Hmmm...so I was a little hesitant to read this book, since it was based off a "Billionaire Fairy Tales". It was a lot more than I expected. I knew Nero was damaged. Almost broken beyond repair. Phoebe was not broken, but needed experience. She is a care giver by nature. She always wanted to be there to "fix" anyone or anything. Then tragedy happens two years before and it seems to me that she has lived in a shell of herself.

Nero has not really owned up to his past. He is a very high demand man in the business world. But due to unusual circumstances, he needs a live in assistant that would take care of business needs outside his home. He also had gone through too many employees and it would be a miracle one would last at least a month. Until Phoebe came aboard. He says she is not pretty, but he is attracted to her from the inside out. I still believe after reading this story that Phoebe is the most beautiful person in this story line.

These two characters have issued within the past. But I was sad to find the truth in Nero's. The events that are place in the book had me anxious and sad. Then it turned into hope. By the end of the book I was rooting for these two. If you love Billionaire stories, this is a great read. It gives you much more that you would have imagined.

Reader review of The Billionaire Beast by Jackie Ashenden

Publisher AC in exchange for an honest review.

5 Star Rating for this Beauty & her Beast !! Loved this book 2nd in the Billionaire series. Right from the get go loved Phoebe & totally disliked Nero ( a first but knew as with most of Jackie's characters I would definitely & eventually love him )

Nero is a reclusive billionaire locked away in his home - (aka ivory tower) never venturing out - as a reader you can't wait to find out his story. Phoebe comes to work for him as his PA or should I say beck & call girl since he requires her to be at his service 24/7 ! That jerk ....

Phoebe is strong , calm & extremely capable at her job. We discover she has her own personal issues. She is caring - compassionate and a total match for Nero's overbearing personality.

Jackie Ashenden's attention to detail & character evolvement is so spot on for these 2 characters. I read this book in pretty much one sitting could not put it down - loved it !! One of the BEST HEA scenes & yes these 2 find true love.

Highly recommend this book- such a great story !!

Oh & yes , and they live happily ever after in this very modern day love story ❤

Love this book. Beauty and the Beast retold. Nero is a recovering from a childhood trauma and seclude himself from the out side world. Phoebe needs a job to pay for her fiancé's hospital bill. Nero job offer seems just right until the day she reported to work. There's an instant attraction between the two. The interaction between the two is intense which leads to an emotional read. Recommended read. Could not put down. Looking for to the rest of the brothers' story.

Billionaire Beast is a sexy take on Beauty and the Beast, and it’s signature Jackie Ashenden - a little dark and a whole lot of sexy with a guaranteed happily ever after. If you like your heroes tortured, you’ll fall in love with Nero de Santis.

Nero hasn’t left his house in ten(!) years because of tragic circumstances during his childhood that have left him broken. His isolation has made his social skills dismal, but he’s a billionaire and money ensures he can get what he wants. He’s foul tempered and difficult to be around, and he’s going through personal assistants faster than the door can open and shut. He’s a demanding employer and a beast (pun intended) to work for. Phoebe Taylor is his newest victim assistant, but she’s not scared of Nero.

Phoebe needs this job, so she can’t afford to let Nero bully her into quitting even though he has outrageous demands and expects her to be available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. She’s is able to keep her cool through Nero’s blustering, which throws him for quite a loop.

This grumpy recluse gets more confused by Phoebe when he realizes he’s extremely attracted to her. He’s used to getting what he wants; therefore, he thinks he should be able to have Phoebe. She’s attracted to him too but refuses to give into this particular demand, because she has some recent heartbreak in her life that makes her hesitant. But there is something about Nero that cannot be denied. He might be a jerk, but he’s obviously broken. She’s sees something in him that no one else has been able to reach.

If you like your heroes tortured with lots of angst, you’ll love Nero and Billionaire Beast. It’s breathtakingly romantic (especially the ending!) and a true fairy tale romance.

Sizzling book!
Great storyline, I haven't read anything by this author and was pleasantly surprised. Nero was a bit over the top with his aggression, but Phoebe handled it perfectly. I was surprised and how fast she gave in however, I thought she would hold out a little longer. But when they finally got together, the sparks flew! I was surprised and how quickly Nero was into Phoebe, I would have thought he would put up a stronger battle and more walls, but maybe this was just to prove how very vulnerable he was underneath all the bluster. A thoroughly enjoyable book, and I hope to read the others in this series,

This is the first book I have read by Jackie Ashenden. Phoebe has her own insecurities to deal with but Nero is broken due to his past and together they work through the journey to find themselves. The book was well written and I enjoyed. it. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

The Billionaire Beast by Jackie Ashenden
The Billionaire Fairy Tales #2

Phoebe Taylor needs money…a lot of money…and working as the personal assistant of billionaire recluse Nero de Santis might be the only way she can get the money she needs for the care of her comatose fiancé. Nero is not an easy boss but she believes she can put up with nearly anything for the right reason. Nero is intrigued by Phoebe. He wants to break through her English cool and see what lies beneath. Over time they are drawn closer and closer to one another and begin to care for one another. Their relationship bares them to one another in more ways than one until the story ends leaving them both better off than they were when the story began.

The story is a well written modern version of Beauty and the Beast. I enjoyed the first book in the series perhaps a bit more than this one but did enjoy spending the day with Nero and Phoebe and was happy they managed to get find happiness together before the book ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my honest review.

3.5 Stars

Swerve titles are some of my favorite of all of the erotic books available. They are fun, they are well written, and most of all they are always really, really hot.

This was no exception. This is the second in the series, and it is also a fairy tale. But, an erotic retelling of one (seriously, does it get better than this?). Add in the Beauty and the Beast, and, well, this is pretty much as good as it gets.

The writing was strong, and Jackie Ashenden is quickly going on the list of one-click authors. Books like this, and characters like Nero and Phoebe are why. I just liked both of them, a lot. He was such a tortured soul, and you wanted things to be better for him. Because you like him.

I also liked Phoebe. I thought she was compelling and interesting. I liked who she was and I liked the way she was written...you relate to her, and you understand where she is coming from.

It's so hard to write reviews without spoilers as I don't want to ruin the fun of the book for anyone else. But I recommend this title and look forward to the author's next book.

This book was great! Intense, hot, and also hard to put down. Nero is definitely a beast in character but he is a hot hunk of a man. He makes you hot while also pissing you off and then endearing you to him. Certainly complicated and so is his relationship to Phoebe. The sparks these two ignited were something to see. There are lots of surprising things you find out in this book that make you more intrigued. I kept wanting to know more. I was really happy with how things ended. I loved this book and I hope I get to read more by this author!

Phoebe is an English woman who met an American and moved to the U.S. to be with him. they got engaged then, he was in a horrific car accident that left him in a permanent coma 2 years ago. Phoebe applies for a job that pays ridiculously well because the nursing home bills are becoming prohibitively expensive. She knows this won't be easy because the reclusive billionaire is cruel, mean, self-involved and, has to pay a ridiculous sum of money to her because so many of his employees have quit or been fired.
Nero has not left his estate in 10 years because he has severe agoraphobia. What is it about this woman that gives her the ability to keep him calm and make him want to do and say things he hasn't been able to do in years?!
Ms. Ashenden is in a class by herself when it comes to character development. Her characters are so complex, heartbreaking, devastating yet, loveable, you cannot stop reading because you have to find out what they're going to do or say next. Each and every book I have read by this author just keeps getting better and, I never thought that would be possible.

"Beast" and "Fairytale" are two words that put together so close only lead me to one conclusion: I must read the book. It’s something I can’t help myself… because of my love for the fairy tale of "Beauty and the Beast". I read the pages searching the magic of that story, in any form, even in the adult version.

"The Billionaire Beast" isn’t quite literally as that tale and I found less similarities than I expected, but I liked the story.

Nero is a billionaire, who lives isolated from the rest of the world, without ever leaving his home. He is a computer genius and the unwanted son born from an awkward relationship between his mother and a very rich and influential man.

Over time he has earned a terrible fame because of his irascible temperament and his unorthodox ways against several personal assistants. They were numerous and all of them fled, despite he paid them very well.

Beast is a term that describes him well enough, but his way of being so self-centered, arrogant and insufferable is not derived from the story of a privileged childhood and full of vices, not at all, and only discovering his past, one can understand the man he has become.

For Phoebe is crucial to get the vacant position of Nero’s assistant, and immediately she accepts the proposal to work for him, although during the interview, Nero didn’t hide his stinging personality, asking her an assignment in which he requires her presence 24/7. Phoebe needs money, lots of money and quickly, in order to pay for health costs for her boyfriend, leaving him in one of the best clinics for people in comas. In addition to this Nero doesn’t scare her, she is not intimidated, but, indeed, he seems to be able to awaken something in her, after a long period during which she lived on day after day just waiting for a miracle, able to awaken the man she loved.

I enjoyed the fact that the author could give credibility to the story, creating the perfect conditions for the meeting between Neroand Phoebe. The reasons why she accept the job as well, out of the blue and without problems, while usually this is the weak point in this kind of stories.

Nero's story, his past, is itself amazing, touching and heartbreaking, it certainly can’t be an excuse for his way of being, however, it helps to better understand his behavior.

Among them there’s a bond that goes beyond just passion and physical attraction, they are so different and they’re both fascinated and intrigued by the reactions of each other, and they want to discover what lies behind all this.

Nero can’t help but feel the desire to tease, provoke Phoebe’s apparent imperturbability, testing her. She always manages to get along perfectly, even in the face of his most unusual and sudden demands. Even when he blatantly asks her to have sex with him, giving in to their burning passion.

I never saw Phoebe as "weak" in their relationship. Nero is more instinctive and even childish at times with his outbursts or theabsolutism of his demands. Phoebe instead with her calm and rationality can always take him in the right way, as if she could calm the beast in him. She gets under his skin, making small changes in Nero, who begins for once to shift his attention to another person other than himself. Sometimes his attempts are clumsy, but for this, is even more appreciated by Phoebe, who can see Nero’s enormous effort.

Thanks to Phoebe page after page you can see the man hiding behind a wall of cynicism and indifference.

Their relationship is hot, full of sensuality, with ups and downs, because of the collision of two different strong personalities.

I liked the story very much, although I admit having a soft spot for the alpha male kind of man. Many women with their disappointment could classify Nero with more colorful terms, but I must say that I really liked him. The difference in this case was perhaps the female protagonist of the story, who was able to be the perfect counterpart for him.

Thanks to Netgalley for the kind preview.

This is a steamy, twisted take on The Beauty and the Beast and I loved it. Nero De Santis is truly beastly and a character that is difficult to like. That is until you hear his story. Never leaving his home he needs a personal assistant willing to live in his home and handle every request he has. Phoebe Taylor is efficient, appears cold, and desperate. Her fiance has been in a coma for two years and to continue his care she needs the outrageous salary Nero is offering for a personal assistant. Dealing with the churlish Mr. De Santis may be more than she can handle though.

I wasn't too sure about this one when I first started reading it but as I got to know these characters the story pulled me in. I definitely recommend it!

The Billionaire Beast is an interesting spin on a much loved age old Fairy Tale. Nero plays the role of the Beast well, with his cold, ruthless and self-absorbed persona. His character wasn’t at all endearing in the beginning, and left me feeling he was far too damaged to be saved.

As the story progresses; Nero and Phoebe are forced to face uncomfortable truths, along with the growing need to know each other. This is definitely an intense read, and not your typical sunshine and roses romance.

Unexpectedly good. Great length and I enjoyed it more than the first in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Watching this couple grow together was aw inspiring. There's never anything that can stop love.

the billionaire beast continues jackie ashenden's fairy tale-themed billionaire stories. this one pretty closely mirroring the story of beauty & the beast. you would think that modernizing this story would prove to be challenging, but ashenden creates a realistic and believable backstory for her beast.

nero de santis is a known recluse who has so much money at his disposal that he has forgotten what it is to need something and not have that need immediately fulfilled. he compensates his assistants handsomely, but all the money in the world isn't worth the humiliations that he puts them through. it is impossible to meet his exacting standards. he is too smart, too imposing, too everything. until he meets his match in phoebe taylor.

she is desperate. the cost of her comatose fiancé's care facility has decimated her savings. she refuses to compromise on his care and despite all the horror stories she's heard about working for nero, she knows that if he offers her the job, she can't refuse it. but from the moment she starts working for him, he intrigues her even as she tries to maintain her composure around him. and the more she maintains her composure the more she intrigues him. he's not used to people resisting his wants. and even though phoebe takes his orders, he can sense that she's keeping him at a distance.

but distance proves impossible for these two. from their first meeting there is tension. and it's not surprising when it boils over. the really great thing ashenden has done with this series is take some real social issues and explored them within the framework of a fairy tale. nero's reclusiveness isn't actually a matter of choice, he has some severe agoraphobia, a condition that stems from the fact that he was held captive in a tiny cell for much of his formative years. being with phoebe pushes him outside of his self-imposed boundaries. and in order to go farther afield he has to confront the past he's forgotten because what happened to him was so traumatic.

as awful as nero is when we first meet him, the way he grows and sheds his rough exterior throughout the novel is totally swoonworthy. i love romance novels that can tackle hard subjects in a redemptive way, so this worked for me.

Jackie you have done it again! Nero is such a cranky brooding man used to getting everything he wants with no resistance. Then he meets phoebe. From the beginning she has nothing to prove to anyone. She seems just as strong as him. Before i knew it you were showing just how vulnerable they both are. And don't even get me started on the steamy side of the story!

I remember reading this childhood story about the beautiful girl trapped in the castle with an overbearing beast but it was never as sexy as this story was. Nero was a prisoner in his own home. He lived there, worked there and even had women delivered to him there. He never had a reason to leave until Phoebe came along. Phoebe needed to earn money for her fiancé medical expenses. As Nero’s personal assistant Phoebe tried hard to keep it professional but the chemistry between her and Nero was undeniable and soon desire turns to hearts and flowers. This was a great twist on my childhood favorite. A very modern tale of an old story. The interaction between Phoebe and Nero was seriously sexy while adding a little dark and suspenseful edge to the story. This was overall a great book and I enjoyed it.

I was given ARC copy for review and Loveswept.
Phoebe Taylor is in need of a job to help pay the bills of her fiancee who is i a coma.
Nero de Santis is broken inside and likes things done his way.
This man is a beast to work for , but can Phoebe tame him.
Jackie Ashenden at her best!! A must read!!!