Reviewed by Christine
TITLE: How to Bang a Billionaire
SERIES: Arden St. Ives
AUTHOR: Alexis Hall
NARRATOR: Joel Leslie
PUBLISHER: Hatchette Audio
LENGTH: 11 hours
RELEASE DATE: January 16, 2018
BLURB:
Rules are made to be broken….
If England had yearbooks, I’d probably be “Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire.” So far, I haven’t. I’ve no idea what I’m doing at Oxford, no idea what I’m going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he’s brilliant, beautiful…oh yeah, and a billionaire.
It’s impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he’ll be through with me.
I’m good at doing what I’m told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian’s shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it’s him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn’t have the power to give me.
REVIEW:
Don’t judge a book by its title!
Ok. Where to start? First, I must confess that I had to force myself to write down review notes about this book before I jumped into the next installment of Arden and Caspian’s story. I simply couldn’t wait for the continuation and started it immediately after taking my notes. I don’t think the ink was even dry. Now, as I try to decipher what I hastily but passionately scribbled, I am not sure how to begin. So I will simply start with what my notes actually say.
They begin with a list of adjectives I used to describe the story: “Captivating, intoxicating, enthralling, compelling, and humorous.”
Then I think the next sentence reads something like this: “The situation is unbelievable, yet Arden’s reactions and behavior are so genuine and authentic in their innocence and his own disbelief.” Grammatical issues aside, I’ll expand on that. Yes, it is highly unbelievable for a college student to meet and become involved with a billionaire he meets over the telephone. However, that telephone call is, in a word, priceless. Entertaining and “oh-my-god-I-can’t-believe-he-really-said-that” funny, it is the beginning of an unbelievable yet highly engaging whirlwind of a relationship. Every encounter Arden and Caspian have is laden with that disbelief, those moments of fairytale magic, and the wonderful juxtaposition of Arden’s bumbling, blue collar world and lack of experience against Caspian’s sophistication, mystery, and elegance. Of course the reader struggles to believe it. Arden does, too…constantly.
These humorous moments are balanced with darkness, however. As the story progresses, and Arden and Caspian’s “relationship” goes through its fits and starts, Caspian’s character remains pretty much a mystery. The prologue alludes to something sinister that haunts Caspian, and his demons are barely revealed through the point of view of a mysterious character that obviously has played a vital role in Caspian’s life. The character’s name pops up again as part of Caspian’s past, but the enigma still remains. The prologue itself is intriguing and somewhat hypnotic in tone, and it brilliantly grabs the reader’s attention. Clearer glimpses of the real Caspian towards the end are truly worth the wait. These scenes are tantalizing and yet another glorious tease for the second installment of the series.
Alexis Hall has heavily peppered this story with more pop culture and literary references than one can count. There is also a wonderful slathering of all things British, which is most appealing. Although some of the references may feel a bit obscure, these aspects of the story are quite enjoyable as they help to shape Arden’s world and influence his character. They all lend an authenticity and depth to the story, as do the secondary characters. The scenes with these personalities are highly engaging, with dialogue that is clean and pure in an organic, natural way. The settings in which they interact are beautifully vivid, and the characters themselves are tragic, comical, and warm by turns. They all adore Arden, and the connections between him and his circle of friends and family are lovingly portrayed.
Overall, this is such a captivating story. Given Arden’s first-person POV, Caspian remains a mystery throughout, but that is part of what makes this book so compelling. The reader is pulled along through Arden’s incredible journey of pain, frustration, joys, and discoveries. Fresh and funny, bleak and heartbreaking, Alexis Hall’s writing technique brings Arden’s character to life, magnifying his vulnerability and determination to uncover and get ever closer to the real Caspian Hart.
My review for the second installment will be posted shortly.
NARRATION REVIEW:
It is no secret that I think Joel Leslie is incredibly talented. I will pick up titles he has performed simply to listen to him entertain me once again. With How to Bang a Billionaire, he once again becomes the characters and keeps the listener enthralled through the entire length of the book. He brings a lovely authenticity not only to the very British tone of the book, but also to the variety of emotions the characters experience. Ruthlessly drawing the listener in from the first word and never letting go, he makes listening a solid gold event.
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