Kindle Price:	$2.99
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Jess Michaels

+ Follow

More books from this author

Beautiful Distraction (The Pleasure Wars Book 4) Kindle Edition

by Jess Michaels (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.0 832 ratings

Book 4 of 4: The Pleasure Wars

See all formats and editions

The fourth (and final) book in The Pleasure Wars series by USA Today Bestselling Historical Romance Author Jess Michaels

It has been a particularly trying day for Olivia Cranfield. Despite her impeccable manners, stylish clothing and posh accent, another protector has detected her lowborn status and rejected her out of hand.

When fellow courtesan Violet invites her to come to Bath to help with the wicked seduction of the scarred, reclusive Earl of Windbury, Olivia jumps at the offer, eager for some excitement and a change of scenery.

The moment Malcolm Graham lays eyes on the delectable woman lurking in the bathhouse alley, he knows she’s a decoy to keep him busy while her friend seduces the earl inside. For a moment, he allows her to play her game…but one touch, and all he can think about is ending the two years of self-denial he’s endured in the name of friendship.

Instant attraction quickly turns into a decidedly erotic affair that makes Olivia question all she’s ever known about passion. But when the truth behind Violet’s assignment comes to light, betrayal threatens to bring everything they’ve built crashing down around Olivia’s broken heart.

Be aware: This book overlaps with Beauty and the Earl, so some passages may seem familiar to readers of both.

Length: Novella
Heat Level: Yummy

This book is the fourth book in The Pleasure Wars series.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jess Michaels is the USA Today Bestselling Author of nearly 70 books.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XJJ55TM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Passionate Pen (March 11, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 11, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4120 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 102 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #185,703 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,483 in Regency Historical Romance
- #5,155 in Regency Romances

Customer Reviews:
4.0 832 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Jess Michaels

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jess Michaels is a USA Today Bestselling Author who likes geeky stuff like Star Wars, playing video games, Bob’s Burgers and collecting POPs! She also drinks a LOT of Diet Coke. Probably an unhealthy amount, but it’s her only vice. She will eat (almost) anything coconut, truly anything cheesy and nothing spicy (yes, she is a walking stereotype when it comes to that). She likes cats, her dog Elton and people who care about the welfare of their fellow humans.

Although she started out traditionally published by Avon/HarperCollins, Pocket, Hachette and Samhain Publishing, in 2015 she went fully indie and has never looked back! She is lucky enough to be married to her favorite person in the world and live tucked between the ocean and the mountains in Oregon.

When she’s not watching Our Flag Means Death or trying out all the new flavors of Greek yogurt, she writes historical romances with amazing heroes and sassy heroines who do anything but wait to get what they want.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

832 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

TS

Loved It!

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2014

Verified Purchase

I was so happy to see this book written I loved these two characters in Beauty and the Earl. Olivia is supposed to be a distraction to Malcolm while her best friend seduces his best friend the Earl of Windbury. Olivia is instantly attracted to Malcolm and being a distraction for her friend in not a problem. They soon discover their feelings for each other run deep and their budding new relationship could be destroyed through lies and deceit. I was happy to learn some history on both of these characters and what happened in their past to shape them into who they became. Wonderful read!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Nikita

A quick, fun read from a talented author!

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2014

Verified Purchase

A fun, quick read, Beautiful Distraction is the fourth installment of the Pleasure Wars series by Jess Michaels. Unlike the other books in this series, this installment is a short novella - only 126 pages. It overlaps with the third book in the series, Beauty and the Earl, however you do not need to read that book to enjoy this one! Though, of course, reading the whole series is recommended, if only to get a complete look at the full cast of characters.

I really enjoy a good series that showcases different characters in each book and Beautiful Distraction is no exception. In this book, the hero and heroine are the close friends of the previous book's hero and heroine. Malcolm and Olivia are both steadfastly loyal to their friends, Liam and Violet. This loyalty informs the choices both Malcolm and Olivia make later in the novella and you can't help but root for both of them at the same time - despite the two characters having two different goals! Malcolm and Olivia's attraction to one another is instant and passionate, quickly turning lust into love. The story draws you in quickly and keeps you wondering what will happen next. As with almost all of Jess Michaels' books, when I got to the end I said, "That's it!?" But in a good way! I liked these characters and wanted to see more of them beyond what happened at "The End." I was not ready to let them go.

One of the trickiest things above writing a novella is that an author must introduce characters, build a story, and wrap it up in a satisfying conclusion, all without the reader feeling rushed or left with lingering questions. This may sound easy, but I personally think the novella is one of the hardest writing forms, simply because an author must do all those things just as well as would be expected from a full-length novel. That's a tall order! Jess Michaels comes very close to delivering that order in Beautiful Distraction, but ultimately falls just a little short. I though the characters' declarations of love and Malcolm's forgiveness came too quickly and there was a lingering plot point that was never resolved. I'm not sure if this is because I haven't read Beauty and the Earl yet or merely a limitation of the novella format.

I still recommend checking out this short piece. It's only 99 cents on Amazon (at the time of this post) and is a fun introduction to Jess Michaels' characters and writing style. For anyone who has read Beauty and the Earl, it's also a great filler explaining what was happening between Malcolm and Olivia while Liam and Violet were busy elsewhere.

~~
Originally posted at Plot Twist Reviews

Helpful

Heather

fantastic or overly memorable (unlike some of her others in ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is just OK. Its nothing grand, fantastic or overly memorable (unlike some of her others in this series...Take by the Duke!!!). The characters seem a bit off and the h, Olivia, its beyond annoying for most of the book. She has some ok qualities and few moments when she seems almost normal but for the most part she's a bit off putting (very childish for the most part). The love between her and Malcolm doesn't feel very believable and I had a hard time understanding why he was so taken with her or why he proclaimed his feelings so quickly!

They barely spent any time together getting to know each other except for their handful of liaisons. Which while they were typical of Jess Michaels writing style (i.e. steamy---especially the lake scene) seemed to take up the entire book.

Book 1 was amazing and book 2 was darn good but it seems #3 was where the problem began and #4 is where it ended. I wonder if because of contracts the author had to put a certain number of books out in the year and therefore started to rush to get them done since there was no real creativity to them.

If you want a quick read with some good love scenes then this book will fit the bill. If you enjoy Jess Michaels and want a bit more substance, heart and emotion to your reading library then read Taken by the Duke.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Trish

Beautiful Distraction- Yummy too!

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2014

Verified Purchase

I love Jess Michaels, and I cannot wait till her next series starts up. If you haven't read the start of this series, then it is a must! You will not be disappointed. She tells very good and steamy reads. If you have been reading her stories, then you will notice some similarities between this novella and the Beauty and the Earl as they entwine. I loved the story between the H and h in this story, and the different points of view from the Beauty and the Earl.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Ezrah [I Heart Romance]

Another steamy and delightful read!

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

The last book in the Pleasure Wars series, Beautiful Distraction tells the story of Olivia Cranfield and Malcolm Graham and happens concurrently as the third book Beauty and the Earl. I have been waiting to read this book because I was really intrigued by Olivia and Malcolm.

Olivia, a courtesan and Violet’s friend, decides to go with her to Bath after her previous protector has left her. Once there, she helps Violet ensnare the Liam, the Earl of Windbury by distracting his best friend and companion Malcolm Graham. What starts out as a steamy affair turns into love as both Olivia and Malcolm find solace in each other’s arms. When Violet’s read motives are revealed, Olivia’s lies also come to light which results in a break between her and Malcolm.

Although Beautiful Distraction is a novella I felt that it was written well with all the characters fully developed because we read about them in Beauty and the Earl. I felt the ending was a little bit abrupt and Malcom’s forgiveness given a little bit too quick for my taste. While reading, I also had flashes of the scenes from Beauty and the Earl which filled up for the other parts that were not mentioned in this book.

Beautiful Distraction is another steamy and delightful read, 4 Hearts!

I recommend reading Beauty and the Earl first to understand more about Olivia’s reasons why she did what she did.

ebook ARC | free in exchange for an honest review from the author
Originally posted on I Heart Romance

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Sandra Tebbutt

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great

MG

Short and hot

Reviewed in Germany on August 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

Anyone up for a sexy steamy romance this is the one for you. The story completes well the series while the characters are nicely formed and finalized based on the previous book. I was pleasantly surprised by this novella and would recommend it to anyone already caught in Jess Michaels's books.

Chris Greenwood

good characters.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

quite an enjoyable read, good characters.

Bridgette Bell

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

Very entertaining.