Beauty and her Billionaire Beast: Volume 1 (Tall, Dark and Dangeous)

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Hero does kiss an escort which the heroine gets for him in frustration (though they resemble the heroine) Nero was an incredibly damaged hero. He was a HUGE asshole, to begin with, and I wasn't sure I was going to get over that. As the book goes on the author peels more layers from his character, and I found myself falling a little in love with him myself. I thought Phoebe was a great character as well. She was damaged, but to a way lesser extent than Nero, and I enjoyed the way she stood up to him while still recognizing that his behavior was stemming from a place of pain and hurt. Together these two characters healed each other. Yes, this story is based on Beauty and the Beast, but you'd be hard pressed to identify it as such without the word "beast" in the title, since, in the fairy tale, the Beast is actually a beast, and the beast in this novel is just a man, albeit a demanding, obnoxious, rude, impatient, deeply troubled, angry, emotionally scarred and tortured man, who is also a beast to work for, Nero de Santis. Sadly, he hasn't the first clue as to how to deal with his issues, or even admit that he has issues, at least until the day that Phoebe Taylor, a 28-year-old British woman, shows up for an interview as his next victim in a long chain of failed personal assistants, some of the previous ones lasting less than a day in his presence and all of them fleeing his home/office in tears. I loved all the little sweet moments between them. They felt very much like a couple. My heart warmed a bit they were having dinner then cuddled on the couch while talking. It really touched me. I loved how they wanted to know one another completely, and I totally believed it. It wasn't just about sex for them but something more. They cared and helped each other. It was relationship should be and it was beautifully played out. With Disney's Beauty and the Beast release, and my love of fairytales, I can't get enough retellings. Beauty and the Billionaire Beast did not disappoint.

Heroine is engaged throughout her affair with the hero- though her fiancée is in coma in hospital and later dies. Nero lives in huge house, a house he hasn't left in ten years he's cold, hard selfish and ruthless and he can't keep an assistant (no surprise there) despite the huge salary he offers. The sex scenes are amazing- and the feels for both the characters are insane. You feel equally bad for them.. but the ending makes up for it. Their pasts shape them, but they find they freedom in each other. This is my first book by Maria Hoagland and I can tell you that it definitely won't be my last! I am looking forward to reading more by her! :)I found the story to be well written and I did like the authors style of storytelling. What I couldn't get on board with were the characters. Nero was an unlikable asshole this whole entire book and I never once saw a redeemable quality in him. What's so great about beastly protagonists is that underneath their growl is a good person. Not the case here, at least for me. A Muslim billionaire takes a risk on a Christian girl. A Christian girl who prays for love and meets a Muslim billionaire. Time builds love and a family. Complications follow. Is this love doomed or will their love prevail despite the pressure of religious differences? I REALLY enjoyed this one. This is the second book by this author I have read (The Billionaire's Virgin being the first), and she knows how to weave a tale. It was a surprisingly dark subject matter with the hero's issues, and I wasn't expecting that, but it all worked so well for me.

Nero hasn’t left his house in ten years—he demands the world come to him, and the world is only too happy to bend to the strong-willed billionaire. Ruthless, cold, and selfish, Nero wants for nothing and takes care of no one but himself. His last handful of assistants have left his house in tears, but the prim redhead applying for the job looks up to the task. Nero has spent his life shut within the walls he built, with no care to have more than a window to the outside world. But the fiery passion he senses beneath his reserved assistant’s exterior makes him want to break down the barriers he lives behind, and unleash the beast within. Now Nero is a different matter completely the first time we meet him he's cold ruthless and uncaring but slowly, very slowly we see him start to change partly through his attraction to Phoebe, he's never really wanted anything he hasn't been instantly able to have before but also because he spends so much time with her and watching her he sees other things, reactions and feelings and it's all new to him. We know he's damaged but we discover just how damaged he truly is. Since I absolutely adored the first book in this series, I was super excited for this. And it wasn't disappointing.It was so sweet to watch them fall in love. I felt invested in them, felt the connection, and loved the heat when they were together. I hope the author brings more of this into her other books. If a character is damaged and lashes out I want to understand why. Not a guy who’s just and ass for the sake of it. Give me someone I can connect to and who I can see grow. She nailed it for me in this book. This is what I want in a book. But is Emma really an enemy? If he were to believe everything he has been told his entire life the answer would be yes, she is! But there is just something about her that draws him in and has him questioning everything he has been taught. Phoebe needs this job badly and the huge salary that comes with it you see she has been caring for her fiancé who is in a coma for the last two years and her savings are running out but when she arrives for her interview she meets a beast and cruel beast who demands her time and her soul but the ever caring and hard -working Phoebe takes on the challenge and sees through him and is determined to find out why he is the way he is. Once I got through the first half the book with setup then it got so much better. Once the emotions and issues came intimacy play then the romance took off. It really showed off the intimacy between Nero and Phoebe, and not just physically but emotionally. The emotion was really got me and touched me. From that moment on, I was really into the story. How could not be when I was really invested in their romance after that. It was about their caring and helping one another through their issues. They were both unselfish with one another. They experienced that before only with each other. It was a beautiful thing to witness as they became closer and closer to one another. I was rooting for them. This book showed how a healthy relationship should develop and grow over time. Again very beautiful, which was the testament to to their romance. They fit and belonged together. I loved their story and journey together and was happy that they worked through their issues together. They needed each other and nothing else it was suffice.

Fireflies, garden gnomes, and dancing under the stars in this fairytale enemies-to-lovers sweet romance. ♥♥ Fall under the spell of Louisiana magic, enchanting characters, and fairy-tale endings in this Beauty & the Beast- inspired sweet contemporary novel. ♥♥ When he ends up losing 10 assistants in a month, he is surprised when the prim and proper Phoebe applies for it. He is instantly intrigued by her.Bottom line, this book wasn't for me. I'm sure many other people will read it and fall in love with these characters so I will still recommend it for anyone that's a fan of a very beastly Hero. Phoebe needs the obscene amount of money that comes with being Nero’s personal assistant for one thing, and one thing only—to pay for the mounting hospital costs that her fiancee’s two-year coma continues to incur. She’s heard rumors that the de Santis beast is a force that cannot be tamed—but even she isn’t prepared to handle the smoldering intensity simmering beneath his hard shell of feral dominance. Nero is hiding something, something he is fighting with every step he takes. Yet he can’t help but stake his claim on this woman who has shaken up his life, and Phoebe can’t believe this animal of a man is the one person to ever look into her eyes and see her soul. Nero wants to keep her. He wants to devour her. And Phoebe just might let him. It is an enthralling story, one where the very caring nature of Phoebe has an impact on the traumatised Nero. As secrets from the past are revealed, both have experienced tragedies in their lives which impact on their attitudes and behaviour. It is not a typical romance but is a delightful story that I thoroughly enjoyed escaping into and have no hesitation in highly recommending! From the moment she discovers Indigo Pointe she is intrigued and knows this is the planation that her Opa remembers. Surely she will be able to find all the answers to her questions. But her hope diminishes slightly when she discovers the handsome stranger who came to her aide has a beastly side to him. The first scene that really got me and really made get this and enjoy it was the scene in her bedroom where Nero was trying to get her admit that she wanted. He pushed her, but in a very nice and caring way. It was clear that he cared about her. For first time in her life someone put her needs before their own, and in fact this was the first time that put someone else needs before his own. Usually he took what he wanted no questions asked and it would be all about him, but not in this instance with Phoebe. He was kind and caring during those moments with her, wanting show her pleasure without pressure. She never had that before. He helped her through and guided her in this pleasurable journey where she didn't have hide any longer. She could just let go and did in a big way.