How to Blow It with a Billionaire

Arden St. Ives, Book #2

By Alexis Hall

ISBN: 9781455571369

Author’s Website: www(.)quicunquevult(.)com

 

Spoilers!!!!!

 

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Omar      

Summary

Once upon a time there was a totally ordinary boy who fell for a cold, beautiful prince. Only it’s not a fairytale, it’s my life. The prince is a billionaire called Caspian Hart. And we’re trying super hard to live happily ever after.

He’s everything I want, need, and can’t resist: a man who looks like a god and bangs like the devil. Except he’s still got his rules and he’s still got his secrets . . .

But if there’s one thing Caspian’s taught me it’s that you should never settle for less than you’re worth. And I’m worth his trust. I have to show him that I see him. That I’m not afraid of his passion, or his power, or his past. And that I won’t settle for less than everything.

 

Review

There are always times when your emotions get the better of you after reading a story.  You can cry for the suffering that the protagonists of the story have, you can be happy for them when they profess their love to each other, and you can feel their fear and confusion for the dystopian world they live in; but there are rare times when you just feel a murderous rage for a character in a book. That was my first emotion with How to Blow It with a Billionaire. Murder. I want “L” dead.

How to Blow It with a Billionaire starts with a strange letter to Arthur Hart, father of Caspian Hart. After it, the story continues where it left off in How to Bang a Billionaire, Arden wakes up in his family home in Scotland to find Caspian watching the dawn from the window in the room. As the two of them talk about what happened to make Arden leave London and Caspian asks for forgiveness. They come to an agreement that they will work on their relationship, and Arden decides to go back with Caspian to London. Once back at his apartment in One Hyde Park, Arden receives an angry visit from Ellery.  She is angry with him for just disappearing and not telling her that he left. As they make amends, Ellery reminds Arden that he needs to RSVP to her birthday party or he can’t attend.

As Arden and Caspian work on their relationship, Arden decides to send some of the articles he has written to a magazine that he likes, but as he waits for a response, he receives bad news that will make him leave London. Now they will have to see if their relationship can withstand the distance and the secrets that Caspian is keeping from Arden.

I liked How to Blow It with a Billionaire It was a good story and I liked Arden. I liked the way he thinks and looks at the world, but also how he grows and has more courage in himself over the course of the book.

The letter from the prologue got me a little worked up, but it made it into a kind of a search to find who was the mysterious “L” that was mentioned at the beginning, and find an explanation to what he’s talking about. For this type of book that has a BDSM genre, “L” is the best antagonist or villain that a character who has this lifestyle could have, and helps shape the story.

While the How to Blow It with a Billionaire is a BDSM book, compared to other books in this genre I didn’t think it was that dark. The sex scenes are lighter that what I expected when reading the summary of the book and the prologue of the book. They are still kinkier than normal sex, but not like other books that I have reviewed before. Still, I think that given the trouble and storyline that Arden and Caspian have, the lighter tone of the genre seem to help it progress in the long run.

This is the second book in the story, and given that I haven’t read the first book, I do recommend to readers to first read How to Bang a Billionaire, which is the first book of the Arden St. Ives series. It was a little confusing when they mention things that recently happened in the live Arden and Caspian, but at the same time we get to meet new people and get new situation that balance that missing information.

All the characters in this book were very interesting, and most of all my favorite one was Ellery. Her story and the way she interacts with all characters was so interesting and fun. Most characters have a so interesting life that I believe will can expand the storyline and make thing more exciting for Arden.

A thing that I really like was how Arden explain things or how author Alexis Hall captures the reading by setting the scene and explaining the things they do or are around the characters. For example, I loved how the author explains the photographs that George captures at Ellery’s birthday, or simply Ellery’s scene at her party.

Lastly, Arden and Caspian’s relationship. Over the course of the book, we get to see an aspect of their new relationship. They are trying to make it work, and at the same time trying to get to know each other. This relationship is new for both of them, and it seems to have a lot of up and downs, most of them with Caspian understanding himself and letting Arden into his life. I don’t think that Caspian can understand what the is feeling, and the trauma of his past has left deep scars that are stopping him from letting him be happy. But a silver lighting is those romantic scenes that come up so natural and give the reader hope for their future relationship.

If you are a fan of Alexis Hall or her work, such as the Arden St. Ives series, then I recommend you, How to Blow It with a Billionaire. In this story, two men try to forge a new relationship based on the desire and passion that they feel for one another, but their past is too heavy to let go, and sometimes speaking out loud is the best way to get what you really want, even when you are not sure if the other person wants to hear it.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*