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    Beautiful Stranger
    Beautiful Stranger
    Beautiful Stranger
    Audiobook8 hours

    Beautiful Stranger

    Written by Christina Lauren

    Narrated by Grace Grant and Jonathan Cole

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The scorching sequel to Beautiful Bastard!

    Escaping a cheating ex, finance whiz Sara Dillon’s moved to New York City and is looking for excitement and passion without a lot of strings attached. So meeting the irresistible, sexy Brit at a dance club should have meant nothing more than a night’s fun. But the manner—and speed—with which he melts her inhibitions turns him from a one-time hookup and into her Beautiful Stranger.

    The whole city knows that Max Stella loves women, not that he’s ever found one he particularly wants to keep around. Despite pulling in plenty with his Wall Street bad boy charm, it’s not until Sara—and the wild photos she lets him take of her—that he starts wondering if there’s someone for him outside of the bedroom.

    Hooking up in places where anybody could catch them, the only thing scarier for Sara than getting caught in public is having Max get too close in private.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 28, 2013
    ISBN9781442364028
    Author

    Christina Lauren

    Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of longtime writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the New York Times, USA TODAY, and #1 internationally bestselling authors of the Beautiful and Wild Seasons series, Autoboyography, Love and Other Words, Roomies, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, The Unhoneymooners, The Soulmate Equation, Something Wilder, The True Love Experiment, and The Paradise Problem. You can find them online at ChristinaLaurenBooks.com or @ChristinaLauren on Instagram.

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    Related categories

    Reviews for Beautiful Stranger

    4.5/5

    696 ratings29 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a mix of positive and negative. Some reviewers enjoyed the well-written story and the emotional depth it offered. However, there were complaints about the narrator's attempt at a British accent and the explicit sexual content. Overall, readers are excited to continue reading the series and are looking forward to more steamy moments. The book also received praise for its good narration and endearing story. However, there were some technical issues with the audiobook skipping forward. Despite these mixed reviews, readers find this title to be an enjoyable and engaging read.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Amazing book but the British accent was seriously terrible lol

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I have heard this female narrator before and she is great but she cannot do an English accent and I found myself laughing through the whole thing… was she Irish.. English… Australian…Ghanaian… Bostonian

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Loved this! Was grinning like a fool while watching Max and Sara fall in love. A few times I did get a little frustrated with Sara's character, but I get that working through trauma can be hard. Max was ? Love a good British bloke! ?

      This was steamy, funny, and I'm looking forward to the next book in this series!
    • 2/5
      The book is really promising but I just couldn’t stand the narrator’s attempt at a British accent
    • 4/5
      Good narration and a good story. I will be reading more.
    • 5/5
      Ohh La Laaa, what is it about a gorgeous man with an accent, very endearing story with a little edge. Wish we would see alittle more of how relationship evolves
    • 5/5
      Each of the books in this series are equally wonderful but make sure to listen to them in correct order.
    • 3/5
      More like 3.5 stars. That book was actually pretty cute.
    • 4/5
      Wow Sara and Max really got up to some raunchy stuff.

      I was surprised with how this turned out for these two sexually, it really wasn't the route I expected and I loved it each and every time. I think I prefer these two more than Chloe and Bennett, whether that be because of the heated stares across the room with their whole relationship being based on their need to feel watched for sexual empowerment or because they were less dramatic.

      Sara was a bit of a contradiction in herself and I loved that, then Max brought out the British humour and charm with his quirky personality. He still had the alpha persona that they all have in these high-end jobs with the business suit added on top. I'm excited to read the next book because I think it's just gonna get steamier.

      I listened to this on audio and I live 40 minutes from Leeds. The only niggle I had was that that was definitely in no way near a Leeds accent for the narration. Once I got over that I managed to enjoy the story a lot more.
    • 5/5
      Holy cow this was so good! If you’re a fan of the first book this was even better and way spicer.
    • 5/5
      Do I have to say how much I love Max Stella come on!
    • 5/5
      Amazing book, extremely well written. So much emotion and love
    • 1/5
      It might have been a good book without all the sex.
    • 1/5
      Half the audiobook is missing. Keeps skipping forward and you have no idea what happened
    • 3/5
      When I started this reread inspired by Addie, these books were why. In this one, I had to stop reading for a while because of how "different" Sara is. Why did I go back to it? Well, I like reading about sex in public places. There's a lot of it, Max is constantly being over backwards to follow Sara's rules for a sex-only but excessive affair, which just about even on too long to the point of silly.

      If I read this with a non-erotica lens, I can't help thinking Max is a creep. But Sara was turned on by all that so I guess I was too.

      But depth? Don't make me laugh.
    • 4/5
      Great. Awesome. Sexy as all hell and I loved the characters. Felt the ending was a little rushed.
    • 4/5
      Very refreshing. I loved, loved, loved the ending. I couldn't stop turning the pages.
    • 4/5
      I actually liked this story better than the first one. Don't get me wrong, I loved me some Bennett, but Max is SO sexy with that accent, calling her Petal all the time. *swoon*
    • 3/5
      I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is hot and filled with sex scenes almost from the first page so the erotica is a definite part of this book. But unfortunately that's about all there is. It was an enjoyable read but I kind of like something solid in between the sex scenes which seem to occur every couple of pages. It wasn't a bad book just lacking substance.
    • 5/5
      This was really good! Muuuch better than book one! It can work as a good stand alone if you haven't read BB. I loved everything about Sara and Max's relationship and they actually gave me a few ideas I might want try out! Absolutely H.O.T.!!! C.L does not disappoint in that department!
    • 3/5
      This book didn't work as well for me. I wasn't a fan of Sara, and I just didn't feel any chemistry between Sara and Max.
    • 4/5
      Definitely a 4.5 stars!

      The characters this time around aren't as sassy and intense, but they definitely make things interesting. Sara is a bit timid, but clearly very smart. It's just that coming off of the relationship she was in left her a bit lost. Max is a business man like Bennett, just less intimidating and with a lovely British accent! Max is sweet and good hearted, but he realizes he has to approach with caution towards Sara because understands what her past has done to her and doesn't want to scare her away. Sara sometimes misconstrues his intentions because of her ex, but even she finds that there's a difference between the two. Especially with the situations with which they hook up! You can't help but root for Max and hope that Sara understands him the way the reader does because they are destined for one another. Hopefully we see more of them in the next book because you can't help but fall in love with them.
    • 5/5
      Amazing book! Steamy with just enough humor. Better tha n the first one in series, I love love love Max!
    • 5/5
      I think I am in love! Max is just too much...and then some. Loved that Sara was able to see who Max is. Could not stop reading until the end. I recommend this highly to anyone looking for a tintillating read
    • 4/5
      This book was so good, it's making me consider buying 1.5 of this series.

      Seriously, Wow!
      Max and Sarah were steaming up my glasses and curling my toes. They are a hot exhibition couple who didn't mind a little voyeurism (being seen possibly at the museum), oh, yeah.

      These two made math look so sexy and they also show how two people bring pics and sexting back as the new thing.

      I hope to read more about them in this series, which I am finding to be oh so fabulous!

      This is a short review but a must read because I do not think I can control myself with not giving any thing away.

      Max is most definitely my new Beautiful!

    • 5/5
      Lisa Hines's review Jul 09, 13 · edit
      5 of 5 stars
      Read from July 02 to 03, 2013, read count: 1

      Max Stella is one HOT S.O.B! Wow. Can you be an anglophile is you are already English? He makes me crave everything British (Sigh!). For being so unlucky in love Sara is now one lucky girl!

      Once again funny and steamy and unexpected. I loved, Loved, LOVED this book. It was a tad bit more serious than the last one but, oh, Max is HOT! (Did I mention that already?)

      Audible Audiobook "Review: Beautiful Stranger"
      Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
      I AM recommending this book to all my book buddies and friends...Why? Because it is a riot. It's funny, the sex scenes are off the wall crazy, and the main guy is British.

      What did you like best about this story?
      I liked that Max was NOT the playboy he was misunderstood to be. I liked that the girl kept screwing up for once, albeit very gracefully. I liked that Max understood Sara better than she understood herself.

      Which scene was your favorite?
      The scene in Sara's apartment. Too much more would be spoilers, but, the events of that evening were my happy point in the book.

      Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
      I almost did listen in one sitting. Yes - The things Maz & sara did to defile New York City were AwEsOmE!!!

      Any additional comments?
      I had a hard time at first dealing with the British accent. I'm from there, and do not find that North of an accent particularly sexy. Well, I didn't. Honestly, Max's personality completely overrode by snobbery :-D The accent Grace Grant does for Max took some getting used to, but after hearing the "real" thing out of Jonathan Cole's mouth it got easier to listen to. The story flowed so well though that this is a minor, MINOR complaint.
    • 2/5
      I didn't really care for Beautiful Stranger. Beautiful Bastard I could buy into. Parts were a little unrealistic, but how many romance novels are really believable? This, however, is so incredibly far fetched I found myself huffing and rolling my eyes throughout,
    • 5/5
      I couldn't imagine I'd like book 2 the same as I liked book 1.
      Sara and Max are 2 stubborn that can't stay far from each other for long time. Even when they love to deny that...
      New York city is one of important book's characters; and dont forget about Max's british accent. Love it!!!
      And it was amazing to see Chloe and Bennet again, as Sara's friends.
      Deff Christina Lauren is on my fave author's list right now.
    • 5/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

      Quick & Dirty: A strong sequel to Beautiful Bastard, filled with romance that stands apart from many others.

      Opening Sentence: When my old life died, it didn’t go quietly.

      The Review:

      In my reading world, YA mostly takes up my time. So when I get the chance to read adult fiction, especially romance, it feels like a sweet escape. In the instance of Christina Lauren’s Beautiful Stranger, it was bliss. I adored Beautiful Bastard, Chloe, and especially Bennet, but there is something refreshing and untouched with Sara and Max. Beautiful Stranger definitely puts Christina and Lauren on the map not only for their swoon-worthy men, but for their great storytelling.

      In the follow up to the much loved Beautiful Bastard, Christina and Lauren introduce us to Sara Dillon and Max Stella. Sara has escaped a fiance that has cheated on her in both a public and private way. She has moved herself to New York to move on and reinvent her life. With her new outlook on life, she wants fun, no commitments, and to stay in control. This practically gets thrown out the window when she meets Max, a British entrepreneur. Meeting this irresistible man at a dance club should have been a quick flirtatious jaunt, but it quickly turned into something more.

      Sara is a strong woman. Her past has made her into this emotionally cold woman, protected by a wall around her heart. Her actions are calculated, until her emotions took control. No matter what Sara did, her heart won. I connected to her and her feelings, her struggles, and her goals.

      Max is someone that you fall in love with instantly. From the point where you realize he has a British accent, you just want to put him in your pocket. But Christina and Lauren did a very interesting thing with his character. He was first. First to fall in love, first to realize his feelings, and first to want it all. It’s rare to see that in romance. And I loved that.

      I really enjoyed Beautiful Stranger! I loved how Max was more emotionally vulnerable than Sara, to a point. I loved how Christina and Lauren showcased the similarities and differences between a man and a woman, when it comes to matters of the heart. The symbolism of parallels and contradictions weaved throughout the story was genius. The romance between Max and Sara, their complex personalities of the two individually went well with how they evolved when they’re together.

      Once again I was trapped into this contemporary world that Christina and Lauren built. I was an empowered female and an internally vulnerable male. I was hurt by a failed relationship and I was in love with a woman who only wanted me for my body. I became these two characters and lived their lives. I really appreciated that as a reader, these authors brought me deep into their world to the point where I forgot my own. It says a lot to me, and hopefully to you also.

      In today’s world of romance and erotica, there is a competition to be individual and unique. I feel that Christina and Lauren have achieved this, bringing a solid set of characters that stand out and leave lasting impressions. Their stories make you wish they were your own and their characters make our hearts race. Both Christina and Lauren have gone beyond my expectations. I was a fan in their days before publishing, but here, where their stories are their own, I will forever be a reader.

      I really enjoyed Beautiful Stranger, and I absolutely think you will also.

      Notable Scene:

      “We . . . shouldn’t do this here,” she said.

      And still, she pushed farther into my hand. All around my steady rhythm, I could feel her begin to tighten, her breath coming out in tiny, sharp pants.

      With a guilty wince, I removed my hand and turned her to face me. She looked practically drugged, eyelids heavy, lips parted.

      “And unfortunately my two minutes are up.”

      I kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth, and then each of her eyelids when she closed her eyes. And then I took my phone out of her hand and walked out of her office.

      FTC Advisory: I purchased this copy of Beautiful Stranger. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.