The Billionaire Collection, Book #2
Heat Factor: It’s still possible to get pretty sexy without sex.
Character Chemistry: Playful and spicy
Plot: Billionaire CEO can’t stop wanting best friend’s forbidden little sister who won’t stop seducing him
Overall: A romp
I was scrolling through Kindle books (scroll, scroll, scroll), avoiding my mile-high stack of responsibilities, (scroll, scroll, scroll) looking for something that was maybe-kinda-sorta like Louise Bay. (Scroll, scroll, scroll) Ingrid likes Pippa Grant, maybe something like that? Maybe actually Pippa Grant? (Scroll, scroll, scroll) And I came across this playful cover with very bright letters. I came across several, actually, because Amazon likes to cluster things together. Hmm. Billionaire? Hmm. Brother’s best friend? Hmm. 24-year-old virgin contemporary heroine? Sounds ridiculous. I’m in.
And so it was that I met Max Monroe, a writing duo who I can only hope writes all romance novels with the quantity of (completely situation-appropriate) foul language I found here. Le sigh. This book was a very nice cup of cozy warm on a chilly, rainy day. But I do like a bit of salty language, I do.
What else do I need to tell you about our protagonists and their story? Maybe Willis (Yes. Really. Her dad is Bruce Willis. Just check your serious at the stepback and buckle up.) just graduated from Stanford (of course) with not only a B.A. in English Lit, but also with an M.F.A., and now she is back in her home city of NYC to find a job as a junior editor in a prestigious publishing house. Sounds simple enough. Her brother (who went to Yale) is CFO of a fancy-schmancy tech business because he’s brilliant (obvi) and definitely not because he’s the CEO’s BFF. So big bro looks out for little sis and asks his BFF who still lives in New York to set up some meetings so Maybe can even have a hope of getting her foot in the door. The CEO (who also went to Yale) is, of course, our hero: Milo Ives is a billionaire because he gets it done. In a lucrative field, of course. I’m sure he’d also get things done at a non-profit, but there’s not an archetype for “non-profit badass” and there is for billionaires, so here we are.
Aaaaanyway. Maybe has definitely had a crush on Milo pretty much since she first met him and 100% since she turned 11. Milo, not having seen Maybe for 10 years, doesn’t realize that the smokin’ hot brunette in his BFF’s family’s flower shop is not only the woman about whom he’s been fantasizing, NOPE! She’s also his best friend’s sister who he offered to help out of the goodness of his heart. Definitely not for the goodness of his pants. Milo is totally going to get over his fantasies and keep it in his pants. Too bad Maybe has decided to take the bull by the short and curlies and do her absolute best to seduce Milo. And given that Milo is extremely willing to be seduced…. You see where this is going, yes?
Here is my non-substantive review: This book was delightful, bonkers, and a great little bit of fluff. Perfect for a rough week or a rainy day or whatever ails you. I do recommend it.
Here is my substantive review: There are some undertones here that completely jive with the tone of the book but that do not necessarily jive with me.
First, I have no issue with overly studious, 24-year-old virgins as a matter of course. Seems reasonable. Certainly being a virgin if one wishes to be a virgin is desirable. But personality-wise, Maybe is a bit eyebrow raising. She has just been in California for 6 years – she didn’t make any friends in 6 years at school? Study buddies? Nothing? And then she moves back to NYC and she doesn’t have any friends in the city where she grew up? Everyone does not move out of state after high school. Especially when they’re from a job hub like NYC. What is her deal?
Second, Milo calls Maybe “Kid” nearly the whole time. At first it’s like a reminder that he really ought to be seeing her as a kid, but then it becomes his pet name for her, and I was not here for it. Aside from the fact that he’s a full 20 years older than her, why Avon can call Leonie “infant” for all of These Old Shades and I eat it up while Milo calling Maybe “Kid” was off-putting I can only guess. Possibly it’s the much less significant 6 year age difference. Perhaps it’s because it’s a contemporary rather than a historical. But there you have it.
Finally, there is a certain economic viewpoint stated that I find problematic. Yes, it’s fiction. Yes, 30-year-old self-made billionaires are present for my fantastical delectation and improbably thick on the ground in contemporary romance. But…
“Do you mind telling me a little bit about how you went from a college student at Yale to the CEO of a company that grosses enough money to get your name on Forbes’ list?”
“Three credit cards. Ten thousand dollars in debt. And a three-year diet of ramen noodles and Kraft Mac & Cheese.”
The space between her bright-red lips grows exponentially. “You’re not serious.” My bluntness has clearly surprised her, but this isn’t a question I’ve ever avoided. I want other people to know it’s possible to be where I am. That it’s possible to be a regular guy with a vision and seemingly no means to make it happen and to make it happen anyway.
Might be one of the most privileged things I’ve ever read.
I think it’s likely that a reader’s enjoyment of this book is inversely proportional to how seriously one takes it.
Buy Now: Amazon
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I read smut for escapism, not economic realism! Bring on the 30-something self-made billionaires!
The Smut Report 