A quick read that had the opportunity to have more attention paid to the build up of the characters and the plot. Even knowing that this was a Novella, I wish that it could have had more substance and been longer, essentially to expand upon the mystery.

For Cate to seem to be a behind the scenes academic and archeologist, she demonstrated some pretty out there behavior beginning early on in the story...the archeology aspect could have been expanded upon as well. Malcom was way too over the top for my liking. He came across as not having much respect for women...to me he only used them for his own pleasure.

I'm sure many enjoyed the erotic aspect of the story, it seemed thrown into the story for ergotism sake and could have been incorporated in a manner that served more of a purpose.

This ARC book was a complimentary copy provided by the Publisher and Netgally, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Great start to what I hope will be an awesome story. It has Murder, Sex, and missing jewels. This is Volume 1 and I can't wait for Volume 2 to come out and hopefully finish the story.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

There's a lot to like about this inaugural novel. For one thing, the characters are larger than life and have a lot of depth to them even if the page count it on the shorter side of things. I was really impressed by how rich their backstories were given that there is a lot happening in this story. It was like watching a soap opera to me--in a good way.

I also liked that this wasn't full blown erotica either. Yes, we get plenty of sexy times but what I mean is that you aren't just reading sex scene after sex scene. You get plot development in between and that's what had me intrigued.

At the same time, this story does suffer a bit from the novella page size. The romance didn't have me totally sold for one thing. I just didn't really see the chemistry there. The mystery aspect, while intriguing, seemed very rushed and not as developed as it could have been. I enjoy the fact that it is going to be teased out more in the next two volumes.

Hellion was STEAMY and SWOONWORTHY! Could not put this down! 10 Stars if I could!!

This was all over the place. The hero was a douchebag and the heroine wasn't as smart as she'd first been made out to be.

This is the first book in this series by this author. This is the first book by this author that I've read and it wont be the last. This is a fast paced, hot and steamy, murder mystery story. This story will keep you reading long into the night. The characters are hot and interesting. I was hooked from the first page and I wish it would have been longer. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.
Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed and advance reader copy of this book.

copy received courtesy of Netgalley
The story was not quite what I thought. After reading the blurb, I thought I was expecting a little more Malcolm. It started off pretty good, but we quickly lose malcolm and go to Cate and the mystery. there didn't seem to be a lot of connection between the two. I am not sure where the attraction developed. there is plenty of heat between the main characters but it seems the relationship is missing until almost the last page. However, the mystery kept me interested. I will continue the series just to see how all this plays out.

3.5 Stars!

Prison darkens their past.

Once a prisoner, now a billionaire, Malcolm Bradshaw, and his friends run a billion dollar construction business. When they decide to work on a new project and a dead body, buried with some long lost family jewels is found during excavation, their new life is put in jeopardy.

Cate’s a good girl, or that’s what her parents believe. Used to do everything her parents ask, is not a surprised when she canceled her vacation plans to go to Texas and deal with some mystery jewels found on a construction project.

Temptation...

Who can resist a grumpy tattoo-covered billionaire? Certainly, not Cate. But she’s not alone in this game called lust, Malcolm can’t stop thinking about the cute as hell archeologist looking over his shoulder.

What started as a job becomes irrevocably complicated the moment she lets lust win and her past comes back to bite her in the ass.

Short but packed with enough mystery and steamy scenes, Hellion by Emmy Joel kept me hooked till the very last page.

What bugged me the most about the story was the lack of an emotional connection between the main characters. I think that being able to develop their relationship a little more would have helped a lot. Hopefully, the author will give me more of them in the next installments, because it definitely left me wanting more.

Despite the above-mentioned, Hellion is a total page turner with an original plot that had me on pins and needles the entire ride.

If you are looking for a quick, suspenseful read with a grumpy tattoo-covered billionaire, just one-click and give Hellion a try.

Hellion, the first book in Emmy Joel’s three-book Billion-Dollar Bastards series, is an unforgettable story about a female archaeologist looking to discover a house’s secret and a man trying to restore the same house. This, of course, leads to a great deal of friction and a fascinating suspense plot that will play out over the course of the entire series. If pressed, I would have to call this story a quirky romance that surprised me and delighted me.
 
Cate Lois is an academic archaeologist who is getting ready to go on vacation when her father badgers her into going to Texas to excavate the site where a body has been discovered. Malcolm Bradshaw, one of the owners of Pharaoh Construction is working at the site to prepare it for an upcoming wedding. The house belongs to a locally important and wealthy woman, so the job is critical to Malcolm and his partners. Malcolm is the one that must deal with Cate and her presence on the job site - and he isn’t very happy to have her around. Of course, he really isn’t happy that a dead body has been found on his construction site leading to delays..
 
Despite Malcolm’s annoyance, he can’t help his attraction to Cate. Okay, and it doesn’t help that the first time he sees her, she is naked, stretched out on a chaise in the house.
 
Perhaps this was indecent, but she wasn’t violating a house she’d already decides she respected. She trusted it. Naked, she was vulnerable and powerful, and she was sharing her strength and weakness with an old piece of furniture and the drawing room that held them both.
 
While Cate is in town, she is determined to discover more about the history of the house, the dead body and the missing rare-diamond-purple solitaire ring known as the Violet Eye. The ring’s value is immeasurable, and the mystery surrounding the house is something that everyone needs solved.
 
Despite the initial friction between Cate and Malcolm, the two can’t stay away from each other (they totally have a hate attraction thing going on) and find themselves indulging in heated exchanges that lead to sexy shenanigans at various places in the house. In one encounter in the library against a ladder, the two have such vigorous sex that something drops off a shelf from above:
 
Malcolm held her, teasing her clitoris this time as a stinging sensation of pleasure swept him from scalp to heels and gathered in his balls. And when she grabbed his wrist to control his touch, crying out loudly and probably forgetting where they were in a battered old mansion with a construction crew outside, she collapsed into an orgasm and hauled him down with her.
 
Kissing her, he reached to gather her in his arms, but she shrieked as more books tumbled along with a container.
 
It took a moment before his eyes registered it as a plastic container --
 
“Holy shit. . . “
 
-- with a human hand inside.
 
Admittedly, this is the first severed hand I’ve encountered during that special post-coital moment. And, of course, the severed hand has the Violet Eye on it!
 
Beyond the murder mystery, both Cate and Malcolm have issues with which they both must deal. Cate has personal issues with her friend (who maybe isn’t so much) that leave her vulnerable to blackmail which does have some impact on the story. Malcolm, meanwhile, has troubles of his own stemming from his criminal past. The fact that he (and his partners) are ex-cons make them particularly worried about the police presence at the house investigating the dead body.
 
Hellion by Emmy Joel is a unique and sexy romance. The mystery of the body and the ring are not fully solved because this arc carries through the entire series. But Cate and Malcolm do find their way past the hostility to open up to each other. This book kept me on my toes with its enemies to lovers theme and twisty suspense plot. I am totally hooked on the series arc, and I cannot wait to read the next two books!

This murder mystery was a fast paced erotica quickie. With interesting characters and physical chemistry that was off the charts, Hellion pulled out all the stops to make an impression. And I was impressed, I loved the cover, the writing was flawless and the dark edgy mystery behind the Violet Eye kept me curious. Hands down, it definitely stands out for originality.

But (the dreaded but!)

After speed-reading like a lunatic and getting to that ending, I sat back and felt at loose ends. To be honest, there was quiet a few things that bugged me about Hellion. First, I needed more of an emotional/romantic connection between the MCs to rate any higher than a 2 star read. When there are too many vying for the H or h's attention, I need to know that his/her H/h is special and just "more" than any other. Mal never did that for me. When I pick up a romance book, I want to fall in love. Don’t get me wrong the down and dirty naughty bits are the cherry on top, but I’m still looking for that pull of softer feelings and rightness between a couple. Something that stands out and stays strong and makes me believe in their HEA. Hellion was a good start towards that end goal, but that’s all it was – a start with no middle and no ending.

In the end, a lot happens and big commitments are made with no real backing to support it.

The story had potential but that abrupt ending and (that awesome but still a) cliff hanger robbed me of some of the enjoyment. The novella needed to be fleshed out more, it ended too quickly for me to justify any real emotional connection to Malcolm or Cate. Granted my heart was pounding and my blood was pumping for a big chunk of this story but that didn’t make up for the fact that looking back, Malcolm was a little too closed off and cold towards Cate. (There was something so heartbreaking about Cate’s drunken cry binge at the end) I thought for sure this was going to be Mal’s big softy scene where he would comfort his woman because she was clearly hurting, but instead he was the same closed off and unfeeling guy from that first scene where sex solves it for him. That was disappointing so close to the end. Where was his emotional growth? That being said, I'm still intrigued enough to check back in with them because I'm curious enough to want to find out what happens and if Malcolm ever really changes. Big question though, will Mal and Cate even be the centerfold couple in the next installment?

'Hellion' by Emmy Joel is book One in the "Billion-Dollar Bastards". This is the story of Cate Lois and Malcolm Bradshaw. This book is about 150 pages and the story is so good you wish it was a little longer but overall I am happy to have read this book.
Malcolm and his friends Miller and Jackson have overcome being in jail for murder for 8 years. Now that are rich with a very successful construction company called Pharaoh Construction in Dallas. But while on a job they run into a body where Cate is called to the scene. Cate is a archaeologist who is only in town for a short time.
Malcolm and Cate are attracted to each other but there is more going on than this. This book has some exciting scene and great mystery that even when Cate and Malcolm have a Happy Ending the mystery continues. I can't wait for the next book by Ms. Joel!
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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4.25 stars
When he was 17, Malcom and his two buddies Miller & Jackson killed someone. We don’t yet know the circumstances surrounding this event, but it ended up with the guys in jail for eight years.
Now with 34, the three guys own a billion-dollar construction company in Dallas.
That’s where Cate comes in.
She’s a 32 year old archeologist, specializing in rare gems. And that’s exactly what’s been found – underneath a dead woman – on Malcom’s construction site.
While trying to find out what happened to the dead girl and the legendary, still lost, diamond ring, Cate and Malcom start to fall for each other.
But she’s only in Texas for a little while, and he’s never falling in love again!

I really enjoyed this story. It had lots of sexiness, excitement, fun, mystery.
I just don’t understand why the author or the publisher wanted it to be a novella?
There was so many possibilities for more. Just … more. More of everything. More depth to everything. The relationships, the sexiness, the mystery, the families, the background. I wanted more.
We have this half cliffy at the end – not a Cliffy about Cate & Malcom, but a Cliffy about the mystery. And I think with three full length novels this could’ve been an amazing Erotic Mystery Trilogy.
But – it wasn't horrible the way it was. I really liked it! ☺
I will definitely read the next two, because I want to know what happened back in that house decades ago!

Hot sexy short read! With mystery too! There is so much packed inside this short read that it is unbelievable! We got background and all the baggage.

Heck Malcom is one hot dude. Damn just walk up and just jump on the woman...hot. He also had sex in creative places...loved it! He has a past, but he has risen above. I liked him.

Cate at first was very snobby to me. She is a hellion in her own right it is just itching inside her waiting to come out. Malcom proves that. She has secrets herself!

The ending blew my mind and I can't wait to see what is going to happen!

Received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I really liked the concept of this book but the quick pace of the story felt too rushed for me to really enjoy it. There is a lot going on in the story with twists and turns all over the place. Secrets, lies, blackmail and betrayal are all woven into a short story. I'll definitely pick up the next one in the series, hopefully that one will not be quite as rushed as this one felt.

Malcolm Bradshaw is a man with a past. A past he has overcome. He's built Pharaoh Construction into the multi-million dollar company it is today and he won't let anything damage what he's worked so hard for. When human remains are unearthed on one of his job sites, his carefully guarded world is threatened.

Cate Lois is the archeologist assigned to the Pharaoh Construction find. Cate has secrets of her own and letting Malcolm Bradshaw too close could jeopardize everything. Staying clear of him isn't so easy though.

The book has some amazing potential, but it just doesn't quite get there. The writer is amazing, and I love the dark and gritty tones, but the novella is simply too short for the plot. The sexual chemistry is hot, but the real feelings that follow are abrupt and underdeveloped. A little more character and plot development, and I think the story could have been amazing.

3.5 Stars Hellion is book 1 in the Billion-Dollar Bastards series. This one was a little harder for me to review. I really liked the concept of ex-cons running a construction company and enjoyed reading it, but I did feel some parts felt rushed. Will I read more of this series most definitely and I will also read more by this author as I enjoy her writing style.

Malcom and his friends got into a bit of trouble in the past. They paid for their crimes and have worked hard since to get far in life. Now they all run a billion dollar construction business together. Right now they are working on a project that has some unforeseen difficulties pop up. Nothing major, just a dead body, buried with some long lost family jewels. Yeah. Nothing too crazy.

Cate's always done everything her parents have asked. So much so, that she hasn't really been able to be herself. She finally has a trip planned where she can go all out, unfortunately she ends up having to go to Texas and deal with the jewels found on Malcolm's companies construction project.

This brings these two working close together. Things get hot and heavy unbelievably quickly.

Ok, so here's the deal. I gave this 3.5 because I really enjoyed MOST of the story and what it COULD have been. There was mystery that was so interesting and had this been a full novel, I think would have worked well. Since this was a novella the "mystery" was very rushed and over the top. I also enjoyed the love story and the naughty bits. Once again though these things felt OTT and hard to buy into because of the quickness of the novella. Some things happened in this story that honestly didn't even make much sense. They felt very far-fetched and I caught myself saying, "why is this happening?" I honestly just wish this was a full length novel. I think being able to develop the characters and the details of the mystery would have helped alleviate the issues I saw in this novella.

There's obviously going to be more to the story, which I definitely plan to read. Hopefully the story can be unfolded a little slower from now on. So it has time to develop a bit!

All in all a decent read. Great story, with a little trouble in the believability of it all!

Hellion is a good solid well-written romance. Interesting plot and characters helped the story move along quite nicely.

This was an amazing read, quick and fun. I loved how this book included erotica, and mystery. This book has it all, and the ending just leaves you wanting more! The cliffhanger is so mysterious you will be running out to buy the second book! This is sure to be a hit especially in the summer! Loved how the ex-con became this sexy mysterious billionaire and this murder mystery unfolding all around them. Cannot wait to see how this turns out not only for cate, and mr. sexy, but for the body that was found buried within the home!

There is sex on page one. Yep. Really. Many times that would make me scream…oh, hell no!…I don’t like erotica.

I kept reading, and I’m glad I did. There is a lot of sex between two people who barely know each other, but that’s life. It happens. The sex scenes are well written and not quite explicit enough to cross that fine line into true erotica.

There is also a pretty good plot! It’s a little short for my taste and the characters could use a bit more fleshing out, but pretty good just the same. I learned more about Malcolm from the blurb than from the story. Cate was more compelling. She was being pushed hard from several directions. I liked her. She’s had an interesting life.

I’m looking forward to the next two books in the series. Jackson and Miller sound fascinating. Get your copy now and…

Enjoy

2shay