November 13, 2014

REVIEW: Romancing the Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #5)

Romancing the Billionaire (Billionaire Boys Club #5), by Jessica Clare
Published November 4, 2014
Publisher: Intermix
Format: e-book, provided by NetGalley
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 

Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Jonathan Lyons. Playboy, billionaire, and adventurer, he lives life on the edge. When he hears that his mentor, Dr. Phineas DeWitt, had a secret journal that leads to a legendary artifact, Jonathan takes action. It stirs his blood, but it comes with a heady challenge: DeWitt's daughter Violet. She has what Jonathan needs. And she’s not giving it up it to the man who broke her heart.

Violet is Jonathan’s weakness—he’s still in love despite their volatile breakup a decade ago. But Violet’s memories have a sharper edge. She’s never forgiven him for abandoning her. Or so she thought. When Jonathan’s attentions turn seductive, she’s in danger of falling for him all over again. And she can’t help but wonder... does he really want her, or just what she's hiding?


I've fallen completely in love with Jessica Clare's Billionaire Boys Club series. I've been very curious about Jonathan Lyons. He's been a relatively quiet member of the secret society thus far, which of course means that his story was sure to be one of the most interesting. 

Jonathan Lyons has been in love with Violet DeWitt for ten years. The death of his mentor and her father cause them to come together once more to fulfill her father's dying wish. Although their pairing is volatile at first, it doesn't take them long to rediscover why they fell in love in the past. 

There were several things about Romancing the Billionaire that make this book different from the others in this series. The first thing is that Jonathan is already in love when we first see him. He knew Violet when he was a teen, and she dumped him without an obvious reason. He never got over it and he never found someone else. So, the book starts with him already having this connection to this woman that is obviously strong and lasting. 

Violet is also still as much in love with Jonathan as he is with her. But, her love is accompanied by a world of hurt and anger that takes awhile for her to get past. There are legitimate reasons why she's so upset, and most of them have to do with her manipulative deceased father. When those reasons come out, it completely changes the game for Jonathan and Violet, and all of a sudden, the focus isn't as much on their past, but more on their mission to complete for her father. 

Romancing the Billionaire is one part romance novel one part Indiana Jones movie. It actually reminded me more of National Treasure - Jonathan and Violet are given a clue to decipher, which leads to another clue, and another and so forth. Their clues take them around the world, and uses their past experiences and their shared love of history and archaeology to bring them together as a formidable team. They worked well together, both in the field and in the bedroom. 

Holy smokes - when these two decided to get over their past hurts and get down to the business of loving each other again, they were amazing. Jonathan is incredibly sweet and sensitive, even though he does seem to put his foot in his mouth a lot. Violet is tough and strong, but all that seems to fly out the window when in Jonathan's presence. Their shared moments alone were tender and bittersweet and hot and sexy. It was incredibly satisfying. 

Because Jonathan and Violet spent most of their time on the road, we didn't see much from the other boys in the club. We saw Cade the most often, as he and Jonathan are the closest of friends among the group. Cade helps Violet out in several key places in the book - it was fun seeing him in the fun and playful role for a change. 

If you haven't started this series yet, I highly recommend it. Each book is a light and quick read - perfect for a day of escapism. I loved it.

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