Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋 (there was a cringe factor here for me for the scenes – overall I loved them but some of the language took me out a bit)
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: first person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium to fast
When mains are first on page together: takes a little bit, about 10% (chapter 2 of 31)
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, 5 weeks later
Format: voluntarily read an advanced reader copy through NetGalley in e-book form
Why I chose this book: I saw it on NetGalley and haven’t really read billionaire romance before – with the financial stress of life it’s a nice fantasy to be whisked away from that burden so I wanted to give it a try
Mains: This is a M/F relationship between a cishet hero and heroine

Should I read in order?
This is very readable alone even though it’s #3 in Capulet’s New York Billionaires series.

Basic plot:
Lila gets drunk and tells her friend’s boss all about her problems – including her unrequited love being on the guest list at her friend’s wedding she’s driving cross country to the next day. When he shows up the next morning, they go on the road trip of a lifetime.

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- New York to LA setting
- road trip romacne
- fashion designer heroine
- billionaire hero – he’s COO of their family company
- he spoils her
- close proximity
- obsessed hero
- lessons
- plenty of bedroom banter
- he falls first – and hard
- well-endowed hero
- jealous/possessive hero
- some other man/other woman elements
- hero is the king of endearments – they flow out of his mouth like honey in a variety of forms
- size difference – he’s taller by 6-7 inches
- higher steam – 4ish full scenes with light praise, plenty of bedroom talk, playful punishment, light dom elements,

Ages:
- hero is 26, I didn’t see heroine mentioned but I think she’s early 20s

First line:
“I wish I could help you, Miss Bailey, I really do,” says the woman on the phone.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed this book! I loved Capulet’s writing style – I feel into it really easily and I found her funny and engaging. I loved her playful dialogue. I definitely want to try more from her!

This is my first billionaire romance (I think??) and I rather loved leaving behind all the financial stress of life and reading about doing anything your heart desires. I loved how obsessed the hero was and how hard he pursued her. That is my jam in romance and I found it in spades here.

There was some aspects that were definitely a bit cringey to me….things the hero would say in the bedroom that had me rolling my eyes a bit but also eating it up. Like cringing but loving it?? haha

As for the pregnancy aspect – I kind of wish we had the briefest passing thought from the heroine that she wanted a baby? Knowing her history with her mom getting pregnant and then being alone raising her, knowing she was on birth control but forgot to take it but seemed like she was still within the plan B option….I don’t know it was all a bit cringey? I did love how into it the hero was. Like it was obvious he was secretly hopeful for a baby – the no condom option, the slight irritation over her being on birth control, the breeding vibes...Maybe it’s just my sensitivity to all pregnancy nuances lol. I didn’t hate that she got pregnant but I think what it was, was that she was so like...surprised by it. With all that background it seemed like it would be a thought? Maybe that’s just me. 

 



Few random reading stats for this author
# of books read: This is my first
Average rating: 5 stars
Favorite book: This one

Endearments

The hero calls the heroine ‘sunshine’, ‘princess’, ‘honey pie’, ‘honey’, and ‘baby girl’, ‘honey pie’. 

Quotes any typos are my own! I am bad with typos, I apologize

When he first sees the heroine, he’s basically obsessed

I immediately get the impression that Lila is inexperienced. And a little bit world-weary, like she’s been burning the candle at both ends for too long. Not unusual in New York, of course, but I don’t like that she has the faintest bruise-like shadows under her silver eyes.
Is she okay? Is she working too hard? Does she have anyone to take care of her?
---
“Lessons?”
“Here’s my offer.” Tequila, do your job. Make her say yes. “I’ll drive you to California and, along the way, I teach you how to seduce a man. How to flirt like a pro. How to read signals. I’ll teach you how to get any man you want. I’ll even teach you what to do with him once you’ve got him – so well, he’ll fall completely, totally head over heels in love with you.”
---
“Can we please make that the last time we talk about your hard-on during this trip?” She blinks at me, with that same pouty little attitude that slayed me last night. Her silver eyes are light this morning, made brighter by the slightly bloodshot effect.
“Of course we can’t. We have an agenda, if you recall from the pact we made last night. And I intend to follow through on every one of my promises.”
---
She sighs, folding her arms. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you.” She can’t bring herself to look at me – or barely. Her mouth is twisted into a sultry little pout. I feel like kissing the pout right off her and showing her what a real man does. Namely, the opposite of ignore her. That this angel was ever ignored is a fucking crime. “Anyway, it hardly matters,” she murmurs.
“Of course it matters.” I’m no choirboy, but there are so many things wrong with this equation, it’s beyond infuriating. She loved him. She might still love him. And he can’t have her. He’s not fucking good enough for her.
---

While he’s driving the giant RV…

“Sorry about that. I was supposed to be your co-pilot. And keep you company.”
“You did keep me company. You looked so peaceful and beautiful I almost crashed a few times because I couldn’t stop staring at you.”
---
Colton uses a rough thumb to wipe an errant tear I hadn’t noticed. The concern in his eyes...shouldn’t be there. It’s too caring. Too invented for what this is.
“You’re crying,” he tells me, his perfect eyebrows furrowed, like it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in the history of the world.
----
Colton slides over to sit next to me, covering my mouth with his hand and splashing water over me with the movement of his body. “Negative, Bailey.”
God, he’s even bigger up close.
“What are you doing?” I murmur against his hand.
“Let me finish.” Sternly. It’s a command, like he’s finally lost his patience with me.
I give him a muffled, “Okay.”
He takes his hand away, but not entirely. His thumb brushes across my bottom lip and his other hand wraps itself around my hair, pulling only enough to let me know I’m fully at his mercy. His sapphire eyes are fiery with challenge. “A part of you thinks yu might still be in love with someone you haven’t seen in a long time who never loved you back, because you have nothing to compare him to. Which is something you need and something I can provide.”
I blink at him, sort of obeying him, for once. And possibly only once. Because his warm, solid thigh is flush with mine and my brain can’t quite compute what he’s offering. He’s also without a doubt the most physically beautiful – and strong, and warm, and hard – human being I’ve ever been this up close and personal with.
“I promised you the time of your life,” he growls.
I blink again.
“Let me fucking give it to you.”
---
“It would be if I didn’t know what I was doing. Luckily, I do. The business probably would have failed without me.”
“That nice that you’re so humble about it,” I tease him.
“The boardroom and the bedroom are two places that have no room for humility.”
“Is that right?”
He glances over at me. “Yes, it is right, Miss Bailey. Which I’ll be demonstrating to you very thoroughly tonight. And I know exactly what to do with that sassy little mouth to keep it quiet, so watch out.”
---
“Take your hands off my wife,” comes the low warning, “or I will drop you like a fucking stone.”
---
“He fucking touched you.” Like there’s never been a worse crime.
---
God, his eyes are so blue. “How am I supposed to believe anything you say when you’re flirting with every girl you see – and who you’ve already slept with? How, Colton?”
“I wasn’t flirting. I told her to fuck off.”
“You did not.”
“I told her to have a nice night then I asked you to dance so I could get the fuck away from her. Same thing.”
---
“Please believe me, sweetheart. Please don’t doubt me anymore. I’ll grovel and I’ll beg and I’ll buy you diamonds and sewing machines or whatever it fucking takes to convince you, every day for the rest of time until you fucking believe me. I’m all in, Sunshine. I want you. I fucking need you. I love you, baby girl.”

 

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- a brief mention of body shaming for women – heroine mentions styling billionaire’s wives whose faces are pumped full of Botox and they look plastic
- some scenes of alcohol imbibing where the heroine overshares and a later scene where she blacks out and doesn’t recall getting married (though she later says she does remember it?? But we were in her head in the moment where she wakes up the next morning so that didn’t really make sense to me)
- heroine grew up without a father (her mom got pregnant but it was like a brief relationship and she didn’t have a way to contact him after he left)
- parental death

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes, safe sex aspects, consent, pregnancy/child in the story:

Safe sex: 

  The heroine is on birth control but she’s not the best about taking it. The hero mentions he has always used a condom with other women but doesn’t with her (of course! 😉 ) 

How’s the consent? 

  It’s good 

Pregnancy/children in story? 

  There is a side character that’s pregnant and it’s talked about, talk about breeding the heroine and imagining her pregnant, and the heroine does get pregnant in the story 

40% - kiss in the hot tub
42% - mention of hero self pleasure but it’s pretty short
48% - 🔥 kisses, oral for her, bj (complete)
”Jesus, Lila, what are you doing to me? How can anyone be so fucking perfect?”
56% - 🔥 nipple stim o, fingering for her, missionary (v loss for heroine)
My tears seem to have struck something in Colton, some animal desire or protective flare. There’s a new edge to his kisses. Something in him has turned, and there’s a new desperation and a heightened ferocity to him that makes my heart beat faster.
“I like the dress.”
I’m wearing another one of my own designs, a pink floral shirtdress with a flouncy short skirt and flared detailing on the three-quarter sleeves. “Thanks.”
“Take it off or I’ll rip it off.”

62% - 🔥 oral for her, missionary

I moan because I’m so tender but I’m almost coming. It’s sitting there, a sure thing, just waiting for the tiniest push.
It’s like he knows this. He holds himself still, denying me, staring down at me, his hair falling over his forehead, his eyes as dark as the night sky.
“Don’t?” he whispers, withdrawing his slippery beautiful thickness just a fraction.
“Okay, do,” I whisper back, dripping him. Trying to pull him closer.
“Do what, Bailey?”

67% - 🔥 her on top in the gondola at the ski resort

“How are you going to punish me?” I ask innocently, twirling again, feeling freer and more alive than I ever have.
“Lay face down on my lap and find out.”
70% - brief mention of sex
89% - sex but it’s short