Series: Beautiful Bastard #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: October 29th 2013
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.
When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?
Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.
AH!! Do you know how much I love this book? Yeah, well, I love it A LOT. BUNCHES. I literally can’t describe how much I loved reading Beautiful Player. And Will. Ohmygoodness, sah-woon! I fell so freaking hard for Will in Beautiful Player. I mean, I was totally in love with Will already after reading Beautiful Stranger (MAX!! He’s still my favorite, although Will is a close second) and I just knew I wouldn’t be disappointed. I was finally going to be able to read Will’s book, and oh lord, I absolutely, whole-heartedly LOVED it! I loved Hanna and Will and their story.
The Christina Lauren duo are goddesses at writing in dual POV. I honestly loved reading from both Will and Hanna’s POVs. Usually I enjoy reading one person’s POV more over the other, but in this case, both POVs are flawless. And another thing I loved about Beautiful Player (out of the hundreds of other things I also loved)? This is the best older brother’s best friend/best friend’s younger sister book I’ve ever read. I always love reading books with that trope, because of how the characters usually have history between them, and there’s a little forbidden-ness in that kind of relationship. And Hanna and Will totally worked it. The sexual tension between them is amped up off the charts, but the best thing about them is that they never lose their strong sense of friendship and camaraderie. They can have fun and enjoy each other’s company doing anything or nothing at all.
Beautiful Player is easily the funniest of the main three novels. I don’t know how many times I laughed and giggled and grinned, but it was a lot. Will and Hanna are PERFECTION. Not only do they have incredible chemistry together, they are so damn hilarious together. They have the best conversations together, and they’re just so witty and funny!
“See, the problem with boobs is if you have big ones, you can never look thin. You get these burns on your shoulders from bra straps, and your back hurts. And unless you’re using them for their intended purpose, they’re always in the way.”
“In the way of what? My hands? My face? Don’t you blaspheme in here.” He looked up to the sky. “She didn’t mean it, Lord. Promise.”
Ignoring him, I said, “That’s why I had a reduction when I was twenty-one,” which is when his expression morphed into one of horror.
I was laughing my ass off throughout the entire book. Gah, it was just too good!
Will is a player. Maybe not as much as he was in his younger years, but even now at 31, he doesn’t do relationships. He has a set schedule of when to hook up with women, but everything changes once Hanna comes back into his life. Hanna makes him reevaluate his life, and who and what he wants in his life.
“Hanna. I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted something more than I want you. I really don’t think I have,” I said. “I think about just kissing you, for fucking hours. Do you know that kind of kissing? Where it’s enough for so long you don’t even think of doing anything else?”
Hanna’s always had a crush on Will (who wouldn’t?), and her brother makes her call Will up to broaden her nonexistent social life. It’s been a while since Hanna has seen Will, but once she does again, all her old feelings for him rush back in. But she knows who Will is, what kind of man he is, and she won’t allow herself to fall in love with a player because she knows if she does, he’ll break her heart.
One of the best parts of Beautiful Player is how Will recognizes he’s falling in love. It’s rare when I read a book and the guy will openly and freely admit to himself that he’s in love. And oh god, this just made me fall for Will all over again. He’s sweet, sexy, charming, funny, and just plain amazing. There’s nothing I don’t love about Will. N o t h i n g.
“She ran her hands up my chest and cupped my neck, whispering, “Hey.”
That look, that tenderness in her eyes, made me realize for the first time what was happening to me: I was falling in love.
“Hey,” I rasped, bending to kiss her.
When Hanna finally asks Will to teach her the ways of sex, everything becomes complicated. Hanna keeps thinking Will won’t change his player ways, so she acts all nonchalant about their sexual relationship. And Will is so in love with Hanna that he’ll take whatever he can get from her. The angst! Loved it. Their story hooked me in and I just couldn’t put the book down for a second. I was desperate for Hanna and Will to get their HEA, and Christina Lauren does such an incredible job of bringing their story to life.
It wasn’t only just about knowing her for so many years. It was wanting to know her, like this, for so many more.
You absolutely must read this book. You’ll fall in love with Will, you’ll laugh so hard your sides hurt, and your heart will hurt so much for Hanna and Will. The journey towards their HEA isn’t easy, but I had the best time reading it.
Reading Order: Beautiful Bastard series
#1 ~ Beautiful Bastard: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Beautiful Bitch: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Beautiful Stranger: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2.5 ~ Beautiful Bombshell: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Beautiful Player: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Beautiful Beginning: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.6 ~ Beautiful Beloved: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Beautiful Secret: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4.5 ~ Beautiful Boss: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Beautiful: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Oct. 4, 2016)
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