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Clean Billionaire Romance #1

Her Pretend Billionaire Boyfriend

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Belle Evans just won a cruise and it couldn’t come at better time. Between her wrecked marketing career and finding out her fiancé was cheating on her, all she wants is an escape from life. The last thing she wants is a relationship—until she meets Tristan.

Billionaire Tristan Stone is sick of being used. When he inherits his grandmother’s cruise line, it seems like the perfect opportunity to take a vacation and be a regular guy for a while. Then he meets Belle. She’s cute and funny with a heart of gold.

When Belle’s ex-fiancé and his new girlfriend show up on the same cruise, she’ll do anything to keep from looking pathetic, including pretending to date Tristan. It doesn’t take long before the lines blur between pretending and reality.

490 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 10, 2018

2375 people are currently reading
930 people want to read

About the author

Bree Livingston

73 books233 followers

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5 stars
1,013 (48%)
4 stars
629 (29%)
3 stars
353 (16%)
2 stars
77 (3%)
1 star
33 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
Profile Image for Stephanie.
1,581 reviews119 followers
May 1, 2019
This was suuuuuuuper cheesy, but it had some good moments, too. I got this as a free e-book because I am a sucker for fake relationship stories. I probably would never have read it otherwise, but despite the cringeworthy title and cover it was overall entertaining. Belle drove me crazy for most of the book. I'm definitely not someone who often stands up for myself, but even I wouldn't have let myself be walked over as much as she did. It was a little much. I liked Tristan much better, though.
Profile Image for Amy.
3,062 reviews625 followers
February 5, 2021
Clean. Free. Mindless. Basically, what else am I looking for?

But also, I swear it never makes any sense how any of these billionaires become billionaires. Like, even with inflation that word does not mean what you think it means if the character thinks he is going to lose his entire fortune sinking it into a cruise ship business. Either that or wow, talk about a red flag for a business.
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews129 followers
Want to read
April 21, 2019
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/21/2019)! 🎁
Profile Image for Kathy.
2,741 reviews5,975 followers
March 23, 2018
I enjoyed this, I really did, but found it really annoying at the same time. It took way too long for Belle to grow a backbone and open her eyes to what a manipulating terrible person her friend was. I enjoyed the scenes with Belle and Tristan but anytime Belle's friend and ex-fiance were around those scenes could not end fast enough for me. There were also some editing errors. That said this was a super cute romance with a great cast of characters and a fun setting. Definitely worth reading for those who enjoy clean romance.
Clean
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,073 reviews298 followers
October 23, 2019
Fun, Easy Read

She won a cruise! It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. For me it was a fun distraction. A quick, easy read.
Profile Image for Ed Davis.
2,906 reviews99 followers
Read
September 20, 2024
No rating. I couldn’t take any more of this narrator, or the dish rag who was the main character. I want my female main characters to be strong and intelligent. I guess Bell was smart, but when she caved and agreed to have dinner with her ex best friend and her ex fiancé I knew she had no backbone. I’m out at 25%
Profile Image for ☆☆Hannah☆☆.
3,182 reviews46 followers
January 11, 2023
This was a good read. Belle wins a trip on a cruise. Everything is going well until her ex fiancé and her ex best friend show up. They ruin everything. Luckily Tristan saves the day and they get their happy ending.
Profile Image for Charity (TAKING A BREAK).
140 reviews17 followers
March 7, 2024
TW/CW: mentions of a parent with Alzheimer's (and a small visit), manipulation from friends, near death.

This is a super sweet yet cheesy insta-love romance between two lonely people who meet on a cruise that come from different backgrounds. Both of them have this moment of "I know I love you, but I can't admit that because..." and it's something simple that is blocking them from pursuing. Rightfully so it's because they haven't known each other long enough, which is valid, but the other excuses are mostly class related. OR pressure they put on themselves.

Tristan could literally do no wrong and Belle has a found-family moment.
He needed to be seen and Belle needed real friends. She needed someone to show her what real people who love you are like, and despite not knowing Tristan for long Belle felt that and it woke her up a bit.

Something that bothered me about this story was its focus on the romance shifted more on her friendship with Laura. I, personally, felt like Laura's character overshadowed the romance going on and I was just forced to read about her. Not saying her character wasn't important, because her treatment with Belle definitely played a role in Tristan and Belle's connection. It just got to the point where it was literally chapters of "What about Laura..." "Why would Laura..." " Paul did this/that..." "Laura did this/that..." etc. Spoiler:

In the end I liked the little romance between them. This is a very clean read if you're looking for a simple romance between two grown adults who form an instant friendship/love out of thin air.

Also, Yaya should have been on the cruise. We were deprived of more Yaya!! Put her on that ship so Laura can get a taste of Yaya. Or better yet, bring on the Purge and allow Belle the right to toss that woman overboard. I am TIRED of her!! (Also...

Profile Image for Heather Hayden.
Author 13 books94 followers
March 20, 2018
This is a sweet romance about two people from very different worlds who meet unexpectedly on a cruise. I loved the main characters and was rooting for them the entire time. There's humor, and sadness, and a lot of heart in this tale. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good, clean romance to curl up with for an afternoon.
Profile Image for Josie.
2,002 reviews
April 25, 2019
Definitely sweet

Are relationships always so complicated? I just love how author's unravel all the twists and turns. I also love seeing the good guy win. The only thing missed actually reading about the others getting their comeuppance.
479 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2021
Winning a cruise and getting more than you bargained for! Some good twists and turns throughout the story. Engaging throughout.
Profile Image for Peace.
725 reviews9 followers
February 28, 2021
Clean wholesome romance about two lonely and broken hearted individuals finding love and happiness with each other.
1,197 reviews6 followers
November 11, 2019
This is a sweet, very clean romance. There were lessons learned about friendship and that loneliness can happen whether you are rich or poor.
351 reviews
October 24, 2019
Fun read

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a fun, sweet romance that kept me entertained start to finish. Will read other books by this author.
Profile Image for Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review.
2,371 reviews31 followers
March 17, 2018
-‘The cruise was over, and real life had already struck. Her glass slipper was two sizes too small, and her pumpkin was rotting. Belle steeled herself and pasted on a smile as she met the group.’-
Having just returned from a cruise ,yself, I was intrigued by the storyline. It was a fun, clean romance and I enjoyed it. I would read more by this author. Some stronger editing would be beneficial as there were lots of errors.
39 reviews
May 20, 2018
This book is stupid.

The author is an idiot if she thinks this is a good story. She has made Belle one of the most stupid people ever. It's a wonder the woman can walk and breathe at the same time. I'll never read this author again. Honey, you need another career. You're no author.



Profile Image for PaisleyPJs.
41 reviews2 followers
September 1, 2019
Great book ... loved every minute I was reading it (which took about 20 hours .. you do the math!)
I loved the story line and even the unexpected twist.
The characters are relatable and I cheered for Belle (and cried for her too)
This was my first book by Bree and will absolutely be reading more !
302 reviews1 follower
September 22, 2018
This book was boring. I forced myself to finish it. I won't be reading any of this author's books anymore.
Profile Image for Michelle.
874 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2019
DNF. Couldn’t stand how Belle allowed people to treat her.
297 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2019
A nice quick read

A lovely sweet romance I loved the quick witted characters and also hated a few and glad it turned out the way I'd hoped
Profile Image for Karen.
1,888 reviews44 followers
September 10, 2019
I really liked the main characters of this story. I enjoyed getting to know them and seeing them get to know each other.

Content: clean- passionate kissing
Profile Image for Laura .
1,158 reviews13 followers
September 25, 2019
A cute read. Billionaire on his own cruise line pretending to be an average Joe. Poor girl wins a trip on the cruise. Of course they meet and fall in love. A fun dessert book.
Profile Image for Camille.
71 reviews
September 26, 2019
Just great

A nice love story with very little focus on the billionaire part and more focus on the couple and their journey. A feel-good read.
289 reviews
October 5, 2019
Good book

This book was very enjoyable to read. For the most part it was perfect. A little bit of the dialogue didn’t work for me. However, the characters were great.
522 reviews12 followers
October 11, 2019
Juvenile in characterization and a lot of repetition in descriptions.
Profile Image for Megan.
806 reviews7 followers
July 31, 2025
A clean read about Belle, who is one of the winners who get to cruise for free in Miami. She is barely making ends meet with two jobs supporting her mom who has a mental health problem and needs special nursing.

She meets Tristan Davis/Stone, another winner on the cruise and this starts an instalove romance between them for the duration of their trip. Tristan is taking a break from his responsibilities and he conceals his real identity as a billionaire. He has also recently suffered the loss of his beloved grandmother and is still grieving her loss.

But this trip is fraught with unwanted companions in the form of Belle's cheating ex fiancé and his new fiancée, Belle's ex best friend who join the same cruise. Belle, to save face, announces that Tristan is her boyfriend and because he is so kind and is attracted to her, he plays along.

Both characters were likeable but I found some of their dialogue to be repetitive - how many times can Belle call Tristan "sweet" and him calling her "cute"! They made an endearing couple and the story was a good one. Tristan was wary of becoming involved with someone as he has always been pursued for his money and Belle was still recovering from betrayal and I found her to be a bit too passive and a bit of a doormat. This couple had some issues with communication as they didn't want to express their feelings for one another, in case of rejection.

This was a nice enough read about two lonely people who are scared and insecure. There wasn't much drama in the book and the writing was good with the story unfolding at a steady pace. I rate this book 3.75*.
Profile Image for Jes Drew.
Author 86 books530 followers
April 27, 2019
The book was an interesting premise- a poor girl accidentally calls a complete stranger her boyfriend to save face with an ex while on a cruise, and the stranger goes along with it. And it was very interesting reading everyone's dynamics- but the characters were all psychos. Of course the villainous ex-fiance and ex-best friend were sociopaths, but the heroine was slightly bonkers too. I shouldn't blame her, since for so long the only peeps in her life were the aforementioned people and her sick mother (who also has moments of psycho), but I just felt so bad for the hero as she went between moods so fast. You can't flirt, then say you're great friends, then say no when he wants to make the pretend relationship real, and then kiss him a moment later! And not even kissing because evil 1 and evil 2 were around, but just because you wanted to. Poor, poor hero, but he was a patient bloke.

Because of the craziness, the story was a bit more stressful than I was expecting with a cruise romance, but you just have to keep reading to find out whether craziness or sanity wins out. A great way to get your mind of things for a little while, though.
Profile Image for Shirley.
883 reviews2 followers
September 2, 2020
Again another first time read for me ... :) I thought this was a cute love story ...yet sad cause of what happened that brought the two main characters together.... was a really good story..... kind of a slow building romance story. Ya gotta love the pretend boyfriend thing and rich people pretending they're not the wealthy so they don't have to deal with gold diggers. This story combined all of these and did a great job in doing so.

I liked the main characters, and though the h might have been a bit much of a pushover early on,But thankfully the author helped her grow a spine and boy did she shine :) The guy was rich and lonely and definitely swoon worthy. He was an alpha without being a jerk or mean which I appreciate. with the one exception where he aImost ruined everything...LOL .....but then the author smarted up hahhaa... and she let the loved show how they both came from different money situations, but they were so much alike -- both lonely and needing love.

I wanted to shove both of the antagonists off the boat without life preservers. They were dealt with, though I could have gone with a little more 'pain' in their direction, but oh well, the story was sweet and clean. totally a worthwhile read...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews

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