What do you think?
Rate this book
Bad Bachelors #3
Bad Influence
He's the bad bachelor who inspired it all . . .
Annie Maxwell had her whole life figured out . . . until her fiancé left her when his career took off. If that wasn't bad enough, every society blog posted pictures of him escorting a woman wearing her engagement ring. To help the women of New York avoid guys like her ex, Annie created the Bad Bachelors app. But try as she might, Annie just can't forget him . . .
For bank executive Joe Preston, his greatest mistake was leaving the love of his life when she needed him most. Now, all he wants is to make things right--and she won't have him. But when Annie's safety is threatened by a hacker determined to bring down her app, Joe is the only one she can turn to. He'll have to lay himself on the line to prove to Annie that he's a changed man.
But will their hard-won bond survive the revelation that Annie is the one pulling the strings behind Bad Bachelors?
Contains mature themes.
Annie Maxwell had her whole life figured out . . . until her fiancé left her when his career took off. If that wasn't bad enough, every society blog posted pictures of him escorting a woman wearing her engagement ring. To help the women of New York avoid guys like her ex, Annie created the Bad Bachelors app. But try as she might, Annie just can't forget him . . .
For bank executive Joe Preston, his greatest mistake was leaving the love of his life when she needed him most. Now, all he wants is to make things right--and she won't have him. But when Annie's safety is threatened by a hacker determined to bring down her app, Joe is the only one she can turn to. He'll have to lay himself on the line to prove to Annie that he's a changed man.
But will their hard-won bond survive the revelation that Annie is the one pulling the strings behind Bad Bachelors?
Contains mature themes.
356 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 26, 2019
61 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Stefanie London
121 books978 followersStefanie London is a multi-award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romances and romantic comedies.
Stefanie’s books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and “elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have won multiple industry awards, including the HOLT Medallion and OKRWA National Reader's Choice Award, and she has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA award.
Originally from Australia, Stefanie lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, romance novels and anything zombie-related.
Stefanie’s books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist, and “elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have won multiple industry awards, including the HOLT Medallion and OKRWA National Reader's Choice Award, and she has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA award.
Originally from Australia, Stefanie lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, romance novels and anything zombie-related.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
January 31, 2019
Dramatic, emotional, and sizzling!
Bad Influence is a heartwarming, passionate, second-chance romance that takes us into the lives of the resolute, intelligent, Annie and the charismatic, hardworking Joe as they discover that even though they let each other slip away once, the heart wants who the heart wants, and some things are worth fighting for.
The writing is smooth and crisp. The characters are smart, lovable, and alluring. And the plot is a wonderful blend of life, love, familial pressure, friendship, sizzling romance, introspection, happiness, and a little danger.
Bad Influence is the third and final story in the Bad Bachelors series, and even though it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters we’ve come to know and love from the previous novels, it is nevertheless a lovely way to catch up on the whole gang and give Annie and Joe the happy-ever-after ending they deserve.
Thank you to Stefanie London and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Influence is a heartwarming, passionate, second-chance romance that takes us into the lives of the resolute, intelligent, Annie and the charismatic, hardworking Joe as they discover that even though they let each other slip away once, the heart wants who the heart wants, and some things are worth fighting for.
The writing is smooth and crisp. The characters are smart, lovable, and alluring. And the plot is a wonderful blend of life, love, familial pressure, friendship, sizzling romance, introspection, happiness, and a little danger.
Bad Influence is the third and final story in the Bad Bachelors series, and even though it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters we’ve come to know and love from the previous novels, it is nevertheless a lovely way to catch up on the whole gang and give Annie and Joe the happy-ever-after ending they deserve.
Thank you to Stefanie London and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
not-interested
January 30, 2019These characters sound too immature.
March 3, 2019
The Bad Bachelors series has been such a treat overall. I have to say though that this finale was easily one of my most anticipated books of 2019. I couldn't wait to find out more about the woman behind the Bad Bachelor app that was wreaking havoc in NYC and all about the man who broke her heart. Bad Influence delivered a strong romantic story that I am most definitely going to be revisiting in the future.
Joe and Annie used to be the IT couple before an unfortunate event forces them to break up with each other the eve of them leaving for a new life in Singapore. Joe leaves to pursue his dreams in Singapore, while Annie decides to stay behind in NYC. Broken-hearted, she creates an app for the women of NYC. Though her intentions were originally to safeguard the women of NYC hearts, the app soon creates more trouble than she imagined. I'll be honest, in the first two books, I wasn't 100% sure that I liked Annie, especially after her refusal to help out her friend, Remi, in the second book. London had to work hard to make her character work for me and she did a wonderful job. We finally get to see the motivations behind Annie's actions. Underneath it all was simply a woman who had been deeply hurt by someone she loved. It was hard not to sympathize with that. When Joe returns into her life out of the blue, she doesn't quite know how to handle her emotions. His return as well as the threats she has been getting in regards to her app force her to think about the consequences her app was having on people's lives. She goes through quite a bit of an emotional journey here, and I was very pleased with how her character turned around in such a positive way. It was obvious that Annie wasn't a bad person. Instead, she was someone with principles that didn't always work in her favor.
Joe was a new introduction to this series and I wound up really loving his character, as well. He was a driven man, almost to a fault. Although his passion, hard work, and desire to please his parents were admirable, it had also cost him his happiness. Like Annie, he too came to quite a few revelations in Bad Influence. These two certainly had to overcome a lot before they could get back together, but the journey was so fulfilling. They talked, they lashed out, but most importantly, they opened up about the hurt they caused each other. Annie and Joe were both equally to blame for their break up and Stefanie London does not brush over that here. They had to work hard to get back together, which made their relationship very realistic. Bad Influence had an intense, but emotionally satisfying romance and as always, London delivered on the chemistry. There were also a few relevant side plots with their respective families that only added to my enjoyment of the story.
Bad Influence was a great way to end this series. I'm going to miss these characters, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Stephanie London writes next.
never-no-way
February 13, 2019Annie Maxwell had her whole life figured out...until her fiancé left her when his career took off. If that wasn't bad enough, every society blog posted pictures of him escorting a woman wearing her engagement ring.
Yeah, well, this is the hero she will forgive and end up with. No, thanks but no.
Yeah, well, this is the hero she will forgive and end up with. No, thanks but no.
April 5, 2019
Bad Influence is the third and final book in the trilogy of stories involving the controversial website/app called Bad Bachelors, a means for women to honestly rate the men they date. It’s a sexy, second-chance romance between the site’s creator, Annie Maxwell, and Joseph Preston, the man she loved and had planned a future with until circumstances forced them apart three years earlier. I haven’t read the other two books, but there’s enough background detail here for the newbie to be able to read this instalment without feeling lost.
On the eve of their leaving the US and moving to Singapore, where Joseph had accepted a highly prestigious banking job, Annie learned her mother had breast cancer. Instead of talking to Joseph about it, she shut him out of the decision-making process and decided she needed to stay at home to support her family and be with her mum. It’s a decision that anyone would make in a similar situation and Joseph understood that – he was close to Annie’s family, too – but what hurt him so badly was that Annie made her choice without even consulting him.
Annie barely kept herself together after Joseph left, but it wasn’t until a year later – when she saw a photo of him with a glamorous woman on his arm in a gossip magazine that proclaimed the couple’s engagement – that Annie decided to channel her anger and hurt into something that might help other women to avoid similar heartbreak. So Bad Bachelors was born.
Speculation is rife as to who is behind the site, and Annie has become used to the volume of mail she receives – both thanking her for creating it and calling her every kind of hateful bitch under the sun. Some threats are worse than others, but Annie has not, so far, reported them to anyone, not wishing to compromise her anonymity. Now though, one particular angry commenter has taken things a step further; when Annie receives a photo in the mail that was clearly taken by her own laptop camera, she realises that someone is actively stalking her, and that whoever it is has somehow managed to hack into her computer. Which makes her wonder – what other aspects of her life has this person gained access to? And what are they planning to do? Blackmail? Worse?
Ms. London does a really good job of conveying Annie’s fear and sense of isolation when she realises she’s being stalked. If she files an official report, her identity will be revealed, and she doesn’t want to worry her friends or family by involving them if it all turns out to be a stupid hoax. There is literally only one person she can turn to for help – and he’s the last man on Earth she wants to ask.
Before taking the job in Singapore, Joseph had planned to use his expertise in IT to set up a company specialising in online security. But he allowed himself to be persuaded by his cold, exacting father that the move abroad would be the best thing for his career – and he stayed in Singapore for three years before realising it was the wrong move for him. He’s returned to New York, where he’s the youngest ever CIO at another major bank, and has decided it’s time for him to start pursuing his own ambitions and life-goals rather than to continue the attempt to win his father’s approbation.
He and Annie might have a lot of baggage between them, but there’s no way he’s going to turn down a request for help, not knowing how much it must be costing her pride to ask. Annie tries to tell Joseph as little as possible about the stalker and certainly isn’t willing to own up to the reasons behind it – until another message makes it clear they’re not messing around and that they’ve hacked into Bad Bachelors and uncovered some very damaging information.
The time Annie and Joseph spend together of course enables them to thrash out their issues and for them both to finally admit that they each bear an equal weight of blame for their break-up. They are still strongly attracted to each other and have never really fallen out of love, but Annie can’t help being incredibly wary; she knows Joseph is a decent guy, but the weight of his family’s disapproval of their relationship (Annie’s mum used to be the wealthy Prestons’ domestic help) and the long shadow cast by his father only added to the pressures on their relationship – and she isn’t prepared to go back there. But Joseph has changed. The years away have given him more confidence in himself and his abilities, and have shown him what he really wants from life. And what he really wants is Annie.
Ratings sites and apps are nothing new or unusual, and the anonymity offered by the internet gives those determined to be unpleasant a place to hide every day (you’ve only got to look at Twitter to see that!) I appreciated the author’s exploration of the online world we now inhabit, and the way she shows clearly how something that was originally intended to be helpful has grown beyond its creator’s original vision and become something that is probably hurting as many people as it has helped.
If you’ve been following the series, Bad Influence rounds things off nicely. Joseph and Annie are well-drawn, complex characters, they have great chemistry and I was (mostly) rooting for them to get back together. I say mostly, because my opinion of Annie in the early stages was coloured by the fact that I found her view that the break-up was all Joseph’s fault to be immature – especially as it was herdecision not to go abroad with him. As the book progressed, however, and I saw her character growth as she began to let go of her anger and to own up to her part in what happened, I started to come around and to think that perhaps she did deserve Joseph after all. That said, the reasons for their separation are really flimsy, so I had to do a bit of hand-waving away in order to accept it and get to the meat of the story. Also on the negative side, the identity of the stalker is just … an odd choice, and the reveal is contrived and anti-climactic.
Otherwise, though, Bad Influence is an enjoyable contemporary romance that combines a look at some very relevant issues with a sensual love story and a hard-won HEA. It earns a recommendation.
On the eve of their leaving the US and moving to Singapore, where Joseph had accepted a highly prestigious banking job, Annie learned her mother had breast cancer. Instead of talking to Joseph about it, she shut him out of the decision-making process and decided she needed to stay at home to support her family and be with her mum. It’s a decision that anyone would make in a similar situation and Joseph understood that – he was close to Annie’s family, too – but what hurt him so badly was that Annie made her choice without even consulting him.
Annie barely kept herself together after Joseph left, but it wasn’t until a year later – when she saw a photo of him with a glamorous woman on his arm in a gossip magazine that proclaimed the couple’s engagement – that Annie decided to channel her anger and hurt into something that might help other women to avoid similar heartbreak. So Bad Bachelors was born.
Speculation is rife as to who is behind the site, and Annie has become used to the volume of mail she receives – both thanking her for creating it and calling her every kind of hateful bitch under the sun. Some threats are worse than others, but Annie has not, so far, reported them to anyone, not wishing to compromise her anonymity. Now though, one particular angry commenter has taken things a step further; when Annie receives a photo in the mail that was clearly taken by her own laptop camera, she realises that someone is actively stalking her, and that whoever it is has somehow managed to hack into her computer. Which makes her wonder – what other aspects of her life has this person gained access to? And what are they planning to do? Blackmail? Worse?
Ms. London does a really good job of conveying Annie’s fear and sense of isolation when she realises she’s being stalked. If she files an official report, her identity will be revealed, and she doesn’t want to worry her friends or family by involving them if it all turns out to be a stupid hoax. There is literally only one person she can turn to for help – and he’s the last man on Earth she wants to ask.
Before taking the job in Singapore, Joseph had planned to use his expertise in IT to set up a company specialising in online security. But he allowed himself to be persuaded by his cold, exacting father that the move abroad would be the best thing for his career – and he stayed in Singapore for three years before realising it was the wrong move for him. He’s returned to New York, where he’s the youngest ever CIO at another major bank, and has decided it’s time for him to start pursuing his own ambitions and life-goals rather than to continue the attempt to win his father’s approbation.
He and Annie might have a lot of baggage between them, but there’s no way he’s going to turn down a request for help, not knowing how much it must be costing her pride to ask. Annie tries to tell Joseph as little as possible about the stalker and certainly isn’t willing to own up to the reasons behind it – until another message makes it clear they’re not messing around and that they’ve hacked into Bad Bachelors and uncovered some very damaging information.
The time Annie and Joseph spend together of course enables them to thrash out their issues and for them both to finally admit that they each bear an equal weight of blame for their break-up. They are still strongly attracted to each other and have never really fallen out of love, but Annie can’t help being incredibly wary; she knows Joseph is a decent guy, but the weight of his family’s disapproval of their relationship (Annie’s mum used to be the wealthy Prestons’ domestic help) and the long shadow cast by his father only added to the pressures on their relationship – and she isn’t prepared to go back there. But Joseph has changed. The years away have given him more confidence in himself and his abilities, and have shown him what he really wants from life. And what he really wants is Annie.
Ratings sites and apps are nothing new or unusual, and the anonymity offered by the internet gives those determined to be unpleasant a place to hide every day (you’ve only got to look at Twitter to see that!) I appreciated the author’s exploration of the online world we now inhabit, and the way she shows clearly how something that was originally intended to be helpful has grown beyond its creator’s original vision and become something that is probably hurting as many people as it has helped.
If you’ve been following the series, Bad Influence rounds things off nicely. Joseph and Annie are well-drawn, complex characters, they have great chemistry and I was (mostly) rooting for them to get back together. I say mostly, because my opinion of Annie in the early stages was coloured by the fact that I found her view that the break-up was all Joseph’s fault to be immature – especially as it was herdecision not to go abroad with him. As the book progressed, however, and I saw her character growth as she began to let go of her anger and to own up to her part in what happened, I started to come around and to think that perhaps she did deserve Joseph after all. That said, the reasons for their separation are really flimsy, so I had to do a bit of hand-waving away in order to accept it and get to the meat of the story. Also on the negative side, the identity of the stalker is just … an odd choice, and the reveal is contrived and anti-climactic.
Otherwise, though, Bad Influence is an enjoyable contemporary romance that combines a look at some very relevant issues with a sensual love story and a hard-won HEA. It earns a recommendation.
February 9, 2019
What would you do if you were New York’s most wanted woman, but no one knew your identity until a hacker threatened to expose you? Hide and give into the hacker’s demands? Tell the world? Or ask your very much despised ex, who just came back from a stint in Singapore, for help? Annie Maxwell’s path is obvious. Right?
But let’s back up a bit. With Bad Influence, book #3 in the Bad Bachelors series, Stefanie London tells the sexy, swoony and heartwarming story about bank executive Joseph Preston and the love of his life Annie Maxwell who had their entire future mapped out in front of them until career and family tore them apart.
Annie had been upset after Joe left, but when she sees the engagement ring that was meant for her on another woman’s finger, she creates an app meant to help woman have a better dating experience. She never expected the controversy or bad press it generated, and certainly didn’t imagine it would be a threat to her safety. But when push came to shove, the man that had abandoned her was there to prove not only that she was his priority, but that he had never stopped loving her. Can they forgive their past transgressions?
London pens a tenderly romantic, deliciously sexy and delightfully witty story. I enjoyed the balance between the story’s effortless flow, the suspenseful plot generated by the threat against Annie, the push-pull and very present longing between the well-developed main characters, and the family and friends component that layered this story.
I was hooked from the very start wanting to speed read or skip ahead to the very ending and know how it all gets resolved. I almost did. But I remembered why I love romance so much. The enjoyment is in the journey, in getting to know the characters, feeling the attraction and romance that jumps from the pages, reading how they work through problems to reach that glorious happy ever after. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Bad Influence is book #2 of the Bad Bachelors series by Stefanie London. It is a standalone, second chance romance, told from both points of view, and has a happy ending.
Amazon -> https://amzn.to/2teed1i
* I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via NetGalley. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. *
Stalk me on FaceBook * Twitter * Instagram * More reviews
But let’s back up a bit. With Bad Influence, book #3 in the Bad Bachelors series, Stefanie London tells the sexy, swoony and heartwarming story about bank executive Joseph Preston and the love of his life Annie Maxwell who had their entire future mapped out in front of them until career and family tore them apart.
Annie had been upset after Joe left, but when she sees the engagement ring that was meant for her on another woman’s finger, she creates an app meant to help woman have a better dating experience. She never expected the controversy or bad press it generated, and certainly didn’t imagine it would be a threat to her safety. But when push came to shove, the man that had abandoned her was there to prove not only that she was his priority, but that he had never stopped loving her. Can they forgive their past transgressions?
London pens a tenderly romantic, deliciously sexy and delightfully witty story. I enjoyed the balance between the story’s effortless flow, the suspenseful plot generated by the threat against Annie, the push-pull and very present longing between the well-developed main characters, and the family and friends component that layered this story.
I was hooked from the very start wanting to speed read or skip ahead to the very ending and know how it all gets resolved. I almost did. But I remembered why I love romance so much. The enjoyment is in the journey, in getting to know the characters, feeling the attraction and romance that jumps from the pages, reading how they work through problems to reach that glorious happy ever after. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Bad Influence is book #2 of the Bad Bachelors series by Stefanie London. It is a standalone, second chance romance, told from both points of view, and has a happy ending.
Amazon -> https://amzn.to/2teed1i
* I was given an ARC of this book courtesy of the author via NetGalley. The excerpts are from that copy. I am voluntarily reviewing this title. *
Stalk me on FaceBook * Twitter * Instagram * More reviews
Read
February 27, 2019This book.. okay im annoyed about it.. joe.. asshat joe.. you move on fast when you didnt get your way.. get engaged to someone else.. and dont fight for the love of your life who you been with for 6+ years cuz she choses to stay with her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer??? Instead of leaving the country with you to follow your dreams? That your father wanted.. Also its taken you 3 years and your sorry.. 3 years .. no fighting or connecting Annie.. also it was mentioned your ex fiance was the one who called off the engagement not you.. so if she didn't would you have been back?!?!?!
now i would blame Annie also cuz she didn't fight for the relationship.. but i love my mama and well im on her side when it comes to standing by your sick mothers side.... i also skimmed many chapters.. ill be honest i really dont get why the "engagement" to another woman.. it was just mentioned.. the ex was never in it..
Every word i write down i get mad all over.. ughhh
now i would blame Annie also cuz she didn't fight for the relationship.. but i love my mama and well im on her side when it comes to standing by your sick mothers side.... i also skimmed many chapters.. ill be honest i really dont get why the "engagement" to another woman.. it was just mentioned.. the ex was never in it..
Every word i write down i get mad all over.. ughhh
January 17, 2019
Annie Maxwell made a life changing decision…without consulting with her significant other, so Joseph Preston continued on with their plans without her.
I enjoyed this storyline and the characters in this third book in the Bad Bachelors series. I love how Annie created the “Bad Bachelors” app, and kept it secret for so long. I did, however, get annoyed with the denial on Annie’s part for their breakup…she kept blaming him and expecting an apology, and that part bothered me. This had some good laugh-out-loud moments (the towel scene was hilarious), heartbreak, love, good extended characters, and some heat. I really liked Joseph…Annie…not so much. I did like the last couple chapters of the book and especially the epilogue. Overall, I enjoyed Bad Influence by Author Stefanie London and would recommend it.
I enjoyed this storyline and the characters in this third book in the Bad Bachelors series. I love how Annie created the “Bad Bachelors” app, and kept it secret for so long. I did, however, get annoyed with the denial on Annie’s part for their breakup…she kept blaming him and expecting an apology, and that part bothered me. This had some good laugh-out-loud moments (the towel scene was hilarious), heartbreak, love, good extended characters, and some heat. I really liked Joseph…Annie…not so much. I did like the last couple chapters of the book and especially the epilogue. Overall, I enjoyed Bad Influence by Author Stefanie London and would recommend it.
May 5, 2019
Yes, there are boring, unlikeable people every where, but my question is why should we be obliged to read about them in a book? Is nothing sacred any more? The heroine and the hero were so unlikeable it wasn’t even funny. And the plot had me grinding my teeth in outrage and anger, at the person who saw it fit to write such a thing and feed it to unsuspecting readers. I hate plots where heroes break up and are gone for a few years, during which they can do whatever they want. That stupid heroine is up for a lifetime of misery and lost self esteem.
February 26, 2019
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
Annie thought she had her life figured out, the perfect man with his dream job taking them around the world. Then her life comes crashing down and she makes a decision that affects them both and Joseph leaves New York without her.
Now three years later, she thought she was over him until they literally crash in to each other and the old feelings come back at full force. She tries to stay away from him but when something happens with her computer, she only trusted one person to look through computer and that one person is Joseph.
Joseph Preston though going overseas would be the thing that would make his father proud of him but all it did was make him push him more. Now Joseph is back in New York and the younger CEO in the banking world and still all his father can do is complain. Joseph finally wants to do what he wants and that is to make himself happy. To do that he must make Annie accept that he is sorry for the way things ended when he left. And maybe they can move forward and rekindle their relationship.
Annie created Bad Bachelors as a way to help with the pain of losing Joseph and she thought it would help other women to find the a good man. And she kept her identity a secret until she needed to tell Joseph before he started working on her laptop. When Joseph finds that a hacker is threatening Annie, his protectiveness comes out.
Can Annie forgive Joseph and they both move on together? Or will they be able to remain friends if nothing else? Will the hacker be found out before something happens to Annie? What will happen to Bad Bachelors app? Can Annie and Joseph survive his parents if they get back together?
I have loved this series and this one has been my favorite couple with the suspense added to the story. And the ending is perfect. I would recommend reading this series but please read them in order so you don't miss anything.
Annie thought she had her life figured out, the perfect man with his dream job taking them around the world. Then her life comes crashing down and she makes a decision that affects them both and Joseph leaves New York without her.
Now three years later, she thought she was over him until they literally crash in to each other and the old feelings come back at full force. She tries to stay away from him but when something happens with her computer, she only trusted one person to look through computer and that one person is Joseph.
Joseph Preston though going overseas would be the thing that would make his father proud of him but all it did was make him push him more. Now Joseph is back in New York and the younger CEO in the banking world and still all his father can do is complain. Joseph finally wants to do what he wants and that is to make himself happy. To do that he must make Annie accept that he is sorry for the way things ended when he left. And maybe they can move forward and rekindle their relationship.
Annie created Bad Bachelors as a way to help with the pain of losing Joseph and she thought it would help other women to find the a good man. And she kept her identity a secret until she needed to tell Joseph before he started working on her laptop. When Joseph finds that a hacker is threatening Annie, his protectiveness comes out.
Can Annie forgive Joseph and they both move on together? Or will they be able to remain friends if nothing else? Will the hacker be found out before something happens to Annie? What will happen to Bad Bachelors app? Can Annie and Joseph survive his parents if they get back together?
I have loved this series and this one has been my favorite couple with the suspense added to the story. And the ending is perfect. I would recommend reading this series but please read them in order so you don't miss anything.
February 25, 2019
The last of the Bad Bachelors series and I couldn't put this one down. This is Annie and Joe's story.
Annie is the creator of the Bad Bachelors app that took off after her long term relationship with Joe ended over her choosing to stay with her Mother after she was diagnosed with cancer and not going to Singapore with Joe. For Joe this was a non-negotiable. Soon after his arrival, she sees her engagement ring on the hand of another woman and that pushed Annie out her heartbreak slump into forming this Bad Bachelors app. As we know from the previous books, her tracks are covered well and no-one knows she's behind the app-except her two best friends who found out by default. It did cause some problems with them initially but things resolved. Joe returns home after his time in Singapore and sees Annie. Joe's main problem is he's the overachieving son who no matter what he does, will never measure up to his father's unrealistic and cruel expectations. The guy is a real horses backside and Joe does his best to avoid him. Yet Joe still struggles. There's a major curveball in the story and someone has found Annie out. She tells Joe and through some of his connections and his own skills try and track down who is threatening Annie and to expose her, and worse to expose Joe.
The twists are turns in the story are so skillfully written, we have reuniting of Joe and Annie, Annie still keeping her secret until she is forced to tell Joe about the app and the underlying suspense of who might be after her and the threats. I couldn't put this one down and really loved Joe and Annie. Annie was a little stubborn at times, but that's who she was. I loved Joe. This is the kind of book that I thought about after I finished reading it. I don't run into those often.
Bravo Stephanie! Fantastic story! I loved every single minute.
Annie is the creator of the Bad Bachelors app that took off after her long term relationship with Joe ended over her choosing to stay with her Mother after she was diagnosed with cancer and not going to Singapore with Joe. For Joe this was a non-negotiable. Soon after his arrival, she sees her engagement ring on the hand of another woman and that pushed Annie out her heartbreak slump into forming this Bad Bachelors app. As we know from the previous books, her tracks are covered well and no-one knows she's behind the app-except her two best friends who found out by default. It did cause some problems with them initially but things resolved. Joe returns home after his time in Singapore and sees Annie. Joe's main problem is he's the overachieving son who no matter what he does, will never measure up to his father's unrealistic and cruel expectations. The guy is a real horses backside and Joe does his best to avoid him. Yet Joe still struggles. There's a major curveball in the story and someone has found Annie out. She tells Joe and through some of his connections and his own skills try and track down who is threatening Annie and to expose her, and worse to expose Joe.
The twists are turns in the story are so skillfully written, we have reuniting of Joe and Annie, Annie still keeping her secret until she is forced to tell Joe about the app and the underlying suspense of who might be after her and the threats. I couldn't put this one down and really loved Joe and Annie. Annie was a little stubborn at times, but that's who she was. I loved Joe. This is the kind of book that I thought about after I finished reading it. I don't run into those often.
Bravo Stephanie! Fantastic story! I loved every single minute.
March 4, 2019
In this final book, we FINALLY find out what drove Annie to create Bad Bachelors, and I for one, found her story to be my favorite of the series.
Reasons I Loved Bad Influence:
• It's a second chance romance. This is my catnip, people. I am enamored with the idea that we can make mistakes, but maybe still be able to salvage what we once had.
• So. Much. History. I had no idea we were dealing with two people, who had been connected to each other since childhood. Just imagining them frolicking as small children, and reconnecting in a romantic way in college had me smiling. Their history wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but it was packed with some really beautiful moment.
• Family played a big role in this story. I am alway down for some family involvement, and this one featured an incredible family (her's) and a terrible family (his). Obviously, I was more into the parts involving Annie's family, but meeting Joseph's was vital to my understanding of him and what drove his decisions.
• The chemistry was crackling between these two. It was terrible how it all ended with Annie and Joseph the first time around, but it was easy to see they belonged together and to each other. There were swoons and feels.
• Although there were some really stressful parts for me, the last few chapters were PERFECTION! London really made my emotions soar and my heart fill with joy. I know my face was hurting from all the smiling I was doing.
This was a fantastic and strong ending for a series I throughly enjoyed. I am still holding out hope that we can get a spinoff or something more set in this world, because I feel like some of the side characters have stories to tell.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
Reasons I Loved Bad Influence:
• It's a second chance romance. This is my catnip, people. I am enamored with the idea that we can make mistakes, but maybe still be able to salvage what we once had.
• So. Much. History. I had no idea we were dealing with two people, who had been connected to each other since childhood. Just imagining them frolicking as small children, and reconnecting in a romantic way in college had me smiling. Their history wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but it was packed with some really beautiful moment.
• Family played a big role in this story. I am alway down for some family involvement, and this one featured an incredible family (her's) and a terrible family (his). Obviously, I was more into the parts involving Annie's family, but meeting Joseph's was vital to my understanding of him and what drove his decisions.
• The chemistry was crackling between these two. It was terrible how it all ended with Annie and Joseph the first time around, but it was easy to see they belonged together and to each other. There were swoons and feels.
• Although there were some really stressful parts for me, the last few chapters were PERFECTION! London really made my emotions soar and my heart fill with joy. I know my face was hurting from all the smiling I was doing.
This was a fantastic and strong ending for a series I throughly enjoyed. I am still holding out hope that we can get a spinoff or something more set in this world, because I feel like some of the side characters have stories to tell.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
January 16, 2019
Reuniting Love Bonds
This story has all the feels I want and desire in a HEA. I was wondering how Stefanie London was going to bring Annie's story to life, and I was not disappointed. Annie Maxwell, creator of the Bad Bachelor app was left devastated after her one and only love upped and left her for a once in a lifetime job opportunity. Annie never recovered and her way of seeking payback was in creating Bad Bachelor to ensure other women did not go through what she had experienced.
Joseph Preston made the most catastrophic and shattering mistake of his life by abandoning the woman of his dreams at a time when she needed him in her corner. Joseph returns home to find Annie again and to find out she needs his business expertise. He realizes he cannot risk losing her again and does some serious soul searching to win her back. Reading Stefanie's words exposing Joseph's journey to face his fears to open up the vault to his heart and expose his true feelings was breathtaking to read.
I felt my heart ache as he fights with his inner turmoil to make everything right in their world together again. Joseph and Annie captured my heart and made me believe that love can indeed conquer all.
This story has all the feels I want and desire in a HEA. I was wondering how Stefanie London was going to bring Annie's story to life, and I was not disappointed. Annie Maxwell, creator of the Bad Bachelor app was left devastated after her one and only love upped and left her for a once in a lifetime job opportunity. Annie never recovered and her way of seeking payback was in creating Bad Bachelor to ensure other women did not go through what she had experienced.
Joseph Preston made the most catastrophic and shattering mistake of his life by abandoning the woman of his dreams at a time when she needed him in her corner. Joseph returns home to find Annie again and to find out she needs his business expertise. He realizes he cannot risk losing her again and does some serious soul searching to win her back. Reading Stefanie's words exposing Joseph's journey to face his fears to open up the vault to his heart and expose his true feelings was breathtaking to read.
I felt my heart ache as he fights with his inner turmoil to make everything right in their world together again. Joseph and Annie captured my heart and made me believe that love can indeed conquer all.
May 27, 2019
I loved this third installment in this series MS London has done it again had me turning the pages and feeling such emotion throughout this wonderful story, this time it is Annie’s story, the one who started the Bad Bachelors app and website, she had felt so hurt after her one and only love left, see what happens when that one and only returns to New York.
Annie Maxwell comes from a loving family, they may be working class but the love they share is wonderful and her best friend and the love of her life Joseph Preston whom she met while they were just kids is always by her side, that is until he takes a job overseas and due to a family crisis Annie decides to stay, she is devastated but moves on with her life, for three years she copes and the Bad Bachelor site that she started to help woman to date safely starts to cause a few problems. But even more Joseph is back in town.
Joseph is climbing the corporate ladder in banking, sure that he will get some love from his father, the three years he spent overseas taught him that he will never forget the beautiful and loving Annie not matter what he tries, he is back home in New York and wants to see if he can patch things up with Annie. When Annie is threatened by a hacker she asks for his help and they get closer again but will there love be strong enough to bring them back together?
I loved this story from page one, I loved Joe and Annie they were made for each other, the strength and caring that they both showed was amazing the sensual pull was firing up the pages, this story is beautifully written, moving and a must read. I loved catching up with Remie and Darcy, yes this is another keeper from MS London thank you so much for making me smile again and I do highly recommend this one.
Annie Maxwell comes from a loving family, they may be working class but the love they share is wonderful and her best friend and the love of her life Joseph Preston whom she met while they were just kids is always by her side, that is until he takes a job overseas and due to a family crisis Annie decides to stay, she is devastated but moves on with her life, for three years she copes and the Bad Bachelor site that she started to help woman to date safely starts to cause a few problems. But even more Joseph is back in town.
Joseph is climbing the corporate ladder in banking, sure that he will get some love from his father, the three years he spent overseas taught him that he will never forget the beautiful and loving Annie not matter what he tries, he is back home in New York and wants to see if he can patch things up with Annie. When Annie is threatened by a hacker she asks for his help and they get closer again but will there love be strong enough to bring them back together?
I loved this story from page one, I loved Joe and Annie they were made for each other, the strength and caring that they both showed was amazing the sensual pull was firing up the pages, this story is beautifully written, moving and a must read. I loved catching up with Remie and Darcy, yes this is another keeper from MS London thank you so much for making me smile again and I do highly recommend this one.
nope-nope-nope
September 4, 2019Three year celibate heroine 🙄
January 11, 2019
imagine an author trying to write 3 books and let them be standalone and also be connected. Impossible task? not for Stefanie London. Bad Bachelors is an amazing series and this the last " Bad Influence" has brought old friends back together and covered Annie and Joseph's story. Annie and Joseph have planned to move to Singapore when Joseph is offered a position that dreams are made of. Annie is all ready to go until her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer and she cannot go across the world from her. So she makes the decision and tells everyone is it not going, only one problem, she forgot to tell Joseph. Angry even after offering to send her home as often as he has to he makes the decision and leaves. Not long after he leaves she sees a photo of him getting Engaged, she is shattered, heartbroken. She starts a website anonymously called Bad Bachelors that she hopes will help women and also help her to get over her hurt. Three years go by and she runs into Joseph again in Central Park, he returns when he realizes that it was more the chance to get his father to finally be proud of him that what he wanted. She never stopped loving him but between his family not accepting her and the hurt they gave each other there is no chance for a new beginning. Not until her website is hacked and she is threatened and she ask Josephs help. You will love her family and understand why she stayed. They work together to try and find who is threatening her . This books has it all and I am Not giving any more away all I can say is Ms. London has written a wonderful story with a HEA. A keeper .
February 4, 2019
I received and ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
So many layers with this story, and they all fit perfectly! The first two books in the series have led us to this- Annie and her complex story of how it all began. This isn't a girl got scorned let's have some revenge story that you would assume. The author peels back the layers of their story bit by bit, and in a realistic way. Sure, you have a billionaire boy- but you also have a protective Italian family mixed in there too, and if anything brings you down to reality, it's a protective Italian mama and papa bear. I think this was my favorite out of the series. Holding out hope that we will see some of the side characters' stories in the very near future!
Don't read this one first, you really need to read the first two in the series to get the full scope of everything. I'm sure my customers will love this one, as they have the other 2!
So many layers with this story, and they all fit perfectly! The first two books in the series have led us to this- Annie and her complex story of how it all began. This isn't a girl got scorned let's have some revenge story that you would assume. The author peels back the layers of their story bit by bit, and in a realistic way. Sure, you have a billionaire boy- but you also have a protective Italian family mixed in there too, and if anything brings you down to reality, it's a protective Italian mama and papa bear. I think this was my favorite out of the series. Holding out hope that we will see some of the side characters' stories in the very near future!
Don't read this one first, you really need to read the first two in the series to get the full scope of everything. I'm sure my customers will love this one, as they have the other 2!
March 3, 2019
I thought I could get past the hero been engaged to another woman and the fact that this is a second chance romance, but I couldn't. Maybe it's because the ring the other woman was wearing belonged to Joe's grandmother and it would have been perfect for the heroine, but he gave it to another woman while he still had feelings for Annie. Maybe it's because Annie's plans included crying over the anniversary of their breakup while he had obviously moved on and was about to marry another woman. Maybe it was the timeline because in three years the dude moved to another country, met a woman, got engaged and if she hadn't broken off things with him he could have been married to her by the time Annie got blackmailed. The reason why Annie and Joe broke up was stupid and they could worked things out and they could have tried the long distance thing. Joe was selfish and was acting like a child which made me hate him from page one. The prologue was also a good way to make me dislike Annie because she was also acting like a kid, so I guess that's the reason they never tried the long distance thing. For a couple that was half a decade together, they were lacking some communication skills.
February 12, 2020
3🌟
Mit dieser Bewertung hab ich es mir echt schwer gemacht 😅 die Geschichte und die Charaktere an sich waren oke aber die Umsetzung hatte meiner Meinung nach nicht so den offensichtlichsten roten Pfaden 🤷♀️
Mit dieser Bewertung hab ich es mir echt schwer gemacht 😅 die Geschichte und die Charaktere an sich waren oke aber die Umsetzung hatte meiner Meinung nach nicht so den offensichtlichsten roten Pfaden 🤷♀️
February 15, 2019
First and foremost, Annie's story was everything I wanted and needed. From the first two books, I was dying to know what made Annie tick and what event encouraged her to launch Bad Bachelors. Her relationship was Preston was just as complicated and devastating as I expected and I shipped the two together immediately. In addition to being second-chance lovers, Annie and Joseph Preston were opposite's attract as well. Annie extended all of herself to help others and be around people, while Preston was more reserved and didn't have the best role models in life. When the two got together, it was like fighting fire with fire, but you could always tell that they had a soft spot for the other. Besides the romance, I was surprised that London chose to insert hacking and doxxing. The internet is not always a safe place for women and the London captured Annie's absolute fear as well as the cowards who act high and mighty behind a keyboard.
March 10, 2019
4.5
Annie and Joseph were ready to share a life together and both wanted to travel the world. They were about to follow their dreams when he got a job offer he couldn't refuse, but she couldn't go with him, not when it means abandoning someone dear who needed her. So 3 years ago, they went their separated way. Now he's back in New York and after a chance encounter, she doesn't see anybody else who she could ask for help for her blackmail trouble, no matter the fact she would prefer to keep her distance. But it's time to face the reality about the dating app she created to try to deal with her heartbreak three years ago.
"As much as she loved the way he looked in a suit, this was almost worst. Because the suit was his armor, his uniform. This Joseph- with the worn jeans and crooked smile-was her man. The man who'd been a childhood friend, a teenage crush, the man who'd made her fall head over heels in college, the man who'd been her first and only... everything."
I'm a little sad to see this series ending because it was such a great one. I thought the author choose a great angle to remind us how polarized social medias can be and that something that can be started with good intentions can turn into a bad things when nasty and unkind minds use it to spill their hatred.
Even if I was unsettled by Bad Influence because the characters and the story weren't like I thought they would be (I expected more bitterness and angst from what we knew about Annie), I'm glad it was different than what I expected. In my opinion, the hero wasn't very understanding of Annie's situation when she refused to follow him three years ago, but at least he owned up his responsibilities when he came back and once we had his point of view, it was easier to understand why he felt abandoned too and that she was never putting him first. And at the end of the day, Joseph was a really great role model. It was sad that in going to Singapore, he lost himself, but seeing him realize it and making something to change it was a beautiful thing to witness. Annie and Joseph's second chance romance was especially good because no matter the time, the distance or the resentments, they never stopped loving each other, always had a strong physical chemistry, but they still took the time to clear the air and deal with the hurt feelings before getting involve again.
One thing's for sure : I'll be there for the next Stefanie London who comes out :)
Annie and Joseph were ready to share a life together and both wanted to travel the world. They were about to follow their dreams when he got a job offer he couldn't refuse, but she couldn't go with him, not when it means abandoning someone dear who needed her. So 3 years ago, they went their separated way. Now he's back in New York and after a chance encounter, she doesn't see anybody else who she could ask for help for her blackmail trouble, no matter the fact she would prefer to keep her distance. But it's time to face the reality about the dating app she created to try to deal with her heartbreak three years ago.
"As much as she loved the way he looked in a suit, this was almost worst. Because the suit was his armor, his uniform. This Joseph- with the worn jeans and crooked smile-was her man. The man who'd been a childhood friend, a teenage crush, the man who'd made her fall head over heels in college, the man who'd been her first and only... everything."
I'm a little sad to see this series ending because it was such a great one. I thought the author choose a great angle to remind us how polarized social medias can be and that something that can be started with good intentions can turn into a bad things when nasty and unkind minds use it to spill their hatred.
Even if I was unsettled by Bad Influence because the characters and the story weren't like I thought they would be (I expected more bitterness and angst from what we knew about Annie), I'm glad it was different than what I expected. In my opinion, the hero wasn't very understanding of Annie's situation when she refused to follow him three years ago, but at least he owned up his responsibilities when he came back and once we had his point of view, it was easier to understand why he felt abandoned too and that she was never putting him first. And at the end of the day, Joseph was a really great role model. It was sad that in going to Singapore, he lost himself, but seeing him realize it and making something to change it was a beautiful thing to witness. Annie and Joseph's second chance romance was especially good because no matter the time, the distance or the resentments, they never stopped loving each other, always had a strong physical chemistry, but they still took the time to clear the air and deal with the hurt feelings before getting involve again.
One thing's for sure : I'll be there for the next Stefanie London who comes out :)
February 27, 2019
Annie is the brains behind the Bad Bachelor website. It has brought a myriad of emotions to women around NYC and beyond. Some people are for the site and others want her to shut it down for ruining lives. Either way Annie knows it is helping most women navigate the dating world and she doesn’t want to take that away from them. She has firmly stayed out of the dating world since her relationship ended years ago when she chose her family over her relationship. Joseph is never far from her thoughts but that is as close as she wants him, until she knocks him into a pond by accident.
Joseph has returned home again after making a name for himself overseas. He hasn’t stopped thinking about Annie much over the years, as his ex fiancé can attest to. He is hoping to get a chance to have a good heart to heart with her and apologize for leaving her the way he did. While contemplating his thoughts at their spot by the pond he literally bumps into his past.
Annie and Joseph didn’t have a great conversational past and they both fully admit it. Now that they’ve gotten a second chance will they make the best of it this time or fall back into their old habits? Annie doesn’t want to fall back into her past, especially while she is being threatened by someone over the Bad Bachelors website but she needs Joseph’s help to find out who is behind the threats.
Bad Influence is the third book in the Bad Bachelor series and a great continuation of the storylines. I received an advance copy from Netgalley without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. A 4 ½ star read, personally I found some slower parts to the story but overall a very good read. You don’t have to read in any order as each is a standalone but if you want background on the other 2 main couples and/or the website I would recommend starting with book one, Bad Bachelor.
Joseph has returned home again after making a name for himself overseas. He hasn’t stopped thinking about Annie much over the years, as his ex fiancé can attest to. He is hoping to get a chance to have a good heart to heart with her and apologize for leaving her the way he did. While contemplating his thoughts at their spot by the pond he literally bumps into his past.
Annie and Joseph didn’t have a great conversational past and they both fully admit it. Now that they’ve gotten a second chance will they make the best of it this time or fall back into their old habits? Annie doesn’t want to fall back into her past, especially while she is being threatened by someone over the Bad Bachelors website but she needs Joseph’s help to find out who is behind the threats.
Bad Influence is the third book in the Bad Bachelor series and a great continuation of the storylines. I received an advance copy from Netgalley without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. A 4 ½ star read, personally I found some slower parts to the story but overall a very good read. You don’t have to read in any order as each is a standalone but if you want background on the other 2 main couples and/or the website I would recommend starting with book one, Bad Bachelor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf-for-now
February 26, 2019**********Spoilers***********
I took off any cheating tags bc it's not about cheating. Also, I read the first couple chapters of a friends copy and it's not my thing. It's about a break up bc one partner puts her family above her boyfriend (every time) and tbh if I read the prologue and realize I'm going to dislike a heroine, I just won't read. I have to connect with the h to like a book. It is well written from what I read, though, so I'm going to check out other books by author.
I took off any cheating tags bc it's not about cheating. Also, I read the first couple chapters of a friends copy and it's not my thing. It's about a break up bc one partner puts her family above her boyfriend (every time) and tbh if I read the prologue and realize I'm going to dislike a heroine, I just won't read. I have to connect with the h to like a book. It is well written from what I read, though, so I'm going to check out other books by author.
May 14, 2020
I will admit that I was not a fan of this book. Everybody tried to act like Annie was the victim. Sorry I saw that she was no better than him. She made bad decisions and seemed to only think of herself. Yes we can all admit after the breakup Joe wasn't the best guy. The only good thing about this is that in the end they finally got their happy ending because no matter how hard they pretended they never got over each other.
July 2, 2019
4/5 Sterne
Bad Billionaire
von Stefanie London
Forever by Ullstein
„Das Finale der New-York-Bachelors-Reihe von USA Today-Bestseller-Autorin Stefanie London
Annie hatte ihr Leben im Griff: Hochbezahlte Karriere? Check. Schickes Appartment? Check. Sexy Mann, mit dem sie alt werden wollte? Check. Nur dass ihr Verlobter sie verlassen hat, um seine Karriere anzukurbeln. Als ob das nicht schon schlimm genug wäre, waren da die Fotos auf allen Society-Blogs, die ihn mit einer Frau zeigten, die ihren Hochzeitsring trug. Annie wollte sich nicht nur an ihrem Ex rächen, sondern alle Frauen davor warnen, sich von Playboys fernzuhalten. Doch leider ging das nach hinten los und nun ist sie die meistgesuchte Frau in New York.
Joseph hat in seinem Leben viele Fehler gemacht. Aber keiner war so schlimm, wie die Liebe seines Lebens zu verlassen, um im Ausland Karriere zu machen. Nun ist der Manager wieder in New York und will Annie zurück. Er versucht alles, um sie zu überreden, ihm eine zweite Chance zu geben, aber je stärker er sich bemüht, desto mehr stößt sie ihn von sich. Doch als Hacker herausfinden, wer Annie wirklich ist, ist Joe der einzige, der ihr helfen kann … „
Ich bedanke mich bei Netgalley und dem Forever by Ullstein Verlag für das kostenlose Rezensionsexemplar des Buches. Ich gebe hier meine unabhängige und unbezahlte Meinung zu dem Buch ab.
Ich habe schon die beiden Vorgängerromane der Autorin in dieser Reihe gelesen und geliebt. Dieses Buch bildet nun den Abschluss dieser erfolgreichen Reihe. Wie schon seine Vorgänger ist auch dieses Buch wieder in der 3. Person geschrieben und aus Sicht der beiden Protas erzählt. Gewohnt leicht und schnell zu lesen ist auch der Schreibstil der Autorin, den man schon aus den anderen Büchern kennt. Ebenfalls webt die Schriftstellerin wieder gekonnt einzelne Begegnungen mit Figuren aus den anderen Romanen in diesen ein, so dass es Lesern wie ein Wiedersehen mit guten, alten Bekannten vorkommt.
Annie war die Figur in den Vorgängerbüchern, die man irgendwie nicht vollkommen ins Herz schließen konnte, da sie meiner Meinung nach zu sehr an ihrer App hing, welche all ihren Freunden eigentlich nur Schaden zu gefügt hat, sich aber dennoch immer weigerte eben diese App aufzugeben. Sie nahm also billigend in Kauf, weiterhin Menschen zu verletzen und ihr Inkognito zu wahren. Erst in diesem Roman gelang es mir ein wenig mehr Verständnis für sich aufzubringen und ihr Handeln in einem etwas positiveren Licht zu sehen. Erst jetzt sieht man als Leser eigentlich, dass auch an ihr die Geschehnisse mit ihren Freundinnen nicht so schadlos vorbei gegangen sind, wie man bisher immer meinte. Auch sie hatte gelitten und sich selbst mit Vorwürfen gegeißelt. Joseph ist ein Mensch, den man am liebsten in den Arm nehmen möchte um ihm seine schwere und lieblose Kindheit abzunehmen. Man hat kein Mitleid mit ihm, aber man empfindet sein Leid mit ihm zusammen und weiß wie ungerecht es war so aufwachsen zu müssen. Dass er ein verschlossener Mann geworden ist, wundert da sicher keinen mehr, denn er will sich nur selbst vor weiterem Leid bewahren.
Dadurch dass beide Protas wirklich facettenreich ausgearbeitet wurden, liebgewonnene Charaktere wieder mitspielen und die Geschichte in sich stimmig und abgerundet ist, gelang der Autorin wirklich ein sehr guter Abschluss der Serie. Auch wenn das Ende der Geschichte vorhersehbar war und der Plot nicht unbedingt brandneu war, ist dieses Buch ein würdiger Abschluss einer reizenden Serie und auf jeden Fall eine Leseempfehlung wert. Ich habe mich daher für 4 sehr gute Sterne entschieden.
#belletristik #liebesroman #newadult #rezension #rezensionsexemplar #roman #bookstagram #stefanielondon #foreververlag #ullsteinverlag #bücher #bücherliebe #booklover #reading #bookadict #badbillionaire #newyorkbachelors #leseratte #bücherwurm #bookworm #bookaholic #lesen #lesenmachtglücklich #instabooks #booknerd #readingtime #ilovebooks #netgalley #netgalleyde #ichliebelesen #buchnerd #ichliebebücher
Bad Billionaire
von Stefanie London
Forever by Ullstein
„Das Finale der New-York-Bachelors-Reihe von USA Today-Bestseller-Autorin Stefanie London
Annie hatte ihr Leben im Griff: Hochbezahlte Karriere? Check. Schickes Appartment? Check. Sexy Mann, mit dem sie alt werden wollte? Check. Nur dass ihr Verlobter sie verlassen hat, um seine Karriere anzukurbeln. Als ob das nicht schon schlimm genug wäre, waren da die Fotos auf allen Society-Blogs, die ihn mit einer Frau zeigten, die ihren Hochzeitsring trug. Annie wollte sich nicht nur an ihrem Ex rächen, sondern alle Frauen davor warnen, sich von Playboys fernzuhalten. Doch leider ging das nach hinten los und nun ist sie die meistgesuchte Frau in New York.
Joseph hat in seinem Leben viele Fehler gemacht. Aber keiner war so schlimm, wie die Liebe seines Lebens zu verlassen, um im Ausland Karriere zu machen. Nun ist der Manager wieder in New York und will Annie zurück. Er versucht alles, um sie zu überreden, ihm eine zweite Chance zu geben, aber je stärker er sich bemüht, desto mehr stößt sie ihn von sich. Doch als Hacker herausfinden, wer Annie wirklich ist, ist Joe der einzige, der ihr helfen kann … „
Ich bedanke mich bei Netgalley und dem Forever by Ullstein Verlag für das kostenlose Rezensionsexemplar des Buches. Ich gebe hier meine unabhängige und unbezahlte Meinung zu dem Buch ab.
Ich habe schon die beiden Vorgängerromane der Autorin in dieser Reihe gelesen und geliebt. Dieses Buch bildet nun den Abschluss dieser erfolgreichen Reihe. Wie schon seine Vorgänger ist auch dieses Buch wieder in der 3. Person geschrieben und aus Sicht der beiden Protas erzählt. Gewohnt leicht und schnell zu lesen ist auch der Schreibstil der Autorin, den man schon aus den anderen Büchern kennt. Ebenfalls webt die Schriftstellerin wieder gekonnt einzelne Begegnungen mit Figuren aus den anderen Romanen in diesen ein, so dass es Lesern wie ein Wiedersehen mit guten, alten Bekannten vorkommt.
Annie war die Figur in den Vorgängerbüchern, die man irgendwie nicht vollkommen ins Herz schließen konnte, da sie meiner Meinung nach zu sehr an ihrer App hing, welche all ihren Freunden eigentlich nur Schaden zu gefügt hat, sich aber dennoch immer weigerte eben diese App aufzugeben. Sie nahm also billigend in Kauf, weiterhin Menschen zu verletzen und ihr Inkognito zu wahren. Erst in diesem Roman gelang es mir ein wenig mehr Verständnis für sich aufzubringen und ihr Handeln in einem etwas positiveren Licht zu sehen. Erst jetzt sieht man als Leser eigentlich, dass auch an ihr die Geschehnisse mit ihren Freundinnen nicht so schadlos vorbei gegangen sind, wie man bisher immer meinte. Auch sie hatte gelitten und sich selbst mit Vorwürfen gegeißelt. Joseph ist ein Mensch, den man am liebsten in den Arm nehmen möchte um ihm seine schwere und lieblose Kindheit abzunehmen. Man hat kein Mitleid mit ihm, aber man empfindet sein Leid mit ihm zusammen und weiß wie ungerecht es war so aufwachsen zu müssen. Dass er ein verschlossener Mann geworden ist, wundert da sicher keinen mehr, denn er will sich nur selbst vor weiterem Leid bewahren.
Dadurch dass beide Protas wirklich facettenreich ausgearbeitet wurden, liebgewonnene Charaktere wieder mitspielen und die Geschichte in sich stimmig und abgerundet ist, gelang der Autorin wirklich ein sehr guter Abschluss der Serie. Auch wenn das Ende der Geschichte vorhersehbar war und der Plot nicht unbedingt brandneu war, ist dieses Buch ein würdiger Abschluss einer reizenden Serie und auf jeden Fall eine Leseempfehlung wert. Ich habe mich daher für 4 sehr gute Sterne entschieden.
#belletristik #liebesroman #newadult #rezension #rezensionsexemplar #roman #bookstagram #stefanielondon #foreververlag #ullsteinverlag #bücher #bücherliebe #booklover #reading #bookadict #badbillionaire #newyorkbachelors #leseratte #bücherwurm #bookworm #bookaholic #lesen #lesenmachtglücklich #instabooks #booknerd #readingtime #ilovebooks #netgalley #netgalleyde #ichliebelesen #buchnerd #ichliebebücher
February 12, 2019
I liked the characters and would have enjoyed the story more if the whole conflict that broke them up wasn't completely idiotic.
Annie and Joe knew each other long before they started dating freshman year of college. Annie's mother used to clean his family's house and sometimes young Annie would hang out with Joe playing video games. As we always find, Joe's rich and powerful father didn't like that Joe was dating the help. Even though Joe struggled with his need to win his father's approval, he would not give up Annie to please him.
Forward ahead a few years, Joe get's an important opportunity in Singapore, something his father insisted he needed to do if he ever wants get ahead in banking. Joe and Annie have packed up their apartment and are ready to move when Annie finds out about her mother's breast cancer and upcoming surgery. Joe insist that he will pay for Annie to fly back to be with her mother whenever she needs to, but Annie feels she needs to stay and be with her mother right now. Joe is hurt that Annie didn't talk to him first before making the decision to stay and also hurt that he didn't come first to Annie. WTF!!
I am surprised that I didn't stop reading right here in the prologue but let's stop here and talk about this because the whole story, in fact the whole series, hinges on this moment. Joe and Annie break up after being together for about 5 or 6 years. Joe was planning to propose when they arrived in Singapore. Joe is willing to fly Annie back (halfway across the world) anytime she needs to be with her mother, and when she says she needs to stay, he's done with the most important person in his life? There is no discussion. No arguments. No objection or even pleading on Annie's part that their relationship doesn't have to end. He is willing to fly her back to NY but what about flying her to Singapore a few times while her mother undergoes treatment. And not that breast cancer is necessary a death sentence, but it was possible that her mother's time was limited and he would deny her that time with her mom? Joe is apparently such an asshat that he believes Annie not being able to fly out with him immediately for his new job, which he will be working at for the next few years(?), is a deal breaker for him. Her mother's chemo will only be for a few weeks to months. She could have joined him once her mother started to improve. Personally, I think instead of starting Bad Bachelors, Annie should have been celebrating not marrying or wasting any more years with such a selfish asshole. She wasn't even angry that he would leave for his new job while her mother, a woman who welcomed Joe into their family with open arms, was going through surgery and chemo. She was okay with him going on to Singapore and joining him later, but that wasn't good enough for him.
As you can see, the whole break-up/conflict was crap, or the best thing that could have happened to Annie. Moving on...
A year after Joe leaves town, Annie creates Bad Bachelors, an app where women can go and rate and make comments about men they date. Some people are happy about the app. Some women who have been abused and feared dating, could see if their possible date was a decent guy. Some people were angry at being negatively listed on the app, some truthfully and some lies. (This is part of the first two stories in the series.)
When we start Bad Influence, Joe has just returned to New York to begin a new job and literally bumps into Annie and she knocks him into a pond. *thumbs up* She allows him to clean up in her (their former) apartment and then sends him home in a towel since she doesn't have any extra clothes for him. You go girl!
Annie often gets angry or threatening emails, but they can't hurt her because no one really knows that she is the creator of Bad Bachelors, except the guy in the first book who finds her...and the second book-- never mind...a hacker manages to break into Annie's computer and she calls Joe to help her. Joe really never wanted to go into banking (see prior statement about daddy issues). Joe wanted to create a white hat security firm to help companies protect their software. When Joe realizes that Annie is in real danger since some crazy knows who she is and where she lives, he either stays at her house or she stays with him. This leads us to casual ex-sex which always works out so well.
Now we do eventually have redemption. Joe realizes his decisions were made in his usual attempt to get his father's approval and that he doesn't need or actually really want it anyway. He also realizes that he hurt Annie as well as her parents who had always treated him like family and he goes about trying to earn everyone's forgiveness.
As much as I grumble about the plot issue, what saves the story is Annie and Joe together. They are definitely a couple that are meant to be together. It isn't just about hot sexy times. We feel their draw toward each other and their sadness that there is a distance between them that simply shouldn't be there. Unfortunately, Joe not only has to rebuild a relationship with Annie, but he has to rebuild one with the reader since he starts off this story being such a heartless jerk.
We met Annie's friends who were featured in the prior two stories but I really don't have enough interest to go back and read the first two books.
Annie and Joe knew each other long before they started dating freshman year of college. Annie's mother used to clean his family's house and sometimes young Annie would hang out with Joe playing video games. As we always find, Joe's rich and powerful father didn't like that Joe was dating the help. Even though Joe struggled with his need to win his father's approval, he would not give up Annie to please him.
Forward ahead a few years, Joe get's an important opportunity in Singapore, something his father insisted he needed to do if he ever wants get ahead in banking. Joe and Annie have packed up their apartment and are ready to move when Annie finds out about her mother's breast cancer and upcoming surgery. Joe insist that he will pay for Annie to fly back to be with her mother whenever she needs to, but Annie feels she needs to stay and be with her mother right now. Joe is hurt that Annie didn't talk to him first before making the decision to stay and also hurt that he didn't come first to Annie. WTF!!
I am surprised that I didn't stop reading right here in the prologue but let's stop here and talk about this because the whole story, in fact the whole series, hinges on this moment. Joe and Annie break up after being together for about 5 or 6 years. Joe was planning to propose when they arrived in Singapore. Joe is willing to fly Annie back (halfway across the world) anytime she needs to be with her mother, and when she says she needs to stay, he's done with the most important person in his life? There is no discussion. No arguments. No objection or even pleading on Annie's part that their relationship doesn't have to end. He is willing to fly her back to NY but what about flying her to Singapore a few times while her mother undergoes treatment. And not that breast cancer is necessary a death sentence, but it was possible that her mother's time was limited and he would deny her that time with her mom? Joe is apparently such an asshat that he believes Annie not being able to fly out with him immediately for his new job, which he will be working at for the next few years(?), is a deal breaker for him. Her mother's chemo will only be for a few weeks to months. She could have joined him once her mother started to improve. Personally, I think instead of starting Bad Bachelors, Annie should have been celebrating not marrying or wasting any more years with such a selfish asshole. She wasn't even angry that he would leave for his new job while her mother, a woman who welcomed Joe into their family with open arms, was going through surgery and chemo. She was okay with him going on to Singapore and joining him later, but that wasn't good enough for him.
As you can see, the whole break-up/conflict was crap, or the best thing that could have happened to Annie. Moving on...
A year after Joe leaves town, Annie creates Bad Bachelors, an app where women can go and rate and make comments about men they date. Some people are happy about the app. Some women who have been abused and feared dating, could see if their possible date was a decent guy. Some people were angry at being negatively listed on the app, some truthfully and some lies. (This is part of the first two stories in the series.)
When we start Bad Influence, Joe has just returned to New York to begin a new job and literally bumps into Annie and she knocks him into a pond. *thumbs up* She allows him to clean up in her (their former) apartment and then sends him home in a towel since she doesn't have any extra clothes for him. You go girl!
Annie often gets angry or threatening emails, but they can't hurt her because no one really knows that she is the creator of Bad Bachelors, except the guy in the first book who finds her...and the second book-- never mind...a hacker manages to break into Annie's computer and she calls Joe to help her. Joe really never wanted to go into banking (see prior statement about daddy issues). Joe wanted to create a white hat security firm to help companies protect their software. When Joe realizes that Annie is in real danger since some crazy knows who she is and where she lives, he either stays at her house or she stays with him. This leads us to casual ex-sex which always works out so well.
Now we do eventually have redemption. Joe realizes his decisions were made in his usual attempt to get his father's approval and that he doesn't need or actually really want it anyway. He also realizes that he hurt Annie as well as her parents who had always treated him like family and he goes about trying to earn everyone's forgiveness.
As much as I grumble about the plot issue, what saves the story is Annie and Joe together. They are definitely a couple that are meant to be together. It isn't just about hot sexy times. We feel their draw toward each other and their sadness that there is a distance between them that simply shouldn't be there. Unfortunately, Joe not only has to rebuild a relationship with Annie, but he has to rebuild one with the reader since he starts off this story being such a heartless jerk.
We met Annie's friends who were featured in the prior two stories but I really don't have enough interest to go back and read the first two books.
February 4, 2019
This book has both cursing (including a lot of f-bombs) and on page sex – if those things bother you, this isn't the book for you.
The Bad Bachelors series has been hit or miss for me, I must admit. After reading the second book, I kind of wished that the first book had been a stand alone because the whole Bad Bachelor thing went from intriguing to baffling. While the concepts that were confusing in the second book weren't really explained any further in this book, the major problems with it were addressed so I very appreciated that. If you struggled with the concept of BB, you should definitely read this book.
I fully admit that I went into this book wary of Annie because she was not great in Bad Bachelor and flat-out horrible in Bad Reputation, but I also wanted to like her, for her to be redeemed, so I tried to go into this one with an open mind. The prologue of this book did nothing to help me like her, to the point where I found myself wondering why I was reading a book about someone so utterly selfish, but she did get better. For the most part, I did like her character but I admit that also wanted shake her hard when she was so delusional about the irreparable damage that her app had done to innocent men's lives while extolling its virtues just to make herself feel vindicated. I sort of liked the idea of Bad Bachelors in the first book, but Annie's self-absorbed stubbornness and refusal to see the damage it was causing – even after it almost ruined the lives of her two very best friends – was frustrating. But she did eventually make me like her, and I found myself rooting for her and Joseph to get their “stuff” together and find their happily ever after.
Joseph was also a tough character to get a feel for at first, but bear with him because he's really pretty great. He wasn't perfect, but he was a good guy who just wanted to feel like he mattered to someone. The more we got to know him, the more that I really liked him and I just wanted him to be himself and to be happy.
This love story is a hard-fought struggle literally from start to finish, but it's totally worth the ride and it was a really nice way to end this series.
The Bad Bachelors series has been hit or miss for me, I must admit. After reading the second book, I kind of wished that the first book had been a stand alone because the whole Bad Bachelor thing went from intriguing to baffling. While the concepts that were confusing in the second book weren't really explained any further in this book, the major problems with it were addressed so I very appreciated that. If you struggled with the concept of BB, you should definitely read this book.
I fully admit that I went into this book wary of Annie because she was not great in Bad Bachelor and flat-out horrible in Bad Reputation, but I also wanted to like her, for her to be redeemed, so I tried to go into this one with an open mind. The prologue of this book did nothing to help me like her, to the point where I found myself wondering why I was reading a book about someone so utterly selfish, but she did get better. For the most part, I did like her character but I admit that also wanted shake her hard when she was so delusional about the irreparable damage that her app had done to innocent men's lives while extolling its virtues just to make herself feel vindicated. I sort of liked the idea of Bad Bachelors in the first book, but Annie's self-absorbed stubbornness and refusal to see the damage it was causing – even after it almost ruined the lives of her two very best friends – was frustrating. But she did eventually make me like her, and I found myself rooting for her and Joseph to get their “stuff” together and find their happily ever after.
Joseph was also a tough character to get a feel for at first, but bear with him because he's really pretty great. He wasn't perfect, but he was a good guy who just wanted to feel like he mattered to someone. The more we got to know him, the more that I really liked him and I just wanted him to be himself and to be happy.
This love story is a hard-fought struggle literally from start to finish, but it's totally worth the ride and it was a really nice way to end this series.
July 7, 2019
"Bad Billionaire" ist der Abschlussband der New York Bachelors Reihe. In diesem geht es nun um Annie, die die App entwickelt hat und nun bedroht und erpresst wird. Außerdem begegnet sie ihrem Ex Joseph wieder, der der Grund für die Entwicklung der App war.
Mir hat die Geschichte um Annie sehr gut gefallen, auch wenn mir in der Beziehung zwischen ihr und Joseph ein wenig was gefehlt hat. Die Anziehung war zwar schon spürbar, aber durch die gemeinsame Vergangenheit fehlte leider auch ein wenig was.
Ich fand Annie sehr sympathisch und vor allem ihre Beweggründe für die Entwicklung der App waren interessant. Ebenso das Feedback, das sie zu ihrer App bekommt. Ich fand gut, dass die App und die Wirkung von beiden Seiten beleuchtet wurde.
Das Buch war für mich ein gelungener Abschluss einer sehr unterhaltsamen Reihe.
Mir hat die Geschichte um Annie sehr gut gefallen, auch wenn mir in der Beziehung zwischen ihr und Joseph ein wenig was gefehlt hat. Die Anziehung war zwar schon spürbar, aber durch die gemeinsame Vergangenheit fehlte leider auch ein wenig was.
Ich fand Annie sehr sympathisch und vor allem ihre Beweggründe für die Entwicklung der App waren interessant. Ebenso das Feedback, das sie zu ihrer App bekommt. Ich fand gut, dass die App und die Wirkung von beiden Seiten beleuchtet wurde.
Das Buch war für mich ein gelungener Abschluss einer sehr unterhaltsamen Reihe.
January 28, 2019
Bad Influence is a lovely conclusion, being the third and final book in the Bad Bachelors trilogy: Bad Bachelors (Darcy & Reed), Bad Reputation (Remi & Wes), and Bad Influence (Annie & Joseph).
I’ll admit to being a bit wary of this book. In the previous two books, Annie certainly didn’t present herself as a very likeable character. I wondered how I would feel sympathy and want a HEA for a woman who was willing to put a web site above the needs of her friends, who she calls her family, particularly Remi who was the most directly affected.
I should have had more faith in Stefanie London. Stefanie was able to weave a tale that made you care about Annie simply by getting a look at her motivations and thinking behind the site. As the story progresses we observe Annie self-analysing herself, and with this reflection, she begins to understand that maybe for all the good the site has done, it's also a dangerous weapon that has the potential to go wildly out of control.
The catalyst for this self-analysis is the return of Joseph, the man that broke her heart, and a stalker who has obtained dangerous information about the Bad Bachelors app and threatens to damage all she holds dear.
Like the previous books in the series, the writing just flows, transporting you to modern day New York and immersing you into the lives of Annie and Joseph. Annie and Joseph are both sympathetically drawn, but their faults are not airbrushed. Through the book, they are forced to face their decisions and their own individual beliefs in their own self-righteousness. By seeing the reason for their break-up through each other's eyes, will they be able to find a way back to each other?
Bad Influence is a delightful conclusion to what has been a highly enjoyable series. Unlike the previous two books, I wouldn’t recommend this be read as a standalone. It could, and you’d still be able to follow it, but so much background information would be missed, and it is those details that really add a lot of depth to the story.
All my reviews can be found on my blog: The Word Nerd Reviews
Follow Me: Facebook & Twitter
February 14, 2019
This book had it's good moments and very frustrating moments. So Annie and Joseph were supposedly so in love until Annie's mom got sick and she made a decision for both of them. Now to me she should have stayed with her mom, but as adults they should have sat down and put everything on the table. However him leaving and then getting engaged to someone else fast, nope sorry but no, supposedly Annie was the love of your life, really..Yes I was angry because I do not understand that..Anywho we do have laughter, and eventually they work things out, but I never fell in love with them, they actually annoyed me. All in all I will still follow Stefanie London.
Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.
Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews