I got to 37% and I am sorry but I cannot read any more.

I get the dominant man theme in books, but Sebastian is just giving me an ick. I don’t know if my taste in books has changed, but he’s just a no for me and is starting to give off creeper vibes. Maybe it’s just me.

And then Lily with her no-shit attitude… love it! Until it comes in Sebastian. A guy she’s known for a week.

OhMyGod and then her friend pretty much telling Lily to go lose her virginity. In so many words anyway. She’s there ‘go and get felt up in a club by some weirdo.’ No! She’s saving these things for the right guy - whether she meant to or not is not the point.

I’m just finding lots of flaws with the characters. Jackson hasn’t been in much - and I feel like I’m stopping before the real crux of the story - so I cannot comment on him. But I do find it a little idiotic that some other guy is into Lily and NOW he thinks it’s the right time to start a little bit of flirting?? Really!?

But, then again guys are idiotic.

I also found it unnecessary to show us a scene and then a few pages later recount everything that happened in that scene because one of the characters was telling another what happened. It just felt like repeating for the sake of a word count to me. You can just put “so I told XXXX what happened, they gave the appropriate nods and ages and shocks as I spoke….” Sort of thing. You don’t have to recount every teeny tiny detail again.

I may try and finish it at a later date. But ATM it is a DNF for me. I’m so sorry.

I recently finished reading Pursuit of Innocence by Bethany Rosa, and I have to say, it was a captivating and steamy read. The story follows Lily, a driven and ambitious college student who has her sights set on a successful career. However, her plans are derailed when she finds herself caught in a love triangle between the charming playboy billionaire, Sebastian Dubree, and her longtime crush, Jackson.

Lily is torn between her attraction to Sebastian's dominant personality and Jackson's familiarity. As the two men compete for her affections, Lily must decide which path to take. But when someone takes matters into their own hands, Lily's life is turned upside down, and she must confront her true desires and the consequences of her actions.

The plot is fast-paced, with plenty of steamy scenes that will leave readers yearning for more. The characters are well-developed, and their emotions and motivations are explored in-depth. The writing style is engaging, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I reached the end.

Overall, Pursuit of Innocence is an excellent coming-of-age romance that explores the boundaries between desire and resistance. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves steamy romance novels with well-crafted characters and a compelling plot.

Pursuit of Innocence by Bethany Rosa delivers a sizzling, fast-paced romance that tugs at the classic heartstrings of choice and desire. In this tale, Lily, a determined young woman with clear life goals, finds herself caught between two contrasting suitors: Sebastian Dubree, the assertive billionaire with a commanding presence, and Jackson, her longstanding crush who suddenly realizes what he might lose. As Lily navigates the complexities of her emotions and the advances of both men, the story dives into the themes of self-discovery and the challenges of maintaining personal integrity in the face of overwhelming attraction.

The novel excels in delivering steamy encounters and the thrilling dynamics of a love triangle, making it a captivating read for those looking for an indulgent escape. Although it doesn't promise to redefine the genre, Pursuit of Innocence succeeds as an enjoyable and quick romance, perfect for those leisure moments when you just want to lose yourself in the fervor of youthful passion and the allure of romantic dilemmas. With its straightforward narrative and engaging characters, the book is a solid pick for fans looking for a straightforward, pleasurable read without delving too deep into complexity.

Thanks for the ARC!

This made my brain twist in ways I didn't expect. Astonishing yet equally amazing debut from Bethany rosa. I loved it 😊

When I started this book, I was a little concerned that it was going to be so focused on just the virginity of the FMC Lily. While, yes, it definitely had a lot of focus on her innocence and how inexperienced she was, this book took so many different turns that I wasn't expecting that I seriously had a hard time putting it down. Lily is a college student who is working on a degree in marketing and is working for a small company. Her boss is awful and a pervert, she's in love with her best friend's brother and she is just trying to get through the last two months of college. Then she runs into Sebastian. Literally runs into him. And so begins a story of Sebastian trying to get into her pants. Once he learns of her innocent-ness though, he makes it his mission to not only get her to trust him but also to eventually be the one to have all her firsts. There's also an underlying story of Lily being followed around by a creepy person.
The way that Sebastian starts turning from giant playboy into lovesick man is so sweet to read and witness and made me love him so much. Did he have red flags himself? Oh absolutely, but baby did I ignore them. He's a bit controlling but that plays into his dom side and Lily is very much a submissive woman. Seeing the way that they navigate their feelings and relationship was intriguing. The way everything came to an end was a bit wild but it was great to see a HEA.
I still think Jackson is a bit of a creep even if he turned into a fine guy at the end (seriously though, who WATCHES when you have feelings like that, iykyk)

A really gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to look out for more by this author.

3⭐️
3🌶️
I found it an entertaining story and I finished the book quickly.
At the beginning I thought Sebastian was an interesting character, but the further the story progressed, the more annoyed I became with him.
So many red flags...
I sincerely don't understand what Lily still saw in him at the end, but to each his own of course 😉
Thank you NetGalley and Bethany Rosa for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll be honest, when I started this book I thought it was going to be pure erotica and not a lot of plot (which hey, isn’t always a bad thing). However, I was very pleasantly surprised.

I loved the characters in this book. The angst, the tension, the banter was all top notch. There was definitely a solid plot and even a few unexpected twists. Not to mention the on point, steamy spice. Was this still a very sexually driven book? Yes (in the best way!!🥵) but it was also so much more.

So easy to read, I finished it in one day. A little insta lust, a little “let me prove she’s mine”, playboy falls for good girl… it was… *chefs kiss* 🤌🏻

Thank you Netgalley and Bethany Rosa for this ARC in exchange for my honest review🩷

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Romance 🩷🩷
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Darkness ☠️

“I’m done waiting around. You’re mine. No more games or pining
over someone else when it’s me you want. You won’t remember
his name after I get through with you.”

Lily knows exactly what she wants in life. To graduate, land a high-paying job, and forge her own way. Nothing will distract her. Until the ultimate playboy, billionaire Sebastian Dubree, barges in. Not to be overlooked, Lily’s longtime crush, Jackson, decides she’s worth the fight.

Reluctant to succumb to either, she quickly becomes a challenge to conquer. Lily must decide between the familiarity of her childhood longing or the newly discovered passion ignited by the dominant CEO. But can she surrender without losing herself in the process, or will someone take matters into his own hands?

Boundaries blur between desire and resistance in this gripping coming-of-age romance, leaving readers yearning for more.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. The choppiness of the writing made it really difficult for me to read, and I think this one is a miss for me. Regardless, I hope it reaches its audience!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pursuit of Innocence is book 1 in a new series and can be read stand alone.

This was such a guilty pleasure read that I could not put down. It is a darker romance so check out the trigger warnings prior to proceeding!

A book very similar to Fifty Shades! Yes! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I was entertained and thought the author did a fair job developing her version of this trope.

Pursuit of Innocence is like a guilty pleasure you just can't put down. From the moment I cracked open its pages, I was swept into a whirlwind of passion, drama, and heartache. Lily's struggle to balance her ambitions with her budding romantic entanglements had me rooting for her every step of the way. What I loved most about this book is its ability to keep me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had Lily's love life all figured out, the plot threw in unexpected twists and turns that kept me glued to the page. With its well-drawn characters and steamy romance, Pursuit of Innocence is a great read for anyone looking for a juicy escape from reality.

Hold onto your hats, folks, because Pursuit of Innocence is about to whisk you away on a wild ride through the tangled web of love and longing! Lily's determination to stay focused on her goals gets a serious shake-up when billionaire bad boy Sebastian Dubree and childhood crush Jackson both come knocking. Talk about a love triangle for the ages! But what sets this book apart is its exploration of desire and self-discovery. Lily's struggle to maintain her independence while navigating the seductive pull of passion will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Trust me, you won't want to miss out on the sizzling chemistry and heart-pounding drama of Pursuit of Innocence—it's a romance lover's dream come true!

Loved reading the engaging and captivating romance story. Even though Sebastian only wants a no strings attached relationship with Eliza, she is finding it harder and harder to resist Sebastian's charms. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting love story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the fantastic author, Bethany Rosa.

So yes this is reminiscent of 50 shades and probably would be aimed at all those who enjoyed that or similar. However, it is too similar and the characters are not as intriguing. It is easy enough to read and if you like to read a spicy romance with a billionaire and a virgin then this will be a fun read. I didn't particularly love either main character but in particular found Lily to be both naive for no real reason but at the same time pretty savvy, not to mention a very fortunate character to always land on her feet!
It is hard to review a book that reminds you so much of another and not compare them but in all honesty if I was asked for a recommendation of this type of book I probably wouldn't choose this one.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really wanted to like this book but I was struggling to get through this book. It gave me Fifty Shades Of Grey vibes and I just didn't like it.

Unfortunately for me this is the first book i have DNF i always try and finish a book regardless so that i can leave a valid review on a finished book however, the story line was very predictable, it felt like i was reading fifty shades of grey all over again, I did however love Lilly and her relationship with Cici and how Lilly started to come out of her shell. But because of the predictability i found that i was too often putting the book down and distracting myself with other things. It didn't have me hooked and i found my attention span withered.

Fifty shades of grey but in a book. They are so similar that I couldn't finish reading. This book didn't give me anything special to make me want to continue. it was so predictable and I didn't care for the main characters. If you never watched 50 shades of grey then you would probably enjoy it but I was getting a lot of Deja vu.

Upon struggling to reach the 63% read mark, I have decided that it was time to officially label this book as DNF (Did Not Finish)

I want to enjoy this book and appreciate the book for what it is however Pursuit of Innocence is extremely similar to one specific book that I have read before. If I hadn't have read that once specific book or have watched that one specific movie about that specific book, perhaps I would have enjoyed this more and could finish it.
Overall, it lacks something to make it stand out more, its missing some pizzazz to make it unique. The characters...well I can honestly say that I really don't care for them much. Infact, I can't decide which main character I dislike the most. Without giving too many spoilers, there is a time and place for some dominant spice in your life but too much (and in public) is pushing it.
That stops and makes me think. I do have some sort of emotion over the characters and this book. I cared enough to at least form some sort of opinion and perhaps that was all the writer wanted.
I mean no disrespect to the author. I understand that it's a very challenging and brave thing to do to write a book and hope they continue writing more!