This is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy and one long awaited by many readers. I will follow author Alexis Hall anywhere!

Although it has been a few months since Caspian Hart broke up with him, Arden St. Ives is definitely still heartbroken. It is made worse by knowing that Caspian does love him, but won’t let himself be in a relationship with Arden any longer. And it’s even worse still when Arden learns that Caspian is now seeing someone else. The pain is still very raw for Arden and he finds himself frequently overcome with grief.

However, Arden is nothing if not resilient and he is trying to move forward. He is enjoying his job at the magazine, and he lives with Caspian’s sister Ellery in a somewhat gross warehouse, but where he is happy nonetheless. Starting a no strings fling with a co-worker helps a lot, as well as spending time with his friends. He even manages to connect with Caspian’s assistant, Bellerose. As Arden slowly makes his way forward, he does he best to distance himself from Caspian as even their infrequent communication is too much for him to bear. But when a crisis hits, Caspian is once again there for him.

Arden knows that he and Caspian are meant for one another, but the baggage from Caspian’s past makes him fearful of a relationship with Arden. Now Arden has to show Caspian that he is worthy of Arden’s love, and that the two are meant to be with each other after all.

How to Belong with a Billionaire is the long-awaited third book in Alexis Hall’s wonderful Arden St. Ives trilogy. Not only did the second book come out close to two years ago, but we left things on a major cliffhanger with the relationship between Arden and Caspian falling apart. So to say that I was eager for this book is a vast understatement.

The focus of this story is very much on Arden’s journey for most of the book. We see him in the aftermath of the breakup, and even months later, he is still devastated. Arden is doing his best to move forward, but he is in so much pain it is really palpable. Still, Arden soldiers on, and his unique blend of humor, self deprecation, and assorted pratfalls help to keep the tone light even as we see him struggle. Over the first two-thirds of the book or so, we see Arden interacting with different people who help him get some perspective on his life and his relationship. First, he starts a casual affair with his co-worker, George. George is bold and kinky and unashamed, and she is a perfect person to help reconnect Arden with the joy he has in submission. I enjoyed not only George’s fierce personality, but also the way she is unapologetic about her needs and desires, and it is nice to see Arden be able to have that confidence again after Caspian struggled with accepting his own desires. Arden also spends some time with his best friend in Boston, and even befriends a woeful Bellerose. Like I said, this section really allows Arden to get perspective and helps him move forward. At times it felt a bit like he was traveling from mentor to mentor, but I still think the insights were useful.

The biggest issue for me here is that this portion takes up the majority of the very long book, and while Caspian makes some token appearances, he is mostly off page here. Arden goes through a lot of ups and downs and every time he seems to be getting better, something happens to re-open the wounds. So after this crushing breakup, I wanted things to start sooner moving these guys back together again.

What I think Hall has done so well in this series is to humanize Caspian and show us his vulnerability. He would have been pretty much insufferable otherwise, between his high handedness, his arrogance, and the way he repeatedly hurts Arden. Hall manages to let us see into his softer center, to view him through Arden’s eyes, in a way that makes Caspian someone who feels worthy of Arden’s love. And while I think that continues here, I also felt like there wasn’t enough growth here for Caspian, or at least enough of it shown here, to really feel like he had changed in those critical ways. This is a man who needs massive therapy (and to their credit, it is something Arden insists upon and Caspian agrees to). But I felt like we were way far into the book and Caspian is still unable to see that he deserves happiness, that his desires are not wrong, and that what happened to him is not his fault. So when he comes around to accept his relationship with Arden, I wanted to see more of that growth of how he got to that point in order to believe he had really changed and these guys could be happy together.

I have really enjoyed this series and think it is a standout, particularly the way Hall combines humor and dark intensity. I have been eagerly awaiting the men finally finding their way together, and I felt satisfied as things wrapped up. I do wish the focus had been more on Caspian’s growth and acceptance of his needs and his relationship with Arden, rather than so much time with Arden solo, and I think the pacing here could have been a little better. But overall, I think this is a wonderful series and a really nice end to their journey.

I put my review on this off when I first read it because I had a really early copy and I was so disappointed in this story. I loved the first two and thought the writing was excellent and I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately I didn't like anything about it. I think I might have actually hated it. <spoiler> they weren't even together until the last few pages of the book and they spent most of the story banging other people</spoiler> It was absolutely not the redemption arc I was hoping for, I hated how their relationship ended up and honestly by the end I really didn't like either Arden or Caspian. Nothing worked me here.


**ARC received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

An amazing finale to my favorite series of all time. Arden's growth was wonderful in the book, and I love him more than ever. Alexis Hall is an amazing writer and I will read everything he writes.

After the way book 2 ended, I was expecting some good hurt in this book. And it delivered! Arden doesn't do a lot of moping around, but he's still left picking up the pieces and trying to move on.

And that means he makes some poor decisions. In sex, friendship, and family.

Not the smartest decisions at all, but still understandable.

On the other hand, Caspian tries to be a pillar of ice. Emphasis on tries. Because everytime he and Arden are in the same room, the facade inevitably breaks.

And Caspian makes some not-so-smart decisions as well, but also still understandable.

Because they're in love! And that's what made all the eye-rolling and scoffing worth it in the end - I absolutely love how Arden and Caspain love each other.

It's a love that's rough and broken at times, but it's also a love that's all-consuming, forgiving, caring, and sexy.

Where book 3 is lacking bigtime is not giving Caspain and Arden enough time together. The two are officially broken up for the vast majority of the book, which meant their page-time alone was severely limited.

Even an extra chapter or epilogue after their excellent happy ever after would have been appreciated.

Fans of Caspian and Arden may find this final book in their on-again/off-again romance trilogy a bit disappointing, as the two spend most of the book estranged. But the book works amazingly well at showing why the two are not yet ready for their HEA at the end of book 2, and how they and others both help and hinder their own emotional growth as they struggle to understand themselves, and to do the emotional work they need to do to lay the groundwork for a successful future together.

Most of the story focuses Arden as he begins to grow into life in the adult working world as a junior editor at Milieu, a fashion and society magazine. Arden's friendship with Caspian's sister, Ellery, is a large focus; Arden's friend Nik plays a much smaller role than in previous books. While Arden does pine for Caspian, he doesn't do it celibately; his friends-with-benefits relationship with a more experienced genderqueer work colleague shows both his honest attempt to craft a life after Caspian, as well as his knowledge that great sex does not depend on having a romantic attachment to one's partner. I loved this relationship between Arden and George, both for its own sake and for what it showed about Caspian and Arden's relationship—it wasn't all just about the sex. Such an unusual, and amazingly sex-positive, depiction!

Caspian's administrative assistant, Bellerose, makes a tantalizingly short appearance, then disappointingly disappears from the novel; one hopes that Hall was laying the groundwork for a future book about him. Readers will likely also want to see more of George, and Ellery, and even of Caspian's seemingly unfeeling lawyer (who, like Ellery, has a secret liking for gothic romances...).

I wasn't always certain that C & A would find their way back to one another by the end of this book, largely because Caspian is still so unaccepting of himself through most of the story, so unable to begin to deal with his trauma or integrate his sexual preferences into his own sense of self (worrying that they have been unnaturally inculcated into him by his abusive first lover). Dumping Arden "for his own good" and getting engaged to his ex-boyfriend, the overly-perfect and rather sanctimonious Nathaniel, at the start of this book, is a decided step backwards, as Nathaniel believes Caspian's BDSM predilections are tantamount to a shameful addiction, a belief that Caspian buys into in the hopes of being a "better man."

Caspian is determined to keep his distance from Arden, but their paths keep crossing (Arden is assigned to interview Caspian and Nathaniel; Nathaniel invites Arden to a disastrous "friendly" dinner; Caspian attends a showing of photographs taken by Arden's work colleague/FwB; Arden runs to Caspian for help when he makes a major mistake with a figure from his past). Each encounter shows Caspian less and less happy, yet clinging ever more determinedly (and precariously) to his belief that he can't square his need for Arden with his desire to be a good man.

The last third of the book, with its two major melodramatic twists, strained credulity, although each provided great opportunities for emotional angst and for A & C to try to better understand, and accept, the needs and decisions of the other.

if book 2 tore everything apart, how to belong with a billionaire sews it all back together. but like with any serious injury, it is going to take some time to heal and for the broken pieces to knit themselves back together again.

ardy starts off in a pretty bad place, and you think it's bad and then you see what caspian is doing to himself and like it's totally self-inflicted and yet, that pain of his flays your heart open, it flys ardy's heart open too.

there's a lot they need to figure out, the past is something caspian has been denying for too long. and the only way he can move forward is by dealing with it.

this story only works if you've read the previous two books in the series. it's essentially 50 shades for the male-male romance reader set, but way better written.

**how to belong with a billionaire will publish on september 3, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars or B-

I love Alexis Hall, Ardy, the St. Ives series, and Caspian. I didn't love this story.

From the start I struggled with the lack of shared page time between our principal couple and there were so many other elements to this story - aside from their relationship, none of which I was ever super invested in - that I found myself easily distracted from the novel.

I did’t care for the secondary characters and all of them, including George, distracted from the central couple. The story dragged, there wasn’t nearly enough ‘love’ in this love story, and the Ardy/villain scene that leads to the climactic conclusion just seemed creepy and awkward and weird. The villain is underdeveloped, and when he finally appears on page…it was simply too late for me to become invested in his character. Yep, I get it. He's an asshole and he tried to ruin Caspian's life. But frankly, no one ever really called him on it so....this was business as usual for him?

I loved Ardy from this book to the last, but this book is nowhere near as good as the first in the series.

I didn’t catch all the esoteric references (which, I think happens more often than I even know in AH books) & I’m glad. I dislike feeling like an author is trying to deliberately exclude readers from content.

GAH. I had all the feels reading this book. I devoured this one so quickly, now I want to go back and savor it. It dealt with some really dark topics and themes, but always remained hopeful. Arden is one of my favorite characters ever. He is so delightfully nerdy, dorky, sweet, compassionate, squishy, and strong. I kinda wanna be BFFs with him.

And my heart broke for both Ardy and Caspian multiple times throughout this book. Just... GUH. I even felt sympathy for Nathaniel. Reluctantly at times, but he kinda gets a raw deal too.

More thoughts to come, I'm sure.

CW: discussion of underage sexual abuse and recovery, depression, attempted assault

*ARC from publisher via Netgalley*

This is book #3, in the Arden St Ives series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. To avoid spoilers, and to have a complete understanding of this series, I recommend reading this series in order.

Arden is trying hard to move on. He knows he will always love Caspian, but he cannot be with someone who does not want him there. He goes about his life as if this is how it will be from now on.

Caspian will always love Arden. He just made up his mind to go another direction. When the worst happens, can he walk away from someone he loves who is hurting?

I expected to hate this book. I was so invested in these characters I hated to see them apart. So how grateful was I as I read further and further along and was excited to see them show how they could be in each others lives in other ways. What an amazing story and a terrific ending!



***This copy was given by Netgalley and its publishers, in exchange for an honest review.

I almost didn't read this book. I wasn't thrilled with the previous book in the series. But then I got the itch to find out what happens to Arden and Caspian, so I jumped in. I'm so glad I did.

Arden is living with Ellery and attempting to deal with his broken heart by throwing himself into his work. He still loves Caspian and isn't quite ready to let him go. He does recognize he needs to make some steps, and his friend and work colleague George is there to help him. George is a fascinating character that brightened the book in so many ways. I adored the affection for Arden and the photo shoot storyline is a memorable part of the book. George was a ray of light when Arden is hurting the most.

One of Arden's first work assignments is to interview Caspian, where he finds out he's engaged to Nathaniel. Talk about awkward reunions. I could feel Arden's pain here. Wait -- it gets better!

There's a scene where Nathaniel has a dinner party for the three of them, and it is absolutely hilarious! Arden is so precious, so likable, it makes everyone else pale in comparison.

There are so many emotions on the pages here as Arden learns about himself in the process of learning to live without Caspian. I really fell in love with this character.

The ending is priceless, the literary references smile-inducing. I loved everything about this and it will definitely be on my "favorites of 2019" list. I asked myself who was really the billionaire and it was Arden, dear, sweet, soulful, insightful Arden who owned his mistakes and was a richer man for it.

An ARC was provided for review.

This is my review of the whole series:

I got an ARC of the final book in the series, so I binge read all three books in a week. What an emotional journey this has been. As usual I find myself lost for words when it comes to reviewing Alexis Hall’s books, so this won't be a very eloquent or coherent review, I'm afraid. I tend to have a very emotional reaction to his stories which makes my reviews more personal than usual.

On the surface and judging by the titles ans covers this is a billionaire m/m romance but the more I read the more I saw it as a story about two people with troubled pasts find their ways to each other. A bildungsromans of sorts for Ardy in particular, but very much for Caspian too.

The story is told exclusively from Ardy's POV and I loved the easy flow and multitude of things going on that made me eager to keep reading in order to find out how it will end.

Something, Alexis Hall does really, really well in my opinion is the creation of characters who feel real, human, with flaws and strengths. And this was very much the case here. It's not just Ardy and Caspian but almost every minor character was interesting and I got engaged in their stories.

I found Ardy so easy to relate to - we see him navigating University, graduation, first serious job, making new friendships and keeping close the old ones, first attempt at a serious relationship. And the pressure there was not because Caspian was a billionaire, it was because of who Caspian is- a trauma survivour riddled with guilt and shame, refusing to accept his past, desperately trying to be someone different than who he is.

It's a very emotional story both for Ardy and Caspian. Lots of mistakes get made and it's one of the things I particularly liked int he story. The way none of the characters are perfect and they don't always know the right thing to do/say but Ardy is very keen to listen and to learn, Caspian is more reluctant but still ready to make sincere apologies and amends for his mistakes. Even Nathaniel whom I got hate at some point despite understanding the terrible position he found himself to be, so even he is not malicious and only had the best intentions and is ready to admit he has been wrong/misguided in his approach to everything.

I want to say a few words how trauma is handled in this series. It's not there for shock value or for tragedy p0rn, it's presented a complex issue that needs professional handling, one that affects the deepest corners of one's soul. There is no easy way to deal with it and no magic peen can cure it.

On that note, I am very happy to say that despite the heavy emoptional content of the books none of it due to queerphobia. The issues the characters deal with have nothing to do with them being gay. And the books are so effortlessly queer, it's a joy to read. No token marginalisation, no fetishising, lots of queer characters interacting in multitude of ways - as friends, lovers, in professional capacity.

I also want to mention how much I loved Ardy's family and how important I found the episode with his biological father. It was disturbing but also very much needed to show a different aspect of Ardy's personality. We get a first-hand look at how powerful manipulation can be, how dangerous people like Ardy's father can be and how Ardy is noting like that.

Caspian and Ardy spent most of book 3 apart, they are both involved with other people, they cheat on them. It was a wild ride, I cried and laughed and wanted to hug them and make it all better for everyone. But I also see how they needed that time apart, how it was important for them to work through their issues on their own before trying to be together. Because we know they can be good together, we saw that already in the previous book.

All in all, I love how Alexis Hall takes apart the conventions of the romance genre and re-arranges them to come up with an unforgettable romance. It's nothing like I have read before, yet it's very much a tropey, swoon-worthy romance.

Just a couple of words on the supporting characters, Ellery, Bellerose, Nik, Nathaniel, George - they are all colourful and unique and give this richness and depth to the world of the books. The romance between Caspian and Ardy doesn't happen in isolation, like real people they are busy doing other things while falling in love.

One of the most loving episodes in the series for me involves Ardy taking care of Bellerose. It encapsulates everything good in this world (together with so much of the bad in it). It's about love and care in its purest form.

The trilogy ends with the sweetest epilogue, full of tenderness and promise. It's the beginning of a long process for Ardy and Caspian of learning how to be together and be happy. And it's why I read romance, for this ultimate moment of hope - love is possible, happiness is possible, the darkness can be defeated.

CW: Assault, sexual abuse (in the past). attempted rape, death of a parent (in the past), stalking and manipulation, drug use, car accident (secondary character), cheating, panic attacks, unprocessed trauma

I believe starting this review of How to Belong with a Billionaire with a trigger warning needs to be done for two reasons:
1) there is an unsuccessful attempted rape towards the end of the narrative, and
2) so much of the story concerns sexual abuse and the uniquely personal, imperfect, and continual journey that surviving it can be.

Reading How to Belong with a Billionaire was difficult sometimes, but I loved it. The first two chapters are mostly an update of Arden’s status (i.e. he’s “coping”), even though they still induced a renewed ache for all that’s happened between he and Caspian thus far. By the third, however, I’d torn into a new box of tissues because the story slipped past my defenses that much—despite believing I’d inoculated myself with the preview chapters at the end of How to Blow It with a Billionaire. It didn’t help in the slightest, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

The three novels in the Arden St. Ives series follow a profound evolution of the characters on its pages. As such, I strongly recommend reading each in order before beginning How to Belong with a Billionaire. Even their respective prologs are extremely important, and give essential information and perspective regarding the men who narrate them (whether they are about the most selfish of saviors, a vengeful nightmare-puppeteer, or a fallen angel, adrift of purpose) and how they see themselves relating to Caspian. The third of these is easily my favorite, its source having endeared himself to me almost from his very first appearance, but particularly, and evermore, here.

Something that didn’t surprise me within the context of Arden’s experiences—but likely would have put me off the narrative entirely in any other case—was my reaction to Arden learning about himself sexually with someone besides Caspian. Sex was an easy, joyous thing for Arden when we first met him, and I was glad that he was able to explore, particularly his desire via submission, in a framework apart from heartache.

As has been the case with the previous stories, the additional characters in How to Belong with a Billionaire were, with rare exception, absolutely perfect. Ellery, naturally, owned every scene she was in, and I adore her more than ever. I’d actually love nothing better than to own a snuggly black sleepshirt that says—in some monarchical, sanguinary font—“I’m a Death Princess of Darkness.” George is also here, and I’m sure there’d be a “Saint George” joke to be made, if only she didn’t deserve the title so completely. Bellrose, too, has carved out a space for himself in my heart at this point, right next to Nick’s (who is present, as well) and he’s very welcome to it.

How to Belong with a Billionaire is not an easy read. It is filled with hurts, tragic missteps, and some genuinely messy stuff—though nearly all of it felt necessary to me. There were places where I was absolutely furious with Arden and Caspian both. The mistakes made here are not youthful errors, but adult wrongs with collateral damage. And, while sexual abuse is never an excuse to do harm, surviving it is a precarious and costly thing.

Although it does have darker overtones, How to Belong with a Billionaire is filled with beauty and promise which stayed with me long after I’d finished the story. Arden and Caspian know each other now, as they couldn’t before, making the love they’re fighting for feel like the forever I so wanted them to have. In many ways, Caspian has been trying to save everyone around him since the beginning, even if from himself. I very much enjoyed the fact that, this time, Arden was able to rescue him right back.

Alexis Hall’s “How to Belong with a Billionaire” exceeded every expectation; a consummate climax to his heart-flaying Arden St. Ives trilogy. However, if you didn’t first devour “How to Bang a Billionaire” and “How to Blow It with a Billionaire” you would deny yourself equally sumptuous literature. Plus, you won’t fully fathom Hall’s mastery of his finale.

At the end of the second installment, readers learned that billionaire Caspian Hart saw his kinky, controlling nature as a harmful bi-product of the sexual abuse he endured at fourteen. To protect his beloved Arden from supposed corruption, Caspian misguidedly ended their relationship. As “How to Belong with a Billionaire” opens, Caspian is engaged to Nathaniel, who perceives kink as mental illness. Arden, heart-broken and angry that his submissive tendencies have been devalued, tries to move on through a casual fling with George, an award-winning transsexual photographer and co-worker. In so doing, Arden learns to glory in his desires.

At the same time, however, Arden lives with Caspian’s estranged sister Ellery and repeatedly encounters problems from association with the powerful family. Only Caspian has the power to solve difficulties such as neutralizing paparazzi. But how do you recover from rejection, when you are persistently assisted by the man who deserted you? Along the way, Arden is helped and hindered by an indelible cast of supporting characters, each drawn so precisely I hunger for spin-offs to learn how they fare.

Hall’s signature command of language is on display as Arden reflects to himself on the waves of pain triggered by separation from Caspian. “An ouchie in the heart region made time drag itself along like a dying cowboy in a western….” “My love was a dog off its lead. Wandering by the roadside, getting ragged and thin, sniffing every street corner for just a trace of Caspian, trying to find its way home….” “The days came, the nights lurked, and I got through them.” And yet, despite these sentiments, Arden is clear-headed. “The gulf between us had grown so impossibly vast that I wasn’t a person to him anymore. I was a problem to be contained. A mistake he’d made once.” In Arden, Hall graces us with more facets of yearning, ambivalence, self-consciousness, adaptation and redemption than I knew possible.

Simple dialogue, phrases with exquisite complexity, paint full depictions, like when Caspian tells Arden, “‘I don’t like being angry with Dad. Besides which, he’s dead, so it’s a futile exercise.’” Arden replies, “‘I’m not sure emotions are supposed to be outcome-focused.’” Caspian’s response? “‘That…is one of their many design flaws.’”

But my favorite aspect of How to Belong With a Billionaire is its themes. Hall confronts society’s prudish premise that pleasure is suspect or evil. Arden is NOT masochistic, except when it brings him a thrill. In fact, his joy in consensual pain is contrasted with the torment he suffers from abandonment. Hall directly challenges Fifty Shades of Grey, which implied that kink stems from abuse. On the contrary, Arden was well-loved and highly supported in his youth. Yet he thrives in the same debauchery which Caspian finds shameful and which Nathaniel deems illness. Perhaps shame, not kink, is the mental health issue.

Finally, and most importantly, Arden comes to recognize his greatest pleasure, which occurs each time he offers his friends kindness. He benefits as much as they whenever he is compassionate towards his friends. As they thrive, he maintains hope in people’s redeeming qualities. Or, as he tells his tortured ex, “‘Love isn’t earned, Caspian. It’s given.’” Hall parallels the pleasure of sexual pain with that of love, in which we also endure the discomforts of self-deprivation and empathy.

Alexis Hall makes literary love to his creations, illuminating their minds, souls and sensuality. And I loll in the afterglow, which is why I rate “How to Belong with a Billionaire” and the entire Arden St. Ives series a 6 out of 5 possible stars.

How to Belong with a Billionaire is the third book in Alexis Hall’s Arden St. Ives series of queer romance novels. I tore through the first two books in a matter of days last December, so I was extremely grateful that I was able to read this book a little early.

Quite a few of the books I read/review are part of a series, and I will blithely say that the book functions well enough as a standalone, etc.

That is NOT the case with this book. Readers really ought to read the first two books in this series before tackling this one. I would imagine it would be very difficult for a reader to appreciate the narrative as a whole if they jump in at the last third.

So, if you haven’t read this series, but your interest is piqued by a queer response to Fifty Shades of Grey that is loads better than the original, AND manages to be both cheeky and introspective, then I suggest you start with How to Bang a Billionaire.

Moving forward, Belong picks up immediately after the events of the second book in the series. There was a brief excerpt at the end of the second book, in which a devastating bombshell was revealed. I won’t mention it here, in the event that there are readers with a modicum of self-control who have managed not to read said excerpt.

Needless to say, our intrepid Arden is not with reclusive billionaire Caspian Hart at the beginning of the book. But rest assured, he’s not sad or pining. Okay, that’s a lie, he’s pining a little, but this does not stop him from going out and living his best life.

Arden receives the opportunity to explore the submissive side of himself that he wasn’t fully able to with Caspian. And boy, does he ever. Arden takes that opportunity, and he runs with it.

And it’s not cheating, because THEY WERE ON A BREAK.

There are certain conventions in romance that are intended to be cornerstones of the genre. Alexis Hall has taken these unassailable “rules”, and thrown them out the window- and the result is an absolutely amazing third act.

I couldn’t possibly reveal any more of the plot without venturing into spoiler territory, so I’ll focus more on broader picture. Arden St. Ives is one of most delightful protagonists I have ever encountered. He is equal parts snarky and tender, and given his uncanny ability to make literary allusions, it’s a shock that he ended up with a 2:2 from Oxford.

As an English major, the constant flow of allusions warmed my cold little heart, and made an already delightful book even better. I made an embarrassing number of highlights in the book because there were so many things that I wanted to save because they made me laugh, or hinted at something, or simply because I found Hall’s prose to be exquisite, and I wanted to save it.

On that note, after tearing through this book like the dreadful goblin that I am, I went back and listened to Belong, and I just want to say that I loved the foreshadowing in regards to the climactic scene. Well played!

There’s so much character development. Character development for days. There’s growth, and reckoning, new levels of depth as character confront their truths. Best redemption arc EVER!

I also appreciated the development of some of the more elusive secondary characters, like Ilya (Bellerose) and Finesilver. They both need their own (separate) stories because the breadcrumbs we received were sufficient, but there’s so much untapped potential there.

I would absolutely recommend How to Belong with a Billionaire, but as I’ve said, the first two books are a prerequisite. This has been one of my favorite books of the year, and I have so much more to say about it, but I’ve already been nattering away for almost 650 words. Ardy and Caspian may have received their long-awaited HEA, but I do hope this isn’t the end of the Arden St. Ives universe.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t your typical romance novel, but I think that’s part of the reason I wound up liking it so much.

You really need to read the first two books in the series before tackling this one. They chronicle the ups and downs in the relationship between Arden and Caspian, and as the story opens, their on-again, off-again romance is definitively OFF, with Caspian preparing to marry his ex-boyfriend. The question, of course, is how long the Ardy and Caspian can actually stay away from each other.

The thing that makes this romance different from others is that Caspian is absent for large chunks of the book. When Ardy and Caspian do get together, well, it’s quite clear that feelings are still present on both sides. However, much of the focus is on Ardy getting a handle on the business of adulting while trying (and largely failing) to get over Caspian. In fact, Ardy spends much of the story in a friends-with-benefits arrangement with someone else. His friendships with Nik and Ellery also get a fair amount of page time. Never fear, though—as this is a romance, Ardy and Caspian do wind up together, after trials and tribulations along the way.

I wasn’t sure about this nontraditional approach to the storyline when I started, but I wound up liking it. I have to confess, I don’t think I found Ardy quite as charming as others might have in the first two novels. (Certainly not as much as Caspian does.) Some of his flails were much too cringeworthy for me, and his inability to get his s**t together was more annoying than cute. I really enjoyed Ardy finally figuring out how to do the business of living for himself.

Another thing I liked about this book was that the author writes a funny, smart story with clever characters. It’s one thing to be able to throw in pop culture references, but any author who can incorporate joking allusions to Pride and Prejudice gets a thumbs-up from me. Throw in a serious discussion of Jane Eyre, and I can’t help it; this English major’s heart goes pitter-patter.

There’s a bit of Jane and Rochester in Ardy and Caspian, I think. Ardy isn’t quite as “poor, plain, obscure, and little” as Jane, but he often thinks of himself in those terms. Ardy definitely does have her passionate and loyal heart, however. Billionaire Caspian may not have a mad wife hidden away, but he has his own secrets that leave him conflicted about his feelings for Ardy. Caspian’s also definitely got Rochester’s pattern of alternately distancing himself and then pouring out his passion down pat. (“My Arden” sure has echoes of Rochester’s “my Jane” to me, too.) So, in some ways, I can see this novel as a m/m riff on Jane Eyre—with bonus bondage and impact play. 😊

Ardy’s story doesn’t end with “Reader, I married him.” (More like, “Reader, I agreed to cohabitate with him at some point in the future.”) The final paragraphs are as sweetly hopeful as anything I can remember reading in any romance novel, though. It got me right in the feels, and it will likely do the same to anyone who’s invested in the series.

A copy of this book was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own.

How to Belong with a Billionaire is an empowering story about being free to express and explore your desires, and enjoy sex however you like it (consensually, obvs). It's also about finding your freedom and identity outside of being an abuse survivor. And because Alexis Hall's writing is a wonderland!!! of [crying emoji] [confetti emoji] [sparkles!] sentences like "And my love was a dog off its lead.", even when the story is about heartache (and this one is), there's joy in the way he makes mundane things feel like moments of awe.

Arden St. Ives is radiant and confident, gentle and kind, and so damn hopeful. He is a rainbow among the light beams that are Alexis Hall books. I do not know the actual science behind this metaphor, I just know it to be true in my heart. But, if you're in it for the Caspian-Arden romance (not just fangirling over Arden & Alexis) here's the thing:

- I... don't have a grasp on the concept of infidelity. Or the panicked guilt that's apparently a rational response afterwards even though both parties knew what they were doing and did it anyway. If you do --be aware that almost right until the end, Caspian is categorically cheating with Arden.

- Most of the book is Arden heartbroken over losing Caspian, and learning live without him. It's hopeful in that sense, but it really felt like we were earning the HEA with how much we had to go through. As we neared the end, I couldn't see how we would get an HEA that felt believable, but Alexis Hall is Romance king of my heart for very good reasons, so we get a supremely British and spectacularly sweet finish.

- There's lots of great sex in this book, but most of it's not between Caspian and Arden. While Arden and Caspian spend only a handful of moments together, at least half of this book is Arden giving us extreme bi energy while being charmed by his super cool co-worker, George. George gives Arden what he needs at the moment: kindness and fantastic, lovely, kinky sex. She's gorgeous and adventurous and interesting, aaand... not Caspian.

But I'm here for Arden so I was all in! Belong is a perfect balance of giggling at Arden's quirky comments and witnessing the patience, perseverance and open-hearted generosity with which he goes through life. --His very full, very dramatic life! There's surprise parental drama, the highs and lows of living with Ellery, a moment in the spotlight as a photographer's muse, and the paparazzi are still following him for a scoop.

A moment I especially loved is: "And I had this... this clarity now --as if I'd finally ripped off the dirty glasses of my own insecurities and could see the world as it truly was. Full of hope. Adventure. Possibility. Nothing I couldn't handle."

10/10 recommend.

Content warnings: BDSM, flippant suicide jokes, several characters have a history of sexual, emotional and physical abuse (including child abuse and rape), confrontations with abusers, sexual assault, victim blaming, drug use (described in a seductive, triggering way), infidelity, grief over a father's death, aversion therapy, and a sentence I didn't like: "They're not porn. I'm not ashamed."

E-galley provided by Netgalley and Forever Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and quotations are based off an uncorrected proof.---------

"...deep down I knew that no matter how sharp and real and inescapable my pain felt right now, it would fade. My life was more than Caspian Hart. Weird as it seemed, he'd shown me that."

What I've loved most about this series is the really attention to Arden St. Ives, the main character, I stick by that. Somehow without me really even noticing, he really grew into himself. First book, he was this really sweet college kid without much direction then suddenly he's a man with like- a job. Weird. Even more than that, he really just grows into who he is. I think it's just a really beautiful portrayal of how knowing yourself is one thing, growing into it is another, and accepting it are just different beasts. It's a beautiful endorsement for their love, seeing Arden grow stronger independently of being with Caspian, but fundamentally because of it.

Arden definitely stands out as apart from the typical romance main character. The decisions he makes, his mistakes, and choices aren't always the ones you expect. I found myself being genuinely shocked by Arden. Which was really amazing. i'd gotten to a point where I thought romances wouldn't shock me anymore, so there you go. Arden is truly his own unique person and it just adds a lot of individuality to this book.

I didn't always love how apart Arden and Caspian were in this book. Granted they spend a decent amount of time throughout the whole series, but just especially in this book. In the end it wasn't a big deal, but I did kind of wish that there had been a strong focus on their love as opposed to just Arden's time alone. I think I would have really appreciated being in Caspian's head. Just to understand him better and get what's going on in his life. I feel like I could have stood to see more development in him.

And to be clear, I probably liked Caspian more in this book than any of the others. I feel like I just understood him a bit better.

Another thing that this book just kinda nails is side characters. I'm not usually the one clamoring for spin-off series. Usually if a story is done, I'm happy to let it lie. This is a series where I'm going to need some more from quite a few here. Ellery, my girl, needs some happiness, don't know how, but fast. George was a complete treat, such confidence and magnetism, I was in love. I really loved her dynamic with Arden. A charmer and a good friend. And my biggest surprise was for Bellerose. Honestly, he's a character I can't imagine everyone loving, but I absolutely adored him. I really would love to see him get his own book.

TL;DR This is a romance series that really comes into its own and establishes itself through the amazing characters in it. It truly sets itself apart from being just another title.

Wow. This was a phenomenal close to this series. It was heart rending and dramatic and everything I possibly wanted it to be. Alexis Hall is by far one of my favorite contemporary queer authors and this series nails what I love about his work. It's emotional, fraught, complex, but with beautiful endings. All of the characters are so vivid that they practically leap off the page. I was delighted to see everyone again.

[Spoilers]

I really felt conflicted about the end game romance by the time I was finishing this up. I almost wanted Arden to end up with George, the photographer from Milieu, by the end of the book. She was so vivid and wonderful, his scenes with her were some of my favorites. Caspian is set up to do a lot of the work he needs to do recover, but it wasn't on page quite enough for me to really believe they were going to make it work in the end! Still...I loved it and it was a happy ending for now.

Check out my combined review for the two previous books:

How to Bang a Billionaire

How to Blow it With a Billionaire

Warning: Contains some spoilers

Initially, this review was intended to be a joint one together with my friend, handsfullmama.com. We’d broken down all the elements to discuss but realized, 5k words later, that maybe we’d taken the task beyond its intended purpose. Plus, 5k is very long for a review so we decided to cancel that project and take our observations back to our respective sites. As it is, this review is still insanely long so I apologize in advance.

So this series - I almost wish I could go back and review the series all over again with the third book in mind. What started off as a rejoinder to 50 Shades of Grey has in fact turned into a genre-challenging thought piece on sexuality, sexual abuse recovery and the subversion of the most toxic elements of mm romance. When looked at in its entirety, I have to kind of sit back and take a deep breath because there is a lot to work with here. I'm going to start with the craft stuff.

TL;dr – This series is excellent and worth all the stars. All. The. Stars.

Proceed at your own risk.

Structure/Beats

Obviously, being the third act of a trilogy and the post cliffhanger book, the beats differ from a standalone novel. There is a significant portion in the first half of the novel where Arden and Caspian do not spend actual time on page. But Caspian’s presence is everywhere - he’s always on Arden’s mind as Arden actively works to get over him. Still, there's lots of emotional tension from not knowing what form the resolution would take. It’s a credit to Hall as a writer that, even writing in the romance genre where an HEA is guaranteed, I was genuinely unsure until the very end if he would pull it off.

Characterization

Arden

My favorite character after Darian and Ash in Glitterland. Perfectly drawn, distinct voice, thinks like an English major steeped in pop culture. There's a comment his aunt makes about Arden that sums up his character - he's not a cynic. I don't want to exaggerate his perfection because he’s not - Nathaniel wasn't too far off base to call out Arden for wasting the privilege of studying at Oxford. But Arden's faith in the goodness of people and general openness to life makes him precious. The way he sees Caspian is the perfect counterpoint to the way Caspian sees himself. Arden sparkles and you want to keep him safe even though he doesn't actually need it. Arden is strong because he knows who he is, a sense of self that gets stronger as the narrative progressive. He also has a solid moral core, the result of being well-loved, and an intuitive understanding of what is right and wrong.

Caspian

Ah, Caspian, Caspian. He did not give me the kind of satisfaction as a reader that I wanted from a romantic lead. Hall does a good job of retooling the character of Christian Grey, with his need for control and his extensive emotional damage, to give us Caspian Hart. And considering the prime material, it’s a miracle we got what we got. Caspian has a lot of shortcomings. He pissed me off so many times because his own issues caused him to hurt Arden.

However there is no moment in the narrative where I doubted that Caspian loved Arden. Through all his misguided decisions, his self-loathing (“such a self-masturbatory vice”), his gift for hurting Arden, I knew he loved him. Caspian is himself wounded in so many ways and honestly, for as much as I kick and scream and whine about him, I get him. I’d have a hard time giving in to something that I felt reduced me as a human being and reminded me of my trauma. And if I considered my preference to be beyond deviant (the way Caspian describes himself, you’d think he was eating newborn babies), then I’m going to question who and how I love.

Arden fights this toxic belief throughout the series. It goes back to a persistent theme in Hall’s novels - that sexuality is fluid, that your preferences are your own and it doesn’t matter why want who you want, it’s the wanting that matters, if that makes sense. Arden keeps telling Caspian this - it’s just sex in the end. Who cares where your compulsions come from? It’s who Caspian is now. But Caspian takes a long time to accept what Arden is saying and he is still hesitant by the end of the novel.

His damage wrecks my heart. But he hurts Arden and really, I’m #protectArden all the way.

Also, as I’m rambling, this reminds me of a blog post that Hall made about Buffy the Vampire Slayer where he talks about the amorality of love - you can be evil and cruel and still be able to love someone. It isn’t that love, objectively speaking, is some sort of redeeming trait. Anyone can love. They may not love well, but they can love. Consider Ellery and the way Caspian responds to her. Caspian loves her but he has a tragic way of showing it.

After finishing the novel, I reread the blurb - "So now it's his turn. His turn to fight, and trust, and hope. It's time for Caspian Hart to choose me " I can't help but feel that, yet again, it's Arden, who fights to the bitter end and eventually saves Caspian.

Tropes

Billionaire Dom trope is completely upended. Caspian is a reluctant dom. I can see this being frustrating for readers who are ready for a bit of tie-em-up (and they get that through a secondary relationship) but Hall demonstrates a deep understanding and great respect for the experience of sexual abuse survivors. We never get to see actual BDSM between Arden and Caspian on the page and, given where the characters are in their personal development and in their relationship, this is appropriate. Not only, but the role of the dom and sub are subverted. Though Caspian will certainly take the lead in the role playing, it is Arden who is most at ease and will have to follow Caspian’s readiness and teach him to be comfortable.

In 50 Shades, we see an (overbearing) Christian Grey navigating Anastasia into a poorly interpreted BDSM space. In this series, the hesitation is on Caspian’s side, because of the association he makes with his sexual abuse, complicated by the fact that he takes too much responsibility for what took place. He is coming from a place where he sees his preferences, and by extension, himself, in a dirty light. Whereas James asks us to take at face value that Grey’s predilections were caused by his own abuse and can be “cured” by love’s true light (give me a moment while I barf), Hall has his Caspian suffering through the connection he has made between his abuse and his preferences. Caspian then enters into a truly toxic relationship with Nathaniel because it reinforces this image of himself, assumptions Arden continues to challenge. It is a neat role reversal and it works, again, because it’s very respectful of the experience of sexual abuse.

Another trope that is essentially trashed in this novel is the slutty bisexual trope. Because Arden is so sex-positive, he embraces the exercise of his sexuality like a maniac (yasss, son!). However, he then turns its ear completely because he is insanely in love with and committed to Caspian. He’s comfortable with the fluid nature of his sexuality and expresses pleasure with George without guilt (as well he should) but emotionally, he is all about Caspian. He demonstrates his commitment to Caspian by fighting for him to the very end, even when all evidence of Caspian ever reconciling with him seems absent. I’m all about smashing this trope. I honestly think you can’t label Ardy’s sexuality and that’s the point. We shouldn’t. Wherever our impulses come, they are valid, and sexuality is as much a part of a person’s character and their temperament as their other preferences.

So did I love this series? Sometimes I didn’t, but not because it wasn’t good. It was hard and demanding and intense but it was worth the roller coaster ride. There are so many fun references to pop culture and literature. Jane Eyre and Roland Barthes keep popping up (Barfes!). I’m not much for the post-structuralists but I’m going to have to go back and read something of Barthes now, dammit. All in all, this series is worth reading and rereading, as long as you don't mind being emotionally shredded along the way.

Check out my combined review for the two previous books:

How to Bang a Billionaire

How to Blow it With a Billionaire

ARC provided by Netgalley

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