I’m a production assistant for a major movie studio, and I happen to be damn good at my job. So how the hell did I end up as his personal assistant?
Johnny Braylock—even his name makes him sound like a total prick.
He thinks his chiseled abs, massively broad shoulders, rock-hard biceps, and movie star smile can get him whatever he wants…and rumor has it, the tool he’s packing in his pants gets him any girl he wants.
I used to have the biggest crush on him. It was an embarrassing crush. It was one of those crushes where I had a giant poster of him in my bedroom, and I used to tell my mother that one day I would marry him…
That’s before I actually met the 6’1’’ two-hundred pound Welsh God face to face. That’s before he opened his mouth and revealed his true "alpha male", cocky, asshole self. Apparently, because he’s an ex-marine, a gorgeous movie star, and an MMA fighter means I’m supposed to worship the ground he walks on.
Despite being my teenage movie star crush, the man drives me absolutely, positively nuts. I hate him. It’s quite possible that I hate him more than I’ve hated anyone in my entire life. I hate him twenty-three hours of the day.
It’s that freaking twenty-fourth hour that gets me every time. Why the hell is he so beautiful? Why is his accent so sexy? Why do his insults simultaneously sting and make my body react in unspeakable ways?
And why the hell do I keep coming back…and back…and back for more.
Beautiful Prick is a full-length contemporary new adult romance novel. It’s intended for mature readers, contains harsh language and adult content, no cliff hanger.
The prologue left me feeling like I was dropped right into the middle of the story (and I was since it was the exact scene that happens later in the book) and I didn’t particularly care for the sudden drop into the story.
Things got better as I started from chapter 1. I enjoyed meeting Caroline and her friend Melissa. I liked their personalities. And since both of them work behind the scenes in Hollywood, I knew the story was right up my alley. Then you meet Johnny…Welsh hottie that isn’t just an actor, he’s also got a black belt, training in MMA and he’s a former Marine. Can’t get any better than that…right?
Well, shortly after the movie starts filming, Johnny pulls rank and gets her reassigned from Production Assistant to his Personal Assistant. And of course, he sets out to seduce her. Caroline is having none of that, even though he was her teenage celebrity crush. One particular night, she ends up drunk and back at his house and she sneaks out in the middle of the night. This brings us to a very important event in Caroline’s story…she’s mugged. Johnny finds her, cleans her up and takes care of her (he really was awesome). Unfortunately this is also where things start to go wonky for me.
To help herself cope, Caroline asks Johnny to teach her to fight. Nothing wrong with that, it means in the future, she’ll be able to defend herself. What I didn’t like was that after a few lessons, Caroline thought she was good enough to fight in an underground MMA match. And what was worse was her TSTL idea of confronting her muggers (there were 5 of them). Johnny was right, it wasn’t just a bad idea, it was suicide.
My other big issue with the book was that while I got their attraction, I never really felt an emotional connection between the characters.
So, overall, it wasn’t a bad book. It was a quick read but it needed more connection for me to really love it.
Kindly provided by the author an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was my second book by Sophia Kenzie and I really enjoyed it !!. I found the main characters Johnny and Caroline quite the humorous, enlightening couple !!.
Without giving to much away Johnny seriously helps Caroline out from a very nerve wracking situation. I guess you could say this then paves the way for their story.
A well written plot, plenty of laugh out loud points, lots of "oh god no !!!!" bits. Yup, it kept me highly entertained !!
Give it a try and see what you think ;0)
4 your my life long hero Stars from me !
Well done Sophia and many thanks for this opportunity.
This is one of those books I just wish that I had never opened. The icing on the cake was ... that I stupidly kept reading. I so wanted it to grab me and drag me in but ..............NO
Beautiful Prick was not at all what I thought it would be. It was an amazing story of a woman who lost her sense of safety and control, then took the steps to get them back. This is a well written fast paced book that held me on the edge the entire time. Pair that with a beautiful cover and a title that grabs your attention this book has it all.
The good: Author has great sense of flow with her writing. Scenes move one to another smoothly. It can be hard to get those two aspects to sync, and author gets it right. Pacing is good. The slow burn is good. Dialogue is pretty good.
The meh: main character starts off quirky (cringy) like a manic pixie girl but with a HUGE splash of self-insertion. I guess no surprises going in with the premise of the story. Although aspects of it just read like the author is talking about herself... (E.g. When Caroline talks about her writing, and the feedback she gets on it.) Any who. That said, I found Caroline's self-awareness refreshing and much needed. So often protagonists lack self-awareness/perspective as a cheap means of driving plot (while unintentionally infuriating readers).
Despite the broader strengths of the writing, it's obscured by how 2D the entire cast of characters are. Her best friend seems to exist only to be a wall for our protagonist to bounce ideas and worries off. Her ex boyfriend is cookie cutter ex-bf from any old story. He is merely going through the paces needed to advance the plot. The love interest is... Sigh. Problematic? He got her drunk and manufactured a situation so that she would be more likely to sleep with him. They have posters on the back of public restrooms doors warning girls about this. And like every "strong" and sexy tropey- male lead, he exhibits a serious case of red-flag waving Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde qualities. Punching walls. Overstepping boundaries explicitly expressed by protag but he does it "for her own good". And the entire pub scene? Wtf. Hello forced conflict. Okay, yes, I'm getting nit picky.
I don't know... I love romance but I don't think I'm cut out for pure romance stories anymore. I feel like a lot of people would like this, but I just get so hung up on the faults of stories like this.
I could've read a whole book about this chick coming to terms with her trauma and using MMA as a coping mechanism, with romance as a mild subplot, and been infinitely more satisfied and able to look past any issues with the text.
Final point: the story needs a copyedit. Certain things that should've been picked up in a line edit or structural edit were missed. No shade on the author here. Writing is tough, this is stuff the editor shouldve picked up. I.e. Strange turns of phrase, physical actions not making sense etc.
DNF. I just can’t with this book. This book would’ve have been better if Caroline wasn’t in it....oh wait, she’s the main character!! From just the prologue, I knew I wasn’t going to like the female lead and possibly the book, because of her. I decide to give it a chance anyways and.....yeahhhhh, just as I predicted.
Caroline is constantly going on and on about how much of a dick Johnny is, but you never read a lick about him actually being a dick. The things you do read about him doing doesn’t make him out to be that bad. I actually like Johnny better than Caroline. At least he knows what he wants and don’t keep stringing ppl (her bf) along.
Caroline is a stubborn dumbass, no nice way to say it. She soo stubborn that she rather choose to make stupid decisions, than concede to others. For example, when her drunk ass decides to walk 12 miles at 2 am home, rather than stay at Johnny’s apartment. Or instead of staying with her friend’s, after she’s been mugged, she keeps insisting on going home to stay by herself...even tho they took her purse and keys!!
My last straw was with her and the bf/ex bf. She knows she’s not happy with him, she don’t even miss, don’t even really care about the relationship anymore, but still continues to lead him on. One minute she’s saying he’s her ex she don’t care, next thing she’s getting all upset because Johnny antagonized the ex/bf over the phone?? Her character is all over the place,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Recibí una copia del libro del parte del autor a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Un libro super divertido, lo leí de un tirón como hace mucho no me pasaba con ningún autor. La historia es sencilla, nada de otro mundo, simplemente una chica testaruda llena de sarcasmo que quiere probar que ella puede sola, y un chico con un ego tan grande como una casa que quiere demostrar que el puede mas que muchos.
Una historia en la cual vas a estar riéndote tan fuerte que todo el mundo que esté cerca te va a mirar con cara de "a esta que mosca le pico" jajajaj, inténtelo, y diviértanse un rato.
Caroline Carver o Care Bear es una escritora de libretos de comedia que no consigue despegar con su carrera, y sarcástica hasta la médula y hasta el punto de ser muy molesta intenta valerse por si misma. La contratan en un set de filmación como asistente de una estrella de la cual ella tenia la habitación cubierta de posters, Johnny Braylock resulta ser el jefe mas molesto y arrogante que hay que no sabe la diferencia entre un durazno y una nectarina. Que la hace medir con exactitud la temperatura de sus licuados y que la tiene sosteniendo la toalla mientras se ducha....
Para no extenderme solo puedo decir que es una lectura rápida que te hace pasar el tiempo y olvidar la rutina y te deja la cara doliendo de reírte.
An enjoyable romance. It isn't meant to be a really deep story even though some tough stuff happens to Caroline along the way. It is a sexy and fun read. It was funny as well. I actually enjoyed the way the story began, it was exciting and intriguing. Caroline found herself working for her childhood heartthrob and crazy ensues. I thought her deciding to try MMA fighting to overcome her fears brought on by the mugging were believable and she actually trained with Johnny for a few months before attempting it. The stuff that happened after with her trying to face her muggers were actually ridiculous and suicidal though. I did enjoy the story and the way Caroline and Johnny were with each other so I was willing to let that go as it was towards the end of the book. Johnny was a great hero in the end.
Caroline moves to California for the opportunities to find work writing. She gets a job working as a production assistant on a movie set. She runs in to her first major crush ... Movie star Johnny Braylock. He is intrigued by her and decides that he wants her to be his personal assistant. He wants to sleep with her and she rejects him over and over again. After she is mugged and left in an alley beaten - she decides that her hunky movie star/MMA fighter will teach her the moves t protect herself. She never wants to feel helpless again.
I wish the story was longer - the ending was rushed and so much has been left unsaid. Perfect opportunity for another book.
I wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did, which is probably why I finished it. I kept waiting for it to redeem itself but kept finding Caroline's inner dialogue a bit annoying. Don't get me wrong, a little bit of inner dialogue is fine and I think in some cases needed but I think Sophia Kenzie overdid it in this one. And the whole appearance of Nick was not necessary. I thought Johnny's character had a lot of hoopla but I wasn't drawn to him.
The one good quality of this book was how Caroline reacted to her attack. Instead of curling up in a ball she made up her mind to become stronger so she could defend herself. The way she went about it wasn't safe but she showed strength I wasn't sure she had.
Pricks are arrogant, conceited, gorgeous, and they know it. They force their way or get their way into achieving what they want because people cow tow to them and they know they can take advantage of it. Pricks make people go through hoops just for the fun of it. Pricks are careless with other people's feelings, other people's circumstances, other people's time. This guy wasn't a prick. He was just particular with the things he wanted, including the girl. So, in the sense that the hero didn't live up to the title of the book, that was disappointing.
However, props to the author for her humorous writing. It was nice to see the heroin's thought process at work.
Underground MMA! Caroline moves to California to concentrate on her writing career. Her best friend gets her a job working on a film. She ends up being Johnny Braylock's assisstant, her teenage crush. After she is mugged, Johnny teaches Cariline to fight. Her determination to again be a victim may get her killed or destroy her relationship with the man she loves.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
An exciting and intriguing story that is full of laughs. Captivating from the start. An absolute must read. Really loved Caroline and Johnny, the sexy banter they have gets you going and you can't help but want more of them. I wasn't expecting his 'professional' comment to her but glad Johnny finally got his act together and showed Caroline he wanted more from their relationship. Love the friendship between Melissa and her 'Care Bear'. My first book by this author and I'd love to read more.
This book was provided in exchange for an honest review. This book was a entertaining quick read. I felt like the storyline was a little bit rushed but it was a good read overall I enjoyed it. I loved how scattered brained the main character was it was hysterical! I definitely laughed a good portion of this book! And Johnny was definitely mouth watering! I just felt like there could have been a bit more too the storyline.
Here is a girl who sets real goals for herself and who finds an amazing guy to teach her how to be her own person with him. The sex is not overblown just erotic enough. The conversations that Caroline has with herself, Melissa, and Johnny are believable. Yes she does some stupid things but learns life lessons. This is a book you can easily read in one day because the story moves seamlessly. Thank you!
Did I ever think I'd read a book about a female underground fighter? Not on your life! But I liked it. I almost hit the delete button after the first few pages. At first it seemed like listening to my crazy aunt talking to herself. Stuck with it and enjoyed the book.
I received a free copy of this book and I really enjoyed it. There were just a few things that would have made it better for me. If the book was longer and had some more content. I loved the interaction between the two characters, but the story felt a little rushed. Also, I want to know what happens to them in the future.
This book was just not that good which is ironic as the lead female character, Caroline was an aspiring writer. Story was jumpy, with mostly dialogue but no direction to help you visualize the story. One moment person is at work then immediately at best friend's house?! Why does Johnny talk like an American but we are told his Welsh accident is sexy.
This is somewhat a really good storyline with interesting characters and really entertaining monologue! Somehow it reminds me of Drew from Tangled. But still, entertaining. The plot is good, the characters are individually described to perfection making this story is very lively and interesting to read. Round of applause for Ms Kenzie for making this lovely story.
I have read my fair share of at work romances. This storyline was unlike anything I have ever read before. The h was strong and independent. The H had strong qualities and dominating personality. Overall, I would recommend this book. Unlike this new trend of mini series, it was a fun read with a HEA!
I really enjoyed raging this book of child hood love and lust. The way they threw in some pretty serious stuff made the book that much more enjoyable. Was an amazing read. Johnny was a super serious and sexy character. The way he connected with Caroline made my heart melt. Thank you for such a wonderful book <3
This isn't a typical celebrity story. From beginning to end, I loved this. I enjoyed the banter and tension between them. I loved how they occasionally gave in to their desires but still tried to stay professional. I was pleased to see that as strong as his character was, Jonny was so soft and caring for her. Great read! I will be seeking out more from this author!
I thought this story has some potential to be really good. I couldn't get into it as much as I liked since it was written in carolines pov and not johnny's as well so I couldn't get a feel for johnny's personality.
Saya suka gaya penceritaan novel ini. Konyol dan seru. Judulnya kurang sesuai sama cerita. Karena pendeskripsian Jonny gak terlalu prick. Dan inti ceritanya gak berfokus sama Jonny, malah soal si karakter utama, Caroline membuktikan dirinya. Gak buruk, enjoyabke malah. Tapi gak terlalu wah banget.
Really good story! Clear plot that flows well. One or two places where dialogue between Caroline and (I quote) "the Welsh god" Johnny could have been indicted more clearly as to which character was speaking; though this does not detract from the reading experience
Love Caroline she was sarcastic and witty. Both Caroline and Johnny are well developed characters with great chemistry. Johnny may be a Prick but he also has such a sweet side. Loved this story of overcoming your fears and having your childhood dreams come true.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A very quirky funny story. Caroline is a complete scatter brain and all over the place, but she's so funny and I loved her one liners. A good, easy quick ish book to read that will make you laugh and smile. It's worth buying for that reason alone. Lol
I really didn't like all the internal dialog at the beginning. I almost stopped reading there but I hate to stop before 25% so I plodded on. I'm glad I did . I didn't love it but it did get better and made it worth it to finish.