Review ~ The Boss series by Abigail Barnette with a giveaway

The Boss

The Boss book 1

Abigail Barnette

Genre: Erotic romance/BDSM

Date of Publication: August 2013

ISBN: 978-1493625482

ASIN: B00ENTIAJM

Number of pages: 353

Word Count: 120,000

Cover Artist: Jenny Trout

Purchase Links:  Amazon * Smashwords * B&N

Book Description:

Sophie Scaife almost ran away once, trading her ticket to college for a ticket to Tokyo. But a delayed flight and a hot one-night stand with a stranger changed her mind, putting her firmly on track to a coveted position at a New York fashion magazine.

When the irresistible stranger from that one incredible night turns out to be her new boss - billionaire and publishing magnate Neil Elwood - Sophie can't resist the chance to rekindle the spark between them... and the opportunity to explore her submissive side with the most Dominant man she's ever known.

Neil is the only man who has ever understood Sophie's need to submit in the bedroom, and the only man who has ever satisfied those desires. When their scorching, no-strings-attached sexual relationship becomes something more, Sophie must choose between her career and heart... or risk losing them both.

The Girlfriend

The Boss book 2

Abigail Barnette

Genre: erotic romance/BDSM

Date of Publication: August 2013

ISBN: 978-1492744115

ASIN: B00EN0NAB4

Number of pages: 391

Word Count: 132,000

Cover Artist: Jenny Trout

Purchase Links:  Amazon * Smashwords * B&N

Book Description:

Unemployed, blacklisted, and pregnant, Sophie Scaife’s life is totally upside down. Her relationship with publishing magnate Neil Elwood is on the rocks. Her best friend’s career is igniting. And Sophie is afraid she’ll make one of the toughest decisions of her life alone…

When a devastating diagnosis forces Neil to return to London, Sophie throws caution to the wind to follow her heart across the Atlantic. Keeping a scorching D/s affair as red-hot in sickness as it was in health is a challenge, even for two lovers as inventive as Sophie and Neil. But Sophie is more than willing to try anything her Sir commands, and their fantasies of control become a welcome refuge from the daily stress of illness.

While Neil’s wealth and privilege make adjusting to her new situation easier, Sophie finds herself rebuilding her life around an uncertain future. And while both of them face the changes between them head-on, they’re all too aware that their happiness may be fleeting—and Sophie could lose Neil forever.

Excerpt:

How do you tell the guy who just tried to break up with you that you’re pregnant with his baby?

When the doors opened on his floor and I stepped into the softly lit vestibule, Neil was there already, waiting for me.

When I saw him, my stomach dropped like I was in the backseat of a minivan going over a bad hill. He was pale, he looked tired, and the smile he gave me was worried and forced.

But he was still Neil, so handsome and tall, with his in-between-blonde-and-brown hair and his gorgeous green eyes. My heart flip-flopped, like it always did, since that first moment we’d met at LAX over six years ago.

“Hello, Sophie.”

“Hey,” I responded in a short, friendly monotone as we moved into the inner foyer. His apartment, which I had just begun to feel comfortable in before our near-breakup or breakup-in-progress, whatever was happening between us, suddenly seemed like a stranger’s home. I’d had a difficult enough time getting used to the fact that my boyfriend lived in a Fifth Avenue palace with checkered marble floors and a freaking home movie theatre. Now I felt like I had to be on my very best behavior.

Neil helped me with my coat. “You look very pretty,” he said softly.

I hadn’t changed out of the crème-colored cowl-necked sweater and soft old jeans I’d worn to the doctor’s office. I didn’t feel particularly pretty, but I murmured a thank you all the same. I noted his salmon button down. “It’s not pink, it’s salmon,” he had argued with me a few weeks ago, before we’d tumbled playfully into his bed.

I blinked back my tears at the memory. “You’re not so bad yourself. Did you go to work today?”

“No, I was just so tired of hospital gowns. I needed to get dressed or end up deeply depressed.” His laugh was short.

I wanted to touch him. I wanted him to touch me. I just wanted everything to be okay between us.

He led me to the kitchen, where Sue had laid out our neatly plated dinners. “Halibut, I hope you don’t mind.”

“It smells amazing.” It actually smelled awful, but I didn’t hold that against his housekeeper. It was the uninvited guest in my uterus. It made everything smell ten times stronger than usual. I looked around the kitchen. The counters were scrubbed clean, the light was off over the stove. I slid into one side of the breakfast nook. “Sue’s gone for the night?”

“I didn’t ask her to stay on past seven.” He went around the wide, marble-topped island and reached into the cooler beneath, coming up with a bottle of white wine.

“None for me, thanks,” I said, too quick. He gave me a strange look, and put the bottle away.

That was weird. He usually liked wine with dinner.

Oh god, he was probably staying sober to let me down gently when he broke things off for good. The wine was for me, to drown my sorrows, if necessary.

I completely lost my appetite.

“So...” He sat down across from me and unfolded his napkin. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked. Any developments in the job hunt?”

I knew what he was asking me. “I didn’t take the job with Gabriella.”

He nodded, and poured ice water into my glass from the carafe on the table. “Were her terms—”

“You know why I turned it down.” My hands clenched in my lap. I was more angry than I thought I would be. I’d been preparing for this moment, steeling myself against hurt and disappointment so that I could walk away with dignity. Instead, my emotional control snapped like a rubber band and I accused, “How dare you.”

“Sorry?” He looked like a man staring through the windshield of a car that was nanoseconds from hitting him.

“You did it again. You pushed me into making this huge decision, but you acted like you were somehow protecting me. You did it when you stole my plane tickets six years ago. Now you tell me that I have to take this job because it’s a wonderful opportunity, and you magnanimously declare that you’ll let me go if you have to.

“You didn’t even ask me what I wanted. You didn’t tell me what you wanted. It’s like you don’t care about the outcome, you just don’t want to feel responsible for it.”

“Magnanimous?” he repeated, outraged.

My hands were clenched to fists beneath the table. If we were going to break up, then we might as well raze this fucker, salt the earth, and poison the ground water. “If you didn’t want to be with me... then just break up with me. Don’t force me to make the choice for you.”

He was struggling to control his temper as he said, measured and controlled, “I wanted you to slow down and think about what you were doing, and where we were headed. You keep pushing me away—”

“I keep pushing you away?” I snorted derisively. “When I got to the hospital the other night, I was so worried about you. Then, you basically break up with me and try to make it seem like it was for my own good. For four days, I felt like I couldn’t call you or see how you were doing, while you were in the fucking hospital. I had to get updates from Deja, and all of those were total bullshit. Exhaustion? You don’t get exhausted.”

“On the contrary, I was quite exhausted,” he said quietly.

I looked up, and I knew he could see how furious I was from the way he slightly flinched when our eyes met. Good.

I reached into my pocket and fished out the ultrasound image. I placed it face down on the table and slid it toward him. “I needed you. I called you eleven times because I was freaked out and scared about this. And I came down to the hospital afraid something really horrible had happened to you, and I was thinking about all the stuff I would miss about you if you died. And what the hell was I going to do about this?”

He lifted the photo and turned it over. It took a moment for him to register what it was. I saw a surprising mixture of emotions in his expression, things I didn’t expect. I’d been prepared for angry, or scared. Maybe cold, or strained and polite. Instead, his eyebrows lifted and he blinked in momentary shock. The slightest smile twitched at the corner of his lips. He looked pleased, maybe even a little proud.

I clasped my hands together under the table to stop myself from trembling. The longer he looked at the photo, the more the color drained from his face. There it was. That was more like what I had expected.

He looked up, throat moving as he swallowed. His eyes met mine, and a sick feeling of dread curdled my stomach. Whatever he was going to say, I knew it was going to be bad. But it was so much worse than I had expected.

“I have cancer.”

The Bride

The Boss book 3

Abigail Barnette

Genre: erotic romance/BDSM

Date of Publication: March 2014

ISBN: 1497486173

ASIN: B00J8QG7BI

Number of pages: 415

Word Count: 140,000

Cover Artist: Jenny Trout

Purchase Links:  Amazon * Smashwords * B&N

Book Description:

After a tumultuous year, Sophie Scaife’s relationship with her boyfriend and Dom, billionaire media mogul Neil Elwood, is hotter and happier than ever. His sizzling Dominant side pushes Sophie to new and challenging heights of submission and erotic exploration as she follows her Sir’s every whim. But with his daughter’s impending wedding and a milestone birthday turning Neil’s thoughts toward settling down, Sophie faces a much different future than she’d planned.

Caught in a conflict between her new wealth and her desire for independence, Sophie fears she’s becoming just another Fifth Avenue trophy wife. With her fashion journalism career over and her new effort as a writer uninspiring, Sophie has to work harder than ever to prove her intentions to Neil’s family and friends.

Sophie isn’t the only one struggling to adapt to her new lifestyle. When private jets and designer labels threaten her bond with Holli, Sophie finds herself walking a fine line between the world she now inhabits and the past—and people—she fears she’s left behind. After a shocking revelation divides her loyalties, Sophie is in danger of losing her best friend or fracturing the trust of the man she loves.

About the Author:

Abigail Barnette is the erotic romance pseudonym of Jenny Trout, YAauthor, blogger, and funny person. Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to kill her.

Website * Twitter


Tour giveaway

1 set of signed paperbacks of THE BOSS, THE GIRLFRIEND, and THE BRIDE open to international readers

2 Screaming O ™ lipstick vibe as featured in THE BOSS, with one signed paperback copy of THE BOSS US only

5 ebook copies of THE BRIDE

a Rafflecopter giveaway


My Thoughts:

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Abigail Barnette was also Jennifer Armintrout. :-) I have read many of her books written under that name. This one is only meant for adults. ;-)

That being said, This is a first time for me reading any of her adult books. I have to say that it is amazing to me to see the scope and range of diversity in her writing. She is just as talented at writing this style of book as she is at writing her YA books.

I read all three books because I am just greedy that way. ;-)

The book that started it all was aptly named The Boss. You can correctly assume that much of this book happens in a workplace setting.

Sophie has an awful boss but she endures her position with the hopes that she will go places under her direction. Imagine her shock when said bosszilla doesn't show up one day. She is going crazy wondering what is happening when in walks a few men. Neil Elwood tells her that he is her new boss and Gabriella no longer works there.

This is all very shocking but the most startling is the fact that she has seen her new boss before. Years ago they shared an inspiring night of sex. She knew him as Leif though not Neil and he doesn't seem to remember her.

This book is extra hot and super descriptive. You'll also find romance, drama, ulterior motives, secrets and did I mention an older dominant man?

The second book picks up were the first left off. Again, you can correctly guess that the two decide to become a couple by the title, The Girlfriend.

This book had more drama and hurdles for the lovebirds to get around in addition to the steam and romance.

I had quite a few issues with this one. First and foremost, Sophie is preggers but doesn't really even think about it or consider what Neil wants. She has an abomination. I meant to say abortion.

Neil is diagnosed with cancer. :-( Sophie moves to be with him. :-) She helps to care for him which is great. However, while his health declines, they decide that she should have sex with someone else (while he watches). I prefer my couples to have a deep and meaningful love that is so all consuming that they couldn't even think about being with someone else.

Sophie seemed very selfish in this book.

In the third book, The Bride, you should expect someone to get married. I both liked and disliked this one. Neil's bisexuality is more evident and it freaks me out a little. 

Mostly though, the two are happy with each other. :D 

Overall, I like this series. I'm just impatient for them to seal the deal and have a happily ever after.

If you like erotic books that feature a relationship between an older man and younger woman, BDSM relationships, and unconventional sexual practices, you should read these. ;-)

The next book is expected sometime this year and is titled The Baby, to be followed by The Ex. The title of the last book has me feeling a little apprehensive. Okay I lied, it has me feeling very apprehensive. Can't anyone just achieve a happily ever after without all of the drama? Or is it perhaps featuring a different set of main characters? I hope that I won't be left wondering for long! :-(

I received ecopies of all three books in exchange for my honest opinion. Honestly, The Boss was my favorite of the three. It was hot and engaging. I didn't want to set it down. The other two were  decent reads but both had things that I didn't care for.

Don't forget to enter the Comment Incentive Giveaway. It is a great chance to win a book you'd like to have! The link can be found at the top of the page.