Be careful whom you submit to. Lizzy is trapped. Her new boyfriend Mannix Bonfils and his business partner Theo Valencia have bought The Devilhouse, and her job is gone. Her estranged parents keep calling, wanting her to quit college to coach Olympic-level gymnastics, the life she escaped at sixteen. Mannix demands that she give up more and more control, and he becomes rougher, more frightening, … rougher, more frightening, with her. Her estranged parents keep calling, wanting her to quit college to coach Olympic-level gymnastics, the life she escaped at sixteen. Sports reporters stalk her college dorm, looking for the feel-good homecoming story she dreads. Mannix’s sexual power games grow more disturbing every day, and someone tries to shoot them at The Devilhouse, narrowly missing Lizzy. Even though she wants to stay with Mannix, to grow stronger, to be loved, and to fulfill her commitment, everyone is telling her to get out, but they all seem to want something from her. When Theo offers to help her leave, should she stay with Mannix or go back to the prescribed life she thought she had escaped?
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I wrote this review in February 2015.
There is a cliffhanger but this is a great series.
In this episode we learn more about Lizzy’s past. We also find that things are getting more and more rough between her and Mannix. This episode contains even more disturbing things than episode 1 but it seems necessary for the overall story.
The BID: Lizzy books are a bit darker than the Rae books but it fits for Lizzy’s character. This series is full of sexy and not so sexy times. It is also full of intrigue and some violence. I did not want to stop reading this series once I started.
Be warned that there is strong language and some possibly disturbing scenes in this book. There is also a cliffhanger, which I usually hate. I love Blair Babylon’s books, though, and since all of the episodes for Lizzy’s story are available now I have no problem recommending this series.
If you read the BID: Rae series, and you want more of her and Wulf, you MUST read BID: Lizzy.
Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy is a brilliantly fantastic thrill ride that will have you holding your heart and soul in your hands the entire time. There is a precious vulnerability that lends more strength and resilience to these marvelous characters than you could ever imagine. What you have in your hands is more than just a story about fighting for who you are, what you want, and what you need, it’s an anthem to those who have been beaten down or twisted around that we are not the images that others have made us into. We are more than just a reflection of the dreams of others. Instead, we are our own individual who will rise above our past and present to walk amidst the clouds of fantasies long crushed by monsters. We are so much more than even we realize. We are life, love, and light to those lives we touch deeply and irrevocably.
Lizzy has reshaped and molded her life into one that she had become proud of. She is independent, she is strong, and she is in control of her future. When she meets Theo, she is intrigued by this man of beauty, shadow, and wonder. When her worse fears are preyed upon, she frantically seeks the shelter of one who claims to be able to reinforce her steel walls. Instead, she finds that she finds herself falling into an abyss even darker than the one that envelopes her past. She can’t see beyond the shadows that hold her captive of the dangers that lie patiently in wait to devour her whole. At her darkest moment, her own personal hero steps in to do what he can to help relieve her pain. Ignoring the high cost of his actions, Theo refuses to just stand by and let Lizzy fade away. Will Lizzy take hold of the hand that is desperately waiting to take her to safety and lead her into a future that she has never allowed herself to dare dream of, or will she stubbornly refuse to take any shortcuts in order to achieve the goals she has set before her?
I had always wondered about Lizzy as I read through Georgie and Xan’s story, and now I see that there is so much more to this wondrously spirited woman. She is a beautiful phenomenon that made me love her from the very beginning. My heart ached at how I completely understood her and her way of thinking. She made sense to me, and yet I yelled and screamed at her when she passed up a breathless opportunity when she walked away from Theo. I understood why she did it, but I still hoped that she would come to her senses before it was too late. Theo was so much more than I ever imagined. He was an incredible puzzle wrapped in a haunting mystery that made my breath catch in my throat and my heart skip a few beats when the pieces finally fell into place. Fear was never an emotion that I associated with him because he such an all-consuming love and concern for Lizzy above all else. He needed her just as much if not more than she needed him. They were the rock that steadied and buoyed the other. They complimented each other beyond perfectly to the point of finally allowing both of them to open and blossom like never before.
Blair Babylon is an extraordinary artist whose masterpieces live and thrive within my heart and soul. She is a master poet who makes my soul sing and exult the praises of boundless hope and life sustaining love. She has captured a part of my soul that no one else will ever be able to claim. Reading one of her books is like coming home to a place where you belong with no strings, no conditions, and no doubts
WOW, Blair does it again – anxiously awaiting the next book in the series
I just finished reading Playing Rough: A Romance, Episode #2 (Billionaires in Disguise: Lizzy) last night, which is the second book from Lizzy’s POV. We learn so much more about Lizzy in this episode and everything that she has been through. I was happy to see that toward the end of this one, we see more of the Lizzy that we originally saw in the first series from Rae’s POV. She simply disappeared once Mannix got her in his clutches and I was afraid that we would lose her altogether. I have to say that I really do NOT like Mannix AT ALL. He is too damn SMARMY for my taste and nothing at all that Lizzy needs, even though she thinks he is what she deserves. This book will keep you on the edge of your seats and take you on a roller coaster ride, full of ups, downs, twists and turns that will make you go WTF?
I am definitely team Theo, even though they are half brothers, it turns out that things are not always what they seem. I definitely hope we get to see more of the kick ass Lizzy that we say in Rae’s story. I am so excited for the next episode to come out, since we should be caught up to Rae and Wulf now. I want to know what happens with them and get the end of their story before Lizzy gets settled, then we can get on to Georgie and then finally on to Flicka.
As some have mentioned, this series is a much darker, edgier series than the series about Rae and Wulf. However, each member in any family is totally different and faces/handles situations in their own way. As the cover page states, be careful who you submit to.
I must say, Blair is an exceptional author and I thoroughly enjoy her writing and the flow of her books. Keep up the hard work Blair, we all anxiously waiting for these characters to lead you to the next step on their journeys.
**Complimentary Copy provided by Author, but I also purchased the book!**