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A**M
Has some editing issues but...
Okay you're probably saying, how can she keep giving five star ratings? Because the writers of these books are doing such an awesome job, and Georgia Le Carre is among them. When I first began reading this book I hated Nikolai. Star was happy in her life...or was she. Having an older man treat you like a queen from the age of sixteen, and throughout, into marriage, she hadn't noticed anything off. Until the fateful night her husband traded her for his gambling debt. Being the person she was, who loved her husband blindly, Star would honor the deal struck with Nikolai. One month, then she would go home to her husband and all would be as it was. As long as he commits to Gambling Anonymous and doesn't let her down. Nikolai intends only to use her, but from the start he sees what she doesn't. Pedophilia comes in all shapes and sizes, and as far as Nikolai knows, Stars husband is just that. He intends to show him up for what he is, but can he do that without falling for the girl/woman herself? Read on and find out.
B**E
Star’s Fairy Tale Life Might Be In Jeopardy, But Her Happy Ending Might Just Lie Elsewhere!
Nikolai & Star’s Dark Story Is A Twisted & Steamy Romance. It Is A Little Non-Conventional. Star Is Very Happily Married Until Discovering Her Husband’s Gambling Problem; Nikolai Is The Mysterious Stranger She Agrees To Spend One Month With To Pay Her Husband’s Debts.This standalone is part of the Crave Me romance collection, a box set that includes the stories of four best friends. The set includes:• Submitting to the Billionaire: Star’s story• Redemption: Raven’s story• The Heir: Rosa’s story• Nice Day for a White Wedding: Cindy’s storyStar, Raven, Rosa, and Cindy had been best friends since youth. They each had dreams. Star pictured herself as a writer one day. Raven had hopes of becoming a doctor. Rosa wanted to become a fashion industry insider. And Cindy dreamed of becoming successful in the business world. Their friendships had become strained once Star found love at an early age. She and Raven had a falling out roughly around the time Star married Nigel, leaving Rosa and Cindy somewhere in the middle. As their stories unfold, they rely on one another and discover that their friendships really can stand the test of time.Note that Star’s friend Rosa is introduced in this story. She plays a small role. Though Cindy and Star are still friends, she is only mentioned here. It is learned in Redemption that Cindy has been roommates with Raven for years, which logically makes it more complicated for her and Star to spend time together.SUBMITTING TO THE BILLIONAIRE:Nikolai Smirnov, thirty-seven, is a Russian billionaire living in London. His magnetic pull and powerful presence contrast with his cold eyes and sometimes gruff ways. There is much mystery surrounding him. Intelligent and well-read, he is quite the eligible bachelor. He was once part of the Russian mafia, but he left those days behind. Mostly. He opened a private club two years ago – Ziggurat. Members are invited to join by invitation only. Non-descript on the outside, nobody would suspect the glamour and luxury within its walls. It is a gambler’s fantasy. With three months of credit on the house, what sucker won’t end up penniless when it is time to pay the piper?Nikolai is not apologetic about how he makes his money. There are winners, and there are losers, and he decided long ago that he would become rich. He isn’t above hurting someone, either. He learned to fend for himself at a young age, when he and his brother ended up in a horrid children’s home in Russia. He was eleven at the time, but Pavel had been just five. Though guilt still plagues him, revenge is sweet. It gives him something to live for. The lessons he learned there taught him to harden himself. He takes whatever he wants now. No matter how long it takes, once he makes up his mind about something he makes it happen. And he is about to collect something that he has been quietly coveting for some time.Star Harrington, twenty-two, is living the life of her dreams. She has a wonderful marriage with a husband that adores her. Nigel happily provides her with everything she could ever wish for. She has a beautiful home, far more than she needs. She loves her garden. She loves writing while Nigel is at work, and enjoying time with him whenever he is home. He works long and stressful hours at a brokerage firm. It is an ugly profession. She hoped he might change jobs and offered to work herself to help, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He likes taking care of her, so she does all she can to ensure she takes care of him, too.Star eagerly looks forward to next year, the year they plan to finally start their family. She and Nigel have been in love for six years now. They met when she was just sixteen. He was thirty-four at the time, so they had kept their relationship a secret for a while. Her father was not happy about her relationship – for that matter nobody was. She once had many friends, but now only has Rosa and Cindy. Nobody understands Nigel like she does. They have been married since she turned eighteen. She is so grateful for Nigel’s love and support, especially now that her father is sick and the hospital bills need to be paid. She cannot imagine her life without Nigel in it.When Star agrees to spend one month with a strange man to settle up Nigel’s debt, her whole world crumbles. She thought he had been coming straight home from work. The solid foundation upon which her marriage stood vanished in an instant when Nigel confessed his circumstances. Still, she is convinced that gambling addiction is a disease and believes that Nigel can get help. She takes her marriage vows seriously and means to stand by him even in bad times. She might let him pay the consequences of his debt himself but for the fact that her father’s bills must be paid. Determined that what she will endure will only be physical, she has every belief that at the end of thirty days she can walk away, and that she and Nigel can begin again. Even though the fairy tale has ended, they can rebuild their marriage.Nikolai and Star’s dark story is a little non-conventional. Star is married, and very happily so. As the story unravels, though, it is easy to see that her happy ending doesn’t lie with Nigel. Nikolai challenges her in an exciting way. He is rough edges, while Niles had been soft. Nikolai initially comes across as a predator. He is either impassive or cruel with Star. He refers to her as Miss Minton – referring to her maiden name. His intentions seem extremely dark, yet their relationship very quickly settles into something a little more normal than one might expect. He slowly begins to show a softer side. It is sometimes rather domestic. It is unclear what he originally foresaw happening with Star, nor precisely how or why that changed. Though his character is mysterious, it would have been be nice to have that insight by the end of the book. Nevertheless, Nikolai and Star earn their happy ending.There are a few things that merit mention. First, periods of time tend to be inconsistent throughout the story. It is a little unclear whether Star and Nigel have been together for six or seven years; the number varies. It also states she has been married five years, but she got married at eighteen and is still twenty-two. There are other inconsistencies, but they are small. If one understands that going into the book it is rather simple to overlook them.Additionally, Nikolai’s dating history is a little murky. He has not had a girlfriend since age seventeen – which doesn’t fit very well into his backstory, incidentally. It is a little difficulty picturing him with a girlfriend at that age given how unstable his life was at the time. He had already hardened his heart and deliberately avoided entanglements that might hurt innocent people. There is also no explanation as to why he gave up relationships then. Further, Nikolai chooses to pay for his pleasure since it is devoid of the messy complication of feelings. But it gets confusing once again because he is pictured with models on his arm. Rosa is in the industry and hears things, and even knows a model that once dated him. So the whole notion of the difference between girlfriends and dating (and how long he dates someone) is unclear. The only explanation that encompasses it all is that he hires models who willingly agree to work as escorts, but Rosa certainly had not heard such rumors.Nikolai and Star’s dark story is a twisted and steamy romance. The plot is somewhat complex. Nikolai’s character is meant to be mysterious, so the plot unfolds in layers. Those interested in learning more about him can read the section following the author’s note – The Making of a Mafioso Crime Lord/Nikolai: The Beginning. I would recommend reading it to understand him better. Star saw a sadness in him that helped her connect to him despite his hot and cold treatment; his story explains how he became a killer in the mafia. Nikolai and Star forge a real connection here, but it is unfortunately difficult to see how that turns into love so quickly for Star when Nikolai spends so much time avoiding her. It would have been nice to see just a little more between them, and a little more from Nikolai’s POV as well. Their story is told in first person. The POV alternates between Nikolai and Star. I rate this book four stars.I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
M**X
Fiction or Non-Fiction
Poor poor little Star. I think we all know someone like this. We as friends try to open their eyes but it never works. It takes the power, strength, and selfishness of Niko to show Star her worth and truth in front of her.
C**8
Just that perfect blend of subtle romance...
Waited for what felt like eternity to get my greedy hands on this book.Q: Did the book deliver?A : YES YES YES!Just that perfect blend of subtle romance mixed with intrigue and slightly darkish angst from hero.I admit to shouting out, 'marry him already!' not once but twice.***********SPOILERS**********Super hot stalker of a hero.
S**R
Cold passion
Nikolai is so cold, he's hot and his passion is furious. This is another book that has everything that I have come to expect from Georgia Le Carre.
B**S
submitting to the Millionaire
This was a very good book. It kept you interested in reading, I did not want to put it down until I finished. But I had to now and then.Beverly [email protected]
E**O
Another blockbuster hit!!!!
Bravo my dear girl, BRAVO! Georgia has done it again! Nikolai and Star are simply delicious!So let's address the elephant in the story. Star is married. It's not what you think and I can't go into further detail without spoilers. If this is a trigger for you without exception, then don't read this story. Nikolai and Star overcome so much and although dark, their story hauntingly beautiful!I absolutely love this story!Five stars!
A**R
Exciting and enjoyable read.
Interesting read. Gets more Esciting as you read on. Ends up to be enjoyable.
M**R
Such an easy fast flowing read
Such an easy fast flowing read. Star is a far to young, gullible person, who married a gambler called Nigel. A spineless addicted person, who is not only perverted but a total sleezeball of a liar. Nikolai is a Russian who is a billionaire. Money cannot buy happiness, but debts may produce them. I felt at times I wanted to shake Star, although I thought her friend Rosa was wonderful, alive and humourus. Star so no wrong in her husband, even when everyone else did. Nikolai has such a sad past, I felt as if I wanted to give him a huge hug and say all would be well. Yet again a great novel. Easy to read. Difficult to put down. Read in a few hours. Well worth it.
C**T
Submitting to the Billionaire
I really enjoy Georgia Le Carre books, have read many, I would have given five stars, but the books are set in England and her proof reader should really pick up on American expressions that Brits do not use. So irritating!
D**E
Omg amazing
What an amazing story the part about the orphanage was hear breaking the brothers went through hell.the love story of star finding true love with a cold Russian was amazing. Georgian le Carre amazed me with this book.but I love anything she writes
S**N
VERY rushed ending
Wish I had read the review from the person that gave 1 star. Alright until about 50% then it just kept rushing through the years, ended at about 65% and the rest made up of her next book.
S**B
All The Same
Georgias books are all the same and yet I still buy every single one and devour them in one go - they are easy to read and never fail to give me a warm feeling at the end
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