THE WICKED BILLIONAIRE by Jackie Ashenden: Review

The Wicked Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden
Series: Tate Brothers #2
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks
Publication Date: October 3rd 2017
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
Goodreads
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Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

This high-concept series brings together the glamour of Park Avenue and hot Navy SEALs in dark, smoldering contemporary romances.

The Tate Brothers were once orphans and they have been raised to do one thing only: protect what is theirs. 

As a trained sniper and Navy SEAL, Lucas Tate found the courage to distance himself from the wealthy, wicked patriarch who adopted him. Instead, he’s devoted his life to the elite band of brothers from his unit. So when the widow of one of his former comrades finds herself in apparent danger, Lucas makes it his job to protect her against all enemies. . .and not let her out of his sights.

Grace Riley feels overwhelmed by Lucas’s presence, but the cold-eyed marksman will do anything to keep her safe. Soon the special attention he pays her becomes a wild romantic distraction—one that troubles Grace, since Lucas was so close to her deceased husband. Still, how can she resist Lucas’s intense, ice-blue stare? All she knows is that a life without strong, passionate Lucas is one not worth living. Can Lucas can find a way to honor his former brother-in-arms by saving Grace. . .and loving her, too?

 

Review

If you’ve read the first book in this series, you had to have been wondering what happened to Lucas to make him so icy cold in spite of his movie-star looks. Well, I have to say that finding the answer to this question pales in comparison to the blazing hot chemistry in this book.

Lucas Tate has earned every bit of his reputation as a talented sniper and prefers the company of his brothers in arms to the luxurious lifestyle of his adopted father, but he’ll never disobey an order, even if it’s one he doesn’t particularly like. Which is how he finds himself taking on the responsibility of protecting the wife of a deceased member of his team even when he doesn’t want to.

Grace Riley is not one for restraint of any kind and as an artist, capturing emotions on canvas is her livelihood so when she finds herself without any choice but to accept Lucas’s protection, it doesn’t sit well with her because of the limits it places on her, and his tight control rubs her the wrong way. But first impressions can be wrong because being holed up with Lucas lets her get to know that man behind the stoic facade and the roiling emotions he exercises such ironclad control over.

I enjoyed this book so much and watching Lucas lose his legendary cool was the highlight for me, like watching a cork pop out of a bottle of champagne to let all that bubbly goodness out, but it was not just about that. On the outside, Lucas has everything going for him but on the inside, he’s a broken, damaged mess, terrified of losing control and reverting to the boy whose inability to control his emotions led to life-changing actions. For him, every minute spent with Grace is an assault on his ability to keep himself in check but Grace is exactly what he needs. Her own past has taught her some tough lessons and she can show him that it doesn’t always have to end badly. 

Grace and Lucas have to battle their self-doubts and wounds from their past to find the happiness they deserve but it’s all worth it, especially when the reward is a love neither ever saw coming, lots of passion and acceptance. 

The story was sometimes slow, especially because with Lucas’s career and the danger facing Grace, I expected a lot more action and suspense than I got but it was still a very enjoyable one that left me with some questions about their father’s motives and looking forward to the next book.

 

 

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