Has she just made a deal with the devil? Being in bed with the enemy has never felt so right in this Blackout Billionaires novel by USA TODAY bestselling author Naima Simone. During a blackout at a black-tie gala, heiress Shay Neal, attending in disguise, says yes to one night with billionaire Gideon Knight…not knowing he’s her brother’s enemy with plans for payback! When the lights come back … come back on, they go their separate ways, but their paths are about to cross again with fateful consequences.
That’s because Gideon can’t forgive what Shay’s brother did to his family and is determined to exact revenge on the Neals through none other than Shay. What Gideon doesn’t realize is that Shay and the mystery woman from the blackout are one and the same. Even when he goes to Shay and blackmails her into a fake relationship, he’s still in the dark about her identity.
Now, to save her brother, Shay must pretend to be in love with Gideon. But the masks are about to come off, and soon playing his game means resisting the very real desire that could destroy them both…
From Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire–welcome to the lives of the American elite.
Don’t miss a single Blackout Billionaires novel!
Book 1 — The Billionaire’s Bargain
Book 2 — Black Tie Billionaire
Book 3 — Blame It on the Billionaire
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I loooooove Niama Simone’s romances. Everything about them is just right – angsty, sexy. She creates a fantastic world and as a reader I want a thousand books in each of those worlds. Black Tie Billionaire has all of that AND Gideon. WOW. Pick this book up for Gideon and watch Shay bring him to his knees. So satisfying. Trust me. You won’t be sorry. But it also has some of my other favorite kind of plots – there’s a black out and a fake relationship, there’s family drama. So much family drama. And did I mention Gideon?
Perfect blend of revenge, hot sex and sweet love. This is a strangers – lovers – enemies – HEA romance. For all the wrenches thrown at this relationship (mostly from the excess of hatred and avarice between Gideon and Shay’s brother, Trevor) Gideon eventually sees the light (or should I say “moonbeam”). I love reading the characters and stories Naima Simone creates. Looking forward to the next installment!
This is the second book in the series and my second book read by Naima Simone. There is romance, tension, drama, rivalry and revenge.
Shay and billionaire Gideon are involved in the great blackout. Shay is unaware that Gideon is her brother Trevor’s enemy and doesn’t know what revenge Gideon has in store for her.
Gideon is that guy you love to hate and Shay is in the middle of the revenge between her brother Trevor and Gideon which the Trevor and Gideon should have been able to work out. Gideon should’ve never involved Shay and it was wrong for Gideon to involve Shay but it was done anyway.
This was awesome read revenge turned lovers romance and I will most definitely be reading book # 3 ” Blame It on the Billionaire” Nadia Jordan and Grayson Chandler.
This book hits my favorite storylines: revenge, pretend boyfriend – so good! Can’t wait for book 3 in this series!!!
Well you know it’s going to be good when a feud is involved , and this one is oh so messy complicated good .
Shay and Gideon have some navigating to do, but the mind field that is their life will make this a bit trickier than we’re used to .
But worry not, Naima Simone has got it figured out . And because she is at the top of her game, we are the lucky beneficiaries of her greatness .
Treat yourself Fam , and waste no more time getting started with this masterpiece, because you are worthy of all this goodness .
Black Tie Billionaire was my first book by Naima Simone and I’m hooked! This is the second book in her Black-out series and I have downloaded book one to read. I love a revenge book so this one had me hooked from page one. it’s a steamy, sensual page turner.
What a wonderful second book to the Blackout Billionaires series! Gideon Knight is a self-made billionaire and Shay Neal is the sister to Trevor Neal…the one Gideon is determined to get revenge on. This was a fun, quick, read full of secrets, revenge, heat, and a HEA. Author Naima Simone is great at keeping the storyline flowing, and writes great characters! Enjoyable Read! 4 Stars!
BLACK TIE BILLIONAIRE is book two in Naima Simone’s Blackout Billionaires series and centers around a billionaire and a socialite in a twist on an enemies to lovers story.
Shay is a complex character. She wants to keep peace and harmony, but she wants to be her own person as well. She’s in disguise when she meets a sexy man in the middle of a city-wide blackout that she can’t resist. The light of day and the return to the real world brings about the revelation that he’s willing to do anything to bring his mortal enemy down once and for all .. her brother.
Gideon comes across as a hard-nosed bully at first … until we get the reasoning behind his quest for revenge.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast paced, revenge driven plot with a strong hero and heroine who are quick to steal a reader’s heart. The entire series has been great so far, and I’m looking forward to more to come!
Rated 4.5 Stars
Black Tie Billionaire is amazing. There’s revenge, an enemies to lovers vibe, betrayal, sisterhood and some hot and sensual sexy times. I thoroughly enjoyed Shay and Gideon’s journey. There love was just so swoony. I highly recommend this book and series.
Copy provided by author
What a great read! This was a wonderful enemies to lovers romance and had the best main characters! I really enjoyed the whole hidden identity storyline, even if it was a bit of a stretch to believe Gideon didn’t recognize Shay sooner. Still, it was great for the story and I loved seeing Gideon interact with these two versions of Shay.
Poor Shay, I really felt for her, she’s caught between a rock and a hard place because of Gideon’s and her brother’s machinations. She’s such a nice and loving person, but not everyone turns out to be equally deserving of her loyalty and affection, which is a shame. Nice doesn’t mean weak, however, as the men in her life find out.
Gideon’s a great guy, very protective and loving towards his mom and sister, which is incredibly endearing , but he does have a severe lapse in judgment when he decides to go the route of revenge and manipulates Shay into helping him. Not very nice and not at all well done. Luckily he sees the error of his ways… eventually. His scheming did bring him and Shay together though and I really loved seeing them handle all that lovely forced proximity, getting to know and desire each other in these less than ideal circumstances.
I loved Naima Simone’s writing style and the intense, emotional journey she took her characters on in this story. I was absolutely blown away by Gideon’s and Shay’s chemistry and the depth of their connection.
Recommend!
I LOVE Naima’s books and Black Tie Billionaire was no exception. Insanely sexy, fabulous characters, and a story that kept me up late because there was no way I was putting this book down until I reached the end.
And good lord Gideon is HOT. The ultimate sexy alpha hero! *sigh*
I loved it!
This 2nd book in the Blackout Billionaires is off the charts!
Money, power, revenge…..they will only get you so far. But, honesty, trust and love will take you so much further. Once Gideon realizes that, his goals in life completely change for the better.
Ms. Simone is an amazing storyteller and she is one of the best at keeping it steamy!!!!
There is lots of tension, drama, emotional turmoil and steam in this entertaining romance. To say that things are complicated between Gideon and Shay would be a huge understatement. Both business and personal family issues hang over and stand between this couple. Gideon was intense, shockingly blunt and fierce. Shay was smart, strong, classy and caring. I really liked these two together. I thought that Shay brought out a bit of sweetness and softness to Gideon and I thought that Gideon’s influence helped encourage Shay to be who she truly wanted to be. As much as I could understand what drove Gideon and sympathize, I will admit that I sometimes didn’t like him. After this couple’s relationship began to evolve and deepen, I really wish he made some different choices or at least pulled back a bit. A bitter rivalry, a quest for revenge and some truly unlikable secondary characters help deliver a engaging blend of twists, WTF moments and a burning need to deliver some good hard slaps to those that so richly deserved them. A enjoyable read and another great book in this fun and hot series. This is my independent, impartial review.
This author consistently impresses me, and I loved this book even more than book 1. 4.5 Stars.
Shay Neal is from a prominent Chicago family and she’s felt the weight of her family’s expectations her whole life. All she wants is to run her own business, without interference, and not have to continue to hold what’s basically a ceremonial position at the family company. Now that her parents are both gone, it’s just her and her brother, Trevor. Sadly, he’s taken after their father in the way he acts, and how he views women, especially Shay, and it only got worse after their father’s death. Shay hardly recognizes him anymore. When she’s filling in for her best friend as a cater waiter at one of Chicago’s most fabulous galas, she’s in disguise so no one will recognize her, as she’s been an attendee at the gala before. When an irresistible man notices her, and a blackout results in them spending the night together, she counts it as a fluke. He’ll never know who she really is.
Gideon Knight is the founder of a wildly successful start-up that’s made him a billionaire. But, his family hasn’t always had money, and his parents worked hard to make ends meet his whole life. Now that he’s invited to ridiculous parties on the regular, which he hates, he’s learned to use them as networking opportunities, and move on. He’s never happy to be there, until the night he spies a waitress at the gala, passing out champagne, and he’s enthralled. His ex cured him of the idea of true love and happily ever afters by cheating on him, and becoming engaged to his one enemy in the world, Trevor Neal. He and Trevor were academic and athletic rivals, all through high school and college, but that was nothing compared to what Trevor did to Gideon’s sister Olivia a year ago. So now, all he wants, and all he can offer, is one night, and the blackout affords him the chance to make his move. He has no idea how that night will change his life.
Gideon and Shay have mega chemistry from the first second, but neither of them understand how that spark is going to change them. After their night together, Shay is determined to move on, but when Gideon approaches Shay as herself, and has no idea she’s also Camille, the waitress he spent a night with, she’s not sure what to do. He blackmails her into a deal to save her brother, and though she should hate him, she’s having trouble managing it. I loved this couple’s push and pull dynamic, and their connection was hot and exciting.
Shay’s brother and his fiancee were a NIGHTMARE. The fiancee’s father was a piece of work too. I was so sad for Shay that Trevor was all she had left of her family, because he was the worst. But Shay was a strong and resilient woman, and I adored the way she worked through things like an adult, with as little drama as possible. Gideon screws up pretty badly here, but luckily he gives good grovel. I LOVE a good hero grovel, and this book got a half star extra for the epic groveling. There was also a super satisfying epilogue, which we all know is my favorite. This author’s characters always have complex motivations, and are strong, and interesting, and lovable.
I really enjoyed this book, and I’m looking forward to the final story in the blackout series, about Gideon’s business partner, Gray Chandler. I love the idea of this series, a city-wide blackout causing 3 couples to get together, and having the books take place concurrently. Can’t wait for more!
I loved this story. I cannot tell you how much I loved Shay/”Camille”….. she’s a strong, intelligent, and yet gentle and quiet Black woman. She has presence and elegance, even in a servers uniform. And that is exactly what drives Billionaire and tech giant, Gideon Knight across the room to engage with her…… her presence. He calls her his “Moonbeam”.
The deception by omission is innocent enough, the desire, lust, and chemistry between these two characters is ALL THAT…….. Yet misunderstandings, revenge driven hatred and beliefs about relatives make Shay and Gideon star-crossed enemies (and lovers). Shay is a lady of class and elegance, so she fights her battles without the usual drama, and I loved that about her, she was hurting (deeply hurting), but she chose to walk away instead of suffer thru it for anyone. Gideon was also hurting, but he was too driven by his need for revenge to see how his desire turned to love for Shay……..
They do get their HEA, but I could have easily read another 5-10 chapters of their saga. And thank you, Naima for giving me a look one year into their future. I always like those epilogues.
I honestly read this book in one day…. I could not put it down. I was in the Drs office reading on my phone, then I went home and read on my iPad while cooking dinner and finished it in bed that same night before snuggling up to my very own handsome hero (mine is just not a millionaire, that’s all).
Naima Simone’s Black Tie Billionaire is a standout stand-alone story in the loosely connected Blackout Billionaires series. This story features billionaire Gideon Knight and Shay Neal, the sister of his greatest enemy. It’s a revenge/blackmail story and will leave you deeply satisfied and eager for more by Ms Simone.
Gideon Knight and Shay Neal spend one incendiary evening during an unexpected blackout at a Chicago black-tie gala. While Shay is aware who Gideon is–he and her brother have been fierce rivals for years, since their days in prep school–she’s ignorant of the depths of their animosity and of the fact that Gideon plans to use her as a tool in his carefully plotted revenge against Trevor Neal.
Ms Simone’s characters are definitely among the beautiful people. But they are also beautifully written, three-dimensional people with families and hearts and cares. Ms Simone uses these tensions to great effect–it’s easy to relate to their love for their siblings, to the duty they feel to honor their families, to their desire to protect and care for those important to them. And easy too to see how falling in love can throw those priorities on their heads!
Black Tie Billionaire is a terrific read, and I can’t wait for more from Ms Simone!