Review : The Big, Bad Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden

The Big, Bad Billionaire (Billionaire Fairytales #4)

Published November 21st 2017 by Swerve

An intensely sexy Billionaire Fairy Tales standalone novel by Jackie Ashenden that is billionaire romance meets Little Red Riding Hood with a happily ever after.

Wicked. Ruthless. Obsessed.

Sent away from his family as a boy because he couldn’t be controlled, Rafe DeSantis’s new guardian turned him into a monster. One who wants only two things out of life: To get revenge on the father who destroyed his life. And to possess the woman who was kept from him. Ella Hart has been his obsession for years, and now that he’s her guardian he’s finally in position to black mail her into his bed. And once he has her there? He’s going to eat her up.

Innocent. Alone. Hunted.

Ella has been living with her grandmother since the death of her parents when she was a child. She’s learned to pour her grief and pain into dance, and it’s become her escape. Her passion. Now she’s set her sights on a prestigious dance school in Paris. But there’s one problem. Ella was so young when her parents died, her money was left in the hands of the DeSantis family…and it’s now controlled by Rafe. A man she’s always found compelling and terrifying at the same time. Rafe offers her an ultimatum: Give herself to him, body and soul, and she’ll get the money she needs.

Ella isn’t in a position to refuse, though she tries to resist the sexy billionaire. It feels good, until her heart becomes involved. Does the big bad billionaire want to capture her heart? Or does he only want to own her body?

My Review

Rating : 4 out of 5 Stars

This modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood was entertaining and intriguing, it started out fast-paced, and didn’t let go. Meet the Big Bad Wolf, billionaire Rafael de Santis. Mysterious, mercurial and manipulative, he is a predator who engineered his father’s downfall.

Rafael de Santis has his heart set on Ella Hart, the daughter of one of his father’s friend. But she is young, more than ten years his junior, and he knows she is scared by his intensity. So when it comes to his very own Red Riding Hood, he has learned to be patient, never acting on his emotion. He is fascinated by her strength and her passion for ballet. Somewhat naïve and inexperienced, Ella is sweet and  in way over her head with Rafael. She knows he is not to be trusted, though, he frightens her. He is determined, possessive and never takes no for an answer. Rafael is definitely an over-the-top, flawed hero. But even though he was quite controlling, he was always considerate of Ella. Rafael has a troubled past, he shows people what they want to see and keeps his real-self hidden.

You really see how much Ella grows throughout the novel. She refuses to give in and gives Rafael a run for his money. The dynamic between them was perfectly balanced and satisfying. Their story was somewhat cliché, but they were interesting characters. This story was pacy, addicting and well-written.

If, like me, you’re a sucker for retellings of classic tales in a modern context, then this series of novellas featuring the de Santis brothers is not to be missed.

An advanced copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.

Billionaire Fairy Tales: 

The Billionaire’s Virgin (Cinderella)

The Billionaire Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

The Billionaire’s Intern (Sleeping Beauty)

The Big, Bad Billionaire