Billion-Dollar Matches Archives - Proud Book Reviews

December 1, 2021June 13, 2022

Beauty and the Reclusive Millionaire – Rachael Stewart

This book contains:

Plane accident causing one death referenced
Miscarriage.

Catherine is a world-famous actress in need of a break. She’s strong, independent, has experienced a life so different to anything most of us know. Being the daughter of an actress means even her childhood wasn’t anything that most people experience.

Alaric is the big brother of Catherine’s best friend, a billionaire in his own right and a complete recluse. After a tragic accident he took himself off to a private island and hasn’t stepped foot off since.

Catherine is running from her own grief, a grief no one except her best friend and ex can understand. Her best friend suggests going to stay with Alaric to give her the time and space she needs to process and work through her feelings.

But she’s also there to try and convince Alaric to re-join the world and his family. He’s spent so long engulfed in his grief and survivor’s guilt that he doesn’t know how to be anything else.

While this book is similar to the rest of the series in that it’s fairly tame in the sex department; compared to many of her other books, it still has some sex which felt natural. There was no instantly falling into bed together, no dancing around the topic and never quite getting there. Instead, there was a slow burn, conflict in their decisions but the inevitable, natural draw that results in the physical.

There isn’t too much drama during the book, which allows the main theme of grief to shine through and really be the focus that draws our attention equally alongside the romance. Every instance of drama stemmed from their grief, continuing to build on what we’d learnt to that point.

And then there was the ending. The ending that rounded it all out and gave an awesome happily ever after moment.

Continue to read further down to find out about the author and any extra giveaways available.

Author Bio

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories, from heartwarmingly romantic to wildly erotic. She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled-on pages in her loft will attest to. A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her very own hero and three awesome kids, and if she’s not tapping out a story, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors.

Giveaway – Win a prize including 3 Rachael Stewart Paperbacks, Heart Post Its and more (open internationally)

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August 1, 2021July 31, 2021

Surprise Reunion with His Cinderella – Rachael Stewart

Jasmine and Freddie were high school sweethearts that didn’t work out at the time.

Jasmine comes from a working class, single-mum family and worked herself into extreme wealth on her own merits. She worked hard, she gave up and lost a lot, but she’s determined to make the most of her life and enjoy it.

Freddie comes from a lairdship of Scotland, a wealthy family that’s steeped in traditions and manners that aren’t necessarily relevant today. He’s prepared to fight for what he wants and loves but has learnt from experience that he can’t always get what he wants.

This is a second chance romance set in the Seychelles where Jasmine and Freddie reconnect after almost a decade apart. While their romance didn’t take off like they’d hoped last time, they’re thrown headfirst into a romantic trip when they both sign up for a dating service that matches them together.

In one week away, immersed in romance on their own tropical island, can all the issues from the past be resolved? Or can they find their happily ever after?

Being a sweet romance in comparison to Rachael’s other books, I knew the pace and general feel were bound to be different to most of the books I read. Even then, I found the pace to be incredibly slow, especially in the beginning.

Apart from realising who each other are, the first half of the book felt incredibly slow to me. But given the speed, action, drama etc of the books I read just before this one, I think it’s fairly safe to say I think this came mostly from the sudden change of pace rather than it being actually slow.

By the time we got to the end of the book, we’d ended up with a fair amount of drama, setbacks and hurdles to overcomes. The adversity that Jasmine overcomes by the end is amazing and it definitely gave me a feeling of #girlpower all the way. Especially how she’s supported by those around her.

Continue to read further down to find out about the author and any extra giveaways available.

Author Bio

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heartwarmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled on A4 sheets in her loft will attest to, and the lovingly bound short stories that her father would run off at work and proudly share out with his colleagues. Thinking it was a pipe dream to be published one day, she pursued a sensible career in business but she was really play-acting, achieving the appropriate degree and spending many years in the corporate world where she never truly belonged. Always happiest when she was sat at her laptop in the quiet hours tapping out a story or two. And so here she is, a published author, her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.

Giveaway – Win a prize bundle of 2 Rachael Stewart paperbacks plus assorted goodies (open internationally)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

December 10, 2020June 13, 2022

Tempted by the Tycoon’s Proposal – Rachael Stewart

Welcome back everyone, thank you for being patient with me while I took a slight break. I wanted to make sure you got quality reviews without me stressing too much or not getting any sleep.

Surprisingly enough, Rachael has ANOTHER book out! How does she do it?!

Like all her books there is a sensitive theme woven throughout the story that the characters need to work through. In this case its about grief and the loss of loved ones.

On one hand, you have Sophie who feels responsible for her 7-year-old sisters’ death when she was just 14 and took her sledging. On the other, you’ve got Jack who feels responsible for his wife’s death because he didn’t come home on time and she took their daughter to a park and was killed. In both cases they were accidents and yet these events changed everything for both of them.

I’ve never been a big fan of the insta-romance stuff, but I know it’s kinda necessary when you’ve got a limited word count and so much emotion to fit in like Rachael does. For some reason this one bugged me more than most of her books though. I feel like that’s because of why they get so close, and how quickly they seem to change to make it work.

I feel like in real life it wouldn’t be that quick which kept me from becoming fully immersed in the story. It doesn’t stop it from being a great romance and a story of overcoming the fears that hold you back. It’s just not something I fell wholeheartedly in love with like some of her other books.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review; on Monday I’ll be reviewing The Runes of Destiny by Christina Courtenay. Continue to read further down to find out about the author and any extra giveaways available.

Author Bio

Rachael Stewart adores conjuring up stories for the readers of Harlequin Mills & Boon and Deep Desires Press, with tales varying from the heartwarmingly romantic to the wildly erotic.

She’s been writing since she could put pen to paper as the stacks of scrawled on A4 sheets in her loft will attest to, and the lovingly bound short stories that her father would run off at work and proudly share out with his colleagues. Thinking it was a pipe dream to be published one day, she pursued a sensible career in business but she was really play-acting, achieving the appropriate degree and spending many years in the corporate world where she never truly belonged. Always happiest when she was sat at her laptop in the quiet hours tapping out a story or two. And so here she is, a published author, her full-time pleasure, a dream come true.

A Welsh lass at heart, she now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and three children, and if she’s not glued to her laptop, she’s wrapped up in them or enjoying the great outdoors seeking out inspiration.