Waking Up With a Billionaire
Grade : C+

Waking Up With a Billionaire is the final instalment in the Overnight Billionaires series by Katie Lane, which tells the stories of the owners of the French Kiss lingerie company and their happily ever afters. Grayson, the artist brother, gets his turn in this one as he struggles with a creative block. Chloe, the enigmatic woman who caused said block, has been avoiding Grayson, but finally succumbs to his request to allow him to paint her. What happens after that is not only an unlocking of his creativity, but his heart.

Chloe’s been on the run from her past for years and has been diligent about avoiding the limelight. When she gets brought into the world of French Kiss (which happened in a previous book and is not explained here), the owners are immediately after her to model their products. She declines until they concoct a way to let her model without showing her face. This interaction, which was also covered in a previous book, is primarily with Grayson. His strong reaction to her and her immediate retreat from him leads to the artistic block he’s suffering at the beginning of this book.

Events in this novel mean Chloe’s carefully constructed seclusion is shattered and she’s forced to confront her past, but not before finally agreeing to model for him again. This leads to sexytimes, which leads to more of Chloe’s secrets being discovered, which leads to more sexytimes, and so on and so forth. She’s forced to confront her past, which is less menacing but more complicated than she realized. Grayson and Chloe untangle the puzzle together as their hot chemistry gives way to romantic commitment and a happily ever after.

When I read the description of Waking Up With a Billionaire, I was intrigued. Artists can make excellent protagonists, as they often have their own internal drama which can drive a plot. I had no idea this book had anything to do with a lingerie company, as I hadn’t read any of the others in the series and this was my introduction to both this world and Ms. Lane’s writing. The reviews of her other books were excellent, and I was looking forward to a fun and flirty read.

However, I was immediately confused and slightly lost. I couldn’t really understand the motivations of any of the characters; I couldn’t connect with any of them. The other brothers, whose stories happened in the two previous books, were not characters I felt any compunction to go back and get to know, and the rest of the cast just didn’t work for me. There is a lot of company history I didn’t quite grasp, which – again - I believe was covered in previous books. This one also suffers from third book syndrome in that too many folks are introduced too quickly and anyone new to the series is easily overwhelmed by the sheer amount of names to keep track of so quickly.

It could simply be that one needs to read the whole series in order to fully appreciate the plot and I respect that a newbie may not be the target audience for this book in the series. That possibility is why I’ve graded it as I have; this disconnect may very well be my fault. However, if that’s the case, allow me to climb back on my series soapbox and request a note from the author at the beginning of the book indicating that. If I need to know things before I dive into your book, please let me know. Publishers, editors, authors… someone, please let me know. There was no such note in the review copy I received, so if there’s one in the final copy, I’ll stand corrected.

This could also be a classic case of “good for you, not for me”. If you love broody Alpha Billionaires who choose grunting over speaking, I think Waking Up With a Billionaire may be for you. If mercurial heroines who have a flair for the dramatic tick your boxes - ditto. If you’ve read and enjoyed the first two books, I get the impression this is an excellent conclusion to the series. But if you, like me, have not been on this journey for all of the books I would not recommend jumping in at this point.

 

 

Reviewed by Kristen Donnelly
Grade : C+

Sensuality: Hot

Review Date : July 25, 2016

Publication Date: 07/2016

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Kristen Donnelly

Voracious reader, with a preference for sassy romances and happily ever afters. In a relationship with coffee, seeing whiskey on the side.
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