Break

Billionaire #1

by Vanessa Waltz

What if a handsome billionaire offered you thousands to pretend to be his girlfriend? And what if you started to believe the lie?

Jessica has never had a boyfriend, and that's just how she likes it. She's still trying to rebuild herself from a sexually abusive past, and a guy - no matter how gorgeous - would only mess up the fragile balance of her life.

Almost-billionaire Luke Pardini is gorgeous, that's for sure. He's also desperate. His dying father thinks he's too irresponsible to inherit the family estate, and Luke needs to convince his dad that he's grown up and ready to settle down with a girl. Any girl.

With five billion dollars at stake, Luke can't mess this up. But as he pretends to date Jessica, he finds himself drawn to her more than he'd like to admit. He has been hurt too many times to count, but Jessica is the one person who makes him feel safe. It could have been a Cinderella story, but both of them made a promise that their relationship was just for show, and neither of them is going to step over the line.

When Jessica's secret past emerges on the front page of the tabloids, his dad threatens to disown him if he doesn't sever ties with her. If their relationship was only a charade, the solution would be easy. But if it's not…

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Abuse, Adult, Billionaires

326 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2014

About the author

Vanessa Waltz is an author of Dark Bad Boy Romance and lives in Seattle with her two ill-behaved cats.

Before she settled in Seattle, she lived in Northern California where she studied English Literature at San Jose State University. She pursued a career in medicine before making an about-face to write full-time. She also pens psychological thrillers as Rachel Hargrove.

She enjoys beer tasting, live music venues, and singing her heart out at horrified bar patrons.


Vanessa is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Email: info@vanessawaltzbooks.com
Website: www.vanessawaltzbooks.com
Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/2JQ4PZ9
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JQ7i5R
Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...

Reviews

[Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yet another book by which I am puzzled by all the five star raves.

I found the book to be poorly written. The awkward word choices and syntax threw me out of the story repeatedly. The hero is rather unlikeable, the emotions are told instead of shown, and the end result is tedious. There are plenty of decently written books out there. This is not one of them.

TRIGGER WARNING: The heroine was raped and abused by her foster brother starting at age 10. She has at least one flashback to the attack. And the hero's magic touch heals her. "With every kiss, I was being healed. It was as though Luke was reaching inside my core and mending my pieces back together."

Jessica is a recent college graduate who want to be an "editor" with little to no demonstrated understanding of what that means. Understandably, no one wants to hire her to be one, and Jessica is broke, broke, broke. Jessica is also far too good to take any other kind of work: "I needed a job. I had no desire to return to retail." Oh noes, not retail! She also turns up her nose at applying at Chili's or other restaurants, even though the only thing we see her actively engaged in is cooking and planning meals for a homeless soup kitchen. She does zero writing or even reading, despite whining about wanting an editing job. So srsly, working with food seems perfect for her.

Jessica is also too good for San Francisco's mass transit system ("The seat cushions were old and stained, and if you didn’t have a seat, then people with varying degrees of hygiene crammed against you. I sat down as if the BART seat was a pincushion and recoiled as someone next to me coughed") even though I used to ride BART regularly and it's pretty decent.

So of course, what is a starving college grad who is above working in retail or food service to do? (Aside from stealing, which she does from her former college's library?) Sign up on an escort service website, natch!

And who immediately clicks on Jessica's profile and wants to hire her? A gorgeous twenty-something billionaire. But of course!

Luke pays Jessica to pretend to be his girlfriend so his cantankerous dying father will think Luke is settling down and thus worthy of inheriting five billion dollars. Which is the trope that launched a million Harlequin titles, but here it falls flat. Part of the problem is that there is little chemistry between the characters. We're told Luke is a hot alpha male, but his actions and words resemble a petulant little boy, especially when it comes to his father. The author doesn't give him his own voice, and he and Jessica sound alike - to the point where Luke even exclaims, "Oh my God, we have to see it" like a good Valley Girl. And when his father tells Luke he has to dump Jessica or be cut out of the will: Luke DOES IT. And he only comes back to her after his father dies - and then he whines about receiving only $500,000, even though he had plenty of his own money. Luke is a major douche.

The romance that follows is poorly developed, and even worse written. Although an editor is credited on the book, the author might want to ask for her money back.

"I discretely wiped my eyes as Luke sat down in front of me."

Yeah, that's the wrong homophone. You want discreetly.

"Natalie opened her mouth but I changed tact with lightning speed."

Tack, not tact. It's a sailing term. To change tack is to change your position relative to the wind.

Under my jeans I felt the bulge of his erection, livid against my thigh.

I do not think livid means what you think it means. Also, I don't think you mean "under my jeans," which denotes that somehow the erection was, well, under her jeans - which would be a rather tight fit. Try "though my jeans" next time.

He groaned and leaned forward, his lips plucking my breast and his fingers scraping my shoulders, the thin bra straps drooping down my arms.

Plucking? A) ouch and B) either her breast has feathers or his lips are plucking her breast off her chest. So, eww in addition to ouch. Also? Drooping is generally not a word you want to put into readers' heads while describing sexytimes.

The author also has an annoying habit of using contractions that don't exist: "C'min" for "come in" and "I'ssa" for "it's a." And then there are her problems with time. The book begins just prior to Thanksgiving and ends two weeks before Christmas. So...maybe four weeks, top, being generous. Yet somehow Jessica and Luke talk about being together "for months," and when they are separated at one point, it's for "weeks." Maybe Jessica is Canadian and we don't know it, which would put Thanksgiving in October, but the time passage still doesn't fit. Meanwhile, Luke has a magic private jet (which somehow requires a plane ticket...the author didn't do her research about how private jet travel works) that can go from San Francisco to London in just over the space of eating dinner. Man, I wish I had that jet when I was traveling on a regular basis between the West Coast and Heathrow. Not even the now retired Concorde flew that fast.

I could go on, and on, and on, but I'm already depressed about the general state of literacy in the United States.

Suffice to say this book is an easy pass.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was anyone else a bit disgusted by Luke's behavior after his father demanded that he break it off with Jessica? He knew about her past and knew that she needed support, trust, and love. He should have stayed with her and helped her through the chaos that was about to erupt in her life. The fact that Jessica took him back so readily when he was at her apartment was a bit disappointing. Then, he still raged about the small inheritance. I can't imagine someone really falling for a greedy douche like Luke.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough about this book. In a sea of billionaire books (which trust me, I love that sea...) I felt this one stood out because the characters often handled situations the way we would in real life land. Friendships weren't perfect. They don't have sex constantly (if you do in real life, I am super jealous) and the heroine is sweet, brave and easier to relate to than most. Our hero is flawed and boy, don't we love those flaws. Like any "real" person he struggles to let go of his fortune for the woman he loves... Um, its like more than billion dollars, you can't blame the man. Oh and he is hot. And caring but not mushy, I'm perfect and I have a mad money like most our book billionaire boys. Get it and read it. I hope you love it as much as I did... Fingers crossed for book 2.

[Texas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luke and Jessica meet from a dating website.
Luke wants to appease his dying father so he can inherit
billions..his legacy.
so does Luke get the money and the girl?
HEA and stand alone.

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contemporary romance with a seriously damaged hopless herione and a differenly damaged super rich guy who find love and throw it all away in order to finally get a HEA. No cliffhangers here!
Jessica is almost alone in the world, she only has her childhood best friend and roommate to share her tiny life. Jessica is broke and out of hope to find her dream job, one year after finishing college. She is so hopeless that she finds a dating site for girls that want to be paid to date rich guys, um... warning signs for any normal person because this sounds like straight out prostitution which the bestfriends tries to save Jessica from, but not to worry because everything does work out eventually.
Luke Pardini is hot rich and looking to clean up his reputation by dating a nice girl before his father dies. He doesn't have much time becasue his father is going to pass on soon. This part of the story was sad, but not in the obvious death way, it was sad to see how much the father's lies had damaged Luke. Jessica was a good match with Luke and it was seriously sad to find out what had happened to her so this story is the opposite to Billionaire on Board which is also another damaged rich guy finds love story, but way more funny. So after reading this depressing but well written story, you might want to go read Billionaire on Board for a laugh.
320 pages and kindle freebie
2 stars

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What if a handsome billionaire offered you thousands to pretend to be his girlfriend? And what if you started to believe the lie?

Jessica has never had a boyfriend, and that's just how she likes it. She's still trying to rebuild herself from a sexually abusive past, and a guy - no matter how gorgeous - would only mess up the fragile balance of her life.

Almost-billionaire Luke Pardini is gorgeous, that's for sure. He's also desperate. His dying father thinks he's too irresponsible to inherit the family estate, and Luke needs to convince his dad that he's grown up and ready to settle down with a girl. Any girl.

With five billion dollars at stake, Luke can't mess this up. But as he pretends to date Jessica, he finds himself drawn to her more than he'd like to admit. He has been hurt too many times to count, but Jessica is the one person who makes him feel safe. It could have been a Cinderella story, but both of them made a promise that their relationship was just for show, and neither of them is going to step over the line. 

When Jessica's secret past emerges on the front page of the tabloids, his dad threatens to disown him if he doesn't sever ties with her. If their relationship was only a charade, the solution would be easy. But if it's not...

This new adult college romance contains mature themes. Recommended for 17+ audience

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly LOVED this book!!!! I just didn't like how short it was. Seriously I think it took me less have an hour and a half to gobble this book up, that's how much I loved it. It was pretty hot and really healing and just a straight Cinderella story that I will always wish could happen to me.

Great story :)

[★ Belle The Bibliophile ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was actually enjoying this book but around 90+% ish of the book, the Hero broke it off her with her when he was giving the ultimatum of choosing between the girl and his father's legacy / inheritance. And after a few days, he showed up at her apartment and she eagerly took him back.... No uh. Buh bye.

[Shannie's ⭐️Lookin' 4 My Next BBF⭐️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, sexy, and fun book!! I'll be reading the next in this series.

[Kat Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by author for an honest review

I like Luke. He is successful, and he earned most of it, even though it is his father company but he still works very hard. He is a real gentleman though, I really like those attitude that he show toward Jessica. He never judged her or treat her like someone who didn't belong at his side since they're both from different backgrounds & all.

Jessica is a strong & independent heroine, but she is just so damn broke & jobless. lol. I like it that she treated Luke like her equal, she didn't try to be those girls who change themselves just to please Luke. She is blunt & play no head games at all. well, both of them are, subtlety is just not their thing I guess.

I like how they communicate with each other. It must be super refreshing for Luke to be with someone who doesn't bit their tongue & suck up for him every time he does something wrong. Since 90% of the people that he knows are all manipulative gold-diggers & ass-lickers. Their banter is sometimes serious & some other time playful. I love it.

The chemistry between them is great though. & certainly they love to tease each other lightly, but then it gets too intense for them to just hold it in. I'm happy when they got some action in it hahha.

For the record, I was really interested when I read the synopsis, but then when I actually read the book, it's not like what I have expected.& I do think this story is so very Cinderella-like, which is not really my favorite.

First thing first, isn't it strange that the heroine is a woman who's nearly 30 and she is so damn broke & jobless? I mean, seriously. I don't want to sound rude or anything but, here. She have a degree, ok , for some people it might be a good for nothing degree, but at least she have a degree. She shouldn't be that broke or jobless since there are a lot more people who doesn't have a proper degree but they can still earn a living anyway.

Second,why would someone as popular & almost perfect like Luke doing in a place like that? the web? As Jessica has stated, he can have anyone he wants. If he's so scared of people getting near him for his money only, didn't he get used to it by now? what's so different with the online web? He's rich & popular, people know his name, they can just google it up before they replied him.

Third,I know I know it's a lot of money to sacrifice, but really he just gonna let her go just like that when it's real between them? He finally met someone who acts real when he's around & he's in love with her but then he just let her go?

Fourth,I'm quite confused by the characters attitudes sometimes, mostly on Luke's & his family. Maybe because it is not written in both POVs, so we don't really understand what is going through Luke's mind when he does what he did.

Overall, it's quite an interesting read for me. I recommend this for the people who loves to read romance novels.Thanks Ms. Vanessa Waltz for giving me a opportunity to review your book :)

[Kimmy ୨୧ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i have the same feelings for this book as i did for the second book (natalie's book)

(-) so many important issues are unexplored and the readers don't get any information on them at all. we're basically left hanging. let me list them all:
- it's said that jessica got raped and sexually abused, which is downright horrible and something that NO ONE should ever go through, but this is mentioned like, three times throughout the book and never again. we never learn if she chooses to get help, like natalie said she should, or if she ever shares it with luke (which she doesn't have to, it's okay. it's her decision and solely hers //cough cough natalie forcing will to tell her about his traumatic experience cough cough) but we never hear much about her own thoughts regarding all of this.
- luke's relationship with his father. we just find out that they talked before the old man died? um, what? luke's father and his disapproval of luke was SUCH A BIG part of the book. heck, that's why this whole "cinderella arrangement" started, but we get only one or two lines regarding his relationship with his father and that's it? it was quite disappointing.
- okay okay, i know natalie ends up getting her own book but what happens to her in jessica's book? yeah, she breaks up with ben (? was that his name? i dont even freaking rememer tbh) and she cries every so often. that's it. THAT/S IT.

that's all i can think of off the top of my head but let me go into some more stuff i found really annoying and/or disliked:

(-) okay, i get insta-love insta-lust insta-whatever. but at the beginning of the book, jessica says she isn't used to the touch of a man after what happened at her foster home. that's understandable, it's okay and she is allowed as much time as possible before she is comfortable with being intimate with someone again. but how unrealistic and how wtf is it that luke just touches her once or does whatever lustful sexual thing to her and she's suddenly 100% okay with being intimate. because yknow one touch from a hot rich soon-to-be billionaire just makes everything go away and everything okay, right? and even if it did, that whole scene was written quite badly that it didn't even amazingly evoke that type of emotion or whatever jessica was going through. A R G H

anyways, what did i like about this book and why the two stars?
(+) jessica was alright as a character (beter than natalie lmao) and also they went to visit london, which i loved. i've wanted to go to london for forever so the detail that went into actually talking about the trip and the places and landmarks they saw were pretty cool.

[Christine Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Break

Cover: 5
Plot: 5
Characters: 4




This book was written by new adult romance writer Vanessa Waltz. Break is about Jessica a BA in English graduate, who is in dire need of money. Luke Pardini needs a fake girlfriend since his father is threatening to disown him if he doesn't find a suitable girlfriend fast. But with their pasts behind them is their relationship going to last?

I really liked the story even though it's cliché it is not in anyways a boring book. This is not a fluffy romance since Luke and Jessica has terrible pasts.

Jessica was a very strong female lead since even though she has had a horrible past and the present doesn't hold much on store for her she still took on life head on and I really liked that.



Luke has also had a troubled past so he has a very hard time trusting people. Then he meets Jessica and made her pose as his fake girlfriend. So he really had a hard time trusting her due to the circumstances and then how they met.

Though I didn't like Luke when he was made to choose by his father to either leave Jessica or never get his inheritance. I mean he knew that Jessica has had a troubled past and needed love. Though maybe it was some psychological mojo or because he really wants to please his father.




All in all it was a riveting book filled with angst, passion and most of all love.

[Sarah Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

This book touches on abuse to a small extent.

Both Luke and Jessica are shattered broken souls. Both come from abusive pasts, but on total different levels of the spectrum.

Jessica has a degree that is worth nothing, especially as no one is willing to give her a job. She is constantly adding stuff to her resume, trying to better herself.

I loved it when she helped out at the soup kitchen. The dedication she put into the place even though she had no money and could just about keep the roof above her head. Even in her darkest days this was her release.

When your alone, you seem to find out your not the only one. When you've been giving the opportunity to really look around, you notice the terrible life you have is in comparison to some of the people around you.

Jessica was never interested in men. She has never wanted a relationship. Kept her secret to herself. Until she finally let someone in. Luke Pardini.

Luke has a playboy image. Your drawn into this sexy charismatic man. His confidence is so overwhelming. He has the act down to a fine art. But his motives are all wrong. But then again, it's all he's ever known.

Jessica had a lot of insecurities. She has major trust issues, and for extremely good reasons. What must it feel like to really be Jessica Knight. Broke, helpless, desperate to succeed and all alone.

When one goes in thinking money is all they need, they soon realise it's not all it's hyped up to be.

Love, trust and safety is what life is all about.

Until one day when she was sold out.

Destroyed by her darkened past.

Was love enough over money?

Could he brake her anymore than she was broken?

Written on behalf of Sarah's Book Reviews. Facebook.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book a solid 4.5 star rating....an unexpected free treat! I really liked it a lot and read it fairly quickly...it moved along at a brisk pace and was written in a style that made it both fun and yet emotionally satisfying.
I know there are a ton of billionare type romance books out there and they usually follow the same formula (rich guys meet poor needy young women, use her for arm candy or some other arrangement, they fall in love etc.) but this one had a different and more real feel to it and I liked that!
My only issues with this story were with Jessica's roommate Natalie (she irritated the hell out of me) and I was disappointed that we didn't get to have more of a resolution to the evil foster family who ruined Jessica's life. I felt the ending was a tad bit rushed and all the ends were neatly wrapped up in one quick final chapter. I would have liked to read more about Luke's family and his final days with his father and perhaps the author intends to write another book (maybe for Natalie and one of Luke's friends?) although this one has an HEA ending.
There was a lot of witty and playful dialogue, exciting and passionate love scenes that work slowly to some pretty steamy sex and down to earth behavior /reactions by the heroine thrust suddenly into the flashbulbs of the media. I would read another book by this author for sure =)

**** 4.5 **** "you can bend but not break me" stars

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke he's just upfront and honest, "he took another sip of wine and I heard the liquid hiss through his teeth. Then he looked at me. "I know what I want, and I have very little time. This is just the easiest way for me." And Jessica finds ways after ways to surprise Luke, "oh my God!" I moaned elegantly through my mouthful of pizza. "This is - this is incredible!" Luke seemed to choke on his pizza as he looked at me and laughed." And the boy is sure good looking, "he was looking hot, as usual. I had never seen him wear jeans, but he wore a fitted pair that showed off his long, muscles legs and a shirt that made me want to run my hands all over his body." Jessica always has ways of distracting Luke, "Luke was sitting on the couch with his laptop, fully dressed. A phone was against his ear. I walked across his vision and inwardly smiled when I noticed a lull in his speech. I glanced back casually and saw that Luke was staring directly at me unabashedly. Naked desire shone all over his face, in the way that his mouth hung half-open and the white-knuckled fingers clutched his phone. A moment, later, Luke snapped back to his conversation." And he's honest in what he wants to do, "that's it," he whispered. "I want to get you off."

[Tiffany S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really loved this. Vanessa is a great story teller! And what a great plot! The heroines situation was believable to me. The only thing that could have made it a touch more real would have been student loans coming after her!! Haha and most of us have heard of "sugar babies" and been curious right?! Wondered if WE could do something like that... And this book helped me live vicariously through Jessica (h). The book flowed well, wouldn't have guessed this was a first book. Can't wait for more! (Is there more coming in this series? Jessica's roommate??) LOVED it Vanessa. :) billionaire romances never get old for me, and this was original. Sorry for the rambling. <3

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it as part of the Cinderella Arrangement -

Jessica´s facing trouble, no money, no job and no prospects, when the answer comes along a billionaire escort page. Not having anything to lose, Jessica signs up, and the first proper inquiry she gets turns out to be the start of something incredible, and soon Jessica is living the dream. If it only could be real.
Luke needs a girlfriend quick, to appease his dying father, and secure his inheritance, so hiring a girlfriend is the perfect answer. He never expected to meet someone who tempts him like Jessica does, though. What will happen when time´s up?

Contemporary romance, feelings and smutty fluff in a great combo.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I thought we could have gotten more from the plot. However, the romance aspect of the book was great. I thought Luke and Jessica had great chemistry. I wished we got more of a backstory of the two leads, so I could relate to them a bit more. It was a quick read too. I thought there were funny moments like when Jessica went on the plane for the first time, and how Luke got into a fight during the soccer game . The sad part was when I found out that Jessica was raped when she lived with one foster home. I give this book a 3.5/5. Now on to book 2!

[Catanna Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finish this book in under a day. I enjoyed reading it. I hope for more. There are times where you say you would do anything for money but would you really. One charter was put in that spot and she did it without losing her morals and I like that. I also like the fact for someone to realize that money isn't everything. My favorite line in any movie or book is it better to loved and lost then to never of loved.

[Morgan Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing what money can do to people. Luke has always been rich, but lonely. Jessica has had a really rough and lonely life. When she hits rock bottom and decides to go on a sugar daddy type website because she's desperate for money, both Jessica's and lukes life is forever changed. Jessica and Luke both heal each other from all the pain of their pasts.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching

This was a dreamy fairytale type of romance. It has a really sweet touch.
So if you want a quick HEA story, this could be a good one for you.

Life is always about choices, and also about picking the right ones.

[Linda Gingell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

Loved this book

very interesting story. who would ever think of picking up a billionaire on a website.. makes for a good read. I'd recommend it to anyone who is a hopeless romantic.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A nice quick read and an unexpected twist at the end. I really liked the fact that the characters acted in a manner like most people would react and despite their trials and tribulations, have a HEA. Linda, South Africa

[J.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There was just the right mix of romance and conflict. And a HEA :)

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this on my Kindle forever - finally read it. This is Harlequin length, but darker than a Harlequin. There's child rape suffered by the heroine & at least one graphic scene.

Heroine is poor & can't find a job. She tries an agency that offers escorts for rich men. No sex involved. I can't help but agree with her room mate that it's a scam. The hero though keeps it clean - for a while.

Both H/h have issues. The heroine rather more that the hero. The story is told from the heroine's POV.

I wanted to like this more, but it's only ok for me.

[Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1st POV
Interesting
it was kinda short
I thought there's more drama after the hero chose the money
I thought there'd be tons of tears and begging but... nada. Which was disappointing
I breezed through after that.

[Emmy Klaver · Rating 1 out of 5]

what can i say... i really had trouble to finish this book.. there was absolute no chemistry between the characters..

this isn't my first book from this author and it probably won't be my last but this book really dissapointed me..

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A VW. Adult novel about a woman who is approached by a wealthy man who needs a woman, any woman, to pretend to be his last friend. He has promised the last he accepts that surveillance have a new wardrobe and travel with him to different areas. This is an adventurers for the genre.....DEHS

[Silverluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

:)

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true rags to riches love story