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Review

4 ‘Princess and the Bad Boy’ stars

Privileged rich girl who is sweet but damaged, and a tattooed bad boy who is actually a sweetheart – epic chemistry, awesome sexy time, a forbidden-ish romance, some drama and a nice amount of swoon… I loved this one! It’s the second book in the Beneath series and though both of these characters were introduced in the first book, Beneath This Mask, this one could easily be read as a standalone.

Constantine Leahy was fostered into a loving family as an 11 year old and though they loved him and gave him all that he needed, he was never accepted into the wealthy world inhabited by his new parents. Upon their brutal deaths, he withdrew from society and started taking care of himself – he bought tattoo studio Voodoo (which he now runs), as well as some other businesses, but he still mourns the death of his adopted parents and continues his search for their killer.

Vanessa’s whole life revolves around the high society world that Con has abandoned. At 30 years old she loves her job working at her family’s charity organisation, and she lives the life of a society princess – attending functions, schmoozing the wealthy who donate to her cause, and trying to live up to her family’s expectations. She is very much a product of her upbringing, but she is kind and caring, and has amazing strength and a stubborn streak that make her a fantastic character.

Vanessa and Con have known each other since high school, and two years ago they had a drunken one-night-stand. Vanessa remembers it as the greatest sexual experience of her life, Con remembers absolutely nothing – and hates the fact, but figures it’s for the best because she is so far out of his league. When Vanessa approaches Con asking for a favour, he doesn’t want to miss out a second time so he agrees to help her if she’ll agree to give him a chance.

“You hated me.”
“I never hated you. Just didn’t want to want you so damn bad. And now I don’t care – because you’re mine.”

But the charity running society princess and the tattooed bad boy being together would cause all sorts of issues in both of their worlds, so they agree to keep their agreement quiet. And so, on quiet dates and secret encounters they get to know each other properly, and the chemistry that has always been between them finally gets a chance to develop into something.

I love these two together! Vanessa doesn’t hold back with Con, allowing her true spirit to shine, and I loved the snark and banter. But they’re both smart and sensible, and they’re honest about how they’re feeling and as much as they may try to resist (figuring that there’s no way they can have a future together), their relationship develops naturally and realistically with lots of sweet, funny, flirty moments. The sexual tension is absolutely fantastic – as is the resulting sexy time (HOT!!!) and the emotion between them builds beautifully.

“Hold on to me princess. I need to know you’re with me.”

But can two people from two different worlds have a real shot at forever? And what happens when those two worlds clash? There’s all sorts of things happening in both of their worlds, and it makes their situation a complicated one, but it makes this a really intriguing read and creates a great conflict for them to work through without any of the stupid behaviour or frustration that kills a book for me. Like the first book, the drama is handled in a way where it adds to the story and aids in the characters’ development, actually enhancing the story, and I really appreciate Meghan March’s ability to do that.

Both Con and Vanessa have issues that they need to sort through personally before they can have their happy ever after, and I thought that part of the story was really well done. Vanessa, in particular, went through a lot in this book, and though it did get a bit extreme (and eye rolling) at times, I really enjoyed watching her rise above with it all, and seeing her find herself and claim the future she wanted was great to see.

And Con just stole my heart. Bad boy with a heart of gold is always a winner for me, and based on the last book alone I knew that’s exactly what we were going to get with Con. But seeing him with Vanessa was a real treat, and I loved the way he protected and cared for his girl.

They’re both fantastic characters, and their dynamic and the way they fought for their future together was sensational.

“If you’re waiting for my answer: I ain’t done with you. I’ll never be done with you. If you’d hated me for what I’d done, I would’ve found a way to change your mind. Because you’re mine, and I’m yours – and I’m never letting you go.”
…
“It’s a good thing you’re not done with me, because it would’ve been really awkward when I handcuffed myself to your bed and told you I wasn’t going anywhere.”

This book takes place during the same timeline as the first book in the series, so there is a bit of Simon and Charlie, but it’s the introduction to Lord that really intrigued me, and I’m so looking forward to reading his book next.

I’m loving this series, and this book was a great addition.

4 stars.

Note – I listened to this one as an audiobook and Sebastian York and Andi Arndt do an amazing job bringing this story to life. They are two of my favourite narrators, and this one was a real treat to listen to.