Title: The Billionaire and the Virgin
Author: Jessica Clare
Publisher/Year: Penguin Group 2/17/15
Length: 266 pages
Series: Billionaires and Bridesmaids #1
Overview
Waitress Marjorie Ivarsson is the picture of naiveté. Raised by her grandmother, she’d rather go to bingo than go dancing. But when she’s asked to be a bridesmaid in her friend Bronte’s destination wedding, she finds herself venturing into new and exciting territory. The wedding is set on the billionaire groom’s private island and Marjorie is fascinated by all the new people she’s meeting.
Most fascinating of all is the man she saves from almost drowning in the blue waters of the island lagoon. She might even have a bit of a crush on him. Unfortunately, she’s not the only girl who finds him so intriguing. Hot shot television producer Robert Cannon has a reputation for womanizing, drinking, and partying to excess. They couldn’t be more wrong for each other…so why are they constantly drawn together like magnets?
My Thoughts
Since i have such a love for the series that is the basis for this spin-off i had a feeling that we’d get something great, and i’m thrilled that we do. Not only are we seamlessly woven into the old series, we get to see how things are working parallel path – and they clearly are.
It’s at Bronte and Logan’s wedding where we get to see things begin to evolve for Mraj and her man. Marj of course is one of Bronte’s friends from back in Kansas – at the diner that she worked at before meeting Logan. It’s the week before Bronte’s wedding when everyone is on the Caribbean island that everything started for the happy couple that Marj begins to get her own happiness. She’s due some of that actually since she’s 24, lived a sheltered life in Kansas after being raised by her grandparents, and she’s tall, lanky and under appreciated by just about everyone that she’s encountered.
Rob – well, he’s an interesting character. Usually you don’t want to hate the leading men in these stories – they all have their dark pasts, and we’re never really given that level of insight into what’s made Rob into what he is. We only know that he acts the way that he does since it’s expected of him, not that it’s who he really is – and lucky for him, Marj makes him want to be better. Trouble for him is that Logan already knows of his reputation and is quite peeved that there’s a chance that Rob will put a damper on all things tied to his wedding.
It’s when Rob nearly drowns and Marj saves him that things turn around for both. Marjorie being the inexperienced virgin that she is doesn’t quite know what to do with herself around worldly and successful Rob, and Rob doesn’t want her to find out who he really is since he likes that he can be different with her. What comes of this of course are a slew of really awkward dates, some rather juvenile petting and the srot and then some added budding romance. Hearts will be broken i’m sure.
There’s something to be said though about an author who’s able to continue a series that is known for it’s complex emotional bonds between characters while having the hot sexy bits all included. We have the workings of the great relationship, but the manner that the sex bits are approached has to be different given Marjorie’s inexperience, and while we’ve encountered a virgin in the past (think Hunter) – it’s not the same. So the fact that i’ve been so invested and engaged by this story shows that Ms. Clare has a few great things up her sleeve.
Where we go with this budding romance though is not a smooth ride as i’ve mentioned. The question that you have in your midn as you’re reading is whether or not it’s inexperience that’s going to keep them apart or if it’s Logan and Bronte and other folks that will really make it tough. or…if it’s a combination of a few things that will cause them to self destruct. There’s a move to NYC, a donation of over a billion dollars to charity and a few life changes that happen over the course of this story that really make ti flow. so – all that being said – i’d say that this is a great spin-off that i can’t wait to see what happens next. Enjoy!