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enchantressofbooks's review
1.0
I had been looking forward to release and as soon as the book started I feared this may become a DNF or a low rated.
Taylor, the heroine who is a total nerd and computer geek. From being a tech specialist to role playing in computer games. There is this arch within the story with a manipulative "friend" which is more like a stalker than anything else. She feels this huge level of guilt vs. seeing the manipulation and stalking behavior that it is. Then there are moments where she acknowledges the "obsession" vs. them being friends and "needed". I mean COME ON! How many times does the reader need to see how CRAZY this 'friend' is when he tells her he's going to hurt himself because she didn't answer an email, text, pin on the game or on social media. This is after Taylor telling him several time she is NOT interested in him "in that way". This line of communication between Taylor & the "online friend" occurs over and over throughout the book. She blames this situation and the guild (gaming) for her "lack of time" and "accepting the promotion" and just about everything else for not going "outside and living". Sigh.
Jessica usually writes stronger heroine and though it seems that there was an effort to make Taylor either into or seem as if she was "strong" because she's has a dominant streak in the bedroom and seems to be 'herself' (i.e. nerdy/geeky, klutzy, lack of filter with her thoughts, etc.). However, this fell flat as there are several times when her friends speak to her harshly and down to her and Taylor doesn't stop that or defends herself. Then there was an incident where she felt the need to change shirts due to how others were looking at her. I get having insecurities, but this didn't stand true to what the readers were asked to believe.
Loch may be "next in line" for the throne in Bellissime but it's obvious he is no where near ready to run a country. He's hot (trust me, we get told how hot he is over and over and over and over and over, by Taylor) but is oblivious to how things truly are and comes across as ...naive and a tad absent minded... an example is when he wants to go running and asks "where the running clothes are".... mind you, he just slept over someone else's house (thus he doesn't have his own clothes there) and he seems to EXPECT that there would be stuff he can use.... when he's asked how things are "usual" for him, he flat out says that he opens the closet and the clothes are there. Basically, he comes across as a bit of a spoil brat who can't seem to make himself breakfast.
Let's talk about the "conflict" between the Heroine and the Hero.... SO OVER DONE it's not funny really. I would expect more from Jessica.
So there were several times where I rolled my eyes.... felt like smacking the heroine for several reasons from accepting to help the Hero because he was "bored senseless" and she would be a distraction from the boredom to the point where she enables the "friend" and his stalker behavior.
Narrator's Review:
Jillian Macie is overall good/okay. Her British accents are good and she does a few different voices/tones for the female characters, however, the males all sound too similar and not a difference enough in the tones to have readers believe it's a guy. If you can look over that, then its all good.
Overall, this felt like a filler book and not one that "needed" to be part of the series. I could have totally been okay with THIS storyline being the "novella" and the one that is a "novella" the "Beauty and the Billionaire: The Wedding (Billionaire Boys Club #6.5)" be a full length book. Love the idea of this series, but unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me.
This and other reviews available at Viviana, Enchantress of Books
Taylor, the heroine who is a total nerd and computer geek. From being a tech specialist to role playing in computer games. There is this arch within the story with a manipulative "friend" which is more like a stalker than anything else. She feels this huge level of guilt vs. seeing the manipulation and stalking behavior that it is. Then there are moments where she acknowledges the "obsession" vs. them being friends and "needed". I mean COME ON! How many times does the reader need to see how CRAZY this 'friend' is when he tells her he's going to hurt himself because she didn't answer an email, text, pin on the game or on social media. This is after Taylor telling him several time she is NOT interested in him "in that way". This line of communication between Taylor & the "online friend" occurs over and over throughout the book. She blames this situation and the guild (gaming) for her "lack of time" and "accepting the promotion" and just about everything else for not going "outside and living". Sigh.
Jessica usually writes stronger heroine and though it seems that there was an effort to make Taylor either into or seem as if she was "strong" because she's has a dominant streak in the bedroom and seems to be 'herself' (i.e. nerdy/geeky, klutzy, lack of filter with her thoughts, etc.). However, this fell flat as there are several times when her friends speak to her harshly and down to her and Taylor doesn't stop that or defends herself. Then there was an incident where she felt the need to change shirts due to how others were looking at her. I get having insecurities, but this didn't stand true to what the readers were asked to believe.
Loch may be "next in line" for the throne in Bellissime but it's obvious he is no where near ready to run a country. He's hot (trust me, we get told how hot he is over and over and over and over and over, by Taylor) but is oblivious to how things truly are and comes across as ...naive and a tad absent minded... an example is when he wants to go running and asks "where the running clothes are".... mind you, he just slept over someone else's house (thus he doesn't have his own clothes there) and he seems to EXPECT that there would be stuff he can use.... when he's asked how things are "usual" for him, he flat out says that he opens the closet and the clothes are there. Basically, he comes across as a bit of a spoil brat who can't seem to make himself breakfast.
Let's talk about the "conflict" between the Heroine and the Hero.... SO OVER DONE it's not funny really. I would expect more from Jessica.
So there were several times where I rolled my eyes.... felt like smacking the heroine for several reasons from accepting to help the Hero because he was "bored senseless" and she would be a distraction from the boredom to the point where she enables the "friend" and his stalker behavior.
Narrator's Review:
Jillian Macie is overall good/okay. Her British accents are good and she does a few different voices/tones for the female characters, however, the males all sound too similar and not a difference enough in the tones to have readers believe it's a guy. If you can look over that, then its all good.
Overall, this felt like a filler book and not one that "needed" to be part of the series. I could have totally been okay with THIS storyline being the "novella" and the one that is a "novella" the "Beauty and the Billionaire: The Wedding (Billionaire Boys Club #6.5)" be a full length book. Love the idea of this series, but unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me.
This and other reviews available at Viviana, Enchantress of Books
sydlor93's review
5.0
This was a great read for me as I have been waiting for the next book to come out! It was just a great story and I loved Taylor and Loch! The whole story just 'clicked' for me and i loved it!
quinn_0611's review
4.0
I really quite liked this. Taylor was adorable, and I loved seeing Loch grow as a person. And now I want to read Alex's story. Full review soon.
clairelynn's review
2.0
Loch is a spoiled selfish one-dimensional asshole and I couldn't enjoy the book because of it.
eilidh's review
4.0
so, the thing is, i really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book because loch and taylor were just so damn cute together and the way he showed interest in her love of gaming and all things nerdy without being condescending or snobby ever was top tier. i also really enjoyed taylor's conflict with sigmund ( a guy who is emotionally blackmailing her online) because even though she owns him nothing, she still felt guilt over his health which just felt real to me because that kind of abuse/manipulation is so common but not talked about often. i even liked loch's whole "realizing im a spoiled man-baby" moment because i though his conversations with rex were quite an interesting addition to the story and his development. basically everything about loch and taylor and this book was wonderful except the main conflict with his wanting to go back to bellissime bullshit because (as mentioned in the book) it was so easily avoidable and was just so annoying to read. so yeah, even though i loved almost everything else, the conflict felt contrived and like jessica clare was running out of ideas which is probably why this book was the last. it had all the charm of her previous books just with a leaving something to be desired conflict. which is still a good book so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ps: im actually really sad these books are over so... if you need any reason to go read them i would 100% recommend reading both the billionaire boys club series and this one
ps: im actually really sad these books are over so... if you need any reason to go read them i would 100% recommend reading both the billionaire boys club series and this one
theladyinreds's review
4.0
Full review to come. Fun entry. Great gamer/geek heroine. Nice sincere grovel.
whisperingchapters's review
3.0
This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
I really liked the romance of this story: an online gamer nerd and an heir to a crown! I wasn't sure how this would work out, but it turns out it was quite fun. Loch has lived his life with everything handed to him. He doesn't know what it's like to live by himself and depend on himself. Reading about him being in New York and fending for himself was a tad funny. He wanted to explore more of NY, but his tour guide Taylor was always holed up in her tiny apartment.
Taylor frustrated me quite a lot. She was in a bit of a predicament with another online gamer who would manipulate her. Instead of putting a stop to it, she felt very responsible. This lead to her feeling forced to play all the time with this guy and wouldn't enjoy her life.
Thanks to Loch, she was able to go out more and enjoy the little things in life. They complemented each other and their romance was so very sweet.
Overall, Billionaire on the Loose is a fun and quick read that will have its readers smiling and feeling giddy.
I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
I really liked the romance of this story: an online gamer nerd and an heir to a crown! I wasn't sure how this would work out, but it turns out it was quite fun. Loch has lived his life with everything handed to him. He doesn't know what it's like to live by himself and depend on himself. Reading about him being in New York and fending for himself was a tad funny. He wanted to explore more of NY, but his tour guide Taylor was always holed up in her tiny apartment.
Taylor frustrated me quite a lot. She was in a bit of a predicament with another online gamer who would manipulate her. Instead of putting a stop to it, she felt very responsible. This lead to her feeling forced to play all the time with this guy and wouldn't enjoy her life.
Thanks to Loch, she was able to go out more and enjoy the little things in life. They complemented each other and their romance was so very sweet.
Overall, Billionaire on the Loose is a fun and quick read that will have its readers smiling and feeling giddy.
I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
tanaise's review
3.0
Not my favorite of her books, as the things they were dealing with outside of their relationship were deep, but seemed like they were handled very shallowly. I usually adore her books, but this one just didn't click for me.
Still, it was a fun, if shallow read, and I enjoyed it.
Still, it was a fun, if shallow read, and I enjoyed it.
poisonivy70's review
2.0
-The Setup: Billionaire slacker/polo player Loch has been politely exiled while they do some insurgent wrangling and they stop cheering for him to take over the throne of Bellissime. He comes to the US for Gretchen and Hunter’s wedding (hero/heroine of Beauty and the Billionaire, the original series) and nerdy lover of cosplay, MMORPGs and all things sci-fi bridesmaid Taylor. This can work as a standalone because they’re fairly isolated for the majority of it.
-The Good: Ms. Clare has a flare for the billionaire romances that I enjoy. Nerdy heroines will always have a place in my heart and I certainly don't mind a billionaire or twenty. There’s some good humor here and the sex was enthusiastic and fun. The fluffy component was in full effect. However….
-Needed more: I need to connect, in some way, with either the hero/heroine when I read a romance novel. Had one of them been even a bit more grounded, perhaps it could have worked. I struggled to feel anything for Loch or Taylor because they’re both fairly weak. It felt like two friends with good sex and nothing else in common managed to stumble into a relationship.
-Man-baby hero: Loch was a man-baby who had never had to do a thing for himself, and by the end of the story, he was still lacking a real direction other than the possibility of owning an estate, which does not constitute a career or purpose. There was a hint of one with the homeless man he befriends (with the best advice), but there’s no follow through.
-Living in denial heroine: Taylor’s arc is a little stronger. She begins the story in pretty big denial of how little she’s living and out of control she is because of her obsession with her online escape. I applaud that she eventually realizes that she wasn’t in charge of her life. However, her lack of savvy when it comes to her manipulative friend was something that made little sense for a woman who is as familiar with online social media and technology as she is. I struggled to understand how she didn’t even make an attempt to check out Sig’s situation on her own if he was in potential physical danger. She never once even thought to reverse lookup his number, when he did the same to her. I just needed even a token gesture, but there wasn’t one.
The Bottom Line
This was only ok. Considering how much I enjoyed the last book, this was a letdown. That said, this feels like a blip in the series and I’m hoping it bounces back with the next one.
**ARC provided by author for review**
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gerireads's review
2.0
It pains me to rate this really low because I adore this series, and I adore Jessica Clare's writing. But I'm afraid this was just too odd of a coupling that I didn't quite feel connected and invested to the story and the characters.
Taylor is a geek who loves playing online video games, and worships at the altar of Doctor Who. Loch is from royalty and a professional slacker. They met through Gretchen and formed a connection. My problem is I didn't quite buy this connection they had.
I liked the idea of a geek and a royal billionaire but when I read this, it just didn't come together for me. Having two characters who are the exact opposites (in interests) of each other is great but sometimes, it's just too much. I feel like Loch is just indulging Taylor. I don't particularly find that idea romantic at all because it can go wrong really fast. And it did in this one. Again, my issue is after their big conflict, I didn't feel like they've truly made a love connection. Friendship, yes. But happily-ever-after love, not quite sure about that.
Again, it pains me to give this book 2 stars but nothing worked for me in this book.
ARC provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
Taylor is a geek who loves playing online video games, and worships at the altar of Doctor Who. Loch is from royalty and a professional slacker. They met through Gretchen and formed a connection. My problem is I didn't quite buy this connection they had.
I liked the idea of a geek and a royal billionaire but when I read this, it just didn't come together for me. Having two characters who are the exact opposites (in interests) of each other is great but sometimes, it's just too much. I feel like Loch is just indulging Taylor. I don't particularly find that idea romantic at all because it can go wrong really fast. And it did in this one. Again, my issue is after their big conflict, I didn't feel like they've truly made a love connection. Friendship, yes. But happily-ever-after love, not quite sure about that.
Again, it pains me to give this book 2 stars but nothing worked for me in this book.
ARC provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.
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