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The Marriage Deal
She’s the feisty wedding planner with a business to save.
He’s the billionaire playboy home for the holidays.
When a twist of fate throws them together, sparks fly.
Too bad they hate each other…Don’t they?
Millie Parker knew she was in trouble. One month is all she has to save her business. She will do anything to keep it afloat, even if that means turning to her nemesis, her brother’s best friend, for help.
Desperate to avoid his mother’s holiday matchmaking attempts, billionaire playboy Samuel Marsden agrees to help Millie, on one condition: That she pretend to be his fiancé for two weeks.
As the lines between love and hate blur, Millie discovers that two weeks is not long enough with Sam, she wants forever.
If only she can convince him!
He’s the billionaire playboy home for the holidays.
When a twist of fate throws them together, sparks fly.
Too bad they hate each other…Don’t they?
Millie Parker knew she was in trouble. One month is all she has to save her business. She will do anything to keep it afloat, even if that means turning to her nemesis, her brother’s best friend, for help.
Desperate to avoid his mother’s holiday matchmaking attempts, billionaire playboy Samuel Marsden agrees to help Millie, on one condition: That she pretend to be his fiancé for two weeks.
As the lines between love and hate blur, Millie discovers that two weeks is not long enough with Sam, she wants forever.
If only she can convince him!
131 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2021
About the author
Kathleen Ryder
43 books845 followersAn international bestselling and award winning author of sweet contemporary romance, Kathleen's novels showcase thought provoking plots and strong emotions that have been likened to a Hallmark movie. Featuring feisty heroines and strong heroes, where everyone gets a happily ever after.
To discover more about Kathleen: https://linktr.ee/KathleenRyder
To discover more about Kathleen: https://linktr.ee/KathleenRyder
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 16, 2021
This is a cute fake romance with strong characters in Millie and Samuel. They don't like one another but need each other for their own reasons. Things change quickly as they spend time together. The author does a great job developing their relationship from enemies to lovers and more. She moves the story fluidly with her descriptive writing and delivers an entertaining story.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
January 22, 2022
I loved this book sooo much. It was such a cute story and vivid details down to everything. You really feel like you get to know the characters and fall in love with them also. Everything start to finish is put together beautifully and it just grabs your attention from the start and leaves you wanting more at the end. So glad that I got to read this book and look forward to reading others from this author as well.
I received an review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. So glad to have been given this opportunity. Thank you BookSirens.
I received an review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. So glad to have been given this opportunity. Thank you BookSirens.
August 25, 2021
RECEIVED THIS FREE ARC FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!
PET PEEVE: There are a lot of storming and grammatical errors in this book. I absolutely can not stand that. For the readers that will spend money on a book, the last thing we expect is for the book to be full of errors. A couple here and there is fine but this was too much for me. WHAT'S THE POINT OF EDITORS? I would be upset if this hadn't been ARC.
ABOUT THE STORY:
A sweet, small town romance. I enjoyed it. Millie is a wedding planner and is living and working out of the home she was raised in that was left to her and her brother when her grandfather passed. Sam is one of the sons of the town's wealthiest family and is also wealthy in his own right as the CEO of an advertising firm. He's also the best friend of Millie's brother, Josh who is in the military and currently deployed. Before his death, Millie and Josh's grandfather took out a second loan on the house but never made payments. Now the bank is calling. She needs a lot of money to keep her home. I love that the heroine didn't just break down and cry at the sign of trouble and she also didn't go straight to the hero to ask for money. She did everything she could to find the money on her own and she did it all without concerning her brother, who needed to focus on his mission. Asking for a friendly loan was an absolute last resort. Sam's mom wants him and his brother married off and happy. He wants none of it. To keep from getting set up over the holidays, he has a counter offer to Millie's request. I love the fact that these two basically grew up together and you can see instantly that there is chemistry that they are really trying to hide. The romance develops quickly but of course there's always drama in a situation like this. It was a really good story.
PET PEEVE: There are a lot of storming and grammatical errors in this book. I absolutely can not stand that. For the readers that will spend money on a book, the last thing we expect is for the book to be full of errors. A couple here and there is fine but this was too much for me. WHAT'S THE POINT OF EDITORS? I would be upset if this hadn't been ARC.
ABOUT THE STORY:
A sweet, small town romance. I enjoyed it. Millie is a wedding planner and is living and working out of the home she was raised in that was left to her and her brother when her grandfather passed. Sam is one of the sons of the town's wealthiest family and is also wealthy in his own right as the CEO of an advertising firm. He's also the best friend of Millie's brother, Josh who is in the military and currently deployed. Before his death, Millie and Josh's grandfather took out a second loan on the house but never made payments. Now the bank is calling. She needs a lot of money to keep her home. I love that the heroine didn't just break down and cry at the sign of trouble and she also didn't go straight to the hero to ask for money. She did everything she could to find the money on her own and she did it all without concerning her brother, who needed to focus on his mission. Asking for a friendly loan was an absolute last resort. Sam's mom wants him and his brother married off and happy. He wants none of it. To keep from getting set up over the holidays, he has a counter offer to Millie's request. I love the fact that these two basically grew up together and you can see instantly that there is chemistry that they are really trying to hide. The romance develops quickly but of course there's always drama in a situation like this. It was a really good story.
July 16, 2021
I received this as an arc for my honest review
This was a cute fake relationship romance. This is one of my favorite tropes so I was excited to read this and I was overall happy that I did. I liked the storyline and Millie and Sam had a great connection. It was a good story.
This was a cute fake relationship romance. This is one of my favorite tropes so I was excited to read this and I was overall happy that I did. I liked the storyline and Millie and Sam had a great connection. It was a good story.
August 5, 2021
The Marriage Deal is a steamy, yet heart-warming story of the magic that can happen when you're home for the holidays.
A quick rundown: Millie Parker is in trouble. She only has one month to save her wedding-planning business, also known as the current love of her life. She is willing to do pretty much anything to stay afloat, including asking her brother's best friend, Samuel Marsden, for help even though she hates him. Billionaire and well-known playboy Samuel has his own problems, his mother is desperate for him to settle down. This means that every time he's home, he is the subject of her ridiculous matchmaking efforts. When Millie approaches him for help, he agrees on one condition: Millie pretends to be his fiancée for two weeks. She agrees easily, two weeks is nothing, just enough time to get over the stress of the holidays, and then her business will be saved. As the two begin to blur the lines between feelings of love and hate, they discover that they want more than two weeks, they might just want forever with each other.
My thoughts: I am definitely a fan of the fake relationship trope, and this was an excellent rendition of it. Millie and Samuel's relationship is easy and entertaining, and Ryder does an excellent job of moving the plot forward. I also found the characters really likable, even though Samuel is everything I would consider myself against. This book, while written from an Australian perspective, has the potential for a worldwide audience to relate. I've never read anything by Kathleen Ryder before, but this was an extremely good first read. I'll be looking into her other works for sure. This is a great read for fans of Samantha Whiskey and Elle Kennedy. I think that this is a delightful read, and will probably read it again soon.
Overall rating: 4/5
The Marriage Deal will be available for purchase on September 23rd. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf. Also, be sure to check out Kathleen Ryder’s website!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A quick rundown: Millie Parker is in trouble. She only has one month to save her wedding-planning business, also known as the current love of her life. She is willing to do pretty much anything to stay afloat, including asking her brother's best friend, Samuel Marsden, for help even though she hates him. Billionaire and well-known playboy Samuel has his own problems, his mother is desperate for him to settle down. This means that every time he's home, he is the subject of her ridiculous matchmaking efforts. When Millie approaches him for help, he agrees on one condition: Millie pretends to be his fiancée for two weeks. She agrees easily, two weeks is nothing, just enough time to get over the stress of the holidays, and then her business will be saved. As the two begin to blur the lines between feelings of love and hate, they discover that they want more than two weeks, they might just want forever with each other.
My thoughts: I am definitely a fan of the fake relationship trope, and this was an excellent rendition of it. Millie and Samuel's relationship is easy and entertaining, and Ryder does an excellent job of moving the plot forward. I also found the characters really likable, even though Samuel is everything I would consider myself against. This book, while written from an Australian perspective, has the potential for a worldwide audience to relate. I've never read anything by Kathleen Ryder before, but this was an extremely good first read. I'll be looking into her other works for sure. This is a great read for fans of Samantha Whiskey and Elle Kennedy. I think that this is a delightful read, and will probably read it again soon.
Overall rating: 4/5
The Marriage Deal will be available for purchase on September 23rd. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads shelf. Also, be sure to check out Kathleen Ryder’s website!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 19, 2021
This book surprised me; I am not a fan of romantic, steamy novels. I usually steer clear of the Harlequin-type books for two reasons. First, I find myself uncomfortable with the lewd lovemaking descriptions. And I am not a prude. The author described these scenes in a tasteful manner, yet still retained the steam. Second, I avoid books where the woman is the helpless maiden searching for a white knight on his steed to save her.
I found this book refreshing, although, yes, it was about a woman AND a man in need of help with some problem. They made a contract for her to gain financial assistance in exchange for playing a fake fiancé' for the holidays. What happens?
The reason I found this to be refreshing was she was not a damsel in distress. Well, she was in financial duress. But, she was a self-empowered woman willing to swallow her pride to get help. He required his meddlesome mother to stop her matchmaking endeavors. Thus, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. What could possibly go wrong?
Read the book to find out. It is a refreshing and fun read. And that, my dear friends, is high praise since I normally avoid this genre like the plague.
****I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.****
I found this book refreshing, although, yes, it was about a woman AND a man in need of help with some problem. They made a contract for her to gain financial assistance in exchange for playing a fake fiancé' for the holidays. What happens?
The reason I found this to be refreshing was she was not a damsel in distress. Well, she was in financial duress. But, she was a self-empowered woman willing to swallow her pride to get help. He required his meddlesome mother to stop her matchmaking endeavors. Thus, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. What could possibly go wrong?
Read the book to find out. It is a refreshing and fun read. And that, my dear friends, is high praise since I normally avoid this genre like the plague.
****I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.****
August 29, 2021
This was the first book I've read by Kathleen Ryder. For the most part, I liked the storyline and the ideas behind the book and I would read another book by this author. The ending seemed a bit abrupt and I would have preferred the pace of the relationship stay more similar to the first half.
The story itself had a lot of potential and I would have rated it much higher if it weren't for the continuity fumbles, many typos and the different feel to the ending. That being said, I would have rated it much lower if the main part of the story hadn't been good. I think the author came up with a great ideas for the story and I'd like to read more from the author, but I'd recommend polishing the story with more editing and proofreading to make a better impression on readers.
I received a copy of this book at my request (and could read it for free in KU). The opinions in this review are my own.
The story itself had a lot of potential and I would have rated it much higher if it weren't for the continuity fumbles, many typos and the different feel to the ending. That being said, I would have rated it much lower if the main part of the story hadn't been good. I think the author came up with a great ideas for the story and I'd like to read more from the author, but I'd recommend polishing the story with more editing and proofreading to make a better impression on readers.
I received a copy of this book at my request (and could read it for free in KU). The opinions in this review are my own.
July 21, 2021
4-stars for The Marriage Deal
This is a well written book although it noticablely is written from an Australian dialect. It's a cute brother's best friend added to a marriage / engagement arrangement meant to hold off Sam's mom. The issue Millie & Sam didn't see is they both had already fallen, that is fallen in love with each other years ago having grown up together and with her brother being his best friend. What happens when someone else tries to stake her claim on Sam? What happens to the property Millie inherited from her grandfather when she backs out of 'The Marriage Deal'? Is it possible for Sam to convince Millie to make 'The Marriage Deal' real? Recommend this cute, fun, easy read.
Even though I did receive an advanced review copy of this book, I also purchased the book/read with Kindle Unlimited and am voluntarily leaving my own unsolicited opinion with my voluntary review.
This is a well written book although it noticablely is written from an Australian dialect. It's a cute brother's best friend added to a marriage / engagement arrangement meant to hold off Sam's mom. The issue Millie & Sam didn't see is they both had already fallen, that is fallen in love with each other years ago having grown up together and with her brother being his best friend. What happens when someone else tries to stake her claim on Sam? What happens to the property Millie inherited from her grandfather when she backs out of 'The Marriage Deal'? Is it possible for Sam to convince Millie to make 'The Marriage Deal' real? Recommend this cute, fun, easy read.
Even though I did receive an advanced review copy of this book, I also purchased the book/read with Kindle Unlimited and am voluntarily leaving my own unsolicited opinion with my voluntary review.
July 17, 2021
Millie's business needs help, Samuel needs a fake fiancé to keep his mom off this back. They enter into an agreement to help one another out, but what happens when the lines start to blur? Will this fake relationship become more? The story flows well, the character are likeable and fit well together. This is a new author for me and I enjoyed this book and looking forward to read more.
I am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 17, 2021
Needs Editing
I liked the story and being an Aussie I loved that it was set in rural Australia, but it needs to be put in the hands of a decent editor. It is absolutely riddled with mistakes; proofing mistakes, missing words, wrong words. Fix this and it would be an enjoyable read but as is, it is just hard work.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked the story and being an Aussie I loved that it was set in rural Australia, but it needs to be put in the hands of a decent editor. It is absolutely riddled with mistakes; proofing mistakes, missing words, wrong words. Fix this and it would be an enjoyable read but as is, it is just hard work.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 15, 2021
This is a fake fiance romance. Millie needs help and turns to Samuel for help in exchange for his help she has to help him. Will these 2 enemies end up being more than friends.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 23, 2021
Such an amazing book! I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. I couldn't stop reading it! I definitely recommend this book!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 6, 2023
The marriage deal
The foolish things we tell ourselves. The many ways we deny our feelings. These two people who have known each other for years because he was her brother’s best friend join together in their marriage deal. And so the story begins and unfolds.
The foolish things we tell ourselves. The many ways we deny our feelings. These two people who have known each other for years because he was her brother’s best friend join together in their marriage deal. And so the story begins and unfolds.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews