seriously romantic: in bed with the billionaire by jackie ashenden

in bed with the billionaire is the fifth and final book in the nine circles series by jackie ashenden. i haven't read the other books in the series, but that isn't necessary since this books fills in the blanks as needed. my guess is that both temple and theo/jericho played min
or and possibly villainous roles in the previous novels, and it is fitting that they are the couple that ties the whole thing together in the end.

temple is a hired assassin, and there's a contract on jericho's life, a contract that she is meant to fill after she does the one thing that has driven her to this point. she wants to know what happened to her sister, thalia. all she knows is that she ended up being sold to jericho, and after that nothing. she wants to find her and atone for the past, and she believes that she can get the information she needs from jericho and that she will derive pleasure from finally besting him.

except things don't go according to plan. jericho is more dangerous than temple gives him credit for. he is so broken, he is a man at the end of his rope. because the deep dark secret jericho carries, the deep dark secret that consumes theo is that he has built this criminal empire up in order to tear it down. he doesn't expect to be attracter to temple. no woman has caught his eye in years. and this attraction is most certainly a mistake. he knows she is more than what she claims to be.

he knows how to tear down her walls, because they are equals and they are the same. their damage is the same. they have blackened their souls for one purpose, and when that purpose doesn't end up the way the expect, then maybe they'll at least have each other.

the way it all unravels in the end is very satisfying. these two characters have a chemistry and connection that is not just steamy but so emotional. they are so far at the end of their rope that everything is raw and painful and so full of love that they can't even see it. these two are so broken, it makes sense that they would find redemption in each other. it's so worth it. even with the ridiculous title, one that actually makes this book seem more frivolous than it is. this is a romantic thriller not a harlequin presents, i wish people were better at titles sometimes.

**in bed with the billionaire will publish on november 1, 2016. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.