Sugar Daddy: A Sugar Bowl Novel

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Was a terrific, sexy, addictive series. Characters & plot unique, very deep, mysterious, & steamy? Sela & Beck awesome. Best Sawyer Brown work yet & could'nt put the IPad down. Read/listened to both Sugar Daddy and Sugar Rush twice. Will re-read this weekend in preparation for the final installment's release 11 Oct. Yes, it is that amazing!

Amazing book, it is very well written and the story line just leaves you wanting more. I inhaled this book, I truly couldn't put it down. You just want more of her story, it keeps you wondering and on your toes. It is most definitely one of my TOP reads. And that ending! My god that ending! What a cliffy, phew!

This book is so seductive. I felt so connected to both characters and loved their relationship with each other. I love how the author tells the story from both perspectives. I can't keep writing my review, must.start.the.next.book!!!!

While I like everything Sawyer Bennett writes (she's an automatic one click for me) I didn't even bother reading any reviews. While I loved the book I was seriously disappointed by the cliffhanger ending. It's a personal thing with me I just don't buy any books, favorite author or not that ends like that. I don't want to have to wait months for another book. Aside from that it is a really good book and did enjoy it up until the ending.

It ended in a cliff hanger. How disappointing. I am going to pay better attention so I quit paying for these type of books because they are very irritating. I enjoy the writing but the cliff hanger aspect takes all of that away.

First, there's a SERIOUS CLIFFHANGER. I don't think this was in the description when I got the book but it is now. Lame.
Book 2 comes out in Aug. I would wait until then to buy this one.

Anyway, the subject matter is SERIOUSLY OFF-PUTTING: A website devoted to matching up old rich guys with young girls for an exchange of money and "companionship." It's prostitution. Personally, I think prostitution should be legal. But this book's topic somehow still manages to make me cringe.

Moving past that, the book begins with the drugging and gang rape of a 16yo girl--Sela, the main character. Why she can't just go to the police, I have no idea. If I remember correctly, at the time, she said she was "looking/asking for it" some other B.S. But none of that should even matter because at least one of the guys was over 18 (at least 21yo) so, hello, statutory rape no matter what.
Evidently, no one in this book has ever watched L&O:SVU. Whatever.

THEN, Sela comes up with this grand plan (read: stupid, unworkable, not even really a plan) to get revenge on her attacker. And by revenge, I mean, she's going to murder him. Like somehow she really believes she can actually murder someone and get away with it AND be the kind of person who can live with herself after that. Right.
It's ridiculous.
And if you think these are spoilers--this all happens in the first couple of chapters.

THEN Sela meets her attacker's bestie, Beck, and, despite her dark plan, hearts and flowers ensue.
What do you think might happen NEXT?!?
I just could NOT guess! (Rolleyes here)

Very obvious plot. Painful to read. I realized toward the end there must be a Part 2 and it took me DAYS to read the last few chapters because I just didn't want to go down this road I could see coming for MILES.

Anyway. Maybe it gets better in the next two books. I have always liked this author but here she has lost me.
As I am already sucked in, I will likely read the second book.

However, if that one is as predictable as this book was....

I'm guessing in Book 2, Beck finds out the truth and he and Sela team up against his evil friend, culminating in...a plan which gets played out in Book 3 with heroine in peril+epilogue happy happy joy joy ending.

Only time will tell.

So very dissatisfied with this book. I have always read and enjoyed Sawyer's books. I can not recommend this to her readers. Everyone in this book was empty. The story had great potential as such a relevant subject about rape. How this was handled left me dissatisfied

Crap!!!! Another cliffhanger. I admit I will probably read the serial when it is finished. I am so tired of these three part books. Second installment not until August. Hopefully the third by year end. I'll just wait and read the whole thing at once. I may rate this higher when it is finished.

Ten years ago Sela was brutally raped by three guys. She never knew who they were but she remembered a tattoo. A tattoo that she's now seeing on TV!
The boss of this new, very successful dating site is one of the guys who raped her.

Even with lots of therapy Sela still isn't able to really live with what happened back then. She even tried to kill herself. She's still plagued by nightmares. But she thinks that killing her rapists would finally free her from this terror.
That's her one goal in life now. She makes herself into a brand new piercing-free brunette, ready to seduce JT and find out the name of the other two.

But she's just not JT's type as a confident brunette.
But she's Beck's type.
Beck is the genius behind The Sugar Bowl. The brilliant and verrry hot MIT guy.
And he wants her. Even if only for one night. Because that's all he does. One nighters.

But this girl is different. And for the first time in his life Beck can imagine himself in a relationship!
BUT, he also knows that she's hiding something...... And he can't stand secrets!!!!

WHAT WiLL HAPPEN TO SELA & BECK??
WiLL SHE BE ABLE TO GET HER REVENGE??
WiLL HER SECRETS BE TOO MUCH FOR BECK?
WiLL EVERBODY SURViVE???
WiLL THERE BE A HORRiBLE CLiFFY??
I'm not telling you that of course...
ok, yes, there might be a tiny little HUGE Cliffy ☺
________________________________

4.9 STARS

This was something totally different to all those Sawyer hockey & sex-club books.

I loved it.
Lots of angst and mystery and suspense and SEX and lots of moving and sad moments...
I loooved Beck!!
He's a real great guy! Super-smart and sexy and kind and even though he's been friends with JT since they were kids, he's kind of done with him. JT has totally lost his mind with all his drugs and girls and whatnot. I was afraid we were not going to like Beck because he's best buddies with JT. But nope - Beck sees what kind of person JT is..... But he's also hoping that JT is getting better and that's not something Sela can accept. And does Beck know what kind of person JT was ten years ago??? And what about the tattoo??? Because JT is not the only one with a tattoo.....☺

►►► SUGAR DADDY was an amazingly exciting & erotic start to a new trilogy! I NEEEEED to read book #2 asap!!!

The Hook: After a horrific experience as a teen, all grown up Sela sees her rapist on TV, promoting his business that hooks rich, older men up with much younger women. Stronger now than she was back then, she sees this as her opportunity to bring him down, so she changes her appearance and sets out to infiltrate his business. What she doesn’t count on is his business partner Beck, a man who may have been in on her assault all those years ago.

The Verdict: Ugh. I know there’s an audience for books like this, but I am definitely not it. While I knew the plot would be a bit dark, I didn’t expect it to make me hate every single character, including the one I should have been rooting for.

Sela’s definitely got some baggage, which makes perfect sense, considering what she’s gone through. Unable to really trust men or herself, her relationships have been rather unemotional, an attempt at pretending to be normal. When she sees one of the men who raped her on TV, doubly disturbing now that he runs a kind of dating service, she puts everything else aside to get to him and get revenge.

Beck is the guy she falls for along the way, but the way these two quickly heated up the sheets just seemed so contrived. I don’t read a whole lot of books that include sexual assault, but when I do, I look for a respectful telling of the woman’s story, and this was so far from that I don’t even know how to describe it. That’s not to say that victims of sexual assault or abuse don’t do things that some would say are completely irrational — how can anyone who’s been so hurt be completely logical in their actions and reactions? But for me, Sela quickly became a dark caricature without any real substance, and Beck was just a conceited ass. I’m sure that’s not what Bennett was going for in writing the characters, but there just wasn’t anything redeeming about any of them.

Fortunately, I didn’t pay for the book or even get an ARC. Pretty sure I grabbed this one at the library, since it was on the newly released list and I’d never read anything by Bennett before. I kept reading, sure that a book by such a popular author would somehow get better, but I just felt more disgusted with each new page. Now, I’m not sure I can crack open another of Bennett’s books. For those that enjoy darker and somewhat over-the-top romantic thrillers, this is probably a perfect book. But me? I think I need a shower.

Darn cliffhanger. If only I had read reviews before purchasing. I don't care how invested I got with the two characters, I HATE continuing stories. Going to try to get my money back. Will absolutely not buy the next two books. Feel betrayed.

Sugar Daddy, A Sugar Bowl Novel,  Sawyer Bennett

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, Erotica

First off, my bad! I saw it was a Sawyer Bennet novel and requested it without researching – I love her stories – and Gah!! Its a trilogy and ends on a cliff-hanger.  I just Hate that. I get so invested in the story and characters that I’m frustrated when it stops, and then when next part is out I’ve lost all that momentum, then I have to go back and re read bits to try to work out what was happening...I really wish these sort of books were either one complete story, or if they need to be two or three novels because they’re too long, and cost would put readers off, then release all parts at once. That way readers could try the first part at a smaller cost and see if they liked the story, or buy all three parts ( as a cheaper bundle maybe? It happens after all books out very often) As it is the final part isn’t out until end of this year...
 
 
So, the story. Its typical SB. Great characters and fabulous writing. Hot and steamy sex scenes that add to the story and don’t dominate it as in far too many books. I loved Sela, felt for what she had gone through and could understand her quest for revenge. When she sees one of her abusers on TV that need gets concentrated in her mind, and she spends the next few months working at it.

Her first approach fails, but then JT’s business partner sees her and offers her one night. She takes it, she’s really surprised at how attracted to him she feels, that's not happened to her before, and then she’s astonished that she enjoys sex with him. Something else new, her first orgasm from a man and that sparks something in Beck. He’s so taken with her innocence, the pleasure he gives her and how different she is to the usual jaded, money orientated ladies he usually ends with.
There’s something special going on between them, and he offers her a month as a sugar baby ( eurgghh awful term!!)
Beck didn’t expect to want more, but he does, a night leaves him wanting and he thinks a month will get her out of his system. He’s well known for only ever having one nighters, never more, never wanted a sugar baby, so everyone around him is astonished. Of course that brings Sela within range of JT, but she’s also got some pretty deep feelings for Beck so she’s struggling. Then something happens that brings all those memories back and makes her feel JT is still doing what he did to her. 
 
Its a terrific read, you feel for Sela, then when she meets Beck, he’s so different to everyone else, really seems to care about her – and the sex is off the charts too. Beck is a gorgeous man, a real treasure, very genuine and you can feel how much he wants Sela, not just for sex but for all of her. They become closer all the while, but she’s always got JT and her past at the back of her mind. The face he presents the world isn’t the side of him she and others know, and yet he still gets away with it. she can’t understand how Beck just can’t seem to see the wrong in him, but he’s known him most of his life and Sela only a couple of months. Then when it all goes bang at the end I was heartbroken, its a real cliffy that ends in tears – hers and mine!

Stars: Five, a great read, classic SB but oh I wish I could read all of it right now...

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers.

5 Please be My Daddy Stars

Sugar Daddy is the first book in the Sugar Bowl series. There will be a total of three books in this series, but all books are full novels (not novellas). I really have to put this disclaimer out there, yes its part of a series, but don’t rule it out because of that. I love serial books, they can be frustrating, but they are also addictive, they make my heart race and I love it when an author hooks you in, because she does do that.

I popped my Sawyer Bennett cherry and what a book I did it with. Gah, the feels I had with this book, it was nothing what I expected, but it was so much more and more. I loved it from the first page, I couldn’t get enough and right after I finished I had to read another Sawyer Bennett book to get my fix!

So, let’s enter the world of Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies, it’s actually a real thing, CNN had a documentary on it and it was fantastic. Sugar Daddies are just that, they are men, usually older looking for a twenty-something female for companionship. Sugar Babies are the twenty-something gals that hook up with the Daddies in exchange for gifts, money and other things. It’s illegal to exchange money for sex, but it’s implied.

Sela Halstead is a girl with a dark past. She was raped by several men. She doesn’t know all of them, but she recognizes one of them when she sees him on TV, he is the co-owner of a company The Sugar Bowl. It’s an on-line service where Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies can meet. Don’t you love this plot? I know I do. When you first start the book, you soon understand Sela’s pain, the book doesn’t get into the nitty and gritty part of it, but you know Sela is a tortured girl and she’s looking for revenge.

I loved that Sela worked hard to be a Sugar baby, she lost weight, dressed differently and became sexier so she could lure her rapist into her trap. I liked that Sela was a damsel in distress, but a tough cookie at the same time. She’s a Heroine I love to read.

Beckett is the other co-owner of the Sugar Bowl. He’s not like his partner (the rapist). Beckett likes to hide behind the scenes and work on the site’s coding and programing. I love Beckett, I love how he’s nerdy, smart and not superficial. I love how he’s part of this crazy website, but he doesn’t act on it, he does sleep with women, but he’s no sugar daddy and never will be, well, until he meets Sela.

Gah, Beckett is the total nerdy hottie, I only wished he wore glasses! He attends the social events, but he could care less about the girls, he only uses them for one night stands. I like how he’s the guy that doesn’t do relationships, but he’s willing to pursue something with Sela when he sees her for the first time.

And that is just the tip of the story, so much more happens. It’s a really fast pace book and I kept on asking myself, what else can happen, but something does and it’s a crazy wild ride. I love the Sela and Beckett dynamics. I love how Sela must work on her issues with her past and her future with Beckett. I love how Beckett is this nice guy, but he slowly starts to care for Sela and he becomes the guy he never thought he would be.

Sugar Daddy is a rush. If you want something steamy, dramatic and super addictive, then this one is for you.

An ARC was provided

Sawyer Bennett is in my top five favorite all time authors. When I saw that she was coming out with a new trilogy I was stoked. Shockingly, I just could not get into this book at all. I usually down this authors books in one sitting and this books took me weeks. The characters just never came alive for me. The story line didn't feel smooth to me like her books usually do. Admittedly I am not a huge fan of "revenge" plot books. This one just started out far fetched and never really came back down to earth. My biggest issue with this book was that I never got that sexy feeling. The imagery that the author painted early on was hard to get over and it so quickly turned to this cold kind of sex between Sela and Beck that I just never warmed up to their relationship. It always felt cheap and underdeveloped. Obviously not a fan of this one and won't continue with the triology but still a die hard fan of this author and can't wait to get her next book!

**I was given a free advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review,**

At the tender age of sixteen Sela lost her virginity when she was drugged and raped at a college party. She assumed she was damaged beyond repair and would never be able to have a normal, loving relationship with a man. Now at twenty-six she simply exists with only random, meaningless relationships in her life.
Suddenly while watching t.v. Sela sees one of her rapists (JT), the only one whose face she saw, and she becomes hell bent on exacting revenge. After a failed attempt to attract his attention at dating sites couples mixer Sela must find a new inside track. She finds it with JT’s business partner, Beckett. Problem is, she starts dating Beck to get inside opportunities at JT and ends up falling for him. Sela is very strong and very determined to get her revenge but when she starts having feelings for Beck she can’t decide if she should continue on with her plan or give it up for a chance at happiness.
I really liked the premise behind this story as it is not one you see very often but some areas of the plot felt rushed to me. Sela went from disturbed rape victim who cannot have a functioning relationship to falling in love very quickly which seemed a little unrealistic to me. I actually thought I knew where this story was going and it did surprise me but taking a slightly different direction with its plot twist.
This ends in a cliffhanger so be prepared to wait for resolution! I think that this revenge thriller has potential and if you can overlook some minor, slightly unbelievable things you will like it. I will give a warning though that if rape is a trigger for you that you steer clear of this series. No detailed scenes are portrayed in this first book but there is a possibility of it in this series.