The Last Eligible Billionaire

This book. Is. Everything. It is a billionaire fake relationship story that gets 5+++ stars. In fact, it deserves all the stars. I just adored Begonia and Hayes, their love story, their vulnerability because of their past pain, and that the book pokes fun at romcoms while being a romcom. Hayes is a grumpy rich single man from a famous family who just wants his relatives to stop setting him up because he believes love is a painful lie. Begonia is a sunshiny divorced high school art teacher who is embracing having an adventure to find herself after having her true self squished in a bad marriage. Unbeknownst to Hayes, Begonia rents his mansion in Maine for a ridiculously small sum and is naked when he arrives in his house intending to hide out from everyone. Thus begins the hilarious, swoony, joyful, and heart warming journey to their HEA. To learning “there’s a vast difference between living a life of obligation and living a life of joy.” The feelings woven throughout the story transcended the pages. They floated up from the written words and flowed directly into my heart, especially the joy that is Begonia and how she sees the world. This is a masterful tale of pain and sparkling joy and growth sneakily wrapped in a hilarious romcom. It is story full of swoons, a quirky dog, absurdity, drama, sweet moments, strong families, dysfunctional families, wonderful side characters, sexy times, painful pasts, and love. And while the book is absurdly hilarious, it is also a deeply emotional book. At its heart, it’s a story of damaged and bruised but not broken, real, relatable people who have flaws, but are really trying to do just their best. Begonia and Hayes find their way together by recognizing their scars, embracing life, and deciding to be the best version of themselves. And Marshmallow - everyone needs one of him in their lives.

There was something missing for me, but this has all of the ingredients of a GREAT book - Grant's signature quirky humor, an unexpected pairing, a fake relationship scheme that quickly gets out of control, and a coldhearted billionaire who finally meets his match. I wanted to love it so hard, and I did enjoy it quite a bit. I loved the outlandishness and the comedy aspect, and I'm always a sucker for a fake relationship romance. The opposites attract dynamic also worked, and it's easy to get caught up in the story. For me, I was distracted at the start by the many characters - while this says it's a total standalone, I kept trying to remember if I'd heard names before in past Grant romances - and then somewhere along the way the emotional connection started to feel a little lacking. I still enjoyed this (I'm a huge fan of Grant's work for a reason), it was just easier to put down than others I've read.The story follows Begonia and Hayes, two strangers who meet in the most memorable of ways. Begonia is on a post-divorce vacation and minding her own business in her rental property when Hayes enters and claims that he's the owner of the building... and he didn't rent it out. After their initial encounter spirals out of control, Hayes finds himself blackmailing Begonia to be his fake girlfriend. As the last eligible billionaire, everyone is obsessed with Hayes' love life - and he's been burned too many times before to want something real. Claiming that this hot mess of a woman is his girlfriend is sure to get his family to stop meddling, but things don't go as planned. As the two spend time together, Hayes and Begonia strike up a friendship that feels like more. Whether it's friends with benefits or something real is yet to be determined.I've never been a fan of friends with benefits, so that's where this started to go off course for me. At one point, Begonia literally says (in reference to a potential hookup between them), “You don’t have to kiss me, you don’t have to look at me, we don’t have to have the lights on, and we can keep touching to a minimum," and I think my love of the book sort of curled up and died in that moment, lol. Not completely, but it definitely put a damper on things for me. Everything else about the book is 5-star-worthy, but the lackluster emotional connection and Begonia's self-esteem issues kept me from loving the book. We see a lot of resistance from both characters to fall for real, even if it was happening against their will. I did love Hayes though; it was great to see this unfeeling guy fall for someone so bold and vibrant. Opposites definitely attract in this case, and they balance each other out perfectly. Overall, not one of my favorites from the author, but still a very solid rom com.

Marshmallow is the best dog ever!!!!!Love the story so much!!!So much pain and distrust and laughter and Love!

This book....it is so freaking amazing! It's swoony, sexy and has all the feels. I love Begonia! She would so be the ultimate BFF, and Hayes.....let's just say he is a new book boyfriend! He is grumpy on the outside with a soft, smooshie centre. And Marshmallow? Read the book and find out who Marshmallow is. I absolutely adore him! I want a Marshmallow in my life. Pippa Grant, this book is just everything! Thank you!

Loved this story. The characters were likeable and believable. The story flowed, I like that you get both characters perspective.I liked the storyline and the funny moments, but it also told a lovely story of blossoming love between the two.I hate stories with lots of angst and long gaps in time, this story had just the right amount of both, you felt the pain but didn’t have to wait long for the HEA.Looking forward to the next book from this author.

I loved the story itself and most of all the well written characters. Not only Hayes and Begonia but also all the side characters especially Marshmallow the crazy dog.It was my first book written by Pippa Grant, but won't be the last.I really like books where you get to learn more about the characters and see (read) their development and I need interesting side characters. It gets boring when everything always and only circles around the two protagonists. This book gave me all that.

This was my first book by the author and it took me by surprise! Hayes & Begonia's grumpy-sunshine dynamic was just too cute to handle! It's about two middle aged adults who've been jilted by life and come together by entering into a contract only to realise that they're perfect for each other. Hayes was a bit standoffish and guarded himself when it came to feelings. He just wanted to protect his family's reputation and was also trying stop his mother from meddling in his life by matchmaking him with the ladies she preferred. Begonia on the other hand was recently divorced and made a resolution to never settle for less again. She was so open and went above and beyond not only for her family but also for the people around her. Usually, when an mc is feeling jealous, we kind of get to see him/her trash talking about the OW/OM but Begonia here was such a breath of fresh air! She never once said anything bad about anyone, instead she always complimented them (even when they weren't nice to her). Honestly, she and her cute little dog were the highlights of the book! Their scenes with Hayes were just so funny and entertaining. I'm not going to get into the specifics of how exactly they met because it would be spoilery but I can definitely say that I enjoyed reading this book more than I expected! The side characters were unique and had their own backstories that made them seem real to me. Overall, this was a cute, unnecessary drama-free, hilarious and lighthearted read. You should give it a try if you're a fan of the grumpy-sunshine or fake dating tropes!