She thinks she needs to put her family before herself. He’s determined to prove her wrong. Maggie is the heiress to the Reinhardt Department Store fortune. Her father died and the board of the company expect Alex to run the company but they’ve never had a nonfamily member run the company. The board has a simple solution—she needs to put the family first and marry Alex. Forget the fact that she … the fact that she isn’t his type and she loves someone else. Jonathan Best has been in love with Maggie Reinhardt since high school. Everything he’s done has been for her including escaping from his family’s clutches and opening a 5-star hotel and casino on the Las Vegas strip. He can’t forget their last time together and how after so long it was so right. So, after picking up the pieces he formulates his plan to stop the wedding and that when things get really interesting.
House of Cards is a standalone romantic suspense novel with a happy ending. It’s the first in the Billionaire Tech Series featuring the team members from the Venture Capitalist and Clear Security series
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Whoa, I just finished House of Cards and this book had my head spinning just a bit. I will warn you that there is a LOT going on in this book, the blurb does a great job giving you an idea about the premise but it barely scratches the surface of what you will unveil by reading House of Cards (which talk about being aptly named)!
The characters have depth and valid reasonings(ish) for what they do and even though there is a lot going on in the book which I don’t feel is completely necessary to the book, it does build it up even more. All in all if you are looking for a steamy romantic suspense with a swoonworthy hero and a(n almost too much) selfless heroine, House of Cards is a book you should check out asap. I will definitely be keeping a look out for the next book in the series and give this 4 outta 5 stars!
PS: Thank you to the author for allowing me an advanced copy of the book to read and review honestly!
This is the first book in the Tech Billionaires series and what a super start to this new series it was. I thought this was a pretty sweet romance there is lots of action and drama though and that had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. I will be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series.
ONE INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!
Fantastic! Ainsley drops the bomb and lowers the boom, weaving a cocoon so intricately and tight, drawing you deeper into this tangled web, until everything else ceases to exist. A raging tempest of inexplicable circumstances and inadvertent events, blow this baby into the eye of the storm, bursting it into a tailspin with an astonishing culmination. Illustrating incredible, well rounded scenario’s, ramping up the adrenaline and exuberance with such intensity and precision, blasting this little fella to life spectacularly. The characters are authentic and original with qualities and traits that transforms into amazing personalities. The scenes are strikingly sharp with abundant details and colorful descriptions so rich and lively, they blend and flow smoothly. Remarkable job Ainsley, thanks for sharing this amazing baby with us.
Great series. Will there be more in the next book about what happened to Cecilia? I loved reading about the characters Jonnie and Maggie. Glad to see her mother and the bad people get what was coming to them in the end. I enjoyed reading Ainsley’s books. Great storylines and great characters. Very well written and enjoyed every minute of reading the books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Pros: – Jonathan and Maggie, I liked how easy they were when they were together.
-The non romance plot, I love how all these little bombs kept dropping. The romance part of the story was almost secondary.
-The use of characters from the previous series. I love getting to see other characters from previous books.
-The lead into the next book wow! Can’t wait.
Cons: time frame was hard to follow with large jumps ahead in time that weren’t labeled.
-Jonathan and Maggie when they weren’t together.
– The sex scenes, just too many for my taste and pretty graphic, I’ll be honest I skimmed through most of them.
– Fantasy scene, again just not my thing.
-Maggie’s decision-making, without giving anything away it was just predictable, but luckily it led to something good, so ultimately it was worth the eye roll.
I enjoyed the book, but I just wished there was more Maggie & Jonnie. There was also so many other issues that I kind of felt like their romance took a backseat.
I did like that Maggie wanted to let Jonnie know in person what she had to do. However, she knows he’s really busy and is only in town for two hours to drop the bombshell?!? I found that pretty crappy, especially since he was called away on “emergencies” and wasn’t able to return to her to hash out the disaster-in-waiting.
There was always something about Alex that rubbed me the wrong way. Don’t get me started on Maggie’s mother!
I am looking forward to the next book. I just hope that we get to see more of Maggie & Jonnie.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Love and suspense, it doesn’t get much better than that. This is the first book of Ainsley St Claire that I have read. I really enjoyed it. She takes her time with the characters so the reader really gets to know them. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Maggie is a woman who thought she knew what she wanted. She has been in love with Jonathan since they were in school together and after a romantic weekend together, she’s hoping to move forward with him. But when her dad suddenly passes away and the empire she has helped build is going to be given to someone not in the family, her only option is to marry him, Alex, to still be a part of the empire. Problem is Jonathan, who runs his own empire, loves Maggie with everything he is and will stop at nothing to help her. Sweet romance with a side of drama.
I received a complimentary ARC – early release copy of this book in Kindle format from the author for review purposes.
Initially I was drawn to Jonathan, he is excited and the whole scene vibrates with anticipation. When Maggie arrives, the story goes slightly downhill. It is not her fault, she is a great woman with a ton of problems, and it was only going to get worse.
For a contemporary romance, I think this is not romantic enough. But if you are looking for drama, cat and mouse, with a side of mystery, House of Cards fits the bill well enough. Overall, I enjoyed it, I came looking for love but found family instead. It wasn’t romantic enough to qualify as a true romance story, sure it’s got its hot steamy scenes but that’s not what we came efor right?
I received a complimentary ARC – early release copy of this book in Kindle format from the author for review purposes.
This is the start of a new series by the author called Tech Billionaires. It features characters from her other series and for me that was the highlight as I enjoyed her previous series alot. While this is a complete story, the book does put you on a small cliff at the end but not about the current couple but rather what will happen in this series as the next book comes out with a new couple.
For me this book had way too much drama I guess you could say. I love the romance and while the drama is cool in reading romances I want more romance and less drama. I would have loved to explore Maggie and Jonnies romance more and seen them date and have that one night but it was sorta summarized.
This story does have wonderful characters. I liked Maggie though I wish she had been stronger against her mother and I liked Jonnie except I felt he was a little too busy with his Casino and while he pled that he loves Maggie I didn’t really see that, it seemed like she came in second to Queen Diva and his casino.
That said, the author has a wonderful writing style and she writes stories I cannot put down and this was a story with lots of twists and turns. I am trying not to spoil the story as going in blind is the best way to explore this story.
From the first chapter I was hooked on this book. If you are going to start it, make sure you have plenty of time to finish it. I couldn’t put this book down. And the ending. I’m dying to know what happens next. You will find yourself falling for both Maggie & Jonnie. You cheer for the good that happens to them. You will find yourself hurting when they hurt.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has a twist you will NOT have seen coming. Ainsley St. Claire has been setting this storyline up, showing the pressure that Maggie is under, but to find that she is not only going to go through with the forced marriage to her gay friend Alex, but he seems more determined even that her mother that she goes through with it, is a great way to make the reader even more certain she belong with Jonnie. That story is at times sad, funny, hopeful, and horrifying, but the twist in the friend group is absolutely unexpected. I love Ainsley St. Claire’s writing; she never fails to entertain and engage, and I can’t wait for the next book.
I received a free copy of this awesome book. This review was posted voluntarily.
This story is a great mix of love, family, suspense and heat. Story is long, but there is so much detail to tell the tale and bring us into the world of these wealthy people. I enjoyed the characters very much and look forward to the next book in the series!
A whirlwind of top of the upper crust problems, from family financial and/or empire legacies to less than crystalline behind the scenes personal involvements. Millions, of dollars, create millions, of problems.
In this book, a great number of the characters from the rest of the series meet, greet, mingle, and generally create a nice group of friendships and alliances, with the introduction of a couple of “bad guys” and relative interactions.
Shock ending, as an opening for the next in the series.
I haven’t read books by this author before, but l enjoyed reading this one. It is a long story but has believable characters in Jonnie and Maggie, the couple have known each other for a long time and Jonnie is looking forward to to her visit, however, things don’t go as planned when she tells him that, in order to ensure the survival of her own dynasty, she has to marry someone else! A interesting and very intriguing book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was a roller-coaster of emotions. The main characters were a very nice pairing and the story wasn’t a cliché. At the beginning you may believe that, but the more you’re into the story, you will realize that is not anything like you thought it was going to be. It has so many twists and turns that is impossible to put down until you finish, and even then, you need more. It happened to me. I didn’t actually believe I was going to love this story as much as I did, but honestly it’s just the perfect instalment for the beginning of a saga.
In one hand we have Margaret, she is the second of three brothers, and both brothers are uninterested and incapable of taking the position of chairmen. She believes it’s her responsibility to preserve the company his great-grandfather, grandfather and father sacrificed a lot to keep on the top. The situation does not get better when her mother is forcing her to marry someone she doesn’t love and she feels traped in more than one sense. She has a secret. She is in love with someone else and she is willing to let that love go, because she firmly believes it’s her duty. The situation takes a turn and she will learn that not everything is what it seems.
Then we have Jonathan, this guy is the loveliest person alive. He is the definition of perfection, the love he feels for Margaret is so strong he is willing to do anything in his power to help her anyway he can. The beauty of Jonnie is that when he wants something he doesn’t stop until he gets it.
One of the things that I love is the way the author portrays the fact that family may not be perfect and that every family has its secrets, but love among brothers and sisters is unique and that it doesn’t matter if people is not blood they are still family, because family doesn’t end with blood.
I got a little bit stressed with some situation between the main characters, but that’s just me, and that makes them who they are. So, just keep reading. In less than you think you will fall in love with Magpie and Jonnie.
The story is amazing. The characters are lovely, you want to know more about them. It’s like you’re feeling the stress along with them. And that ending…my God, I can’t wait to know more of what is going to happen with that huge hook at the end…
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Maggie’s life has just been turned upside down. She has always tried to please everyone so when her father dies and makes her the heir, she has to marry in order to keep her grandfather’s company together. Her mother has plans and will stop at nothing to have them come to fruition even trying to get her to marry her gay friend. When Maggie’s crush who is also he brother’s best friend ask her to marry him, will she take a risk for herself? This brilliantly written story will have you from the first page. The story is descriptive, engaging and has characters that I identify with. In other words this is a story that I will definitely be reading again!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ainsley St Claire has started this series off with a bang!!
Jonnie is a self made billionaire. He owns one of the latest casino resorts in Sin City but something or someone is missing in his life, the woman who stole his heart years ago. When he gets a call from her to inform him she is coming to talk to him he is super excited until she drops a bomb on him he never saw coming.
Maggie is the rich, good girl who does everything her family tells her. Jonnie is her brother Christopher’s best friend. They have crushed on each other forever. For her it was middle school and high school for him. Her father dies and his will makes it where she (since her brothers who left the family) the heir has to marry or her great-grandfather’s company gets dissolved. So her very controlling mother tries to force her to marry her gay best friend Alex. Her mother will do anything to get her way. Jonnie loves her and wants her to not marry Alex and start a life with him. It’s got drama and love why wouldn’t anyone wanna read it?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Gambling with Hearts
With skill and creativity, Ainsley St. Claire has done it again—she has crafted a magnetic and engaging novel, House of Cards, as the introductory novel of a new exciting series, Tech Billionaires. This initial novel allows the reader to enter a world of power, money, and entrepreneurship which engages the reader in world of intrigue, family disfunction, and romance, set in a contemporary setting filled with engaging characters, some who have wandered through the pages of St. Claire’s previous series, Venture Capitalist.
Jonathan Best, CEO of one of Las Vegas’ newest and hottest gambling resorts, Shangri-La, is a man of power, but he is also a man of love and integrity. Growing up in Minneapolis, he was grounded by a loving family and is still best friends with his partner in crime since childhood, Christopher Reinhardt. In fact, they are closer than friends, closer to being true brothers. When Christopher at the age of 16 sought emancipation from his wealthy and manipulative family, it was Jonathan’s family who opened its heart and doors to provide a loving, protective safe space for the boy, supporting him emotionally through high school, college and medical school as he moved ever farther from the expectations of the Reinhardts. The founding and controlling family of a collection department stores that offer a range of retail offerings appealing not only to high end shoppers, but also to the general population, the Reinhardts are a force with which to be reckoned. And, as best friends, Jonathan was constantly in contact with all of the Reinhardts, not only his buddy Chris, but also Chris’s younger sister, Maggie. In fact, he has been in love with Maggie since they were teenagers and that love has not wavered. She was his inspiration when he conceived of and built his resort, Shangri-La. Every aspect was envisioned with Maggie in mind. He has a diamond in the resort’s safe just waiting for the opportunity to ask her to marry him.
Maggie Reinhardt, the only daughter of the Reinhardt Hudson empire, runs Reinhardt Foundation, a NFP which directs money and merchandise to support a variety of charities including the Brighter Future program that focuses on helping middle school and high school students to stay engaged in school. But, as the dutiful daughter, Maggie is about to make the ultimate sacrifice for family. In her father’s and grandfather’s wills was a requirement that only a married family member could claim control the Reinhardt Hudson empire. Because the actions of her brothers, Christopher and Stevie, have made them ineligible, the Medusa stare of her controlling mother has fallen on Maggie, and Mom is demanding that she marry. And, according to Mom, the man Maggie must marry is her best friend from childhood, Alex Walker, whose family owns Elite Electronics. According to Maggie’s mother and Alex’s father, the match is made in business merger heaven. To Maggie, while Alex is her friend and she loves him, she doesn’t love him romantically and she never will—she loves Jonnie, her brother’s best friend. Nor will Alex ever love her romantically—his current boyfriend would object.
But more is in play than a marriage/merger—Maggie’s heart and happiness are in jeopardy, with something more ominous at play, threatening to not only break hearts, but also lives.
What makes a St Claire novel such an engaging, powerful and emotional reading experience is her masterful plot construction, connecting the lives of interesting, realistic characters in contemporary events of social and cultural concern. Love is always the ultimate result, but as a reader, the experience is most enjoyable as St Claire lures the reader both intellectually and emotionally to consider the actions and choices individuals make, not just for themselves, but to help others. The novels always focus on really good people trying to make a difference in our world.
House of Cards is smart, energetic, and exciting start for the beginning of the series. And, in this novel as in the novels of her other series, we can get a taste of the next volume in the final pages of the romance. So, at the beginning, in the middle or at the end, don’t be afraid to jump into a St. Claire series, the author always has you covered. Having had such a delectable taste, of this new series, I really want to taste more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review and will enjoy reading it again through Kindle Unlimited.