Rule #1: Maintain Control.You think you know me. The cars, the penthouse, the reputation for delivering women to that “Oh, yes, Gavin” moment… Yeah, I’m the bad boy billionaire who drives your fantasies. But I’ve traveled a long road to get here. And I played by the rules—the ones I wrote to guarantee I didn’t return to whom I was before. Until now. The pictures, the story—it’s my past coming … story—it’s my past coming back to haunt me. I’ve lost control. And to get it back, I need to change the story.
So I asked my best friend and neighbor for help. Kayla agreed—if I support her growing pack of four-legged misfits.
My life is under control again.
Only I’m falling for my best friend. Now, my New York City apartment is full of rescued pups, my country retreat looks more like an animal sanctuary, and Kayla’s guarding her heart.
And I’m running out of time to prove the girl next door belongs with the billionaire.
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Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Gavin had a bad childhood so he reinvented himself, so he seek his best friend Kayla to help him and have a fake engagement. The book was steamy with emotions and obstacles.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Beautiful love story.
This is one of those books that I had on my to-be-read list and I was upset with myself that it took me so long to read and that I wasted time on other books when I could have read this one..I loved Gavin and Kayla they have belonged together forever but they finally got there. Gavin needs to hide his past and someone is insistent on revealing it so he asks his bestie to help him by a fake engagement and you and I know that fake never stays that way.. We have pets laughter, sadness so much with this book but please do not take my word on this grab a copy and Enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story has some dogs in it, that alone earns it at least one star! The story is very well written. I enjoyed the mystery that was included, and the characters really were perfect for each other. A great book to read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
While this story has its fun moments with Gavin, Kayla and the four legged friends, it speaks of child abuse, bullying and the aftermath. Not just on kids but adult. This story will have you close to tears if not crying, smiling and mad. Gavin and Kayla’s story is amazing and well worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Gavin is a billionaire with a past he will do anything to hide. His best friend Kayla knows all about him. He asks her for a favor and she agrees if he will help her with her animals. Kayla has always had feelings for Gavin so it’s no hardship pretending to be his fiance until it becomes more. These two were sexy and the animals just made this story even better. A good read.
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am leaving a review.
When I started reading this story, I could not put it down. I read the book in one day. This author is an awesome writer. I can not wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work. You should definitely read this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am totally in love with Mr. Misunderstood! Sara Jane Stone gives us a completely believable storyline with engaging characters and a bevy of fun K-9’s to boot!
The best friends to lovers troupe is one I enjoy, but this story was so much more than the norm. Told from both Gavin and Kayla’s POV, we get the whole inside story! I like to know what is going on inside their heads, because I feel it gives a much more fleshed out character.
Gavin and Kayla have been best friends and have known each other for what seems like forever. They know each other’s successes and secrets. When Gavin is being blackmailed by an ex, Kayla steps in as the fiancee. There are a lot of logistics as well as feelings to work through. Not only the ex factors-(Gavin and Kayla too), but they have to navigate their growing feelings for each other. Gavin is a billionaire very much in the public eye. He uses that to his advantage to keep those closely guarded secrets hidden. Only this time, this ex isn’t going away.
This is a story I dove right into. I liked Kayla and Gavin and how they would be as a couple. They had the chemistry in spades! I also loved how Kayla’s animals played an intragal part in this romance! Sara gave us characters that were real and have flaws of their own. They had to figure out how to overcome the obstacles and live with things that could never be changed. The book has some mystery and drama, but I loved the humorous side with the animals!
I voluntarily chose to review a gifted copy of this book from the author. The rating and review are my opinion.
So much fun!
I really enjoyed Gavin and Kayla’s fake relationship/friends-to-lovers story. It was sweet and sexy, with many LOL-moments (often helped along by a member or two of Kayla’s menagerie) and capped off with the most appropriate-for-this-couple proposal ever! Seriously, it’s brilliant–that alone is worth the price of admission. 😉 (Do yourself a favor and read the rest of the book too, though, because it’s just too entertaining not to.)
The revenge plot(s) are a bit much at times, but all of the Kayla-Gavin-Ava-Ginger-Luna-Cleveland-(insert other animals’ names that I’m missing here) moments more than make up for it. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Stone come up with next…sign me up for it!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Getting to know him is only half the battle. Gavin shows what he wants people to see, not the man hie truly is. Whether he’s breaking hearts, stirring hormones or falling in love, it’s hard to figure him out. Kayla thinks she knows him, but she’s in for the surprise of her life. Stone is a master of disguise. Her characters are the best kept secret, until she reveals all in the end. Mr. Misunderstood is a perfect slight of hand as cryptic as it is unforgettable.
I loved Sara’s books for Harlequin. I have to admit it was Kayla and her animal sanctuary that made me really want to read this one. I’m always a sucker for a character that loves animals as much as I do.
Gavin is a sexy billionaire being blackmailed. (Where are all these guys and why can’t I find them?) Kayla is the neighbor/bff. The two of them have been friends for a long time. I’m also sucker for friends to lovers stories.
The billionaire trope is not usually my thing, but Gavin, oh Gavin, I absolutely loved him, while at times wanted to throttle him. He was an alpha, but not in the overbearing obnoxious way that most Alpha’s in series romance are. He’s controlling, but of his own destiny and his past. That past will break your heart too. So he’s strong, but he’s also soft
Kayla was his childhood friend from another life. Their friendship to romance just transitioned beautifully, especially with her failed marriage. Can you say, butthead ex husband? I like that she was strong and fought for her identity.
The fake engagement = fabulousness. This is another trope I don’t always go in for, but the characters win the day for me. I love Gavin and Kayla. I love Kayla’s love for food. Seriously, I want to be friends with her so we can just sit around, play with animals and eat take out! Oh and the relationship and sex = spicy goodness.
The blackmail and the blackmailer were interesting. Sara sort of gives away the connection before its revealed if you have good antenna for these things. The drama involving Alexandra and why she was set to destroy Gavin was really good. Even though she’s nasty, part of you will feel sorry for her.
I loved the way Sara tied things up with the blackmail and Gavin and Kayla. The ending couldn’t have been more perfect.
I really enjoyed reading Gavin & Kayla’s story. It was an easy, breezy read. This book isn’t filled with a sex scene every other page. Although, the sex scenes were tasteful and fitting for their story. I have a couple of favorite parts. One, Gavin with the dogs, anytime. It cracked me up. Another would be how reckless Gavin and Kayla were. I know, it’s probably not normal. But in other books, the MC’s are at a constant battle on why they shouldn’t be doing certain things, and they can take too long to decide and a reader loses interest, well, no so with these two. They knew the repercussions but they’ll let their future selves deal with that later. I, personally, LOVED it!! What I took away from this book, is that you can’t dwell on the past. Take it and own it. I think readers should purchase this book because it’s a different story of a billionaire you haven’t read and it’s fun and sexy!!
Gavin and Kayla captured my attention and heart right from the start. Their story is an amazing fake relationship/friends to lovers story. Gavin fears his past coming to light after he’s worked so hard to put it behind him and become successful. To keep that from happening he needs to be in a committed relationship. Who else would he turn to other than the one person he knows he can trust. Soon Kayla and all her misfit pups have taken over his home as well as his heart. Convincing Kayla he wants some true and permanent might be his toughest challenge yet.
Put this on the must read list, I highly recommend it.
I was intrigued with this book by the end of chapter one. This wasn’t going to be a straightforward romance but it was going to have a little mystery mixed in. I liked the relationship between Gavin and Kayla, going from best friends since childhood to fake relationship to love. I liked that Gavin and Kayla were great by themselves yet were better together. You could feel the attraction between them as soon as we saw them together even though they both tried to deny it. There was a very long friendship that could be ruined it they acted on the attraction and have it not work out. I love a good fake relationship story and this one did not disappoint. It was bonus that there was a mystery thrown in. You knew who was blackmailing Gavin from the beginning but not the why or the why now. Gavin and Kayla both had issues that affected how they wanted to deal with the blackmail, Gavin’s was his childhood and Kayla’s was her horrible marriage. I liked how in tune with each other that Gavin and Kayla were and they were able to tell the other anything. They were a great couple. I would definitely recommend this book.
This book features billionaire Gavin Black and his best friend Kayla Greene. There are secrets in his past that he’d give anything to have remain there and Kayla would do anything to help him with that. Their attraction was plain to see, even though they’d been bestfriends since they were five years old. What I loved most about them is their confidence in themselves when they were with each other. This is a fun, bestfriends to lovers romance with a little bit of mystery, drama and a fake engagement. The furry ones add some additional sweetness to this already sweet and steamy romance.
The characters were well developed and the story line had great flow. The Diamond he gave her was exquisite! He couldn’t have picked a better present for her. I look forward to whatever this author comes out with next.
Gut-wrenching, hopeful, sexy, captivating romance. Gavin is a successful billionaire, always working hard for the next big thing at his software company and enjoying the many woman that frequent his life. When his latest fling suddenly turns the tables and brings up deep, dark memories from his past that he thought he had buried, he finds his life spiraling without being able to control it. He needs to change the focus in the media so he enlists his best friend Kayla’s help. Kayla has always loved Gavin and would do anything for him but after her failed marriage, she has had to work to rebuild and find herself. As she agrees to a fake engagement with Gavin, she knows she has to not lose herself even if her heart gets broken. This journey forces Gavin to face all the parts of what makes him who he is, not just what he built and shows the world. Can he embrace the pain from his childhood to let love in? Or will he continue to hide? I was surprised by this story and the true depth to what Gavin had endured and how Kayla had always been the light in his dark world. The mystery about the photos kept me guessing and I loved Kayla’s passion for rescuing dogs. I read this book using Kindle Unlimited.
Ms. Stone is an expert at writing about real problems people are living through right now. She does an exceptional job of giving her readers characters we learn to love who have or are overcoming issues.
Gavin is a billionaire who has a past he wants to hide. The child he was has nothing to do with the man he has become. Someone wants his past revealed. He’ll do anything to prevent that. Even get engaged to his best friend who is one of the only people who know his past.
Kayla loves Gavin. She has for years. He’s her bestie and has helped her through the worst time in her life. Reluctantly, she agrees to the engagement with rules–that they break one at a time.
Each of them really cares about the other as well Kayla has her rescue animals and Gavin with his kids who need advice on how to deal with bullying.
Gavin is not only a rich playboy, wearing ridiculously expensive suits, his buddy, Kayla, is also gorgeous in her running shoes and worn jeans and shirts. What a couple. The horde of cats and dogs that get moved to his huge high-end condo are a riot.
You’ll love the characters, need a fan for the steam. Can these friends find love and handle their past to forge a future?
Entertaining, heart warming and addictive story.
Gavin and Kayla are two terrific characters that had me page turning wanting to know more of their story and what happens next. Both grew up differently but the best of friends who would do anything for the one another. So when Gavin approaches Kayla with a proposition what else could she say and that’s when things get interesting. I loved the determination and staying true to yourself exhibited throughout this story. This is a must read for anyone who loves a best friends to lovers romance.
Gavin falls for Kayla, his best friend and neighbor. He’s a billionaire that feels he’s lost control of his life. So he agrees to help her pet rescue in exchange for her helping him get himself back on track. Only now he knows he’s truly fallen for her and doesn’t know how to take the step to making it real and forever. Good ending.
Hot, hot, hot