Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title. While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

When Freya Johnson makes a drunk confession to her best friend on her twenty first birthday it goes unfulfilled. Years later when she needs to know once and for all if the problem is with her, she asks Everett Calhoun if he remembers the offer from that fateful night?

An arrangement, a man who needs to be in total control and fears he will be just like his Dad. A safe word, a Dom, a week, and dangerous desires. Will these friends have enough trust to show how they really feel? What will happen when they discover that both crave the same thing? This inferno read scorches and will leave you wanting more adventures from Jackie!

Trigger warning - alcoholism, verbal and physical abuse, mature elements of BDSM

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused

A fun, quick read! The characters are immediately likeable and you wanted to find out what happened in their romance and how they'd work everything out.

3.75 stars--SEXY BEAST is the second instalment in Jackie Ashenden’s contemporary, adult Billions $ Bastards erotic, romance series focusing on three friends and business partners Everett Calhoun, Damian Blackwood and Ulysses White. This is billionaire Everett Calhoun, and auto mechanic Freya Johnson’s story line. SEXY BEAST can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: There are some scenes of domination and spanking that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Everett and Freya) SEXY BEAST follows the friends to lovers relationships between thirty two year old billionaire Damian Blackwood, and thirty year old Freya Johnson. Freya has been in love with her best friend since she was sixteen years old but having lost her mother at an early age, raised by an aunt who destroyed our heroine’s self esteem, Freya battled between head and heart as it pertained to Damian Blackwood. An invitation to be Damian’s plus one at a charity auction in London, England found Freya stepping out of her comfort zone, asking Damian if he was willing to help her with achieving her first O. What ensues is the building sexual relationship between Freya and Damian, and the fall-out as Damian struggles with his own needs and demands, believing himself unworthy of Freya’s love.

The relationship between Freya and Damian is a friends to lovers but Damian is a sexual Dominant and demands obedience in all things sexually related. Freya will soon discover that she is a willing and cooperative partner for the man that she loves but Damian struggles with what he needs from his best friend, a friend whose heart he is about to destroy. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense with Domination and spanking.

SEXY BEAST is a quick read; a story of friendship, power, control and acceptance. The premise is fast paced and entertaining; the romance is steamy and hot; the characters are strong, energetic, broken and hurt.


THE READING CAFÉ: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/sexy-beast-billion-bastards-2-by-jackie-ashenden-a-review/


GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3266775409


AMAZON. COM: https://www.amazon.com/review/R3JSFLHJGMTE4S/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B07X5CX4Z2


BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2104370736


CHAPTERS/INDIGO (Sandy_At_the_Reading_Cafe) posted

Ibooks (Sandy Sch) posted

Google Play (Sandy Sch)posted

3.5 Stars
This was a perfect read to take the mind away from today....two people who had a real history as friends. Solid details and then the transition to much much more.
Hot, sexy D/s read.

Freya and Everett were true to each other without the silly games. I wished I would have noticed the BDSM part because I dont enjoy these type of books..

It's always a thrill to get my hands on a new book by Jackie Ashenden, and Sexy Beast, the second book in her Billion $ Bastards series, written under the Harlequin Dare imprint, is no exception. It's a sizzling hot, slightly BDSM, friends-to-lovers romance and I loved every single second of it, and it gets 5 stars from this reader.

Told in alternating points of view, Freya and Everett have been best friends since childhood. Freya lost her parents early and was grudgingly raised my her mother's sister, who really didn't want her at all. She looks nothing like her petite, dainty female cousins, in fact, she's not into frills and girly things at all. She's a very tall, buxom redhead, and her aunt never let her forget it. Freya is more into fixing cars than fixing her hair or makeup, and grew up to own a garage where she's the main mechanic. She's no wilting violet, but although she's nearly 30 years of age, and has been sexually active, she's never achieved an orgasm with any man she's dated, and she is convinced that there is something wrong with her.

Her best friend, Everett, son of a drunken, abusive father, has risen above his poor upbringing and he and his two friends (the other books in the series center around them) have worked hard, been innovative, and are now multi-billionaires. Everett's main goal in attaining wealth and status is to give back to those who share a similar background to his, a noble goal indeed. With a London charity auction coming up to raise money for one of his charitable foundations, he asks his best friend, Freya, to accompany him to the gala and auction as his date. Although Freya has, over the years, turned down every one of his offers to help her financially or otherwise, this time Freya has an ulterior motive and accepts his invitation to accompany him to London

It's no secret that Everett is incredibly popular with the ladies--the man is tall, fit, and gorgeous, and if anyone can give Freya an orgasm, it's her best friend. In fact, when she was younger, and also somewhat drunk, she once confessed to him her doubt about her ability to have one, and he promised her that if she wanted him to give her one, he'd happily comply. The subject never came up again--at least until now. What Freya doesn't know is that Everett is a Dom, and usually finds his partners at exclusive BDSM clubs around the world. It's been his well-kept secret, but it won't be a secret for long.

Since Everett is used to seeing Freya in either the ill-fitting clothing her aunt grudgingly provided early on, or a pair of greasy overalls at her garage, when she shows up at the gala in a green silk and satin evening gown he's stunned by her beauty, and once she's again she gets slightly tipsy before she reminds him of his promise years earlier, and asks him for that favor, and he wastes no time in agreeing to help her, and does he ever. They never even make it to a room, and when Ms. Ashenden writes steamy sex scenes, she doesn't mess around, and I can't recall if she's ever written a sexier, steamier novel than this one. During their brief encounter in an alcove, Everett's dominant side emerges, but while he feared it would offend Freya, he never expected Freya to be a submissive, or to be turned on by his dominance, and suddenly this supposedly one-and-done encounter turns into a whole lot more.

So, can a deep and meaningful, years-long, and treasured friendship survive after these two compelling characters get together sexually? They each harbor closely-guarded secrets, in Freya's case, it's her low self-esteem, and her secret love for her best friend. In Everett's case, it's his fear that he's no better than his abusive father--the reason for his control issues, the reason he's never married and the reason why he opts for BDSM scenes with strangers in sex clubs. Since I don't do spoilers, you'll just have to read Sexy Beast for yourself--if you like your romance novels smoking hot, and the characters in them to have some depth, you won't be disappointed.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Sexy Beast by Jackie Ashenden is currently scheduled for release on April 1 2020. Commanding billionaire Everett Calhoun reveals his sexy dark side to his girl-next-door best friend in the second installment of the Billion $ Bastards trilogy. I was born bad. Maintaining tight control—in business and in the bedroom—is the only way to keep my darkness in check. So when my girl-next-door best friend, Freya, comes to me for a sexual favor, I don’t see the harm in giving her what she needs. After all, I’ve always kept her firmly in the friend zone. But after showing her that there’s nothing wrong with her ability to orgasm, it’s all I can do to walk away. Unleashing my inner beast on the person who matters most to me is not an option. She wants me but is she prepared to follow my every command, to submit to my will and let me take her to the ultimate heights of pleasure? Getting Freya on her knees should make me feel like the monster I am, but being with her leaves me more vulnerable, more human, than ever. I need to reclaim the friendship we had before I lose control completely, or will she have me on my knees?

Sexy Beast is part of the Harlequin Dare line, which means it is heavy on the heat, if the description of the book does not give that away. This is also the second book in a trilogy, but can stand well on its own. I have not read the previous book but know from context the other two books in the series must center on Everett's business partners. There is some Dom/Sub play and a lot of bearing of souls as well as bodies. Everett and Freya are best friends, and have been since they were children. Each have some childhoods trauma and significant lingering issues because of it. I love that they work hard to help each other while also forcing each other to face the truth. Seeing them each come to terms with their feelings and the implications was painful, but in the best way. Confidence and control issues are some of the most common, and seeing them handled with such care, with the underlying levels of trust and honest caring was wonderful. While the heat level was high, it in no way overpowered the emotional character arc, the trust and friendship they shared was the key to the entire story. Sometimes the biggest obstacles to a happy ever after lie in the minds and pride of the people involved, and that was certainly the case here. I found the fears, frustrations, and care for each other to be very realistic and engaging to read and think that fans of contemporary romance with high heat levels will agree.

Sexy Beast is a romance that is emotionally charged and full of heat.

Freya and Everett have been best friends forever. Thanks to her billionaire best friend she is in London attending a gala to help support him and his two business partners. But she also has ulterior motives. Her sex life is dull, and thanks to a promise on one drunken night, she needs Everett to fulfill his promise.

He never forgot his promise to give Freya an orgasm. He just never expected her to remember. When one orgasm fuels his kinky dominant side and Freya shows a need to be controlled..... things heat up quickly for these two best friends. He thinks he will scare her off with this need for control, she has loved him forever and sees only good can they get over the hurtles of their pasts to have happily ever after ???

This book was smoking hot! I read it in one steamy night. I loved the back story between the characters.

Sexy Beast is the second book in the Billion $ Bastards series by Jackie Ashenden. A fast-paced steamy romance that will have you turning the pages as fast as you can read them. A story full of steamy heat, heart and poignant emotional moments. I can't wait to read more in the Billion $ Bastards series

Full review upon release. Friends to more than friends done right. Easy read by a wonderful author. Guessing (hoping) side characters get their own stories soon!

I am enjoying this series and cant wait for the next book. The men are hot and the women are feisty.

I have been a huge Jackie Ashenden fan so whenever I see a new story by her I devour it in one sitting. Sexy Beast was another fantastic story full of uber heat, heart and poignant emotional moments. I loved Freya and Everett. Their connection was so solid being lifelong friends and their sexual chemistry was through the roof scorching!

What I loved more than anything in this story was the honesty between Freya and Everett. There were zero games. They trusted one another and when Freya decided to ask Everett for a favor, he was all in. I enjoyed both their backstories and what made them so vulnerable. All in all this was fantastic!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. 4 stars! ~Ratula