The Marriage Bargain

Marriage to a Billionaire, Book 1

By: Jennifer Probst

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

To save her family home, impulsive bookstore owner Alexa Maria McKenzie casts a love spell. But she never planned on conjuring up her best friend's older brother - the powerful man who once shattered her heart.

Billionaire Nicholas Ryan doesn't believe in marriage, but in order to inherit his father's corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister's childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he offers Alexa a bold proposition: a marriage in name only with certain rules. Avoid entanglement. Keep things all business. Do not fall in love. The arrangement is only for a year, so the rules shouldn't be that hard to follow, right? Except fate has a way of upsetting the best-laid plans.

©2012 Jennifer Probst (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Full of nonstop sexual tension that crackles off the page." (Laura Kaye, author of Hearts in Darkness)

Funny, heartbreaking

I downloaded this as a beach listen, well, I couldn't stop once I started. Absolutley clever dialouge, the banter between the characters had me laughing out loud, more than once I had my fellow beach goers laughing at me laughing! As with any good romance, there were parts that were truly heartbreaking. To top it off for me, a pathtically loveable dog, you have to love the dog! All and all, no big surprises, but the story was so clever and witty that you don't mind it being the typical romance story!

Great Romance Story -A fun page turner

When I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down...the characters I fell in love with and was so happy it all worked out in the end. I was taken by this book from the start. I loved the main character, Alexa, right away. Strong, independent, fiercely loyal, and passionate about life, Alexa made me eager to know how the story would end for her. But still, female leads don't usually grab me that way, but she did and that made the book such a joy to read.

Nick Ryan. What can I say about him. He was sexy, annoying and difficult. I loved him. Besides the fact that he was a billionaire, he was driven and determined, two very sexy traits in a man.

The fact that these two individuals made a deal to get married for reasons other than love was not the fun part. The fact that they were childhood friends that hadn't seen each other in years, was. They had history, so the complications were many and entertaining.

There were no characters that I disliked. I liked Maggie, Alexa's best friend and Nick's sister, and I even thought Alexa's overly loving family was darling. I loved how the author made it perfectly clear that Alexa and Nick's vastly different family lives were what had shaped them to be the people they were. The contrast worked and its what made the sparks fly. There are some funny hilarious moments in the books that I laughed out loud at times.

Coleen Marlo did a great job narrating this audiobook. I really love the voices she uses for the characters and she brought the characters and the story to life. I definitely would listen to other books that she narrates.

WHAT A PEACH

Just what we want from a Romance novel, it's filled with likeable characters, a believable plot, good narrator touching romance and a happy ending. What more could you ask for - well for it to happen to us I guess.

Looking forward to the next one.

Worth a credit? That would be a DEFINITELY !!

Cookie cutter romance

If you like the same preface in a romance over & over, than you may like this book. First there is an instant attraction and they are thrown together. Petty fighting and lack of communication leads to poor assumptions which leads to stupid reactions causing distrust & the insecurities balloon out of proportion. The sexual tension is prolonged by every imaginable interruption. The suspense is created from the constant replay of each assuming the worst and acting upon them. Take out all the fluff, arguing & rehashing and this book will only be a few hours long. This author goes on my no-read list.

Simple romance, not that I mind...

If you are looking for a simple romance book to waste a few hours of your time this one is for you. The story is unbelievable and completely predictable but I still enjoyed it.

Light Fluffy Fun

Another romance built upon a totally unbelievable premise. And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing was witty, the characters were quirky and humorous. I will read the next in this series.

If you are looking for a diverting, easy and enjoyable read, I recommend this book.

Lovely Romantic Easy Listen

Such a romantic story. I like how these two people came together with no intentions of actually being together, but the chemistry was so great that they just couldn't help it. I like how Alexa stayed true to her character from the very beginning. The characters are so real and believable. A good mix of hot sex and angst I really enjoyed the book and will continue with the series.The narrator did a great job and I will look for more books by her.

Horridly Wimpy Woman

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I can't stand a girl with little to no fight in her. She just gives in and takes a lot of BS. The male character is very one dimensional. The author is witty, but that can't save a poor and hackneyed story line.

Has The Marriage Bargain turned you off from other books in this genre?

yes

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Coleen Marlo?

she was good

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your credit

Funny, Cute, Quick Romantic Read

This is a very quick read compared to the other books I normally download but don't let that deter you. It's a funny, cute and quick romance book. Yes, some parts were predictable but let's be honest, ALL romance books have predictable parts. I laughed out loud at some parts and smirked at other. The banter between the two leads was really well done and I'm looking forward to the next book, that I'm assuming will be Maggie.

If you want a great quick beach read or something to listen to while on a flight....I recommend taking a look at this.

not as good as the other reviews say.

Any additional comments?

I have to say that this book was not as good as all of the reviews said it was. To me it was a real Homer Simpson "Doh" forehead slapper, I shouldn't have wasted my credit on it. The story was your typical train wreck romance novel, no surprising twists, circumstances that could never happen in real life, and of course the happy ending. It was an ok listen, if you like fluffy books that just burn time. The ending is open for this to become a series, but i personally will not be adding it to my must read list.

The Marriage Bargain

I cannot wait for book 2. I really enjoyed this book,enjoyed the banter, it was laugh out loud in parts. Narrator was great, hope she is reading the next book too.

Hoilday Read

This is a light hearted read.
A teenaged girl has her heart broken by her best friends brother at a tender age.
years later they meet to make a bargain he needs a wife by the end of the week to get control of his company and she need money to save the family home.

I found this book funny, sad and heart warming.
it's a light read no effort needed
enjoy.

Voice ..

I’m so sorry but the narrator was very poor… very “cheesy” and though this is a lightweight romance … it degraded it… I could. It listen to anything narratived by her again

Surprisingly juicy

Very good book, left me wanting more! It was a good read… looking to see if all booked by this author are like this!

Good story

Was a good story line but the narrator didn’t work for me. But the story kept me gripped

Love spell one

Love this book I have listend to twice now and each time I hear something different in the book.



It's a really good romo



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