Title: Dangerous Billionaire
Author: Jackie Ashenden
Publisher/Year: St Martin’s Press 5/2/17
Length:   368 Pages
Series:  The Tate Brothers #1

Overview

Money doesn’t always change the man in The Dangerous Billionaire, a new standalone romance from Jackie Ashenden.

Navy SEAL Sullivan “Van” Tate has been called home to reluctantly inherit an empire and finds himself facing the most difficult mission of all: love.

“Sinfully sexy.”–Opal Carew on Mine to Take

Nothing about Sullivan “Van” Tate is what it seems. A Navy SEAL raised among the New York City elite, Van prefers heart-pounding action over a Wall Street corner office. But when his adoptive father dies and his business rivals move in to overtake his empire, Van must suit up to save the company and protect the one woman most forbidden to him…and the object of Van’s most dangerous desires.

Chloe Tate is as ambitious as she is gorgeous. With a newfound independence, Chloe is no longer a prisoner on her father’s ranch. But everything changes when losing her father may also mean losing her life. Even with her survival on the line, Chloe can’t deny the burning attraction she feels the moment she locks eyes with Van, her rich, rough and ready, foster brother and the new head of her father’s company. Tall, dark, and muscled, he’s the one man who she has no business being with. But how can she resist a Navy Seal Warrior when he’ll do anything to protect her?

Money doesn’t always change the man in The Dangerous Billionaire, a new standalone romance from Jackie Ashenden.

Navy SEAL Sullivan “Van” Tate has been called home to reluctantly inherit an empire and finds himself facing the most difficult mission of all: love.

“Sinfully sexy.”–Opal Carew on Mine to Take

Nothing about Sullivan “Van” Tate is what it seems. A Navy SEAL raised among the New York City elite, Van prefers heart-pounding action over a Wall Street corner office. But when his adoptive father dies and his business rivals move in to overtake his empire, Van must suit up to save the company and protect the one woman most forbidden to him…and the object of Van’s most dangerous desires.

Chloe Tate is as ambitious as she is gorgeous. With a newfound independence, Chloe is no longer a prisoner on her father’s ranch. But everything changes when losing her father may also mean losing her life. Even with her survival on the line, Chloe can’t deny the burning attraction she feels the moment she locks eyes with Van, her rich, rough and ready, foster brother and the new head of her father’s company. Tall, dark, and muscled, he’s the one man who she has no business being with. But how can she resist a Navy Seal Warrior when he’ll do anything to protect her?

My Thoughts

This first introduction to our new series is a great one.  We knew of the De Santis family from another of Ms Ashenden’s series and it’s all coming full circle so that we can see how another family is tied to them and it’s interesting.  It’s just following the death of Noah Tate, the patriarch of the Tate family and we’re learning more and more about how he grew his business and what it means for his kids now that he’s died.

This story is really based in trying to understand what this family really is made of since the 3 sons are adopted and there’s one daughter who’s got more secrets that she’s not even in on – than anyone else.  When the sons get letters from the father detailing various things that’s personal to each, we see that there’s shock and awe.  Van is left all of the Tate fortune as he is the heir – left to run the business and the ranch that his sister has come to live on and love.  She’s always thought that the ranch would be hers and when she learns that it’s not the case – things get tricky.

Then there’s the sister Chloe – she’s had it tough.  the only girl in a family of foster sons.  A girl who’s grown up being overly protected since her father’s business brings along enemies.  She’s also got this tough relationship with her father that means that she was constantly let down by him and his broken promises so she’s in a tough place when he dies.

When Van learns the secrets about Chloe that she doesn’t even know, that Noah isn’t her true father be Cesare De Santis is, he’s asked to protect her and keep her alive since we know that Cesare will come after her for all that she’s potentially worth.

The journey of this story is trying to outrun Cesare since he seems very motivated to get to Chloe for reasons not fully known.  We also see that in this story, the childhood crush that Chloe had on Van still lingers, and Van protecting her makes that relationship change into something that could be interesting yet so so bad.

True to the nature of Ms Ashenden, we have a really sweet story of protection since that’s kind of the lingering theme across all her stories.  There’s so much machismo since the brothers are all military, and while 2 of them really don’t seem to thaw even around their sister, it’s Van’s ability to open up that makes is even more interesting.  The way that their relationship shapes and changes is such a natural progression even with the necessary bonehead moves by Van in the midst of things.

We’re left in a place where we know that someone’s going to be broken hearted and perhaps even more threats will be waged.  At least we know that the story continues since Lucas and Wolf have their stories as well.  maybe we’ll learn how Noah died since i think there’s more to the story than we know.  Enjoy!