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Monday, July 29, 2013

{Book Review} Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Bastard #2) by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Stranger (Beautiful Bastard #2) by Christina Lauren
Publication Date: Apr 16, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
Author Twitter - Author GoodReads

Five Stars

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. (SOURCE)


Review

The summary for Beautiful Stranger starts with "a charming British playboy" and goodness gracious if that isn't true. I can almost say that I loved BS more than Beautiful Bastard, and that is huge. My love for it was great. There's something about about Max Stella though that made me not only swoon, but fan my blushing cheeks too. He was also a nice guy, not at all what I expected him to be, which is fantastic! I love when a story surprises me.

Max Stella has quite the reputation in New York City. He's almost constantly mentioned in gossip articles and often photoed with various women. There are even paparazzi that follow him, trying to get the goods on him when they can. From the outside looking in, it appears that he is only out for a good time, using women and then throwing them away when he's done. It's easy to see why people view him as the playboy but there's so much more to Max. He is a caring, charming, smart business man with so many layers. It was fun to see those layers revealed as the story built. I loved loved loved Max. I can't say those words too many times. He was a great character.

Sara Dillion has just moved to NYC from Chicago, after ending a long term relationship with her cheating jerk of an ex fiance. She'd had no idea all those years she spent with him were fake. Or that he'd been using her to further his career. Devastated, Sara decides she's not going to get involved with another man. No more relationships for her. One night out with friends leads to one sexy, steamy scene in a club with a Stranger. Once the encounter is over, they go their separate ways, except Sara keeps running into the debonair man! It's almost like he's following her, turning up in the most random places.

One of my favorite parts about these two characters is their chemistry. It's intense, but not only on a sexual level. There is a lot of fire between them; arguments and hard headedness everywhere. They are both incredibly strong willed and that makes me love them, especially Sara. It's nice and refreshing to find a female character in this type of novel and have her not be weak or simpering. She's strong, strong enough to stand up for what she wants when it comes to her career and life. She has guts. I think that is one of the things that Max is drawn to. There's a brain in Sara's head and she uses it.

The progression of Sara and Max's story is so well paced that I never once got bored or felt rushed. I saw their relationship grow slow and steady. I saw them both learn about themselves and each other. They evolved into a great pairing. I really can't say enough how great this story was. I wanted to start over from the beginning before I'd even finished it.


These are my personal observations and thoughts regarding this book. Any and all books blogged about here are paid for with my personal money unless otherwise specified within the review. If you have questions please feel free to contact me.


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