4.5 stars

The Bastard Billionaire was everything I was hoping for, Eli's story was just perfect.

The writing was beautifully done, the storyline was emotional, amusing and hot! Once I started reading I couldn't put The Bastard Billionaire down. I was so caught up with Eli and Isa I found myself turning the pages late into the night until I finished! 

I loved watching Eli and Isabella/Isa's relationship develop. They were complex characters who I easily connected with. I felt their passion, and I felt their pain, especially Eli's.
These two had such a strong attraction/connection it was impossible for them to deny the feelings that grew stronger every day. 

sa was the perfect woman for Eli, she brought out feelings Eli had denied himself and overtime he started to enjoy life again. 
All because Isa wasn't scared to push at his walls and ignore his grumpy a** lol

Another plus for me, was catching up with the previous couples. It was fun watching them all interact and seeing how life was treating them. 
I especially enjoyed the scenes between the brothers and their father. They made me laugh with their antics & banter and they made my heart melt when they opened their hearts to Eli. 
By sharing their feelings they were able to convince him he too deserved his Happily Ever After.

Overall, the Billionaire Bad Boys series has been a very enjoyable read. Author Jessica Lemmon has given us entertaining storylines and wonderful, memorable characters that will bring out all the feels with their story.
Each book can be read as a standalone and I highly recommend them all!

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*Thank you to the publisher Forever Romance via Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.*

This was a really good read, I loved the characters and the story and thought that it was a great follow on book from The Billionaire Next Door. Really enjoyed the book - 5 stars

This book was given to me for an honest review.

3 stars

I liked reading another take on how marines handle losing legs and friends.  Usually you see less of that, but with this story you see more.I have to say Eli was tough character to like at the beginning.  Eli has a lot of problems since he came home.  One is trust.  He doesn't trust anyone and he is just plain mean.  He had gone through  assistants because he didn't want to be nice, he wanted to be alone.  He is was one tough character to want to pull for through the book.  He just was not a happy man.  He had lost a lot and I did see where he came from but his personality was a complete turn off.  He has demons he has to to deal with and that is when he will become a better person.  After he yells at his 11th assistant his brother has to call the agency and find a replacement.  Isabelle, the woman that runs it, has had enough, she is going to go in and fix the problem.  Eli is not expecting what he gets from Isabelle, and Isabelle never expected what she saw in Eli.  They will have problems from day one but Isabelle is not going to give in, her company needs this to succeed.  Isabelle just will have to break down his walls.  They are going to fight, but its not going to be enough for Isabelle to walk away.  When their defenses come down they will see who both of them really are.  They will see that need each other.

Isabelle is a strong person I really enjoyed her in this book.  I loved how she brought the best out in Eli.  She may have been strong but there are parts of this story that make her very vulnerable.  She is a force to be reckon with.  Eli's temperament is really a difficult read in this book.  He's cold, he's hot, he wants what he wants and at times doesn't care who he hurts.  I was not a fan of Eli even later down the way.  It was good book and I enjoyed reading it but at times it felt long winded and I did skip through  a few pages to finish the book.

I hope the the author finds her audience for this book.  She writes brilliantly and I hope for the best for her.

Review by Amber for Love Romance Books
Isa owns a company who provides personal assistants to the the corporate elite of Chicago. She started Sable Concierge with one employee, herself, and has grown to over 30 employees. She does her job well, and has a great reputation the she is determined to keep. 

Eli came home from his military service a broken man.  He lost both his leg and some good friends overseas, and is having trouble adjusting to his new life. His well-meaning brother keeps sending him personal assistants to help him with the adjustment, but he doesn't want them around. Eli scares them all off, hoping each time his brother will get the hint. 

After hearing the complaints of multiple Sable Concierge employees, Isa decides the only solution is to offer herself for the job of Eli's PA. When she meets the guy in person, she doesn't know what to expect. She is immediately attracted to him, but is determined to keep things professional.  Eli, however, is determined to get closer to his mysterious new PA.

I would give this book 3.5 stars. I liked how Isa wouldn't take any flack from Eli. I also liked seeing Eli transform from someone so wrapped up in his own pain into his own man. I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I was wondering what to say in my review, but I finally decided to not say much. I loved the book much so much, I really don't want to take it apart and analyze the pieces. Isabella is the perfect sassy counterbalance to Eli's grumpiness. One of the best books I have read lately!

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We’re down on the last Crane Brother, Elijah Crane. He’s a former Marine who’s rough on the edges. While serving his country, an incident change his life when a grenade blasted ending up him losing his leg and lives of his fellow mates. What he’d been through was difficult, grieving for loss, suffering a mild PTSD and coping with disability. It affected him emotionally making him brooding, sad and irritable. Since he’s discharged, his brothers encouraged him to participate in their family business and they hired assistants to help him. Unfortunately, all of them drove away by his rudeness… except for one lady.

For all the well trained and efficient assistants she sent were fired, the owner of the Sable Concierge, Isabella Sawyer decided to be Elijah’s personal assistant so as not to lose her long time wealthy client. Given with her experience, she thinks she can handle the bastard billionaire. He can fire her multiple times but she’s too driven to quit easily.

When pot meets kettle, things can get more interesting. I have a soft spot for brooding heroes. They’re mysterious, flawed and closed off but they can surprise you with their true persona. Elijah is a sweet, edgy and romantic man. Despite of his flaws and vulnerability, he truthfully expressed his feelings. I love his character growth throughout this book as he dealt with his personal issues. Among the female protagonists in this series, Isabella Sawyer is my favorite. She’s fierce, independent, passionate and enthusiastic. I love she exhibits patience and understanding towards Eli. They may have arguments every now and then but it’s amusing to see Eli met his match. The chemistry between them develops with intensity and their intimate moments blazed with hotness.

This book is wonderfully written, emotionally stirring and worth devouring. I enjoyed Elijah and Isabella’s story very much.

This is the third book in the Billionaire Bad Boy series and each book is a stand-alone.  It is the first book I have read by Jessica Lemmon and I enjoyed it so much I now want to read the first two books in the series.  

This story is about Elijah Crane, a man devastated by war and trying to come to terms with his new life after being in the military. Now that he is no longer in the Marines, Elijah’s family insists he work for Crane hotels, the family business.  Elijah grudgingly takes the job and vents his frustrations on his personal assistants.

Isabella is trying to establish her personal assistant company, Sable Concierge, but Elijah keeps scaring off everyone she sends to work for him.  Isabella can't fail and lose the Crane account, so she decides to become Elijah’s personal assistant. Elijah tries to run Isabella off but his surly attitude doesn't bother her.  Isabella is gutsy and self assured and even though Elijah continually tries to fire her, she does not let him intimidate her.  Elijah has met his match when he meets Isabella. 

Underneath all Elijah’s gruffness, there is a sensitive and likable guy.  All he wants is to be left alone but his meddling family is constantly interfering and bothering him.  Elijah is attracted to Isabella but he is dealing with so many issues, he is afraid to take a chance with her.   He is no longer the self assured playboy he was before he fought in the Middle East.  I liked Elijah once I got to know him. He has a bad attitude but it is easy to feel sorry for him and understand his feelings.  Elijah has a closed heart and it isn't easy for him to open up and let isabella in.  He is afraid of commitment and uncommunicative and Isabella has to decide if she is willing to wait around for him to decide what he wants.  Elijah and Isabella have a lot of chemistry and are good for each other and I was rooting for them to work things out.

Not only did I enjoy the two main characters, this story also has some entertaining secondary characters.  The Cranes have a good time together and there is a lot of good natured bantering between them. They are funny and love to give Elijah a hard time but they are also there when he needs them.  THE BASTARD BILLIONAIRE is smoothly written with funny lines and interesting characters.

Wow, so this one was a doozy. I read and absolutely LOVED the first book in this series, and was naturally curious about Eli the brother serving overseas. I always knew it was coming, since this trilogy features the Crane brothers, so when this one showed up in my mailbox, I had to read it.

Eli is back home from the war after going through a horrific experience. When his two friends die trying to save him from an explosion, Eli not only loses his leg in the incident but himself as well. Now he is back home and Reese, his older brother wants Eli to take over as the COO of Crane hotels – which Eli has no interest in doing.

So Reese hires a company to provide assistants to Eli in hopes of forcing him to do the work, but all the women that show up at his door, go running in terror from the big bad monster holed up in his cave, until of course the owner of the company makes the appearance herself.

Isa doesn’t like that every assistant that she sent over to Eli Crane doesn’t make it past a day or so. Since she has a reputation to uphold the owner decides to do the job herself, if only for a couple of days.

Sparks fly, tempers flare, the two butt heads. Eli has finally met his match.

Guys, let me tell you. I absolutely LOVED the way this book started. I loved Eli and his grumpy bear persona and I loved Isa and her not taking crap attitude. There was a push and pull between them that was so entertaining. I found the entire thing ironic since Isa walked away from her family business and was trying to basically force Eli into his family business. The tension was great and then after they got together everything fell apart for me.

It ended falling flat, a bit boring and overall repetitive. I was expecting more and the way the book started, I thought there would be more. This book had SO much potential, but it almost felt like the author switched gears midway and went back to the comfort of her formula by the end of the book.

There was a plotline in the beginning of the book that was kind of left unexplored. There is a rocky relationship between Isa and her parents, and her parents don’t like the Cranes and how they built their money. Isa’s parents always wanted her to take over the business, but when she didn’t, they gave it to her ex-boyfriend. Well, at the celebration dinner for him, her mother wanted to force the two together, but Isa shows up with Eli to stick it to her parents. I felt like more could have been done here, but there was no more mention of her parents how disgruntled they are.

I was also surprised where the author decided to take Eli’s future. Eli joined the military and never really had an interest in Crane Hotels, so I didn’t understand nor liked the ending. Eli started his own thing called Refurb and it was a charity for veterans that need help getting around the house. I LOVED that, I was really hoping his future was more focused on that.

And of course, this is where the formula kicked in. Eli doesn’t know what he wants for his future, even though EVERYTHING is going great between him and Isa and like the other book – he ends up hurting her. Big surprise there, I swear I rolled my eyes at that.

I wanted to love this more. The big and I started off on a great note, but then it got boring, I started skimming, and some things that actually had potential were left on the sideline and the author went to her safety zone.

Overall, good… Nothing amazing, did not find this mind blowing, but I enjoyed the writing, and the characters and it was a pleasant read for the most part. I enjoyed it well enough to give it 3 stars.

I'll be the first one to tell you that I can never say no to the billionaire trope. And I'm not even sorry. I've seen this series around but I never paid much attention to it until I heard it call my name when I was browsing on NG a couple of weeks ago.

So glad I requested it.

The Bastard Billionaire is book 3 of Jessica Lemmon's Billionaire Bad Boys series. I haven't read the first two but rest assured it's on my agenda this month.

In this book, we'll meet Eli Crane, a former Marine who retired from service after losing a leg from an assignment that also took the lives of a couple of his close friends. The loss of his appendage and the grief of losing his friends lent to the closed-off, surly, and lonely disposition this bad boy presents to his family and to the world in general. He refuses any help from anyone let alone from a personal assistant. That's why he goes through them like he goes through his underwear. Well, Isabella Sawyer has had enough. She's run out of PAs to send. Come hell or high water, she'll make him accept his responsibilities in the family business. And she won't be discouraged no matter how badly he treats her. It looks like Eli Crane finally meets his match!

 Easy-peasy read and exactly how I enjoy my romance. Little to zero drama but heady with humor, of camaraderie, and a meddling family. You have a stubborn heroine and an equally stubborn hero that butt-heads every chance they get. A chemistry that's off the charts and a banter oozing with sexual tension - the perfect recipe, if I may so myself.

Eli can be cantankerous but he's never mean (which I like). I enjoyed seeing Isabella forcing him out of his gloomy shell of guilt. He carries a couple of them since he blames himself for the death of his friends. He's also very resistant to the idea of accepting his position in the family business so Isabella had her work cut out for her. Good thing she's the perfect person for the job.

Eli Crane needed someone like Isabella: beautiful, smart, stubborn, and ambitious. She didn't coddle him outside of her responsibilities as a PA. She's had enough of men trying to run her life so she knew how to handle someone like Crane. She's a force of nature who didn't wilt under pressure. They're a match made in heaven. Overall, I can't wait to read the rest of the books in this series. And I'm so thankful to have been introduced to Jessica Lemmon's books.

received in exchange for a honest review

Eli is complicated. Delicious but complicated. You get ripples of who he is throughout so its like you jump on those snippets like a dog with a bone. He is kind and thoughtful but also broody and surly. He is dealing with so much and trying to navigate his way back from where he was. From the violence he was mired in by being a marine and its hard to come back into a world where you live and others you considered brothers aren’t. He harbors guilt over what happened to fellow brothers in arms and it eats away at him. So much so that he does halt his life it seems. He doesn’t want to move on. He is though through the charity he is setting up to help others like him and through Isabella.

I had so much fun reading the banter between Isabella and Eli. I loved seeing him in his quest to get rid of PA’s. That was a hoot. This burly man truly wanting to be alone but not. He felt guilt over his family hovering over him actually more like he loves them but needs space. He needs time to breathe and find his way.

Isabella is smart, fun, stubborn and just what Eli needs. She stands up to him and doesn’t back down. The attraction between them wow just wow. These two burn holes in the kindle with their tension and heat. what I love the most is she sees Eli the man and not the injured hurting vet. She sees him and treats him like she would anyone else that was acting like he was.

Watching these two is hot and entertaining. Seeing Eli’s interactions with is family is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Heartbreaking because of the loneliness and pain he feels and heartwarming because of the love and protectiveness there. Each character has a distinct personality that when together they give endearing and fun moments. Isabella and Eli fit together perfectly. He shows her love, respect and equality. She shows him it is okay to move on and be who you are. She shows him love and doesn’t see him as anything but Eli not injured Eli just Eli and that warms the heart.

A fun wildy sexy and entertaining book about a man in pain and lashing out at others over guilt that shouldn’t be and a woman who tames the man while falling in love. We also get a glimpse on how the man deals with survivors guilt but also gets the courage to face his fears and past so he can move on and forgive himself but also let the love of a woman in. This is the story of Eli and Isabella and how they discover themselves and fall in love. we get some heated moments and fun times. Great banter and love is felt throughout the book.

Jessica Lemmon wraps up and concludes the The Billionaire Bad Boy Series with Elijah Crane’s story in The Bastard Billionaire. Eli is a former Marine who has been honorably discharged after an accident that left him with a missing limb. As a civilian, Eli’s family wants him to take an active part in the family business and so his family assigns him a personal assistant to help out. But Eli is a mean stubborn beast who easily scared off all his personal assistant well except Isabella Sawyer.

Isabella sees through Eli’s rough cranky personality. She constantly challenges Eli and puts him in his place. She is one personal assistant that Eli can’t seem to get rid of. Good thing too because Eli finds her attractive. There is something about Isabella that challenges him and he enjoys the fact that she can stand up to him. So what happens when Eli and Isabella finds themselves crossing the lines of business and pleasure? Will Eli be able to let Isabella in? And will Isabella show Eli that he is not broken?

The Bastard Billionaire is a sexy, emotional and heart-filled romance that was beautifully well written and executed. Jessica Lemmon brought forth two strong independent characters who are wildly attracted to one another and who were able to break down each other’s exterior walls. The beast definitely found his beauty in Isabella. So if you are looking for a story that was thoughtful and had lots of interwoven themes of family, love, and new beginnings then this book is definitely for you.

Let me start by saying that I'm a sucker for a wounded hero so when I picked up The Bastard Billionaire, I knew that I was in for one long night because I wouldn't be able to put it down!  I yelled, cried, laughed and sighed throughout the entire book and loved every minute of it.

Eli Crane is mentioned in the other two books and gets his big reveal at the end of The Billionaire Next Door.  I knew that I would love his story but I had no idea that his character would have so many layers.  He's a brother, a solider, a friend, an entrepreneur but most of all he's a man with a broken heart looking for a way to mend it.  Like all of the Crane brothers, Eli has yet to fully reconcile with the loss of his mother.  To cope, he alienates himself from his family and builds walls around himself to keep anyone from really getting close to him.  You see, he has learned that closeness equals loss.  He's happy just living his life in solitude, firing every darn assistant his brother sends along to assist him with his Crane Industries duties....until Isabella Sawyer walks into his world.


Isabella was everything that I love in a heroine.  She walked in and let Eli know that she was not afraid of him and thus he would be unable to push her away.  With each day, she breaks a little more of his resolve to live in solitude.  She gets Eli to open up and to reengage in life.  I love that she was patient but firm and that she had the ability to see past his anger to the heart of a man suffering from depression and loss.

The Bastard Billionaire was a heartwarming story of finding true love and learning to move past grief and pain.  Jessica Lemmon weaved her magic with this one and allowed the romance to build slowly.  The characters had an instant attraction but neither acted on it instantly.  Instead they had a slow build which added so much more to the overall story line.

I loved this lively romantic comedy! Jessica Lemmon has a knack for creating vibrant characters and sucking the reader in her story, with her punchy dialogues and effortless storytelling.  With this book, the third one in her Billionaire Bad Boys series, she has once again delivered a delightful story with a perfect balance between humor, emotions and chemistry. This romance between a grumpy billionaire and a sassy businesswoman, definitely hits all the right notes! And I can’t resist a book inspired by Beauty and the Beast!

Since retiring from the Marines, Eli Crane’s main occupation has become running off the personal assistants his older brother Reese sends to help him. His efforts have been crowned with success, since Eli makes a good show of being a total jerk. That is, until Isa Sawyer accepts to step in. Isa manages a concierge service company, and she can’t disappoint Reese Crane. She is tenacious and a perfect match for Eli’s bossiness and determination.  I enjoyed Eli and Isa’s interactions, their witty banter, the dynamics between them was so much fun! She enjoys teasing him. He enjoys challenging her. Their battle of wits was laugh-out-loud funny!

A typical Jessica Lemmon's heroine, Isa is confident, driven, sassy and not at all intimidated by Eli’s surly manners. He likes others to believe he is a grouchy jackass but she sees through his show. Eli’s life has been turned upside down since he lost his friends and his leg in Afghanistan and he needs time to deal with his feelings and emotions. Their relationship is complicated, but they have a natural connection that can’t be denied. I loved the realistic way their relationship progressed from cautious friendship to much deeper feelings.

I really enjoyed this story of homecoming and new beginnings. Jessica Lemmon’s characters are strong, with a hint of softness that I adore. I loved the great cast of supporting characters, Reese and Merina from “The Billionaire Bachelor” and Tag and Rachel from “The Billionaire Next Door. I’m sad this series is finished but I can’t wait to see what Jessica Lemmon has in store for her readers. This book can be read as a standalone, but I definitely recommend reading the whole series, you won't regret it!

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.

Jessica Lemmon is growing on me as her book three of her Billionaire Bad Boys Series, pits retired marine Eli Crane against the stubborn and beautiful Isabella Sawyer, as they work day in day out to test the sparks of attraction that seems to between them. 

Loosing a part of him in the war, leaves Eli damaged mentally and physically. Having his brothers convince him to run the Crane Hotels is not up his alley yet, as he tries to find himself in setting up a foundation for injured vets. Insurmountable task, yet he can’t seem to give control to his assistants as they leave him high and dry, monster that he is!

Isabella has to make sure she keeps the Crane business to expand her contacts and get recommendations, Leaving a family and money that suffocates her, she opens her own employment agency and is a kick ass at it. And she sets herself as Eli’s assistant, a stubborn, tenacious and hard working lady against the damaged, stubborn monster of the Crane clan.

The Bastard Billionaire is actually my favorite of the three so far. Isabella is one tough cookie and they make a perfect partnership as they go through fears and insecurities, relationships and family dynamics. 

Received an ARC from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley for an honest review.

The Bastard Billionaire 
Billionaire Bad Boys series book #3
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Review copy provided by the publisher 

Sigh...I absolutely adore this series! The Billionaire trope is a favourite of mine! Maybe it's the fantasy of being whisked off on a private jet to exotic locations. Maybe it's the jaded Billionaire himself that intrigues me. Whatever the reason, I can't get enough of it! 

Eli Crane is jerk. He's surly and stubborn as a mule. But there's something about him that called to me. Under all those less than pleasant attributes, there was a man who was going through some tough times. He has more money than he could ever possibly spend, but he's lost something of himself...in more ways than one.

I have been waiting for Eli to have his "come to Jesus" moment. I knew it would take a special heroine to drag him out of his misery and loneliness. Isabella is all too willing to go toe to toe with the grumpy Billionaire. The reputation of her business is at stake. 

Eli had some moments where I didn't really like him. He was, at times, dismissive and rude to Isabella. I was a wee bit put off by his unwillingness to call her by her name. He gave her a made up name that he felt better suited her. Gah! I was like...you're a douche! But isn't that a great sign of fantastic writing? The fact that I had such strong reactions to Eli means that, Ms. Lemmon did her job. I quickly got over my irritation, because I was already in love with the Eli. I knew his growly attitude was a front. It was a shield he was using to keep people away. Good thing Isabella stomped those shields to smithereens pretty damn quick!

Watching Eli learn to trust Isabella, trust when she says that being an amputee doesn't make him less of a man, was beautiful. One of my favourite scenes is when she touches the stump that was once his leg. She was tender and reassuring, but she didn't pity Eli. I appreciated that she didn't coddle him. He didn't want that. 

There are so many wonderful elements to this book. Eli needed a heroine who wasn't afraid to put him in his place, and wasn't afraid to love him even when he was pushing her away. Isabella was all of that. They quite simply complimented each other. Eli and Isabella were on separate journeys. She was building a business away from her wealthy family and ex boyfriend. And he was figuring out who he was as a man after the traumas of war. All of this brought them full circle to each other. 

Jessica Lemmon writes brilliant "black moments". You know, those moments where you think the hero and heroine couldn't possibly come back from? You're all like...she can't make this work! There's too much damage. Too many hurtful words exchanged! And then...BAM! She brings them full circle. How the hell does she do it?! I feel like I've been on a roller coaster. My emotions are all over the place, and I need a damn hug afterwards. Man, I love it!! I often have to sit with my thoughts after finishing one of Ms. Lemmon's books before I write the review. My mind is wrung out...in a good way!


To get the best enjoyment out this book, you should start with book #1, The Billionaire Bachelor. Plus, you absolutely do not want to miss Reese and Tag's books! So, to sum it all up...buy the book! Buy the series, and get swept away with the Crane brothers, and the women who love them!

Ahhhh Eli. Broody and distant, he didn't feel that he was worthy...of the faith his family had in him, or the love of Isa. Isa challenged him to be better and more open and in true Crane fashion, he screwed it up lol Thankfully his dad gave him some words of wisdom and I sobbed like a baby :)

As always, Jessica Lemmon wrote a fantastic story that touched my heart. I'll be sad to not get anymore from the Crane family, but I can't wait to see what she gives her readers next.

We are back with book 3 of Jessica Lemmon's Billionaire Bad Boy series, and I think this one is my favorite of all! As it reminds me of a Beauty and the Beast fairytale, but with a twist!

Eli Crane is different from his brothers, Eli never wanted to follow in the family footsteps, and rather than take his seat at the families hotel chains, Eli went into the marines, to serve his country and to have a sense of fulfilment. But after an attack that caused him injury, but took the lives of two of his friends, Eli is honorably discharged because of injury; But Eli is struggling to return to civilian life, and has been taking it out on the personal assistants, his brother has been sending to him, even after he has been scaring them off, that is until Isabella Sawyer storms into his life.

When Isa walks through Eli's door, he never expects to have such a reaction to one of the assistant's that his brother keeps sending to  him. But that doesn't stop them from entering into a no strings affair…that is until their feeling get in the way! But is Eli to scared to act on what his heart is feeling?

I loved many aspects of this book! From the characters feistiness, to the amazing story line and writing. The author manages to weave the web of deliciousness and pain around you, that you truly end up feel at one with the book! I honestly could go on forever about while this book is so good, but it basically comes down to the authors storytelling abilities is simply amazing and you are left desperate for more!

I give The Bastard Billionaire 5 stars!

A love these brothers! This storyline was wonderful. The characters are very well developed and very engaging. Isabella has a great personality with a lot of sass. Eli is still learning to deal with his circumstances. He can be an arrogant ass at times but meets his match in Isabella. These two have great chemistry and the relationship they develop is truly beautiful. This was the best story I could have hoped for for Eli.

Review by Erin

Eli is most definitely surly, trying to chase everyone away so he can be alone. He never counted on Isabella coming in and turning his world upside down. She is the perfect match for him, always pushing and challenging him, and not taking his crap. The chemistry is off the charts as soon as they meet, and even though they give in to the attraction, Eli cannot or will not offer Isabella more than a physical relationship. Unfortunately, Isabella wants more than Eli can offer, and after previously being in a loveless relationship, she knows she deserves it. I loved the slight Beauty and the Beast theme going on and that they both grew and changed throughout the book. If you love broody heroes, then Eli is perfect for you! I've really liked this series and was especially looking forward to Eli's book - I was not disappointed!
4.5 stars

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.

The third novel in the Billionaire Bad Boys series focuses on the middle son, Eli who's determined to do things his way. For those who read Tag Crane's story, you'll have already met his grumpy older brother.

Eli Coolidge Crane wishes his family would leave him alone. When older brother Reece arranges for a personal assistant to ease him into the unwanted role of COO for Crane Hotels, he manages to intimidate and scare off ten within a short period. Only the subsequent assistant makes it her business to let him know she won't be following her predecessors anytime soon. Something, he surprisingly respects and realises he doesn't want either.

With the reputation of her employment agency at stake, Isabelle Sawyer takes matters into her own hands when she takes over the contract with Crane Hotels and becomes Eli Crane's temporary personal assistant. With a positive attitude and determination, she relishes the challenge to smooth out the rough start to their working relationship. In doing so, she uncovers the reason for Eli's reluctance to commit to the role within his family's business and understands his need to prioritise issues from his past before he can move forward with his life.

When I first began reading Eli's story, I thought I understood his issue with Crane Hotels. Hell, I'd be irked if pressured into accepting a position I didn't want. With constant nagging, I'd put up barriers too. However, situations are not always black and white as we begin to understand what motivates the middle Crane son. When his tough protective shell chips away he reveals a secret and a desire, the latter an unexpected bonus caused by his new assistant. Eli didn't stand a chance when Isabelle catapulted herself into his life; A woman on a mission to preserve the reputation of her business with a clear view that an anti-social, rude client won't destroy what she's worked so hard to achieve. Where her predecessors had failed, Isabelle earned a respect from her new client who appreciated her forthright attitude and her ability to call him out on his appalling behaviour.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading all the Billionaire Bad Boys novels. Each brother is distinct but all are inflicted with the same problem...a broken heart caused by grief. Each shutting off their emotions to prevent their fragile hearts breaking again. Each had their own coping mechanism and becoming a Marine was Eli's escape. Only now back home, he's more broken; not only emotionally but physically too. I love the dynamics of Eli and Isabelle's relationship. She gives him space to breathe and doesn't pity him. She's a strong, ambitious and independent woman creating a life for herself against the wishes of her parents. He's loyal and compassionate with a heart of gold.

Overall another fabulous novel by Jessica Lemmon; devoured and enjoyed. The hero and heroine are adorable. There's humour, sadness, heart-warming positivity and button popping sexiness!! What's not to like?

5 stars

***arc received courtesy of the publisher Forever Romance***

3.5 stars
This was a nice enjoyable read. Though I didn’t read the first two books in the series, I was still able to follow along without a problem. Eli is the middle brother who has just been honorably discharged from the Marines. He is back home and his family is pressuring him to join the family business. But Eli wants to do his own thing. Isabella’s company is hired by the Cranes to send PAs (personal assistant) to Eli to keep him somewhat in the business. When one PA after another leaves Eli, the owner Isabella takes it upon herself to work for him and do what his family would like. What will happen when these two strong-willed people meet and interact? Eli and Isabella’s interactions were fun to read. Though they could be cringeworthy at times, I did enjoy the back and forth between the two. There was so much more lingering beneath the surface and I couldn’t wait for it to explode to the forefront. Eli and Isabella were a great match and I was really into the progression of their relationship from beginning to end. I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out. Eli pretty much keeps to himself a lot and is very mysterious. But as the story goes on we found out more things about him. Isabella was a good heroine and I liked how she knew what she wanted and was very strong and independent. I also liked how both main characters bring out so much more from the other. I enjoyed seeing the family dynamic with the Cranes-it was nice to read. The writing, the storyline, and the characters were pleasant and great. Overall, I really liked this story and now I will go back and read the other two brothers’ books.