The Brainy Billionaire

Getaway Bay #1

by Elana Johnson

alternate cover edition of ASIN B07CRWPGNJ

A local island B&B owner hates the swanky high-rise hotel down the beach...but not the billionaire who owns it. Can she deal with strange summer weather, tourists, and falling in love?

Stacey Stapleton owns the premier bed and breakfast on Hawaii's big island, and she's not happy about the new twenty-eight story monstrosity disguised as a luxury resort just down the beach. When she books a night to find out what the rooms at Sweet Breeze are like, she's impressed with the amenities, the view of the bay...and the tall, dark, and handsome room service attendants.

But she's sworn off men and is focused on her own B&B, her Women's Beach Club of friends, and living up to her grandfather's legacy.

Fisher DuPont is the billionaire owner of Sweet Breeze, his first solo business venture since finally leaving his father's company, and he's been moving through each department as an undercover boss. So he's the one behind the room service cart when Stacey opens the door. When he runs into the sassy, gorgeous redhead three more times that day, he takes it as a sign to get to know her better--and reveal his true identity.

As Stacey and Fisher spend more time together, she learns he's absolutely brilliant, unusually kind, and incredibly hardworking. He's impressed by her grace under pressure and dedication to clients, friends, and family when a storm hits the island. Can Stacey and Fisher leave their past heartaches where they belong to build a new future together?

Escape to Getaway Bay and join the Clean Billionaire Beach Club for some seriously sweet romance.

Each book can be read as a standalone, with a happily-ever-after ending, and clean, sweet-without-losing-the-heat romance!

Read all the books in the Clean Billionaire Beach Club Romance series by USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson and USA Today bestselling author Bonnie R. Paulson:
1. The Brainy Billionaire
2. The Brawny Billionaire
3. The Bashful Billionaire
4. The Brazen Billionaire
5. The Billionaire's Bodyguard
6. The Billionaire's Boyfriend
7. The Brilliant Billionaire
8. The Broke Billionaire

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult, Clean Romance

212 pages, ebook

First published April 30, 2018

About the author

3-time USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson writes adult contemporary beach romance. She is the author of over 130 books across two names, and there's nothing better than sun, sand, and swoon-worthy kisses! Unless it's a sweet-and-sexy cowboy - read those under her pen name of Liz Isaacson. Or an emotional, heartfelt women's fiction novel - read those under her pen name of Jessie Newton.

Learn more at:
www.elanajohnson.com
www.lizisaacson.com
www.authorjessienewton.com

Reviews

[Linda Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice beach setting in Hawaii. Sweet romance.

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Rounded down because a) it’s a clean romance and b) hero said ILY to two women before and was engaged to one who broke his heart. h was engaged twice as well, and c) they signed prenups, which while me as an accountant applauded, as a romance reader found extremely depressing.

This was such a solid book that you can even call it boring.

Extremely respectful hero. Who actually WORKS for his money. He works as undercover at his own hotel and when he was fired by a staff he took it on board as he should and works from there.

He was extremely respectful to the h from the very beginning. He didn’t treat her as a rival but rather as fellow businesswoman. He respected each and everyone of his stuff. Not only didn’t he get upset with h for staying at his hotel under pretence he actually as impressed by her business sense.

He didn’t sleep around, has been celibate for 5 years, longer than the h, who was celibate for 4.

Yes he liked to date and party when he was younger, but he was never a playboy. He was hurt every time his relationships didn’t work out.

The h was amazing and extremely strong. She didn’t NEED a man, she accepted the H in her life cause she was ready to move on and wanted to.

There was no smirks, or arrogant statement or egotistical behaviour from the H. No secret agendas, no power plays.He was extremely open from the beginning about his honourable intentions. He was humble. He begged for a chance twice and even though he said he wouldn’t have begged the h the 3rd time for a chance, he would have. The H basically made the book. He was absolutely comfortable with the h and her career and actually appreciative of it.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/4/2019)! 🎁

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stacey owns her own B&B on the island but she's curious to check out the competition so she books a night at the hotel in hopes of gaining some intel. She never expected to meet a handsome room service guy on her stay. When she encounters him several more times that day it almost feels like a sign till she learns that he's the competition. Can Stacey see past the fact that Fisher is her competition or is it too much to give him a chance?

I loved Stacey right from the start she's a sweetheart whos running her family's B&B and in her free time, she spends it with the ladies of the Women's Beach Club her group of friends who get together. Fisher is kind of perfect for her they complement each other well.

I really enjoyed the authors writing style it's a fast-paced clean romance which I found refreshing. The story is captivating and the characters are easy to connect with you can't help liking them right from the start. I actually finished the book in one afternoon as it was hard to put down and I had to know how it would play out for Stacey and Fisher.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. Stacey and Fisher both run hotels on the beach in Hawaii. They hit it off but neither has had any good luck in the dating department. Luckily in the end it all works out and they get their happy ending.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read, it was interesting because I read The Brawny Billionaire before this one and the story from that was intertwined with this story, so I kind of knew what was going to happen.

Moral Note: Some talk of sex before marriage and waiting. Some passionate kisses.

[Tamera Westhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweetish Romance

I loved how easy it was for her to get over her dislike for the owner of the neighboring hotel. I didn't like the talk of sex (just the word thrown around), but I still thought it was cute.

[Bess · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I've been on a "billionaire" reading kick. Why? They are over the top, quick reads, plenty of happily ever after, funny, quirky, and cute!
This one was no different. Stacey is a live wire against the dating scene after being jilted by two fiances. Fisher is trying to leave the bad stigma of his dad's name and business ways behind with no time for dating, especially shallow, money-grubbing women he's dated before.
But Stacey is not like any women Fisher has ever dated; a bit out of this billionaires league too. And Stacey quickly finds out that Fisher is unlike the seemingly distracted & flighty men on the lovely Hawaiian islands.
One thing most of these books has is "jumping to conclusions." And those tend to make me cringe and roll my eyes and sigh in frustration. However, while there was one instance of this, it was quickly amended and that gives me hope for other books!!
Cute & quick read! Gotta drop one star for vulgar language. Yes, it was only one word ("p" could have used irate, livid, perturbed, etc) and most of the human population finds it acceptable, I'm the exception.
It took a long time for me to read this one due to the fact I purchased a new Kindle and had to return it after hours of setup. Then, I ordered another one and it took almost 2 weeks to show up. After getting the device setup, I could breeze through the book.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief review: It was cute and fun summertime romance with great tropical images of the island of Hawaii. Even though they supposed to be rivals of competing hotels, they really never were actual rivals. Aside from a little in the beginning, there really was no animosity between these too. They just set out to get to know each other. They had some adorable moments that were very romantic. It was a little fast in how quickly they fell in love, but nonetheless it was enjoyable and a much needed contrast to the heavy emotional romance I just read. This was a nice palate cleanser.

[Jenny - Book Sojourner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this sweet, clean romance, with a couple in their late 30s. It was refreshing.

[Lola]

I set this one aside for now

[Keira · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Would be a 3 but felt like the chemistry wasn’t really there and the ending was a bit anticlimactic. Was a sweet romance between two individuals getting over their trust issues to enjoy real love.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only okay...

This is an entirely predictable story lacking in the key elements of story building. I kept reading to learn how Stacey and Fisher would come together, being competitors in the same industry. There was no question that they would work out their differences since it's a HEA ending. Like in all this author's books, the ending is rushed and crammed into a very short timeline and number of pages.

Kudos for having only a few proofreading typos (which should be expected not rewarded), but big stars lost for the constantly repeated story thread of Fisher's wealth, from every factor in the building and running of his hotel, to his planning fetish and very, very, very! expensive clothing in his personal life. Sadly, it became the overriding factor in the book, and over shadowed the storyline itself, what little there was of it. There are also several plot holes.

The author has, apparently, changed the title of this book after it was released in 2018 to 'The Billionaire's Enemy' to clearly jump on the billionaire bandwagon naming scheme that's been all the style the past few years. This resulted in me having a seriously difficult time of finding the book in my Kindle Library. She obviously thinks that business competitors are enemies, which couldn't be further from the truth. Most work together since their common goal is a satisfied customer, and you never know when you're may need the help of your competitor.

I'm going to graylist the other 5 books I have by this author for the foreseeable future. Yes, I actually have authors sorted into Kindle Collections named whitelist, blacklist and graylist for my 15K books.

[B. D. Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my first experience with an Elana Johnson novel, I was well pleased. I found the story both interesting and entertaining. I prefer squeaky clean romance where the protagonists strictly adhere to the Christian standard of morality; however, in this instance, that standard is only partially met. Only the hero, Fisher, meets this standard. The heroin, Stacy, in a prior relationship is described as living with her boyfriend. Additionally, during an episode with Fisher, she begins unbuttoning his shirt with the intent of engaging in sexual relations prior to marriage. Fisher stops the process indicating that he will not participate outside a marriage covenant. So, I would describe this offering as clean, but not squeaky clean.

Prior to meeting each other, both Stacy and Fisher have been disappointed in their prior relationships. However, Stacy is a bit more scarred by those experiences. Oddly enough, I had expected the fact that Fisher is a billionaire owner of a huge highly successful vacation hotel to be a major stumbling block for a relationship with the owner of a small bed and breakfast establishment. However, the major stumbling block actually was each of their past relationships. I recommend this well-written and engaging work to all my romance reading friends.

[Heather Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

The female MC is a strong character. She's been burned in the past, and it won't happen again. She knows what she wants (and doesn't want) and she's not ashamed to go after it. That can be good and bad. Clean. No language. No sex. Though there is talk of sex. That was one thing I didn't like about the book. I didn't like that it was a given with Stacey that just because they were in a relationship, they should have sex. I think that's a twisted view that our society has bought into and it just creates more heartache on so many levels. I wouldn't want my teen to read it for that reason. The male MC is also a strong character and knows what he wants, but he is sweet and doting. I love a strong man who is mush for his woman. One more thing I didn't like were the ads throughout the book reminding the reader who the author is or to write a review. It was distracting and kind of felt patronizing. It didn't make me swoon or sigh with contentment. I wouldn't read it again, but I cared about the characters just enough that I have moved on to read the other books in the series.

[Teresa Christianson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy and am voluntarily leaving a review

Loved this book. Stacey has sworn off men after her last two fiancé's have left her, one without a word and the other because he was seeing someone else at the same time. Now four years she has been focused on running the B&B she owns and hanging out with her friends who also have sworn off men. A new motel has been built just down the way from her and she doesn't like it because it is fancier and bigger and she thinks it is going to take customers away from her B&B. Then she meets the owner, Fisher, and realizes that he isn't the kind of person she assumed he was. They start dating but Stacey still has her insecurity that he will leave her for someone else like the others did. When he suddenly leaves because his mother was in an accident and she did not get the message that was sent to her she assumes the worst. Will they be able to work things out or will she not ever talk to him again?

[Thalassophile_takemetotheocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a clean, sweet & easy read. I love all things Hawaii and tropical. The cover is beautiful. The characters were very likeable. Because I read a lot of mystery/thriller books, My mind went a different direction when Fisher, who runs a very large and newly-built hotel, took a liking to Stacy. I immediately thought he was trying to lead her on just to steal her visitors or to make her inn go out of business because Stacy is his business competitor. Turns out, he was genuinely interested in her. This book is not the mystery I made up in my mind. Ha! It was an innocent and sweet book about a very wealthy and charismatic business man who is genuinely interested in a small inn owner. The ending was a bit rushed, but overall...this book was pretty good.

Apparently the book title changed to "The Billionaires Enemy'. I don't think this title fits with the storyline. Aloha Hideaway Inn is so much more fitting.

[Christina Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a clean romance by Elana Johnson and this story was better than what I had expected! I was prepared to roll my eyes with the women's club that swears off men, but thankfully that didn't drive the story. The pace was steady and kept my attention. The characters were likable, although Fisher was too good to be true. I think his only flaw was working too hard. Stacey was believable and thankfully not perfect. I read this story in two days, it was that good! Now I want to read The Brawny Billionaire, Book 2!

I received an ARC of this book. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Marie McKenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story

This is cute story about sort of enemies to lovers. Fisher owns a new hotel that is built in Hawaii, Stacey owns a B and B also there. She thinks she will lose business. She goes undercover in his hotel to see what it is like. She ends up meeting him there. Love her group of ladies that she hangs out with. The ones that have had bad relationships in the past and swear off men. Love the ups and downs of their relationship once they connect. Cute story and beautiful ending.

[Myra Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hawaiian romance worth a read

Fisher owns the hugh resort in the Hawaiian islands down the beach from Stacie's much smaller Bed and Breakfast yet successful. They meets by chance when Stacie is checking out the competition and Fisher is working undercover delivering room service. Sparks fly throughout the book. They have their ups and downs. I thought the story was unique and held my attention. The Beach Club is a group of women who hang on the beach together. I like that the couple was a bit older. Stacie is 37, I believe and has sworn off men. Nice ending as well.

[Anita Nother Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard for me to rate/review this book because I really didn't know what to make of it. While reading it I was rather engaged and entertained, like I was watching a Hallmark Christmas romance or a romcom. But it was also a slow read for me that got boring at times and I kept having to put it down for something more interesting and then pick it back up again to kind of force myself to finish it, maybe because it was rather predictable. Also the premise of how they both kept being undercover yet running into each other and not recognizing each other or helping each other out while pretending to hate each other was just really too coincidental and far-fetched. It started to get rather ridiculous.

There were also things that seemed contradictory or inconsistent and things that weren't explained, which was frustrating. But maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention. The things that I did understand seemed too unbelievable/unrealistic so altogether it just seemed far too convenient. I think I might have gotten a first draft of this story (I've had it on my Kindle for quite a while and finally got around to reading it due to a book club challenge for a Facebook group I'm in, which said to read a book with water on the cover), and I think/hope it has been updated by now because it seemed rather hastily written with plot holes and characters that seemed interesting but weren't entirely sketched out. I was disappointed because I thought it could have been a lot better. But I guess for a simple read to pass the time or imagine myself being at a beach in Hawaii with a billionaire (haha), it was okay.

The worst part of it to me, was (SPOILER ALERT)

----

---

that the guy rejected the woman's advances and straight up told her he liked her but didn't want to move too fast with her because he had been hurt by his ex. For me that just ruins any romance! I understand that the characters have been hurt before and are afraid to love but it should be something they struggle with internally that comes out organically in the plot before they resolve it for love... it shouldn't be something they straight up say when the woman kisses them and they don't want to go any further physically because of some other woman!

He could have just said he didn't want to move too fast physically and/or in their relationship. Then again, that part didn't seem realistic to me because what guy doesn't want to proceed physically??? (I mean unless maybe they're religious but this guy was not.) I don't mean to stereotype and I'm sure there are some guys like this but I just didn't believe it from his character. He goes after what he wants and isn't afraid. Except when it came to her, which was a real turn-off for me and made me not like him and not want to root for them. I really thought she could do better than him but then again, I didn't like her that much either, so I didn't really care about either of their characters or this relationship.

Also one big reason I didn't like her is that she gets mad at him for the dumbest thing! He invites her and her whole family and all her staff AND ALL THE GUESTS at her hotel (which seemed to contradict the earlier part where he had no rooms and it was only going to be her and her parents) to stay at his hotel to avoid a big storm, and then some of her guests like his hotel and want to stay there instead of at hers so she's mad at him and takes it out on him after all his kindness and help. Man, what a B!!!

She later apologizes but I would not go further romantically with a person capable of blaming me and getting angry at me and snapping at me for things beyond my control. It made me think she had some kind of mental illness or personality disorder she needs to work on before she gets into a relationship with someone else and brings her own insecurities and baggage into it and lets it affect him to this extent. It's like, how is it HIS fault her guests don't like her hotel enough to stay? I could see if they were still at the enemies to lovers stage and she still thought he was a rich pr*ck with family wealth (which he still kind of was even though he denied it but she fell for it and decided not to hold it against him and wasn't holding it against him in this case- she was just being a P because her feelings were hurt), but this was after they were getting close and he was helping her, ugh, it made me so mad.

So at that point I pretty much stopped caring what happened to these two losers because I knew they'd get the dysfunctional-ever-after they each deserved and so I just hate-read the rest to finish it.

(END SPOILERS)

I guess when I write it all out like that, I really didn't like this book. I wish it had been different. I guess maybe this clean romance genre where the men don't like seggs and the women like being rejected yet still chase after the man and then get mad at the man for totally unrelated things (or maybe it's related but they never talk about it being related or admit that it is) just isn't my cup of tea. I do think I would have really liked it if not for these parts and would have given it 4 stars but those parts just ruined it for me. So I subtracted a star for him being a D and another star for her being a B. 2 stars. This was a "meh" bordering on "hate-read" for me even though it started out as "hmm, this is rather far-fetched but I'm suspending disbelief and going with it and rather enjoying it."

[Emily Pankhurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a summer read and this fitted the bill nicely.

It had everything in it that you could ask for; beautiful settings, a strong female lead and a bit of romance. I loved the relationships between all the characters and found it to be a light, enjoyable read which I wouldn't mind reading again next summer!

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and clean story about career driven people who have had their fingers badly burnt. Stacey has had more than enough of men who can't be trusted, and Fisher has left his biological father's business domain to branch out on his own. When he meets up with Stacey, firstly in the room she rented in his hotel for the night, he is attracted to her feisty manner and red hair. However, breaking through her wall of resistance is a tad more than difficult. Billionaire romances aren't my favourite genre, however, in this case, Fisher does not come across as arrogant or egotistical. Stacey on the other hand, has had to fight for everything she has achieved, and she is well grounded and rooted in the island. The story flows easily, although there are a few typos and missing word. Nevertheless, the plot is enjoyable and kept my interest. The book is part of a series, but it is a stand-alone. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Safe Haven Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short and sweet romance taking place in a beautiful Hawaiian setting.

Despite the author’s initial premise of setting the story as business rivals to lovers (I believe this book was also known by a different name at some point), that quickly gives space to a cute but fast-paced romance.

I found it refreshing how Fisher recognized Stacy's power and influence even when different from his and treated her as an equal in business, showing her respect and attention in a more down-to-earth way as opposed to most billionaire romances where the male lead continuously flaunts their wealth. But sometimes the writer misses the point by constantly remarking on the fact that he is a billionaire.

I liked Stacy being presented as a strong, independent businesswoman but at the same time vulnerable while struggling with her insecurities. Although I felt her reactions a bit frustrating at times when she was supposed to be past that, something that was easily overlooked thanks to the light banter with her female friends from the Women's Beach Club (which also forms part of her Getaway Bay series).

I did not like the unnecessary talk of sex and I felt that the end was rushed.

I’ll surely read the other books in the series.

[Ellen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE BRAINY BILLIONAIRE by Elena Johnson. May 10
Stacy wonders about this luxury hotel, for her B&B, it was a small staff that was like family, the culture of Hawaii. A mishap over a breakfast cart, Fisher goes and apologizes, she seemed familiar, but gave a false name. She knew who he was. Intrigued, curious, doing undercover at his hotel.to see how each area was doing . How many people would do that, the human caring side, she liked about him. The cat and mouse game, was a delightful story of how he comes up with different ideas to know and spend time with her. Will it pay off, and be friends, or more. For her at thirty seven, no one has interested her. Readers will once again love this delightful story of romance with a twist of intrigue. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

[Dawn Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part I enjoyed the story. The flow and character development worked and I was engaged in the story from beginning to the end. I never felt like the story dragged or got boring.

Fisher is dreamy. The perfect guy who has it all - looks, money, and personality. Stacey on the other hand, seems like a loose cannon. She is always overreacting and then apologizing.

The ending seems a bit difficult to believe, but maybe it could happen. Also, I'd have liked an epilogue to wrap up the final loose ends. But, maybe one of the next books in the series will include Fisher and Stacey as extra characters and we'll get to see what happens next.

Romance - PG - kissing and discussion of sex.
Language - PG / clean
My rating - 4 stars

[Jan Niblock · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun story to read. It shows that everyone comes with their own demons that they have to overcome. Stacy is one very smart lady with a good business sense. Her heart has been taken out and ripped up on a couple of occasions. Fisher came into his money by hard work and he too has been hurt in the past. But he did not let that take over his life, he works hard and is very conscious of the people who work for him.

What I really loved about reading this story was that both of these people are hardworking, down to earth and even though very successful, they care very deeply about those who work for them. It was refreshing to read about employers who care that their employees are well taken care of and are willing to actually do the work of even the lowest person in the organization.

[Christine L. Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like this book was released under two different titles. The cover title for the book I read was Aloha Hideaway Inn not The Billionaire's Enemy. However, both are listed as Getaway Bay #1. The setting is Hawaii and you get a good feel of being on the island by the author's description of the sights, sounds, and food. The characters are well developed and distinct from one another.

However, the author uses the tired troupe of a hunky billionaire who is considered evil in the eyes of the stubborn, twice heartbroken female until she actually gets to know him and learns he's really a nice guy. But that makes it an easy read as you know what to expect and you won't be disappointed.

[Coral Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stacey is part of a woman only group who do not like men because they were mistreated and plan to never be in another relationship. She is worried what will her fellow members will think of her when she meets an attractive and respectful man. Fisher has been burned by women before and has strict rules in place. He is also a member of a male only billionaire group who are determined to remain single. Neither looking for love, consumed with work, and scared of being hurt again. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fisher DuPont runs the best hotel in Hawaii and Stacey Stapleton runs the best B&B. She spends a night in the hotel to see what is so special. Room Service just opens the door and comes in to deliver her meal. She has just gotten out of the shower and hasn’t had time to dress. Surprise! Unknown to her, the Room Service person is the “undercover boss” and is totally embarrassed. I wouldn’t want to be the person who told him just to walk in and deliver.
When a tropical storm is forecast for the island, they team up and get things done and cover one another’s back. Great teamwork.