BOOK HUNGRY: tempting the billionaire

who says you have to be crowded into the living room, kitchen, and/or dining room to hold a book club? we are ladies of the 21st century. we don’t need no stinkin’ couches. so pull up a blog and join in the conversation.

the members of the BOOK HUNGRY are (alphabetically): patty blount, kelly breakey, karla nellenbach, and myself. we pick a book to read. we discuss via email/phone. we post a review on our individual blogs the 3rd thursday of the month OR, well, we used to all post reviews. now, i think, it’s just patty and me. but anyways, go for it. click on their names above and if they have a review up, it’ll take you to there. enjoy.

this month’s BOOK HUNGRY selection is: 

TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE by jessica lemmon

what it’s about from amazon: 

Crickitt Day needs a job . . . any job. After her husband walks out on her, she’s determined to re-build her life and establish a new career. When swoon-worthy billionaire Shane August hires her as his assistant, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Despite her growing attraction to her boss, she vows to keep things strictly professional. No flirting. No kissing. Definitely no falling in love…

Shane August is all business, all the time. He’s a self-made man who’s poured his heart and soul into his company, and he’d never allow himself to get involved with an employee. Then he hires sweet, sexy Crickitt-and he can’t keep his mind or his hands off her. But no matter how much he wants Crickitt, Shane fears that painful secrets from his past will always come between them. With fate working against them, can these two lonely hearts learn that sometimes mixing business with pleasure is the perfect merger?

my opinion:

this was a very special edition of BOOK HUNGRY because (1) i know the author (well, loosely. i know her from twitter), (2) i read the book in one day, the day after i got back from india and was supremely jet lagged, (3) jessica joined our conference call and gave us insider tips (on where the idea came from, the characters’ names, and which scenes got cut and which elaborated) and she was generally as lovable as her characters, and (4) i got a super-dee-duper secret copy.

basically, it was all mission impossible and once i read it, my device blew up. well, loosely. not blow up in the KABOOM kind of way, but definitely in the bow-chicka-wow-wow kind of way.

you guys, i admit it, i was nervous about this book. i REALLY wanted to like it because i REALLY enjoy jessica on twitter, but i had to read it in one day and when i could barely see straight from all that jet lag? yup. me. nerves.

but, as with most things, i was worrying for no reason at all.

the awesome cover opened to even more awesome things inside. it was realistic! funny! charming! sweet! and the ending (specifically the very last line) was spot on. i’ve been on the lookout for really good endings lately because it seems most books end quietly and normally, but TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE (and GONE GIRL for that matter) nailed it. they both contained genius endings that left me inordinately pleased.

this book did not disappoint and in fact, even turned a bit of the romance genre on its head. it’s absolutely worth a read.

jessica’s had a wild ride from the selling of her book to the rapid release of it (we all know publishing’s not known for its quick turnarounds) and folks, let me tell you, this is one ride you want to get on. it comes out on january 8th (a FANTASTIC DAY if i do say so myself), so make sure to get thyself a copy.