BLOG TOUR & REVIEW - Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren





One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.



Before I met Ansel, the sweetest, filthiest boy I knew was my seventeen year-old cat, Leo, who prefers to expend his energy on things more important than grooming, like eating, sleeping, and occasionally taking a roll in the dirt of the backyard.  My once pristine, white feline is now a weird peach color from the rusty soil of Maryland, and I expect he'll stay that way.  He was never much on personal hygiene anyway; but so far as sweetness goes, he is tops.  The sheer volume of his happy purring and the lovey eyes he slowly blinks at me when I scratch under his chin kind of make up for the dirt and general unpleasant smell that follows him around.  He drools in happiness these days, as well, but the sweetness almost makes up for it.  Almost.  If you'd like to meet him, bring a box of Kleenex.

But if you'd rather get wet with a fastidiously clean boy who keeps his brand of filth confined to the bedroom (okay, not strictly.  There's also the kitchen table, a few secluded hallways, a mirror and various other places he's willing to travel) and makes that old, lame pick-up line, "You're so sweet, you're giving me a toothache," sound like the truest words you've ever heard, then go get Christina Lauren's new book, Sweet Filthy Boy!  Holy hell.  Ansel, where have you been all my life?

So, here's the premise: Mia and her two besties, Harlow and Lola, take a graduation trip to Vegas; and while Mia is stressing out about her future and her less-than-loving daddy, she runs into (or stumbles drunkenly upon) Ansel, our sweet, filthy boy.  Ansel is on holiday from France.  He's hanging in Vegas with his best buds, Oliver and Finn.  This drunken gaggle of gorgeousness spends the night drinking, talking, and getting married.  Yeah, I said that.  Four of the six quickly realize with the cold light of morning that mistakes have been made, and they get their asses moving to correct them.  But Ansel's not willing to let Mia off so easily (and honestly, she doesn't complain much.  Who the hell would?).  And so it begins.  Put your helmets on, ladies, and your knee pads, too.  This ride is going to get rough in all the best ways.

While I'd like to tell you all the details so I could gush and get all mushy on you, I'll refrain.  Apparently, most of you don't appreciate spoilers the way I do.  But I will tell you a few things.  1.)  This book is funny.  You probably know that already if you've read this duo's previous books; but just in case: You're going to giggle, and sometimes, you're going to outright laugh.  Example: Gruesimone.  2.)  You will cringe--hard.  There's a part where I literally thought, "Oh Mia, just flush yourself down that airplane toilet, sister.  It will be less painful."  But as much you're thinking, "I would really, honestly rather die than endure what Mia's going through," you're going to laugh.  And you're going to fall even more in love with Ansel because (trust me on this one) that's just how he rolls.  The sweetness just seeps out of his pores, I think. It can't be contained.  3.)  I'm not a dramatic kind of girl (okay, that's a lie, but I'm not a costume kind of girl, and I'm a craptastic actress), but Ansel kind of makes me want to explore a costume shop or two.  If I had his address, he might have a naughty-nurse stalker in his bushes.  Let's just say, he's made me think.  4.)  I've always considered myself more of a Latin-lover kind of girl, but French never sounded so good.  Move over Andy Garcia and Benicio Del Toro (best voice EVER), a hot Frenchy has turned my head! Who knew that could happen?

I seem to have said a good bit about the general perfection that is Ansel, so let me talk about Mia a bit.  I'm notoriously hard on heroines.  I don't know why.  Maybe because I'm a girl and we seem to be innately competitive (and seriously, I'd throw down with Mia to get my paws on Ansel.  I think I could take her.), but whatever the reason, I'm a book-girlfriend toughie. If I met Keira (from S. C. Stephen's Thoughtless series), I think I might actually lose it on her, but she's an extreme example.  Suffice it to say, I've got my eyes squinted and watching, waiting for my heroines to screw up (sorry, girls!); but I liked Mia.  I liked her a lot.  There came a point when I thought, "Are you freaking kidding me?! Don't you dare walk out that door!," but she had a surplus of my sympathy leftover from that airplane bathroom, so I forgave her.  Mia's a likeable girl; she could be my pal.  I'd totally take her into my inner circle; and I don't say that very often. 

What I love most about this book besides the fun and the laughter and Ansel and the great sex, is that it's all about connection.  When I was in my early twenties and lamenting my singleton status, my friend, Jen, would always tell me this: "You never know when you're life is going to change."  And she was right.  One night in a smoky bar in Ybor City, a drunken hottie walked into my life.  One second, I was bitching loudly about the company I was being forced to keep and begging my girlfriend to hit the road with me, and the next second, this guy walked in and I declared that I wasn't leaving that bar until I met him.  A week later, he more or less moved in; now we have two kids.  So it's not so hard for me to believe that one night, a girl could be boozing it up in a bar in Vegas when her future walked in, smiled at her, and suddenly, everything she thought she wanted and all the plans she'd made shifted, and the world opened up in a way she was never able to see before all because someone looked at her and she knew he really saw her. Connection.  Magic.  It's real--and if the sex is great, so much the better.:)

This book is going to make you happy; like, really happy.  I'm pretty sure that the only thing that will tick you off about this book is the ending--and that's only because it's over.  You will love the ending; you will hate turning that last page and seeing the word "Acknowledgements."  I read most of this book on a trip home from Chicago, and I damn near missed the boarding call for my plane because I was so far into these pages.  After I got my baggage back home, I hauled everything to a quiet corner of the airport, pulled my book back out and waited for my husband to get there.  I might have let out a shriek when he came up and hugged me, and airport security may have turned their heads in my direction (as did half of baggage claim), but I didn't have time to be embarrassed--I was missing a good part and had to get back to it.  It was definitely an, "Oh hi, I know I haven't seen you in a week but give me a minute--I'm in the middle of something" kind of moment.  Ansel will do that to a girl. 

Sweet Filthy Boy is the beginning of a new series called Wild Seasons, and Ansel and Mia will not be the only lovelies we will meet.  I know that when I read Beautiful Bastard, and then found out that the next book would not be starring Bennett and Chloe, I was a bit disappointed (picture Bradley Cooper finishing A Farewell to Arms in Silver Linings Playbook).  Then I met Max, then Will, and I was more like Joseph Gordon Levitt in 500 Days of Summer after his first night with Summer (skipping may have been involved). May the odds be ever in my favor with the next Wild Seasons book.;)  But really, I have no doubts.


Lauren Billings (but everyone calls her Lo) has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and before she made writing her full-time job, would spend her days doing nerdy research-type things wearing a lab coat and goggles. She is silly Mommy to two littles, wife to one mountain biking homebrewing scientist, bestie to a shoe-stealer, and an unabashed lover of YA and romance.
Christina Hobbs (but you’ll always hear Lo call her PQ) used to spend her days in a junior high counseling office surrounded by teenagers. Married to the cutest boy in school, she has a thirteen year old daughter, is an unapologetic lover of boy bands and glitter, and also likes to steal Lo’s shoes.
You can follow their shenanigans at:
@lolashoes (Lauren) & @seeCwrite (Christina) on Twitter. On Tumblr! where we post kissing gifs and writerly stuff and Wattpad for short stories and sneak peeks!
For official information about their books, events, interviews, movie news and more, follow @beautifulbastrd.


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