The Bachelor Contract

Boyfriend Contract, Book 2

Return to the sweet small town of Maple Hill with the second book in Victoria James's series. May is back in her beloved hometown of Maple Hill, but this time with an adopted baby and way too many secrets in tow. Austin was always the one who got away, but now his own past mistakes threaten to break the fragile trust they start to build together as adults.

©2023 Victoria James (P)2023 Tantor

Wanted to love this book but….

First let me say, I love the Merrick family! Their banter, their real and honest relationships and the love they have for one another is true and sincere. They are a fun and real family and I will never tire reading about them. I will continue to read these books and I’m betting Callie’s story will be up next which I’m looking forward to!

After reading The Boyfriend Contract I couldn’t wait to dive into the second book. Emily and Cooper had me hooked. As I began, I was having a difficult time sticking with it. Baby Caroline is a doll, sweet funny and cute. Mae however comes with a lot of baggage which is fine but so much of the story is spent exploring it the story is slow and drags on. Truth be told, I feel like the story of Austin got the short end of the stick. The story should have equally revolved around him but instead much of the book was spent on Emily and her past. Bringing the book to the present and giving Austin equal spot light would have made this book so much more enjoyable.

Emily in the first book grew and evolved. Mae spent the better part of her book battling her demons, battling internally back and forth and it came off as whiny. This made the story seem never ending.

I have finally completed the The Bachelor Contract and it will be a once and done for me. I see myself re-listening to The Boyfriend Contract but this one does not rank high on my list.