Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren * Release Day * 5 Star Review * Excerpt

Posted April 14, 2015 by Yesi in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren * Release Day * 5 Star Review * ExcerptBeautiful Secret by Christina Lauren
Also by this author: Sweet Filthy Boy, Beautiful Beloved, Dark Wild Night, Wicked Sexy Liar, Beautiful Boss (Beautiful Bastard #4.5), Beautiful, Dating You / Hating You, Roomies, Love and Other Words, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, My Favorite Half-Night Stand, The Unhoneymooners, Twice in a Blue Moon, , The Soulmate Equation
Series: Beautiful Bastard #4
Published by Gallery Books on April 14th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, General, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Goodreads
five-stars

AN UPTIGHT BRITISH EXECUTIVE. AN ADVENTUROUS AMERICAN NEWBIE. A SEXY INTERNATIONAL SCANDAL IN THE MAKING.

New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Christina Lauren’s Beautiful and Wild Seasons series hook up in Beautiful Secret for an erotic intercontinental romp that celebrates the best of both worlds!

When Ruby Miller’s boss announces he’s sending her on an extended business trip to New York City, she’s shocked. As one of the best and brightest young engineers in London, she knows she’s professionally up to the task. The part that’s throwing her is where she’ll be spending a month up close and personal working alongside—and staying in a hotel with—Niall Stella, her firm’s top urban planning executive and The Hottest Man Alive. Despite her ongoing crush, Ruby is certain Niall barely knows she’s alive…until their flirty overnight flight makes him sit up and take notice.

Not one for letting loose and breaking rules, recently divorced Niall would describe himself as hopeless when it comes to women. But even he knows outgoing California-girl Ruby is a breath of fresh air. Once she makes it her mission to help the sexy Brit loosen his tie, there’s no turning back. Thousands of miles from London, it’s easy for the lovers to play pretend. But when the trip is over, will the relationship they’ve built up fall down?

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Review by Yesi

Niall Stella!!!! Just like the quote above I feel like he deserves to be called by his full name too because he is just WOW. It is absolutely no secret that is series is one of my favorite of all time and it is also very well known that Max Stella holds the top spot for me. Well, let me tell you, Niall Stella has made a good case to take that spot from his super sexy brother. I have said it many times, this series can continue with 10 more books and it would still feel fresh and fun and naughty. The fantastic duo that make up Christina Lauren have done it again. They have recreated the magical feel of this series with this phenomenal new installment. Beautiful Secret has been highly anticipated and it was everything I had hoped for and more. It had a different feel and a slight twist when it came to the sexy leading man. I LOVED that this man was different, so very different than the rest of the Beautiful Men. You’ll know what I am talking about when you read it.

The latest couple to pair up are Ruby Miller and Niall Stella. Ruby has been admiring Niall from afar ever since she joined the firm. She is absolutely sure that he has not taken notice and is totally okay with simply pining away after him. Well, until she’s not. I found Ruby to be like a breath of fresh air. She has a great sense of humor and she definitely provides the reader with some awesome laugh out loud moments. She is also as intelligent as she is beautiful. Niall Stella on the other hand, is quite the serious exec, gorgeous and charming of course, but serious and dedicated to his work. He has his close friends and his family, but since he’s just come out a divorce, he really isn’t “marketable” so to speak. We first meet him in Beautiful Beloved and I knew then that I was going love him. I mean, he takes care of his baby niece…who doesn’t love a HOT man holding a baby?

So without retelling you the story, because really, you need to experience it for yourself, this truly is just as good, maybe better than its predecessors. I was immediately pulled into the story and I was fully invested in these complex yet fun, charismatic characters. The slow burn of their romance and the build up leading up to them finally getting together was exhilarating. I loved Niall and Ruby’s story. I loved revisiting our favorite characters from past books. And I LOVED that even after several full length books and novellas Beautiful Secret still felt exactly like what I said at the beginning… fresh, new, sexy, fun, and so very naughty. If this is already on your TBR then one-click away TODAY! Niall Stella will not disappoint, trust me.

 

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Excerpt

A silence fell over the table as everyone turned to watch Ruby leave the bar and head upstairs to bed. She had been utterly charming throughout dinner, and the group had groaned in unison when she’d excused herself because of our early morning. I, too, had been quite sad to see her go.

“Well, well.”

I looked up to see my brother’s smug expression.

“Now that we’re alone,” Will began, “I think we can all agree to drop any pretense that we’re not ruined for civilized conversation, yes?” Each of them nodded in agreement and beside me, his glass now refilled, Will raised his tumbler to take a small swallow of scotch. “I also think we can all agree Bennett will be an important consultant on this case.”

Max snickered.

“The conference?” I asked, confused.

“It’s an all-too-common predicament,” Bennett added dryly. “Knockout intern. Boss in denial. I’ll draft up a step-by-step plan of containment.”

I blinked, swallowing thickly as I realized what they meant. “She’s not my intern. I have absolutely no say in her career.” I shook my head, frustrated because it was exactly the wrong thing to say. “I’m not . . . that is to say, she’s not interested. Nor I.”

All four men laughed.

“Niall,” Will said, leaning his elbows on his knees. “She nearly dropped her drink in your lap when George asked if she was interested in anyone.”

“Was going to say the same thing,” Bennett said.

“And something tells me she’d be first to volunteer to clean it up,” Will added.

“Well, maybe that’s because she’s interested in someone who works with us at R-C.”

“Yeah. You.” Max lifted his glass and finished the last of the amber liquid.

“Sincerely,” I said, fighting a smile. “She’s a fantastic girl, but she’s certainly not a romantic option for me.”

Tilting his head, Bennett asked, “What color are her eyes?”

Green, I didn’t say. I shook my head as if I didn’t know.

“What was she wearing?” Will asked.

A blue dress that hit just above her knee, I didn’t say. A delicate gold chain around her neck and a ring on her right ring finger that I had to resist asking her about until George bulldozed in and asked about a boyfriend.

I rolled my eyes, and my brother laughed again, this time pointing his drink at me. “Blokes don’t notice these things unless they’re interested.”

“Or George,” Will added, and George reached over to grab the back of his neck and try to pull him in for a kiss.

“Well, it’s apparent I needn’t think on this any further,”

I said. “You’ve all decided for me.”

“It’s what we do,” Will said, adjusting the skewed collar of his shirt as he settled back into his chair. “It’s a sickness, we know.”

“I thought we’d lost that muscle, honestly,” George said.

“It’s a relief to know we still have it in us. The ladies will be so proud.” Max rapped his knuckles on the table as he made to stand. “Alas, I’d best be off. New routine: Sara gets the baby to sleep; I do the midnight bottle feeding.”

“Finally taking a bottle from you then? Guess you smell like a woman, too,” I said to Max, reminding him of the little dig he’d thrown my way on my last visit.

Max laughed and patted me on the back, and we all stood, a silent agreement in place that we were ready to call it a night. I watched my brother gather his things and say his goodbyes, feeling the same mix of pride and longing for what he was headed home to: a wife, a daughter. A proper home.

“Kiss the girls for me,” I requested as he made his way out of the bar. He waved a hand, retreating, and then disappeared from view.

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five-stars

About Christina Lauren

Yes, there are two of us! Lauren (on the left) and Christina (on the right).

Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of long-time writing partners/besties/soulmates/brain-twins Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The coauthor duo writes both Young Adult and Adult Fiction, and together has produced eight New York Times bestselling novels. Their books have been translated into 24 languages.

Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, bestie to a shoe-stealer, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.

Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. These days you’ll probably find her on tumblr. She is married and absolutely not old enough to be the mom of a 14 year old (right??), thinks she’s the luckiest person in the world to write books with her best friend, and is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter. She also likes to steal Lo’s shoes.

You can follow their shenanigans at:

@lolashoes (Lauren) & @seeCwrite (Christina) on Twitter. On Tumblr! where we post kissing gifs and writerly stuff and Wattpad for short stories and sneak peeks!

For official information about their books, events, interviews, movie news and more, follow @christinalauren.

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