I was a bit skeptical at the start, but in the end I was won over. :)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Just to let you know this might not be everyone's cup of tea story, but it would be fair to say it's more of a Cinderella story. She is homeless and on the street and he, of course, like the title, is a billionaire. Great story and a quick read.

I am always in awe of Jackie Ashenden's writing. There's raw sensuality mixed with tender emotions to her books that just keeps me coming back for more.

Let me begin by saying Jackie is on of my favorite authors, she just has a way of twisting the dark with the sexy that makes my heart so happy. So based on her name alone I wanted to try this book, but sadly it fell flat for me. I just felt Mia was very skittish and when a heroine is like that for too long it annoys me for some reason, I feel it takes away from a romance from the beginning, then the end feels rushed. However, in this case its understandable, Mia has been on the streets and does not trust. It's a slower read than most of Jackie's books, but I still think it it is very well written as Jackie's writing always seems to be.

Recommendation: try it if you are looking for a slightly less disney fairytale, or if you want to try a taste of Jackie's writing but she has much better books out there in my opinion.

Xavier was a billionaire and known to be a bad boy. Xavier was the youngest son of the richest man in New York.His father had forced Xavier to volunteer at a homeless shelter after Xavier had had a drunken fight with paparazzi determined to shove his camera in Xavier’s face. Xavier grabbed the camera and shot it into a trash can. Cesare was the head of DeSantis corp which was the country’s largest personal security manufacturers. Cesare was Xavier’s father and usually let his sons deal with their own problems but in this case Cesare had to use a lot of influence and money to get the man to drop the charges on Xavier. Xavier would normally throw money at the problem such as the shelter. But not this time. Xavier found it difficult to to deal with the hopelessness and despair. He was now seeing up close and personal. Xavier did hate volunteering then having to apologize when he didn’t mean but this was something he had to do. Xavier has spent his adult life working toward getting the ownership of his late mother’s ranch in Wyoming called Blue Skies. Cesare knows how much Xavier wants the ranch and holds it over his head to get Xavier to do what Cesare wants him to do. This also meant Xavier working at DeSantis Corp being a glorified salesman, demonstrating new products, sucking up to potential clients and basically being the poster boy for the Corp.There was a homeless young woman that was holding Xavier’s attention. There was a fire in her Xavier had never seen in any other woman he knew., at least not so intensely. This fascinated Xavier. Each night she continues to ignore xavier and it irritated him. For Cesare business was everything so therefore the universe revolved around N. Y. But Xavier wanted to move back to Wyoming where his family is originally from and Xavier had spent summers there as a kid. . Mia was unsettled by Xavier’s as she didn’t know what he want, what if he wanted sex from her although hr didn’t act that way. Mia didn’t trust anyone who said they wanted to help like: cops, social workers, doctors or even priests. Not the man that watched her either. Mia was determined she would get off the streets . Not like old Catherine who had helped Mia when she first came out to the streets to escape her grandmother her put out cigarettes in her skin and beat and also mentally abused her. Mia was left with her grandmother when she was seven she soon learned her grandmother wasn’t such a nice person. Tony was one of thebetter volunteers at the shelter and told her what she would need to get a place of her own which was Mia’s dream. Tony was trying to help Mia but was having trouble getting her birth certificate. Finally it was getting too cold on the streets for Mia to stay out at nights and chance freezing to death. Mia went to the shelter and it was cold she needed food and to get warm to survive the night. Then Xavier was there with his limo Mia tried to leave to get back to the dumpster but Xavier refused to let her go and took her back to his penthouse. He made her get in his warm car then took her home, fed her drew her a bath gave his robe and even carried to put her in his bed and watched her sleep. Hen Mia awoke she didn’t know where she was then she remembered she went to the kitchen and Xavier had laid out several things to make a sandwich with.Also there was a glass of milk and orange juice. Mia was so nice and warm and full. Xavier told Mia he won’t let her leave and face the winter nights outside. Could stay with him . As time went on Mia grew to care for Xavier and gave her virginity to him. Mia actually felt happy for the first time that she could actually remember.
I liked this story a lot but did not find it realistic in anyway. When it was called a fairy tale that is exactly what it is but that somehow didn’t take away from the story after all this is fiction. I k]liked the plot and loved how determined Mai was to get off the streets and get her own little place where she would be safe and not have to worry about being hurt or any of the other worried she had living on the street. I also loved how Xavier just decided he was going to take care of Mia no matter what she said but was still gentle and tender with her .This was just a good read and does talk about the life a street person has which is so sad we have so many street people of all ages. The author did a great job. Myself and my immediate family even my mom work every year on a picnic for the homeless offering different things to our clients. It isn’t just a one day thing we work most of the year on this. To see an author write about this problem is great and i applaud her. So yes I loved this story and the ins and outs of the story as well as the characters and I highly recommend.

I loved the Cinderella fairy tale as a young girl, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I still love it today. The Billionaire's Virgin is a modern day Cinderella fairy tale and it captured my interest now just as its old fashioned counterpart did when I was a girl. Mia is a young homeless woman living on the streets of New York City who turns up at a homeless shelter for food. Xavier de Santis is the playboy son of a billionaire who is unhappily volunteering at said shelter when he sees Mia for the first time. Something about her catches his attention. It's not her beauty, because he acknowledges she's not beautiful, or even pretty, really. No, it's most likely the fact that she doesn't react to him the way women normally do, she doesn't react to him at all. As the nights wear on, Xavier does his best to get Mia to react to him, but she just blinks at him, or turns away from him even as he puts food on her tray. He even goes as far as to buy her a beautiful cashmere cap to replace the dirty, ugly orange one she normally wears. But, still, she doesn't really react to him the way he wants her to, even after he gives her the new cap.

He doesn't get much of anything from her until the night she comes to the shelter and finds it has been closed. So he whisks her away to his 20 million dollar penthouse and proceeds to break down her walls and gain her trust. Mia is a really strong woman, with a fire that even living on the streets since she was 13 hasn't been able to extinguish. She's fierce and guarded, but curiously with a core of innocence. Xavier is a strangely contradictory mix of demanding and compassionate. His sense of entitlement is in full force at first, but it wears away as do Mia's walls. They both have some serious emotional scars, though, and they hamper their burgeoning relationship, especially on Xavier's part.

This modern day fairy tale is a nice mix of fantasy and modern day romance. It's not fluff, though, it's got too much heat, and heart to be fluff. Xavier and Mia are nicely complex characters that are far more interesting than any one dimensional, cardboard commoner and Prince Charming types. Even the rest of the de Santis brothers are interesting, I'm looking forward to their stories, too. The glimpse of Nero de Santis that's presented after the end of The Billionaire's Virgin is enough to get me all excited for more of this series!

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. The social differences between the billionaire and the homeless girl just seemed too much to overcome.

I liked this book even though at the same time it had a mild creep factor to it. Xavier had an ick factor to him that was a bit uncomfortable. I'm sure it was just that he felt almost stalkerish to me. And I definitely did not like the way he pretty much forced his will on Mia.
It was a twisty retelling of Cinderella and as a novella, you did not have to invest much time in it. I loved the character Mia and was on her side throughout the book, Xavier not so much.

Review to be live on blog on 1/25/17

I'm a sucker for a good rags to riches story and this one hit all the right spots for me. A great take on a cinderalla storyline, I liked the characters and the chemistry between them. I really enjoyed this one!

I just finished reading The Billionaire's Virgin by Jackie Ashenden. This story gutted me and then put me back together.

Mia is homeless and has been since she was a teen.  She is so courageous and strong even after all she has faced. In walks Xavier which his on heart wrenching back story.  He wants to know her and help her.  This story broke my heart as they fought their battles. 

Such a great and short read.  Did have me holding my breath towards the end and thankful for the HEA.  If you are looking for a good read that will give you the feels, then one click now! 4 stars from Reviews by Reds!

I had to DNF this book. I honestly couldn't even get to 30% in the story before I had to stop. I didn't like Xavier at all and couldn't connect with Mia either. I really couldn't buy into a billionaire picking up a homeless woman at a shelter. Especially with how condescending Xavier was about the homeless from the moment he arrived at the shelter.

I've enjoyed books by Ms. Ashenden in the past and will read future books by her as well, I just didn't connect with this particular book or set of characters.


Rating: 1 Star (DNF)

This story pulled on my heart strings!!! Mia & Xavier's story was told in a way that made me feel for both characters and their circumstances.
Xavier has gotten in some trouble and was forced to work at a homeless shelter where he sees Mia for the first time. Mia has been homeless for years and was not going to rely on anyone for anything. Xavier was not accustomed to hearing the word no especially from a woman. So he wasn't going to accept no from Mia.

I truly enjoyed this story and highly recommend!

I received a copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love Xavier as a hero, but I will always love Jackie Ashenden's writing.

This was a decent read, i didn't love nor hate it was a good little in between story!

The Billionaires Virgin
Billionaire Fairytales series book #1
Release Date: January 10, 2017
Review copy provided by the publisher

I've said it before, I love a good billionaire meets naive and shy woman trope. I suppose it's the whole "knight in shining armour" thing. I like when the hero swoops in to save the day. That's doesn't mean I don't love a kick ass heroine, because they rock!

After reading the blurb to this book, I was so excited. But I was also a little weary. I love discovering new to me authors, but sometimes I worry that I won't connect with their "voice". The blurb grabbed me, though. I couldn't wait to dive in.

Xavier De Santis was an ass. I can't even beat around the bush about that. I struggled to find any likeable qualities from page 1. He's serving the folks at a homeless shelter, and he is having an internal diatribe of how pathetic these unfortunate people are. He mocked them by asking if they wanted the caviar this evening when they stood in front of him with their food trays. I was immediately turned off by his character. At this point, I'm hoping the author has something up her sleeve to redeem this schmuck.

Mia is a lost soul. She's homeless and struggling to find a way out of her hopeless situation. She's built a thick wall around herself. She doesn't let anyone in. It's all about survival, finding her next meal, and not freezing to death on the cold New York streets. She's caught the eye of billionaire playboy, Xavier. And try as she might, she can't help but be intrigued about the pompous jerk.

Here's where I was hoping the author would redeem, Xavier. And to some degree she did. I could see that there was a decent person hidden under his sense of entitlement and arrogance. I was starting to warm up to him, but then he ruined it by essentially telling, Mia that he was going to kiss her and there was nothing she could do to stop him. It was creepy. She wasn't protesting per say. But she was a homeless woman with zero experience in the sex department. Trust issues would be putting it mildly, and then he spouts stuff that has dubious consent written all over it. It left a yucky taste in my mouth.

Both, Mia and Xavier have their respective baggage. There's pain in both of their hearts. She wanted a home and he wanted redemption. There were a few moments where I got choked up, and I love a good emotional scene! I started to think maybe Xavier was capable of being what, Mia needed. After shredding her heart, he does some serious begging on his knees. I liked that. I think I needed to see him do that. I spent so much of the book disliking him, that the idea of him grovelling brought me much joy!

So much of this book was shadowed by a hero that I couldn't respect; not until the end anyways. And I'm not sure that was even enough. The author had a good "voice". I'd like to read something else of hers to get a better sense of her writing. Perhaps if I liked the hero, I could concentrate on the overall plot and writing.

I found both the plot and the characters to be too shallow; in that regard they complimented each other.

Lots of unanswered questions and plot holes left me feeling unsatisfied at the end.

A fantastic hot story by Ms. Ashenden. I was hooked from the start to the finish.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

This was an okay book but ultimately not the book for me. The plot was cliché and predictable. The characters Xavier and Mia had a boat load of issues that all just seemed to disappear. I had a hard time getting through this read as I didn't connect with the characters and the plot did nothing for me.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book via NetGalley.