Review: 3.5 Stars
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 24, 2014
This novella is a part of a series (Bad Boys and Wallflowers) where the contemporary heroine is inspired by her own interactions with a rake/billionaire to write historical romances which are published as real full-length novels. I read and enjoyed the first historical (The Wicked Wallflower) and was interested to see how Rodale connected the two genres. While it was not perfect, I found The Bad Boy Billionaire's Wicked Arrangement to be so much fun and a great look at the trend of billionaire heroes in romance.Our heroine (and the "author" of the The Wicked Wallflower and Wallflower Gone Wild) is Jane Sparks, a librarian whose life was changed dramatically when her longtime boyfriend broke up with her and she left her hometown to move to New York. I really liked Jane's personality. She is intelligent, genuine, and so funny. The whole librarian thing was just a bonus for me and I thought she handled her unusual situation pretty well.The titular "bad boy billionaire" is Duke Austen who was not exactly what I was expecting. He is a technology genius who has had quite a bit of bad luck with his projects. In order to get support for his latest venture, Duke needs to prove that he is more than a party boy which is where Jane and the Facebook engagement come in. I thought his character was interesting, but I feel like I need more time to really decide what I think about him. I am anxious to see a more vulnerable side of this seemingly perfect hero in the next novella.The Bad Boy Billionaire's Wicked Arrangement focuses on Jane and Duke's first meeting and the beginning of their "relationship". This means that things are primarily physical between them and there is only a little bit of emotion involved. But, I can definitely see potential in their relationship and am excited to see more. I also have to give a shout-out to Maya Rodale for some wonderfully spicy scenes that I am not used to seeing in her historicals.Overall, I enjoyed this novella with its intelligent characters, fascinating potential romance, and some wonderful commentary on current literary trends. I do wish that it had been a little longer, but it makes me happy that the next Jane/Duke story is being released soon. I definitely recommend this series especially if, like me, you enjoy contemporary and historical romances.