Eli Crane is the last brother in the Billionaire Bad Boys series to find love and for him, he is having a hard time dealing with that. Back home from war, he suffers from the effects of that and he doesn’t want to be around a lot of people and he is suffering from the lost of a friend that he lost before coming home. That makes him so very cranky and unwelcoming.
Isabella comes into his life as his assistant , Eli isn’t welcoming or happy to see her. In fact, he does to her what he does to everyone else—he tries to push her away but he wasn’t expecting Miss Isabella. She is not one to let a man push her around at all. Isabella needs this job so she pushes thru and deals with Eli and does what she needs to do in order to be his assistant in order for her business to succeed! But the more time she spends with Eli, the more she sees thru his outer shell and sees the sensitive man and she starts to fall for him.
I loved Isabella because she stood her ground and didn’t let Eli push her around. She also looked thru his gruff behavior and saw the goodness about him. When he acted like a jerk, Isabella pushed right back and didn’t take any flack from him. I loved that about her. She was a smart and sassy heroine. Eli was wounded hero and he felt he didn’t deserve love so he pushes people away with his behavior. The battles that would happen between Isabella and Eli were intense yet there was this heat , this chemistry between them. A lot goes on and there were the twists and turns that take place. Do they end up together or does Eli push Isabella away for good? All I can tell you it is worth it to read this awesome story!

My rating: 4.5 stars ****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

It might sound silly, but I wanted to read The Bastard Billionaire from the moment I read the title and you might ask why I said that was silly and it's because of the answer I'm going to give you. I wanted to read it as soon as I saw the word, Bastard. It is probably bad, but that's just my favorite curse word and once I saw it, I had to have it! And when I read the synopsis, it only made me want it even more. The Bastard Billionaire was even better than I was expecting and I absolutely loved it! 

Isa is a complete and total bada*s. She's strong and fierce, independent and brave. Isa doesn't take any crap from Eli, she's always pushing him, challenging him, and standing up to him. She's quite a force to be reckoned with and when her best friend, Chloe told her that she wants to be Isa when she grows up, I have to wholeheartedly concur because I want to be her when I grow up too. Isa is beyond amazing and I just loved her! 

I couldn't wait to meet Eli! I adore my funny, playful heroes, but I also love my broody, grouchy ones too. There's something so fun about watching them get all growly and gruff sometimes and it was no different with Eli. It's true that the man did make me want to shake him every now and then, but that didn't change the way I felt about him. I loved his surly side, his vulnerable side, and his sweet, loving side most of all. Eli stole my heart, he's so wonderful and I utterly loved him! 

The Bastard Billionaire is heartbreaking and cry-worthy, it's sexy and entertaining, and its heartwarming and sweet. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed reading it or how often it made me feel giddy or put a smile on face. It was an incredibly fantastic book and I can't wait to read more from Ms. Lemmon! 

The Bastard Billionaire is the third book in the Billionaire Bad Boys series, but it can be read as a standalone, it's told from Eli and Isa's POV, and they do get their happy ending. 

~ A Hopeless Romantic's Booklandia, 5 Stars

The Bastard Billionaire, the third novel in Jessica Lemmon's Billionaire Bad Boy series features a grumpy hero (my catnip!) and a feisty heroine in a thoroughly entertaining and sexy romance. Eli Crane came back from a military deployment with a missing limb, two dead friends and a survivor guilt complex that has him struggling to adapt to life back at home. His father Alex, and two brothers Reese and Tag are waiting for him to take his place as COO of Crane Hotels. But Eli isn't ready for that role yet, and continues to push back as Reese sends him one personal assistant after another, women that Eli's bad temper and deliberate rudeness send packing.

Isabella Sawyer, owner of Sable Concierge prides herself on sending in the right employee for the job and when they keep getting turned away by Eli Crane, she's determined to up the ante, going in herself under the guise of being one of her own employees. She's up for the challenge of showing Eli that she can give as good as she gets. But she wasn't expecting the mixture of empathy and attraction she'd have for the devastatingly handsome but obviously troubled man. The push and pull between them soon leads to a sexy affair. Eli doesn't believe he deserves the happiness he's finding in Isabella's arms, and Isabella won't settle for anything less than love. Will Eli admit his true feelings for Isabella before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this story, with its blend of sexy romance and heartwarming moments. At the start of the story Eli has some fairly predictable PTSD issues. Part of it is survivor guilt, especially because the two men who died placing themselves in harm's way to save him had partners, one of whom won't talk to him. It keeps him perpetually stuck emotionally, unable to forgive himself for their deaths even though he'd have done the same for these men if the situation was reversed. Physically he deals with the obvious difficulties of navigating with a prosthetic, making stairs a particularly daunting task. He deals with random bouts of phantom pain from his missing limb. Psychologically, these physical issues are reminders that he's not the confident, self assured man he was before, which may be the most difficult thing to accept. Always the ladies man, now he worries about how women will see him, especially since his last girlfriend broke up with him because she couldn't handle his injuries. At first he runs hot and cold with Isabella, not wanting her pity and believing her attraction won't last long because of his injury, but she soon dispels him of that notion. Still, he's wary to let himself feel anything more for her. 

I liked Isabella's character as a woman who could have fallen easily into the path her wealthy parents set out for her to work for their company (and marry a man of their choosing) but went her own way instead. She's very happy with her personal assistant company and is making a name for herself. Having the Crane family as clients will definitely help with her business. She's a good businesswoman, personable, friendly and smart.  Her last boyfriend didn't value these things but Eli makes it clear that he respects her (once he gets over his annoyance at having yet another PA thrust upon him, this one not scared off like the others). Eli and Isabella have a definite spark between them right from when they first meet and this results in several steamy scenes as their relationship goes from wary adversaries to emotionally connected lovers.

Besides the romance, the scenes with Eli and his family are a key part of the story and make for some lighthearted and comedic moments. Eli's brothers are not giving up on him being part of the family business and part of their lives and make an effort to include him in everything. I also really liked the charity that Eli is building to help make physical modifications to veterans homes to accommodate their injuries. The author has done a great job of taking the reality of the experience of an injured war veteran and making a story that is topical and relevant. With its combination of sexy romance, likable characters and an interesting plot, The Bastard Billionaire is an entertaining and enjoyable read.

This review has been featured at Straight Shootin' Book Reviews and feedback updated with the link. It has been posted at sale sites during release week, and at goodreads.

This was so much more than your typical billionaire romance.  Eli had served his country and returned home to help his brothers run the family business.  Only he didn’t want anything to do with it.  Eli was rough around the edges and determined to push everyone that cared about him away.  Isabella is the head of her personnel placement business and determined to stop Eli from firing one more assistant.  Isabella takes the position as assistant but almost immediately falls for Eli.  Well first she must look past his sour attitude to find the good inside.  This was a fun read with two characters that needed each other but were afraid to ask.  The story moved in a fast but enjoyable pace and I liked the whole family united feel it had.  This is the last book in the series and they certainly saved the best for last.

Eli Crane has become a huge problem for Isabella Sawyer. So far he has gone through 10 of her best assistants and now she is on the fence on who to send in next. There’s only one solution and that’s to forge into the battleground herself.

Eli just wants to be left alone. That’s what he’s best at now that he’s returned back home. He doesn’t want to be a part of the family business. He doesn’t deserve it. And he sure doesn’t want his brother’s sending assistant after assistant to get his ready for a position he has no mean of taking. Scaring off the assistant has become a game to him… until Isabella walked into his loft. And it seems all bets are off. He’s tried and tried to make her walk, but she strong and fierce and doesn’t put up with his attitude. She pulls no punches and gives as good as she gets. Has Eli finally met his match?

I was so excited to finally get Eli’s story! This series is everything you want in romance reads – hot alpha males, strong females who know just how to handle them with some laughter and steam thrown in. Eli’s story is no different. I loved the dynamic between Isa and Eli and how the two had so much in common. The sexual tension between these two has you fanning yourself at times and their connection is so tangible and real. Loved every minute and couldn’t put the book down. This is one of my all time favorite series and I highly recommend this book and the other two in the series. Each can be read as a standalone.

I've been waiting for Eli's book!

I've been waiting for Eli's book from the beginning of this series; I just knew I was going to love it and I wasn't wrong.  The books standalone so don't worry if you haven't read the others first.  Each of the Crane men are unique, and so are their stories, but Eli's been to war and come back a different man.

Isabella Sawyer's company, Sable Concierge, depends on references from high-profile clients.  She has been hired by Crane Hotels to provide someone to help Eli get organized and transition back into the family business and take his place as COO of Crane Hotels.  After Eli fires 10 PAs sent from her company she decides to tackle the beast head-on herself.

This story grabbed right from the beginning.  I'm a sucker for a man suffering the way that Eli is and the story is all the sweeter when that man meets his match in a strong woman like Isabella.  Jessica Lemmon's attention to detail regarding Eli's injury and the pain he feels makes this story so believable.  I know it's fiction but the story and characters seem very real to me and all of my emotions were engaged.  I wanted to hold and cuddle Eli and at the same time smack him and tell him to wake up so he doesn't lose Isabella.  The path to their HEA is not smooth or without pain for both of them but Jessica delivers as she always does.  

It was great to once again visit with the other members of the Crane family in this book.  The only thing I can think of that would make this series better is another story to catch us up with the lives of all the Cranes a year or two down the road. 

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

*****Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*****

The Bastard Billionaire is an emotionally witty romance that ends a wonderful series by Jessica Lemmon.
Eli Crane is a war hero who returns home minus a leg, minus a girlfriend and minus two best friends. Eli lost one of his legs and is beginning to adapt to life. In previous book The Billionaire Next Door We begin to see the struggles Eli endures. One thing he does not lack is an alpha attitude. He chases away all assistants Reese sends his why, so when the newest Assistant did not scare to easy Eli had to up his game.
Isabella Sawyer was being prepped to take over Sawyer industries the only problem was she did not want the position. Telling her parents that was like talking to the walking dead. Isabella set of the create her own little business jewel Sable Concierge. I enjoyed Isabella so much, her wanting to make it on her on; to prove she could.
Eli and Isabella aka Sable turn up the heat instantly with their play by play witty banter that kept their connection electrically charged. From the strong sexual undercurrents to the heart felt moments they share, from beginning to end this hero and heroine are to adorable. Supporting characters were the Crane family, Zach (Eli’s friend) & Chloe (Isa’s friend) they all gave moments of fun as well as touching moments, but the one that will stay with me is the moment between Eli and his Dad. They all loved Ms. Crane, made sure her readers knew and felt it.
Jessica Lemmon’sBillionaire Bad Boys series gives us the third and last son’s story.
All three sons are very different in so many ways, all with their own battles. The Bastard Billionaire is Eli’s story. What I enjoy about how Ms. Lemmon put this series together is even though each book is a standalone read, I could not help but want the other brother’s stories. There is a question I have for Ms. Lemmon will there be a spin off from the Billionaire Bad Boys series? I would love to see a story with Zach & Chloe. Jessica Lemmon has done it again. The Bastard Billionaire has so many different levels I connected on. I never felt left out, not one single minute.
Rated 5 Stilettos by Deb!

Marine, Eli Crane loses his leg and his life's purpose when he is honorably discharged from the military. When his brothers insist Eli take his place in the family business he proceeds to run off the assistants they hire to help him acclimate at a record pace. Isabella Sawyer has no choice but to step in when Eli Crane has literally terrorized the entire staff of her employment agency. Now the tables have turned and Eli has met his match with the determined smart and sexy assistant who refuses to put up with his bad boy antics, setting his head spinning and his heart pounding.

The Crane brothers are back and this time readers watch the enigmatic and cantankerous Eli get toppled by love in The Bastard Billionaire.  Jessica Lemmon cultivated passion and humor eloquently in a scenario where finding both was a stretch as emotions like doubt, anger and guilt vied for top billing.  Eli was not an easy character to embrace but once you got past his gruff exterior he was worth it and exuded worthy hero with every word that came out of his contrary, belligerent mouth. Isabella was the perfect foil to Eli's isolating himself and their head-butting was truly magnificent to watch play out as they worked through a multitude of issues that were preventing them from committing to each other.  Their attraction sustained by a steady infusion of stubbornness and sexual frustration worked well in driving their relationship and forcing both of them to treat their wounds both internally and externally.  Jessica Lemmon brings full circle in book three of the Billionaire Bad Boys series the power of love in all of its guises.

This is the third novel in a series about the wealthy Crane brothers, owners, along with their father, of the successful Crane Hotels chain based in Chicago. Elijah (Eli) Crane is the only one not working for the family business. His military career cut short after losing a leg, along with two of his best friends in Afghanistan. He has spent a year of rehab, soul searching and survivors guilt, he is slowly returning to his life, but not interested in Crane Hotels. He is working on a secret project that has his heart. 

Eli has had a series of PA's, hired by his brothers to ease him into the work they feel he is destined for. The eleventh ran from his office crying, calling him a monster.  Isabella (Isa) Sawyer is the owner of Sable Concierge, and values the Crane Hotel's contract with her. As a last chance effort she is putting herself in the firing line and determined to not let Eli run her off. Within the first several minutes of introducing herself, he does his best to bark at her and get her to leave.....he has met his match. 
"Standing in Eli's hallway was like hovering at the mouth of a cave where a hibernating grizzly bear hid." Eli is frustrated by this maddening woman, but can't seem to ignore his unwelcome attraction to her. 

Isa left her families wealth and pressure behind when she opened her own business. 
She loves her work, and is not going to let Eli undermine her success. But the more she gets to know him, she realizes his bluster is just a facade, and she's falling for the wounded warrior underneath. They both have been damaged by previous relationships, but Isa is ready to try again, Eli needs time. But, Isa is running out of patience. 

This novel can be read as a stand alone, but the first two books in the series really set this story up, and are a great read. I'll be honest, I'm not a great fan of "Billionaire" stories, but this series made me eat my words. 

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review.
Pat Fordyce

Eli Crane is acting, in the most polite terminology, like a jerk with illusions of moving on up to complete ass… and he’s getting there with lightening speed. He’s rude, arrogant, dismissive and cruel. He doesn’t want the position in the family business that his brothers have pushed him into and he’s making no bones about that fact. His plan, get rid of every single personal assistant they toss his way and sooner or later everyone will get the memo and leave him the hell alone. It’s worked so far – but Eli is about to meet his match.

Isabella has worked long hard hours to build her young business up from the ground. She may come from a business family, but she’s on her own now and that’s exactly how she wants it. However, one Eli Crane is systematically tearing down her personal assistant providing firm one PA at a time – and it’s going to stop right now. She’s not about to lose everything she’s worked for on the whim of an arrogant, entitled ass. She has one secret weapon left – herself. And she’s about to unleash that on Eli and let the winner take all.

I don’t think that anyone who has not served on active duty or in war can truly understand what our returning men and women veterans have faced and survived. We can have empathy, we can imagine but to truly understand the mental, emotional, spiritual, physical effects of serving our country in war, you have to have been there. Eli is going through changes. As the youngest brother he never really wanted into the family business so the military was where he felt he was serving a purpose. When he was injured, lost his leg, saw his friends die, and is now dealing with survivor’s guilt – it changed the man he once was into the man who has survived. His family may think that pushing him to deal with business and life now is the right move, and it may be. But all Eli wants is to work on his nonprofit, and be left alone to deal in his own way. He may think he has the perfect solution by firing or causing every PA in sight to leave the position – but he’s about to meet his match.

Isabella and Eli worked. Both strong and stubborn. Both felt they were in the right. And the sexy chemistry between them was off the charts. I enjoyed seeing previous couples wander through this story, it’s always good to see the overall picture of a group of people who connect through the story line. In all, I enjoyed The Bastard Billionaire very much. It is a story that will touch you, maybe enlighten you and definitely get you believing in the chemistry of love. These two make an awesome couple, and I can only imagine what their life together would be like. Hot, that’s for certain.

Love Romance? Then The Bastard Billionaire and the Billionaire Bad Boys series should be on your reading list. Good solid stories, interesting characters and an underlying story that will draw you in and not let go.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

"The Bastard Billionaire" is my first book by Jessica Lemmon, and I have to admit that I totally selected this book based on the cover. Love the combination of the tattoos and the suit! I really expected this to be about a true bastard, not just a guy who acts like a bastard/jerk. But, even though it wasn't entirely what I expected, I was not disappointed.

The Story-

Eli was in the military and had a traumatic experience where he lost a leg and two friends.  His wealthy family is desperate for him to take his place in the family business, but he wants to wallow alone in his depression/guilt. So, he acts like an absolute asshole to every assistant that is sent his way. Apparently his "meanness" has sent many an assistant away, crying. (Who are these weak women than can't handle a bit of a jerk?) Isabella happens to own the agency sending the assistants, and now she is planning on going in herself, pretending to be an assistant, in order to keep their business and smooth relations until she can replace herself with a viable option. Eli acts like a jerk; she takes none of his crap. (Surprise, surprise!) 

My Thoughts-

The main reason I actually enjoyed this book despite the predictable plot and jerk hero is the heroine, Isabella.  She is smart, self-assured, beautiful, and never whiny. Isabella is confident, and gives us someone to root for. Parts of this book dragged for me; it felt like a similar conflict kept arising between the two, only to be resolved, then to come back later.  There are some excellent moments, though, that make this book thoroughly enjoyable.  The "hot" scenes are both realistic and completely steamy at the same time: button snipping, I am thinking of you... And, our hero redeems himself fully in several critical scenes involving Isabella's past and insecurities. 

The Bottom Line-

The billionaire aspect of this book is practically non-existent, which is a good thing to me. Eli doesn't act like a jerk because he's a billionaire; that actually barely registers in his life. He has some real issues to work through. Isabella is an excellent character: the perfect balance of soft and confident that many women aspire to. I recommend this book for fans of contemporary with strong female characters and damaged men. 4 stars

3.5 “Billionaire Beauty & the Beast” Stars

ARC via NetGalley

Thank you, Forever!

This is the third book in the Billionaire Bad Boys series, and after reading all of them, I can honestly say Jessica Lemmon can’t disappoint when writing sexy billionaires and strong heroines.

As we get to the story of Eli Crane, the third brother, we’re introduced to yet again to another independent woman who’ll win the readers heart. Like Merina from book 1 and Rachel from book 2, Isabella Sawyer came into the Crane’s life to make an impression.

She’s a strong woman who gave up a privileged position running her family’s company to pursue her own dream. She wanted to start her own personal assistant company and she went for it, even if it meant going against everything her parents wanted for her. This journey made me like Isabella from the start, because it showed me she was a woman willing to work hard to make her dream come true instead of conforming to what other people thought her life should be like.

She’d need that strength in order to keep one specific client happy: Reese Crane, the main character in the first book and the brother of Eli Crane, a man her employees referred to as a monster, among other things.

Eli Crane is an ex-Marine discharged after an explosion left him injured and killed two of his friends. He lost one of his legs and is learning how to adapt to his new life now. For those who read book #2 in the series, Eli’s struggle and attitude won’t come as a surprise. He’s having a hard time adapting to his new reality, so he ends up taking it out on the wrong people. His family won’t leave him alone, and I love them for it, and to try to help (a.k.a. force) him back to the company, they hire Isabella’s firm to assist him.

The problem is Isabella has already sent every employee she could to help Eli, and they all come back crying. So the only solution she can come up with is to do the job herself. For a woman as strong as Isabella, Eli might be a challenge, but one she’s confident she’ll overcome.

The thing I always love about Beauty & the Beast-inspired tales is when they manage to portray the girl/woman as a strong character, because that’s the only one to make the chemistry with the Beast work.  Isabella is just like that—she doesn’t let Eli scare her, and that catches his attention.

The chemistry between them is instant and they’re hot together. The obstacles to their romance are also well-portrayed, and I enjoyed how once again Jessica Lemmon managed to make their inner battles bigger and more powerful than any outside obstacle. This way, we get to see these characters grow and learn how to deal with their feelings.

This is actually the main theme for Eli: dealing with feelings. He’s a character filled with guilt, so he has to work on that before he can move on and give Isabella the love she deserves. His journey is well-developed and makes sense given everything he went through.

Writing the Beast-like character isn’t easy, either. He can easily move into dangerous territory if the author isn’t careful to make him likable and relatable. I didn’t have this problem with Eli, because I understood where his fears were rooted. Besides, having him develop a charity and work on a project that would impact so many lives also helped. I also thought Jessica Lemmon was respectable on her approach to Eli's disabilty, which is always nice to see.

I also enjoyed seeing Merina and Reese and Tag and Rachel, the couples from the previous books. Merina, Rachel and Isabella’s interactions were priceless, and the three brothers together were swoon-worthy. I loved seeing them all happy and united.

After reading the three books, I still think The Billionaire Next Door (book #2) was the best of them, but The Bastard Billionaire felt like the perfect conclusion to this series.

My  Review:
Yay...I've been looking forward to Eli's book and it did not disappoint. I loved him as a character, but my favorite aspect of the story was the whole setup of how Isa ended up working for Eli. 

Reese (Eli's older brother) has hired personal assistants to help ease Eli into the job of becoming the COO of Crane Hotels...something he doesn't want, so he drives each of them off, one by one. All those personal assistants are employed by Isa and she's out of employees to throw at Eli. BUT she's not willing to give up on him, so she goes in herself to do the job and she's not going to let him run her off. I loved that about her. Isa is confident and stubborn and amazingly good at her job. Slowly, she gets Eli to agree that he needs her and then things become more. 

Eli is learning who he is again after being injured as a soldier. Two men...his friends...died. He lost half his leg. That all changed him. He isn't the same man he was before, but he doesn't know who he is now. He went to war, came back a different man, and home to changed circumstances. He's still reeling. It's only through the love of his family that he hasn't become a completely reclusive hermit. That's what he wanted to do, but they wouldn't let him. 

Isa is perfect for him. He's stubborn, but so is she...even more so. It helps that he really does want better. He just doesn't know it yet. I liked that as he's finding himself, she's also helping him rediscover his sexuality. That's something that was lost with the loss of his leg. He's never been brave enough to go there again. There are some seriously sexy scenes where Isa won't let him hide from her. I love that she made him face up to showing her his injury. That's where that stubbornness works so well for both of them.

In the background is the business of Isa's pa company, as well as the Crane Hotels and Eli's new charity work. I loved all that. It provided a great backdrop. And we can't talk backdrop without at least mentioning Eli's warehouse home. OMG...want...so much. I loved the visuals from there.

I definitely recommend this and the entire series. Jessica Lemmon writes some great billionaire heroes...I'm pretty positive you're going to fall in love with all of them. Although Eli is amazing, I'm pretty sure that Isa took my heart in this book. She's definitely a new favorite heroine...strong, courageous, stubborn women...I love them as a complement to a sexy, growly, alpha male.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review.

4 1/2 STARS!

Another awesome Crane brother! I have loved this entire series and just can't fathom that it's over ... can't we find a long lost sibling somewhere? :) The characters are great, the family connection is so heartwarming, and the chemistry is off the charts!  There was some weakness in the plot in that he really had too easy of a transition back into real life with no PTSD, etc. other than a little survivor's guilt, but overall it was a great book!

Former Marine Elijah Crane is not adjusting well to being home. He worked hard to heal after the injury that ended his military career, and now he just wants people to leave him alone. He does NOT want to take on a roll in the family business no matter how much his brother's continue to harass him about it. They keep sending one personal assistant after another to his home office to try to get him doing work and he keeps running them off ... until she walks in the door ...

Isabella Sawyer's employment agency is soon going to get a bad reputation for all of the assistant's the Crane's are going through, so she decides to take matters into her own hands and shows up herself as the next assistant for Eli. Her no nonsense attitude catches his attention immediately and soon he doesn't want her to leave! They end up being good for each other and their passion is mega hot ... but can it lead to anything real?

What a wonderful, sexy heartfelt story! I've wanted more Eli since I met him in book one, The Billionaire Bachelor, and I am so happy with the outcome. Excellent addition to the series! 

Eli is just so wounded, and I don't mean from his missing leg. He's taken so much on his shoulders and has so many walls up. It made him super grumpy but somehow sweet at the same time. I couldn't wait to watch his barriers break down and for him to start to heal. I loved Isabella and her strength. She was such a strong, in charge character and I really loved how grounded she was. Eli and Isa together were awesome. I loved Eli and Isabella’s animosity and tension. They had a great chemistry happening and I loved watching it build and ignite. 

Besides Eli and Isa’s building heat, there is a lot of underlying emotion happening as Eli works things out. I got choked up several times. Those walls though, they were killers and they made for some ups and downs in he and Isa's relationship. Even though I understood his pain and struggles, I didn't always like his actions and wanted to smack him on several occasions. I really enjoyed the build not only to their relationship, but to Eli's epiphany as well. 

The Crane brothers are so fun and I love their good natured ribbing with one another and Merina and Rachel as well. When they got together it created some fun, light moments which where needed. I also love that there dad Alex, Big Crane, and the fact that he finally got some closure for his story that has been lightly talked about since book one. 

Really great story with a good pace. I loved the details and the build. A nice amount of drama and a lot of emotion. While I did enjoy their push and pull for the most part, by the end I was more than ready for them both to get it together. The ending was sweet but wrapped up a little to nicely for me, it was still a great HEA though. 

I love the feeling of peace I got after reading this and am so happy for the closure that Eli got. Isa is the perfect match for him. I love this series and I'm going to miss it. Great characters and a fantastic family, this series is a must read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Sable and Evan are highly entertaining couple. She knows how to manage the Beast Crane and he helps her to be the better her. I loved the other characters popping back in and the whole story was fantastically written. There's parts that pull at you and parts that make you smile. Overall a good and entertaining read.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***

There are books that are exactly what you want them to be...and this is one of them.

I fell for Eli when you meet him in the previous book, and he made me teary then.  And that continues in his book.  His pain, the things he is learning to deal with, his fear that he will not measure up.  It was handled so well, it was so believable that you can't help but fall for him.  Add in the fact that he is hot, and rich and, well, the women are lining up (behind me, please).

Eli and Isabella were wonderful together.  I loved that she gave as good as she got.  I love that she understood him.  There is a scene involving a shirt and some buttons (I don't want to spoil it) that is both emotional and erotic at the same time.  

That really sums up the book...emotional and erotic at the same time.  If you can get through the book without falling for Eli, read it again, you missed something.  And I would hate for that to happen.

Jessica Lemmon is a favorite of mine.  I always enjoy her writing, her stories and most importantly, her characters.  And, this story revolves around Eli, and who he is, so she is the perfect author to write it...as characters are her strength.

This is the 3rd book about the 3 brothers, and while it is a standalone, I am going to recommend you read the others first (they are great too, so no issues with that) as Eli's story is the most emotional of the 3, in my opinion, and the depth of the relationship is stronger when you have met all 3 brothers.

It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling it, so I am going to leave it at this...I recommend it, you should read it.  You will be glad you did.

5 Reasons to read The Bastard Billionaire

    The tension between Eli and Isabella.  It’s apparent from the very first time they meet.
    Eli’s family. I love how they show up for him, even when he doesn’t want them to.
    Isabella is amazing. She’s strong, fierce, and doesn’t take crap.
    I love that the story shows that it’s okay to need help. You may not want it, but it could make your life better.
    The sexy times. The chemistry sparks right off the pages.

I really enjoyed this book. I hadn’t read the previous books, but that didn’t matter for these two. I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series.

Jessica Lemmon really excels at writing stories that combine sweet, sexy and emotionally charged, and THE BASTARD BILLIONAIRE has all of that in the right amounts. I have been looking forward to this book since the first time Eli was mentioned and it was worth the wait.

Eli Crane planned on being career military but that plan was cut short abruptly when an explosion left him injured and took the lives of his friends and he's finding it hard to fall into Plan B - life as the COO of Crane Hotels. Surly, snarly and grumpy, Eli just wants to be left alone and has run off every assistant sent his way. But he's about to meet his match.

Isabella Sawyer needs the Cranes' business to boost her employment agency's profile and after Eli Crane chased off the eleventh assistant she sent him, it's time for her to handle this by herself. And Isabella is nothing but determined to save her fledgling company even if it means bearding the lion in his den.

But nothing prepares Eli and Isabella for the sparks that fly between them. Isabella is intriguing in a lot of ways to Eli and brings his libido roaring back to life. After her last relationship fizzled out, Isabella avoided the dating scene and focused all her energy on her business, so having her new albeit temporary boss light that fire in her is complicated, to say the least. 

Isabella is magnificent. She's beautiful and wields her looks like a weapon, sexy, passionate, smart and independent. Eli is a very interesting character. Under the difficult exterior lay a really giving heart, which was also wounded by the loss of his friends and survivor's guilt.

Say what you will, but as their relationship goes from professional to personal they find themselves developing major feelings for each other, which bring up hidden emotional issues which they'll need to overcome for a chance at happiness and a future. Eli's struggles to open up in his relationships seem to predate his injury but his feelings of inadequacy have made it even harder for him to completely open himself up to anyone and it made my heart hurt for him. Isabella has found herself shortchanged emotionally multiple times by her parents and her ex and nothing but a full-throated declaration of love from Eli would do for her this time.

I really enjoyed reading this book and catching up with the rest of the Crane family and I liked how they supported Eli through his issues, without overwhelming him. I am so glad I got the chance to read this series and I highly recommend it.

I've read quite a few books by Jessica Lemmon and they never cease to just amaze me. I've been lucky enough to read this entire series and not once, has Lemmon let me down! Her writing style is kind of flawless in my mind. The characters ALWAYS keep me entertained, the plot is ALWAYS captivating and I ALWAYS end up giving her books 5 (well deserved) stars. This one was no exception.

Of all three books, this one made me nervous to think about reading. The only reason for that was the main character, Eli. Eli was injured while he was with his Marines overseas. I just knew that this one would be tough to swallow at times because of the severity of his injuries, his feelings and just how Eli, as a character, was presented in previous books. This dude makes it very clear that he wants to be left alone. While it's never said (I don't believe ... I sped through this one), he's got a mad case of survivor's guilt and it completely consumes this poor man. I thought that I would have a difficult time connecting with Eli but he is ornery as hell and for some reason, I just love that! Plus, he's protective and dashingly handsome. Neither of those things is in any way bad.

Once again, Lemmon wrote some fantastic chemistry for Eli and Isabella. You're left just sitting on the edge of your seat, wishing and hoping that something would come from all of the pseudo/awkward flirting that was going on. I really want to say something else but I don't want to ruin it!!! It's goood. Trust me.

All in all, I think that this might be my favorite of the series. There was so much buildup about Eli in the previous two books that you really don't know what you're going to get when you crack the spine on this one. It is so much more than I had hoped it would be. It's a series that I'll think about in the future and I'll definitely read again. Lemmon is my author hero. This lady knows how to keep a reader entertained.

* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *