Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

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.

I know a lot of people have been damning this book (and all fan-fic for that matter) and while I respect everyones opinion let me just say I seriously don’t want to hear it. I really liked this book, and if it wasn’t for all this drama about how Beautiful Bastard is just a rip-off of Twilight I wouldn’t have even know that it was fan-fic. There are no vampires, there is no high school, there is no weak and whiny Bella woman, there was no overly creepy I watch you sleep every night for months boyfriend, there were literally NO similarities between this book and Twilight.

 I had to get that off my chest before I go into this fairly decent book.

When I requested Beautiful Bastard from Edelweiss I honestly expected to like it, nothing more nothing less. The blurb made it sound like a nice steamy read, something that wouldn’t take too long to get through, and something that I would enjoy. And occasionally I need those kind of “clean you palates” reads, so I figured with Valentine’s Day right around the corner this would be perfect. But to be honest Beautiful Bastard completely surprised me.

 I won’t lie. I did read a few reviews/post/rants recently about the awfulness that is fan-fic. While I’m personally neutral about the topic as a whole, a lot of the reviews did make me go into the book with a little hesitation.

 I am so happy that the opinions of a few didn’t keep me from this funny, but occasionally frustrating read.

It wasn’t some literary masterpiece, but it did have me fanning myself, laughing, and cursing all at once. Beautiful Bastard was the kind of book that you knew not to take too seriously. It was meant to be funny and sexy and to show you that two really smart people can make some really stupid mistakes. You had your typical arrogant, sex on a stick, über successful man in Bennett. Then you had your sassy, smart, drop dead gorgeous, flight risk in Chloe (Bennett’s intern). Yet even though they had their ups and downs as lovers and co-workers it wasn’t filed with the unnecessary drama I have recently seen in Reflected in You, Love Unrehearsed, Fifty Shades of Grey other books. There relationship (while insta-lovey) had real issues. Not that bullcrap characters put themselves through to make a easy escape route because they’re scared; and this was probably my favorite part about the entire story. Yes the sex was AMAZING to read about but the tangible problems and problem solving solutions they had as a couple was what really made me like this book.

 I understand that a lot of the love scenes are mere fantasies for over 90% of us, but the struggle of separating the career you worked hard for and the love life you are working hard for is something that I’m sure we can all at least understand; even if it hasn’t happened to us directly.

 I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if this is a “fan-fic” of Twilight then dammit I’m Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey’s love child.

*I received a copy from the publisher for a honest review*