Review: Beautiful Stranger

Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 342
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Synopsis: Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon’s moved to New York City and is looking for excitement and passion without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night’s fun. But the manner—and speed—with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hook-up and into her Beautiful Stranger.
The whole city knows that Max Stella loves women, not that he’s ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it’s not until Sara—and the wild photos she lets him take of her—that he starts wondering if there’s someone for him outside of the bedroom.

Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.

Review:  After finishing Beautiful Bastard, and enjoying it, I knew that I was going to have to read this book. One of the things that I was no aware of at first was that these books all take place in the same world, but they do not each follow the same couple. I was a bit hesitant at first, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to end up liking that, but it was one of the reasons that I think I enjoyed the book. While the authors have introduced us to a new couple, Bennet and Chloe are present in this book as well, and it is nice to be able to see and get to know the other characters from Beautiful Bastard on the outside rather than from inside their heads.
Beautiful Stranger is Sara and Max’s story. After things go horribly wrong with her ex, Sara needs out of Chicago and is looking for change. With Chloe as a best friend, Sara decides on New York City. Sara has lived her life in the shadows, being unwilling and unsure, that is, until she meets Max Stella. Max’s reputation precedes him, he is a multi-millionaire playboy. When Sara and Max meet, they have no information regarding the other, not even a name. The chemistry between these two is there right from the beginning. As the events from the story begin to unfold, Sara and Max really try and fight to keep things casual between them, but as the story goes on, this proves to be much more difficult than expected.

Women don't always want to be treated like we're delicate, or rare, or somehow more precious. We want to be wanted. We want sex to be just as raw as you do.

Beautiful Stranger is a book that is fully of very highly, likeable characters. Thinking back, there really wasn’t anyone that I didn’t like, and there wasn’t anyone that I found myself getting really annoyed with. There were a few things that Sara did that frustrated me, but then, I thought, look at what she has moved away from. I actually really did like Sara’s character, it almost seemed as though she were a friend I could very easily go and sit to have coffee with. She was a character I wish that I was able to know more about.

Because the whole British thing you have going on makes me want to do very wicked things to your mouth.

Max Stella on the other hand…hello, you had me at British. There was just almost everything right about Max. He is a good-looking, tall, British, successful business hottie. Just thinking about that accent as he was saying some of the things that he said to Sara, is enough to make anyone swoon. Though given his reputation as a “bad boy, womanizer,” he is anything but. Sara frustrated me because Max is just almost TOO nice. I could go on, but I leave it at that.

The way you seem nervous makes me think you don’t know that I’m in love with you.

As well, I found that this story moved with a really great pace. The writing was funny, witty, and enjoyable. It was a very light-hearted, enjoyable read, with just the right amount of heat, heart, and sexiness. If you haven’t read this book and are looking for a quick, fun read, then I highly recommend picking up Beautiful Stranger, you’ll be glad that you did.