Rules are made to be broken...
If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful... oh yeah, and a billionaire.
It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me.
I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.
Audiobook Details
Length: 11 hours
Narrator: Joel Leslie
Book 1
Audiobook Buy Links
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Google Play ~ Kobo
Ebook Buy Links
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Au ~ Amazon Ca
B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful... oh yeah, and a billionaire.
It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me.
I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.
Audiobook Details
Length: 11 hours
Narrator: Joel Leslie
Book 1
Audiobook Buy Links
Amazon Audiobook ~ Audible ~ iTunes
Google Play ~ Kobo
Ebook Buy Links
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Au ~ Amazon Ca
B&N ~ Google Play ~ Kobo
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
Being in a Joel Leslie mood gave me the excuse I needed to buy Alexis Hall's How to Bang a Billionaire on audiobook. As I've read a couple of the author's books from the Spires universe, I knew the writing style was to my taste and didn't bother re-reading the book's blurb. So, it was kind of like going in blind, which is actually one of the things I enjoy about reviewing for a blog. You pick your books based on a blurb that sounds enticing, but it's usually a month or two before you actually get to begin the book, so while you may have a vague idea of what the book is about, you don't necessarily remember the spoiler points of the blurb. See? Exciting.
With that said, I'm not sure re-reading the blurb would have prepared me for the awkwardness that is Arden St. Ives. Arden is an absolutely delightful character who must possess some social graces as he's nearing the end of his degree at Oxford, yet every time he encounters Caspian Hart he perpetrates some rather mortifying and humiliating social faux pas. Honestly, if Arden is going to have a bad day, he's nearly guaranteed that Caspian will arrive at the worst possible moment. Fortunately for Arden, his blunders seem to be Caspian's kryptonite because for a man who prides himself on maintaining control of his emotions and desires, Arden proves to be irresistible.
As expected in any good billionaire romance, Caspian is a secretive and emotionally closed-off workaholic who has issues Arden barely only scratches the surface of (if even that much) and he likes a bit of kink. Well, we and Arden assume it's a bit of kink because by the end of the book, Caspian is still holding back on his preferences but has agreed to try to be more forthcoming and share about himself with Arden. While Caspian might share some similarities with other bad boy billionaires, make no mistake, Caspian Hart is Alexis Hall's billionaire and he'll do what he damn well pleases – expectations be damned. 😉
It should be no surprise that Joel Leslie was fabulous as Arden and Caspian, as well as the supporting characters who make up their friends, family, and colleagues. Leslie excels at conveying Arden's angst without sounding whiny – except when he's supposed to sound whiny. And the way he captures Arden's awkward embarrassment is so convincing it's as if I can actually see Arden cringing and blushing. At the same time, he performs Caspian's cultured coldness, interspersed with the moments of warmth that Arden elicits, so perfectly.
Between the ending that left me wanting for more yet not leaving me dangling off a cliff to do so and Leslie's performance, I'm in a bit of a quandary as to whether or not I should dive into book two now or wait until book three's release date is announced. Decisions, decisions. Regardless of what I decide, I'm already looking forward to listening to How to Bang a Billionaire again, hence its 5-star rating.
PS – I compromised and bought How to Blow It with a Billionaire but haven’t listened to it yet.
Alexis Hall was born in the early 1980s and still thinks the 21st century is the future. To this day, he feels cheated that he lived through a fin de siècle but inexplicably failed to drink a single glass of absinthe, dance with a single courtesan, or stay in a single garret.
He did the Oxbridge thing sometime in the 2000s and failed to learn anything of substance. He has had many jobs, including ice cream maker, fortune-teller, lab technician, and professional gambler. He was fired from most of them.
He can neither cook nor sing, but he can handle a 17th century smallsword, punts from the proper end, and knows how to hotwire a car.
He lives in southeast England, with no cats and no children, and fully intends to keep it that way.
Connect with Alexis
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Joel Leslie is a UK transplant, growing up with American parents in a British commonwealth. A classically trained actor with an MFA in theatre from USC, he is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of American and British sounds. His great range and ability to bring characters to life with honesty, wit and versatility delights producers and listeners alike.
He is proud to have a strong following with m/m listeners and an ongoing relationship with some of the finest writers in the genre. He loves that every day he gets to share these beautiful, inspirational and empowering GLBT characters with the world.
His authors have praised him as “a narrator among narrators, a man whose ability to create different characters rests on the power of his voice and his impeccable delivery,” and a “true delight…" "his professionalism, good humor, and charm make him a dream to work with,” "Anyone else would only be second best.”
Joel has consistent access to his home studio for all production needs. When not in the booth he spends his time chasing after two loquacious wiener dogs.
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Angela reviewed her personal audiobook copy of How to Bang a Billionaire (Arden St. Ives #1) by Alexis Hall, narrated by Joel Leslie for this post.