What do you think?
Rate this book
Arden St. Ives #2
How to Blow It with a Billionaire
Listening length: 11 hours and 37 minutes.
Be careful what you wish for . . .
Once upon a time there was a totally ordinary boy who fell for a cold, beautiful prince. Only it's not a fairy tale, it's my life. The prince is a billionaire called Caspian Hart. And we're trying super hard to live happily ever after.
He's everything I want, need, and can't resist: a man who looks like a god and bangs like the devil. Except he's still got his rules and he's still got his secrets . . .
But if there's one thing Caspian's taught me it's that you should never settle for less than you're worth. And I'm worth his trust. I have to show him that I see him. That I'm not afraid of his passion, or his power, or his past. And that I won't settle for less than everything.
Be careful what you wish for . . .
Once upon a time there was a totally ordinary boy who fell for a cold, beautiful prince. Only it's not a fairy tale, it's my life. The prince is a billionaire called Caspian Hart. And we're trying super hard to live happily ever after.
He's everything I want, need, and can't resist: a man who looks like a god and bangs like the devil. Except he's still got his rules and he's still got his secrets . . .
But if there's one thing Caspian's taught me it's that you should never settle for less than you're worth. And I'm worth his trust. I have to show him that I see him. That I'm not afraid of his passion, or his power, or his past. And that I won't settle for less than everything.
12 pages, Audible Audio
First published December 12, 2017
180 people are currently reading
2060 people want to read
About the author
Alexis Hall
56 books15k followersOne of those intricate British queers.
Please note: I don’t read / reply to DMs. If you would like to get in touch, the best way is via email which you can find in the contact section on my website <3
Please note: I don’t read / reply to DMs. If you would like to get in touch, the best way is via email which you can find in the contact section on my website <3
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews
September 29, 2021
"Why don't you trust me?"
"I do trust you. If I didn't, you wouldn't be here."
"And where exactly is here, Caspian? In your bed but not in your arms? In your body but not in your heart?"
i wasn't simply ready for the greatness! nervous about book 3 though especially with how caspian sees things. red flags through and through. rich unattainable men with issues will always be flavourful and sinful.
February 19, 2019
Re-read and STILL amazing<3 Now we just need the third one to actually be published!
--------------------------------------
This second and the third book in this series was a pre-order as SOON as I finished the first one (how Mr. Hall got a pre-order that early will have to be Voodoo or spells or some other form of other-worldly hugga-baloo!)
I pressed the one-click-buy so fast that I cracked my keyboard (and then I poured in a cup of coffee, but you know... I was really excited:-)
This book is everything it's"inspiration", the genre 'bildom riff' is not.
Ardy is not doormat-y, he IS strong and opinionated and interesting, though he is YOUNG!
So very very young.
However I believe that Mr. Hall was true to the characters and their individual development (more Ardy's than Caspian's, because holy fuck that dude C. is slow on the uptake and quite idiotic!) and that Ardy grew up, slowly but steady (-ily???).
Also can we just applaud that when Ardy baby is decribed as clumsy, it fucking means that he is clumsy!
He stumbles and falls like a new-born giraffe and it made me happy that he is quite 'all-over the place', and in line with his description and his personality throughout.
I think I liked this book even better than the first, since the smexy times are getting 'there', Ardy is more personable and getting to know what he wants, while Caspian's story is more fleshed out too.
It does not have a HEA or even a HFN as Mr. Hall has already put out there, so hopefully I am not spoiling anything!
But even if I am, I think it's important that you know, so the ending will not come as a surprise.
I was quite angry when I finished though...
Like the 'heat-from-a-thousand-suns-angry', and I do hope that Caspian and his FUCKING horrible decision-making step on ten thousand legos while their bacon is burning and they have an itch that they cannot reach!
FUCKING ASSHOLES!
But the discovery and the growing-up Ardy is experiencing, is necessary I think, since he is still quitechildish? insecure? naïve? Young!
Caspian also has a LOT of things to figure out and work on, making me impatient for book 3; I really wanna see how this wraps up!
And even though I did not care for the ending I think it was satisfying in that this IS Ardy's journey (also Caspian's but I hate him right now, so he doesn't get my optimism).
And Ardy needs to stand on his own and grow up (not said in that nasty mean-girl-way), while Caspian needs to forgive himself and come to terms with his history.
I am still angry though; HOLY SHIT Caspian needs a wake-up-call or two! *side-eyeing my trusty frozen fish for douchebags*
All in all this is pure Alexis Hall, and I might be biased, since it is no secret that he is one of my favourites.
But I do think he took a 'tired' trope and made it his own; character-development, drama, humour and love galore<3
I, for one, cannot wait for the last book!
And hopefully Caspian has gotten the note that we need grovelling! Lots and LOTS of grovelling... If he does what's right, I might remove the Viking-witch-curse I have called upon him...
Maybe...
--------------------------------------
This second and the third book in this series was a pre-order as SOON as I finished the first one (how Mr. Hall got a pre-order that early will have to be Voodoo or spells or some other form of other-worldly hugga-baloo!)
I pressed the one-click-buy so fast that I cracked my keyboard (and then I poured in a cup of coffee, but you know... I was really excited:-)
This book is everything it's
Ardy is not doormat-y, he IS strong and opinionated and interesting, though he is YOUNG!
So very very young.
However I believe that Mr. Hall was true to the characters and their individual development (more Ardy's than Caspian's, because holy fuck that dude C. is slow on the uptake and quite idiotic!) and that Ardy grew up, slowly but steady (-ily???).
Also can we just applaud that when Ardy baby is decribed as clumsy, it fucking means that he is clumsy!
He stumbles and falls like a new-born giraffe and it made me happy that he is quite 'all-over the place', and in line with his description and his personality throughout.
I think I liked this book even better than the first, since the smexy times are getting 'there', Ardy is more personable and getting to know what he wants, while Caspian's story is more fleshed out too.
It does not have a HEA or even a HFN as Mr. Hall has already put out there, so hopefully I am not spoiling anything!
But even if I am, I think it's important that you know, so the ending will not come as a surprise.
I was quite angry when I finished though...
Like the 'heat-from-a-thousand-suns-angry', and I do hope that Caspian and his FUCKING horrible decision-making step on ten thousand legos while their bacon is burning and they have an itch that they cannot reach!
FUCKING ASSHOLES!
But the discovery and the growing-up Ardy is experiencing, is necessary I think, since he is still quite
Caspian also has a LOT of things to figure out and work on, making me impatient for book 3; I really wanna see how this wraps up!
And even though I did not care for the ending I think it was satisfying in that this IS Ardy's journey (also Caspian's but I hate him right now, so he doesn't get my optimism).
And Ardy needs to stand on his own and grow up (not said in that nasty mean-girl-way), while Caspian needs to forgive himself and come to terms with his history.
I am still angry though; HOLY SHIT Caspian needs a wake-up-call or two! *side-eyeing my trusty frozen fish for douchebags*
All in all this is pure Alexis Hall, and I might be biased, since it is no secret that he is one of my favourites.
But I do think he took a 'tired' trope and made it his own; character-development, drama, humour and love galore<3
I, for one, cannot wait for the last book!
And hopefully Caspian has gotten the note that we need grovelling! Lots and LOTS of grovelling... If he does what's right, I might remove the Viking-witch-curse I have called upon him...
Maybe...
August 27, 2019
Audio - 5 stars
Story - 3 stars
If it makes any sense, I enjoyed the writing and the narrator's performance more than I did the actual story. At times the story felt like it was going on and on without much happening. I am curious enough to know how things will work out between the MCs to listen to the final audiobook.
Story - 3 stars
If it makes any sense, I enjoyed the writing and the narrator's performance more than I did the actual story. At times the story felt like it was going on and on without much happening. I am curious enough to know how things will work out between the MCs to listen to the final audiobook.
May 22, 2019
4,5 stars
So this happened: when I finished this one I've also read the preview from the next book. BIG mistake! The first 3 chapters from the third book broke my heart in a big way!!! I feel like shouting and throwing things and ugh how I hate Caspian!!! With a passion!!! STUPID, coward and UGH, I just want to strangle him!!! And WHY do we have to wait for MONTHS until the last installment will be out?!? It's SO painful!!!! I want it NOW!!!!!!!!!
OK, so back to the second book. Even if I didn't quit love the first book I was curious enough to stick to the story. I really needed to discover Caspian's past/secrets. So I dived right into this one, head first. I've read and read and finished it in one sitting, not being able to go to sleep until I finished it. This is how much it kept my curiosity. The second book continues Arden's journey. He's still funny and clumsy, and what I really liked about him would be the way he didn't back down in front of Caspian's coldness. He was not afraid to ask for more. In bed AND out of it. He just didn't settle for crumbs of Caspian's time. Sometimes I felt like he pushed a little too much, but how else could he break Caspian's walls?!
Some parts were longer than I would have wanted, especially with Caspian's sister, Ellery. Can't say I liked her much.
I enjoyed the fact that we get many more scenes with our main characters. We get more of Caspian, even if he's too slow in showing Arden parts of him and his past. It was hard to understand him, but he seems ready to open up to Arden and shares some of his past experiences, especially with his ex, Nathaniel.
So now I am furious AND also sad that we have to wait until September 2019 to get the next book. I just wish Caspian will redeem himself somehow...
So this happened: when I finished this one I've also read the preview from the next book. BIG mistake! The first 3 chapters from the third book broke my heart in a big way!!! I feel like shouting and throwing things and ugh how I hate Caspian!!! With a passion!!! STUPID, coward and UGH, I just want to strangle him!!! And WHY do we have to wait for MONTHS until the last installment will be out?!? It's SO painful!!!! I want it NOW!!!!!!!!!
OK, so back to the second book. Even if I didn't quit love the first book I was curious enough to stick to the story. I really needed to discover Caspian's past/secrets. So I dived right into this one, head first. I've read and read and finished it in one sitting, not being able to go to sleep until I finished it. This is how much it kept my curiosity. The second book continues Arden's journey. He's still funny and clumsy, and what I really liked about him would be the way he didn't back down in front of Caspian's coldness. He was not afraid to ask for more. In bed AND out of it. He just didn't settle for crumbs of Caspian's time. Sometimes I felt like he pushed a little too much, but how else could he break Caspian's walls?!
Some parts were longer than I would have wanted, especially with Caspian's sister, Ellery. Can't say I liked her much.
I enjoyed the fact that we get many more scenes with our main characters. We get more of Caspian, even if he's too slow in showing Arden parts of him and his past. It was hard to understand him, but he seems ready to open up to Arden and shares some of his past experiences, especially with his ex, Nathaniel.
"I love the glimpses of the world I see through your eyes".
"I'm starting to see why you object so much to waking up alone".
"I just want you to see that you're kinky, not twisted. And hurt, not broken".
"My world was a platinum circle. It was manacles on my wrists. A vise around my heart."
"I was completely fucking furious with him. And desolate all over again. How hurt did you have to be, how terrified of who you were, and what you wanted, to do something like this? Not just to himself". - YEP, my thoughts exactly!!!
So now I am furious AND also sad that we have to wait until September 2019 to get the next book. I just wish Caspian will redeem himself somehow...
January 15, 2018
Soooooo much better than the first!
I loved the first book; THIS ONE I ADORED. It was succulent, it was delicious, it was hot, and full of laughter, and pain, and sadness, and my hand wanted to reach on in there and slap Caspian upside the head.
This second installment deviates more from FSoG than the first one did. There are still recognizable homages to the original text, but of course this is Alexis Hall, an Author who can actually write, and everything is that much better.
Here we get more of the kink I was sooooooooo thirsty for. In the first book. (Please note, that is my first use of thirsty ever in reference to something other than a beverage). We also get more of Caspian as Arden slowly chips away at his frosty manshell. But, be careful Arden dear, chip too much, and you might hit soft living tissue. Ouch. Ya, that hurts. And that’s what happened here.
I liked seeing more of the “real” Caspian. Granted, they were only flashes and moments, but enough to prove he wasn’t frozen solid through and through.
I also loved crazy Ellery. How messed up is this poor girl? How much do see myself in her sometimes? She and Arden continue their friendship, and it’s something I truly enjoy seeing.
Spoilers? Nah, just read the book. You know there’s a third, so things are NOT resolved here. I’ll just tell you the book starts and ends in Scotland with St. Ives and Hart.
Enjoy......Hall kills it in this one!
I loved the first book; THIS ONE I ADORED. It was succulent, it was delicious, it was hot, and full of laughter, and pain, and sadness, and my hand wanted to reach on in there and slap Caspian upside the head.
This second installment deviates more from FSoG than the first one did. There are still recognizable homages to the original text, but of course this is Alexis Hall, an Author who can actually write, and everything is that much better.
Here we get more of the kink I was sooooooooo thirsty for. In the first book. (Please note, that is my first use of thirsty ever in reference to something other than a beverage). We also get more of Caspian as Arden slowly chips away at his frosty manshell. But, be careful Arden dear, chip too much, and you might hit soft living tissue. Ouch. Ya, that hurts. And that’s what happened here.
I liked seeing more of the “real” Caspian. Granted, they were only flashes and moments, but enough to prove he wasn’t frozen solid through and through.
I also loved crazy Ellery. How messed up is this poor girl? How much do see myself in her sometimes? She and Arden continue their friendship, and it’s something I truly enjoy seeing.
Spoilers? Nah, just read the book. You know there’s a third, so things are NOT resolved here. I’ll just tell you the book starts and ends in Scotland with St. Ives and Hart.
Enjoy......Hall kills it in this one!
Read
January 25, 2018
I'm really not feeling this.
So much going on but nothing that matters to me.
Caspian disappears for a week when he just promised that he would try harder to be present.
So, no Caspian. Instead we get Ellery seeking Arden's attention with her sad-rich-girl-drama which I don't care a little bit.
That generates more drama, this time social media related because Arden was seen with Ellery and aparently, somehow it exposes Arden or Caspian. Hummm???
Enter then, Bellerose ( Caspian's right hand) + Casper's lawyer to discuss the situation.
Oh man... was this all really necessary?
So here I am at 27% throwing the towel.
I lost my patience and interest.
Sorry, friends
No tomatoes, please! ;-)
Peace! <3
December 12, 2017
4.5 stars
Reviewed for Just Love
Here’s the thing – I think the title of the book is wrong.
This really should be called How to Blow it with Arden St. Ives because if anyone blows it here, it’s Caspian Hart.
Here’s the other thing – I can’t entirely blame Caspian for fucking things up.
Look, I didn’t go into this expecting to feel something akin to sympathy for that inscrutable billionaire, but HTBIWAB made me do just that. It seems like the more we get to know Caspian, the less we really understand, and that just makes him more intriguing. Bastard.
“Arden” – he looked up at me with his restless ocean eyes, so full of unfathomed pain – “you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
But despite getting glimpses into Caspian’s messed up psyche, this is still Arden’s story and HTBIWAB sees Arden showing some real growth, both personally and professionally, as he explores a life of endless possibilities outside of Oxford. He’s still committed to Caspian, of course, but far less willing to accept the emotional crumbs Caspian has, up until now, been doling out.
Was Caspian Hart my boyfriend? And did I even want him to be?
One of the things I loved about HTBIWAB is how Arden gets to live this full life outside of Caspian’s sphere. While there’s no doubt about his feelings for Caspian, he doesn’t let their relationship overshadow everything else in his life. Whether he’s hustling for work or spending time with Caspian’s sister, Ellery, he’s building this life for himself that exists outside of his and Caspian’s relationship.
I know a few people who are holding back on reading this until book three is released, hoping not to prolong any heartache they’ll feel at the end of this book, but I have to say that, despite the title, HTBIWAB somehow manages to end on a hopeful note. You can’t keep a good man down (unless he fully consents to being held down, of course) and Arden is the best of men. His natural inclination to find light in the darkness serves him well here and quite frankly, I get the feeling that he’s going to be fine. Eventually. But he’ll get there.
In the end, Caspian may be the one who needs our sympathy, not that he’d ever want it, mind you. He’d sooner throw it back in our faces. But the guy who really blew it here is going to need Arden’s help if he ever wants to overcome his demons. Now we’ll just need to wait and see if he’s brave enough to try.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Reviewed for Just Love
Here’s the thing – I think the title of the book is wrong.
This really should be called How to Blow it with Arden St. Ives because if anyone blows it here, it’s Caspian Hart.
Here’s the other thing – I can’t entirely blame Caspian for fucking things up.
Look, I didn’t go into this expecting to feel something akin to sympathy for that inscrutable billionaire, but HTBIWAB made me do just that. It seems like the more we get to know Caspian, the less we really understand, and that just makes him more intriguing. Bastard.
“Arden” – he looked up at me with his restless ocean eyes, so full of unfathomed pain – “you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
But despite getting glimpses into Caspian’s messed up psyche, this is still Arden’s story and HTBIWAB sees Arden showing some real growth, both personally and professionally, as he explores a life of endless possibilities outside of Oxford. He’s still committed to Caspian, of course, but far less willing to accept the emotional crumbs Caspian has, up until now, been doling out.
Was Caspian Hart my boyfriend? And did I even want him to be?
One of the things I loved about HTBIWAB is how Arden gets to live this full life outside of Caspian’s sphere. While there’s no doubt about his feelings for Caspian, he doesn’t let their relationship overshadow everything else in his life. Whether he’s hustling for work or spending time with Caspian’s sister, Ellery, he’s building this life for himself that exists outside of his and Caspian’s relationship.
I know a few people who are holding back on reading this until book three is released, hoping not to prolong any heartache they’ll feel at the end of this book, but I have to say that, despite the title, HTBIWAB somehow manages to end on a hopeful note. You can’t keep a good man down (unless he fully consents to being held down, of course) and Arden is the best of men. His natural inclination to find light in the darkness serves him well here and quite frankly, I get the feeling that he’s going to be fine. Eventually. But he’ll get there.
In the end, Caspian may be the one who needs our sympathy, not that he’d ever want it, mind you. He’d sooner throw it back in our faces. But the guy who really blew it here is going to need Arden’s help if he ever wants to overcome his demons. Now we’ll just need to wait and see if he’s brave enough to try.
I received an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.
December 20, 2017
I can't do reviews right now. I need time. Lots of time. I should maybe not have read those first three chapters of book 3...
December 13, 2017
4.5 stars
I was anxiously awaiting this second installment in the Arden St. Ives series and it was well worth the wait. This one picks up immediately after the first book ends and follows Arden and Caspian as they return to London and try to make a go of their relationship. It's a rocky road though as Arden tries to break down the many walls Caspian has put up.
This story sucked me in from the very beginning The author has created a fabulous narrator in Arden. He's an absolute delight. He's funny, smart, introspective and insightful. Arden is also a really good guy. He's loves his friends and his devotion comes through in every interaction. When Adren focuses that devotion on Caspian we get to see Caspian taking steps to open up and return Arden's feelings. There are some very touching and romantic scenes in this book. Caspian may say he's not a romantic but indeed he is.
As the story goes along both Arden and the reader learn there is a lot going on in Caspian's head and a lot of it is pretty ugly. He's struggling with some very serious issues and I'm quite curious to see how the author is going to end up addressing this in the next book.
This book is also partly about Arden's journey to figure out what he wants to do with his life. There are quite a few scenes with Nik and Ellery and we get to meet the people in Caspian's life. (The good and the bad)
The writing was top notch and this author thoroughly entertains me with his clever inclusion of both popular culture and literary references. He's a smart writer and I'm sure I miss half of the references I should, but the ones I do catch I love.
There was a great deal of emotion in this book. I laughed out loud repeatedly, I felt a bit swoony in a few scenes and my heart broke just a bit for both of the protagonists in more than one place.
I don't think this should be read as a standalone. You definitely need to read this in order to get the full emotional impact. The first book was also one of my favorite books this year and I highly recommend this series.
I was anxiously awaiting this second installment in the Arden St. Ives series and it was well worth the wait. This one picks up immediately after the first book ends and follows Arden and Caspian as they return to London and try to make a go of their relationship. It's a rocky road though as Arden tries to break down the many walls Caspian has put up.
This story sucked me in from the very beginning The author has created a fabulous narrator in Arden. He's an absolute delight. He's funny, smart, introspective and insightful. Arden is also a really good guy. He's loves his friends and his devotion comes through in every interaction. When Adren focuses that devotion on Caspian we get to see Caspian taking steps to open up and return Arden's feelings. There are some very touching and romantic scenes in this book. Caspian may say he's not a romantic but indeed he is.
As the story goes along both Arden and the reader learn there is a lot going on in Caspian's head and a lot of it is pretty ugly. He's struggling with some very serious issues and I'm quite curious to see how the author is going to end up addressing this in the next book.
This book is also partly about Arden's journey to figure out what he wants to do with his life. There are quite a few scenes with Nik and Ellery and we get to meet the people in Caspian's life. (The good and the bad)
The writing was top notch and this author thoroughly entertains me with his clever inclusion of both popular culture and literary references. He's a smart writer and I'm sure I miss half of the references I should, but the ones I do catch I love.
There was a great deal of emotion in this book. I laughed out loud repeatedly, I felt a bit swoony in a few scenes and my heart broke just a bit for both of the protagonists in more than one place.
I don't think this should be read as a standalone. You definitely need to read this in order to get the full emotional impact. The first book was also one of my favorite books this year and I highly recommend this series.
![Profile Image for annob [on hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1674812294i%2F68231680._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 12, 2018
So hard to summarize this book as a rating within five stars. The writing: gorgeous. The story: billdom romances not my cuppa. The characters: They all feel true. Real. Each have their own voice and personality. I find Ardy (full of his human flaws) sweet, Caspian I don't like one bit. The romance: Probably the unhealthiest relationship I've read packaged as romantic story. Now, for creative reasons I don't believe books should at all be limited by their genre labels. That would diminish their potential to take you to unexpected places. And as reluctant i might have been, I went into those shadowy corners and it gave me some new insights.
This particular relationship's inner workings made the book really hard for me personally to read. I am glad I did, because I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book of the series. And it ends in a place where I felt good about both the characters and my feelings about the story. Will I read the third and final installment: Yes. But after that I will make sure to stay away from Billdom romances for a long time to come.
This particular relationship's inner workings made the book really hard for me personally to read. I am glad I did, because I enjoyed this sequel more than the first book of the series. And it ends in a place where I felt good about both the characters and my feelings about the story. Will I read the third and final installment: Yes. But after that I will make sure to stay away from Billdom romances for a long time to come.
Want to read
July 21, 2017Not liking the title of this one....sounds like a recipe for drama disaster.
May 17, 2024
Okay so, I didn't love this installment quite as much as the first book. It felt a little aimless. Or I guess, more specifically, it felt like Alexis had a plan and knew exactly where they were going, but at the same time wanted to drag this out so it would be a trilogy and not a duo. This could have totally been a duo.
Buuuttt, there was this amazing spanking scene, and also this like um... nipple twisting scene... so.... f it let's just go with 5 stars.
Buuuttt, there was this amazing spanking scene, and also this like um... nipple twisting scene... so.... f it let's just go with 5 stars.
August 30, 2019
Gah! I loved this even more. In the style of Arden, I laughed, I cried, and I was All The Feelz. So looking forward to the final book.
Okay, so I finally finished it. Because I was afraid of the Feelz I was kind of avoiding finishing.
But.
I'm good, I was a little torn up for Ardy but it's Ardy, Damnit, he's going to win.
I have all the faith in him. I am aware this is romance and Alexis Hall, so HEA/HFN is going to happen, but my faith is in Ardy, not in the inevitable. I think Ardy may be my favorite of his characters. He is so purely himself, I just love him so much.
And I love that Alexis Hall takes an old, overdone, somewhat empty trope and makes it so much more.
Audio: I think I will read with the voices for Ardy and Caspian in my head going forward. I enjoyed how much Leslie acted out this book. Ardy is a bit of a drama lama, let's be honest, and I loved how he portrayed that. I quite enjoy Caspian's voice as well.
Okay, so I finally finished it. Because I was afraid of the Feelz I was kind of avoiding finishing.
But.
I'm good, I was a little torn up for Ardy but it's Ardy, Damnit, he's going to win.
I have all the faith in him. I am aware this is romance and Alexis Hall, so HEA/HFN is going to happen, but my faith is in Ardy, not in the inevitable. I think Ardy may be my favorite of his characters. He is so purely himself, I just love him so much.
And I love that Alexis Hall takes an old, overdone, somewhat empty trope and makes it so much more.
Audio: I think I will read with the voices for Ardy and Caspian in my head going forward. I enjoyed how much Leslie acted out this book. Ardy is a bit of a drama lama, let's be honest, and I loved how he portrayed that. I quite enjoy Caspian's voice as well.
October 1, 2019
Summary: Arden and Caspian go back and forth on whether Caspian feels or not. Caspian also says bye bye, as was expected 🙄
The Story: 4 Pants Off
And I Oop!
The Narration: 4 Pants Off
Good job by Joel Leslie
The Story: 4 Pants Off
And I Oop!
The Narration: 4 Pants Off
Good job by Joel Leslie
January 23, 2018
ARG!!! Why am I doing this to myself? I knew this is an incomplete series and it will take another 6 months or more for the final book to be out. But I still read it and now I'm going to complain about it.
Arden, is still sweet as ever and eager to please his billionaire non-boyfriend. The reason I'm still reading this series is because I like reading Arden's POV, despite it being a mixed of dramatic, self-indulgent and at times whine-y. I'm not complaining about his personality, in fact I basked in it. I love Arden for being who he is.
Caspian, the said billionaire is another species altogether. I'm trying my best to like him, but he isn't giving me much chance to know him. We get a little bit more glimpse into what makes him the way he is, a total brooding asshole. I don't hate him per se, but the author really need make Caspian step up in the final book. It doesn't justify why Adren had to do all the hard work of making their non-relationship work. I want to see some groveling on Caspian part.
As I said before, Caspian is a repressed Dom and he is adamant to stay repressed. But we did get a little kinky scene in the bedroom this time, without the props. I wonder will we get to see the props in action? Just asking.
By the way, Arden spent quite a lot of time being with Caspian's sister, Ellery and being alone. I know he is trying to prove himself and I'm glad he is someone with aspiration and not just sitting around waiting Caspian to bang him, but I want to see more them being together, doing things together. Where the hell is Caspian anyway? This is the first time I actually read about the billionaire hero being so busy with work. I thought they just have minions to do things for them.
Book 1 ended with an okay HFN, but SPOILER alert !, Book 2 don't have an HFN, which is a bummer. I'm not satisfy with this ending because all I want is for Arden to be happy with Caspian, not happy being alone. Gah!! That's not even the worst because I went to read the preview chapters for the final book towards the end and guess what?? I'm even more wrecked than before. Why?!! Why is this happening?? I want to kill Caspian and that's not a threat.
Arden, is still sweet as ever and eager to please his billionaire non-boyfriend. The reason I'm still reading this series is because I like reading Arden's POV, despite it being a mixed of dramatic, self-indulgent and at times whine-y. I'm not complaining about his personality, in fact I basked in it. I love Arden for being who he is.
Caspian, the said billionaire is another species altogether. I'm trying my best to like him, but he isn't giving me much chance to know him. We get a little bit more glimpse into what makes him the way he is, a total brooding asshole. I don't hate him per se, but the author really need make Caspian step up in the final book. It doesn't justify why Adren had to do all the hard work of making their non-relationship work. I want to see some groveling on Caspian part.
As I said before, Caspian is a repressed Dom and he is adamant to stay repressed. But we did get a little kinky scene in the bedroom this time, without the props. I wonder will we get to see the props in action? Just asking.
By the way, Arden spent quite a lot of time being with Caspian's sister, Ellery and being alone. I know he is trying to prove himself and I'm glad he is someone with aspiration and not just sitting around waiting Caspian to bang him, but I want to see more them being together, doing things together. Where the hell is Caspian anyway? This is the first time I actually read about the billionaire hero being so busy with work. I thought they just have minions to do things for them.
Book 1 ended with an okay HFN, but SPOILER alert !, Book 2 don't have an HFN, which is a bummer. I'm not satisfy with this ending because all I want is for Arden to be happy with Caspian, not happy being alone. Gah!! That's not even the worst because I went to read the preview chapters for the final book towards the end and guess what?? I'm even more wrecked than before. Why?!! Why is this happening?? I want to kill Caspian and that's not a threat.
June 2, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 Stars. Rounding up...for Arden! 🥰
🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 Heat Level
I'm glad work was super slow today but even with it being that way there were times I wanted to say, "Can you hold please? I'm in the middle of something."
Like book one, this would have been closer to a three star read for me, if not for Arden. He continued to make me laugh my way through it. 🤣
"It made me feel so close to him and so impossibly distant at the same time. Like I could have my Jane Eyre moment, and whisper his name, and he would hear me and know I was thinking about him. Although if it turned out Caspian was keeping a mentally ill spouse in his attic I was going to be super miffed."
Seriously, he was too much. And actually Caspien was pretty funny at times too when he let his guard down.
“Nothing. Just do you…are we…am I not satisfying you?” “Where did that come from? I love sexytimes with you.” “Well.” His frown intensified. “I can’t help notice you have gathered masturbatory aids with the determination of a squirrel preparing for a long winter.”
So yes, the humor, writing and banter definitely elevated this book up a notch for me. Because if you took that away, it really is a mm 50 Shades of Grey. With less annoying and less creepy main characters And hotter! (Because wow, that needs to be said!)
I'll be moving on to the next book immediately. Judging from reviews, it's going to make me mad but I'm invested now and need to see it through to the end.
"But I couldn’t help wondering: did it feel for him the way it felt for me? These Icarus wings, heavy on your back, and full of the promise of power, drawing you higher and higher and faster and faster until you couldn’t tell anymore whether you were flying or falling or soaring or drowning."
🔥🔥🔥🔥/5 Heat Level
I'm glad work was super slow today but even with it being that way there were times I wanted to say, "Can you hold please? I'm in the middle of something."
Like book one, this would have been closer to a three star read for me, if not for Arden. He continued to make me laugh my way through it. 🤣
"It made me feel so close to him and so impossibly distant at the same time. Like I could have my Jane Eyre moment, and whisper his name, and he would hear me and know I was thinking about him. Although if it turned out Caspian was keeping a mentally ill spouse in his attic I was going to be super miffed."
Seriously, he was too much. And actually Caspien was pretty funny at times too when he let his guard down.
“Nothing. Just do you…are we…am I not satisfying you?” “Where did that come from? I love sexytimes with you.” “Well.” His frown intensified. “I can’t help notice you have gathered masturbatory aids with the determination of a squirrel preparing for a long winter.”
So yes, the humor, writing and banter definitely elevated this book up a notch for me. Because if you took that away, it really is a mm 50 Shades of Grey. With less annoying and less creepy main characters And hotter! (Because wow, that needs to be said!)
I'll be moving on to the next book immediately. Judging from reviews, it's going to make me mad but I'm invested now and need to see it through to the end.
"But I couldn’t help wondering: did it feel for him the way it felt for me? These Icarus wings, heavy on your back, and full of the promise of power, drawing you higher and higher and faster and faster until you couldn’t tell anymore whether you were flying or falling or soaring or drowning."
September 26, 2024
2019, first read
So far, my best book of the year.
What makes this story great for me is Arden’s character and arc. This type of story (stereotyping the genre) tends to generate in the reader a fascination around the powerful and dominant character (Caspian), leaving the MC weak and sometimes too dependent of their LI.
Arden with his honest and happy nature, is the one who is always comfortable with his opinions and way of life. Even at times when he is having some personal crisis, he never lets anyone decide or deal the problem for him. The trilogy is both the romance as the Ardy’s coming of age story, and I love that balance.
I glanced down at my phone. Holy shit. That was a lot of notifications.
[…]A few were related to my own writing, one was from Milieu (oooh), the rest were Nik, Sophie, Weird Owen, Professor Standish, Oxford University notifications…oh fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
This could mean only one thing. My results were out. I could have put it off. Once upon a time I would have. But not anymore. I had an article coming out in Milieu. A respectable army of Instagram followers. A billionaire lover who fucked me and cherished me, and let me comfort him when he needed it. I’d danced all night at a secret rave in an abandoned building. Flown to Boston to be with a friend. Interviewed Poppy Carrie in a hospital café. Frankly, Oxford could suck my balls.
I do not mean that Caspian is not interesting, he is a captivating character with a complicated past. But I love the twist here where Arden, with his goodness and optimism and attitudes commonly associated with more "feminine" personalities, is the real savior and hero; while Caspian, dominant and sweet and completely lost, is the closest thing the story has to the maiden in distress type of character.
Now, I can only wait for the third part of this series to be published. Meanwhile, it seems inevitable to continue reading the rest of Alexis Hall’s books, in which I hope to find again the many great references to pop culture: Characters in love with Jane Austen, Labyrinth, Disney, LoTR and Star Wars... My kind of book for sure.
........................................
August 2022, post third reading thoughts:
*Knowing the whole story, it’s easier to understand C and not see him as the cold distant asshole he could first appeared to be.
Caspian was as damaged as I remembered. I wanted to shake him hard nearly every time he spoke. But I didn’t remember Ardy’s overwhelming attitude towards him.
I know that kind of treatment was exactly what Caspian needed, but gods, there were a lot of times I wanted to shake Ardy too.
Oh, what Am I saying? Ardy is perfect. Anyone’s life would be better with an Arden in it. He always recognized when he did something wrong and fixed it. And even completely in love, he always had the clear mind to see when C was making no sense and call him on it.
Right after the locked room accident Arden alone came to the conclusion Nathaniel and him had some things in common:
“After all, we had a lot in a common. Since neither of us really understood the man we claimed to care about.”
And that is the most important thing that sets him apart. He was willing to see his mistakes and learn from them.
*and yep, Caspian is a dork. But whenever he made something that could make me start hating him, and it would be a lot of times, he would acknowledge his faults, give such an honest and thoughtful apology, that it was impossible to not like him. He did have a LOT of baggage to deal with.
Fuck. He was going to dump me. He’d brought me orange juice and now he was dumping me. It was the orange juice of condolence. Or maybe he just thought I wouldn’t hit him if I had something in my hand. He was probably right. I was trying to work up the courage or cruelty or whatever it took to dash my drink in his face, when he said, “Please don’t go back to Kinlochbervie.” I inhaled in shock. Except my mouth was full of liquid so mainly what I did was splutter. Attractively. “I know,” he went on, “after what happened, the way I made you feel, that I have no right to ask. But I don’t want Nathaniel, Arden. I want you. I can’t change that I loved him once, but you are not, and have never been, in his shadow.”
*The non-romance bits were as engaging as the ones with couple development in it. I loved the Nik’s, poppy’s and Bellerose’s chapters. In this type of sub-genre, where is common to find an MC with little to no friends and mostly separated from other people apart from the bildom love-interest, is great to see Arden having a rich complex life that is all him and not Caspian-centered.
*Really, there must be a not-that-distant future with more ArdenStIves-verse books in it. There are so many excellent secondary characters, all with glimpses of extraordinary back stories and potential for things to come!
Spinoffs. Spinoffs everywhere!
I want Colt Dawson and Poppy’s story.
I want Ellery’s music career to be a massive hit and for her to get closer to certain lawyer. Ellery!
I want Nik’s story, Bellerose’ too.
George. I want her to meet her own madly-in-love-poppet.
So far, my best book of the year.
What makes this story great for me is Arden’s character and arc. This type of story (stereotyping the genre) tends to generate in the reader a fascination around the powerful and dominant character (Caspian), leaving the MC weak and sometimes too dependent of their LI.
Arden with his honest and happy nature, is the one who is always comfortable with his opinions and way of life. Even at times when he is having some personal crisis, he never lets anyone decide or deal the problem for him. The trilogy is both the romance as the Ardy’s coming of age story, and I love that balance.
I glanced down at my phone. Holy shit. That was a lot of notifications.
[…]A few were related to my own writing, one was from Milieu (oooh), the rest were Nik, Sophie, Weird Owen, Professor Standish, Oxford University notifications…oh fuck.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.
This could mean only one thing. My results were out. I could have put it off. Once upon a time I would have. But not anymore. I had an article coming out in Milieu. A respectable army of Instagram followers. A billionaire lover who fucked me and cherished me, and let me comfort him when he needed it. I’d danced all night at a secret rave in an abandoned building. Flown to Boston to be with a friend. Interviewed Poppy Carrie in a hospital café. Frankly, Oxford could suck my balls.
I do not mean that Caspian is not interesting, he is a captivating character with a complicated past. But I love the twist here where Arden, with his goodness and optimism and attitudes commonly associated with more "feminine" personalities, is the real savior and hero; while Caspian, dominant and sweet and completely lost, is the closest thing the story has to the maiden in distress type of character.
Now, I can only wait for the third part of this series to be published. Meanwhile, it seems inevitable to continue reading the rest of Alexis Hall’s books, in which I hope to find again the many great references to pop culture: Characters in love with Jane Austen, Labyrinth, Disney, LoTR and Star Wars... My kind of book for sure.
........................................
August 2022, post third reading thoughts:
*Knowing the whole story, it’s easier to understand C and not see him as the cold distant asshole he could first appeared to be.
Caspian was as damaged as I remembered. I wanted to shake him hard nearly every time he spoke. But I didn’t remember Ardy’s overwhelming attitude towards him.
I know that kind of treatment was exactly what Caspian needed, but gods, there were a lot of times I wanted to shake Ardy too.
Oh, what Am I saying? Ardy is perfect. Anyone’s life would be better with an Arden in it. He always recognized when he did something wrong and fixed it. And even completely in love, he always had the clear mind to see when C was making no sense and call him on it.
Right after the locked room accident Arden alone came to the conclusion Nathaniel and him had some things in common:
“After all, we had a lot in a common. Since neither of us really understood the man we claimed to care about.”
And that is the most important thing that sets him apart. He was willing to see his mistakes and learn from them.
*and yep, Caspian is a dork. But whenever he made something that could make me start hating him, and it would be a lot of times, he would acknowledge his faults, give such an honest and thoughtful apology, that it was impossible to not like him. He did have a LOT of baggage to deal with.
Fuck. He was going to dump me. He’d brought me orange juice and now he was dumping me. It was the orange juice of condolence. Or maybe he just thought I wouldn’t hit him if I had something in my hand. He was probably right. I was trying to work up the courage or cruelty or whatever it took to dash my drink in his face, when he said, “Please don’t go back to Kinlochbervie.” I inhaled in shock. Except my mouth was full of liquid so mainly what I did was splutter. Attractively. “I know,” he went on, “after what happened, the way I made you feel, that I have no right to ask. But I don’t want Nathaniel, Arden. I want you. I can’t change that I loved him once, but you are not, and have never been, in his shadow.”
*The non-romance bits were as engaging as the ones with couple development in it. I loved the Nik’s, poppy’s and Bellerose’s chapters. In this type of sub-genre, where is common to find an MC with little to no friends and mostly separated from other people apart from the bildom love-interest, is great to see Arden having a rich complex life that is all him and not Caspian-centered.
*Really, there must be a not-that-distant future with more ArdenStIves-verse books in it. There are so many excellent secondary characters, all with glimpses of extraordinary back stories and potential for things to come!
Spinoffs. Spinoffs everywhere!
I want Colt Dawson and Poppy’s story.
I want Ellery’s music career to be a massive hit and for her to get closer to certain lawyer. Ellery!
I want Nik’s story, Bellerose’ too.
George. I want her to meet her own madly-in-love-poppet.
August 27, 2019
3.5 stars from me. I didn't enjoy this one as much as How to Bang a Billionaire, and that rated nowhere near as highly with me as Alexis' other reads. I was hard pressed not to skip and that's NEVER happened with me and an Alexis story...cos he's my Wordsmith, and I've loved everything he's written within reason...most of which is on my Brilliant Writing/Creme de la Creme bookshelves.
As far as the story is concerned, yet again I felt for Arden 💜💛💚💙. He's so lovely, so innocent in many ways, so empathetic towards Caspian's sister Ellery...who let's face it, really needs a friend or just someone to love. Fortunately for Arden, some things are finally going his way [which I'll leave you to read about] but other things...such as his complete infatuation with Caspian, are destined to hurt him...again!! After dashing to Kinlochbervie to get Arden back at the end of How to Bang a Billionaire, Caspian comes to his senses and starts treating Arden as something precious [and you'll hopefully notice my choice of words there].
When Arden eventually returns to the UK after flying to Boston to be there for his friend Nik who's been involved in an accident [thought all of this was very strange, but at least he gets to meet Nik's supermodel sister which will be helpful in future], Caspian starts to care for Arden as though he's finally accepted that the two of them are destined to be together. Unfortunately, this doesn't last for long, and when the two of them go to Ellery's birthday party, we at last get to 'meet' the cretin who has distorted Caspian's perception of a 'normal' relationship. I would've personally described him as a predator who made his move on Caspian when Caspian was just 14, but he has screwed with Caspian's mind and thoughts for so long, that Caspian believes everything was at his instigation and therefore his fault. That's as far as I'm going with this review....enjoy!!
IMHO, this was an average read, which is certainly not what I expect from Alexis. Yes, the series is published by a US publisher BUT as it's about Englishmen and England AND written by an Englishman, there are FAR too many Americanisms and spellings . We really and truly don't use the phrase 'a bunch of times' over here [which means what exactly anyway?? Any number in excess of 1?? 🤔] and we certainly don't use the word super in front of practically every adjective...super horny, really 😏?? Nope...just no.
Yes, I will read the final story just to make sure that Arden gets his HEA, as the Author has promised, but this is definitely not Alexis best work although I'm sure most US readers will love it, sorry. Hope he got well paid by the American publishers anyhoo...
As far as the story is concerned, yet again I felt for Arden 💜💛💚💙. He's so lovely, so innocent in many ways, so empathetic towards Caspian's sister Ellery...who let's face it, really needs a friend or just someone to love. Fortunately for Arden, some things are finally going his way [which I'll leave you to read about] but other things...such as his complete infatuation with Caspian, are destined to hurt him...again!! After dashing to Kinlochbervie to get Arden back at the end of How to Bang a Billionaire, Caspian comes to his senses and starts treating Arden as something precious [and you'll hopefully notice my choice of words there].
When Arden eventually returns to the UK after flying to Boston to be there for his friend Nik who's been involved in an accident [thought all of this was very strange, but at least he gets to meet Nik's supermodel sister which will be helpful in future], Caspian starts to care for Arden as though he's finally accepted that the two of them are destined to be together. Unfortunately, this doesn't last for long, and when the two of them go to Ellery's birthday party, we at last get to 'meet' the cretin who has distorted Caspian's perception of a 'normal' relationship. I would've personally described him as a predator who made his move on Caspian when Caspian was just 14, but he has screwed with Caspian's mind and thoughts for so long, that Caspian believes everything was at his instigation and therefore his fault. That's as far as I'm going with this review....enjoy!!
IMHO, this was an average read, which is certainly not what I expect from Alexis. Yes, the series is published by a US publisher BUT as it's about Englishmen and England AND written by an Englishman, there are FAR too many Americanisms and spellings . We really and truly don't use the phrase 'a bunch of times' over here [which means what exactly anyway?? Any number in excess of 1?? 🤔] and we certainly don't use the word super in front of practically every adjective...super horny, really 😏?? Nope...just no.
Yes, I will read the final story just to make sure that Arden gets his HEA, as the Author has promised, but this is definitely not Alexis best work although I'm sure most US readers will love it, sorry. Hope he got well paid by the American publishers anyhoo...
December 16, 2017
This is the second book in the series - it begins with an ominous warning and ends with an indeterminate moment. I assume we're getting at least one more, to resolve everything left up in the air in this. Here we see new sides to both Caspian and Arden, which help make them more intriguing and multifaceted, and which also reveal some real flaws. I enjoyed this, even though it didn't give me the sweetness at the end that allowed for optimism between the first two installments.
Arden is a very young and impulsive man, who leaps with both feet and thinks afterward. In this book, those leaps are both good and bad. His friendship with Caspian's sister gains some warmth, and he finally starts seeing himself as enough of an adult to need to move forward with his life outside of his relationship with Caspian. These are both promising, in helping him grow into the man that Caspian clearly needs, because he isn't there yet. Despite his warmth, his eager submission when Caspian wants it, and his good intentions, Arden is immature. He pushes and demands when it's clear that's a bad idea. He misreads and ignores signs that Caspian is not in a good headspace, then is surprised when Caspian withdraws. I hope the next book gives us a more mature Arden, because Caspian sure needs him.
Here we also see a new Caspian, a man with an ocean of deep and difficult emotion locked underneath that iron control and surface perfection. He's very taken with Arden, at times shocked by the realization that what he so much wants from a partner is something he can have with Arden. But Caspian is a man with a lot of darkness in his past. The cracks in his surface veneer come at a price. He can only function well within certain limits he has set for himself, and both Arden's demands and his love and warmth push against those limits. And as Arden bumbles along doing his best, he sometimes triggers those limits.
This is very much a middle book - past the first flush of infatuation, trying to match up the deeper elements of two men in a relationship. In this one, I found my sympathies more engaged with Caspian, as I grew impatient with Arden here and there. But then, he is very young, and he's going to have to learn the hard way when, and how, to fight for what he wants without missing the clues about what Caspian needs. I look forward to seeing that happen.
Arden is a very young and impulsive man, who leaps with both feet and thinks afterward. In this book, those leaps are both good and bad. His friendship with Caspian's sister gains some warmth, and he finally starts seeing himself as enough of an adult to need to move forward with his life outside of his relationship with Caspian. These are both promising, in helping him grow into the man that Caspian clearly needs, because he isn't there yet. Despite his warmth, his eager submission when Caspian wants it, and his good intentions, Arden is immature. He pushes and demands when it's clear that's a bad idea. He misreads and ignores signs that Caspian is not in a good headspace, then is surprised when Caspian withdraws. I hope the next book gives us a more mature Arden, because Caspian sure needs him.
Here we also see a new Caspian, a man with an ocean of deep and difficult emotion locked underneath that iron control and surface perfection. He's very taken with Arden, at times shocked by the realization that what he so much wants from a partner is something he can have with Arden. But Caspian is a man with a lot of darkness in his past. The cracks in his surface veneer come at a price. He can only function well within certain limits he has set for himself, and both Arden's demands and his love and warmth push against those limits. And as Arden bumbles along doing his best, he sometimes triggers those limits.
This is very much a middle book - past the first flush of infatuation, trying to match up the deeper elements of two men in a relationship. In this one, I found my sympathies more engaged with Caspian, as I grew impatient with Arden here and there. But then, he is very young, and he's going to have to learn the hard way when, and how, to fight for what he wants without missing the clues about what Caspian needs. I look forward to seeing that happen.
December 27, 2017
Part one ended quite satisfying, no cliff, I was so eager to know more because there is so much to discover.
The prologue gave me instant an unsettled feeling. My God, what to expect....
Told from the creative, overactive and responsive mind of Arden.
Arden lives in one of Caspian's apartments. Their relation is complicated. Caspian's has issues and we still have to discover which... to guess is not an option because..if I had the imagination, I would be an author myself....
It had a delicious humor in it..I laughed out loud and sniggered a lot, it was so witty and close and at times sharp as a knife, sarcastic...like I said delicious.
There are many many parts I want to highlight...
The way Caspian owns Arden is mind-blowing. The way they both get exposed, unraveled layer by layer is disarming. The way they interact is whiplashing. The uncertainty killing....
This whole story was one big adventure, in the meaning of.. every action was detailed and was described as an adventure with none dull moment.
"A kiss to break the edges of skin itself and make you two, and one, and whole, and together, and everything between."
It's an amazingly written, unpredictable passionate story. From angles so intense, with depth and width. Little details I wouldn't have notice myself even they were right under my nose. At points it was utterly endearing romantic, at moments so erotic and emotional i sniffled hard, but also with precarious feelings 'when will the train crash' The developing and progression is stunningly done. Delightful main personalities even they were at times hard to watch...
A special lady who conquered my heart....Ellery. All the others were piece by piece well put down.
I highly recommend to read this series yourself !! One of my highlights of 2017
Book 3 will be released in 2018. I already pre-ordered it :)
The prologue gave me instant an unsettled feeling. My God, what to expect....
Told from the creative, overactive and responsive mind of Arden.
Arden lives in one of Caspian's apartments. Their relation is complicated. Caspian's has issues and we still have to discover which... to guess is not an option because..if I had the imagination, I would be an author myself....
It had a delicious humor in it..I laughed out loud and sniggered a lot, it was so witty and close and at times sharp as a knife, sarcastic...like I said delicious.
There are many many parts I want to highlight...
The way Caspian owns Arden is mind-blowing. The way they both get exposed, unraveled layer by layer is disarming. The way they interact is whiplashing. The uncertainty killing....
This whole story was one big adventure, in the meaning of.. every action was detailed and was described as an adventure with none dull moment.
"A kiss to break the edges of skin itself and make you two, and one, and whole, and together, and everything between."
It's an amazingly written, unpredictable passionate story. From angles so intense, with depth and width. Little details I wouldn't have notice myself even they were right under my nose. At points it was utterly endearing romantic, at moments so erotic and emotional i sniffled hard, but also with precarious feelings 'when will the train crash' The developing and progression is stunningly done. Delightful main personalities even they were at times hard to watch...
A special lady who conquered my heart....Ellery. All the others were piece by piece well put down.
I highly recommend to read this series yourself !! One of my highlights of 2017
Book 3 will be released in 2018. I already pre-ordered it :)
dnf
August 15, 2025DNF at 19%
It turned out that the big change at the end of the previous book didn’t stick. Caspian had promised . That wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker for me if it wasn’t that I was bored and couldn’t care less to see what was in store for the two of them. Actually, I might’ve been interested and I would’ve kept going, but then Ellery came back on the scene and I didn’t really care to read about , so I took a peek at reviews of the third book to see if it might be worthy to stick with the story until then and it seems my first instinct was right. I’m not going to enjoy where this is going if what I’ve gathered about the plot of the next book is true. Having (Spoiler for the third book) isn’t anywhere near something I’d enjoy reading about. Even if I cared more than I currently do about the characters and their relationship.
It turned out that the big change at the end of the previous book didn’t stick. Caspian had promised . That wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker for me if it wasn’t that I was bored and couldn’t care less to see what was in store for the two of them. Actually, I might’ve been interested and I would’ve kept going, but then Ellery came back on the scene and I didn’t really care to read about , so I took a peek at reviews of the third book to see if it might be worthy to stick with the story until then and it seems my first instinct was right. I’m not going to enjoy where this is going if what I’ve gathered about the plot of the next book is true. Having (Spoiler for the third book) isn’t anywhere near something I’d enjoy reading about. Even if I cared more than I currently do about the characters and their relationship.
September 10, 2019
That was brilliant and heart-breaking!
So far this series is the best I have read re handling abuse and trauma - no easy solutions, no magic sex, no use for shock value. Instead it's all very real and honest.
You can read my review of the complete series on my blog and in the review space for book 3, How to Belong with a Billionaire
So far this series is the best I have read re handling abuse and trauma - no easy solutions, no magic sex, no use for shock value. Instead it's all very real and honest.
You can read my review of the complete series on my blog and in the review space for book 3, How to Belong with a Billionaire
August 11, 2019
So, honestly, I am a fan of this series. I mean yeah, sometimes the sex descriptions are a little too, ahem, raw for me...like in a weird "that is too much anatomy" way for me. And in this book, Caspian was a little too I don't know, self-defeating, but also there are these things, wonderful things, that make it seem like there was assignment in comp 101 for twilight fan fic and you're an instructor grading and you're thinking, "holy shit this kid's got something," and you just read the FSOG series and gave E.L. James a D- because at least she strung some words and paragraph breaks together and let's be honest that whole tampon scene was disgustingly memorable. And also, you can tell the plan of these two was the same but that Alexis Hall isn't even hating on E.L. James's obviously inferior, painfully inferior work, and you know, you just know, that when he has Ellery mention that she want's to get away from a classic music festival before some sappy Debussy gets played it was obvious that this effort is neither separate nor self-conscious.
I think I've explained enough my feelings on FSOG in the first review And now I've gone so far afield on actually reviewing the book, but it's a middle book. It roughly follows the plan. There's despair in this book. Caspian's mystery and pathology is slowly revealed, so is his romance and his regard. Where he's different from Christian is that he's utterly, endearingly self-conscious and embarrassed discussing sex-related things. Not in the moment, that'd be annoying, but he's always blushing. So yeah, he's blushing dom. He's not a detached narcissist, quite the opposite, I'd argue.
However, Arden remains far more known, the novels are from his perspective, in his voice. He is innocent, yet wicked, and he knows his worth. He's transparent about feelings, but not enough to feel stupid or self-sacrificing. He's a great balance to the emotionally wounded and cut off Caspian, and the result is a great balance, where the protagonists express their vulnerability in opposite ways.
I really did laugh throughout this book, even though it was a bit darker than I recall the first being. I did want to dive headlong into the 3rd, but I can wait the 22 days until it releases. Or I'll have to anyway.
Note, there's a ton of sex. In the beginning it felt like it could be too much, especially considering that this book absolutely shines when the characters (any of them) interact. I didn't mind all the sex, but just throwing that out there...in case you do. 4.5 from me.
I think I've explained enough my feelings on FSOG in the first review And now I've gone so far afield on actually reviewing the book, but it's a middle book. It roughly follows the plan. There's despair in this book. Caspian's mystery and pathology is slowly revealed, so is his romance and his regard. Where he's different from Christian is that he's utterly, endearingly self-conscious and embarrassed discussing sex-related things. Not in the moment, that'd be annoying, but he's always blushing. So yeah, he's blushing dom. He's not a detached narcissist, quite the opposite, I'd argue.
However, Arden remains far more known, the novels are from his perspective, in his voice. He is innocent, yet wicked, and he knows his worth. He's transparent about feelings, but not enough to feel stupid or self-sacrificing. He's a great balance to the emotionally wounded and cut off Caspian, and the result is a great balance, where the protagonists express their vulnerability in opposite ways.
I really did laugh throughout this book, even though it was a bit darker than I recall the first being. I did want to dive headlong into the 3rd, but I can wait the 22 days until it releases. Or I'll have to anyway.
Note, there's a ton of sex. In the beginning it felt like it could be too much, especially considering that this book absolutely shines when the characters (any of them) interact. I didn't mind all the sex, but just throwing that out there...in case you do. 4.5 from me.
August 17, 2021
Arden decide volver con Caspian, despues que este le va a buscar casa de sus padres, pero aunque Caspian le pide que tenga paciencia que esta intentando ser mas abierto, pero que hay cosas que son dificiles para el decirle o no queire decirle. Las inseguridades de Arden le hacen ser impaciente, grosero y depresivo, y cuando el ex de Caspian Nathaniel aparece en escena, todo se torna mucho peor, y eso aunado con su dificultad de ver su futuro lo hacen casi explosivo causando mucha friccion entre ellos.
Y cuando los celos de Arden son mas fuertes que su sentido comun, explota, la relacion con Caspian se quiebra y la separacion entre ellos es la oficial, eso obliga a Arden a ver su vida sin Caspian y comenzar otro capitulo en su vida y ver hasta donde le lleva.
Este libro es muchisimo muchisimo mas dramatico que el anterior, el auto-reproche de los protagonistas llega a cansar, pero tambien hay momentos emotivos entre Arden y otros personajes que hacen el libro mucho mas interesante. En fin, en este libro conocemos mas a profundidad algunos de los personajes secundarios, y espero que muchos de ellos sigan explorandose en el libro siguiente.
Sin embargo, el twist de este libro resulta un poco exasperante y cliffanger te deja con ganas de agarrar el libro siguiente y ver enseguida como van a solucionar todo, asi que por supuesto, tengo que termiar la serie y espero que el autor pueda mantener vivos ambos personajes y que su evolucion realmente tenga sentido, y sobre todo que se desarrollen mas los personajes secundarios (algunos tienen bastante potencial).
Y cuando los celos de Arden son mas fuertes que su sentido comun, explota, la relacion con Caspian se quiebra y la separacion entre ellos es la oficial, eso obliga a Arden a ver su vida sin Caspian y comenzar otro capitulo en su vida y ver hasta donde le lleva.
Este libro es muchisimo muchisimo mas dramatico que el anterior, el auto-reproche de los protagonistas llega a cansar, pero tambien hay momentos emotivos entre Arden y otros personajes que hacen el libro mucho mas interesante. En fin, en este libro conocemos mas a profundidad algunos de los personajes secundarios, y espero que muchos de ellos sigan explorandose en el libro siguiente.
Sin embargo, el twist de este libro resulta un poco exasperante y cliffanger te deja con ganas de agarrar el libro siguiente y ver enseguida como van a solucionar todo, asi que por supuesto, tengo que termiar la serie y espero que el autor pueda mantener vivos ambos personajes y que su evolucion realmente tenga sentido, y sobre todo que se desarrollen mas los personajes secundarios (algunos tienen bastante potencial).
September 23, 2019
*Leaving my original comments from August 2017 below, because they all proved me right in the end.*
This was waaaaaaaaay better than the first book. It actually is a romance. And not Ardy's coming of age book. Unfortunately by the time I'm writing this I've already read book 3 and I already know that one turns into Ardy's coming of maturity book and that it lost me.
This book, wow. It's one of those that makes come very close to stating that Hall is one the greatest contemporary romance writers of this decade (statement that I backtrack in the next book). How to Blow it has all the elements that pull me towards romance: constant on-page interaction between the MCs, funny organic conversations, getting to know each other situations, conflicts to resolve within the relationship, mundane -day to day- happenstances...
It is all the things that make me swoon and sigh. All the things that remind me of the above quote.
Which is funny, because it also leads me to remember my grievances with the overall arc of the story. That I can't help but think of as a unit, instead of as just this one particular book. (Just to be clear, I haven't read the book I'm quoting. I've read the Teen Wolf Sterek Fanfiction Electricity In the Contact that quotes it, that made me think of Caspian's and Arden's relationship and what I loved about it. But also, what was bullshit about it's delivery.)
I wish, dearly, that we could call things what they are. This isn't Hall's take on billionaire romances, nor on alpha heroes. No. It is Hall's queer take on Fifty Shades of Grey. Period.
I mean, this whole story is so much Fifty, that in parts it actually goes back to its roots and it is actually Alternative Universe/ Future Fic/ Original Characters/ Pining/ Touch Starved/ Twilight Fanfiction. I swear there was a point there during the breakup that I felt like Hall went all New Moon on us. You can just about see Caspian with Pattinson's face.
So, yeah. Alexis Hall delivered a fantastic book here. He is beyond talented in his craft. His usual hidden easter eggs are as ever hilarious and cute. But his craft does continue to suffer from two major flaws: terrible writing of contemporary women and a huge lack of people of color characters. For someone that boasts so much about diversity, his is always a very marginalising one.
I still hate the prologue thing going on here. The prologues in the series are complete shit. They are the exact thing I don't want to have in my romances: other people's feelings (like outside the couple or the people involved in the main goal relationship I mean).
__________________________________________
August 2017
This is not a review, I haven't read the book. Because of this: " See how Arden and Caspian's love story ends in the third book, coming summer 2018!"
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!
#thisiswhywecan'thavenicethings
#faltan30siglos
#despuésdeuncliffhanger
#nopinchechingues
#semevaaolvidartodo
#googléateéstawei
Like I said, I haven't read the book and I'm not sure I'm going to right now. So this next bit is purely my stating or reasons of why not, so I don't forget anything later.
1. I finally kinda, sorta have an answer about the prologue bit from a blog post Alexis Hall recently wrote. And I have massive problems with it. Like I said in my review of the first book I didn't understand what was the point of it. It wasn't a scene that added anything to the romance between Caspian and Arden. We didn't even get an answer as to whom (who?) it was on the scene. And the thing that I found to be the most intolerable about it was that it was probably the most poignant scene of the entire book. And it wasn't between the two MCs. To put it bluntly: I loathed it.
Now that I have some semblance of an answer about it, I hate it even more. I find it to be unnecessary and distracting and discouraging. If we are getting to know the main romantic interest to our main character through his experiences with others then you are not fucking selling me the present romance at all.
2. The fact that I had to get answers to niggling questions from blog posts, interviews and different outlets annoys the living crap out of me. None of the things that bothered me about the first book, about the story itself, about the bildom romance approach Hall decided to tackle here, nor about the nature of the relationship arc can be inferred from the books themselves. One has to read the explanations about them.
3. I still don't like Caspian and I still have like zero interest in continuing reading about him. I can remember exactly one thing about what we learned of Caspian from book 1: he's rich.
That's it.
That's all.
Arden is a lovable character. But I'm not here to read about a personal growth, coming-of-age, I am strong story (which is what I strongly got a whiff of from the previously linked blog post). I'm here for the romantic relationship development. I need to get to know all the characters involved in said relationship. Right now, I haven't gotten that.
4. "Coming summer 2018". No mames. Neta, no mames.
On a positive note, I very much recommend this guest post from the author: https://allaboutromance.com/give-hand...
This was waaaaaaaaay better than the first book. It actually is a romance. And not Ardy's coming of age book. Unfortunately by the time I'm writing this I've already read book 3 and I already know that one turns into Ardy's coming of maturity book and that it lost me.
“Touch. It is touch that is the deadliest enemy of chastity, loyalty, monogamy, gentility with its codes and conventions and restraints. By touch we are betrayed and betray others … an accidental brushing of shoulders or touching of hands … hands laid on shoulders in a gesture of comfort that lies like a thief, that takes, not gives, that wants, not offers, that awakes, not pacifies. When one flesh is waiting, there is electricity in the merest contact.”
--Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose
This book, wow. It's one of those that makes come very close to stating that Hall is one the greatest contemporary romance writers of this decade (statement that I backtrack in the next book). How to Blow it has all the elements that pull me towards romance: constant on-page interaction between the MCs, funny organic conversations, getting to know each other situations, conflicts to resolve within the relationship, mundane -day to day- happenstances...
It is all the things that make me swoon and sigh. All the things that remind me of the above quote.
Which is funny, because it also leads me to remember my grievances with the overall arc of the story. That I can't help but think of as a unit, instead of as just this one particular book. (Just to be clear, I haven't read the book I'm quoting. I've read the Teen Wolf Sterek Fanfiction Electricity In the Contact that quotes it, that made me think of Caspian's and Arden's relationship and what I loved about it. But also, what was bullshit about it's delivery.)
I wish, dearly, that we could call things what they are. This isn't Hall's take on billionaire romances, nor on alpha heroes. No. It is Hall's queer take on Fifty Shades of Grey. Period.
I mean, this whole story is so much Fifty, that in parts it actually goes back to its roots and it is actually Alternative Universe/ Future Fic/ Original Characters/ Pining/ Touch Starved/ Twilight Fanfiction. I swear there was a point there during the breakup that I felt like Hall went all New Moon on us. You can just about see Caspian with Pattinson's face.
So, yeah. Alexis Hall delivered a fantastic book here. He is beyond talented in his craft. His usual hidden easter eggs are as ever hilarious and cute. But his craft does continue to suffer from two major flaws: terrible writing of contemporary women and a huge lack of people of color characters. For someone that boasts so much about diversity, his is always a very marginalising one.
I still hate the prologue thing going on here. The prologues in the series are complete shit. They are the exact thing I don't want to have in my romances: other people's feelings (like outside the couple or the people involved in the main goal relationship I mean).
__________________________________________
August 2017
This is not a review, I haven't read the book. Because of this: " See how Arden and Caspian's love story ends in the third book, coming summer 2018!"
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!
#thisiswhywecan'thavenicethings
#faltan30siglos
#despuésdeuncliffhanger
#nopinchechingues
#semevaaolvidartodo
#googléateéstawei
Like I said, I haven't read the book and I'm not sure I'm going to right now. So this next bit is purely my stating or reasons of why not, so I don't forget anything later.
1. I finally kinda, sorta have an answer about the prologue bit from a blog post Alexis Hall recently wrote. And I have massive problems with it. Like I said in my review of the first book I didn't understand what was the point of it. It wasn't a scene that added anything to the romance between Caspian and Arden. We didn't even get an answer as to whom (who?) it was on the scene. And the thing that I found to be the most intolerable about it was that it was probably the most poignant scene of the entire book. And it wasn't between the two MCs. To put it bluntly: I loathed it.
Now that I have some semblance of an answer about it, I hate it even more. I find it to be unnecessary and distracting and discouraging. If we are getting to know the main romantic interest to our main character through his experiences with others then you are not fucking selling me the present romance at all.
2. The fact that I had to get answers to niggling questions from blog posts, interviews and different outlets annoys the living crap out of me. None of the things that bothered me about the first book, about the story itself, about the bildom romance approach Hall decided to tackle here, nor about the nature of the relationship arc can be inferred from the books themselves. One has to read the explanations about them.
3. I still don't like Caspian and I still have like zero interest in continuing reading about him. I can remember exactly one thing about what we learned of Caspian from book 1: he's rich.
That's it.
That's all.
Arden is a lovable character. But I'm not here to read about a personal growth, coming-of-age, I am strong story (which is what I strongly got a whiff of from the previously linked blog post). I'm here for the romantic relationship development. I need to get to know all the characters involved in said relationship. Right now, I haven't gotten that.
4. "Coming summer 2018". No mames. Neta, no mames.
On a positive note, I very much recommend this guest post from the author: https://allaboutromance.com/give-hand...
September 13, 2020
Darn, that's what you get for clicking around your book shelves.
I just managed to delete my review for this and all the comments! 🙈
Anyway. At least I could retrieve some of the review but not all.
No need to comment again! 🙄😊
Reread August 2019
Caspian has such serious issues, it is really heart-breaking. He is doing so much better opening up to Arden this time, but is totally dominated by his self hatred and disgust about his sexual preferences. And nothing Arden says and does, no matter how willingly he surrenders to Caspian, it’s not enough.
It’s no wonder things end here as they do…
b> He’d needed me, but he hadn’t given me the power to help him. He hadn’t trusted me enough. Or believed I could.
I genuinely felt sorry for Arden here. He really puts his heart on a plate with a big bow tie, and yet Caspian is unable to see and understand him.
So much heart-ache. So much hurt.
Thank you for finally arriving, book 3!
Original review:
First of all let me say that I was warned. Yes, I was.
By the author himself. (which I am really grateful for, btw). It does say in the blurb that this ends on a cliffhanger. Which is something I usually try to avoid, cause I KNOW I am going to be awake at night time wondering .... a lot .... making up 1000 different endings, aching over every detail ....
Needless to state the obvious, as I am here writing this review but ... I went for it anyway.
I really loved book 1 and its whole set up. And of course I bought the second book when it came out, and so it was just sitting there on my tbr, waiting and waiting until temptation got the better of me.
Not sure how to describe the whole awesomeness of this.
Arden is growing up - yes, he is still insecure , but he is improving, getting more confident and surer of himself. I LOVED that development. Don't get me wrong Arden will always be Arden: 'super' awkward and so funny and cute with it, with his huge heart wide open and willing to do anything to please Caspian.
While he is moderately successful at trying to get Caspian to open up, he doesn't always go about it the right way (but good God, does he try!!!) Mind, Caspian certainly is a hard nut to crack. Just like in the first book the prologue hangs like a black cloud over everything that's happening.
We KNOW something really bad and f***ed up happened in Caspian's past, and we finally find out some of it. And we get a lot more info why Caspian behaves the way he does. All I kept thinking was - somebody please help this guy. It is awful to go through life like this!
I loved the progress these two made together, the little victories of tenderness and intimacy and the way their being together slowly heads towards something that vaguely looks like a relationship. But these boys are nowhere near the big R-word!
Because Arden tries and fails. And things end. For a good reason. I was oddly ok with it because there is no other solution at the moment. Which doesn't mean that Arden has stopped loving Caspian (of course he hasn't) even if it seems (coming straight to the nitty gritty of that dastardly cliffie!!) that Caspian has put his feelings for Arden behind him.
Sigh. I know I shouldn't have. I know this is nobody's fault but my own (I was well warned, blah blah blah ... ) BUT I do hope that Alexis Hall will take pity on us and put out book 3 right at the beginning of spring (which, incidentally is March 20th, mark your calender, Mr. Hall! ;)
As always I just LOVE how Alexis Hall uses language. It really make my knees wobble. And he simply bawls me over with the sheer brilliance of his writing. Arden and Caspian are sweet and poignant, romantic and heartbreaking, funny and anguished (and very hot!) - all at the same time. We're talking of characters as deep as the Mariana trench here!
All I can say is: yes, yes, yes!
And please think of me during all those inevitably sleepless nights when my mind will unavoidably turn to Caspian and Arden and what will happen next....
I just managed to delete my review for this and all the comments! 🙈
Anyway. At least I could retrieve some of the review but not all.
No need to comment again! 🙄😊
Reread August 2019
Caspian has such serious issues, it is really heart-breaking. He is doing so much better opening up to Arden this time, but is totally dominated by his self hatred and disgust about his sexual preferences. And nothing Arden says and does, no matter how willingly he surrenders to Caspian, it’s not enough.
It’s no wonder things end here as they do…
b> He’d needed me, but he hadn’t given me the power to help him. He hadn’t trusted me enough. Or believed I could.
I genuinely felt sorry for Arden here. He really puts his heart on a plate with a big bow tie, and yet Caspian is unable to see and understand him.
So much heart-ache. So much hurt.
Thank you for finally arriving, book 3!
Original review:
First of all let me say that I was warned. Yes, I was.
By the author himself. (which I am really grateful for, btw). It does say in the blurb that this ends on a cliffhanger. Which is something I usually try to avoid, cause I KNOW I am going to be awake at night time wondering .... a lot .... making up 1000 different endings, aching over every detail ....
Needless to state the obvious, as I am here writing this review but ... I went for it anyway.
I really loved book 1 and its whole set up. And of course I bought the second book when it came out, and so it was just sitting there on my tbr, waiting and waiting until temptation got the better of me.
Not sure how to describe the whole awesomeness of this.
Arden is growing up - yes, he is still insecure , but he is improving, getting more confident and surer of himself. I LOVED that development. Don't get me wrong Arden will always be Arden: 'super' awkward and so funny and cute with it, with his huge heart wide open and willing to do anything to please Caspian.
While he is moderately successful at trying to get Caspian to open up, he doesn't always go about it the right way (but good God, does he try!!!) Mind, Caspian certainly is a hard nut to crack. Just like in the first book the prologue hangs like a black cloud over everything that's happening.
We KNOW something really bad and f***ed up happened in Caspian's past, and we finally find out some of it. And we get a lot more info why Caspian behaves the way he does. All I kept thinking was - somebody please help this guy. It is awful to go through life like this!
I loved the progress these two made together, the little victories of tenderness and intimacy and the way their being together slowly heads towards something that vaguely looks like a relationship. But these boys are nowhere near the big R-word!
Because Arden tries and fails. And things end. For a good reason. I was oddly ok with it because there is no other solution at the moment. Which doesn't mean that Arden has stopped loving Caspian (of course he hasn't) even if it seems (coming straight to the nitty gritty of that dastardly cliffie!!) that Caspian has put his feelings for Arden behind him.
Sigh. I know I shouldn't have. I know this is nobody's fault but my own (I was well warned, blah blah blah ... ) BUT I do hope that Alexis Hall will take pity on us and put out book 3 right at the beginning of spring (which, incidentally is March 20th, mark your calender, Mr. Hall! ;)
As always I just LOVE how Alexis Hall uses language. It really make my knees wobble. And he simply bawls me over with the sheer brilliance of his writing. Arden and Caspian are sweet and poignant, romantic and heartbreaking, funny and anguished (and very hot!) - all at the same time. We're talking of characters as deep as the Mariana trench here!
All I can say is: yes, yes, yes!
And please think of me during all those inevitably sleepless nights when my mind will unavoidably turn to Caspian and Arden and what will happen next....
December 19, 2017
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.75 stars
How to Blow it with a Billionaire is the second story in Alexis Hall’s fabulous Arden St. Ives series and follows directly from the wonderful How to Bang a Billionaire. I really loved the first story and was super excited for the follow up and Hall really delivers with this second installment.
I think Hall advances things between the men just the right amount here. As readers, we can really see how hard Caspian is trying and how much he clearly cares about Arden. And we can tell Arden sees it too. Caspian is more open, there is more tenderness between them and more ease. We can see their connection growing from more than just a sexual encounter where Caspian keeps himself at a distance, to something much closer to a real relationship. Now I say closer, because Caspian doesn’t change completely here, nor would I expect him to at this point in the series. But we can really see the growth here in their relationship, which I think is important in this middle book in the trilogy, especially given where things end in the previous story.
What works here incredibly well is the way Hall strikes that perfect balance between the humor and fun of Arden as our narrator and the more poignant and intense moments in the story. That is something that I think is critical to making a series like this work, and Hall pulls it off so well. Yes, Arden is still a fabulous POV character. His self deprecation, his sense of humor, and his quirkiness make him such endearing and such a fun person to navigate the story.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4.75 stars
How to Blow it with a Billionaire is the second story in Alexis Hall’s fabulous Arden St. Ives series and follows directly from the wonderful How to Bang a Billionaire. I really loved the first story and was super excited for the follow up and Hall really delivers with this second installment.
I think Hall advances things between the men just the right amount here. As readers, we can really see how hard Caspian is trying and how much he clearly cares about Arden. And we can tell Arden sees it too. Caspian is more open, there is more tenderness between them and more ease. We can see their connection growing from more than just a sexual encounter where Caspian keeps himself at a distance, to something much closer to a real relationship. Now I say closer, because Caspian doesn’t change completely here, nor would I expect him to at this point in the series. But we can really see the growth here in their relationship, which I think is important in this middle book in the trilogy, especially given where things end in the previous story.
What works here incredibly well is the way Hall strikes that perfect balance between the humor and fun of Arden as our narrator and the more poignant and intense moments in the story. That is something that I think is critical to making a series like this work, and Hall pulls it off so well. Yes, Arden is still a fabulous POV character. His self deprecation, his sense of humor, and his quirkiness make him such endearing and such a fun person to navigate the story.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
December 22, 2017
Oh, sweet Arden. And poor dysfunctional Caspian. You two are a hot mess. But a sexy as hell hot mess who is practically bursting at the seams with affection for one another that they’re trying to reign in, because Caspian is an emotional child. But in his defense, he’s had a pretty messed up past. And the way he blames himself for things that were not his fault was heartbreaking. He has no normal, healthy frame of reference for how relationships are supposed to work. But Arden sure is trying.
I found the second book in this trilogy to be much more emotional. We get to see a lot more about what makes these guys tick. Arden, I understood and liked right off the bat. He doesn’t hold back, knows who he is, and doesn’t put on a facade for anyone. But Caspian on the other hand, well...he has some work to do. I loved this even more than the first book, and Alexis’ writing is as witty and lovely as always. His similes do not disappoint.
I’m dying to find out what happens next though. If you’re like me and have no patience to wait for the third book before reading this, do yourself a favor and hold off on reading the preview at the end. My heart fell out of my ass reading the last couple pages. Don’t do that to yourself unless you’re even more of a masochist than Ardy. But this series is awesome.
I found the second book in this trilogy to be much more emotional. We get to see a lot more about what makes these guys tick. Arden, I understood and liked right off the bat. He doesn’t hold back, knows who he is, and doesn’t put on a facade for anyone. But Caspian on the other hand, well...he has some work to do. I loved this even more than the first book, and Alexis’ writing is as witty and lovely as always. His similes do not disappoint.
I’m dying to find out what happens next though. If you’re like me and have no patience to wait for the third book before reading this, do yourself a favor and hold off on reading the preview at the end. My heart fell out of my ass reading the last couple pages. Don’t do that to yourself unless you’re even more of a masochist than Ardy. But this series is awesome.
May 7, 2019
Arden, Arden, my Arden. [Caspian's voice is to die for!] And poor foolish, foolish Caspian. Gawd. The pain and heartbreak of the ending of this audiobook is too much to bear...
Joel Leslie did a superb job performing this story. If he doesn't do book three I will have to settle for reading the written word. There's no way another voice can match the many he used in this book, but most especially Arden and Caspian. I can't even.
All I can say is that book one was LOL and fantastic, and book two, though there were some fun moments, was mostly heartbreaking but touching and sweet and romantic and wonderful.
I can't begin to recommend this series highly enough. And most definitely in audio. No more words...
Joel Leslie did a superb job performing this story. If he doesn't do book three I will have to settle for reading the written word. There's no way another voice can match the many he used in this book, but most especially Arden and Caspian. I can't even.
All I can say is that book one was LOL and fantastic, and book two, though there were some fun moments, was mostly heartbreaking but touching and sweet and romantic and wonderful.
I can't begin to recommend this series highly enough. And most definitely in audio. No more words...
September 29, 2019
2nd read - re-read it before going to book 3.
---
I've started this book straight after reading the first one. And I really liked it. I think I liked it even more that the first. In this book I got to know Arden and Caspian even more, and I think I connected to the characters. I loved how more complex the story got and how many questons there is it. And I need answers to all of them. But... yes. There should be 3rd book and it's still not published. So take my advice and do not read 3 chapter spoiler for book 3. It made me mad, annoyed and very sorry I've read it. Damn. It has such a cliffhanger...
---
I've started this book straight after reading the first one. And I really liked it. I think I liked it even more that the first. In this book I got to know Arden and Caspian even more, and I think I connected to the characters. I loved how more complex the story got and how many questons there is it. And I need answers to all of them. But... yes. There should be 3rd book and it's still not published. So take my advice and do not read 3 chapter spoiler for book 3. It made me mad, annoyed and very sorry I've read it. Damn. It has such a cliffhanger...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews