Hello everyone!
And I mean perfect.
What's better than reading about a random, deserted island, so isolated that no one else even knows about it, and two people who used to be lovers but are now on their own separate paths, though they somehow land on it together?
Not much, is my answer.
Then again it depends on your point of view, probably.
But I will say this: if you've enjoyed previous books by Serenity Woods, I'm confident you'll love this one just as much, because we are continuing with The Billionaire Princes this week in our reviews, and the second book, The Castaway Billionaire, tells us all there is to know about Theo.
You remember Theo - tall, handsome as sin, with some baggage from the past? Well it's time to drop that baggage.
Links to the previous book of the series as well as any others connected to it in any way, shape or form will be waiting for you to explore them down at the bottom of the page.
But on with the show, and the ARC I was so kindly provided by the author!
The story of Castaway Billionaire follows Theo Prince, our billionaire, and his ex girlfriend Victoria, who is an online star that expanded her business into a very successful situation from just starting with yoga videos on Youtube.
She's also, in other words, the one that got away, as we learn through reading the book, but I'm going to lay it all out for you right at the start so you know what's what:
she and Theo met at random at a fitness center, ended up in bed, and finally in a relationship which took whirlwind turn after whirlwind turn as they just meshed so well together. This was in their early twenties, however, and Vic was still building her business and on the cusp of travelling to Europe with her best friend when things came to a screeching halt.
See, Vic learned she was pregnant - and while not necessarily against children, Theo and she had decided at the time that they'd want to focus on their careers first, but a child would mean marriage (Theo and his family are traditional and honourable enough) and potentially something to hold her back, as per views of the time.
Now Vic herself might have been able to navigate this if not for the fact her BFF came to tell her she saw Theo kissing another woman, which prompted Vic to break it off with him, rather abruptly and without much leave for him to even explain himself or defend himself for that matter.
So that's how everything stands when they run into one another on a flight from Fiji, and Theo asks her to have a drink with him.
They do still know each other quite well, and so when Theo gets a 'feeling', a sort of sixth sense in a way, Vic pays attention, which is probably what saves her life when lightning hits the fuel tank of their plane during a storm they're flying through, causing it to go down into the sea. About three quarters of the passengers sadly don't make it, but Vic and Theo DO, floating away on a life raft and, after a few days at sea, landing at a random small island in the archipelago.
Once there, it's a priority to get a shelter going, find some food, get the water thing started, etc, all those little tidbits you need to survive, and honestly I personally loved this section of the book because it felt so REAL.
For example Victoria hasn't eaten meat since she was a teenager and so even eating fish causes problems for her; they both get quite badly sunburnt from exposure, and there's even an encounter with a spider that's as big as your hand, so count me OUT.
But most importantly, even as they discover other food that might help Vic more, they begin drifting closer and closer to each other once more, with Theo building her a sort of haven for her yoga practices and meditation, discussing possibilities for the future in which Vic admits she's been dissatisfied with the way her company has been developing lately ...
and of course, the all-important talk.
Because there's more to their original story than meets the eye.
Theo explains that it couldn't possibly have been him kissing that other woman since he'd been stuck in meetings with his father and brother all day long and only really left after she messaged him, but more importantly that he saw her best friend giving him an evil, evil smile when she was closing the door that last time.
Also, he was going to propose to Vic and fly out to her wherever she'd be filming at the time, because, billionaire, DUH.
Vic, shocked to the core that her friend who'd known her all her life could do that to her, admits she'd been pregnant, but that the stress of everything probably stands behind her miscarriage at the time, something they both get to mourn together. Theo also explains to her that just because her father cheated on her mother doesn't mean every single man is the same, and she's doing them all a disservice and dishonour by thinking so - back then, she'd been judge, jury and executioner, and didn't even let Theo defend himself on the basis that he was just the same as the rest.
She also comes to admit her friend can be a bit emotionally manipulative, not ordering her about directly but definitely couching things in terms that can't be refused - but equally that SHE's married, yet Victoria, the star of the show, is conspicuously single.
At that point they rekindle their relationship, and the very next day get rescued by Theo's father, brother and Brock King (because you need a doctor on call and who else would fly out to Fiji at a moments' notice???). They return to the land of the living to find their whole families at the resort waiting for their safe arrival, and a media storm because someone dug up information from their past, and because both of them are well-known and loved.
Vic holds on to a shred of doubt still until she sees the face of her best friend - who made herself absent during the entire homecoming - at which point they have a confrontation where the other woman admits to doing what Theo told Vic she did, because she was afraid Vic was going to drop everything just to be with the guy and the business would never take off.
Basically, she did it "for her own good".
Sure thing, honey, sure thing.
Walking away from her business and deciding to buy some land next to where Ben Prince lives where she can establish a haven of sorts for meditation, women to come to when needed, other creative arts, etc., Vic also decides to give it another go with Theo as the two of them figure, life is short. You only get the one, so why waste it?
The book wraps with a transcript from a morning talk show which they're guests off where we learn they're engaged and planning their wedding, and that their future looks bright.
The end!
As I loved Theo when he was first introduced in The Irresistible Billionaire, I'm so happy his was the second book in the series!
We've all seen this before, right? Two people who used to be together get on a plane, plane ends up crashing, they wash up on an island in the middle of nowhere, and then they have to survive. Think Robinson Crusoe, that Tom Hanks movie, and the movie with Harrison Ford and Anne Heche, basically.
The difference from other books of the same narrative - to me at least - is that this one FEELS real, like I've already said.
There's definite problems with dehydration, sunburn, not being used to the diet available once on an island with no access to modern amenities, but there's also just some time off, you know? It's terrible, but at the same time, it's that pause button for both Theo and Vic, honestly.
And it's a chance to talk about what the heck drove them apart back in the day when she accused him of cheating on her and didn't give him the chance to defend himself.
SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't happen the way you think, see above.
They do get rescued, and we get some LOVELY cameos from the other Princes (and Brock King! I swear he keeps popping up, and I love it; I'm also convinced Charlie did the mathematics behind the search grid and Matt probably drew a bunch of maps just because that's my headcanon, thank you VERY much), and I can't wait to read their books as well. I'm especially hoping that the Prince father, Nick, gets one too, because I feel like we keep getting teased about how amazing he is (and about his looks!) so it'd be a crime otherwise, I say.
ANYWAY, crisis averted, the billionaire and online superstar have been saved, they clear the air about their relationship, AND there's a really fun ending that's slightly different from other epilogues I've read thus far. I think the only talk show hosts that come close are the ones on Home and Family from Hallmark, maybe. The sad part of it is that unfortunately, Theo's grandfather passes away, and after meeting him in the first book that's definitely a thing to regret - but he had a good life, at least. And the family holds off the funeral until they can find Theo, at that.
I really enjoyed how Theo stood his ground and didn't let Victoria walk all over him, but I equally enjoyed the spine that emerged when she figured out what happened, and put her foot down. I read the book in one go and couldn't put it down either.
We've all seen this before, right? Two people who used to be together get on a plane, plane ends up crashing, they wash up on an island in the middle of nowhere, and then they have to survive. Think Robinson Crusoe, that Tom Hanks movie, and the movie with Harrison Ford and Anne Heche, basically.
The difference from other books of the same narrative - to me at least - is that this one FEELS real, like I've already said.
There's definite problems with dehydration, sunburn, not being used to the diet available once on an island with no access to modern amenities, but there's also just some time off, you know? It's terrible, but at the same time, it's that pause button for both Theo and Vic, honestly.
And it's a chance to talk about what the heck drove them apart back in the day when she accused him of cheating on her and didn't give him the chance to defend himself.
SPOILER ALERT: it doesn't happen the way you think, see above.
They do get rescued, and we get some LOVELY cameos from the other Princes (and Brock King! I swear he keeps popping up, and I love it; I'm also convinced Charlie did the mathematics behind the search grid and Matt probably drew a bunch of maps just because that's my headcanon, thank you VERY much), and I can't wait to read their books as well. I'm especially hoping that the Prince father, Nick, gets one too, because I feel like we keep getting teased about how amazing he is (and about his looks!) so it'd be a crime otherwise, I say.
ANYWAY, crisis averted, the billionaire and online superstar have been saved, they clear the air about their relationship, AND there's a really fun ending that's slightly different from other epilogues I've read thus far. I think the only talk show hosts that come close are the ones on Home and Family from Hallmark, maybe. The sad part of it is that unfortunately, Theo's grandfather passes away, and after meeting him in the first book that's definitely a thing to regret - but he had a good life, at least. And the family holds off the funeral until they can find Theo, at that.
I really enjoyed how Theo stood his ground and didn't let Victoria walk all over him, but I equally enjoyed the spine that emerged when she figured out what happened, and put her foot down. I read the book in one go and couldn't put it down either.
And to all the best friends out there: please remember NOT to make decisions for the best friends in your life without consulting them. You in fact have no idea what's best for them and what not, and they should be given the chance to do it themselves. Don't try to control them or think that all will be well, because it won't.
All in all, this is a sweet book, filled with adventure, the basis of what trust is, and the Princes. Because you can't have just one, you NEED more, like a hungry hippo!
10/10 recommend!
10/10 recommend!
xx
*image not mine
No comments:
Post a Comment