Book Blurb:
Never fall in love with your best friend…
I met Hal on the first day of high school.
I also fell in love with Hal on the first day of high school.
But although we were good friends from the start, I knew he’d never be mine.
He’s gorgeous, confident, sexy, and he’s also incredibly rich.
I’m scarred – physically and emotionally – quiet, and my family has always been poor. The two of us are poles apart.
So I’ve trained myself not to think of him in that way.
Not to think of kissing him, undressing him slowly.
Of sliding beneath the bedclothes. Of having his hands on my skin.
I don’t think of it at all.
I can’t. Because Hal never stays with a girl for long, and if he were to have me, then leave me, my heart would break into a million pieces, and I’d never be able to put it together again.
But then he tells me he’s fallen in love with someone. I try to guess who, and he just smiles.
“Izzy,” he says patiently, “it’s you.”
Oh no.
*
The Billionaire Kings is set in Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary and features the sons of the heroes from the USA Today bestselling Three Wise Men series of sexy holiday romances. The books are all standalones, and you don’t have to have read the Three Wise Men to enjoy The Billionaire Kings, but if you have read them you will hopefully have fun meeting up with Brock, Charlie, and Matt occasionally in these stories! This new series takes place approximately thirty years after the Three Wise Men, but it’s not set ‘in the future’. I just thought it would be fun to write a new series that had a connection to one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
My Review:
This book is the start of a new series that follows on from the Three Kings series, but focuses on their children this time. You do not need to have read the other series to read this one. This book is such a beautiful book and the only way I can describe the feeling I got after reading it is that I felt light and airy. It was literally so sweet and beautiful but with some sexy moments to help keep the heat going. It is set in New Zealand and focuses on Noah’s Ark which is a veterinary clinic and animal shelter. This story focuses on one of the owners Hal and his best friend Izzy.
Hal is a vet who works at Noah’s ark, which he co-owns with his family. As well as being a vet he is also part of the animal rescue team with his best friend and fellow vet Izzy. While everyone knows that he, along with his family, are billionaires, it is not obvious as Hal does not spend his money recklessly instead choosing what he needs for comfort. He is offered an opportunity to advance his career that makes him re-evaluate his life in general. Starting with his feelings for his long term best friend Izzy.
Even though vet Hal is well known for being a man whore he was always been open and respectful to the women that he is with. They know the situation is short term and he never misleads them. For the last year he has been in his first long term relationship with a veterinary nurse he works with called Rosie. However, their relationship has not been working for a while and when he finds that she has cheated he decides to ends things. But Rosie is not ready to let go!
Izzy is a quiet, sheltered, sweet girl who has such a passion for her work that it has almost taken over her entire life. But she is plagued by a lack of self-confidence and body image hatred that comes from the horrendous burn scars that cover most of the right side of her body. She wears long sleeve, high neck tops so that nobody ever sees them. So when her best friend Hal, who she has secretly been crushing on for years, finally confesses that he has feelings for her she does not believe him and does not feel that she is worth the love.
Watching Hal and Izzy’s relationship blossom and go from friends to more is just plain beautiful. The way that Hal took care of her and was so aware of her feelings and the negativity that she felt for herself was so great to witness. Seeing him help her to believe that their love is real and that it can last was so sweet that I couldn’t help but smile.
Most billionaire books that I have read feature a hot headed, alpha male with a ‘my way or the highway’ approach who is constantly flashing his cash. But this book is completely different. Hal uses his money when he needs to for comfort so that he can have the best or give Izzy the best but neither he nor Izzy care about the money and this was refreshing to see. I also liked the fact that Hal wasn’t your typical alpha male because he was in touch with Izzy’s feelings and did what he could to put her first. But the passion and heat between them was enough to scorch the page and Hal certainly became an alpha in the bedroom. For all of these reasons and so many more I really liked Hal as a character. He knew what he wanted in life and he went after it, doing whatever he could to make it work. But I also loved Izzy’s character and enjoyed seeing her grow from being so broken and fragile that she didn’t believe anyone could or should love her to being brave enough to accept that the future is not known and that if she is going to take a chance on anything then it should be her love for Hal.
This is a sweet, sensual book that will draw you into the world of Noah’s Ark. Obviously there are obstacles and the path to true love never does run smoothly but it will just keep you more gripped, holding out for that happily ever after. I loved the secondary characters we were introduced to and can’t wait to read more about them and watch their stories unfold as the billionaire series develops. But as for this book, if you are looking for something sweet, beautiful and sexy that will make you happy and leave you with a smile on your face and an aching need for more of the Noah’s ark crew then this is the book for you.
Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The book is available to purchase here:
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2CmqGVK
Emma's Romantic Reviews 