This had a very interesting premise so I was excited to read it but it fell short of my expectations. I found it hard to connect with the characters.

This is my first book from this author, I received this book as an ARC. The storyline was okay. I didn't too much care for Bastian and Julia charactes.

Nope, nope, nope. Tired of books with the magic penis trope and while I usually love a grumpy sunshine, this was not it. I didn't like any of the characters and both the love interests were kind of gross. This definitely was not the romance for me at all.

Virna DePaul did it again! I loved her style of writing! Bastian & Julia won me over! I wasn’t ready for the emotional rollercoaster these characters went on.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Kiss It Better was previously published as Mr. Rich, so some of you might already be familiar with the story. The main characters are Bastian and Julia. To be honest this is not one of Virna DePaul's best works in my opinion. The characters were not very likable and I couldn't relate to them. I didn't think that any character in this book was kind. Bastian had his reasons for pushing Julia away, but I was tired of the constant pushing. Julia needed another kind of push since she was holding back from life. She is also like Amy from Superstore, but Amy is better. I finished the book, but it took me a while and I wasn't very fond it since while I was on a break from reading this, I picked up and finished another book.

Julia stood handing out samples of chicken wings and asparagus at a stand in the store. Julia had asked for a promotion and she got one dollar more an hour to hand out samples from Cooper’s Food Market And Pharmacy. Mr Cooper had given Julia a chance when no one else would. But Julia also prayed this wouldn’t be her life forever. Then Julia sees the man who has come in the store several times to pursue vitamins He’s big, tall, buff, very handsome. Every time Julia sees this man she gets a sense of familiarity but she hasn’t figured out why. Kevin is Julia's best friend, coworker and constant enabler. Julia hasn’t even told Kevin about her intense reaction to this man.Then he finally comes to Julia’s stand asks what samples she has and she offers to go get more as her previous customer had eaten the last of her chicken wings sample. He says he will be there waiting. Julia feels as plain as can be as well as overweight. When Julia gets back to her stand he is gone or at least Julia thinks he is until she sees him passed out on the floor in front of her stand and she calls 911 and ends up in the ambulance with him but holding his wallet. Julia realizes after she gets home she still had the man's wallet. She goes to Bastian to return his wallet to him. The man is Bastian Rich, he is a wealthy financial adviser. Bastian had been a man whore but in the last three years he had looked for a serious relationship with no luck. Bastian would really like to get a girlfriend but he has Lupus and pretty much knows women don’t want to be with a sick person. Especially when having Lupus there is chronic pain. But Julia and Bastian do start a casual relationship yet Bastian begins and does eventually push Julia away because of his disease. Why would she be different from the other women he had been with? After Bastian had pushed Julia away from him a couple months later they get back together.
I couldn’t really get into this book. There were some hot sexual scenes but that wasn’t enough to push this into a favorite r good read for me. I did like the plot. But i got frustrated with both Julia and Bastian at times. I also felt Julia had forgiven Bastian way to easy and went back into a relationship with him. I also did chuckle at times while reading this book. But it still didn’t really keep my interest to where I really enjoyed this book even though I did manage to finish it. It was an okay read but not something I would go on about or recommend but I am sure others will enjoy it.

MR. RICH by Virna DePaul

BIG SEXY! - 3.5 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Julia is a musician at heart, but her college career got sidetracked and she is now a lowly grocery store sample clerk, which is certainly not where she wanted to end up in life. She meets some interesting people at her job, but the hottest is "Big Sexy," but she becomes flustered when he's around and doesn't have the nerve to speak to him. He, on the other hand, is gorgeous and sexy and he's attracted to her. But his recent diagnosis of lupus worries him and keeps him from getting to know her better, until she sees him have an attack and gets him medical help.

Writing - 3.5 stars - I was drawn into the story right away, but I was confused for a while. Each chapter is headed by the character's name whose viewpoint is being highlighted. The first several chapters were Julia, and I found it odd until--finally--Bastian was mentioned. The plot is predictable and it took a while to get going, but by halfway through, the book moved quickly.

Characters - 3 stars - This is where the story lost a little for me. Julia is difficult to get to know. Although we see the story from her viewpoint for several chapters, she's obviously keeping some secrets (even from the reader), so it's hard to understand her motivations. She comes across as kind of air-headed (probably because of her klutziness) and unmotivated (because she's in a rut at her job and doesn't seem willing to change). As we get to know her, she is much more likable, but it took a while. Bastian, on the other hand, is the perfect guy--hot, rich, sexy--and it's hard to see why he's be attracted to her. They don't seem to go together at all. She's so self-deprecating that she seems like she must be unattractive and unappealing because that's how she sees herself. But when we finally see her through his eyes, it makes more sense. Somehow we needed to see her more clearly earlier in the story so the romance would have been more enjoyable.

Title - 4 stars - I like the play on words--he's a rich and sexy guy, which attracted me to the book in the first place. But it turns out his last name is actually Rich, so it's all about Mr. Sebastian Rich.

Cover - 4 stars - Gorgeous set of abs. Typical cover for this genre, but certainly not difficult to look at.

Overview - 3.5 stars - This started a little slow. The characters were so totally different and from totally different worlds that it didn't make sense that they'd get together. So the romance seemed contrived. After we got to know the characters better, though, especially Julia, things turned around. The romance made a lot more sense, and I was eventually rooting for their success. Their camaraderie and playfulness became much more relaxed, and their personalities meshed nicely. But it took too long to get to that point, so the book was a little disappointing. I would have liked for it to be fleshed out a bit more, such as getting to know the characters better, seeing them through other eyes (maybe with Julia performing at a club or something or learning more about Bastian from his brother), gradually building a rapport rather than instalove. All these things might have made a more solid story with a stronger foundation. All that being said, however, I enjoyed it and will look for more from this author.

This started off great and the premise sounded promising but I just couldn't get into it so I had to put it down sadly.

I received this via Netgalley to read and review. This is my first time reading this author and it was a decent read. I liked Sebastian and Julia and I loved Kevin (and She-Hulk lol). Storyline was a bit predictable but overall it was a good book.

Julia was on her way to success in college when one of her professors made advances towards her, which she refused. In turn he made her life miserable. She know that by not reporting it was on her, so she quit and now finds herself working in a grocery store handing out food samples. Her light in the day is when the handsome man walks in and she can pretend that he notices her and asks her out. Then one day that happens and he passes out. In front of her. After calling 911, she takes his wallet to return to him personally.
Bastian has noticed Julia at the grocery store. There is something about her he needs. In an embarrassing moment, he passes out in front of her, due to his Lupus that has flared back.. He wants her and will do anything to make her his.
This book was entertaining, however, I found their chemistry lacked.

My first book my DePaul and I loved it! Bastian was amazing, I loved that he was flawed and learned from his mistakes. Julia was the perfect opposite from him. DePaul will have you cheering and yelling at the book to the very end.

I am sorry this was DNF for me so we won't be posting a review on our site

It was a very quick read. There was nothing special about this book. There was no plot, and you couldn't feel the chemistry between the two main characters.

Julia is stuck, she quit college and now has been working at a grocery store for the past few years. The one positive is she worked her way up to food samples representative. When she sees one of the most handsome man she has ever seen she doesn't know what to do. However it ends up with him in the back of an ambulance and her holding his wallet. Deciding she needs to return it she goes to his work and his reaction to her is not what she quite expected.

Bastian wants Julia but he is keeping a secret and worries that it will ruin what he and Julia are building. Can he put his trust in her and see where it will lead?

I liked this but didn't quite understand Julia's character. Her past that is referred to doesn't really add up to the spitfire she is. Interesting story, I liked Bastian. Would be curious to see if his brother gets a book.

The Contemporary Romance world has become so big and so dear that you never know what you are going to find in there. Sometimes you come across stories that are unique; stories that are similar to one another; and other times you come across stories, which may not leave a great taste in your mouth after you finish them but they have this specific twist and ingredient inside their recipe which steals the show and partly fill the biggest gaps. Mr. Rich is one of these books for me.

I have to admit that the first thing that pushed me to check it out was the cover. I mean, come on! Did you see that guy’s body? I’m a leaving, breathing, hot-blooded 22-year-old female, right? So, no judge. No matter if you want it or not, the eye will get caught by that sight. It’s nature, girls! Embrace it. 😉 So, after I got my eyeful, I go to read the blurb and I have to say that I was quite intrigued by it. The whole Cinderella concept got to me. Although, the girl isn’t the Cinderella in this case. That trigged your curiosity, huh? Well, that’s how it goes:

Julia is a girl who works for the past few years in a grocery shop giving out products’ samples. Bastian is a billionaire CEO who does his shopping there. She has a magor crush on him. One day, while he’s speaking to her for the first time, he falls unconscious on the floor which ends up with him in the hospital and her with his wallet in her hands. So, after she learns who is he and where he works and leaves, she decides to pay him a visit and give him back his wallet. The things though don’t turn out as she had thought and she ends up putting him in his place. Whose only result is to strengthen Bastian’s crush on her and give him the strength and stubbornness to purse her and make her his.

Now you will be probably thinking where is the twist in that. Well, except for Bastian being an absolute sweetheart character – he has a health problem which complicates his life and put his love life in the freezer for a while. Although, Julia is more than what he can resist and he locks his illness in the box for a bit. But what is kept hidden, finds always its way out into the light. And this time is no different. The way, though, this situation is being handled with, especially from Julia, is beyond impressive and shows in a way that love is sometimes stronger and more stubborn than a hardship Life has decided to throw in the way.

"I ghost my lips over her, then bury my face in her neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent. Relishing the knowledge that I am rich. Because I have Julia, the greatest treasure in the world."
Mr. Rich is a kind-of-short love story about two characters who have been and are going through a lot but they got to find in one another what was missing from them. The influence they had in one another and that I got to witness wasn’t something that haven’t read before, but it will never get old the heart-warming feeling it causes every time. Seeing someone to change for love is an event worth-celebrating on its own and something that always gets you and gives you hope for the future no matter how many times you get to witness it. And no one can denies the power a beloved person can have on us.

DNF @ 44%

*Heavy Sigh*

I honestly hate DNF’ing, but I just couldn’t get into this one. I actually found myself curious about Ryland and wanted more of Kevin, but Julia and Bastian just didn’t peak my interest enough to keep going. A lot of it had to do with all the inner monologuing going on. I understood why there was so much in the beginning, but even then it dragged on and on for me and I started to skim parts looking for something to grab hold of me, which is never a good sign, but unfortunately nothing did.

I'm not sure why this one didnt click with me. It's well written, and has some of the key elements I look for in a contemporary romance. The rich but nice guy, the poor but sassy girl - the meet cute, all detailed and engaging. The hero has a secret that causes him to run a bit hot and cold, and those sections felt a little too angsty for me. This story definitely has a bit of insta love, but the resolution was satisfactory. I think what didnt work for me was the pacing, it seemed a little uneven. The sections where the hero backed off were too long and frequent. I wavered between 3 and 4 stars (I wish there was a 3.5) I went with 4 stars because the story itself was entertaining, the characters engaging , the overall effect was pleasant, and I dont punish an author for my personal preferences. .

Very well written. Sweet story. Great chemistry between the main characters.
Bastian is a alpha male and sometimes not the friendliest to others but I like him. Especially when he is with his familie. Julia is a very rude woman and that turned me off a bit. It was too much. Would have benefited with a bit less rudeness. She is also a bit naive at some points.
Loved that it has dual POV. That way get into the head and thoughts of both main characters.
Nice ending but could have been a bit more about the pair and what happens next. A sort of closure.
Readable story that was predictable.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley

Funny, sweet and steamy - I really enjoyed this book. This is the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more!