Sugar Bowl by Sawyer Bennett

The Sugar Bowl series is a contemporary romance with a revenge theme.
The author lists it as romantic suspense, but I think differently.
It's dual perspective with explicit content. Be warned that there is an assault trigger for those who prefer to avoid those.
Hopefully my reviews of these books inspires someone to give them a try.

Sugar Daddy

Sela Halstead lost her innocence in a way that no sixteen-year-old should ever have to endure. She’s spent years trying to forget that night even while wondering about the identities of the monsters who brutalized her—until a telltale tattoo flashes across Sela’s TV screen. The incriminating ink belongs to Jonathon Townsend, the millionaire founder of The Sugar Bowl, a website that matches rich older men with impressionable young women. Obsessed with revenge, Sela infiltrates Townsend’s world, only to come face-to-face with a tantalizing complication: Beckett North, his charismatic business partner.

The tech mastermind behind The Sugar Bowl, Beck always gets what he wants, in business and in bed. And yet, for a man who’s done every dirty thing imaginable, there’s something about the naïve, fresh-faced Sela that sparks his hottest fantasies. Because with her, it’s not just about sex. Beck opens up to her in ways he never has with other girls. So why does he get the feeling that she’s hiding something? In a world of pleasure and power, the shocking truth could turn them against each other—or bind them forever.

Rating -

I love a good revenge plot and while Sela's plan was absolutely nuts, I was ride-or-die. We'll go down together, girl!

There was something special about the relationship that grew between Beck and Sela. I don't know how she was able to do it, because anyone in J.T.'s orbit would be off-limits for me, but I guess the vengeance fire was blazing hot within her, blocking out the discomfort and fear.

Beck's blindness to everything that was J.T. drove me crazy. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.

The cliffhanger was predictable and although Beck's reaction was very dramatic, I couldn't blame him.

Sugar Rush

After posing as an escort for the Sugar Bowl online dating service, Sela Halstead is looking for one thing: payback. She's closing in on the site's heartless founder, Jonathon Townsend, and she needs Beckett North, Townsend's business partner and her lover, by her side. She'd thought that their intimate nights together had forged an unbreakable bond, but after a shocking betrayal, Sela begins to doubt the brilliant bad boy. When push comes to shove, can she trust Beck to do the right thing?

Now that he understands the truth, Beck will stop at nothing to secure the reckoning Sela deserves. But between his desire for her and his disgust for JT, Beck doesn't exactly have a lot of control over his emotional state. Left with no other choice, he must summon all his discipline to maintain JT's trust and pretend that they're still friends. But how far will Beck go to prove his loyalty to Sela? He nearly lost her once. To keep her, Beck might have to kill for her.

Rating -

Aww Beck. That immediate regret was real. I love how he humbled himself and got on the right side of things, despite the history he shared with J.T.

The truth of his relationship with J.T. kind of devastated me and I wish that it was explored more.

Was I the only one who still wished that Sela followed through with her original plan?

The ending conflict was well done and I don't feel terrible about it at all. It was about time! I just hope Sela can get out of her own way so that she and Beck can find some happiness on the other side.

Sugar Free

For years Sela Halstead dreamed of revenge, but the quest for payback has been anything but sweet. Now, once again, she finds herself at the mercy of Jonathon Townsend, his hands crushing the very breath from her body. And even though she escapes with her life, Sela fears she may never recover. In desperate need of shelter and comfort, she runs to the one man she can trust. Beckett North has stood by Sela since the beginning. But can he handle the brutal truth?

Beck will do anything to protect what is his—and make no mistake, Sela belongs to him, heart and soul. The passion between them runs hot, even as their world begins to unravel. With the legacy of his ruthless business partner hanging in the balance, Beck stands to lose everything: his fortune, his family, his freedom. But each touch of Sela’s mouth on his skin, her nails down his back, makes it harder to let her go—and it might not even be his choice to make.

Rating -

Please save us all from Sela's foolishness. At least I was entertained.

Beck really stepped up in this book and I'm in love with the man he has become for Sela. He was so strong for her, being her ear and her protector. He was just so amazing!!

I'm not a huge fan of the ending, though I did appreciate how much of an ending we got. It's great that they got a happy ending (thanks Dennis), but it fell flat for me. It was like a quick wrap up to the dangling bits when those pieces needed a bit more time.

Or maybe I'm just greedy.