Good mash-up of several types of romance stories!

Sheltered Mariana Halsey is on her first international trip to Corfu with one of her seven brothers and while he has a meeting on another part of the island she meets a guy that prevents her wallet being stolen. Mariana introduces herself to business man Nico Gallinas as Bianca to try and break out of her shell. Little did she know Nico was the first meeting for her brother and he recognized him leaving Mariana’s table and knew her name wasn’t Bianca. There is so much more to the story but giving more details would take the surprise out of reading the book.

Beauty and the Greek Billionaire is a mash-up between and unexpected pregnancy/arranged marriage and beauty and the beast story which sounds very different but Stefanie London really makes the story work and the groveling at the end in front of most of her family was perfect.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Both the hero, Nico, and heroine, Marianna, highlight the importance of family for different perspectives. On one hand, readers could say that they have different backgrounds, but at the same time there are elements of the past that they have in common.
Nico's past colours so many of his actions, reactions and emotions throughout the book, to the extent that I just wanted to reach into the story and shake him at times. If feel like the resolution of the conflict in this book is the result of self reflection by the main characters with very little quality communication until the hero "sees the light"
To me, I find it difficult to believe that things could be resolved primarily due to self reflection.
I enjoyed the random language facts sprinkled through the book through the heroine's habit of sharing these when nervous and I actually felt like learned something from some of these.

I found this one to be very enjoyable. Mariana turned out to be a very strong woman even though at first I thought she would be weak and timid. Growing up with seven brothers (yikes! I thought three was bad!) she's lived a very sheltered life. When she finally decides to cut loose and experience life on her terms she finds herself connected to a broody Greek billionaire in a most unexpected way. Nico Galinas grew up an orphan. He may not know what a normal family looks like but he's about to learn real fast.

These characters were great and the writing exceptional. The story definitely left me smiling. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

Love Nic and Marianna’s story. Neither of them was perfect which is how characters should be in a great story. And this story was a great one!

Beauty and the Greek Billionaire by Stefanie London is the story of Nico Galinas and Marianna Halsey.
This story stay true to the old standard of young innocent women, with a protective family trying to find her own way in the world. A rich, hard untrusting man who takes what he wants but thinks that other have ulterior-motives. This is the kind of romance that built my love of romance books and ones that are dear to my heart. I really enjoyed reading their story and remembering why I love to read romance books.

Beauty and the Greek Billionaire by Stefanie London is a sweet short read. I read the entire story in one setting. I had my moments to were I hated Nico I loved Marianna throughout the book. She had some weaknesses but yet she showed great strength when it mattered. Nico is your typical alpha male who doesn't trust no one. He literally reminds me of a heartless man until his wall is cracked. I thoroughly enjoyed this short little read.

I always tell myself to stick to your gut. So when I saw this book and read the blurb I wasn't interested but I do tend to like some of the this authors books, so when asked to read I did and then regretted it I should have stuck to my first decision. Why, well I am over the virgin scenarios when they are in their 20's and have a problem with it, I don't see the problem with that, then we have the over protective brothers yeah am over them especially when they do what they want and have double standards. Then we have our supposed hero Nico, I like alpha's but I don't like jerks and I don't see or understand why they have to be mean, ok you had some difficulties you went thru that made you the way you are, hard but don't take it out on others, either you get over it and deal or stay away..I wont give it a 2 it wasn't that horrible, but I can't give it more.

ARC REVIEWS:

Sometimes having tropes can the best thing in a book. This one has several. The Virgin. The overbearing brothers. The rebellious attitude to loose her “innocence”.

Then she meets the man she wants to take that innocence. An orphan shut-in who has a chip on his shoulder, hence being a douchebag. But she falls for me anyway and chips away at the stone shoulder he has.

It would have been nice to have more of them as a couple than in the in-between stages.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

I was kindly given this ARC for a honest review.

I've read several Stefanie London books, and to be honest I'll preorder all of her books for myself and customers based on the previous ones I've read. Beauty and the Greek Billionaire was ok, but just didn't feel as fully developed as it could have been. With it being stressed how protective her brothers have been her whole life, it was a bit unbelievable they didn't have more issue with Marianna's decisions. And Jules? Not unexpected, but "the moment" and big reveal just fizzled instead of bubbled over. I really wanted to love this book, and maybe that's the problem- I had higher expectations for it than I should have. Instead it was more of an eh, ok..next please.

What a great twist on Beauty and the Beast! Watching Nico and Marianna fall in love was sweet, even with the walls Nico put up to protect his heart.

Easy read. I didn’t give it 4 stars because Marianna sounded so immature at times, especially at the beginning. She got better as the book went on, but she just seemed beyond Pollyanna to me. I did like her strong will and how she knew what was right. Nico was overly stubborn, but he redeemed himself. No cheating or over the top miscommunications, just real life problems and baggage.

Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Beauty and the Greek Billionaire is the first Stefanie London book I've read and I'll admit to being pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Even though the accidental pregnancy story line has been used 1,000 of times in romance novels the chemistry between the characters (Marianna and Nico) kept me entertained.. This is a sweet, fun and easy read. A definite 3.5 stars.

A quirky, sweet romance that was a relatively quick read, I enjoyed the writing very much, especially the way the author described Greece. I always enjoy this author’s books, they’re easy reads that I don’t want to put down, and this was no exception!

I really enjoyed this book. A bit cliche but I didn't mind a bit! Marianna was totally awesome! I loved her spirit and intellect, her naiveness, and her predilection for spouting language factoids. Nico was a bit of a jerk, but he loosened up quite nicely when he finally gave her a chance to get under his skin. I wasn't a fan of the cover, but they don't really influence my enjoyment of the book, so whatever. This may not be everyone's favorite, but I loved it just the same!

While I didn’t like the cover (more on this later) I did like the blurb. Every so often I just fancy a nice sweet romance.

It started well as the overprotected Marianna finds herself in Greece determined to rid herself of her virginity once and for all. Nico is the handsome Greek Billionaire she picks.

This is all cliched stuff but I was enjoying it. Well at least at first.

After awhile it became apparent this was just following the exact same well trodden path as so many books before it. This wouldn’t have been too bad. After all I didn’t really expect anything else. It’s just that I didn’t really like any of the characters. Even Marianna annoyed me at times. And don’t get me started on Nico. I mean I’m all for a brooding alpha but Nico took it to a whole new level.

I didn’t like Julian either and I felt the conversation between them just didn’t fit.

The cover.

I generally skip books where I don’t like the cover. But here I made an exception (I know, I know one day I’ll learn).
Now Nico looks good but Marianna just doesn’t look right. Her face, neck and particularly her eyes are weird. I don’t think for a minute it’s the model herself the picture has been altered. The end result is not good. Well at least not in my opinion.
Yes I know I’m picky but I can’t help it and covers are important.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this quick romance read! Marianna was an intelligent, innocent woman looking for a sexual adventure in a foreign country and Nico was just the hot stud to give it to her.

But when their one night stand results in an accidental pregnancy, Marianna decides to uproot her sheltered life in Australia and move to Greece to make an honest woman out of herself with Nico. But Nico’s past interferes with any future they could possibly have and threatens his ability to accept Marianna and their baby.

The book had sweet and tender moments. It also had emotional and raw moments. In the end, souls were bared and the couple did get their HEA. I liked the author’s writing style! I really enjoyed the integration of a foreign language into the story.

I received an ARC of Beauty and the Greek Billionaire from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Overall a good story with a happy ending.

Marianna and Nico come from two different worlds but have some things in common from their childhoods. However they have chosen to use these experiences very differently in shaping their future.

While the sheltered virgin, the reclusive billionaire and the unexpected pregnancy are common themes in romance novels, I think Ms. London did a good job with making it an enjoyable read.

Marianna shows that she’s much stronger than anyone ever gave her credit for when she won’t be swayed from what she feels she and her baby deserves; no matter how much Nico tries to push her away. Her perseverance shows Nico that he can change and that there are people that can be trusted and will love him.

Honestly I usually avoid books with titles like this one. I am sure I am missing out on several great reads but the eye rolling makes it hard to read to the plot description. I am not sure what made me give this book a chance. I think it just sounded like the fun diversion that I was in the mood for at the moment. During the first few pages I thought it was but then Marianna made a major decision that had me questioning her sanity. The author tries hard to make her choice seem somewhat sane but I could not buy into it. That one crack in my buy in made it harder to swallow all of the other issues that I had with a pretty jerky hero and the lack of a real connection between the two that I could see.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Beauty and the Greek Billionaire
by Stefanie London

Oh what a tangled web it is. I had a hard time deciding on the rating. So many will not agree with me here. HOWEVER, I enjoyed the book, it had a little quirk that made me downgrade the rating one star but all in all, the heroine made the book for me. I was totally captivated by her and her ways. I was maybe not so enthralled with the hero. Each element of the book was of interest and it definitely had a good pace. If your looking for a different type of romance read this is one to buy. I really enjoyed it. The writer is talented and I would of maybe wished for a little more action for the entry blurb was fantastic. I was given this ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own. Regards, Anna

What a fun book! I've always dreamed of visiting Greece, so am drawn to romances and other books that take place in this beautiful country.

This romance is about Marianna, an Australian woman who has lived a rather sheltered and protected life, thanks to her seven older brothers. When she gets the opportunity to travel to Greece with one of her brothers on business, she decides that it is time to become less of an introverted bookworm (who loves languages) and gain some life experience, especially in the areas of romance and sex. She meets a handsome Greek man named Nico and shares a steamy, seductive afternoon on the beach with him. She doesn't realize that Nico is the billionaire whom her brother Daniel is trying to do business with. Although they spend a wonderful afternoon together, Nico realizes that she is Daniel's sister and does not trust her, believing that she and Daniel are trying to manipulate him into a business deal. So their afternoon together doesn't end well.

Two months later, back in Australia, Marianna realizes that she's pregnant. She decides that to be fair to Nico, she must tell him that he's going to be a father. She yearns for a family and decides to take charge, returning to Greece and proposing to Nico, hoping that he will consider marrying her for the sake of their child.

The author, Stefanie London, takes a different approach with this "marriage of convenience" theme. Marianna is a strong heroine, which is somewhat unique. She knows that she will do everything she can to give her child a good life, and hopes that Nico will feel drawn enough to his child to do the same. Nico, as it turns out, also yearns for a family, but thinks he will never have one since he's an orphan. He experienced family life for a short time with his business mentor who took a young Nico under his wing and taught him the in's and out's of the stock market. But Nico made a stupid mistake and his mentor severed all connections with him. He's broken, and feels he could never be the type of husband and father that he should be.

Can Marianna convince Nico that he could be a good father and husband? I guess you will just have to read this great book to find out!

My favorite part of this book: London does a wonderful job describing places in Greece. I felt like I was there experiencing the beauty of this wonderful country!

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and Entangled Publishing. Thank you for introducing me to this author. I know I'll be purchasing her other books!