Today’s #ThrowBackThursday had me on a hunt in my reading archives for books released in the autumn of times of yore. Well, 2013 feels remarkably “yore-ish” and name one among us that can resist the pull of dashing Will Summer? Can’t be done, so don’t even try.
The writing duo of Christina Lauren splashed onto my radar with Beautiful Bastard, and almost immediately, I knew I was all in for whatever these crazy women gave me next. I am a massive sucker for a cocky man that gets knocked on his ass by a strong, confident woman. Bennett Ryan didn’t stand a chance with Chloe Mills. Later, Max Stella met his match in Sara Dillon on the pages of Beautiful Stanger. CL didn’t hold back with the dirty talking, voyeurism, taking chances department, and I for one was and am still here for it. Then came Beautiful Player and stick a fork in me, I was done.
Beautiful Player is the story of Hanna Bergstrom, a geeky, bookworm, socially closed off 24-year-old tasked by her older brother to get out of the lab and into the real world. Will Summer is her older brother’s best friend and a sexy, dirty talking, risk-taking, Casanova. When Hanna asks him to help her break out of her bookworm shell and explore her sultry side, he’s hesitant at first but suddenly the love ‘em and leave ‘em Will can’t stomach the idea of any other man even looking at her, much less touching her the way she was asking him to touch her. Oh how the mighty will fall or is it, Will falls. (see what I did there?!!?)
I love the Beautiful Bastard series because of the tight friendships built on mutual respect and in Chloe’s case, maybe a little fear. Christina Lauren writes humor into situations that feel genuine and honest like you’re really hanging out with your friends, saying the sort of crazy shit you can only say around those you love and trust. I especially love Beautiful Player because, well, Will is tall with tattoos and a filthy mouth. My devil is a tall, tattooed dirty talking man; if loving Will Summer is wrong, I don’t ever want to be right. Hanna is also a remarkable character. She’s just innocent enough to get herself in deep, fast, but she’s smart enough to stand up for herself. She has the whole tough/vulnerable ratio down perfectly. It’s a refreshing balance that isn’t always mastered. Also, much like the other men in this series, I love, love, love when the cocky man gets knocked on his ass, especially by someone as sweet as Hanna.
My #TBT is Beautiful Player because it’s my favorite in the series. Because…Will. Having said that, you should absolutely read the entire Beautiful Bastard series, there is something for everyone. All the tropey goodness, heartfelt struggles and character growth, humor, smoking hot sex, and romance that will leave you completely breathless, and re-reading the dirty bits over and over again!