Fierce (Not Quite a Billionaire Book 1)

Hope and Hemi were so beautifully described that I fell in love with both of them. Their story had me smiling and sighing. Rosalind James is a truly gifted writer and I look forward to more of her books.

This story was so much more than the usual romance between a hot alpha boss and his employee.

I loved how Hope made Hemi work for it. Hemi was the hot alpha CEO, but he still had to really strive to get Hope's attention.

I loved how Hope was so strong and the deep love she had for her sister.

Fierce is the novel-within-a-novel that appeared in James’ most recent novel, Just in Time, and is purportedly written by the heroine in that novel, Faith. You don’t need to know that to read and enjoy Fierce since there is no mention of that novel’s characters in this new novel.

At first glance, this might seem like your typical novel about a super-rich corporate genius who becomes sexually obsessed with a down-on-her-luck heroine. He orchestrates her getting a job working for him and then makes his move. Complications ensue, they have some hot and steamy sex, while working through their personal complications.

That could summarize most millionaire/billionaire romance novels and might serve as a quick plot summary, but there is a lot more here. Hope is an innocent, young woman, but she also has a very strong will and has devoted her life to making enough money to support her younger sister since they were left alone after her mother died. She has the strength of will to resist the hero until he is willing to go beyond the emotion-free sexual arrangement that he originally wanted to have.

The hero, Hemi, is a Maori millionaire who runs a lingerie company. He doesn’t want any emotional attachment, but, of course, can’t resist becoming attached to Hope. I would have liked more of a discussion of his business. It seems to me that most of these millionaire/billionaire romances just establish that the guy is super-rich and busy, but don’t give much of an idea what goes into running a multi-million dollar company and how the guy got so successful. We have a suggestion here that Hemi gets inspired and imagines a new line of lingerie, but that is only about a half-page. I would have liked more.

Some might consider this an erotic romance, but the sex is much less heavy than in other erotic romances I’ve read. He is an dominant guy who imagines having control over her, but there is nothing really kinky or objectionable. There are a few hot and heavy scenes, but they don’t appear until about halfway through the book after the H and h have built up a relationship. In fact, I found the sex scenes much better than most erotic fiction. The build-up was very hot, yet also fit with the characters' personalities.

This is not Fifty Shades of Grey even if the bare plot outline might suggest that. The writing is nicely done and the characters, especially Hope’s little sister, are well written. The relationship that develops between Hope and Hemi is much more important than the sex. There is a lot to recommend about this book and it is well worth the Kindle price.

I prefer James’ New Zealand series because I enjoyed learning about NZ and the rugby culture. Although Hemi is a Maori and there is some discussion about that, there isn’t as much as found in some of her other novels.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for Fierce by Rosalind James exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I swear I have read this book before either under another title or it's a knock off. Or possibly the first one I read is the knock off. Either way you can tell it wasn't memorable until I read it again. Doesn't make my recommended list.

I have never read this author before but she writes well and I will buy her books again. I like that this lead character was Maori from New Zealand. He was different and not the same old billionaire we read about all the time.
Hope was interesting because of her relationship with her sister and her determination to do what was right for her sister. (Hope's sister is amusing!) I liked that Hope did not just fall right into bed with Hemi even though she was attracted to him. I enjoyed the storyline in general even though I am not a fan of office romances because sleeping with the boss is just wrong in my mind. But, Hope worked for another manager directly and did work very hard at her job. Of course, Hemi got her hired and would not allow her to be fired so there is some crossover but it is not too over the top. Some of the lines that Hope said to Hemi were overdone or overstated so that is the only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Hope would ramble or babble sometimes during important conversations. Other than that one negative, this is a 4 star romance.

Rosalind James has yet again stepped out of her norm and brought us another wonderful series. Fierce is an erotic story about a Billionaire Kiwi man who doesn't do "relationships" and a young woman who is trying to maintain a decent job and raise her younger sister. I love the banter between Hope and Hemi, I find that Ms. James flawlessly adds banter between her characters throughout many of her books. Yes, this an erotic story, but Hemi is clear with Hope about what he wants and never does Hope appear to be the "weak" woman and just allow him to do what he wants with her. She is strong, speaks her mind and knows what she wants. He never pushes Hope past what she is willing to do. Ms. James as always done tasteful yet very steamy sex scenes before and she pushes the limits in this book. However, I didn't find it uncomfortable or degrading towards women as some other erotic stories do. The storyline was realistic and engaging, the relationships between Hope/Hemi and Karen were well written, and very touching. I am always amazed when I read one of Ms. James' books she adds emotion, and so many deep thoughts on life and love. I look forward to the next installment in this series!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

No one writes sexy, steamy romance quite like Rosalind James! I've loved her entire Escape to New Zealand series, and the Kincaids as well. This book was originally the "story within a story" in her latest New Zealand offering "Just in Time" where Faith was writing a sexy story to go with the sexy photos Will modelled for. I wasn't sure if the sex might be a little too edgy even for me (I love the steamy ones if they're well written!), but "Fierce" just totally blew me away!! It may just be the best book she's written yet!

I'm not normally a fan of first person, especially for romance, but Rosalind made it work absolutely beautifully in this book... The billionaire alpha male thing is hard to pull off well, but Rosalind makes her hero real, putting the reader inside his psyche, and it worked for me! We seamlessly flowed from Hope's perspective to Hemi's and back again, and it totally added to the anticipation, the character development, and the flow and heat of the story. I totally loved it. I loved how Hope stood up to Hemi even though she was attracted, and I loved watching Hemi's character develop - painfully - throughout the whole book. He made me mad, and then I couldn't help loving him. (Just like Hope!)

This book is truly fabulous, but I would caution readers who prefer "sweet" sexy scenes that this one may not be for them. It has sweetness for sure, but it is hot... Hemi likes to be dominant (but then surprisingly so does Hope!). If you like sexy romance HOT but tastefully written with a beautiful relationship developing around it, this is a must read for summer.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is most definitely my own!

Fierce is the first book in Rosalind James's new "Not Quite a Billionaire" series. This is the story in the story that Faith was writing in "Just in Time", book 8 in the Escape to New Zealand series. I really thought that was pretty cool, so I was excited when I found out that she was going to publish Hope and Hemi's story in a new series. Rosalind is an auto one-click for me - love the quality of her writing. She also has a way with a sex scene that manages to be hot and steamy, but not trashy and making you feel like you need a shower. The sex scenes in this book are kicked up a notch, but not over the top. Hope is a struggling photographer's assistant living in NYC and also guardian to her 15 year old little sister. She meets Hemi, a hot (of course) designer at a photo shoot. Hemi is attracted to her and when he witnesses her boss being an ass, he decides to have his company offer her a job. He asks her out and tries to get her to enter into an "arrangement" with him and she refuses at first, but when they can't deny their attraction, they can't stay away from each other. This story is written in dual POV which is new for Rosalind. I love to get both sides of the story. There is a satisfying HEA and I'm sure we'll see more of Hemi and Hope in the next standalone in the series.

If this is your first Rosalind James book, you really have to try the Escape to New Zealand series and also the Kincaids series. She has also recently released a book "Carry Me Home" which is the first book of a new series considered "romantic suspense".

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I absolutely loved this book. This is the full story of Hemi and Hope, the story within a story in Just in Time and it is wonderful! It is a bit a a departure for Ms. James as it is quite a bit sexier than her other works (which are plenty sexy to begin with) but it is still very clearly her voice. This is what an erotic billionaire romance should look like! Yes there is a seeming power imbalance but it never really materializes. In spite of appearing to be in a weaker position Hope never lets Hemi push her around and Hemi is a straight up guy, not really playing any games and is absolutely honest about who he is and what he wants, even when it makes Hope run out on him. I really liked this Hope (she was kind of sad sack before…now not so much). She is absolutely fierce, she gets it done and knows what she wants and what she doesn't. Hemi was also a great character. Like so many of her other heroes he's physically big and strong, he's a powerful man but deep down (a little deeper for him than some of the others) he's a good man. I also really loved Hope’s sister Karen, she was a really fun character and I'd love to be able to fast forward a few years and see her get a HEA too, and see Hemi make the guy earn it! (Insert evil chuckle here). If you’re looking for a book that's fun and really sexy (and still with that touch of New Zealand that we love from Ms. James) than look no further this could be the one for you.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.