Wow, Heidi McLaughlin wrote one down and dirty story with Stripped Bare! An Arrogant Billionaire and Stripper.

Now, believe it or not, I am probably the only person in the world that has never seen the movie Pretty Woman. But, I do know the premise of it. Heidi McLaughlin put an interesting spin to it and turned a hard-hearted, cocky male into a beautiful man.

Macey and Finn. Explosive. In and out of bed. Macey has had a hard life and it trying, desperately to make ends meet and make a life for her daughter. When she finds out the amount of money that she can make in Vegas, she has no choice but to take off so that her daughter could have somewhat of a normal upbringing. But, just as things are going great, she decides to try to double her money. The tragedy that befalls her is truly the beginning of the end for her especially when Finn shows himself. There is no way that she is about to tell him what’s going on or why she was so desperate.

Finn … does not believe in kissing … does not believe in love. There’s no way that he could when he watched his father just move on after his mother passed away. He’s convinced that love doesn’t last and that power and money are what rules the world. He’s built an empire in Vegas and does not need or want a woman to complicate things. They are good for one thing and one thing only. So, as he watches a girl from his past lose it all, a plan forms that allows him to keep his commitments, help her out and get a taste of Macey. He knows that it will be one only one week but he has no qualms about it, at all. Until she leaves. Until the truth is disclosed.

I was really drawn into Stripped Bare. Heidi McLaughlin knows how to keep you interested in a story, how to move it along and how to melt your heart with just one kiss. It was a fun story at times, it was a heart-breaking story at times. Not too much angst but enough to keep you wondering how things were going to go for the two of them. I loved watching Finn evolve into a loving and caring man. I loved watching Macey grow from a caring, loving mother into the woman she was meant to be. It was a huge undertaking but Heidi McLaughlin handled it with class and style.

3.5

Macey is trying to get her daughter a better life and is working as a stripper. She is off to Las Vegas to earn some money which she then loses on the Black Jack table. She meets Finn, a highschool fling, who is now owning hotels and casino.

I really liked the story of Macey and Finn, both were likable characters, even though Finn is like light and shadow as Macey once said. He has some really nice moments and he is very caring and protective but sometimes he treats Macey not very nicely.

I enjoyed the story with its setting and Finn and Macey were working well together. They had a really good chemistry and their sexy times were really hot.

The writing style was easy and enjoyable to read, I am looking forward to more books by the author.

Macey is a single mother holding down two jobs. Fin is a rich hotel magnate who sees Macey and basically wants to “rent” her for a time.
Pretty Woman this wasn’t. For a second chance story (if that’s what the author was going for) to work for me, it has to be compelling. While I could feel for Macey, Fin was made up of everything I don’t like in male characters. He ruined the book for me.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Finn almost let me down!!! But first let's talk about how freaking awesome and strong Macey is. Such an inspiring single mom romance. Macey sure did pull out all the stops to make sure her daughter was taking care of. It's like wow I don't know how she does it. Macey is stripping and working as a waitress to keep food and shelter over her daughter's head. When she goes to Vegas for extra cash it's takes a while but you realize she is pimping herself to the guy that is Morgan, her daughter's dad. It breaks your heart for Macey and Morgan. I can't say anything else without giving too much away but Finn needs to get moving if he is going to win her over!

4 1/2 Stars!

Macey is trying to make ends meet. She's a waitress and a stripper but still is just making it. She has a young daughter who she wants more for. Finn is sexy and wealthy. He knows Macey from when they were teenagers. Macey goes to Vegas to make some money. Her paths cross with Finn again and he has a proposition she can't refuse. I really liked these two together. Macey even though she's down on her luck, she's still strong. She funny and sassy. Macey is keeping a secret. Finn is cocky but he also has a sweet side too. Finn is a smart guy. I liked how even though Brandy was trying to get him to do things he didn't want to, he never caved to her demands. I really liked this one.

The book started in the right (-ish) way, but in the end, it felt me with a sense of cheapness and a half-baked work. After finishing the book, I couldn't help but cringe and laugh at the same time because I was remembering Finn saying how mediocre and kind of forgettable the sex was between them. Also doesn't think highly of her for a long time. To be honest I am not sure if I think highly of Macey. I would have expected her to have done something more to make sure her daughter was living in better conditions. I feel like the ten year old was more mature than her mother and Finn. Steph is the most mature person there and the only voice of reason. She appears too briefly if you ask me.

The book had some moments where I thought things were going to change for something good and they would overcome the bad, but that change never happened.

In the end, for me, Finn is a hypocritical, little immature boy and Macey a weak person, even if she tried to change her life. The two main characters sucked, so the book wasn't a good experience for me. We barely got to see Finn or Macey's friends. Finn's friends didn't seem like good people. I don't understand hoe Brady was OK with Finn sleeping with his sister, Brandy. And yes. Brandy and Brady are siblings. I guess their parents didn't have any imagination when they named them.

I could have said a hundred more things about the things I didn't like in the book, but I will just drop the mic here.

I could not get into this book and I tried a few times and was unsuccessful.

Finn and Macey. Stripper, Vegas, rich ex boyfriend, week long proposition. How could this not be entertaining? I loved this book. I could not put it down until I finished it!

Full disclosure: While I enjoyed this story for the most part, I did have some issues with it and if you read on, you'll discover exactly what those issues were.

Ever read a book where you liked the story, at least its premise, but couldn't stand the characters?

For me, Stripped Bare was one of those books. Every time one of the characters had something to say... I... just... couldn't... deal.

It could just be me. Maybe it is. Who knows? I have a low tolerance for a-holes and dingbats so that could be it.

Fin was/is a manwhore, greedy, cold, calculating, rude, and prides himself on being respectful and considerate while being incorrigible and inconsiderate. This man was a walking talking mass of contradictions. I scrounged each page looking for something about him to like and it wasn't until I got to the end of the story... the freaking end!! ... that I found his one redeeming moment.

As for Macey, I dug deep to find a modicum of affection for her. She was a huge disappointment. I neither liked or respected her but I didn't hate her either. It just bothered me that she created the situation she was in and how she dealt with it. Being a single mom isn't the end of the world and it doesn't stop most of us for reaching for the sky. I pulled up my bootstraps and found myself an edu-ma-cation in order to provide my children with the best possible life I could. I did it all on my own and I still do it all on my own. So when a fictional character can't find it within herself to achieve or aspire to be more than a minimum wage earning contribution to her child's life, my sympathies are pretty thin. I'm not saying there aren't circumstances that prevent some moms from moving mountains, but this fictional character had no excuse. But that's just my opinion. Anyhow, her daughter's unconditional love for her is what got me through.

Overall, this was a hot and steamy second chance romance between a man with a closed-off heart and a woman with a hopeful soul. If you can get past the negative qualities of the characters, then more power to you and I hope you enjoy the heck out of this story!!

Release Date: March 28, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance - 2nd chance
POV: Dual - 1st person
Heat: 4 out of 5
Type: Standalone - Book 1 of the Vegas Billionaire series

One of the best books I have read of Heidi's yet!!!

The giddy delight I get when I meet a new or new-to-me author’s words is BOOKWORM BLISS! That rush during that initial read is off-the-charts incredible! I finally popped my Heidi McLaughlin book cherry, and oh was it an explosion! Sultry and sweet, Stripped Bare blazes with fire and feels in a modern-day Pretty Woman fairy tale!



I fell in INSTANT LOVE with Stripped Bare, an achingly addictive love story that held me hard, heating my body…hijacking my heart…HIJACKING ME. The enticing and emotional writing was raw and the characters felt real. The Vegas setting in Sin City was sexy as were the hero and heroine. This book BURNED—so blazing HOT—where I melted into molten lava! Bold banter throughout this book made me blush, sizzling sex singed my body from head to toe and had me seeing stars.

Finn is an over-the-top alpha billionaire, a playboy and dominant man known along the Vegas strip. He commands attention everywhere from his icy blue eyes, dark hair, and tall and chiseled physique to his take-no-prisoners demeanor. He is a power player, and Finn plays for keeps. The one play he did not mastermind is the one where his high school fling walks into his casino looking like a stripper, making him want to play with her like he’s the predator and Macey’s the prey.

One proposition is all it takes for Macey to fold to Finn…

“You’re mine. I will not share, Macey.”


These words…PURE POWER! I LOVED THIS ALL-ALPHA!!! Finn made me flame with heat, his possessive words possessing me, stripping me bare indeed.

Finn leans forward and rubs his tongue across my lower lip, causing my insides to ache. He’s feasted on me repeatedly. Bringing me to the brink, over and over again until the ache is too much to bare.




Finn made me melt like molten lava. He is a power player in the office and in the bedroom…an expert in every way. The chemistry between Finn and Macey was combustible, electric everywhere. What starts as pure pleasure, smoldering sex, becomes more!

That SPARK is one Finn and Macey can’t deny. Finn doesn’t put all of his chips in one basket, he plays with many pawns or women. One woman may make his cash in all of his chips and fold, as Macey may be the one holding the cards after all.

"I have no doubt she's going to test me, give me a run for my money, but it's going to be worth it."


If you want a heart-stopping story with smoldering sex, a possessive alpha and sassy heroine, characters with chemistry and history, and an explosive storyline, then Stripped Bare is the perfect romance to bare itself to you. This Cinderella story seduces and scorches Sin City style! Stripped Bare is ALIVE like the Vegas nightlife, a hot love affair of words, where you will experience each one like a fantasy come true. Stripped Bare was my fantasy, and I want to bask in this fairytale a little longer. ❤

4 sultry kisses

Love this book about second chances. Macey is a single mom trying to make ends meet and care for her daughter. She at the point she has to take a job she hates to provide for her child. When she makes a bad decision that affects her goal which leaves her with no choice but to accept Finn’s proposal. Finn is instantly attracted to her and is determined to have and help her. Macey has a secret and Finn doesn’t want a committed relationship but as they spend time together feelings for each other grow. Once the secret is revealed Finn gets more than he bargains for. Recommended read.

Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Author and Books & Boys PR & Loveswept

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Standalone



My Stripped Bare Review . . .


I first fell for Heidi's writing after The Beaumont Series, so whenever I get the opportunity to read or review one of her books, I jump at the chance.


This time around this story is about Macey and Finn. Once upon a time when they were kids Finn and Macey had a rendezvous but they were from different sides of the tracks and on different paths so their time together was quick.


Now ten years later, she's just trying to survive the best she can for her and her daughter. And that means she will do whatever is needed, even strip. However, she can barely survive on the two jobs she has, so when given the opportunity to strip in Vegas, she jumps at the chance. What she didn't think would happen is to run into her past.


"Why does everything revolve around sex with you, huh?"

Finn sees a beautiful woman down on her luck, but then quickly realizes that he knows her from the past. So he gives her the ultimate proposal to help her gain what she lost while she was in Vegas. It was supposed to start as companion proposal for events but it quickly turns into more with their present and past chemistry.


The proposal was for one week but is it enough? And will Macey's past haunt her forever?


I did quite like this book, but it took me awhile because Finn was a bit of a wanker and it took me awhile to warm up to him. Sure, there were many points that were very predictable but it was still sweet and sexy. Also at times there felt like there was more sex than substance but it didn't overpower the story. But I'm a sucker for second chance romances and this did fit the bill.


3 . 5 Second Chance Thumbs up!

Title: Stripped Bare
Author: Heidi McLaughlin

4 unexpected stars

I never had the chance to read a novel by Heidi McLaughlin in the past and i'm not quite sure why i waited so long to get my hands on her books. Stripped Bare was everything i could have expected from a romantic comedy with that twist that i never expected. It was sexy, it was hot and it was captivating from the very first page. I enjoyed watching Fin get his hopes dashed and then work for what he wants rather than get what he's used to getting with barely any work and yet Macey, the single mother who only wants a better life for her daughter.

4 breath taking dreams

I liked the story, how a high school fling doesn't erase the feelings they had for one another, even 10 years later, but with that twist that makes it different from all the other novels with the same base. Heidi McLaughlin made her characters enjoyable, relatable while still make me curious to find out what else she has to offer to her readers after i've read the last page. It's a book that is different from any other that i've read while still keeping me intrigued until the very last page and i can't wait until i can get my hands on another book from her.




*ARC provided by Author in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed by Kathleen, The Small Girl from A small girl, her man and her books

Everything is bigger and better in Vegas ... and so is Stripped Bare.

Great read, like all Heidi McLaughlin books. Good pace, story, characters.

Perfection, as I expected! I was entranced, and was certainly put through the rollercoaster of emotions. It was so very worth it, though.

This was not bad I like the story but my main reason was the hero .I didn't like him for a big part of the story and this make me to not enjoy the story as much as I was supposed to like it

A modern day "Pretty Women" story with twists that will have you feeling for the characters especially for Macey Webster who seems to not have any luck on her side versus Finn McCormick who has everything and more as he pleases. When these two are together you feel the connection and the want for more. However is it enough for two people with different lifestyles to be something more?