Gah, I don’t want Annika Martin to ever stop writing grumpy billionaire romances. Seriously. Just when I think she can’t write a different story, she finds one. Now, she has found a formula that seems to work for her: grumpy billionaire plus a heroine who keeps him on his toes, extrapolating his humanity through her erstwhile, independent way. Martin’s newest story, The Grumpy Billionaire, is more of this, and it is sure to put a smile on your face by the end.
To get there, however, her billionaire MMC, Hugo, has to recognize his feelings for her FMC, Stella, and he has to become comfortable acting on them. Thankfully, it doesn’t take him too long to recognize them, but it does take him a while to accept them. Martin has paced out her story well, building a mountain of chemistry between Stella and Hugo. It’s one of my favorite parts of this book. But Stella’s burgeoning understanding of Hugo is the piece de resistance of this book. If you fall in love with anything in The Grumpy Billionaire, it’s the puzzle pieces clicking together that charm your pants off.
I love Annika Martin’s ability to draw characters that are equal parts quirky and spicy. Her capacity to draw a swatch of characters over several books is special. She treats her readers to past beloved characters, and they work together to build a world that readers want to return to over and over again. Stella and Hugo now exist in this universe. We can also add their parents and Stella’s brother to that mix. Honestly, Annika Martin’s world of billionaires makes me remember the days of Fisher Price Little People toys: so many options and potential stories to tell.
If you’re looking for a story that will put a smile on your face, you should grab Annika Martin’s The Grumpy Billionaire today.
He’s married to his mission. She’s married to her career. Will Hale and Elsa allow their hearts to surrender and let love in?
Fighting the Pull, the heartrending, emotional fifth standalone book in the River Rain Series from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley is available now!
Hale Wheeler inherited billions from his father. He’s decided to take those resources and change the world for the better. He’s married to his mission, so he doesn’t have time for love.
There’s more lurking behind this decision. He hasn’t faced the tragic loss of his father, or the bitterness of his parents’ divorce. He doesn’t intend to follow in his father’s footsteps, breaking a woman’s heart in a way it will never mend. So he vows he’ll never marry.
But Hale is intrigued when he meets Elsa Cohen, the ambitious celebrity news journalist who has been reporting on his famous family. He warns her off, but she makes him a deal. She’ll pull back in exchange for an exclusive interview.
Elsa Cohen is married to her career, but she wants love, marriage, children. She also wants the impossibly handsome, fiercely loyal, tenderhearted Hale Wheeler.
They go head-to-head, both denying why there are fireworks every time they meet. But once they understand their undeniable attraction, Elsa can’t help but fall for the dynamic do-gooder.
As for Hale, he knows he needs to fight the pull of the beautiful, bold, loving Elsa Cohen, because breaking her would crush him.
The thing on my mind that I wasn’t admitting was taking more headspace than it should was the fact that Hale had texted the day before. Again. Why he wasn’t letting himself off the hook about this interview he never wanted in the first place, I did not know. And it wasn’t going to be me who let him off the hook. Oh no. Not officially. But I wasn’t returning his texts, so unofficially, the guy should take a hint. We’d made a deal almost a year before. The deal was, I’d kinda, sorta lay off his family, he’d give me an interview. I couldn’t totally lay off his family. They were the most celebrated celebrities in the world. Even the ones who hadn’t sought that out, like Chloe Pierce and Judge Oakley. But there were a great many different kinds of celebrity news, and it didn’t seem like Hale Wheeler had cottoned on to the fact I wasn’t a mudslinger. Sure, I also wasn’t an objective journalist. But I wasn’t TMZ either. Nugget of news: you could share gossip for a living and still be classy. I was proof of that (or I thought I was). I had my key ready to put into the four locks on the door to the building where my studio was in Brooklyn, and with practiced ease, I was out of the New York autumn morning cold in no time. I locked the door behind me and headed to the space in the sectioned off warehouse that I rented for my studio. I had to unlock that door too (only three locks this time), and once inside, I practically ran into Chuck, my cameraman, who was for some reason right there and crowding me. My space was small, but this was weird. I looked at his face, and…great. We’d probably been burgled. It wasn’t like I had a ton of expensive equipment, but what I had was hard won. I had offers coming in, and they were healthier than I’d allowed myself to dream, but I hadn’t signed on any dotted line. So, for the foreseeable future, ongoing operating costs, and any expansion, was on me. I didn’t have time to deal with police reports and insurance companies telling me how little they could actually replace seeing as some small line in their contract exempted them from doing what I paid them to do. Nor did I need to be shelling out to replace stuff. “What’s up?” I warily asked Chuck. “Hale Wheeler is here,” he whispered. Oh no. That was worse than being burgled. My gaze flew beyond Chuck to my set which was a one-step dais on which sat a mint green velvet swivel chair with a glass-topped gold side table beside it. These were in front of a greenscreen backdrop we could make anything we wanted it to be. Though usually it was subtle pastel green and peach swirls against a soft white with the words “Elsa’s Exchange” repeated throughout. And damn it all to hell, there he was. Tall, ridiculously handsome, athletically built Hale Wheeler, the richest man in the world.
Tropes: billionaire MMC; grump/sunshine; small town romance; one night stand; hate to love; found family; opposites attract
Have you ever been afraid of change? Have you needed the promise of stability to keep you going? If you’ve answered “yes” to either question, then you recognize the plight of Louise Bay’s FMC in her newest book, Dr. CEO, the next book in her The Doctors series. Kate has lived at Crompton Estate for a large portion of her life. It’s the place where she is happy and secure after a childhood of insecurity at the hands of her mother. When Vincent, Bay’s MMC, shows up, that security is threatened by his purchasing of the estate. All she knows changes, but most importantly, she falls for the guy changing Crompton Estate which adds a complication. Vincent and Kate’s story highlights the power of the mind influenced by trauma. For Vincent, it’s an absentee father; for Kate, it’s a mother who lived a fluid life before her early death. Bay creates an instant attraction, one-night stand scenario to grow Kate and Vincent’s attraction. She then complicates it with his playboy, transitory ways and her need to stay at Crompton Estate. As each of them is challenged by the other, they transcend hate-to-love vibes and grump/sunshine and fall for each other, even though Vincent fails to acknowledge it.
It’s the falling action of Dr. CEO where Bay lost me a bit. Vincent’s resolution to his absence from Kate feels rushed. The inconsistency in character doesn’t feel organic to the story, and I struggled with the ending. Even more, there were times when I didn’t believe Kate and Vincent’s chemistry. There is attraction between them, but there is something missing from their romantic journey.
Thankfully, Vincent and Kate find their happy ending, and it adds another happy couple to the Doctors series. I believe there is one story to go for each of the family members to find their HEAs.
Professor Romance 