Review: Beautiful Player (Beautiful Bastard #3) by Christina Lauren

 Source: Purchased a copy for my Kobo library.
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: Already Released
Number of Pages: 432 (Paperback)


Description from Goodreads:

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

I've been hooked on the Beautiful Bastard series since I read Beautiful Bastard! I loved the sequel, Beautiful Stranger...and surprise, surprise (but not really :P), I loved Beautiful Player, too! :D Actually, I didn't just love Beautiful Player...I abso-freaking-lutely LOVED it! I didn't want to stop reading it at all! I pretty much read nonstop as soon as my pre-order downloaded to my Kobo the day that it came out and was in a major reading bubble that whole day....so worth it! This book was wonderful and Hanna and Will were fantastic main characters! I loved every single moment of it! :D 

I've loved all three Beautiful Bastard books, but I have to admit that parts of this book make me want to say that this one was my favourite (shhh don't tell Beautiful Bastard and Beautiful Stranger :P)! I loved that Hanna was a bit dorky and nerdy...I could completely relate to her! I also really loved Will! He was a player, but he was so much more than that. He was really intelligent, hilarious, and seriously sexy...I also loved that pretty much as soon as he and Hanna started hanging out, even as friends, he stopped being a player. ;P

The romance in Beautiful Player was fantastic, and I really adored Will and Hanna together! They had amazing banter, and I loved that we got to see their friendship develop before their relationship became romantic. Not only was their friendship fantastic, but it was also such a big difference from both Chloe and Bennett's, and Max and Sarah's relationships, and when it comes to a series like this, where the narrators change, it's always nice to see contrast between the couples! :) I also love that we get to see the previous characters in each of these books! I never get sick of reading more about them all! :D

Overall, I loved Beautiful Player! It was funny, sexy, and Hanna and Will were amazing, both together and apart! I devoured this one in one day, and I definitely plan to read it again in the future! :D I'd recommend Beautiful Player and the Beautiful Bastard series to readers who love funny, sexy contemporary romances! 

I've actually been saving the novellas in the Beautiful Bastard series, so I'm thinking that soon I'm going to have to read them so that I can get my Christina Lauren fix until their newest release, Sweet Filthy Boy comes out! ;)

Does Beautiful Player sound like a book you'd like to read?
And have you started the Beautiful Bastard series yet?
Is anyone else a huge fan of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the cowriters who make up Christina Lauren?

Review: Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Bastard #2) by Christina Lauren

Source: Received a copy of the book from Kobo to test out the new Kobo Aura HD!
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: Already Released
Number of Pages: 352 (Paperback)


Description from Goodreads:

A charming British Playboy. A girl determined to finally live. And a secret liaison revealed in all too vivid color. Book two in the NYT Bestselling series.

Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon's moved to New York City and is looking for excitement without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night's fun. But the manner--and speed--with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

The whole city knows Max Stella loves women, not that he's ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it's not until Sara--and the wild photos she lets him take of her--that he starts wondering if there's someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

I absolutely loved Beautiful Bastard, so I wasn't at all surprised when I read Beautiful Stranger and loved it, too! :D I absolutely love Christina and Lauren's writing styles...they make a fantastic writing duo, and they just have a way of telling stories! They're funny, sexy, and heartwarming all at the same time! :D

While Beautiful Stranger is centered around a new couple, we did get to see how Bennett and Chloe are doing, and I personally love getting to see guest appearances of past main characters in series like this, but I also love getting to know the new characters, and Max and Sarah were both fantastic! They were funny, and they were seriously sexy together! Their relationship was super steamy...and wasn't exactly what you'd expect at first. ;D

When I first read Beautiful Stranger, I couldn't put it down, and stayed up until I flipped to the very last page! I read this one a while back, and it's still stuck with me, so you know it was a great one! I just absolutely adore this series, and am going to be jumping at the chance to read any books that these lovely ladies put out because they are seriously amazing authors! :D

Overall, I loved Beautiful Stranger! It may have different main characters than Beautiful Bastard, but I assure you that you will love them, too! I'd recommend this book, and this series to anyone who loves sexy, funny, and just all-around awesome books!

What do you think?
Have you started this series yet?
Does Beautiful Stranger, and this series sound like something you'd like to read?

Review: Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Bastard #1) by Christina Lauren

 Source: Received an egalley from the publisher and Netgalley.

Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: February 12, 2013
Number of Pages: 320 (Paperback)

(Goodreads Link.)

Description from Goodreads:

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Discover the story that garnered more than two million reads online.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other. Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

While I do read fanfiction...and the Twilight variety happens to be one of my favourites, I hadn't actually read Beautiful Bastard in its original fanfiction format, so this book was completely new to me! First, I will state that Beautiful Bastard does have mature content in it...so yes, there is sex. It's definitely an adult story, so you've all been warned. Second, Bennett is a class-A douche at times...oh boy is he ever, but he definitely grows on you once he lets down his whole domineering boss facade...although that was kind of hot sometimes, too. ;)

Beautiful Bastard starts out with Chloe having an awful morning where she ends up being late for work, and her boss, Bennett...or rather Mr.Ryan (if you didn't the first time, reread that last bit and say Mr.Ryan in a deep, deep voice---yes, it's totally necessary :P), managed to make her day even worse by assigning her a work project that she is to present to him by the end of the day. Once they get in that board room though, it's much more than presenting going on. And right away a new aspect is introduced to their work relationship.

The thing that I loved about Beautiful Bastard was that while there is a lot of sex, the relationship between Bennett and Chloe is a lot more than that. There is a tonne of tension between the two of them, the sexual variety and just plain ol' stubbornness. Chloe has worked hard to get where she is at in her career, and when Bennett doesn't respect that, she doesn't take it lying down. I loved that Chloe had respect for herself because often too many women don't! Although Bennett did govern quite a bit of their relationship in the workplace, Chloe always held her own. She was pretty much the only one in their office who even stood up to him, and he respected that about her, even though he was rather nonchalant about her abilities. I loved that Chloe was willing to stand up for herself and when it came to their romantic relationship, she didn't always let Bennett have control either. Seeing the power struggle between the two of them was another fascinating aspect in their relationship, and once the power struggle morphed into something else....something else entirely, it was amazing to see the two of them finally let their guards down.

I absolutely LOVED Beautiful Bastard! It was sexy, funny, and just an all-around enjoyable read! As I mentioned earlier though, it does have sex and is most definitely an adult book, so don't say I didn't warn you. :P If you're a fan of steamy stories with wonderful characters and some awesome tension, I think you'll enjoy this one. ;)

So...are you a fan of steamy stories, too?
Any other Twilight fanfic fans out there? Come on...don't be shy. I admitted it, you can too!
Finally, what do you think of Beautiful Bastard? Do you think you'll be reading it?