From the outside, Stella Martin’s life seems perfect. A thriving yoga studio, wonderful girlfriends, and enough Mr. Right Now’s to keep her entertained should be plenty to keep her busy and happy. But her perpetual single status stirs up a nagging discontent. Too many strikeouts in a row leave her wondering if there really is a Mr. Right for her. He certainly can’t be Bastian Pierce, the … workaholic tech genius who can’t relax, no matter how attractive he is. She’s been runner-up to a demanding job before. Never again.
Bastian Pierce is a busy man. CEO of a tech unicorn that’s just gone public and “Billionaire Bachelor” to millions of viewers, Bas doesn’t have time to sleep, let alone stretch and meditate. But when his assistant badgers him into a private yoga session with a goddess, he is hooked. Maybe he should take more time for himself, especially if that time involves Stella and a tropical yoga retreat. But when complications chase them around the globe, their idyllic vacation and budding relationship are threatened.
From high-pressure Silicon Valley to blissful Bali, Stella and Bas will push each other to bend and reach for what matters most.
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Stella Martin is a woman who knows what she wants out of life, and won’t settle for anything less than what she thinks she deserves. As a yoga instructor she makes her living helping people find a healthy balance between the stresses in life and relaxation. Only her newest client can’t seem to slow down for longer than 5 minutes and seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. She’s already lived through the pain of having one man put her second best to his career, she’s determined to never let it happen again.
Bastian Pierce is CEO of ABStech and currently acting as CFO after his best friend was pushed out of the company by the board. He went into the tech industry because he loved developing and helping find ways to solve peoples problems. But lately he hasn’t had an opportunity to do what he loves and his high blood pressure is proof of this. To appease his assistant and hopefully try to relax enough to get some sleep he agrees to private yoga sessions.
Stella and Bastian have an instant chemistry that is off the charts H-O-T, but Bastian ticks off too many of Stella’s “strike list” and she’s determined to keep him in the same category with the rest of her “Mr. Right-Now” but not Mr. Right. Bastian also has insecurities that stem from being picked on in high school due to him being so smart and jumping grades. When he does open up to get to know a woman he soon discovers they only like being attached to his name or money.
Can these two overcome their negative past experiences to realize that they are perfect for each other? Will Stella see that Bastian needs her to help balance out his workaholic tenancies, but at the same time she needs him to help realize that working hard doing something you love for those you love doesn’t mean you don’t love your career more than your family?
Three Strikes is the third in Eva Moore’s Girls’ Night Out series. This story focuses on Stella Martin and Sebastian (Bas) Pierce. Stella owns a yoga studio, and doesn’t just want to teach relaxation and balance, she aims to live that, having seen how being too driven and committed to one’s work can have dire effects not only on one’s health but one’s relationships. Her life is pretty great, with the exception of not having a partner to share it with. For the time being, she’s had a string of Mr. Right Nows, though none of them seem to be turning into Mr. Right.
Bas is not only not seeming a candidate for Mr. Right, he’s not really even in the running for Mr. Right Now. He’s the stepped-into-the-breach CEO of a newly IPOed Silicon Valley tech company, and is juggling hundreds of demands for his time and attention. He barely has time to breathe, much less find life balance. His well-intentioned assistant sees how much his personal life is suffering, and signs him up for a couple sessions with Stella for some relaxation coaching.
On the surface, Stella and Bas are oil and water. Aside from their incendiary chemistry and mutual attraction, it would seem they have pretty different goals in life. But as they spend time together working on helping Bas learn some much needed ways to put some restful mindful time into his life, they find that they may be more compatible than not.
Ms Moore does a terrific job of providing a taste of the high-pressure Silicon Valley setting, and balances that beautifully with well-written characters. Bas and Stella and their riotous emotions feel all too real, from their soaring highs to their vulnerabilities and private embarrassments.
Three Strikes is an excellent addition to the Girls’ Night Out series, but also stands alone well. The main characters are well supported by the secondary cast, and I look forward to the next book in the series!
What happens when 2 people come together and they are both complete opposites? These 2 end up going to a retreat in Bali. Bastian works, works and works while worrying about the company he ends up being in charge of. Stella is just the woman to help him learn to relax and detress from all the tensions in his life. This is about those 2 people learning about each other and their attractions for each other. I love happy endings and of course this one has it. I’m looking forward to book #4 and where it will take me next