review :: Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

BLURB...

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

GOODREADS :: AMAZON

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Oh. My. God. Christina and Lauren... You guys blew me away. Holy mother of pearl. I want to personally thank you guys for this book. Like, genuinely get on my knees (oh, hmm...), grovel, kiss, worship the ground you two walk on. Because this book is just that awesome. I cannot even find the appropriate words to describe its awesomeness. 

Let's break it down. The basic premise of the story is not exceptionally original. I've read some books that dealt with an awkward heroine and a drool-worthy hero, in which the hero is asked to break the heroine into the throes of dating and whatnot. You guys, if you think like this, then don't. Do. Not. Because this book will 100% blow the others right out of the water. 

I don't exactly know what sets this book apart from the rest. Hmm, wait. That's a lie. I do know. It's YOU GUYS! Christina and Lauren just have this amazing natural, spontaneous, no BS attitude towards writing. Beautiful Player vs the other books... Well, I'd say this one delves so much deeper. I'm so used to mediocre stories, so I thought the story would reach its climax after the first sex scene (pun intended?), but it didn't. It kept going. And I LOVED IT! One of my favorite scenes of Beautiful Player is the bar scene, where Hanna and Will discuss sex more... thoroughly. It had me giggling hysterically. It had been so, so, so long (I cannot even remember how long!) since a book made me giggle. It was so unexpected and so refreshing.

This book was so funny, so sweet, so hilarious, so full of love and companionship and happiness! It's a real feel good book, you can't help but let it take you over and just have a huge smile on your face at all times. It was simply so good. Here's a little excerpt:

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"Fuck off," I said through a laugh. His expression was as if Leeds United had just won the fucking World Cup. "She's been joining me on my morning run, and she wears these... whatever. They're not sports bras. And her bras do that..." I gestured to my chest. "That weird four boobs thing up front? I just figured if they were out shopping already..."

Max leaned his chin on his fist and smiled at me. "Christ, you're precious, William."

"You know how I feel about breasts. It's no joking matter." And I didn't add, Ziggy was stacked like a pinup girl.

"Indeed not," he agreed, lifting his paper again. "I just like how you're pretending you wouldn't cream your panties for a girl with four tits."

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I mean... Are they hilarious or are they HILARIOUS? Priceless! I love British humor and their terminology, so Max's joking side was right up my alley. I just loved how absolutely hysterical this whole book is, without losing the edge of romance we love so much. Max, Will and Bennett are an explosive trio. Max, the cheeky sod; Will, the boob guy and Bennett, the hardass of the group. How perfect are they?

Hanna was so refreshing. Literally a joy to read about. Personally speaking, girls these days are so tainted by insecurities and self loathing and all kinds of bitchiness and whatnot. Hanna breaks free from all that. I can ramble all night, but Will said it best...

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"She wasn’t sexy in any of the ordinary ways. She was sexy because she didn’t care if I was watching her chow down on a carrot, or that her hair was in this half-assed ponytail she hadn’t bothered to fix since we were lounging on the couch earlier. She was so comfortable in her skin, so comfortable being watched—I’d never known a woman like her. She would never assume I was staring and judging. She assumed I was staring because I was listening. And I was. I would listen to her ramble about familiar sex and anal sex and porn films forever." - Will Sumner

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Will is just... sigh. What can I even say? So sweet, so hot, so amazing. So attentive. So... everything! It's adorable to see him fall in love with Hanna. His constant inner struggle over his feelings is so impossibly cute. And, dude... Is he skilled or is he skilled? Phew! I honestly thought Beautiful Bastard would always be my favorite book from you guys, but then Beautiful Player came along and snagged that top spot right from BB. However, the cameos from Bennett, Chloe, Max and Sara were delicious in this book (especially Max, so hilarious!) and really added on to the reading experience. I love this bunch so much and I'm so sad to be done with them! *cries*

OK... Would I recommend this book to everyone who loves tastefully sinful erotica, a super sweet love story and some hilariously fabulous content? N... Ha! YES. YES. YES. One million times and counting. This book made me FEEL and LAUGH and LOVE and REJOICE when it had been so long since I felt that way. Thank you, Christina and Lauren! You guys are absolutely, entirely, totally, 200% AMAZING! Also, boohoo because you guys have ruined every other book that has to measure up to this one. Shame on y'all. ♥

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{ RATING: 5 stars

SEX SCENES: Very steamy

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

LENGTH: 432 pages

AUDIENCES: 17+

HAPPY ENDING: Yes

SEQUEL: No }