Brutal Billionaire #1
KU E-book and Audible audiobook
Author: Laurelin Paige
Narrators: Elena Wolfe and Jacob Morgan
Holt Sebastian doesn’t really understand the word “no”. If he wants it, he gets, Simple as that. And what he wants is Brystin Shaw, an aspiring news anchor from a small affiliate channel in the Sebastian Media corporation. Who cares that she’s married to her much older producer husband.
So he, in “Indecent Proposal” fashion, offers a deal that will give Brystin (and her husband Michael) all they ever wanted. All they have to give in exchange is Brystin in Holt’s bed.
Let me start by saying that this is not a book about Brystin cheating on her husband. They have a pretty much open marriage and Michael has enjoyed its perks from the start. Well, Brystin not so much. So if you want to get technical, Michael’s cheated on her because she never took advantage of their arrangement.
Holt is the alphahole you love to swoon over. He’s complex: a love-starved man who is at the same is a commitment-phobe and has lost his faith in people’s ability to love. He’s brutal in his quest to “possess” Brystin, while showing her with little but very significant things – like calling her “honeybee” – how invested he is in being with her.
I loved Brystin’s personal growth. She realized she as been a pawn for too long and it’s time to take the reins of her life and, by doing it, she brings the “AssHolt” to his knees.
If you fell in love with Laurelin’s Donovan Kincaid, brace yourself for filthy Holt Sebastian.
Narration: Sweet Baby Jay Zoos… my ears are singed! Elena Wolfe is phenomenal as Brystin, starting out as a somewhat insecure who ends up in total control of her life. Ah, Jacob Morgan being as @$$hole is a treat to the ears and you know it. Get the audiobook, just sayin’… and earphones. 😉
CW: open marriage, use of powerful position for coercion, death of a parent by suicide (historical), addiction (mention), unrequited love of a character that isn’t the hero, toxic relationships with family members, including parents
