Eli Crane is back from the war, missing a leg and ready to finally be left ALONE. So why is his family tampering in his life, sending him housekeepers to baby him? A man has a right to his solitude--especially after surviving the ravages of war. But when they stoop so low as to send beautiful Isabella Sawyer, they've gone too far. As if he'd be tempted to keep her around just because she has the body of a real life Jessica Rabbit...
Isa is NOT going to let some cranky billionaire sully her housekeeping agency's good name by firing every single one of her girls. Nope, she'll take on this handful herself and teach him a thing or two. But Isa isn't blind and before too long, she can't deny the strong attraction she feels for this gorgeous and infuriating man.
But Isa has a secret, one that Eli almost unearths when he discovers her with a handsome stranger. Can their attraction overcome her mysterious past and perhaps even turn to love?
- ISBN10 1455566632
- ISBN13 9781455566631
- Publish Date 28 February 2017
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Forever
- Format eBook
- Language English
Reviews
kimbacaffeinate
- First Date: This final book belongs to Eli Crane, the youngest brother who has recently been honorably discharged from the Marines after he suffered a serious injury. Eli is angry, uncertain and feeling survivor's guilt. His brother's want him to assume the role of COO at Crane Hotels, but Eli won't leave his home. The solution? Send personal assistants to him. His brother hires Isabella Sawyer to secure PA's for him, and Eli is discarding them like tissues. Number sixteen left her office declaring Eli a monster. Determined to protect her companies reputation, Isabella decides to pose as one of her staff and take the job. Their first encounter has me giddy as once again Lemmon pulled me into the story. I love her characters and while she claims to write about bad boys all are truly good guys beneath the grumbles and gruff.
- Second Date: Do you love wicked banter, snark and sizzling sparks surrounding your hero and heroine? You are going to love the interaction between these two. While it is complicated by missed signals and Eli's personal struggles the reader will find themselves laughing out loud and counting down the pages to the inevitable. Secondary characters, projects for Veterans and the Crane brothers and their significant others all added to the story. The Crane brother's looking to aid their brother offered Eli word of wisdom that provided humor. For fans of the series, you will be rewarded with some information about a previous couple.
- Third Date: This third date brings misunderstanding, confusion and pushes Eli. Despite the steps he has made going forward, we have to bare witness to some setbacks. Even Isabella makes some mistakes, but I like how strong she is and her stance on never settling. We spend some time with the Crane clan as Eli find himself. All in all, this was a fantastic last date with moments that made me melt and swoon.
Copy provided by publisher This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Rowena
The thing about family is…they’re not going anywhere and neither is the company supplying all of the administrative assistants that Eli keeps scaring away. You see, Isabella Sawyer has a business that she’s trying to get on the map and she’s not going to let Eli Crane scare away her biggest client, his family’s hotel empire. So if she’s got to do the job herself, that’s what she’ll do and Eli Crane will not scare her away. She’s just as stubborn and determined as he is and he’s going to find that out for himself, first hand.
The chemistry between Eli and Isa was pretty intense right from the very beginning. Eli’s confusion at not being able to scare Isa away along with the niggling doubts in the back of his mind about not even wanting to send her away was fun to watch. He fought that attraction at every turn but fate has a way of shoving you on your ass to make you sit up and take notice. So yeah, I enjoyed this story a lot.
Isa was a strong heroine who worked hard and loved harder. She wasn’t prepared for Eli Crane. She didn’t want to like him because he was such a big thorn in her business side but there was more to Eli than meets the eye and he was too hot for him to think so low of himself. She wasn’t looking for him but once she found him, she wasn’t sorry. She didn’t back away from her feelings, and I loved that so much. She owned her feelings right from the jump and even when she knew that Eli wasn’t where she was emotionally, she didn’t back away from how she felt for him. My heart hurt and then rejoiced for her because she was pretty awesome.
Together, they were fantastic. I adored seeing Eli’s walls crumble to the ground where Isa was concerned and I really enjoyed getting to know Isa throughout the entire book. This was a fun book with great guest appearances from Eli’s family. They were a fun bunch in the other books and it was great to see more of the same from them in this one. I definitely recommend.
Grade: 4 out of 5
Lynn
The third novel in the Billionaire Bad Boys series focuses on the middle son, Eli who's determined to do things his way. For those who read Tag Crane's story, you'll have already met his grumpy older brother.
Eli Coolidge Crane wishes his family would leave him alone. When older brother Reece arranges for a personal assistant to ease him into the unwanted role of COO for Crane Hotels, he manages to intimidate and scare off ten within a short period. Only the subsequent assistant makes it her business to let him know she won't be following her predecessors anytime soon. Something, he surprisingly respects and realises he doesn't want either.
With the reputation of her employment agency at stake, Isabelle Sawyer takes matters into her own hands when she takes over the contract with Crane Hotels and becomes Eli Crane's temporary personal assistant. With a positive attitude and determination, she relishes the challenge to smooth out the rough start to their working relationship. In doing so, she uncovers the reason for Eli's reluctance to commit to the role within his family's business and understands his need to prioritise issues from his past before he can move forward with his life.
When I first began reading Eli's story, I thought I understood his issue with Crane Hotels. Hell, I'd be irked if pressured into accepting a position I didn't want. With constant nagging, I'd put up barriers too. However, situations are not always black and white as we begin to understand what motivates the middle Crane son. When his tough protective shell chips away he reveals a secret and a desire, the latter an unexpected bonus caused by his new assistant. Eli didn't stand a chance when Isabelle catapulted herself into his life; A woman on a mission to preserve the reputation of her business with a clear view that an anti-social, rude client won't destroy what she's worked so hard to achieve. Where her predecessors had failed, Isabelle earned a respect from her new client who appreciated her forthright attitude and her ability to call him out on his appalling behaviour.
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading all the Billionaire Bad Boys novels. Each brother is distinct but all are inflicted with the same problem...a broken heart caused by grief. Each shutting off their emotions to prevent their fragile hearts breaking again. Each had their own coping mechanism and becoming a Marine was Eli's escape. Only now back home, he's more broken; not only emotionally but physically too. I love the dynamics of Eli and Isabelle's relationship. She gives him space to breathe and doesn't pity him. She's a strong, ambitious and independent woman creating a life for herself against the wishes of her parents. He's loyal and compassionate with a heart of gold.
Overall another fabulous novel by Jessica Lemmon; devoured and enjoyed. The hero and heroine are adorable. There's humour, sadness, heart-warming positivity and button popping sexiness!! What's not to like?
5 stars
***arc received courtesy of the publisher Forever Romance***