REVIEW: The Undercover Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden

The Undercover Billionaire by Jackie Ashenden is a steamy tale of lust and revenge, and the third story in the Tate Brother’s series. In a previous series, Billionaire Fairytales, the De Santis brothers all found happy endings despite a difficult upbringing. Now it’s their sister Olivia’s turn.

Olivia De Santis knows all about the feud between the Tate family and the De Santis family, brought on by a falling out between her father Cesare and his one time best friend Noah Tate. Mortal enemies, the children of those men grew up knowing only what their fathers told them, which was not always the truth. When Wolf Tate showed up as a teenager in Olivia’s home with a tale of woe about abuse at the hands of his adopted father Noah, she befriended him. Over the years Wolf had worked for her father but for Olivia, he’d been someone she could confide in, even during the years when he was away in the military. So when he shows up to kidnap her in the middle of the night, she goes with him willingly.

Wolf’s finally at the end game of his mission. A double agent for his father, he’d infiltrated the De Santis household. Now his father Noah is dead, and he believes Cesare is to blame. He plans to kill him though he can’t tell Olivia that, only that she has the information he needs as Cesare’s assistant to help bring him down. He’s willing to do anything to get it, even seduce the young woman whom he once considered a friend. But what starts out as a plan for revenge gets complicated when he can’t separate his mission from his real feelings for Olivia. In the end will their friendship lead to love or ruin?

I love reading Jackie Ashenden’s novels for the intense action and sexy scenes and her ability to make you care about the characters. If you haven’t read any of the previous linking book in the two series, don’t worry, this one reads well as a standalone though it also ties up some of the story arc loose ends of the series. Wolf turns out to be one of my favorite heroes of the bunch because his conscience comes through in time to prevent him from making a big mistake. Plus, while he is attracted to Olivia (and vice versa), in contrast to some of her other heroes he is not quite as rough in the bedroom and treats her with a gentler touch.

Olivia turns out to be a stronger heroine than even she’d expected, quickly learning to stand up for herself against her father, a man who has many secrets. Of course she doesn’t want him to die and works toward finding a solution that will enable him to live while still paying for his crimes. Both Olivia and Wolf learn a lot of family secrets in this one that impact them emotionally but also draw them together. It turns out that the friendship they developed starting in their teens isn’t so easy to dismiss despite some shocking revelations, and is the foundation of their true feelings for each other. They get their happy ending and the series is neatly wrapped up with this final exciting chapter. It’s an entertaining and enjoyable read.

Book Info:

Publication: Mar 27, 2018 | St. Martin’s Press | Tate Brothers #3

The Tate Brothers were raised to protect what is theirs…

Navy SEAL Wolf Tate is on a mission of vengeance. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to infiltrate the lair of his arms-dealing enemy—and rescue the mother he never knew. To do this, he’ll need more than his father’s fortunes or his brothers-in-arms. He must find a way to kidnap his enemy’s daughter for leverage. There’s just one problem: She is also one of Wolf’s closest friends—and the only woman he’s ever loved…

For years, Olivia de Santis has been waiting for Wolf to take her in his arms and make her dreams come true. But she never imagined that he’d sneak into her bedroom one night…and take her as his hostage. Olivia knows she should resist him—and stay loyal to her own family. But how can she deny the burning justice of Wolf’s mission, and the blazing desire in his eyes—even if giving into the heat of the moment can put her in grave danger?