Joint Review – The Wrong Billionaire’s Bed by Jessica Clare

Publisher: Penguin InterMix
Publish Date: Out Now
How we got this book: NetGalley

Audrey Petty’s always been the responsible one. The good twin.  Successful, dependable, and trustworthy–that’s Audrey. She’d be the perfect girlfriend for her childhood crush, billionaire Cade Archer…except that she’s pretty sure she’s not even on his radar. But when fate (and her chaotic twin) come together, Audrey finds out that she’ll be spending the next month with Cade at his remote cabin retreat. It’s a dream come true…

Until she meets her worst nightmare.

Billionaire playboy Reese Durham is used to seducing women to get what he wants. But when stiff, too-proper Audrey bursts into the private mountain lodge and scares his companion out the door, it’s time for a little revenge. It’s clear that Audrey’s in love with his buddy, Cade…and it’s clear to Reese that blackmailing Audrey with this information can get her to agree to just about anything. Like furtive kisses in the dark, or a secret rendezvous in the woods. Audrey may think she knows what she wants, but Reese is determined to show her what she needs.

And as Reese discovers the volatile minx behind the buttoned-up exterior, he starts to think maybe she’s just what he needs, too.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

Thoughts on the Hero

MinnChica: Reese, the playboy. Always has a smile on his face, always able to charm the pants off the ladies, and unable to crack the nut that is Audrey. I enjoyed the carefree attitude that Reese had throughout the story, it’s always fun to read about heroes that are not only strong and alpha in the bedroom, on their king air mattress, but can have a lot of fun out of it. He was so quick to smile and tease, and loved that he was able to bring out the fun and playful side of Audrey that was so often suppressed.

E: Oh Reese, he was such a cad at first. His only interest in women was what they could do for him sexually and/or for his business interests. Outside of that, they really didn’t matter. Growing up with nothing, he disguised his ruthless nature and drive to get what he wanted with his charm, smile, and ability to make people laugh. It also hid his insecurities about his less than privileged background and fears that he would never be as successful as his friends. When he initially started interacting with Audrey it was from a combination of annoyance and I think boredom but then he realized exactly how much she kept bottled up inside. It was effortless for him to provoke her into showing the other aspects of her personality and that teasing transformed into flirtation and foreplay. I loved how he demonstrated that inside was a really caring man who refused to let Audrey stay inside her bland shell.

Has: I bloody adored Reese! I found his character to be really charismatic and vivid and I loved that he was unashamedly roguish without falling into the arsey territory. I love, love, love heroes who has the rogue gene and Reese was a pure delight!
I loved how he managed to unsettle Audrey and bring out her hidden self, by niggling her. It made their scenes together dynamic and sparkling with sexual tension as well as just being plain fun! I also liked how Audrey affected Reese by making him face his own mistakes and presumptions and managed to help to influence him in making some decisions which wasn’t reckless or morally dubious. I loved how they helped to centre each other and by the end of the book they both grew as characters and developed due to their interactions with each other.

Thoughts on the Heroine

MinnChica – I really enjoyed Audrey in the last book, and was anxious to read her story. I think this is the first time ever where I went into a book absolutely loving a heroine, and ended up getting a tad bit annoyed with her throughout the story. Audrey isn’t shy or secretive to Reese about her crush on Cade, but I thought it went a little too far. For someone who claimed to be “in love” with one man, why on earth would she be doing all the things she did with Reese? I had a hard time believing in their courtship because of Audrey’s inability to face the facts not only about her feelings, but about almost everything in her life. I wanted to love Audrey, but unfortunately she just didn’t win me over at all.

E: I was about the exact opposite. I really disliked Audrey at the end of the last book and if I recall correctly, I said that Clare had some work to do to make me like her again. I thought her behavior in Beauty and the Billionaire in terms of what she enabled and condoned was unacceptable so I went into this one with some serious doubts. The flashback to her childhood did explain a lot of what Audrey did and her mindset but I still needed her to draw the line with her twin sister and hold to it because otherwise I thought she would never progress into someone who had a complete life. Based on her mixed up feelings and childhood I could understand why it seemed like there were two Audreys. One who had a total crush on Cade something a good twin would do and one who was attracted to and liked Reese something a bad twin would do. However, as I continued reading I felt more sympathetic towards Audrey and when she admitted to herself that maybe she needed to start letting more of herself out I started liking her again. I decided that Clare had completed Audrey’s redemption, at least for me, when she did draw a line and held it.

Has: I definitely agree! I liked Audrey’s character, but I agree about the longstanding crush she had on Cade, which she didn’t manage to say to anything all these years which I felt wasn’t that realistic. This especially felt jarring for me when the transition of her feelings for Cade were weak and quickly embarked on an affair with Reese. However I do think in a lot of ways, Audrey uses the good twin and bad twin dichotomy as a way to guard herself from falling into the same mistakes Daphne made. I think Reese saw through her true self and while Audrey likes being cool and organised, tempered with self control, deep down she’s more impulsive and wild. Reese when he riled her, triggered that her more wild side and I did love the aftermath when that happened because when she let go, it made her character so much more interesting.

Favorite Scene

MinnChica: I think my favorite scene would have to be one where Audrey and Daphne seem to finally be getting on some common ground. Daphne seems to really be trying to stay sober, and think about the other people in her life for a change. They talk about Audrey’s feelings about Reese and Cade, about Daphne’s selfish behavior, and how she really does want to change for her sister. Although things have to get worse before they get better for these two, it really showcased just how much the twins cared about one another.

E: I agree with MinnChica about that scene being critical but I have another scene that is my favorite. Reese was aware that Audrey was upset about something (intentionally vague to avoid spoilers) so he tracked her down and just held her until she released the strict control she had over her emotions and let them out. He didn’t make a single demand or insist that she tell him what was going on, he just let her know that she didn’t have to be the strong one around him. My heart was already breaking for Audrey and when this happened I completely believed in their relationship.

Has: There were many scenes I loved in this book, and I agree with the two scenes above as being highlights. But I have to go with one in the middle of the book when Reese dares Audrey to make her move to admit her feelings to Cade. If she didn’t do it by the end of the day they would have to skinny dip with each other. This scene was the start of the push and pull of their relationship as well as the basis of their romance. I really loved how they would challenge each other, and in doing so it provided a real balance between them because they both centred each other and it really showed by the end of the story.

Dislike about book

MinnChica: Like I said before, I had a really hard time connecting with Audrey, which led me to be a bit skeptical about her romance with Reese. I believed 100% that Reese was in it for all the right reasons, but Audrey’s motivations were so muddled, so unclear that their romance suffered a bit for me. I would have liked Audrey to come to the realization about her true feelings much sooner than she actually did.

E: The only thing that I had an issue with in this story was that compared to the other characters, Cade didn’t seem to grow or change any. This could have been because the other characters changed so much his was too subtle to really make an impact.

Has: I agree about the issue with Cade who I felt didn’t really shine for me and was more of a plot device for Audrey’s issue as well as a catalyst to drive her towards Reese. And even though it is hinted that Cade and Daphne may be a couple in an upcoming book, I think I may not be looking forward to his story as much as the others.

Misc. thoughts & grade

MinnChica: All in all I did end up liking this book, as Reese really made it all worthwhile for me. I loved his carefree attitude and fun outlook on life. Plus, Reese was such a dirty dog, always able to coax out the wildest and sexual side of Audrey. I hope we’ll get to see the rest of the Billionaires get their story, especially Cade!
I give The Wrong Billionaire’s Bed a B

E: Despite my trepidations before I started reading I was completely sucked into this story. The way Clare turned Aubrey around for me. Reese’s change in focus about what was really important and how to achieve his goals. The humor and sexytimes between Clare and Reese provided a great contrast to the seriousness of what brought them together. I enjoyed watching the growth in several of the characters as painful as it was for them to achieve. I think Clare tackled several challenging issues and while creating the path to the HEA, she did not cheapen the struggle required to change a lifetime of patterns. Really looking forward to more of Clare’s Billionaire stories.
I give The Wrong Billionaire’s Bed an A-

Has: This is the best book yet for me in the series. I adored the banter and snark between Audrey and Reese and their romance was just fun and sexy and I was engrossed with each page turn. I also agree about the darker issues with Daphne’s drug addiction was dealt well and realistically. But The Wrong Billionaire’s Bed was a fantastic installment, with engaging and sexy characters and a wonderful and memorable romance. Psst it also has the best hot-tub smexxxing evah!
I give The Wrong Billionaire’s Bed an A!

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