Sunday 3 May 2015

Review ~ Beautiful Secret (Beautiful Bastard #4) by Christina Lauren

Review by Donna ~ 4.5 stars


“Good, because I know we need to talk. But right now I want to put my mouth on you and sing “God Save the Queen.”

I have loved this series all the way through and this I have to say is my favourite one of the series so
far and Niall is by far my favourite leading man. There is something about a man that has zero experience that is humbling. A man that is so insecure, so afraid of putting himself out there that you cannot help but want to jump into the kindle, give him a big hug and tell him that he can do it. I felt this way ten-fold, I loved Niall Stella with a passion, I wanted to help him come out of his shell, and I wanted him to find that love he so wholeheartedly deserved, I wanted to give him the confidence that he desperately needed to embrace the opportunity put before him. He needed it, he deserved it and I wanted him to have it.

Niall Stella was a man who believed marriage was for life. Niall married his childhood sweetheart, his one and only and having just got divorced after being together sixteen years the sense of failure was immense. Niall had old fashioned morals and values, he was an upstanding British gent and the failure of his marriage had hit him hard, it also made him question his ability to keep a woman happy, his abilities as a lover and as a husband. He was full of regrets, he was full of questions to which he had no answers, he couldn’t understand how he had failed and it was this that was eating away at him. In the months that followed his confidence had taken a nose dive and his constant self-deprecation was making him believe that he would never find love again, but Niall Stella was full of love and he had a lot of love to give, it just needed to be reawakened.

“What was it you said about repressed sexual energy?”

“Enough to power the whole bloody city, if you ask me…that’s where his real urban planning skill would come in - hooking himself up to the grid…”


Ruby Miller was an American intern who had come to England to work her internship at the largest, most successful and prestigious engineering company, with hope that the experience would enable her to get on Professor Sheffield’s programme at Oxford. Ruby was a lovely character inside and out, she had sass, she was witty, she was attractive but for some reason whenever she was around Niall Stella she turned into a bumbling idiot. Ruby had been infatuated with Niall for months; she had admired him from afar, stalked him, swooned over him but never had the courage to do anything about it. He was by far her senior and he had never even noticed her, there was also the question of age difference. The highlight of her week was the weekly meetings where he would be present, if only he would notice her…

Their paths are about to cross where they will have no option but to notice each other. With one of the executives not been able to make a business trip to New York City, Niall and Ruby will be together for a month, a month on their own in NYC. Ruby was determined to make it count.

“More than enough. I don’t think people appreciate the awesomeness of a good finger bang.”

Despite being tongue-tied whenever she was in Niall’s company Ruby was an extrovert by nature. She was honest, she was quick witted, she had no fear and she told it how it was and she really needed to draw on this side of her personality to get through to Niall. While in the first instance her blunt honesty shocked Niall to the core, we soon saw a different side to him. Ruby brought the real Niall Stella out to play. These two were perfect for each other. Ruby brought Niall to life whereas Niall was the stability and the foundation that Ruby needed. They may be opposites, but they were certainly attracted.

“My hands, my lips, my cock. I trust you with all of it more than I even trust myself.”

Could these two make it work, or is their coming together destined to be just for the month. Could they survive back in the UK? Could the differences in their age and their work be overcome? Could Niall find his mojo and believe that he could love and be loved? If anyone could show Niall, it would be Ruby. She may give off that reserved vibe but she was a hell cat between the sheets, something Niall has never been faced with, coming from a loveless marriage with a shag scheduled in the missionary position for a certain day of the week, his eyes would be opened. Would it be embraced or send him running for the hills?

“And the twin realization followed, with a single, stabbing heartbeat, that if Ruby’s affection for me ever cooled, it would break me.”

This is where this book really starts and you cannot help but fall in love with Niall Stella. You will want to protect him, smother him in kisses and cuddles and give him the pep talk of a lifetime. His ex-wife really did a number on him and it was refreshing to read about a guy that wasn’t a player. He needed nurturing but once that seed turned into a sapling, Niall Stella was re-awoken.

“Number of Times Niall Stella Used My Name When He Said He Loved Me: One, and counting.”

I love this duo’s writing style, it is addictive, it is fun and witty, it is hot and sexy and the character development is always second to none. I feel as though these characters are my friends and every time I dive into another instalment it is like coming home. I love that all the characters always appear so you can keep up with their lives too and as I said, these guys are my friends and I miss them. This book was perfectly paced, their connection and relationship never hurried, it felt real, it was believable and with every step they took Christina Lauren held your hand. You will experience it all, feel it all, I smiled, I laughed, I loved and I cried but these two are one couple I will never forget and I will forever read about. This is going on my re-read shelf; it will be one of those books that I will revert back to when I am in a book funk. I loved it.


Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1IHRiyf
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1JFYCrV

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