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Synopsis:
An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Discover the story that garnered more than two million reads online.
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.
As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other. Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over two million reads on fan fiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.
My Review:
A few months ago, I had seen this title pop up here and there and was dying to read it but realized it hadn’t released yet. The other day, I get a text from my husband asking if I had heard of Beautiful Bastard and said he had read an article on it and thought I should read it….it just so happens he sent me that text on release day. I ran right out and bought it. Gotta say, I owe this review to him because I LOVED this book!
Chloe Mills is working at Ryan Media for her MBA internship. Her boss, Bennett Ryan, is a total condescending, obnoxious jackass. So much so, that her and her two best friends have dubbed him “beautiful bastard”. Unfortunately, the “beautiful” part had to be added because the man is delicious. He never fails at finding something to criticize Chloe on. Her handwriting, the volume of her voice….anything. Sad part is, even with all of the jackassery, she can’t help but being attracted to him. So when Bennett shocks the hell out of her with a somewhat shocking advance, she will have to decide if she will allow it…
Bennett Ryan prides himself on being successful and in control. Always in control. At the age of thirty, he’s accomplished more in his professional life than most men even dare to dream about. He is not one to act on irrational impulses, which is exactly what this attraction to Miss Mills is. SO many things are wrong with wanting her. She is his intern, in his family’s company. In other words, wrong on so many levels. If only she could stop this push and pull with him and stop giving his attitude back when he deserves it, it would make it so much easier to remind himself of the wrongness of the attraction. It’s a shame that one night in an empty conference room will lead to the ultimate downfall in his decision to keep Chloe at a distance.
As you may already know, this was originally published as a Twilight FanFic story. In my opinion, it went far past FanFic and blew me away. When I first started it, I kept thinking it was going to be like Fifty Shades of Grey, since both stories share the young, attractive CEO, BUT, that’s really where the similarities end. I have to say; I enjoyed this story more than Fifty. The sex was HOT and the characters were amazing.
Chloe is a fantastic heroine. She is smart, educated, sassy and doesn’t take sh@t. Yes, she has to deal with Bennett’s prick moods, but she doesn’t let him walk all over her. She gives his snark right back to him and I freaking love that! She’s not going to let anyone push her around or jeopardize her career. I admire her tenacity, especially when it came to dealing with Bennett.
Bennett is the perfect hero that keeps us guessing. He starts out as the guy-we-love-to-hate and turns into the guy-we-want-to-win-the-girl. Yes, he’s douchey. Yes, he’s used to getting everything he wants without having to ask twice. He’s also genuinely unaware of how he comes off at times, which made him more real as a character. He wasn’t so set in his ways that he wasn’t willing to try and change…especially when it came to Chloe’s opinion of him.
This book starts off hot and heavy…and by saying hot and heavy, I mean sex within the first 20 pages. The emotion between Chloe and Bennett ran high and intense. They loved to hate one another, and couldn’t stay away. What starts out as angry sex, turns into much more than they were anticipating. One of the things I liked most about this book was that it really was entirely about Chloe and Bennett. Sure, there were some business and family things thrown in but it wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t take away from the developing relationship between them. My favorite thing about this book, however, is that the chapters switched back and forth from Chloe and Bennett’s point of views. BRILLIANT! It really made me value both characters and their run of emotions that much more.
As I enter my book hangover from having finished Beautiful Bastard today, I will tell you that I highly recommend this book and have to thank my hubs again for the text on release day! Thank you to Christina and Lauren for teaming up to bring us a kick-ass read! (Oh, and for giving me another reason to love my Je Ne Regrette Rien tattoo!)
