Hello everyone!
I never put the review for the FIRST book in this series on here!
I'm honestly a dunce LOL.
I'll see about getting it done just as soon as I can, because, a Serenity Woods book DEMANDS to have its own blog post, no matter the when of it!
Ahem.
Moving on to tonight's book of choice, as you can see it's the SECOND in a new series that she's currently writing, and honestly? More billionaires who know how to be soft for the women they love and when to take control of the situation? Yes, please!
Without further ado, let's hop right into it, shall we?
Because, there's just nothing on this planet that would be better than The Mysterious Billionaire.
A general link to all my Serenity Woods reviews can be found at the bottom of the page, as per usual - I've accumulated a lot of them by now!
Anyway, The Wrong Billionaire is the first book in this series, covering Marcus Ashford's story, he being the middle child of the family and proposing an "arrangement" to long-time crush Wren, who wants his older brother, Caesar, to father her child. Marcus proposes marriage and stability, and he's also loved her since forever so, you can probably guess where this goes.
In The Mysterious Billionaire, however, we take a look at Caesar, who's the heir to the family company and legacy and wholly against selling to competitors, especially the Rutherford family.
What he doesn't know is that his steamy one-night stand encounter during a charity event was with a Rutherford! Maddie went in disguise, ended up liking Caesar so much that she said yes, and they went to do the horizontal tango together.
This is all well and good, if not for the fact that she definitely knew it was Caesar, and that they meet again in a business setting where he immediately recognizes her, despite the fact she wore a wig and actually has albinism (to be clear, her having albinism is NOT the problem, I pointed this out simply because she was so well-disguised, recognizing the real her could have been difficult).
He's naturally furious, of course, because he believes her grandfather sent her to set them up somehow and soften Caesar's no-sell stance, but he mellows towards her because he genuinely likes the girl, and he wants to see these projects the Rutherfords are testing out at one of their farms.
Turns out, the AI system Maddie's twin is putting into motion has nothing on an actual, tried and tested one with zero AI interference that Maddie herself has been working on at the farm, and Caesar is dutifully impressed, wanting to lead with that project rather than the AI one.
And, of course, there's only one bed at the cottage they're staying at.
Plus the chemistry is through the roof.
Things sour when Maddie's grandfather tries to pressure the Ashfords into giving him an answer earlier than expected after Maddie texts him saying she and Caesar aren't actively trying to kill each other, and Caesar is obviously on high alert from there.
It gets worse when he learns Maddie's pregnant, thinking it has to be her ex's.
Spoiler alert: it's his, from the night of the ball, not the ex's. Not that it helps him any, since now he REALLY thinks the Rutherfords are trying to trap him.
Doesn't help that Maddie's twin tells Maddie yes, grandpa did in fact send you with Caesar to that cottage so you could work your womanly wiles on him, he could tell something was up, so he was going to try and use it.
Maddie's shaken about that, more shaken still because Caesar's reaction is so volatile, but nothing can compare to the final meeting between the boards to discuss the future, in which the Rutherfords will categorically NOT be sold anything, will NOT be granted seats on the board, and the joint project that they'll be working on with the Ashfords will be led by Maddie, no one else.
Grandpa can try and spin it all he likes, but Caesar's not having any of it, and he tells the old man as much to his face.
Then he and Maddie decide to try and date normally, get to know one another before their baby comes, but of course, chemistry and attraction being what they are, they just ... fall into one another like it was always meant to be, and honestly?
It's the most beautiful choice of all.
Now, firstly: I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. Just so we're clear LOL
I always enjoy a new Serenity Woods book, no matter what the story actually turns out to be, because - and this is a big because - the author writes BEAUTIFULLY.
At this point I'm convinced she could write the next phonebook and I'd read it LOL
On to the actual story!
I'm enjoying seeing these farmers-turned-billionaires running around New Zealand, I really am. Caesar is the kind of MMC I can absolutely get behind, and I actually feel he didn't chew Tom Rutherford out ENOUGH. Sometimes you can take the high road, and other times you can just smack someone, it's more vindicating, especially in a book haha. Not that I imagined him actually hitting Tom, mind, but you get the drift.
Maddie, for some reason, just keeps lying a whole lot, all through the book, and it brings her nothing but trouble. You'd think someone moving towards 30 and out of their 20s, would figure out the first few times they need to change course, but she just ... doesn't!
Also, I really, really wanted a confrontation scene between her and her grandpa Tom. I feel like that would have elevated this book to a 5 stars for me, rather than keeping it at 4 stars. I mean, she literally learns the man USES her, for most of this book, and it never goes anywhere.
That's actually something I've noticed in the past few books Ms Woods released, actually, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, only something I noticed: confrontations that don't happen. In Spencer and Marama's book, we don't get to see Marama confront her family over how they treat Spencer, for example, as one thing I can think of. Like Maddie confronting Tom, too.
It's not that it's missing, exactly, it's just that an inclusion of it would clear a whole lot more, I think, as well as give additional insight into one of the main characters.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the fact Caesar couldn't stay away, but remained true to his personality in that he needed a little time to trust from how it was broke before. I loved how Maddie was such a nerd, and cutely clumsy. I think they work very well as a couple together, and hopefully he can help her with her mindset about her condition, as well!
I always enjoy a new Serenity Woods book, no matter what the story actually turns out to be, because - and this is a big because - the author writes BEAUTIFULLY.
At this point I'm convinced she could write the next phonebook and I'd read it LOL
On to the actual story!
I'm enjoying seeing these farmers-turned-billionaires running around New Zealand, I really am. Caesar is the kind of MMC I can absolutely get behind, and I actually feel he didn't chew Tom Rutherford out ENOUGH. Sometimes you can take the high road, and other times you can just smack someone, it's more vindicating, especially in a book haha. Not that I imagined him actually hitting Tom, mind, but you get the drift.
Maddie, for some reason, just keeps lying a whole lot, all through the book, and it brings her nothing but trouble. You'd think someone moving towards 30 and out of their 20s, would figure out the first few times they need to change course, but she just ... doesn't!
Also, I really, really wanted a confrontation scene between her and her grandpa Tom. I feel like that would have elevated this book to a 5 stars for me, rather than keeping it at 4 stars. I mean, she literally learns the man USES her, for most of this book, and it never goes anywhere.
That's actually something I've noticed in the past few books Ms Woods released, actually, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing, only something I noticed: confrontations that don't happen. In Spencer and Marama's book, we don't get to see Marama confront her family over how they treat Spencer, for example, as one thing I can think of. Like Maddie confronting Tom, too.
It's not that it's missing, exactly, it's just that an inclusion of it would clear a whole lot more, I think, as well as give additional insight into one of the main characters.
Overall, however, I enjoyed the fact Caesar couldn't stay away, but remained true to his personality in that he needed a little time to trust from how it was broke before. I loved how Maddie was such a nerd, and cutely clumsy. I think they work very well as a couple together, and hopefully he can help her with her mindset about her condition, as well!
xx
*image not mine
No comments:
Post a Comment