Badass Bloggettes: *** RELEASE DAY REVIEW *** WICKED BEAUTIFUL by J.T. Geissinger

A ruthless businesswoman and the playboy who dumped her long ago find themselves embroiled in a high stakes game of love, lies and revenge.

Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.

Drop-dead sexy restauranteur and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.

Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice: continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation, and her heart by taking a second chance on love?

Wicked Beautiful is my first book by J.T. Geissinger, and I must admit upfront that her writing skills hook me, and I'm now a fan. She builds the mystery from the first page. Her characters are fun, flawed, loyal, redeemable and exciting. The story is told in alternating points of view, a personal favorite. There are twists and turns, with funny moments to ease the tension. I spent a lot of time on the edge of my seat and enjoyed my time with Parker, Victoria, and the rest of the characters.

Wicked Beautiful is the story of Victoria Price. She made her fortune being a Capital “B”itch and teaching other women how to follow in her footsteps. She is a best-selling author, life coach to the rich and famous, a speaker who packs the house, and a woman with true and loyal friends. She is also a phony. She remade herself after her high school love hurt her so deeply it almost did her in but she didn’t give up. She promised never to love again and doesn’t trust men enough to let them break down the walls around her heart.

Parker Maxwell doesn’t trust women. He is a very successful restauranteur and philanthropist. He doesn’t want relationships with the women he dates, in fact, he has rules for these women: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future, and no spending the night. Why? He is still suffering from a bad decision he made years ago, an abusive father, and a secret that he can’t forgive.

When Victoria and Parker meet, she recognizes him immediately as her high school sweetheart and plots her revenge. She wants to bring him down and make him suffer like she suffered when he dumped her. “Rule #4: Bitches don’t get mad, they get evil.”

The characters in this book are among my favorites. Every one of the main characters that we meet is complex and fascinating. I really like Victoria. She is so strong and smart and turns a hard past into a highly successful business. Her career is different. She is not only a successful author but an equally successful motivational speaker, and while she crowns herself as the Queen Bitch, she is so much more than that. She has a heart that she keeps locked away but opens it without question for her friends, Tabitha, and Darcy.

Parker is hot. I like him from the moment he is introduced. He is a sexy womanizer but, like Victoria, there is so much more to him. He is sweet and giving, and he doesn’t give up. He knows the art of seduction and the sex scenes are sensual and makes me want more. There is something about this character that makes him an ideal book boyfriend.

“In the spirit of full disclosure, I should probably tell you that this dress of yours, which is really more like visual Viagra than a dress, is going to cause an ocean of drool among all the poor bastards you’ll be passing tonight, so I’m going to have to stick very close to you in order to be ready to lend a gallant hand when you slip on said drool. Which is inevitable, considering the sheer amount of it we’ll be dealing with. So.”

I laugh a little shakily. “So be prepared to have a Parker barnacle?”

He nods seriously, though there’s a gleam of laughter in his eyes. “Yes.”

The secondary characters are perfect complements to the main characters. They add so much to the story and make the reader want to know more about them.

Darcy LaFontaine is a highly regarded restaurant critic. She has a larger than life personality, and she is so funny. I love her and want more. Kai Furst is the chef at one of Parker’s New York restaurants. He is meticulous and demanding and doesn’t take crap from anyone including Parker until he is smitten with Darcy. Where is this going to lead? Tabitha (Tabby) is Victoria’s assistant. She is her right hand and calls her out when she needs it. They argue more like sisters than employer/employee. It is a great dynamic between these two.

In Parker’s camp, besides Kai, Marie-Therese is only in a few scenes. She is like a sister to Parker and helps him with his philanthropic endeavors. Conner is his close friend and security contractor. He makes a big entrance in the story. He is confident, hot, ex-Marine and knows almost everything about technology. I want to know more about all these characters.

The book also has a couple of questionable figures, Luciano and Bailey. Luciano is a full of himself chef who doesn’t think highly of Parker. He is interesting and a bit player but not hateful. Bailey is Parker’s assistant at Xengu. I sense she is a bitch, and I’m not fond of her but she moves the story.

I have one criticism, and that is near the end. It didn’t work for me as much as 90 percent of the book did. It is a little rushed and left me wondering about what is next and why they are where they are. I’m not sure if that is because the author’s goal is to fill in the blanks in the next book or if this is the last we will see of the couple. It is like the Ms. Geissinger didn’t want a cliffhanger but didn’t want to answer all the questions for Victoria and Parker. I will read the next book in the series and make my final decision after that.

In summary, I recommend Wicked Beautiful. "Rule #2: Bitches are never wrong." The writing is great; the characters are among my favorites, and I want to know more about the ancillary characters. Wicked Beautiful laid the groundwork for this series to continue in many directions. I don’t completely understand the hero and heroine’s final decisions, but it leaves questions open for subsequent books in the series. I love the epilogue, but again it has me wondering a little too. The positives far outweigh the negatives and like I’ve said before I want to read the next book in the series.

4 STAMPS