Book Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren + Giveaway

Beautiful Bastard
Beautiful Bastard #1
Author: Christina Lauren
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Romance/Erotica
Released: February 12th 2013
Review Source: Gallery Books
Available: Amazon


Summary: (from goodreads) An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.


Ok I will try my hardest (no pun intended) to make my review professional. I just can't help it though that this book causes all sorts of emotional out burst of happiness. Reading this book is the equivalent of when you see the herbal essence shampoo commercial, when they wash their heads and its pure euphoria. Well this book is no different. When I found out that Gallery books would be publishing "The Office" I peed in my pants. Seriously, its like someone in the heavens listen to my prayers a while ago. "The Office" was one of those fanfic that I said if it were a book on a shelf, I would buy multiple copies. So the fact that it did go to print and became Beautiful Bastard and its even more epic than when it was "The Office", I might have done a happy dance around my house. Beautiful Bastard is all that and a bag of chips. 

In Beautiful Bastard you get that familiar story in the sense of the sexual/saucy scenes but what really sells this book is that you don't get a lot of heavy with it. Sometimes you just need a really hot and fun book minus all the angst. So think Fifty Shades or Bared to You but the gluten-free version of those. Its fills you up but doesn't slow you down and its healthy for ya. Christina Lauren (@seeCwrite & @lolashoes) really did a fabulous job penning this story together. I guess the saying "great minds think alike" applies to them. 

In Beautiful Bastard we meet Chloe Mills. Chloe is an intern with 4 months left of her MBA to complete. She has been working for Ryan Media for some time now and recently became Bennett Ryan's assistant after working for his father in the company. Bennett Ryan (a.k.a Beautiful Bastard) didn't expect to find such a sexy assistant when he finally moved from France to Chicago to run the family business better. Instead of Sparks flying immediately, it was more like a MMA fight was about to take place between Chloe and Mr. Ryan. Chloe can't understand understand how such Adonis look-alike has to be such a butt-hole person. She adores her job and will see it through but everyday her boss really likes to pass her through the ringer. Then one day, OOOPS. Yea something must have been in the cool-aid at work because Bennett and Chloe venture into uncharted territories. Chloe has no idea what has happen but she sure knows it felt damm good. So events are set in motion and Chloe must decide if its all worth risking everything she has worked for. Can Beautiful Bastard redeemed himself. 

Ha! That's all your getting out of me. Listen for those that are out in the social media world saying they wont read a story because it was a Twilight fan fiction. You have no idea what your saying. Just because the story was categorized at one time as a Twilight fan fic, it doesn't mean that all twilight fanfics are based on the sparkly vampires and hairy wolves in Forks, WA. 

Fan fiction (alternatively referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or simply fic) is a broadly-defined fan labor term for stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator.

That means that any parts of Twilight could have been used, in this case it was the names only. Nothing else was taken for Twilight when The Office was written. This applies to other fanfiction works too. Its as simple as using the names Edward and Bella and you now have a fanfic. Edward and Bella can be mermaids living in Bora Bora, but because they writer used Edward and Bella and posted it in the fanfic website, its now labeled a Twilight fanfic. I hope this clears so much drama surrounding fanfic work. People its a story written and edited just like any other book our there once it gets published. Its not a copy of the book the fanfic was loosely based off. You can't published a book that is a carbon copy of another, its called plagiarism. 

So with all that said and done, I recommend this story to everyone old enough to read. I DO NOT recommend for teens, you guys are not ready for this much intensity or detail. There is plenty of amazing YA books out there, save these adult reads for a later time in your life. Fans of Fifty Shades, Bared to You and On Dublin Street will love this story and will have their own love/hate relationship with Bennett (Beautiful Bastard). 


 Thanks to Galley Books I have 2 brand new shiny copies of Beautiful Bastard (the book not the guy, sorry) to give 2 winners. So enter below!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

34 comments:

  1. I actually haven't read any fanfic type books, but I have been wanting to read On Dublin Street and Bared To You, and actually am supposed to be getting this audiobook to review. I do like adult books though and enjoy ready sexy times once in a while!! Just because I read mostly YA doesn't mean I don't enjoy the hotness of good adult reads too!! This one sounds awesome!!

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  2. I look for real romance along with the sexual/saucy scenes.

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  3. Steamy romance and great characters! I keep hearing good things about this one! Thanks!

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  4. Sounds fantastic! Thank so much for sharing and I'm definitely adding to my wishlist :)

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  5. I like a good storyline with a redeemable male character. I also like the heroine to have either some quirk or attitude!

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    mestith at gmail dot com

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  6. Being sighed and swooned by the story!

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  7. A good plot and badass characters!!! This guy sounds creepy enough to entice my bookworm senses... lol...

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  8. A good story line with a well thought out plan for the characters. I can't stand a weak story.

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  9. Sizzling hot romance, redeemable characters and HEA =)

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  10. A real underlying romance. In all books you want a true romance story in the end. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  11. I always want a story I can really lose myself in and feel so sad when its over.

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  12. I was on the fence about the book, but you've convinced me!

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  13. To make me "feel" what the characters are feeling.

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  14. I'm torn on this one. Most of the reviews that I have read have been very negative. I think this does sound a lot like Fifty though so I might have to pass on this one.

    Thanks for the great review!

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  15. I don't mind if something was originally written as fan fiction, I just honestly prefer if I don't know before hand because then I spend my time making comparisons and judging the fiction based on its comparison to the original work

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  16. I know there are some pretty strong opinions about the whole so-called pulled-to-publish issue, but I don't feel terribly strongly either way. Good luck to all who try. :)

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  17. I look for a good plot and characters with depth to them

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  18. I don't know how I feel about them. They often can have an intriguing story, but by in large are really poorly written. Even when they are "cleaned up", it doesn't help much.

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  19. I look for a good plot :) thanks for the giveaway!

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  20. I usually look for good strong characters and lots of romance.

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  21. HEA and swooned by the story
    thanks for the giveaway :)

    sunshine_pinkystar(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  22. Everyone doesn't mind a bit of smexy in a story, but for me I look for substance behind it. A great book balances the two elements.

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  23. Actually, I look for an interesting plot. We all know there will be steamy scenes. Why not through in an original plot, while you're there? :)

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  24. I dont expect 'much' for this kind of book,but as long as I can enjoy read those book,I think its quite good

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  25. Hopefully I didn't post this three times. My computer's flipping out, lol. Let's see, I expect a smexy male lead with an awesome and believable romance...and maybe some snark, sarcasm, and drama. :-)

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  26. I've had this on my tbr pile forever.
    pearls

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  27. I look for romance combined with good sex haha ;)

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  28. not gonna' lie girls...I'm in it for the smut!

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