Breaking the Billionaire's Rules: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romantic Comedy

Billionaires of Manhattan, Book 3

By: Annika Martin

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Neva Nevarre

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

Max Hilton is my high school nemesis turned billionaire. And tomorrow I deliver his lunch order. 

In a cat costume. 

You know he’s going to love it. He’ll smile that smirky smile, sitting there all superior in his gleaming tower, the wealthiest and most notorious playboy in all of New York, the king of everything. 

Turns out it wasn’t curiosity that killed the cat - it was mortification. 

I’m almost ready to quit my lunch delivery job, but then my roommate tosses me a copy of The Max Hilton Playbook: Ten Golden Rules for Picking up the Hottest Girl in the Room. 

It’s the book that catapulted him to stardom. And it’s my new bible. 

I’m going to use his own techniques against him. I’ll wrap him around my little finger, bring him to his knees, and crush his steely heart. Call it payback for all the single girls who had to endure legions of losers wielding his legendary tactics. 

But seeing Max every day, I’m discovering a side of him I didn’t even know existed - he’s not the jerky guy I thought he was. He has this smile he shows only to me, and it melts my heart. His touch sends shivers down my spine. And those forbidden kisses are driving me wild. 

Falling for him was not in my plan. 

Am I breaking his rules or will his rules break me first? 

A standalone romantic comedy from New York Times best-selling author Annika Martin!

©2019 Annika Martin (P)2020 Annika Martin

Cringe

Neva Nevarre makes every female character sound vapid and stuck up. Her inflections and overall narration makes no sense. Can’t make it past the terrible narration to know if I like the story.

I laughed, I cringed, I was a bit disappointed.

Love Jason Clark’s voice and narration; Neva Nevarre’s harsh nasal voice is hard to tolerate. If it weren’t for Annika Martin’s writing, I wouldn’t.

This is thus far the book in the Billionaire series that comes up short. So many missed opportunities, the affection and feelings feel contrived and there is one scene that is so lame and immature it’s embarrassing. I cringe thinking about it. I will say I laughed so hard at some of the build up into their relationship. Some of the absurdity was hilarious. It was great until they got into the relationship, then it felt a bit off.

Meh

Storyline is ok but I can’t stand this ladies narration. It’s annoying and just gives me vibes of Sheldon from Big Bang theory- if he was a woman, narrating a mediocre story.

lots of meanness

first half had a good number of funny parts but there was so much trying to make the other feel bad or one ups-man-ship. that was just sad. the years they wasted because they didn't communicate - sad. Neva Nevarre read (what seemed like) a large majority of the book. I was looking forward to hearing JC.

Good writing but weak meet-cute concept.

I enjoyed this book. It is the fourth that I have heard by the writer Annika Martin and narrators Jason Clarke and Neva Nevarre. The other three books had better storylines. What makes this story weaker than others in the series is that the lady and the billionaire knew each other in high school. What happens in the book is sort of like a meet-cute and sort of not. What seemed to me implausible and made the story weak was how the meet cute was instigated. That is not explained until more than half-way through the story, which in my opinion undermines the concept of meet-cute. Neva Nevarre has great intonation and emotion. As needed when appropriate she emotes dry wit, sarcasm, excitement, nervousness. It all comes through her voice. There are several gal-pals in the series, and her voice is different for each. Jason Clarke does a fair job, but I find his voice a bit growly-croaky. I was wondering if he had a sore throat. Maybe he recorded his voice that way on purpose, but it did not work for me. Annika Martin certainly has a way with idiom and phrases. Very enjoyable. Even though there isn't a picture on the cover of a man bare-chested and ripped, this is one of those books with explicit sex.

Mama Mia!

What happens when a Jersey girl meets her high-school crush as a grown-up? Fireworks and loads of laughs!

I'm in love with this series. Who doesn't fantasize about meeting someone with the money, glitz, and glamor to upgrade their lives? The author does a great job of bringing her characters to life and Mia (h) is no exception. I loved Mia as the roommate in Wake up Call Girl and I was waiting on her story. Max (H) is one cocky SOB but so sweet under those layers. She had poor girl problems, he had rich boy problems - but they rose above those problems together and that's what makes them so interesting.

One critique is the author really drags the stories out. There are times when I found myself screaming, jeez just get to it already - that propensity lost a star in this rating. Other than that, read it too see the funny ways a second chance at love can become the only love you need.

Wonky fun-ville

Annika Martin is quickly becoming one of my insta download authors. She does crazy + outrageous + fun in a surprisingly "I can see that happening in real life" way. This isn't my fav in the series but it was still entertaining.

I know Neva + Jason narrations. I love them. This duo works for me. They are auto download for me anytime.

The story is about two high school rivals / friends all grown up. Their HS shenanigans were so epic that a former classmate thought it was a good idea to place them in each other's orbit as adults. Except what started out as a joke turns out to be a bad but life changing idea. The main characters have some pent up issues from HS to work out + navigate adulthood + hopefully find their jive as a couple. There is a lot of antics that is very high school-ish but it works. I chuckled alot and even enjoyed the ending. Not alot of angst and not alot of drama. It's a light listen and definately a rom-com type book.

Honestly this is one of those books where there will be mixed reviews. I fall in the "get it" group. I like Annika's books so far and I will continue to listen to her books.

They can’t all be winners

As much as I loved books 1, 2, and 4 in this series, this one was just okay for a couple of reasons. First, even more than the other books, Jason Clarke narrates for such a tiny part of the story that I almost didn’t see the point of using him. Second, the sexy times are nearly nonexistent, with a measly kiss or two or a desperate banging followed by immediate regret. Third, when both your guy and gal are in the entertainment business, there’s an emphasis on the shallower things. Fourth (and the biggest turnoff for me), this plot is all about snaring women through lies and manipulation.

I never did like Smith’s character in the movie Hitch. Max in this book is cut from the same cloth as Alex Hitchens: both men built their fortunes on manipulating women to get some and “redeeming” them in the last chapter didn’t undo the damage to so many women. Worse, the plot here double downs on deceit by having Mia seek revenge by adopting the very toxic “rules” that she and her friends believe are so hurtful.

There were some funny parts(like the cheese puffs “oh, no you didn’t” scene), but I couldn’t suspend disbelief and pretend Max and Mia were good, sweet characters who just got trapped by circumstances. Whether during high school, the years after, or during their contrived meet-cute reunion of her repeatedly having to serve him lunch in a cat costume, if either of them were good people, they would have talked to each other and avoided the hurt and misconceptions. I don’t regret the sale purchase, but I doubt I’ll
re-listen to this one, unlike the rest of the series.

Awww bummer

Man, I just came off of the high of “call girl” and this just did not do it. I left “call girl” with a warm, smiley, bubbly feeling and after this book I feel kinda bummed and unsure. Booo. The back and forth took forever and then it was all for no actual reason (ok, sure, they hook up but it was so shallow…. Disposable in the moment). I wanted there to be some secret best friend of Max’s setting the whole thing up bc he realized Max was always in love…. Something significant…. But no… it was just to be funny. Wtf! They lived in the same city that whole time! Snarl! I didn’t even appreciate the happy ending because I just feel like the next shoe is going to drop.

Fun!

All of Annika's books are so fun. I listen tow book a day and I like many tropes. when I listened a dark series I relisten to this series, it pulls me right out of the darkness and into the sunshine!