How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives, #1)

by Alexis Hall

Rules are made to be broken . . .If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful . . . oh yeah, and a billionaire. It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me.I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.

• ISBN10: 1455571326
• ISBN13: 9781455571321
• Publish Date: 18 April 2017 (first published 16 April 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[llamareads]

Content warnings: suicidal ideation (side character), drug use (on-page), domestic violent (side character, in the past, off-page)

I always say that I’m not particularly a fan of new adult or billionaire romance, but somehow when you combine the two I’m completely enchanted. So when I had the chance to get ARCs of the first two books in the Arden St. Ives series by Alexis Hall (of the quirky and wonderfully horrific The Affair of the Mysterious Letter), I jumped on it.

“I have to tell you, I don’t do relationships.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” I hooked a leg across his hip. “Let’s just have sex.”

The book is told from Arden’s point of view, and he’s delightfully funny. It’s a very effective choice, as it really shows how moth-to-flame drawn he is to Caspian. Though, honestly, Arden’s the one who’s so delightfully humorous and alive, so perhaps he’s the flame. Caspian’s the epitome of the tortured broody Heathcliff, the whole emotionally repressed, ice cold billionaire dom stereotype, and he spends most of the book coming off objectively as an absolute jerk. Normally I’d be completely out because of that, but we get to see him through Arden’s eyes. Arden manages to pry open a few cracks in Caspian’s armor, and it does appear that, underneath, he’s exactly the kind of person Arden thinks he is. There is an obvious power imbalance that Arden acknowledges and then deals with in his own (very Arden) way. Arden, despite his insecurities, knows who he is and is very comfortable with himself, in contrast with Caspian, who seems to have attempted to scour himself of anything but ambition. Not, of course, that Arden is going to let him continue to do that…

This is the first in a series, so it’s not a complete HEA, but it ends on a satisfactorily HFN note. Overall, while the basic storyline sounds pretty been-there-done-that, Arden’s POV is hilarious and insightful and makes this a very enjoyable read.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Lynn]

4.5 stars

With his finals looming in the not so distant future, Oxford student Arden St. Ives has no idea what to do with his life once he graduates. After volunteering for a charity event, he crosses paths with Caspian Hart, a former student who is now a self-made billionaire. Their attraction is mutual when they meet-up and Caspian offers Arden an opportunity he can't refuse, not knowing where it will lead for either man.

When an Oxford student calls Caspian Hart to ask for a donation for his Alma mater, he's captivated by the voice on the end of the phone so much, he takes up the cheeky students offer to attend a fund-raiser at St. Sebastian's Hall. He's instantly attracted to Arden St. Ives, yet he knows their time together will only be short. However, the bubbly, fun student makes it clear he wants his body and soul. It's something Caspian can't agree.

Arden-likeable, needy, camp and fun. He's naive in believing he can be what Caspian wants, not knowing what that means. He constantly pushes the more restraint Caspian but doesn't understand why he can't get this gorgeous man to offer more of himself. Enigmatic Caspian Hart doesn't understand why what he offers in way of a relationship isn't sufficient. He's emotionally closed off for a reason and doesn't want to expose Arden to a part of his persona he struggles with.

Many have made comparisons to Fifty Shades Of Grey series, but as I've never read those novels I can only convey my thoughts about How To Bang a Billionaire. The title didn't really sell this book to me, but after reading about Arden, who narrates this story and Caspian, it is very apt and tongue in cheek!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the author's writing style, it's witty and entertaining and he conveys the protagonist's emotions perfectly. When I began reading this novel, I wasn't aware this was the beginning of a series, but as I'm invested in Caspian and Arden, I'm looking forward to discovering what Alexis Hall has planned for them next.

***arc generously received courtesy of Forever Yours Publishing via NetGalley***