4.5 Stars

Black Tie Bachelor Bid is the second book in Karen Booth's Little Black Book of Secrets series. The series focuses on three best friends who met each other while attending the Baldwell School for Girls in Central Connecticut. The series follows their lives and careers as they fall in love. However, there's someone who doesn't want them or any other affluential people to be happy and has made it their mission to embarrass and bring them down. The million-dollar question is who is behind the gossip site Little Black Book and why.

31-year-old Taylor Klein is like a leaf drifting through life. She's always falling for the wrong guys, the ones who choose to not put her first or protect her heart. While her friends are established in their careers, Taylor has made a career out of looking for a career. She has yet to find anything she can stick to for more than a few months. Her latest career idea is to turn her family's Connecticut vacation home into a boutique hotel. In order to do this, she feels she needs the help of Roman Scott who is one of the most creative and successful hotel owners in the world. The problem is that Roman has refused to meet with her or return any of her phone calls.

At the age of forty, Roman Scott has worked hard to become one of the best at what he does. His creativeness and eye for detail have made him a fortune in the hospitality industry. However, his dedication has come at a price. People view him as mysterious and closed off. It’s true that there isn’t much to learn about him through online research. And this is all by design. Roman isn’t comfortable being the center of attention or in the spotlight. He despises the media and people talking about him.

One of the only people who could get him to step into the spotlight is his sister-in-law Fiona. This is why he has reluctantly agreed to allow her to auction him off for one of her beloved charities. Roman never imagined that he would be at the center of a bidding war or that his would-be date would spend six figures for him. But that is exactly what happens. With the unwanted media attention, Taylor and Roman escape to her family’s Connecticut estate where she has every intention of picking his brain.

When I started reading Black Tie Bachelor Bid, I had a problem with Taylor and her not accepting people’s boundaries. She isn’t rude or dismissive. It’s more about her being excited and curious. She knows what she wants to do, but she wants Roman to tell her exactly what to do. Roman definitely sees potential in Taylor, but he refuses to hand feed her ideas. He wants her hotel to be hers and hers alone. These two are similar in so many ways. Each has sworn off relationships because they can’t trust their own judgment. Yet at the same time, they have this attraction and pull for the other that goes far beyond just the physical. They’re fun and caring. I loved that their families are extremely supportive of them. I also loved that their relationship was steady and straightforward. There is no black moment, where your heart breaks and you’re left wondering how they’re going to get back together. It just seemed real.

Of course, Little Black Book strikes again. Unfortunately, the result they were hoping for isn’t what they get. At least for me, some of my previous suspicions are confirmed. A major piece of the puzzle is revealed, and Taylor and her friends are closer to finding out who is behind the account. I can’t wait to read How to Fake a Wedding Date.

~ Favorite Quotes ~

“You never know what the future holds.”

“Not every bad thing is purely bad. There’s always something good to take out of any situation."