While it took me a bit to get into the story for these two characters, I did quite enjoy the ride. Jackie Ashenden never truly disappoints! I'm really looking forward to the third book about Wolf.

Lucas is trying to protect Grace but ends up falling for her... Well that is what romance is all about so there it is, but throw in lots of story and action, some how love scenes and enough emotion to get your blood pumping and it turns it from an ok romance into a great way to spend a lazy afternoon. The characters are interesting and well developed and the story gripped me from start to finish

I like The Wicked Billionaire much more than I liked its predecessor, The Dangerous Billionaire. This time we get Van's brother, Lucas', story. He is such an interesting character! He's cold, ice cold, with control over himself and his emotions like I've not quite seen before. But, Grace, his new mission, seems to be the only one who makes him lose a bit of control. She gets under his skin for reasons that he can't even comprehend until the last part of their story.

Lucas and his two brothers have lost their adoptive father and all have received letters from him since his death. Lucas' letter instructs him to protect Grace, the wife of one of Lucas' fellow SEALs. Lucas is pretty upset about his new mission. It's messy for one, and he doesn't like messes. And there's the fact that "Lucas didn't like her. In fact, every single time he met her he found himself thinking about exactly how much he didn't like her. It wasn't anything specific, there was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way."

When Lucas and Grace find themselves in danger, thanks to Grace's dead husband's dealings, Lucas will need to not only protect her, but he'll have to figure out how to control himself around the woman who gets under his skin like no other person has ever been able to.

The contrast between Lucas' icy exterior and Grace's loudness is such a jarring thing to read, but it's certainly entertaining. I found myself really loving Lucas. His backstory was pretty intense, and explained so much about him. And seeing him come to terms with his feelings at the end? Glorious! Grace, though, I had a much harder time with. She was pretty obnoxious. I mean come on. When Lucas, one of her husband's fellow SEALs tells her she's in danger, and she just brushes him off?! Seriously? That's the route she took when a freakin' SEAL told her she was in grave danger?! Ugh. And it is so characteristic of her throughout the story. I never ended up connecting with, or liking, Grace. But, I did love seeing her get under Lucas' skin and seeing him fall for her. The fact that she was so opposite of him made it all the more fun to read.

I loved Lucas' story and I'm really excited to read the last Tate brother's story. Wolf has definitely piqued my interest in both stories, I think his story will be just as interesting, if not more so, than Lucas' story.

3.5 I'll be the first to admit that I have something for the hero to not be perfect and Lucas definitely fits that bill. He's too controlled, he's wound too tight, you just knew that he was going to lose his control at some point. I was waiting for it to happen!

Grace took some time for me to warm up to, I actually wanted to smack her a few times. Once these two actually got on the same wavelength and started to work together instead of trying to push each other way put a smile on my face.

It was a slow build and when it happened, it was like all bets were off! Once they started actually communicating and got everything out in the open, the book started flowing. Looking forward to the next book!

Grace was a teensy bit annoying and seemed to have a low sense of self-preservation. This book just sucked me right in and I couldn't put it down. Overall, a fun and sexy read.

If you've read the first book in this series, you had to have been wondering what happened to Lucas to make him so icy cold in spite of his movie-star looks. Well, I have to say that finding the answer to this question pales in comparison to the blazing hot chemistry in this book.

Lucas Tate has earned every bit of his reputation as a talented sniper and prefers the company of his brothers in arms to the luxurious lifestyle of his adopted father, but he'll never disobey an order, even if it's one he doesn't particularly like. Which is how he finds himself taking on the responsibility of protecting the wife of a deceased member of his team even when he doesn't want to.

Grace Riley is not one for restraint of any kind and as an artist, capturing emotions on canvas is her livelihood so when she finds herself without any choice but to accept Lucas's protection, it doesn't sit well with her because of the limits it places on her, and his tight control rubs her the wrong way. But first impressions can be wrong because being holed up with Lucas lets her get to know that man behind the stoic facade and the roiling emotions he exercises such ironclad control over.

I enjoyed this book so much and watching Lucas lose his legendary cool was the highlight for me, like watching a cork pop out of a bottle of champagne to let all that bubbly goodness out, but it was not just about that. On the outside, Lucas has everything going for him but on the inside, he's a broken, damaged mess, terrified of losing control and reverting to the boy whose inability to control his emotions led to life-changing actions. For him, every minute spent with Grace is an assault on his ability to keep himself in check but Grace is exactly what he needs. Her own past has taught her some tough lessons and she can show him that it doesn't always have to end badly. 

Grace and Lucas have to battle their self-doubts and wounds from their past to find the happiness they deserve but it's all worth it, especially when the reward is a love neither ever saw coming, lots of passion and acceptance. 

The story was sometimes slow, especially because with Lucas's career and the danger facing Grace, I expected a lot more action and suspense than I got but it was still a very enjoyable one that left me with some questions about their father's motives and looking forward to the next book.

Loved Lucas and Grace! Great story with a hot romance! Highly recommend!

While I haven't read book 1, you don't need to to enjoy this title. The Wicked Billionaire is a very intensely sexy read that hooks you with Grace and then drops Lucas Tate on you. Definetly works as a standalone romance.

I voluntarily read an advanced reviewers copy of this book

Grace is a new widower and is trying to move on with her life but then... in walks Lucas

Lucas knows that Grace is in danger bit the only way to keep her safe is to tell her the truth about her recently deceased husband/his best friend.

Can Lucas keep Grace safe and keep his feelings for hidden from her and everyone else? Read and find out!

Overall, Jackie Ashenden did a very good job, it was a huge improvement over book one. I cant wait to see what else this series has in store!

Lucas Tate felt nothing for his dead father. But that was pretty much usual for Lucas not to care much. Lucas was now one of the reluctant directors of the billion dollar family business of Tate Oil and Gas. Tate and his two brothers - Wolf and Van- from St. Mary’s Home For Boys. Noah was a cold man and ill equipped to raise his three sons.There had also been secrets and lies to push the boys farther away from their foster father. Respect was ll Lucas felt for his father. It looked like Lucas wasn’t going to be able to get back to his base and resume his career as one of The Navy Seal Snipers as fast as she wanted to. All three sons had received a letter after their father had passed away like a last request. For lucas there was a woman his father had ordered him to protect. There was a woman in the art gallery she was Grace Riley. If it had been any other woman Lucas would have found someone else to do his father’s dirty work. Lucas wasn’t sentimental about women in general. But Grace was the widow of a fellow Navy Seal Griffin Riley. Who had once been the closest Lucas had to a friend and he had been killed in a terrorist operation in Europe some six months earlier. Griffin had turned out to be a traitor hadn’t been Grace’s fault that Griffin had been supplying illegal experimental weapons to international arms dealers. Griffin apparently owed these dealer a lot of money and since he was dead if Noah was right the dealers were coming after Grace for the money. She would probably be killed Lucas had met Grace on several times at various ceremonies and other military gatherings and a couple times socially with Griffin. Lucas didn’t like grace, it wasn’t anything specific there was just something about her that rubbed Lucas the wrong way. But for some unexplainable reason when he was near Grace he was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t explain. Lucas would protect Grace as he felt it was a mission he’d been given and he never turned down a mission yet. Plus grace was a civilian. The only thing Grace seemed to really care about was her art- she was an artist. Lucas was originally going to see Grace and give his condolences to her before he went back to base but instead he had spent the last three days shadowing her : learning about her and her life. What Grace did, where she lived, where she worked ,who Grace associated with, the usual. Grace lived in an apartment that had no security, worked in a local bar three nights a week She paid her expensive rent with Griffin’s military pension. Lucas had no interest in the family company he loved his job as a Navy Seal. Grace was shaving financial problem basically all her money after the huge rent went on art supplies before food or utility bills. Lucas got an email and after he decoded it , it showed Griffin had been recruited to work for a man called Cerere de Santis, the owner of D S corp one of the country’s biggest weapon designer and manufacturer who also happened to be the Tate family’s biggest enemy. Cesare and Noah had once been friends until it had went bad.Noah had it drummed into each boy that one day Cesare would come after the Tates. Cesare had definitely come after Griffin. Brace looked out the Art Gallery window and noticed Lucas and came to him - it was to be Grace’s first art exhibition. Grace felt Lucas was a man of ice with no personality. Lucas pulled Grace into the bar and told her the truth about her dead husband and that she was in danger. . But Grace couldn’t deal with all Lucas had to say about Griffin who she thought had been a hero. Lucas said if Grace didn’t have the money owed to the dealers they would take her hostage and eventually kill her anyway. Grace got up to leave and said she was sure she could deal with the people coming after her but if she had any problems she would get a hold of Lucas. Grace couldn’t stand being around big arrogant men she had enough of that as she was growing up. Grace had a harsh childhood her father had no faith in her bit her grandparents had. Grace thought Lucas must be telling her crazy lies. But it came to Grace that Lucas was far too cold and logical to waste time lying to her also he had no reason which ,meant it was all true about Griffin and her safety. Grace gradually realizes she does need Lucas and moves in with him.
I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked the plot, and I liked the pace most of the time. I really liked how Grace was not a glamorous rich woman even considered herself plain but she still said what she felt. I really enjoyed the danger and suspense aspect of the book. But how could Lucas and Grace all of a sudden change basically who and what they are especially Lucas. Would a traitor still get a military pension this just didn’t feel realistic to me in a lot of ways. Especially for him to not liking Grace's basic personality and especially since Griffin had only been dead six months did Grace get over her husband that fast? Also grace’s whole world had turned upside down with finding her husband had been a traitor not the hero she thought he was. Also in the beginning Lucas thought Grace was an ugly duckling all of a sudden she wasn’t to Lucas? But I did like when Lucas and grace opened up to each other. There was a lot of emotion in this book. But this did drag for me at times. I would also suggest you read the first book of this series for background information and things flow together . As I said I had mixed emotions on this.

This is the second book in this series. Book one was OK but the other brothers interested me so i decided to stick with it. Lucas Tate is cold. He went cold because of events in his life while growing up. Feelings became dangerous or so he thought. When he gets a letter from his deceased adoptive father telling him to protect Grace Riley he doesn't want to do it but feels he must. Grace was married to to a friend of his who got killed in the military but was doing something wrong. Having met Grace through him before he was unsettled by her. He refused to look to hard at it though. Now he's stuck with her for the duration. Until he can figure out what's really going on. I liked this one better but of course i wanted to kick Lucas' butt for hurting Grace. It was inevitable. He doesn't know what love it and Grace has her own twisted sense of love as well. It was fun to see them together once they finally let go for a bit. There's some sneaky peaks of the other two brothers and some surprises. Over all a good read.

Find out more about Jackie Ashenden here www.jackieashenden.com

The Wicked Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden is a must read. The story line is strong, the characters work well together and it was a great mix of suspense and romance. These characters are so completely different from each other, but the old saying that opposites attract works well here. I enjoyed the story, it held my interest and I look forward to more from Jackie Ashenden in the future.

I received this advanced readers copy for my honest review.

Exciting, suspenseful and hot! Jackie is amazing storyteller. Lucas and Grace make a dynamic and colorful couple that have explosive chemistry.

'The Wicked Billionaire' by Jackie Ashenden is book Two in The "Tate Brother" series. This story is about Lucas, whom we met in book 1. Lucas along with the other Tate brother have been summed back after their adopted father past away. Lucas tries so hard to be cold after his hard childhood yet certain things can get him all fired up and get under his icy exterior—like Grace who is a Navy Seal widow that he is knows .
Grace has suffered at the hands of her parents and then her husband died six months ago. The she finds out he wasn’t what he led her to believe and has left her unprotected and in danger after his death because of who he was dealing with are now after her.
Lucas has been tasked with protecting Grace even though he doesn’t want to and Grace doesn't want to be protected by Lucas. She can't stand him either. Yet there's also this connection and huge attraction going on between Lucas and Grace even though they both fight it. It is intriguing to see how this couple goes from enemies to lovers in the span of this book. There is angst, anger, danger, intrigue, passion and of course, love. I love how Grace had to prove she had worth and she finally was able to realize in this book she did have it…by the end of the story she definitely made headway with seeing her worth and Lucas being able to express that to her, even with his coldness. There is more to Lucas going on and his story is quite heartbreaking, which leads to his past being explained. There isn’t a true wrap up for this couple’s story so it doesn’t say how they are doing but maybe book 3 will explain how they are doing-- The 3rd book is Wolf's tale and wow I cant wait to read his story.
My Rating: 4.5 stars *****
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

**My thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press, for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

Gosh, i just love this author. She manages to draw me into pretty much every single book i have read of hers and this book is no exception.

Lucas Tate is an ice cold sniper who never really lets anyone get close to him other than his brothers and he hold them pretty much at arms length.

Grace has lost her husband and now, pretty much lives in a box and find that she is now a target thanks to her deceased husbands illegal activity.

The sparks fly from the moment that Grace spots Lucas watching her and continue to get brighter until Lucas cannot contain himself any more and they both go up in flames. Lucas is steadfast and there for Grace, but she brings out a side of him that he though that he would never see again. Grace brings him back to life.

Grace thinks that perhaps she is selfish, but Lucas shows her that she is very talented and gives her another point of view to see from.

Its a brilliant book and i cannot wait to read Wolf's book too see how his role plays in all of this and how her gets his HEA.

This was a good, solid story. Characters were believable, tension was gradual and natural.

I have read several Jackie Ashenden novels and most have a great story but are always a story of some female of various qualities hooked up with an over-the-top alpha male type in a tale which is so drenched in sex that the story gets left behind many times.

This one is a bit different, we have the damsel in distress who is not a pushover, we have the usual alpha male type in spades but the sex for once is played down in comparison (still pretty steamy in places) and this allows a really good story to come through.

Seems Grace was married to a guy (kinda passionless marriage closer to friends with benefits) who was selling illegal weapons on the side and it got him killed, sadly he forgot to leave the money and the bad guys want Grace to find it ... or make a really strong final statement on why you don't cheat them.

We have Lucas, Navy SEAL sniper, cold as ice, but through a series of events ends up with the job of keeping her safe and the sparks eventually fly and the story does give you a couple of red herrings and the end was great I thought until the last page which was a horrible teaser for the next book that left me grinding my teeth, can't call it a cliffhanger but since all these stories are tied together you want to read it NOW not next year :)

Bottom Line: Great story, decent passion without turning into erotica for once, loved the ending even with the hook for book 3.

4 Stars

Park Avenue meets Navy SEAL - that's the info on the blurb that attracted my attention. I also like a series with interconnected characters. The Tate Brothers fit the bill. All in all, The Wicked Billionaire hits all the important notes, Alpha Male, Independent female, family, loyalty, sex and romance, plus a bit of suspense. I am enjoying the series.
I will warn you that Wicked ends on a bit of a cliffhanger....waiting for the next book!