Great start to a new duet! I can’t wait for the conclusion! Lisa’s writing is erotic and really draws you in. Her characters are perfect mix of love/hate!

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved the blurb of The Bastard by Lisa Renee Jones. The bastard son who wanted to stand on his own and the princess he desired more than anything, but could never really have. Eric was for all intents and purposes, a bastard. Be he was also a determined man who was strong and set on building his own life on his terms.

He wants no part in his father’s company or life. He is his own man. But When Harper asks for his help, he cannot walk away. Eric and Harper have history. So much lies between them, but so does their connection and chemistry. When it came to Harper, he was protective and possessive. Harper was smart, but had her secrets as well. Could they uncover all the mysteries and lies or were they set on a path of destruction?

The Bastard by Lisa Renee Jones was a sexy, steamy and suspenseful read! I loved the characters, the suspense and their undeniable chemistry! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book!

The Bastard chronicles the rise to billionaire status of our hero, Eric, the bastard of the Kingston Empire who gave up his role to join competing Bennet Enterprises. The story focuses on his hatred towards his family and the tension he has with his new step-sister (Harper) that he has electric physical attraction to. They share a moment of passion that results in Eric leaving his family for good, and the story picks back up six years later with Harper asking for Eric's help.

While the sexual tension between between Harper and Eric is palpable, there is not much I really enjoyed about this book. While the plot had great potential, the writing was distractingly unrefined and ultimately made a pretty straightforward plot very confusing. And repetitive. I actually started counting how many times Eric referred to having sex with Harper as 'the bastard and the princess' in a chapter and got second-hand embarrassment. I also couldn't take Harper saying 'you hate me' or 'I won't have sex again with someone who hates me' or Eric saying 'I can't hate you/ I hate you/ you are just like them/you are so different from them'

Ultimately, with some editorial refinement, this could be cut down to a decent, non-repetitive novella.

Wow. Want to know what comes next. But must I say the word Bastard was a little overdone. And him repeating about the family. Sorry repetition is one of my pet peeves.

I knew going into this book that there was a cliffhanger, but having said that, I was just a bit disappointed in the speed of this book -- some of the chapters seemed redundant and repetitive; nothing new from chapter to chapter until the very last few when the story and the plot actually kept my interest. I'm not sure if I'll read the second book, but on the other hand I'm interested to see what happens. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

Suspense, sizzle and secrets, The Bastard is a great start to the Filthy Duet series. Also book 6 in the Dirty Rich series, Eric and Harper’s story is a gripping read from its twists, betrayals to the engaging characters and banter. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more.

Wow! This book! I'm obsessed and CANNOT WAIT for The Princess (already preordered!)

At first, I wasn't overly sure of the frequency of their intimate encounters, but I quickly began to crave them and craved the growth of the two as a couple. I love the story behind their sudden reunion and the mystery we slowly begin to see unravel throughout the story.

I loved this book and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a new steamy romance series!

WOW what an ending...…can we say CLIFFHANGER.... I'm like when is book 2 coming out?
Lisa Renee Jones writes steamy gripping books that I love and she did not disappoint with this book! I was drawn into the storyline by the first page and was glued to my kindle until the very last page....ok well that's a lie I'm still sitting here on the edge of that cliff Lisa Renee wrote waiting to dive into book two!

Another book where the story doesn't end with the same old, same old from this author. A lot of sex, weak story-line, and while there is a twist at the end, I'm not interested enough to read the next book.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of #TheBastard

I read this book for an insight into Lisa Renee Jones’ writing outside the realm of her other popular suspense series. While the narrative was well paced and held an intriguing storyline, the character development was moderate. There was a lot of intimacy right from the beginning and the storyline seemed primarily driven by this rather than included within. It was a decent read but Jones has much more to offer than what is portrayed in this novel. 3 stars.

The Bastard by Lisa Rennee Jones
Filthy Duet #1

This is the two-part love story of Eric and Harper. Eric is the illegitimate son of Jeff Kingston and though he moved into the rich life of the wealthy always was an outsider. He is a number-savant, ex-SEAL and self-made billionaire who made the decision to leave the family business before being offered a position within it. Six years later he is asked by Harper, a one night stand and the daughter of his father’s new wife, to return to “fix” what is wrong with Kingston Motors.

This book reads like a New Adult romance with steamy passages and intrigue and not much honest communication by any of the characters in the book. I had trouble seeing what the attraction, beyond the physical, there was between Eric and Harper and had difficulty finding anything to like about either one of them. There is a great deal of tension and a mystery left unsolved just after the “twist” at the end of book one and...it ended with a cliffhanger. I don’t enjoy cliffhangers and would prefer a longer book that tells the entire story because I find it a bit manipulative pushing the reader to have to buy book two to find out the rest of the story.

Did I enjoy the book? At some times more than others
Did I find it believable? Hmm…
Do I want to find out what happens in book two, THE PRINCESS? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and … for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

While I’m always left frustrated at the end of a Lisa Renee Jones novel, there is no denying the bevy of plot twists, intrigue and conspiracy theories that she manages to pack into each and every story. Yes, this author also owns the market on cliffhangers that leave you felling somewhat robbed at the book's ending, but that only heightens your need for more.

The Bastard is a story jam-packed with tension, questionable loyalties, and a closet full of secrets; it’s guaranteed to have readers chomping at the bit for the final instalment. A story of overwhelming passion, a once-in-a-lifetime connection and a unknown future, makes Eric and Harper’s story one that definitely must be shared. I'm not sure what Ms Jones has in store for this complex couple, but I’m sure that we’re all dying to known!

5 Fantastic Stars!

Holy wow! Eric and Harper take you on quite a ride full of drama, suspense, and passion. I can’t wait until part 2 comes out!

First off let me just say this book is amazing.
Harper aka the Princess works for the Mitchell Empire. She finds stuff going on at the empire that is dangerous. She needs help to prove what's going on at the Empire. She can't trust no one but Eric but she knows that he wasn't treated well from his father that he wont come help her.

Eric aka the Bastard works with his best friend Grayson. His life wasn't all that easy. He wants nothing to do with his father empire. He cant stop thinking about Harper.

Harper comes and ask Eric for help. Will he come and help her? Their connection is amazing. She cant stop thinking about him. She feels like he is dangerous and he feels like he cant trust her. I just love them together. I cant wait for the second book. I highly recommend this book. You wont be disappointed. Can I get an Eric?

The Bastard son and the family Princess. Slightly taboo, but not really. This is mostly a fast paced, possibly suspenseful, second chance romance family drama. The business has some holes in it and they need Eric, or at least SHE does. They have a push pull thing going and trust is definitely an issue. There's obviously something big going on behind the scenes and a twist at the end, well kind of a surprise and a twist. It ends on a cliffhanger.

I really wanted to like this book. The story had the potential to be exciting, and engaging. Unfortunately, I found the characters crass, and not very likable. My takeaways from the book are that Harper needed Eric's help because she's "not one of the Kingstons"; Eric is a bastard child who owns the role of Bastard; Eric is a genius savant; Eric doesn't trust Harper, and he pretty much hates anyone with the last name Kingston. These are my takeaways because the author told us those very things at least once every third paragraph--sometimes while the characters were in the act of...coitus. I wish I could have gotten more invested in the story, but it was so repetitive and crass I had a hard time pushing through to the cliffhanger. I actually got tired of all the 'insert tab A into slot B'; especially while having contentious conversations. It didn't come off as sexy to me. It actually came off as cheap and borderline offensive. This book just wasn't for me.

Holy mother of an ending!!!! I knew going in that this ends on one giant cliffhanger and let me tell you it sure does. It gets you on the hook and all you'll want is book 2. All I want now is book 2 because I need to know what happens to Harper and Eric after that mother of a bombshell was dropped.

These two are two people who were destined to meet but met at the wrong time in the course of their lives. Fast forward six years and it's time to reconnect. Will the mountain of lies be the thing that binds them or completely destroy everything?

This book was one gripping tale of a man coming from nothing and rising above all odds and a girl who wants to make sure her fathers name is not tarnished and she will do whatever it takes even go back to the one who walked away.

Come on January cause I need to know what happens to these two and the road they have to take to find their way back to each other.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

I'm the bastard child, son to the mistress, my father's backup heir to the Kingston empire. He sent me to Harvard. I left and became a Navy SEAL, but I'm back now, and I finished school on my own dime. I'm now the right hand man to Grayson Bennett, the billionaire who runs the Bennett Empire. When I started reading I couldn't put it down. Lisa Renee Jones is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

I really enjoyed this story. Lisa Renee Jones is such a great storyteller, one who blends angst, hot chemistry, and well-written characters to give her readers a great reading experience. Eric is someone who I've been wanting to learn more about since we met him in the Dirty Rich series. His story did not disappoint.. Harper and Eric have a past that they have to face when they are thrown together after years apart. I loved the forbidden aspect to their relationship, and I feel like it contributed to making their love scenes even hotter. With all of the family drama, secrets, lies and suspense, this was one story that I did not want to put down. This was a great start to Eric and Harper's journey, and I'm really looking forward to the second book in the duet.

The description was much better than the book itself. Eric is a soon-to-be billionaire when his only family who always think of him as the bastard need his help. His step-sister Harper who he has a complicated relationship with wants him to help them. 
I was excited to read the novel but after 50, 60 pages I had to force myself to go through with it till the end. They “almost” sleep together and the next time they meet is after 6 YEARS. That's a lot of time even for fiction. There was no personality shown, rather everything was just told. There were twists and turns which made me somewhat want to read what happens. I did not like the book.