ONE NIGHT WITH A BILLIONAIRE – Jessica Clare
Billionaire Boys Club Novel , Book 6
Berkley
ISBN-13:  978-0-425-27579-5
June 2015
Contemporary Romance

Touring the U.S. – Present Day

Kylie Daniels is a makeup artist, a great one, and she has just pulled off the plum job of working for pop star Daphne Perry.  The record company asked her to do a sample makeup job on Daphne, with instructions to make her look “healthy”.  Immediately Kylie understands why; Daphne is stick thin, has tracks on her arms, scars at her wrists, marks all over her face, and sunken eyes.  Kylie works her magic and gets the job done, even though Daphne's nickname for her is “Fat Marilyn” because she looks like a fat Marilyn Monroe.  Even with that, Kylie's really happy because she can now catch up on her grandmother's nursing home fees, and she had nowhere else to turn.  Nana raised her after her parents died, and hated every minute of it and blamed Kylie for having to work to support her, but now there's no one else to care for her with her dementia.

Cade has known Daphne for years, and always had a crush on her and hoped for something deeper, but Daphne's troubles with drugs and alcohol and failed rehabs have him wondering if there is anything left between them.  On Daphne's birthday, he gets tickets for her first concert of the year and has a car for a surprise present.  He meets Kylie at the coffee shop before the concert, and after Daphne ignores him during the after party even though he spent hours in the corner nursing drinks, she never talks to him.  When Kylie helps him to his hotel, somehow they end up in bed, and it changes their lives.  The next morning Kylie sneaks out, because how could someone who wants Daphne possibly be interested in “Fat Marilyn”?  That night with Kylie opened Cade's eyes, but trying to break the walls surrounding her is harder than he thought.

Cade uses all his skill to woo Kylie and convince her that he is interested in her.  Meanwhile, Daphne has made it clear to all her entourage that she is after Cade again, and things don't go well if he ignores her.  And, maybe her “headache medicine” has something to do with her wild mood swings and nastiness to everyone.  Cade must use all the tricks in his book to convince Kylie that Daphne is no longer number one in his life.

Jessica Clare excels in her Billionaire Boys Club stories, even though the men are crazy rich, but underneath it all they are looking for a woman they can love.  Written from Kylie's and Cade's points of view, Kylie struggles every day to pay for Nana's care.  A naturally optimistic person, she always tries to look on the good side, except where Daphne and Cade are concerned. How could Cade prefer her to his long standing relationship and crush on Daphne?  Cade has spent years hoping Daphne would get clean, and after meeting Kylie, the grip she somehow had on him is released, and all of a sudden he realizes Daphne is no longer his number one.  Cade might be a billionaire and an intelligent businessman, but one night with Kylie has him doubting that he and Daphne ever had any sort of relationship that wasn't just in his own mind.

Secondary characters include the other workers on the tour taking care of Daphne and, of course, Daphne herself.   She is rarely sober and always promising to clean up, even after numerous stays in rehab that never worked.  It's hard to decide if she should be pitied or helped yet again.

ONE NIGHT WITH A BILLIONAIRE is book six in THE BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB series, but is totally a standalone, merely meeting the other billionaires at the end of the story.  Cade and Kylie's road to romance is full of struggles and pain, but Cade is determined not to give up on her, and Kylie finally realizes love breaks down all barriers between them.  This is a great book this month that will give you back your faith in love.

Carolyn Crisher