a fabulous character. Until she ran away toward the end. When Parker opened himself totally (he's got courage! there's that purity of heart again), she left him. She spends much of the book running away from him. THAT IS NOT A "BITCH"! Not the confident, I-own-my-mistakes-and-stupidity person that I was hoping she was inside. The image she'd been portraying to all of her fans and built a $$$$ empire around. In this sense, she was NOT Parker's equal. And because of this, I question why the hell he fell in love with her in the first place. OK, she's funny, she's got spunk, she built and empire out of nothing and showed the world, but in the beginning when he fell for her, and the second time too, she didn't show me WHY she's worthy of this unwavering love he has for her. She just keeps running. She had a chance to face him and tell him her truth too. She had a chance to say - "I tried to ruin you, I fell in love with you again and really never stopped, and I'm deeply sorry for everything, and I feel your pain too..." I mean she could have owned her shit. She didn't. And I take 2 stars off just for that. Didn't much like her at that stage.
* That Parker chased after her and searched for her and found her over 6 MONTHS and he's all "it's all my fault and I chased you away and..." and Victoria NEVER has to really own her shit except one line of "I'm sorry." I just... it totally lost all the height of climax and tension the story built up to this point. Instead of a big bang there was a whimper. I could hear the whoopie cushion deflating.
The last 15% was really a let down. Makes me disappointed as I sit here writing. Bitter taste in my mouth.
It's like the story was a comedy then it made your heart ache with the tension and the misunderstandings, then it suddenly shifted back to comedy again. Which could have worked if the ending was about Victoria making a grand gesture toward Parker and STILL keep her empire and success while owning her love for him fully and being proud of it.
Instead, he gave up some of his dreams for her. She created a whole new identity. Went back to her old identity. I don't even recall now because I skimmed the last parts I was so disappointed! And I read EVERY WORD up to that point!
Still. I will likely read another book by this author (since they are on KU). But I will NOT get my hopes up too high... Should have known I need to manage expectations and not get ahead of myself.
Damnit!
I'm really kinda mad and deflated right now that the author fell short toward the end. WARNING: IF YOU DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS, DON'T READ THIS REVIEW. I'm not going to put spoiler tags every which way.
So the plot is: Victoria Price (fake name) got her heart broken by her first love which motivated her to become a successful Bitch with a capital B. She's essentially a "man" in this sense. We meet her after she just had non-satisfying sex with yet another boy toy, and she leaves a string of these and have a reputation for doing so.
Our Hero, Parker Maxwell, is the exact same version of Victoria, just the male version. Except he's extremely astute and sensitive where she's concerned. He is a Hero to die for. Successful, kind, rich and hot but unspoiled. He also has a reputation of sleeping around, but that's bc he's unaccessible since his heart was broken by his first love (with her death, which he feels responsible for). He's closed off his heart to everyone else.
They meet, sparks fly. Immediately he notices there's something familiar about her. Well, because she's the girl he loved. He doesn't recognize her because she's had plastic surgery to create this new identity for herself and leave the not as attractive girl she was behind (who Parker loved anyway for the girl herself and found her beautiful right from the start).
Victoria is out for revenge on Parker because she thinks he left her. Parker doesn't know who she is but falls for her again right away. And of course everything is just a misunderstanding created by the interference of other people in their lives, etc.
The good:
* The writing is extremely sharp, witty, intelligent, believable, made me smile and even LOL somethings. You can FEEL the intelligence of the writer jump off the pages. She has a great way with words. Very few authors have this impact on me these days. VERY few!! And for that alone, I'd give this book 6 stars.
* The Hero, as I said, is to die for. Parker is such a GOOD person. He's gorgeous, rich, yet he falls IMMEDIATELY for a hispanic girl with glasses and a crooked nose and crooked teeth and a flat chest. They were each other's firsts. UNSPOILED. He's extremely yummy as a man. Confident, intelligent, and very sensitive, no bullshitting. He knows every time Victoria lies to him. He demands truth from her. I love it when he does that, the fact the he doesn't let her get away with anything. The fact that he gives her everything she wants if only she asks nicely. He'd give her the world. He won't let her push him around but he will be her equal, and he will be her safe place. WHAT A MAN!!
* The side characters - Darcy, Kai, Tabby, Connor (toward the end) - all wonderful characters and hilarious.
So what went wrong, you ask??
* Victoria. She was so smart, so wicked, so bossy, just a fabulous character. Until she ran away toward the end. When Parker opened himself totally (he's got courage! there's that purity of heart again), she left him. She spends much of the book running away from him. THAT IS NOT A "BITCH"! Not the confident, I-own-my-mistakes-and-stupidity person that I was hoping she was inside. The image she'd been portraying to all of her fans and built a $$$$ empire around. In this sense, she was NOT Parker's equal. And because of this, I question why the hell he fell in love with her in the first place. OK, she's funny, she's got spunk, she built and empire out of nothing and showed the world, but in the beginning when he fell for her, and the second time too, she didn't show me WHY she's worthy of this unwavering love he has for her. She just keeps running. She had a chance to face him and tell him her truth too. She had a chance to say - "I tried to ruin you, I fell in love with you again and really never stopped, and I'm deeply sorry for everything, and I feel your pain too..." I mean she could have owned her shit. She didn't. And I take 2 stars off just for that. Didn't much like her at that stage.
* That Parker chased after her and searched for her and found her over 6 MONTHS and he's all "it's all my fault and I chased you away and..." and Victoria NEVER has to really own her shit except one line of "I'm sorry." I just... it totally lost all the height of climax and tension the story built up to this point. Instead of a big bang there was a whimper. I could hear the whoopie cushion deflating.
The last 15% was really a let down. Makes me disappointed as I sit here writing. Bitter taste in my mouth.
It's like the story was a comedy then it made your heart ache with the tension and the misunderstandings, then it suddenly shifted back to comedy again. Which could have worked if the ending was about Victoria making a grand gesture toward Parker and STILL keep her empire and success while owning her love for him fully and being proud of it.
Instead, he gave up some of his dreams for her. She created a whole new identity. Went back to her old identity. I don't even recall now because I skimmed the last parts I was so disappointed! And I read EVERY WORD up to that point!
Still. I will likely read another book by this author (since they are on KU). But I will NOT get my hopes up too high... Should have known I need to manage expectations and not get ahead of myself.
Damnit!
April 26, 2020
Buddy Read with Giorgia and it was so much fun to be able to rant about everything in real-time, heh.
This review is going to be an unpopular opinion, because lots of my GR friends seemed to love it.
I did not get on board with the heroine much. Let me explain.
While Victoria was fiercely confident and fun to know on the outside, her inner monologues and dismissive attitude toward the "old plain village girl" self was irritating. There was a secret buried in her past, yet when it got revealed, the change of name and appearance did not make sense at all; apart from the heroine wanting to be reborn as a "badasser" version of herself.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way against plastic surgeries. Everybody should be able to change their bodies, faces - ANYTHING - as they see fit!! But here it was just made into a plot twist and made the heroine seem hypocritical and shallow. (Don't get me started on the episode with Luciano, everything about it was bad.)
Victoria's idea of feminism, which was sadly packed with hatred of men, just bugged me - because "bitches do it better" attitude has not much to do with feminism. There were some nice moments about gender stereotyping, about the fuck-up-ness of our society after so many waves of feminism, about female support of each other...
Yet it all felt like the author really wanting to make a good point - and missing it by a mile.
The lies. I honestly couldn't buy the chemistry and the romance between two people, when one was falling hard (the hero) and another one was just planning revenge (the heroine). Not even her inner struggles about it felt believable at any point. Horniness? Yes. Some deeper feelings? Not really.
So yeah, the heroine wasn't my cup of tea. Her friend Tabby though? Oh, Tabby was a delight, but I knew it already from the second book.
“I only joke about politics, religion, and the size of men’s dicks, never about something important like work."
I mean, it wasn't all horrible, the writing was fluent, the side characters were funny and there were some good banter...
All in all.
It was a funny but tiresome book with a mess of a plot. If it wasn't for the buddy read, I would've probably just droped it I guess. I would really recommend the second one in the series though!! Because if you liked Tabby and Connor - they are getting even better there.
I still really like the author's writing and reading the book with Giorgia brought lots of good discussions, so I'm not that disappointed at all!!
This review is going to be an unpopular opinion, because lots of my GR friends seemed to love it.
I did not get on board with the heroine much. Let me explain.
While Victoria was fiercely confident and fun to know on the outside, her inner monologues and dismissive attitude toward the "old plain village girl" self was irritating. There was a secret buried in her past, yet when it got revealed, the change of name and appearance did not make sense at all; apart from the heroine wanting to be reborn as a "badasser" version of herself.
Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way against plastic surgeries. Everybody should be able to change their bodies, faces - ANYTHING - as they see fit!! But here it was just made into a plot twist and made the heroine seem hypocritical and shallow. (Don't get me started on the episode with Luciano, everything about it was bad.)
Victoria's idea of feminism, which was sadly packed with hatred of men, just bugged me - because "bitches do it better" attitude has not much to do with feminism. There were some nice moments about gender stereotyping, about the fuck-up-ness of our society after so many waves of feminism, about female support of each other...
Yet it all felt like the author really wanting to make a good point - and missing it by a mile.
The lies. I honestly couldn't buy the chemistry and the romance between two people, when one was falling hard (the hero) and another one was just planning revenge (the heroine). Not even her inner struggles about it felt believable at any point. Horniness? Yes. Some deeper feelings? Not really.
So yeah, the heroine wasn't my cup of tea. Her friend Tabby though? Oh, Tabby was a delight, but I knew it already from the second book.
“I only joke about politics, religion, and the size of men’s dicks, never about something important like work."
I mean, it wasn't all horrible, the writing was fluent, the side characters were funny and there were some good banter...
“God. That moustache.”
He strokes it thoughtfully. “I look like a porn star, don’t I?”
“Not even a star. Like an unpaid extra. It’s hideous.”
He nods. “Your hair is nice too. Did you lose a bet?”
All in all.
It was a funny but tiresome book with a mess of a plot. If it wasn't for the buddy read, I would've probably just droped it I guess. I would really recommend the second one in the series though!! Because if you liked Tabby and Connor - they are getting even better there.
I still really like the author's writing and reading the book with Giorgia brought lots of good discussions, so I'm not that disappointed at all!!
April 12, 2019
Rule #9 and the most important one of all: Life is short, bitch. Do what makes you happy.
Okaaaay, why the hell I waited so long for read this book! Ugh I'm mentally kicking myself right now! :D It was so good!!! Actually I'm going to read the 2nd book right now... ;)
@Dilek, thank you sooooo much for recommending this book to me like 3 years ago! :D Also I have to mention you've been keep reminding this book (series) to me over and over again but finally this bitch listened to you. LOL and OMFG you were right!!! Ahhhhhh I absolutely loved it. I'm giving 5 stars because of Parker Maxwell.. Mmmm that man has a very talented mouth / tongue.. Ugh whatever! You got me, right? :P
Long story short, please give a chance this awesome book and before that pls read Dilek's awesome review! ;)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Okaaaay, why the hell I waited so long for read this book! Ugh I'm mentally kicking myself right now! :D It was so good!!! Actually I'm going to read the 2nd book right now... ;)
@Dilek, thank you sooooo much for recommending this book to me like 3 years ago! :D Also I have to mention you've been keep reminding this book (series) to me over and over again but finally this bitch listened to you. LOL and OMFG you were right!!! Ahhhhhh I absolutely loved it. I'm giving 5 stars because of Parker Maxwell.. Mmmm that man has a very talented mouth / tongue.. Ugh whatever! You got me, right? :P
Long story short, please give a chance this awesome book and before that pls read Dilek's awesome review! ;)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 28, 2017
Wicked Beautiful was a wonderful surprise. What I really enjoyed about this story was the kickass and fierce as hell females. Victoria, Darcy and Tabby were so much fun and represented the ladies in a big way.
Victoria and Parker’s story was filled with meddling, heartbreak and most importantly love. Their chemistry was undeniable. More like blazing hot and they’re cat and mouse game was so much fun.
I had no idea how the Truth would be revealed and how the story would end which only made me enjoy this even more. One thing is certain I’m definitely reading the next book which is Tabby and Connor’s story.
4 BadAssDirtyRulesStars
Victoria and Parker’s story was filled with meddling, heartbreak and most importantly love. Their chemistry was undeniable. More like blazing hot and they’re cat and mouse game was so much fun.
I had no idea how the Truth would be revealed and how the story would end which only made me enjoy this even more. One thing is certain I’m definitely reading the next book which is Tabby and Connor’s story.
4 BadAssDirtyRulesStars
December 24, 2015
**ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review - thank you!**
I have had a hard time wrapping my mind around this one. I loved the writing. I loved the premise of this book - a woman who was wronged in her past getting her revenge. I adored parts of the books. Others annoyed the heck out of me.
But let me say right away, this wasn't a bad read by all means.
Our heroine is Victoria, a 30+ successful woman who got where she is because she has been holding on to a grudge, which she has been nursing for more than 15 years because her first love broke not only her heard but her family. She left her home town, changed her name and appearance to become a life coach. Her career is based on being a Bitch with a capital B and she has heaps and heaps of money.
Parker is a successful restaurant-owner. He is a womanizer of the "wham-bam-thank you ma'am" kind. He doesn't do relationships and he doesn't answer questions about his past. However, while he is all that he isn't an asshole. Parker was scarred too - he is said boy who broke Victoria's heart.
The story starts when Victoria meets Parker again. She doesn't reveal who she is and Parker doesn't recognize her. She uses this fact and starts weaving a net of lies in order to get her vengeance - Parker destroyed not only her but also her family and everything is just to get there. While getting to know each other Victoria realizes that it's not as easy to keep Parker at arms length as she thought. Parker also senses a deep connection which he can't explain.
Parker falls for Victoria, he is fascinated by her contradicting personality.
Victoria keeps reminding herself of the heartbreak she endured. She doesn't want to see anything else in Parker. They have one hell of a chemistry and the sexy times in this story were scorching and panty-soaking hot.
As mentioned, I loved the writing - it is witty, sarcastic and utterly captivating. I ADORED Parker. Why only a 3-star-rating you ask? The story started to deteriorate around the 50% mark when Victoria kept holding on to her bitterness and couldn't let go of her vengeance even though it became obvious that Parker was a good guy.
I hit an even lower low when everything was out there, the truth on the table for Victoria to see and all she does is...
She showed a selfish streak even in her defeat and that made me angry. The author didn't redeem her for me. She was still the selfish bitter bitch she'd been from the start.
Please don't let my opinion keep you from reading this book. It was still a great story and had the most beautiful parts in it. I will read other books by J.T. Geissinger, she's an extremely talented writer if she can let go of the OTT drama.
I have had a hard time wrapping my mind around this one. I loved the writing. I loved the premise of this book - a woman who was wronged in her past getting her revenge. I adored parts of the books. Others annoyed the heck out of me.
But let me say right away, this wasn't a bad read by all means.
Our heroine is Victoria, a 30+ successful woman who got where she is because she has been holding on to a grudge, which she has been nursing for more than 15 years because her first love broke not only her heard but her family. She left her home town, changed her name and appearance to become a life coach. Her career is based on being a Bitch with a capital B and she has heaps and heaps of money.
"I'm not that unsophisticated country girl anymore, that girl who loved with all her heart and soul. That girl is dead. There's only one girl left, the one made of ice and vengeance."
Parker is a successful restaurant-owner. He is a womanizer of the "wham-bam-thank you ma'am" kind. He doesn't do relationships and he doesn't answer questions about his past. However, while he is all that he isn't an asshole. Parker was scarred too - he is said boy who broke Victoria's heart.
The story starts when Victoria meets Parker again. She doesn't reveal who she is and Parker doesn't recognize her. She uses this fact and starts weaving a net of lies in order to get her vengeance - Parker destroyed not only her but also her family and everything is just to get there. While getting to know each other Victoria realizes that it's not as easy to keep Parker at arms length as she thought. Parker also senses a deep connection which he can't explain.
“I want to know all the dark places in you,” he whispers vehemently, his arms like a vise. “I want to be the one who has the key that unlocks all your bolted doors and chases away all the monsters you keep hidden behind them. I want to be the light inside your darkness. I want to be your rock and your safety net, the soft place you can fall.”
Parker falls for Victoria, he is fascinated by her contradicting personality.
"I want you so fucking badly I'll do almost anything to have you, and I think you want me the same way. But I won't beg. I won't be lied to. And I won't be led around by my balls. I only want it if it's real. Yes or no." My breath is ragged. I feel as if I'm standing over rocks far below. "Parker-" "Yes or no."
Victoria keeps reminding herself of the heartbreak she endured. She doesn't want to see anything else in Parker. They have one hell of a chemistry and the sexy times in this story were scorching and panty-soaking hot.
"We'll pretend you didn't say it. Please ignore the churro in my pants, because he is not quite as good at pretending as we are."
As mentioned, I loved the writing - it is witty, sarcastic and utterly captivating. I ADORED Parker. Why only a 3-star-rating you ask? The story started to deteriorate around the 50% mark when Victoria kept holding on to her bitterness and couldn't let go of her vengeance even though it became obvious that Parker was a good guy.
I hit an even lower low when everything was out there, the truth on the table for Victoria to see and all she does is...
She showed a selfish streak even in her defeat and that made me angry. The author didn't redeem her for me. She was still the selfish bitter bitch she'd been from the start.
Please don't let my opinion keep you from reading this book. It was still a great story and had the most beautiful parts in it. I will read other books by J.T. Geissinger, she's an extremely talented writer if she can let go of the OTT drama.
August 31, 2016
4 'churro' stars
This was my first audible and i'm SUPER glad it worked for me. The narrator was amazing and i loved her voice, intonation and ability to change to different accents. I'm a sucker for second chance romance and this one was pretty amazing. I loved the plot and i think it was executed well.
Isabelle and Parker meet 15 years later after breaking up. Having had a massive makeover and nearly unrecognisable, Isabelle manages to snag Parker's attention again, now as Queen Bitch Victoria Price. Without realising she's actually the girl he left behind, Victoria aims to make him fall... fall deep deep down to the point of no return. I understood the heroine's need for vengeance as her life was pretty heartbreaking after the hero left her. Short glimpses at the past reveal a life of utter devastation. Her need for revenge though was quickly overshadowed by her feelings for Parker. The ones she tried to bury deep inside her. When they start to resurface, Victoria becomes consumed by Parker and start questioning her motives. Hence, starts a journey of lies and deception. I loved Parker-he felt an intense need for Victoria. Although carrying a tremendous amount of guilt and heartache, he decides he wants a fresh start with this astounding beauty and slowly reveals his side of the story. A story that was equally heart breaking.
I loved the characters. They had an intense connection as all soul mates do. That made this believable for me. As much as i wished Parker had an inkling of recognition, i suppose after 15 years, people do look different especially with some major makeover. Hoping i'll get to see more of them in the next book. Would love to see them lead a happier life after all that heart break.
Overall, a definite recommendation!
This was my first audible and i'm SUPER glad it worked for me. The narrator was amazing and i loved her voice, intonation and ability to change to different accents. I'm a sucker for second chance romance and this one was pretty amazing. I loved the plot and i think it was executed well.
Isabelle and Parker meet 15 years later after breaking up. Having had a massive makeover and nearly unrecognisable, Isabelle manages to snag Parker's attention again, now as Queen Bitch Victoria Price. Without realising she's actually the girl he left behind, Victoria aims to make him fall... fall deep deep down to the point of no return. I understood the heroine's need for vengeance as her life was pretty heartbreaking after the hero left her. Short glimpses at the past reveal a life of utter devastation. Her need for revenge though was quickly overshadowed by her feelings for Parker. The ones she tried to bury deep inside her. When they start to resurface, Victoria becomes consumed by Parker and start questioning her motives. Hence, starts a journey of lies and deception. I loved Parker-he felt an intense need for Victoria. Although carrying a tremendous amount of guilt and heartache, he decides he wants a fresh start with this astounding beauty and slowly reveals his side of the story. A story that was equally heart breaking.
I loved the characters. They had an intense connection as all soul mates do. That made this believable for me. As much as i wished Parker had an inkling of recognition, i suppose after 15 years, people do look different especially with some major makeover. Hoping i'll get to see more of them in the next book. Would love to see them lead a happier life after all that heart break.
Overall, a definite recommendation!
June 14, 2019
★ ★ ★ HOT FREEBIE ALERT ★ ★ ★
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Wicked Beautiful, a witty and emotional standalone romance from J.T. Geissinger is FREE for a limited time!
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"Wicked Beautiful is wicked sexy, wicked emotional, and one of my top reads!" -- Jennifer Probst, New York Times bestselling author
Wicked Beautiful, a witty and emotional standalone romance from J.T. Geissinger is FREE for a limited time!
Don’t miss out! Grab your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/31uOdig
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/WickedBeautiful
April 11, 2020
4.5 bitter revenge stars!
When I first started this book I wasn’t too sure if I would enjoy it that much because the heroine was so opposite to me and any female characters that I like reading about. Thankfully I stuck with it because this book was great! It had me laughing one minute to being enraged the next and even shedding more than a couple of tears (I knew it was coming and I still cried!)
Victoria is a self-help guru who has set out to empower women by having them embrace their inner b*tch. At times her personality was so big and brash and at others she showed her deep scars. The more I learned about Victoria/Isabel the more she was relatable and I had more empathy for her.
Victoria is out for revenge on the boy who once broke her heart (Parker). And the best part is that he doesn’t recognize her because she’s had extensive plastic surgery done. I loved that even though Parker didn’t recognize Victoria there was something about her that was familiar, something undeniable that drew him to her.
While the plot was quite predictable early on I found myself fully invested in this story and where it was going. I thought that the ending could have been handled a little differently and left me feeling like it was more of a HFN than a true HEA, which I was hoping for after everything that these two have gone through.
I just have to add that I am looking forward to watching Conner and Tabby in the next book…their constant bickering had me laughing out loud!
When I first started this book I wasn’t too sure if I would enjoy it that much because the heroine was so opposite to me and any female characters that I like reading about. Thankfully I stuck with it because this book was great! It had me laughing one minute to being enraged the next and even shedding more than a couple of tears (I knew it was coming and I still cried!)
Victoria is a self-help guru who has set out to empower women by having them embrace their inner b*tch. At times her personality was so big and brash and at others she showed her deep scars. The more I learned about Victoria/Isabel the more she was relatable and I had more empathy for her.
I’m not that unsophisticated country girl anymore, that girl who loved with all her heart and soul. That girl is dead. There’s only this girl left, the one made of ice and vengeance.
Victoria is out for revenge on the boy who once broke her heart (Parker). And the best part is that he doesn’t recognize her because she’s had extensive plastic surgery done. I loved that even though Parker didn’t recognize Victoria there was something about her that was familiar, something undeniable that drew him to her.
“Because every time you walk into a room, it’s like déjà vu. Every time you laugh, it makes me happy. Every time I see you, I get this feeling… I don’t know. I don’t know.”
While the plot was quite predictable early on I found myself fully invested in this story and where it was going. I thought that the ending could have been handled a little differently and left me feeling like it was more of a HFN than a true HEA, which I was hoping for after everything that these two have gone through.
I just have to add that I am looking forward to watching Conner and Tabby in the next book…their constant bickering had me laughing out loud!
“How do you know Polaroid is a man?” Connor answers without hesitation and with total conviction. “Of course he’s a man. Chicks don’t hack, and if they do, they’re never this good. Don’t have the brains for it.” I have a feeling Connor’s going to eat those words one day.
July 15, 2016
4 Crackalicious Stars
LIES & LAUGHTER. This is the foundation of this book. It kept me guessing from the beginning and I didn’t know where it was going to lead me. This story continued to surprise me. There were moments when I was laughing and then moments that the FEELS hit me in the gut. There is a such a mixture of emotion in this book.
Victoria has made herself into a new person. A Bitch. She makes her money on empowering women to be strong and confident and….bitchy. Victoria and Parker have a past. When meeting Parker again at one of his restaurants, he does not recognize her because she has undergone so much change, even plastic surgery, to change who she used to be. She many secrets that she pays to hide. After being burned by Parker when she was young, she has become hardened to everything….an icicle.
Victoria might be a Bitch, but Parker gives back as good as he gets. Parker is a renowned restaurant owner and player. He is ruthless and gets what he wants. He comes from a small town in Texas and builds himself an empire.
My Parker:
My Victoria:
Victoria continues to lie and manipulate. She is out for revenge. She knows who Parker is, but Parker does not know that she is the girl from his past….at first. Parker is able to read Victoria like no other man. He can push past her heart of icicles. I absolutely love that Parker never gives up on Victoria. Isn’t that what every woman needs? A man to pursue her relentlessly? And that is exactly what Parker does, and I loved it!
“Hearts can’t lie, baby.”
“Shut up with that crap.”
He laughs. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you just fell in love with me.”
“I hate you.”
Parker flexes his strong pelvis. His glorious hard cock sinks all the way inside me. He says roughly, “Sweetheart, if this is hate, I don’t want to feel anything else ever again.”
There are parts of this story that I don’t want to reveal or spoil. I will say that I liked that Parker and Victoria’s history was not the focus of the story. There are a couple of flashbacks, just enough to give a tease of the past. Little hints are dropped here and there to keep you guessing. I thought the reveal of each hint was well-placed.
My only hang-up with this book is that it was a little all over the place with the emotions. I’m not a huge fan of angst, so that’s just not my thing. But I really appreciated the humor and the revenge plot, which took away from the angst. I tend to cling to the funnier parts of a book, rather than the angst.
”Speaking of bulges, was that a churro in your pocket last Friday night, or were you just happy to see me?”
“I don’t know what a churro is. I hope it’s something enormous.”
She laughs, “Oh, it is. It’s a delicious, thick, long, fried dough pastry covered in sugar.” She pauses. “It’s my favorite thing to eat.”
I loved Connor and Tabitha in this book, so I am SUPER excited about jumping into their book next!
ARC courtesy of publisher is exchange for an honest review.
Find me on
LIES & LAUGHTER. This is the foundation of this book. It kept me guessing from the beginning and I didn’t know where it was going to lead me. This story continued to surprise me. There were moments when I was laughing and then moments that the FEELS hit me in the gut. There is a such a mixture of emotion in this book.
Victoria has made herself into a new person. A Bitch. She makes her money on empowering women to be strong and confident and….bitchy. Victoria and Parker have a past. When meeting Parker again at one of his restaurants, he does not recognize her because she has undergone so much change, even plastic surgery, to change who she used to be. She many secrets that she pays to hide. After being burned by Parker when she was young, she has become hardened to everything….an icicle.
Victoria might be a Bitch, but Parker gives back as good as he gets. Parker is a renowned restaurant owner and player. He is ruthless and gets what he wants. He comes from a small town in Texas and builds himself an empire.
My Parker:
My Victoria:
Victoria continues to lie and manipulate. She is out for revenge. She knows who Parker is, but Parker does not know that she is the girl from his past….at first. Parker is able to read Victoria like no other man. He can push past her heart of icicles. I absolutely love that Parker never gives up on Victoria. Isn’t that what every woman needs? A man to pursue her relentlessly? And that is exactly what Parker does, and I loved it!
“Hearts can’t lie, baby.”
“Shut up with that crap.”
He laughs. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you just fell in love with me.”
“I hate you.”
Parker flexes his strong pelvis. His glorious hard cock sinks all the way inside me. He says roughly, “Sweetheart, if this is hate, I don’t want to feel anything else ever again.”
There are parts of this story that I don’t want to reveal or spoil. I will say that I liked that Parker and Victoria’s history was not the focus of the story. There are a couple of flashbacks, just enough to give a tease of the past. Little hints are dropped here and there to keep you guessing. I thought the reveal of each hint was well-placed.
My only hang-up with this book is that it was a little all over the place with the emotions. I’m not a huge fan of angst, so that’s just not my thing. But I really appreciated the humor and the revenge plot, which took away from the angst. I tend to cling to the funnier parts of a book, rather than the angst.
”Speaking of bulges, was that a churro in your pocket last Friday night, or were you just happy to see me?”
“I don’t know what a churro is. I hope it’s something enormous.”
She laughs, “Oh, it is. It’s a delicious, thick, long, fried dough pastry covered in sugar.” She pauses. “It’s my favorite thing to eat.”
I loved Connor and Tabitha in this book, so I am SUPER excited about jumping into their book next!
ARC courtesy of publisher is exchange for an honest review.
Find me on
April 12, 2021
okay, a couple of things:
* I picked this one up because I wanted to read book two as a recommendation and my brain can't read series out of order, even though you can read them as standalone
but the couple from book two are side characters here
* I would rate this book one star if I wrote this review immediately after finishing it
now that I'm a little bit cooled off I guess two stars is a fine rating
but THIS BOOK made me SO angry
first I hate the secret identity trope but I put that aside, it wasn't even a factor
because the idiocy of these two lead characters is so strong that overshadows everything else...
what bothered me you say:
* hero describing heroine's friend
Across the restaurant, the woman hugging the woman in white is, for want of a better word, large. So are her hair, her jewelry, her handbag and the abstract red flowers splashed all over her dress. The dress, in fact, is the only thing about her that isn’t big. Low-cut and tight as a sausage casing, it might have fit her perfectly thirty pounds ago. I don’t envy the seams. Even from where I’m standing, I can see how hard they’re working to keep it all together.
what a charmer...
* heroine!! EVERYTHING about the heroine
I'm sorry but should I buy this person as a strong heroine because I DON'T!!
when goings get tough she runs away..after she learned the truth of what really happened years ago and how her mother played part in all of it too..I'm sorry but WTF!! she abandons everything her career and identity and instead of facing her problems she runs away..and he finds her six months later and everything is resolved just like that..well excuse me you could have this all before...
before learning the truth she is hiding her identity from the hero and she is plotting revenge on him..it has been 15 years and he doesn't recognize her because she changed her name and did a bunch of plastic surgery when she was 20!! mind you...
what happened is misunderstanding they were high school sweethearts she is poor he is rich and his dad is a racist ( she is Latina) so they hide their relationship..she gets pregnant but his father blackmails him so he has to dump her or he will ruin her...which he does..BUT he doesn't know about the baby..he write her breakup letter and she hates him for leaving her..writes him all these letters which he of course never received..gives the baby up for adoption moves to New York and reinvents herself as this bad boss bitch life coach.. he came back to years later and her mother told him she killed herself!!!
well, this is such a drama of a storyline...
there is also a bunch of other soap opera drama stuff that I'm just WHATEVER..
so back to her strong self..which was displayed at the beginning but I later on learn was all one big lie..because she is not strong she is so damn weak..I understand one defining moment and all impact it can have on a person... she still never really moved on..and her revenge is stupid from the get-go...
also, strong badass women don't have to be a man-hater!!
* ending- what a mess on top of mess..I think all enjoyment of the book was taken out by the ending..
anyhoo..
now I want to read book two but I will go into it on my tiptoes so to speak because the main couple are hackers and portrayed as really smart in this book...wasn't all too impressed...
but I have read some great books by this author so THERE IS HOPE!!
* I picked this one up because I wanted to read book two as a recommendation and my brain can't read series out of order, even though you can read them as standalone
but the couple from book two are side characters here
* I would rate this book one star if I wrote this review immediately after finishing it
now that I'm a little bit cooled off I guess two stars is a fine rating
but THIS BOOK made me SO angry
first I hate the secret identity trope but I put that aside, it wasn't even a factor
because the idiocy of these two lead characters is so strong that overshadows everything else...
what bothered me you say:
* hero describing heroine's friend
Across the restaurant, the woman hugging the woman in white is, for want of a better word, large. So are her hair, her jewelry, her handbag and the abstract red flowers splashed all over her dress. The dress, in fact, is the only thing about her that isn’t big. Low-cut and tight as a sausage casing, it might have fit her perfectly thirty pounds ago. I don’t envy the seams. Even from where I’m standing, I can see how hard they’re working to keep it all together.
what a charmer...
* heroine!! EVERYTHING about the heroine
I'm sorry but should I buy this person as a strong heroine because I DON'T!!
when goings get tough she runs away..after she learned the truth of what really happened years ago and how her mother played part in all of it too..I'm sorry but WTF!! she abandons everything her career and identity and instead of facing her problems she runs away..and he finds her six months later and everything is resolved just like that..well excuse me you could have this all before...
before learning the truth she is hiding her identity from the hero and she is plotting revenge on him..it has been 15 years and he doesn't recognize her because she changed her name and did a bunch of plastic surgery when she was 20!! mind you...
what happened is misunderstanding they were high school sweethearts she is poor he is rich and his dad is a racist ( she is Latina) so they hide their relationship..she gets pregnant but his father blackmails him so he has to dump her or he will ruin her...which he does..BUT he doesn't know about the baby..he write her breakup letter and she hates him for leaving her..writes him all these letters which he of course never received..gives the baby up for adoption moves to New York and reinvents herself as this bad boss bitch life coach.. he came back to years later and her mother told him she killed herself!!!
well, this is such a drama of a storyline...
there is also a bunch of other soap opera drama stuff that I'm just WHATEVER..
so back to her strong self..which was displayed at the beginning but I later on learn was all one big lie..because she is not strong she is so damn weak..I understand one defining moment and all impact it can have on a person... she still never really moved on..and her revenge is stupid from the get-go...
also, strong badass women don't have to be a man-hater!!
* ending- what a mess on top of mess..I think all enjoyment of the book was taken out by the ending..
anyhoo..
now I want to read book two but I will go into it on my tiptoes so to speak because the main couple are hackers and portrayed as really smart in this book...wasn't all too impressed...
but I have read some great books by this author so THERE IS HOPE!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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