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heidifay97's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook listen. This is a smutty one but it had more plot than Beautiful Bastard did. I liked the characters and their development throughout the book!
bootsmom3's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
wenzday01's review
3.5
I was really enjoying this but then the ending was a little bit of a let down.
lolocole's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Again, I can’t tell to what degree my experience of this book in its audiobook format impacted my final feelings about it. For example, I was unable to get past the fact that, though the book was dual pov, within each chapter narrated, the dialogue would stay in the voice of the current reader. The woman was not British (and, tbh, I’m not convinced the guy was either).
Things I did appreciate: I thought that the exploration of the characters’ exhibitionist/voyeristic sexual preferences made a lot of sense for their character development and later a strong foundation for them to resolve their interpersonal relationship obstacles down the road. Their communication was good and their banter was fun. I truly believed that they could not get enough of each other.
Things that I did not appreciate: I had no idea what this woman looked like. One moment she had legs that went on for miles, the next she was tiny. She embodied the impossibility of expectations for women: she was shy AND unashamedly sexy, she didn’t want to be seen AND she gets off on being seen, she wants to have sex in public AND she wants to be anonymous, she’s rigid about rules AND spontaneous. She didn’t feel real- at least from Max’s perspective.
Note: if you thought the ending romantic gesture of The Hating Game went too far, this will send you over the edge. Please be advised.
3/26: one more thought- I find myself still bothered by the ending, how Sarah was made to apologize/grovel at the end. Even though he knew her past relationship trauma. I understand that it was a matter of trust, but please. He should have left a voicemail. It felt almost gaslight-y.
Things I did appreciate: I thought that the exploration of the characters’ exhibitionist/voyeristic sexual preferences made a lot of sense for their character development and later a strong foundation for them to resolve their interpersonal relationship obstacles down the road. Their communication was good and their banter was fun. I truly believed that they could not get enough of each other.
Things that I did not appreciate: I had no idea what this woman looked like. One moment she had legs that went on for miles, the next she was tiny. She embodied the impossibility of expectations for women: she was shy AND unashamedly sexy, she didn’t want to be seen AND she gets off on being seen, she wants to have sex in public AND she wants to be anonymous, she’s rigid about rules AND spontaneous. She didn’t feel real- at least from Max’s perspective.
Note: if you thought the ending romantic gesture of The Hating Game went too far, this will send you over the edge. Please be advised.
3/26: one more thought- I find myself still bothered by the ending, how Sarah was made to apologize/grovel at the end. Even though he knew her past relationship trauma. I understand that it was a matter of trust, but please. He should have left a voicemail. It felt almost gaslight-y.
kckburns's review against another edition
5.0
MAX FOREVER! MY goodness. The library. Oh god the library. Well done ladies. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
hburnss's review against another edition
3.0
The British flag ballet flats and few other eye roll cringe moments gave me heart palpitations but overall it was good… first book was better
nitzanschwarz's review
4.0
I'm really happy I chose to read this book even though I wasn't the biggest fan of Beautiful Bastard, because this one was a really good surprise.
Beautiful Stranger tells the story of Sara and Max.
Beautiful Stranger tells the story of Sara and Max.
Sara had just came out of a bad relationship, one that pretty much made her doubt the male species and their ability to keep it in their pants. So, she's not looking for a relationship. In fact, she wants to belong to herself and herself only, at least for a little while. She's been some one else's - someone who didn't even love her - for too long already.
So, she's never planned to let Max, the gorgeous Brit she meets at a club, enter her life and her heart. Max is charming, kind. He's so in-tuned to her that he knows what she wants and likes when she herself doesn't even know what it is. And he's the one to fall hard and fast for her, and to want everything.
Quite frankly, I liked these two a lot more than I did Bennett and Chloe.
Max is not a bastard. He's a hot, sexy, fun, nice, caring, loving guy. The moment Sara walked into his life, it was It for him. No more playing with other women, no more fooling around, and I loved him for that.
Sara was a good heroine; she was goodhearted, kind, nice, but strong and dedicated. She also had a touch of innocence to her, even after all she's been through with her scumbag ex, which I found lovely.
The romance was both hot and sweet. Their time together was definitely sexy and steamy, and the aspect of the photography was captivating, especially with the way it was described; risque and elegant, as opposed to dirty and invasive.
Their dates were quite fantastic, even when Sara was so intent on not letting them happen. Because this is no-strings-attached sex, that's all, right?... Wrong. Very, very wrong, Sara. You can't run away from an attraction and chemistry like these two have, and you really can't stop yourself from falling for Max - as a book character or a reader, it doesn't really matter.
(But, as with the first book, the strong emphasis on the sex was a bit too much. Less sex, more dates please!)
All in all, this was a very good romance story, and from the Beautiful Bastard series this is the one I would recommend. Definitely the book for you if you're looking for a steamy romance.
The romance was both hot and sweet. Their time together was definitely sexy and steamy, and the aspect of the photography was captivating, especially with the way it was described; risque and elegant, as opposed to dirty and invasive.
Their dates were quite fantastic, even when Sara was so intent on not letting them happen. Because this is no-strings-attached sex, that's all, right?... Wrong. Very, very wrong, Sara. You can't run away from an attraction and chemistry like these two have, and you really can't stop yourself from falling for Max - as a book character or a reader, it doesn't really matter.
(But, as with the first book, the strong emphasis on the sex was a bit too much. Less sex, more dates please!)
All in all, this was a very good romance story, and from the Beautiful Bastard series this is the one I would recommend. Definitely the book for you if you're looking for a steamy romance.