I Lost The Love Of My Life… Billionaire Romance, inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo”. It’s a thrilling and steamy story of jealousy, betrayal, lust, and revenge. This is a stand-alone novel with no cliff-hanger and a HEA, the first in the Classic Billionaires series.more
The CEO of Cristo: A Secret Baby Billionaire Romance (Sophie Lark Standalones)
By sophielark
This is the 1st stand alone book in this series. It has 3 main characters. The story line has jealousy danger conflict secrets and suspense.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The CEO of Cristo was an interesting love triangle between a woman and the two men in love with her. Its a story that shows how far a person will go to get the person they love to be theirs. This novel had drama, angst, revenge and betrayal and was a tale of obsession and vengeance. It was fast-paced and will evoke a range of emotions from you. I enjoyed the novel however I thought the revenge portion of the story moved too fast. I would recommend this novel to lovers of contemporary romance.
This modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo was an pulse pounding tale of murder, jealousy, backstabbing, revenge and love. I was glued to the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put the book down!!
I normally love to do a summary recap in my reviews but I feel like this is the kind of story to need to go into blind. What I can tell you is that this story is intense and you will be sucked in and consumed by it. I felt a range of emotions from happy/laughing to straight murderous and pretty much everything in between.
I really liked Ethan as a character. I felt so bad for him, he had everything he could ask for and it all got snatched away from him in the blink of an eye. His evolution from an innocent man into this vengeance seeking felon was epic! I loved how clever he was with his revenge and how he systematically started going after everyone that had a part in his jail time. I felt so bad for Hazel throughout everything. She was losing the love of her life to jail, she was trying to throw herself into work, she was trying to make a life for herself and her daughter and she was having to deal with Van and his manipulation/advances. I loved her determination and persistence when it came to Ethan, even if he wouldn’t see her or talk to her she was still working behind the scenes on his behalf. I definitely felt the strongest connection with her throughout the book.
The thing I loved most about this book is the author’s ability to make me truly hate a character. I absolutely hated Van from dang near the first page, well to be fair I found him annoying at first and it quickly turned to hate! I love when an author can make me hate a character, especially in a story like this because it means they did exactly what they set out to do… the created a realistic villain. I can honestly see this being one of my new go to stories to read and recommend so with that said.. I highly recommend this story!
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This book was just wow! Sophie Lark penned a captivating read. The intensity of the characters and story will have your emotions on a wild ride. This is an epic read and I highly recommend it.
I LOVED THIS STORY. I normally read-only soft, sexy, happy stories and was surprised as I got into “The CEO of Cristo” that this was going to be different. I am glad I kept reading though because it turned into an UNBELIEVABLE STORY. Lark describes her characters so well that I felt I knew each one of them, that I too was part of this friendship and was with them building the new company. In the beginning, I loved the innocent love between nerdy Ethan and Hazel. Their easy friendships, which included Van, were fun, enthusiastic and youthful. Then the lightness turned to deadly-seriousness. A monster is sneaking around and he turns on those he professes to love. I was saddened about the story turning toward darkness but I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I had to find out what happened to these people I liked so much. This is an emotional roller coaster ride but SO WORTH IT and I got my happy ending. Linda
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has it all!! Steamy scenes, love and betrayal, jealousy and deceit, twists and turns, and the characters and storyline are so very well written. I loved every word of this fast paced drama. There is so much intrigue and suspense. I highly recommend this book. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this
Book one in the Classic Billionaires series a book I was not putting down until I had finished reading. Ethan and Hazel’s story of suspense, drama, danger, lies, evil, revenge, twists, turns, a villain, and a second chance. I want to read the next book in this series. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An excellent romantic suspense that is definitely worth reading. It has a extremely well-written, entertaining plot that covers two men, one of them (a CEO, Ethan) is set-up by his apparent friend (a conniving villain, Van) because they both want the same woman (Hazel)
There is: drama, intrigue, suspense, twists & turns, secrets, action, deceit, betrayal, jealousy, murder, false accusations, injustice, emotional turmoil, abduction, confrontations, violence, ruthlessness, desperation, revenge, love, some steam & a satisfying conclusion.
Although this story is a bit slow in the beginning, it soon becomes more intriguing & I would recommend this romantic suspense to people who enjoy reading this genre.
I loved the blurb and the story was as good as it sounded. Pages turning and easy to read. There is jealousy, betrayal, some steamy scenes, twists and turns, and a wicked great love. Highly recommend. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sophie Lark is a new author to me. I’ve read a few of her books, actually I think I’ve read them all. I believe Sophie is fairly new. One thing I have noticed is Sophie listens to her readers. This book is a fantastic read. The story is about Hazel who is loved by both Van and Ethan. The three of them start a tech company in which Hazel designs and develops software, while Van does the finances and Ethan does the marketing of the software. A fourth person, Matt, joins the company at Van’s father’s demand in exchange for him bankrolling the enterprise, even though Matt is not very well liked (especially since he reports on them to the father). This story is compelling and fast paced. I loved it from the cover to the story. Absolutely recommend. I voluntarily received an arc copy of this book from HiddenGems but also purchased a copy
A modern take on a classic story. An emotional telling. Van and Ethan were best friends. On paper, Van has everything: money, looks, and popularity. the classic daddy issues are also thrown in. Ethan is from a poor background. He is quiet, hard working and Van’s dad loves him. Of course Ethan gets the girl Van secretly loves. Jealousy, betrayal, and a love for the times add twists and turns to this romantic, suspenseful story.
I’ve read quite a few books by Sophie Lark, and her writing style has definitely improved since her first release. I really enjoyed this book. It was a very good read.
Van was a very good villain. There was nothing likable about him at all. He was jealous of Ethan because he felt like he got everything in life when he felt like he should have it. He saw Hazel first, but she ended up with Hazel. He is rich, but his father would rather have Ethan as a son. So he sets his best friend up for murder.
Ethan had it all until his best friend sets him up. He has the girl, his app is about to take off and make him rich. He was a very likeable hero.
Hazel never looked at Van as nothing more than a best friend. It was always Ethan from the first moment they met. I really like her as a heroine. She was strong, and really stood on her own when Ethan was sent to prison.
Will Ethan get his revenge on Van for setting him up? Read now to find out.
I received a free copy from Booksprout and am leaving a voluntarily review
What an amazing story. With twists and turns you never quite see what’s coming until it’s happening.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book does not follow the normal formulaic approach that most romances have. The main characters get together very early on in the book and then the story span about 10 years.
I have a personal bias that may influence my review – although I do try to look at the story as a whole. The bias is based on the visceral reaction I have to stories where anyone is falsely accused – in this case of a very serious crime. And although the story revolves around this theme, the resolution was very slow and did impact how much I enjoyed the book. I would have preferred the book to start with Ethan’s release and rather weave a tale about revenge. This said, the start was also very slow and in my opinion a boring read.
In all, though, I appreciate the attempt at writing a very different story. The book is well written with very few editing or continuity issues.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This has betrayal, lies, jealousy, murder, revenge and so much more. The storyline takes you through Ethan, Van and Hazel in college, meeting at a New Year’s Eve party and then the creation of their PayDirt app. Things are going well and they are about to launch the app when a twist is thrown in. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Superb, the edge of your seat read. I loved this book, just couldn’t put it down. It was a romantic, steamy, entrepreneurial, thriller all rolled into one. Each different emotion easily morphed into the story which was written in a wonderful style with eloquent and appropriate vocabulary. The characters were expertly developed and described with a great degree of sympathy and understanding without being judgmental. This was somewhat new, as negative heroes are usually described with disapproving criticism. The author, however, left the reader to see the reasoning behind evil deeds and allowed a measure of acceptance that we are not just good or evil but a mixture of both. The injustice, desperation, pain, and loneliness suffered by Ethan was immeasurable and we witness that righteous anger, coupled with a great deal of luck and intelligence can also be ruthless. Poor Hazel, left with her heart torn out goes through 7 years of torment, yet she too is innocent with only her little girl giving her joy in those dark years. Fate however intervenes and we are rewarded with an HEA but at a cost that will leave Ethan yet again having to prove no premeditated malice. The epilogue, although needed to be downloaded separately, reinforces the love between Hazel and Ethan with very positive expectations for the future. I would gladly recommend this, like any other book from this author, as she always guarantees a high-quality reading experience. Good editing enhanced the experience.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The CEO of Cristo by Sophie Lark
What would you do if you were framed for a crime you did not commit? Ethan had everything he ever dreamed of. He had the girl, money and a company he helped build from the ground up. Then he was convicted of a gruesome crime, murder.
Ah, but revenge is sweet. And he is exacting it on all who did him wrong. Follow Ethan as he brings down, one by one, the people in his past who set him up. Can he win back the girl? Was she in on it? Is the sex as sweet the second time around?
Sit back and enjoy the ride. This story is skillfully told by Lark as only she can do. You won’t want to miss this one!!!
The CEO of Cristo: A Secret Baby Billionaire Romance was good, just not my favorite by Sophie Lark. I went into this book expecting it to be more like her color ones. Unfortunately that mindset is what led to my disappointment. While this book was good and I loved Hazel, it just didn’t measure up to her other books. Ethan was an OK hero, and Van was alright as the villain. My favorite part of the entire book was the bonus chapter you can get when you sign up for her email. I loved seeing Ethan and Hazel with their daughter as a family.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book has it all! It has murder, lies, deceit, jealousy, and betrayal. Ethan goes through so much because of a jealous friend. Van wants everything Ethan has, especially Hazel. He does the unthinkable to get her. Ethan spends a long time waiting for revenge. Once his plan is in motion, lots of twists and surprises happen. All in all a great book. It has something for everyone.
If you are a fan on the Count Of Monte Cristo, you are going to love this modern retelling down to wanting to do bodily harm to Van! The story has a lot of correlations to the original and will have your emotions all over the place. Ethan will touch your hear and have you empathizing with all he had to endure to get where he is today. Ms. Lark has masterfully weaved a tale that draws you in and keeps you glued to the pages. This is one that you will not read just once! I voluntarily agreed top receive an ARC of this book for an honest review.