Eli and Isa's story is so good. I really enjoyed their dynamics and struggles throughout the book. The writing style is engaging. Although this was my first book from this author, it certain won't be the last one. I am absolutely hooked!

Note, I did receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

If you ever loved the Disney Classic of the Beauty and the Beast. Then you’re in store for a real treat. Jessica Lemmon has brought us The Bastard Billionaire.

Eli Crane just wanted to be left alone after an explosion left him injured. He refuses to participate in the family business and ever assistant he had he sent packing one after another. But enough is enough, especially when the personal assistance was coming directly from Isabella Sawyer’s employment agency. This grumpy old beast was messing with her lively hood. So, to take matters into her own hands Isbellla decided to become Eli’s personally assistance and nothing that he says or do will get Isbella to wrong screaming like he done to the others.

The Bastard Billionaire was a great book. The chemistry between Eli and Isabella was what made the story good in my book. Plus, who doesn’t like an HEA with a little adult fun.

I had so much fun reading this third book in Jessica Lemmon's Billionaire Bad Boys series about three brothers who finally find love in the most unusual of circumstances.
The Bastard Billionaire features Eli Crane, the brother who comes home from a tour of duty that didn't end in the happiest of moments. Eli has always been the Crane brother that hasn't really put down roots and so when he finds himself home on a permanent basis his gotten really surly and well really grumpy. In fact so much so that he's basically made every potential personal assistant his brother sent cry. Enter Ms. Isabella Sawyer, owner of Sable Concierge, aka the person who kept sending him competent assistants and who isn't happy that a beast of a man is making her business life miserable. So taking up the challenge , beauty enters the beast den and a battle of the wills ensues! Isa and Eli will entertain readers with their witty repartees, their undeniable chemistry, sexual tension that's so thick its spilling off the pages and a poignant and heartfelt love story that guarantees to make you cry and laugh and cheer on these two strong willed character that deserves their HEA. The Bastard Billionaire closes the series but the Crane brothers (and dad!) and their true love will definitely remain memorable.

This is book three in the Billionaire Bad Boys series and I have loved each book.

In this book, we have Eli and Isabella. Their story is hot and sexy.Lots of chemistry between those two.

I just couldn't put this one down and I didn't want to because I just loved this book.

This book could be read as a stand alone but I do highly recommend that you read the previous two books first so that you get to know the other couple better. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I give this 4 out of 5.

After an explosion left him injured and honorably discharged from the Marines all Eli Cranes wants is to be left alone. Yet his brothers insist he take on a greater role in the family business. They've hired him ten personal assistants-and Eli sent each one packing as fast as possible. But when beautiful number eleven walks through the door, Eli will do anything to make her stay.

Isabella Sawyer's employment agency can't afford to lose Eli Crane's business. Her plan: to personally take on the role of his PA, and secure her reputation with the wealthy elite in Chicago. But this beauty and her hot billionaire bad boy soon find themselves mixing business with pleasure in the most delicious ways. And passionate, stubborn Isabella won't rest until she tames this wicked beast

My Rating:
4.5
Favorite Quotes:

Eli liked Merina. She was tough. She was bold and clearly had enough forearm strength to pull the stick out of Reese’s ass. At least partway.

This job had become like monitoring a wild animal. Feed it, stay out of its way, and try not to disrupt its normal pattern.

…you’re not open are you? You’re more like a screen over a window. I can see in, but I can’t get in.

…he couldn’t help watching her go. She wore that dress like she was doing it a service.

I haven’t dated anyone in three years and then the absolutely wrong guy comes along and I fold like an origami goose.


My Review:

Jessica Lemmon has created an interesting and intriguing family of smart, sexy, stubborn, and complicated alpha males with far too much money and sex appeal to be legal. I enjoyed watching each and every one of these obstinate men lose their minds and hearts to a feisty, smart, and witty woman. Each of Ms. Lemmon’s brothers was alluring, well-drawn, complex, and endearingly flawed. Eli and Isabelle’s tale was multi-layered as Eli was the most emotionally damaged and socially isolated of the three brothers. I adore strong and sassy female characters and I loved everything about Isabelle, she could hold her own and best any of the Crane boys with her clever observations and sharp wit, and enjoy the challenge while doing so. The storyline and writing were relevant, insightful, emotive, steamy, and frequently amusing with clever and snappy banter and Ms. Lemmon’s quick humor generously sprinkled throughout.

A stubborn hero with an attitude, a tenacious heroine with moxy, meddling family members, a bit of baggage, smart and sometimes funny dialog and intense chemistry all made The Bastard Billionaire one fantastic story.
Just in case you were wondering (as I was), Elijah Crane, the hero in The Bastard Billionaire isn’t technically a bastard, his parents were married, but I’m guessing that the publisher didn’t want to call this book, The Grouchy A$$hole Billionaire. The thing is he really isn’t all that bad, he’s working to accept how his life has changed since the explosion that took his two friend’s lives, cost him his leg, and got him discharged from the Marines. He’s back in Chicago with his well meaning family that wants him to assume a position at the family company that he’s not sure he wants all while working on a charity to help other disabled veterans. He has scared off ten professional temporary administrative assistants and now Isabella (Sable) Sawyer, the owner of the temp agency, is going in and plans to show Elijah who is boss, but neither of them was prepared for the immediate attraction and respect they have for one another.

I do so love it when a heroine can manage to knock the hero down a peg or two from the get go mainly because he thinks he knows exactly how to make someone uncomfortable enough to get rid of them. I loved both these characters even though Elijah was difficult. It was obvious he had PTSD not only from his recent injury, but he was still harboring guilt from an incident in his young life. Emotionally he was closed off and afraid to let anyone in and this of course caused strife not only with his family but with Sable as their relationship progressed. I liked the Sable pushed Elijah’s boundaries all the time and that she called him out when he was behaving badly, I also like that when she realized she had made a critical error in dealing with Elijah that she apologized.

This was a busy book with a lot of side stories all weaving around Elijah and Sable as they try and figure out their relationship and build the businesses that mean so much to them but I never felt this book lost sight of this couple. Despite this book had a bit more angst than I normally like, given Elijah’s baggage it was not gratuitous and he had enough people in his life to tell him to give over himself, admit his wrong doing, accept his fate and move on. You have to love the tough love in this family!

There were a lot of special moments in this book beyond those spent between Elijah and Sable. Elijah’s brothers, their significant others, his father and a couple of friends all added so much to this story and gave us good insight into understanding this complex man.

With The Bastard Billionaire author Jessica Lemmon takes this series out on a high note, as sad as I am to see it go I’m hoping we might see some of the characters in this book spin-off into another series.

Eli' and Isa's story is an excellent addition to this satisfying series. Lemmon does not sugarcoat anything with either character and there is an extremely satisfying resolution for the couple. It was also another opportunity to check in with some other favorite characters from the series.

Eli and Sable. Just LOVE. Simply and purely LOVE these two. They needed each other, and their journey to an HEA was a beautiful thing to read. I don't think I can ever read a book by Jessica and not swoon over the men, and admire the women, and this was no exception!

This story had everything. From the emotional journey of Eli him coming to terms with being home after his time in the military, to the banter I love between him and Isabella, to the sexiness and chemistry between the characters, I loved everything about this book. This was my first book by Jessica Lemmon. I am excited to read more from her. This was a great story that I could not put down and definitely hit me on all levels. Will be looking for more.

Beauty and the Beastly Billionaire . . .

THE BASTARD BILLIONAIRE is the final book in the Billionaire Bad Boys series by Jessica Lemmon. Each book deals with one of the Crane brothers. While they may be billionaires they are also passionate, slightly flawed and all around good guys. It just takes the right woman to see the tamer side of them. Lemmon delivered a powerful, sexy tale as Isabella Sawyer takes on Eli Crane in a beauty and the beast game of wits.

Coffee Dates with The Bastard Billionaire…

First Date: This final book belongs to Eli Crane, the youngest brother who has recently been honorably discharged from the Marines after suffering a serious injury. Eli is angry, uncertain and feeling survivor’s guilt. His brother’s want him to assume the role of COO at Crane Hotels, but Eli won’t leave his home. The solution? Send personal assistants to him. His brother hires Isabella Sawyer to secure PA’s for him, and Eli is discarding them like tissues. Number sixteen left her office declaring Eli a monster. Determined to protect her companies reputation, Isabella decides to pose as one of her staff and take the job herself. This first date and their first encounter had me giddy as once again Lemmon had pulled me into the story. I love her characters and while she claims to write about bad boys all are truly good guys beneath the grumbles and gruff.

Second Date: Do you love wicked banter, snark and sizzling sparks surrounding your hero and heroine? You are going to love the interaction between these two. While it is complicated by missed signals and Eli’s personal struggles the reader will find themselves laughing out loud and counting down the pages to the inevitable explosion. Secondary characters, projects for Veterans and the Crane brothers and their significant others all added to the story. The Crane brother’s looking to aid their brother offered Eli word of wisdom that provided humor. For fans of the series, you will be rewarded with some information about a previous couple.

Third Date: This third date brings misunderstanding, confusion and pushes Eli. Despite the steps he has made going forward, we have to bare witness to some setbacks. Even Isabella makes some mistakes, but I like how strong she is and feel that no woman should ever settle. We get to spend some time with the Cranes as we see Eli find himself. All in all, this was a fantastic last date with moments that made me melt and swoon.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Billionaire Bad Boys series and cannot wait to see what Jessica Lemmon delivers next. THE BASTARD BILLIONAIRE was a touching, heated romance that I devoured in a single afternoon. While it can be read as a standalone, I am confident you will want to meet all of the Crane brothers and the women who tame them.

Elijah/Eli had run off nine temporary assistants his brother Reese had sent over to him. Eli had been a marine and was now an amputee Eli had no interest in stepping in as Chief Operations Officer for crane hotels that his family owned and worked at. Eli felt wherever he went bad things happened. Since he came back to the states and had recovered Eli was consumed with giving back, changing the lives of men and women who made sacrifices for their country and their families. Isabella/Isa really didn’t have any more people to send to Eli so she decided she would go herself and act like the agency [ Isa’s business- Merina was Reese’s wife and had suggested Isa company to have a temporary assistant to help Eli transition from Marine to Crane Hotel COO. The assistant job was to help Eli with Crane Hotel conference calls , answer and forward emails, and tend to light load work Reese had handed down to Eli to oversee. Eli had refused it all. As far as Isa was concerned Eli could ruin his own life but not her company. Isa was willing to do whatever it took to make her business successful. Eli realized he was lonely with so much love around him with his family and their loved ones. Since Eli had been back he had been tended to, coddled, and overly cared for. He had worked hard to get himself up and moving so he was dependent on none. Isa had walked away from her family’s money, expectations and they man they had chosen for her. Isa felt attraction for Eli but she knew better than to follow it as she had twice before to bad results not going to happen a third time with her business involved. Isa had started her business in her living room three years ago. Isa had started out with one employee - herself now she had thirty two employees. Isa had worked almost ten years for her parents financial firm starting at eighteen. Isa had been a good PA but Isa didn’t want to run her parents business so she broke away. Eli was also attracted to her. Then they shared a kiss. Eli had fired Isa several times she just never listened to him. Then Isa couldn’t find a date for her parents celebration of naming Josh- Isa’s ex - as president of their company. Eli asks Isa help him get his webpage started for the vets charity and he agrees to be her date. On the was Isa admits she owns her company and doesn’t just work there and that it was her parents celebration and Josh was her ex. But Eli didn’t care. Josh knew eventually he would work to getting a female in his bed again but that was the largest challenge he had to conquer.
I loved this story. I loved how all Eli’s family gathers around him no matter how grumpy he is. I also liked how Isa stuck with the job no matter what. I also liked how she was with Eli when they went into a personal relationship. This was a great plot and I also loved the problems a lot our returning vets face when coming home injured. This was just an all around great story with a message which is the best kind. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I highly recommend.

Jessica Lemmon’s The Bastard Billionaire is the third book in her Billionaire Bad Boys series, and just in case you couldn’t guess – the heroes are billionaires. But don’t worry because there is a lot more to these guys than just big bank accounts. They are three very different and fascinating brothers who, with their widowed father, form the tightknit, loving and wealthy Crane family, and each brother has his own stand-alone book. The Bastard Billionaire features middle brother, Elijah Crane, and while it appears to be a lighthearted, fun romance, it deftly and compassionately delves into complicated subject matter making it much more than your typical ‘rich playboy’ romance.

Elijah (Eli) isn’t literally a bastard, but he’s been acting like one since he returned from war and ended his military career. His brothers and father don’t take offense to his foul temper and gruff demeanor though, because he’s had an extremely difficult time transitioning to civilian life after experiencing profound tragedy during his final tour of duty. Eli’s two closest friends were killed and he lost his leg below the knee during an enemy attack in Afghanistan. He’s made progress adjusting both physically and emotionally to losing his leg, but he’s suffering with survivor’s guilt and grappling with his identity as an amputee. He’s shut down emotionally, refuses to accept help and is holed up in his apartment essentially distancing himself from his brothers, father and, basically, everyone.

Everyone assumed Eli would join the very successful family business – Crane Hotels – when he left the military, but he isn’t ready to be a businessman and has not yet taken his place in the company. Oldest brother Reese believes working is exactly what Eli needs and hires him a personal assistant to hopefully give him a gentle push to start working. Eli doesn’t want an assistant and resents Reese’s high-handedness, so he decides to act like a complete and total jerk to force his new assistant to quit. He succeeds quite handily and quickly goes through eight assistants.

Isabella Sawyer owns the temp agency attempting to find Eli a PA and needs this job to succeed in order to impress Crane Hotels and gain their seal of approval, which will boost her fledgling company’s reputation. She decides to take on the assignment herself rather than sending another one of her employees, and she is confident she will be able to handle this man – no matter how much of an ass he may be.

She blows into Eli’s life and home like a tornado and immediately proves she isn’t scared by his surly attitude and behavior. She’s an accomplished and feisty businesswoman, and she does want no one else has done – stands up to him. He’s stunned by this tenacious woman, and the two are a fiery clash of wills as Isabella continually attempts to assist Eli and he constantly refuses. She compromises, stops trying to force her help down his throat and begins assisting him with small tasks working independently and quietly in the background, showing him that it’s not weak to accept help. He finally starts to appreciate her help and to trust her enough to begin to open up to her.

As Eli and Isabella find a rhythm working together, they also discover they are both very attracted to each other and contemplate making this something more than just a working relationship. The sexual tension builds and both want to take the next step, but Eli is hesitant to get romantically involved because he hasn’t been physical with a woman or even dated since he lost his friends and his leg. It’s scary. It’s scary to wonder how Isabella will react to seeing his stump. It’s scary to believe he has something to offer this amazing woman when he feels like less of a man. It’s downright frightening to imagine falling in love with her and risking is heart, because he’s not sure he could survive another devastating loss.

Isabella’s empathy and stalwartness become Eli’s safety net, giving him the confidence and strength to hope and to start living again. I will admit however, that by this point in the story I had become impatient for them to resolve all their issues; but I can’t decide if this is because the pacing was too slow or if I was just anxious for Eli to get his happily ever after.

Eli is truly the heart of The Bastard Billionaire, and readers will ache for his loss, rejoice in his recovery and find hope in his story. Ms. Lemmon writes a complicated tale of a veteran returning home as an amputee, and she does so with grace, eloquence and a sensitive touch while never glossing over the painful realities. She not only delves into the emotional struggles of an amputee but also the physical ones such as taking stairs in a prosthetic, adapting to showering with a stump and discovering which sexual positions work and don’t work. It is obvious she thoroughly researched for the book, and she opens the doors to a situation that few will ever experience. When an author makes this extra effort, she not only respects the subject matter but also shows high regard for her readers, creating something more than just entertainment. After reading The Bastard Billionaire and getting to know Eli Crane you’ll be reminded that no soldier returns from war unchanged, and you’ll be more compassionate and empathetic to the difficulties faced by amputees. Ms. Lemmon gives us a gift and this is what makes this book far more than just a love story. - All About Romance

The Bastard Billionaire follows the last of the Crane brothers on that journey to his happy ending. Eli Crane served in the Marine corps until an explosion sidelined him and killed his friends. He's living with a shit load of survivor's guilt and the guilt is turning him into a surly, growly man who doesn't want to have anything to do with the family business or any of the administrative assistants that his brothers keep sending his way.

The thing about family is...they're not going anywhere and neither is the company supplying all of the administrative assistants that Eli keeps scaring away. You see, Isabella Sawyer has a business that she's trying to get on the map and she's not going to let Eli Crane scare away her biggest client, his family's hotel empire. So if she's got to do the job herself, that's what she'll do and Eli Crane will not scare her away. She's just as stubborn and determined as he is and he's going to find that out for himself, first hand.

The chemistry between Eli and Isa was pretty intense right from the very beginning. Eli's confusion at not being able to scare Isa away along with the niggling doubts in the back of his mind about not even wanting to send her away was fun to watch. He fought that attraction at every turn but fate has a way of shoving you on your ass to make you sit up and take notice. So yeah, I enjoyed this story a lot.

Isa was a strong heroine who worked hard and loved harder. She wasn't prepared for Eli Crane. She didn't want to like him because he was such a big thorn in her business side but there was more to Eli than meets the eye and he was too hot for him to think so low of himself. She wasn't looking for him but once she found him, she wasn't sorry. She didn't back away from her feelings, and I loved that so much. She owned her feelings right from the jump and even when she knew that Eli wasn't where she was emotionally, she didn't back away from how she felt for him. My heart hurt and then rejoiced for her because she was pretty awesome.

Together, they were fantastic. I adored seeing Eli's walls crumble to the ground where Isa was concerned and I really enjoyed getting to know Isa throughout the entire book. This was a fun book with great guest appearances from Eli's family. They were a fun bunch in the other books and it was great to see more of the same from them in this one. I definitely recommend.

<strong>Grade: 4 out of 5</strong>

As anyone can tell by now I am OBSESSED with Jessica Lemmon’s books. Each book seems to surpass the last. This book, oh my.. it is the perfect mix of romance, sass, angst, and true feelings from both characters. Have you ever just had that perfect morning cup of coffee that you never wanted to end? It was the same for me with this book… It was my perfect cup of coffee.

Before I start my review I have to say that while this is the third book in the Billionaire Bad Boys trilogy it can be read as a stand alone. You do NOT need to read the previous two books before this one. HOWEVER as a huge Jessica Lemmon fan… I will highly suggest that you do. The first book with brother Reese (The Billionaire Bachelor) has a big Mr. Darcy feel to it, and the second book with Tag (The Billionaire Next Door) has a very big Tarzan feel. While I didn’t notice it until the end and now that it’s over I now see why Eli is my favorite, he reminds me of Beast in Beauty and the Beast. No these are not promoted this way, this is honestly just my thoughts and feelings. Onto the review…

Eli was talked about a lot in the Reese’s book, then we finally got a glimpse of the third Crane brother in Tag’s book. However that glimpse did not do Eli justice, he is an amazingly complicated character. Eli is back from overseas having suffered an injury as a marine. His family seems to be suffocating him with kindness and love, the two things Eli doesn’t think he should have. Eli is suffering from some major survivors guilt amongst some other things. There are so many layers to Eli’s character I’m not even sure by the end of the book we got through them all. In the beginning you find out that Eli has been going through personal assistants like nobody’s business. When it comes down to it he’s been a right mighty beast towards these poor assistants. However this last assistant doesn’t seem to take his firings to heart, and just keeps on working. I think that Eli really needed to be challenged back. No one was really a challenge back for him everyone just kept on appeasing him or backing down. Isa met him challenge for challenge, I really enjoyed that. Eli had emotional baggage before signing up for the Marines then he brought more home after serving in the Marines. Is he to far gone for Isa to save him? Or can he save himself before he looses her forever.

Isa is an amazing strong female character, and we all know by now how I feel about these ladies. Isa as a character is determined, smart, witty, and wears her heart on her sleeve. She is running her own company, she has left the family fold and fortune behind to start her own company. Of course her family doesn’t see it that way, they see it as a step down in the “class” system of society and want her to step back into the fold. When her company’s reputation is threatened by the one and only Eli Crane she does the only thing she can think of, she becomes his personal PA. While Isa is determined to not let Eli get under her skin by being a demanding, macho, idiot, she starts to see some of the real Eli parts of Eli breaking through. While their relationship may turn into more than PA and boss, Eli is still holding back. Isa tells herself she is okay with this, that she can handle only a 1/4 of a relationship if you can call it that. She is a strong independant woman who doesn’t need a man to make herself whole. However as time passes you can see how Isa becomes more vulnerable to her feelings towards Eli and how he doesn’t think he can reciprocate those feelings.

The family/friendship relationships in these books make it worth it to me, much more than the romance aspect of it. Don’t get me wrong the romance part is amazing, but these family parts and friendship sides are so strong it makes the stories so much more relate-able. You not only have Eli being backed up by his brothers in this book but you have his dad Alex in his corner. I feel like we all need Alex in our corner… Isa’s relationship with her BFF was just what a girl needs. Someone to hold her up when needed, to be frank when she’s being dumb, but also say okay I’ll do it even though you are being dumb. Oh and the doorknob was brought up again!!! It was my favorite part of book one The Billionaire Bachelor and when it was mentioned in this book I literally sighed. I also don’t think I will ever look at sand in a jar, or a red dress the same again either. Those three things will always remind me of the Crane brothers.

Fun hot series. Jessica Lemmon writes a great romance.

THE BASTARD BILLIONAIRE is hot yet sweet, with sympathetic, unforgettable characters you root for. I was so invested in Eli and Isa's story that I was disappointed when I reached the end!

Eli is a bear to work for, but Isa stood her ground and wouldn't let him run her off. I love that while Eli was attracted to Isa's beauty, it was her fiery spirit that captivated him and "felled" him. Because of Eli's insecurities due to his prosthetic limb, the story was full of angst and bittersweet longing on his part, yet Isa's ready acceptance of him--all of him--finally made him realize there's this woman who didn't care about his missing limb, because she saw him--the man underneath the physical attributes. Although of course, aside from his missing leg, he was all man, every mouthwatering, muscled part of him.

The couples in the previous books made cameo appearances, and I love the dynamics among the brothers. Series fans should not miss this! However, newbies can also start with this book, as each couple's romance is fully contained within the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Very satisfying.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1907058411?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Up to this point I've found Eli to be the most mysterious of the Crane siblings. Then he when he was injured in an explosion toward the end of The Billionaire Next Door (Tag's book), I felt like we were finally seeing a little piece of his character. I liked where things were leading. And I was happy to finally get to know this mysterious Marine.

Eli Crane is trying to acclimate himself to his new / old life. A life that has been irrevocably changed since his honorable discharge from the Marines, and the loss of two of his best friends in the same explosion that cost him his leg. His family is there for support, and they're ready to help him move forward with his life and to take up a position at Crane Hotels. Eli is not so ready to move on quite yet, and thwarts all his family's attempts. Namely, they've hired a number of personal assistants, and Eli has fired every single one of them.

So in steps Isabella Sawyer. Her new employment agency could desperately use all the business the Crane name can ensure. She won't let Eli Crane tarnish her reputation. So she decides to pose as another assistant. Isa is not one to back down from a challenge, so when Eli Crane pushes, she pushes right back. Eli finds he likes the challenge and soon the natural attraction between the two becomes serious. But, are Eli's feelings for Isa enough to make him finally move forward and can he open up enough to let her know his thoughts and feelings?

Right away I loved the clear play on Beauty and the Beast. The Bastard Billionaire is not a complete retelling, but it has a few of the same themes.

I loved the way Jessica Lemmon deals with Eli's life post-injury. We definitely get to see Eli working through his remaining issues. He may try to play off, to the outside world, that everything is fine, but it's his internal monologues where we get to see what's really going on in his head. One of the things Eli needs to work out is being able to share those inner thoughts with others. Being able to ask for help, or being able to tell someone he's in pain. We see that Eli has a lot of preconceived ideas about other people's reactions to him and his injury. We see this a lot when Eli first meets Isa. He'll misconstrue her silence or a look she gives him as being repelled by his leg, but then when we get Isa's point-of-view we understand misunderstanding. I loved that we got both Isa and Eli's perspectives in this story. I think it was really important to show the distinction in some cases. There was a great progression of where Eli begins this book and where everything ends. It was paced just right.

I also have to say that I think Jessica Lemmon outdid herself with the heat level in this one. The relationship between Eli and Isa is absolutely hot, hot, hot. I'm pretty sure I said this about Tag and Rachel too, but I'm revising my statement in saying that I think Eli and Isa are my favorite couple in this series.

This being, what I'm pretty sure is, the last book in this particular series, I was happy that the other couples / characters got frequent page time, and l really liked seeing all the brothers kind of connect, finally, with one another. Jessica Lemmon always leaves me wanting more in all of her books, which is definitely not a bad thing, but I would have loved an epilogue giving readers a little bit more info on where all our couples wind up in a few years down the line. But if that's the only complaint I can find, then it's a safe bet that this is a good read. I look forward to whatever Jessica Lemmon has for us next. She's become one of my go-to authors.

“I haven’t dated anyone in three years and then the absolutely wrong guy comes along and I fold like an origami goose.”

When the absolute wrong guy is Elijah Crane, then he's not the wrong guy at all. He's perfect… in a grumpy, craggy, scarred, asshole kind of way.

But also in a hidden heart-of-gold kind of way.

I've been loving on this series from Jessica Lemmon from the start, with each installment feeling fresh and funny, sweet and sexy, and I was more than a little excited to get my hands on The Bastard Billionaire. (The book, sadly, not the man himself… damn you, fiction!) Turns out, I had very good reason to be excited.

Two, in particular. Eli Crane and Isabella Sawyer. He's a grouch, she's the HBIC and together they're MAGIC. Their relationship is more than just boss and assistant—although that makes for a hell of a dynamic—because he's still recovering from the tragic end to his military service and she's working to find her feet, alone, in the business world. They need each other in a way that's hard to explain—but it's all there between the lines, wrapped in a chemistry that had me rooting for them from the start.

Mixed in with that, though, was a little something deeper. Respect. Admiration. Kindness. And it took this book from a fun, employee/employer read to a story about misplaced guilt, misplaced desire, and—in the end—forgiveness.

But here's the thing: it's also hella sexy, chockablock with cameos from Eli’s delightful brothers and their significant others, and laced with some sort of you will smile and swoon book crack that makes it impossible to put down.

And makes Eli Crane absolutely the right guy.

“Sorry. I’m…tired.”
And hopelessly attracted to a Marine with a beard and a complicated reasoning system.

~ FIVE STARS ~