Arden St. Ives is finishing up at Oxford when he volunteers at a phone bank to solicit wealthy alumni for donations. That is how Arden ends up talking to Caspian Hart, a gorgeous, young billionaire. Arden has no idea who Caspian is; frankly he is shocked the man hasn’t hung up on him like everyone else so far. But Caspian takes some time to chat with Arden, and surprises Arden even more when he shows up for a fundraising dinner. Arden is a pretty normal guy, nothing that should make a sexy billionaire look twice. But despite the fact that Arden has no idea what he wants to do with his life and has mostly spent his college years hanging out and having sex, Caspian seems intrigued.

The problem is Caspian is also cold, aloof, and incredibly restrained. Despite Arden’s best efforts to get the sexy man into his bed, Caspian is keeping his distance. At least most of the time. But occasionally, Arden gets glimpses behind that stoic facade, and he can see a bit of the real man behind the exterior. A man who definitely (and inexplicably to Arden) seems to want him. When Caspian suggests a formal arrangement of sorts between them, Arden is eager for the chance to get his hands on the sexy man, as well as to get to know him better.

But being Caspian’s “prenegotiated short-term sexual encounter” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. As much as he enjoys his time with Caspian, Arden can also feel how much the man is holding back. Arden can tell that Caspian’s tastes run toward the more dominant, and he would love to explore that with Caspian. But Caspian is determined to exercise his iron control and not go down that path with Arden. Arden loves being with Caspian, but being kept at arm’s length is becoming too much for him. Arden wants to know the real man behind Caspian’s controlled exterior, but unless Caspian is willing to open up to him, there is no hope for things to continue between them.

How to Bang a Billionaire is the first book in Alexis Hall’s new Arden St. Ives series and I absolutely loved it. This one pretty much had me from “billionaire dom” to be honest. Interestingly, the dom/sub side of things doesn’t play prominently here in this first story. In fact, Caspian quite clearly is trying to keep that side of him at bay. Yet I was captivated nonetheless with this one from the very start.

First off, I have to say this story rests strongly on Arden’s incredibly engaging shoulders. The story is told strictly from his POV, which is a really clever choice. So much about Caspian is a mystery to Arden and the man holds so much of himself back, that it makes sense that we never truly know what is happening in Caspian’s head. Plus, Arden is so adorably, unintentionally charming I couldn’t help but love him. Arden pretty much admits he has wasted his time at Oxford having fun and has no idea what to do with himself now. And he has such a great voice, I found him so incredibly entertaining.

"My final final was the worst final. It crawled by. Such a vast room and it was still stifling. Full of identi-kit people in black and white, heads bowed over papers, hands moving in jerky lines. Silence broken only by the occasional rustle. The scratchscratch of nearby pens. A long, deep sign.

Oh. Wait. That was me.

As I scrawled out a few more desultory sentences.

My concentration wasn’t so much flagging as flagged. Post-flagged. Beyond the reach of even the most determined flags."

Despite being a broke guy quasi-dating a billionaire, Arden is very clear about not wanting to be bought or kept. He is playful and fun and charmingly self-deprecating, but he also stands up for himself and is a good, kind person who clearly cares. So I loved being in his head, and I think Arden is what makes this story work so well.

Caspian is fascinating, but sort of unknowable. We get glimpses of the man Arden sees; we can tell that there is a softness and vulnerability buried (VERY) deep inside that on occasion he lets out with Arden. Caspian could have come across as so cold as to be unlikeable, but Hall gives us enough sense of how torn Caspian is, how much he struggles with what he wants and what he will let himself have. This is a man who made billions before he was 30. He didn’t get where he is without control and strength and discipline. So I love how we see those things slip, just the tiniest bit, when he is around Arden. This is just the first book in the trilogy, so we don’t see the full Caspian quite yet in this story. But there is enough here to keep the reader (and Arden) eager to learn more about him.

Like I said, this book doesn’t go quite into the Dom/sub arena just yet. Caspian is still holding out too much for that. In fact, while there are a couple of hot scenes, most of their sexual encounters are described very simply, in keeping with the reserved way they play out in the story. I found this quite clever, as we really can feel the difference between the times Caspian lets go and things are explosive between them, and the times when he is holding back. I am expecting this to be developed more as the series continues, and I am really eager to see where things go between the men. I was totally captivated by How to Bang a Billionaire and I can’t wait for more in the series.

A lot of my friends recommend this book to me. I didn't know what to expect.
I'm a massive fan of Alexis Hall's 'Spire Series' and reading the blurb, this book was definitely NOT those.

But I loved it.

There's banter, hot sexy times, a grumpy broody guy, a sweet fun guy . . . and well, things happen that had me devouring the book and ready for the next.

when arden st. ives randomly cold calls billionaire caspian hart to fundraise for their shared alma mater, he has no idea where the simple phone call will lead. caspian is a mystery but his pull is magnetic and ardy can't stay away.

but caspian has demons. so many demons. he's hurt and scared. he loves ardy but doesn't believe he knows how to love. he needs ardy but everything he touches turns to ash. and it's possible that the only thing that can happen between them is hurt. and also sex, which there is plenty of in how to bang a billionaire.

there's a power dynamic between them, and ardy is a true submissive, just as caspian is a natural dom. but the really fascinating thing about them, the one truth that people sometimes lose sight of in some bdsm relationships, is that in the ones that work, the person who actually holds the real power is the sub. because the truth is, caspian is more fragile and more likely to hurt than ardy will at the end of this. somehow they manage to flay each other open, and try to stitch those wounds close. but can it last?

**how to bang a billionaire published on april 16, 2017. i received a digital copy from netgalley/grand central publishing (forever) in exchange for my honest review.

How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall is book One in the Arden St. Ives Series. This is the story of Arden and Caspian.
Arden is a young 20 year old Oxford student who is somewhat awkward. Caspian was a slightly older billionaire who is hard and harsh. They are so different but their attraction was there and hard to avoid.
Excited for more from this series and author.

Intriguing start to the series.

Content warnings include: sex on-page, class difference, drugs and alcohol consumption, lots of jumping to conclusions; mentions of abusive relationship, death of a parent.

How to Bang a Billionaire is definitely not a standalone. It really feels like the first third of a bigger book, though due to its length I can see why it was split into a trilogy.

Arden was a wonderful main character. He's shamelessly himself, and I loved that about him. He's pansexual, though he talks about being gay a lot too.

The main relationship... I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Caspian is rather closed off, and Arden reacts very strongly to... pretty much anything, which was a loaded combination. Since this felt so much like only the beginning of the story, I'm still waiting to make up my mind about the two of them together, but I can already tell it's very, very messy.

Before I start this review I need to make a few facts clear. I don’t venture much into gay romance not because I don’t like them but because for some reasons when I read one I have higher expectations. And the culprit may just be Alexis Hall. A couple of years ago I read ‘for real’. That book shattered me and put me back together better than before I started reading it. I didn’t have the courage to read another of his books. One can not top perfection. Or can he?
This being said I caved when given the opportunity to review ‘how to bang a billionaire’ before the release of the third book in the trilogy about Arden St. Yves.
So you have it: Arden, the Oxford graduate and Caspian Hart the billionaire. Sprinkle some power play. And what could have been another clichéd story turns into a beautiful and complicated love story. They are strong, they are weak. They are bold, they are shy. They are sad, they are happy. They have doubt and they have convictions. They are imperfectly perfect men. And we get to live it through the flourished style and the humor of Alexis Hall. We get to dive head first in lots of raw emotions. I am just glad that I can carry on into ‘how to blow it with a billionaire’. Waiting between books would have been a real PITA (pun intended). On a side note I really enjoyed all the pop cultures references. Read at your own risk.

Honest review in exchange of a copy on netgalley.

This book was a lot of fun and very unexpected. The chemistry between the two leads is explosive. I felt like the book ended in a happy place, but there is definitely room for more of their story.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased
I also post on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N and Kobo

This is the first part of a series and includes the usual cliffhanger at the end to make you want to read the second part

This is quite enjoyable - I found it a little derivative - a little bit to fifty shades and the littered references to Pretty Woman became a bit irritating if I'm honest.

I really don't like being negative as someone has worked really hard at this and I like to see the good side of things - so on the positive side, the character of Arden is, I think, well written and the character development is good

If you are into that kind of thing - this could be for you

This review covers the first two books in the Arden St Ives series.
I love Alexis Hall’s writing but I’m always a little wary when romances involve billionaires and BDSM. Of course, I should’ve trusted Hall without question. He’s created believable characters and it’s easy suspend disbelief belief about the world these characters live in. I love Arden and his witty remarks. I love the glimpses we get of the real Caspian underneath the cold billionaire façade.

These books do not work as standalones. The first book just ends in the middle of a scene and the second book has some sort of cliff hanger. So I’m glad I didn’t start these series when the first two books came out, because I would have hated waiting for the final instalment so long. Now it’s only a few days and even that feels too long. I want to know how everything gets resolved. I want to see the HEA (or HFN) for these characters.

E-galley provided by Netgalley and Forever Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and quotations are based off an uncorrected proof. This book came out a while ago, but was provided due to the upcoming conclusion to the trilogy, How to Belong to a Billionaire.

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"A laugh, quiet and almost shy, ghosted down the phone to me, and I felt it like fingers against my spine."

I would like to start by saying that this book is essentially a queer Fifty Shades of Grey. If you didn't like Fifty Shades, this is a good thing. If you did like Fifty Shades, it a good thing. It has the fun stuff without some of the not so great stuff.

For starters, Arden St. Ives is no virgin. He is very aware of what he loves sexually and holds no shame for any of it. He is incredibly charming and funny. I really loved him and he's pretty much what made this book for me. Compassionate and 100% pansexual, he just had this really adorable and relatable spirit that really pulled me through the book.

On the other hand, I couldn't quite put my finger on Caspian. The elusive Caspian Hart. I didn't quite understand his inner conflict. His backstory makes sense (view spoiler), but I didn't understand his reactions in relation to Arden. I still moderately liked him, but I wasn't head over heels with him. I guess he just lacked a spark for me. He was, however, somehow more boy-ish than I expected? It's a good thing.

A lot of this plot seemed to surround Arden's inner narrative of feeling like he has no directions after college. Relatable to say the least. It is him getting tossed around from here to there, which did make me feel lost at times. I didn't feel like there was a lot to work towards. The book is very insta-love, which wasn't my favorite, but it was more or less acceptable. Also, while I liked most of the side characters, I had trouble connecting with Caspian's sister, Ellery. She has some really hard edges, which is definitely part of her character, but made her really hard to like.

TL;DR A really solid quick romance, definitely excited to read what's next. This story is far from over.

Arden St. Ives is about to finish at Oxford and is trying to figure out his life. He connects with billionaire Caspian Hart while doing tele-fundraising for his school. They have immediate chemistry.

Caspian is a tortured guy - he hates what he wants and doesn't know how to be a person. Arden would very much like him to be a person.

This book does a good job of building the characters, especially Arden, and establishing the BDSM is a power exchange, where power is given, not taken away. But it's just not the series for me at this time. I'm tired of tortured billionaires who really need to spend time in therapy. At another time, I could see enjoying it a lot more. But now, for me, it's not what I want.

so i think this was making fun of the billionaire romance trope but ended up taking itself too seriously.

arden was a sweetheart, but caspian is so unlikable, he really minimized my enjoyment of this book. he's so cold and characterless.

compared to hall's other works, the writing isn't very inspiring, but is easy to read.

i think i went into this book expecting too much. this also isn't typically the kind of book i would read, but Waiting for the Flood was phenomenal, so i thought i'd give this one a go.

Content warnings: [suicidal ideation (side character), drug use (on-page), domestic violent (side character, in the past, off-page)]

I always say that I’m not particularly a fan of new adult or billionaire romance, but somehow when you combine the two I’m completely enchanted. So when I had the chance to get ARCs of the first two books in the Arden St. Ives series by Alexis Hall (of the quirky and wonderfully horrific The Affair of the Mysterious Letter), I jumped on it.

“I have to tell you, I don’t do relationships.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” I hooked a leg across his hip. “Let’s just have sex.”

The book is told from Arden’s point of view, and he’s delightfully funny. It’s a very effective choice, as it really shows how moth-to-flame drawn he is to Caspian. Though, honestly, Arden’s the one who’s so delightfully humorous and alive, so perhaps he’s the flame. Caspian’s the epitome of the tortured broody Heathcliff, the whole emotionally repressed, ice cold billionaire dom stereotype, and he spends most of the book coming off objectively as an absolute jerk. Normally I’d be completely out because of that, but we get to see him through Arden’s eyes. Arden manages to pry open a few cracks in Caspian’s armor, and it does appear that, underneath, he’s exactly the kind of person Arden thinks he is. There is an obvious power imbalance that Arden acknowledges and then deals with in his own (very Arden) way. Arden, despite his insecurities, knows who he is and is very comfortable with himself, in contrast with Caspian, who seems to have attempted to scour himself of anything but ambition. Not, of course, that Arden is going to let him continue to do that…

This is the first in a series, so it’s not a complete HEA, but it ends on a satisfactorily HFN note. Overall, while the basic storyline sounds pretty been-there-done-that, Arden’s POV is hilarious and insightful and makes this a very enjoyable read.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I enjoyed this! The writing style is SO addictive. But it is a re-imagining of 50 shades, so it's a very polarizing book. I liked that it didn't mock 50 Shades. My only issue is that I didn't love Caspian. I don't think readers are supposed to like Caspian but still. I shall reserve judgement for book 2 to see if he becomes better.

I will not mark this book as read because I wasn't able to finish it. I stopped at 40%. I just couldn't read anymore. It was a pure torture. Arden has cried more times in this book than the average pregnant woman who cries at commercials. Arden's character was one of the worst I have ever read. I wasn't able to relate to him at all and I just wanted him to shut it. For me, the whole series is a huge NO. I have also read the second book and it's not much better.

This was definitely giving me 50 Shades vibes and I loved every minute of it!

When Arden finds himself being conned into helping out a friend and taking over as a phone operator for the schools annual fundraiser he has no idea that one phone call is about to change his life is so many wonderful ways. He dials a number on his list and is connected to a call with an attractive billionaire named Caspian Hart. The man is a little crass, but he is also so damn captivating that Arden can't seem to walk away...

Caspian Hart is a man of may talents, and when he wants something, he gets it no if's, and's or but's... and he wants to know everything there is to know about the enchanting man on the other end of the phone line. So much so he agrees to attend the alumni fundraising dinner, and the moment they meet Caspian is intrigued, but also wary of getting involved, so he walks away... but Arden decides to make him a deal he can't refuse...and he doesn't stay away for long!

How To Bang A Billionaire was an erotic and enthralling little tale that I just couldn't seem to put down... I devoured every word of it in one sitting!! While I normally steer clear of M/M tales (their normally not my cup of tea), I decided to be brave and embrace this one because something about the synopsis lured me in...and I have to say I am glad I took a walk outside of my norm... it was a refreshing change of pace for me!! The story line was intriguing and kept me flying through the pages and the characters were easy to love, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them! Now I am anxious to explore the next installment, and see what this author has in-store for these wonderful characters!! Highly recommend you meet these two, they are sure to keep you entertained!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

When expectations for a book lead to feelings of anxiousness, I tend to end up either really loving a it, or really hating it. When I’m stuck somewhere in the middle, I never know what to say about it.

How to Bang a Billionaire left me sort of in the middle. Stuck.

On the one hand, the prose is beautiful, typical and expected from this author. Lyrical passages that, on their own, are wonderful and can leave a reader breathless. On the other hand, much of the book read as condescending and so high brow that it left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

This is basically a retelling of another book. A parody of 50 Shades. Having read the 50 Shades series, I know this. It’s plain as day. This one does have some elements that leave it standing on it’s own, but the similarities are numerous and at around 60% I found myself not very amused anymore.

The characters themselves left little for me to love. Caspian Hart is a jerk and horrible communicator. He’s uptight, overbearing, and a complete ass. He’s the kind of character I love to hate. Except he’s not the kind of character, like Christian Grey, that I end up loving in the end of the series because of the changes he makes in his life… at least not yet. And Arden? He’s Anastasia Steele in male form. Clumsy, wildly naive, and totally over the top when it comes to his inner monologue. I wanted to throttle them both for a while, but in the end, I didn’t really care about either of them at all anymore. It was like I went from caring a lot, to not giving a damn what happened.

I don’t know if I can say that I won’t continue to read the rest of the series. This is the first time I’ve read a book by Hall that I didn’t absolutely love, so I want to give it a chance. I might just wait until the last book is out to take the leap.

How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives #1)
Publication Date: April 16, 2017
M/M New Adult/BDSM
Forever Romance

Reviewed by Kini

Rules are made to be broken...

If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful . . . oh yeah, and a billionaire.

It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me.

I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.

Alexis Hall is a new to me author and I was interested in this book when Mandi sent out one of her lists. I enjoy the trope of a one MC being the one to get the other MC to break all their rules for love, so I had high hopes for this book.

Sadly, it didn’t hold up for me. Arden and Caspian have an interesting meet-cute. Arden is participating in a telethon for his university and is calling alumni for donations. Caspian is the first person that actually stays on the line and doesn’t hang up. Ardan doesn’t initially know who Caspian is, but they engage in some mildly flirty banter and it was fun. Ardan is awkward and doesn’t have much of a filter, that continues throughout the book. He is pretty open with his feelings whether it be with Caspian, his roommate Nik, his family, etc.

Caspian shows up at the school to attend the donation dinner and he and Arden attend together. Caspian is a closed off, emotionally shut down billionaire hero. At the dinner they end up on the balcony and Arden ends up giving Caspian a blow job, but can't touch him. During this scene is pretty much the only time that Caspian opens up and shares with Arden. We only get Arden’s POV in this book and I feel like this attributes largely to my dislike of Caspian. I didn’t find him very interested, sexy, or worthy of Arden’s time.

This book definitely has a little bit of a 50 shades feel to it. Arden is fresh out of college and Caspian offers him a place to stay. Caspian has dominant undertones, but pretty much hates himself for them. He also really shitty to Arden by not being available or willing to communicate things with him. Granted they do enter into a casual relationship with an expiration date, but still. I didn’t enjoy the sex scenes, it felt like Caspian was using Arden. I am a little surprised that Caspian didn’t have a take on the “I don’t make love, I fuck” line. As a side note to the sex scenes, they never felt particularly sexy and there was no talk of things like condoms or lube and I found this incredibly troublesome. The BDSM is fairly light in this book and really only occurs as Caspian being in charge of the situation, and constantly saying he wants to take care of Arden, and then promptly treats him poorly.

Hall’s writing style is a style that I am not familiar with and is probably not for me. Several of the words used were things I had to look up, at least once the Kindle dictionary described a word as being archaic or old-style. One example is gamahuche, which is a word for fellatio. Looking up words like this took me out of the story and made me feel a little inferior for not knowing.

The first half of the story dragged for me and I had a hard time finishing the book. It picked up around 60% when Arden was spending time with his roommate Nik, another friend, and then his family. I liked everyone in this book except Caspian, who just came off as cold and unwilling to even try to be different. I don’t think he groveled enough to be worthy of Arden’s forgiveness. This is clearly part of series and there are things that do not get resolved, although Arden and Caspian are happyish at the end. The only thing that would get me interested in reading the next in the series is if Arden drops Caspian and starts a relationship with Nik.

Grade: C-

I have to say when I was offered to review this book, the title attracted me no end. Of course, with a mind like mine it didn't take much for these few concise words to play tricks on my imagination. Reading it was a shot in the dark too, but more than paid off. You see, I hadn't even glimpsed at the blurb. Firstly, I'm a glutton for billionaire romances but to my surprise, not only did I find myself reading m/m; one of my fave genres, I was also popping my new author cherry. And then the cover! It didn't exactly blow my socks off, but I liked that contemplative look about the model and let's just say the black jacket and crisp white shirt he's wearing just happened to be another decisive factor.

“Why bother with a hero and a villain when you can have both at once? As a businessman, you’ve got to admit it’s efficient.”

I can't begin to tell you how impressed I was with the author's character development. If Caspian Hart’s image stood out on the book cover, wait until you meet him! Mmm, did he give me that rich-bad-boy vibe I was hoping for? Well, less yes and more no. In fact, if anything, I found him a hard nut to crack. Oozing aloof confidence, he's cold, calculating, and what I shouldn't have found so becoming was his dry wit because quite frankly, some of his comments were disdainfully sardonic. Even belittling. And although his mere politeness irritated me, I still wanted to get to know him better; find out the whys and wherefores behind this successful person. His magnetism bewitched me, and I quite understood Arden’s infatuation for him and later on, his frustration. As the story progressed, I even wondered whether Arden was betting on the wrong horse since Caspian seemed to keep him at arm's length. Then I saw a shift of sorts in their relationship. . .ooh boy, I'd be fibbing if I were to say my interest wasn't clamped to the pages when this happened!

“I have a familiarity with sin that is as profound as it is unglamorous.”
“Maybe you’ve been committing the wrong sins.”

How could I not adore Arden St. Ives! He's an open book, got a great sense of the ridiculous and a cracking sense of humour but at the same time, his a lack of guile I found so fitting with his character. His sensitivity twisted my heart; my concern for him was as such because I didn't want him to get emotionally hurt, I wanted him to do better in his studies, get his act together, be loved and cherished as he deserved. I loved his open-mindedness, him being comfortable with his sexuality and I hated that Caspian made him go weak at the knees. In fact, how he acted in front of him in the first third of the book I found embarrassing as his feeling weren't reciprocated. I thought the least Caspian could have done was show a semblance of kindness. He might have everything he desires; nonetheless, his attitude towards Arden was at times not only confusing, but also verging on indecorous.

‘Nobody had ever given me flowers before.’

Caspian is demanding. His game, his rules and nothing is easily negotiated. While Arden surrenders helplessly, I tried to calm some niggling thoughts at the back of my mind. “Please be wrong,” I said to myself. Here, I wouldn't even venture to let on, although I will say the scene I'm talking about was so emotionally charged, I felt drained after reading it and figuratively high-fived the author for a brilliant piece of descriptive writing.

“I’ve always wanted you. I just overestimated my capacity to resist it… resist you.”

Towards the ending, it dawned on me that Caspian’s stance still hadn't been clarified and probably wouldn't be until the release of book two. I truly wished he could have told me how he was feeling in some tense scenarios; alas, the story's Arden’s to tell in past tense. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because I really enjoyed listening to Arden’s inner voice.

“Sometimes I don’t know whether I want to hug you or punch you.”

Notwithstanding, I do like a dual point of view and I would have liked more banter and less interior monologue. That being said, the dialogue offered was so freakin’ brilliant, I yearned for more. It wouldn't be fair to say if this book finishes with a HEA or not because firstly, I have no intentions of spoiling it for you and secondly, it really is worth one-clicking if you like this genre with lightly detailed BDSM. I have no doubt Mr Hall has got a surprise or two up his sleeve for us in the follow-up and can't wait for its release. The suspense is already killing me because I feel this intriguing story he’s written so beautifully needs a few loose ends tying up. Bravo to you sir!