ARC Review: The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

I really enjoyed this book. A few things annoyed me at times but it was an overall fun and enjoyable read. I really enjoyed getting to know Alexa and Nicholas. I loved the way they interacted with one another. Their chemistry was hot and their bickering brought a smile to my face.

When Alexa conjures up a love spell asking mother earth to send her a man along with $150,000, she never expects it to be her best friends older brother Nicholas to come up to scratch. Alexa hasn't seen Nicholas in years, not since they were both teenagers and Nicholas kissed her and then broke her heart. She has never forgotten the sting of his rejection.

In order to gain complete ownership of his uncle's company, Nicholas must marry someone within the next week. Nicholas doesn't believe in marriage or love and decides that he will just make his marriage a business arrangement. When his sister informs him of Alexa's situation he quickly offers Alexa a proposition, marry him for one year and he will give her the $150,000 she needs.

Both Alexa and Nicholas come to the agreement that the marriage will be in name only and neither one of them will be able to sleep with anyone outside of the marriage for a full year. But when the sparks and chemistry from their past start to resurface will either of them be safe from the fallout?

As I said before, I really did enjoy this story. I liked the characters and they way they interacted with each other. The chemistry between them just sizzled and I couldn't wait for them to finally get together. I also loved seeing glimpses into their past and the feeling they both once had for one another.

Though I enjoyed the story I also did have some issues with it. I found myself at times getting really annoyed with Alexa. I hated that she felt the need to not be honest with Nicholas. If she would have just told him about her reason for wanting the money so much drama and headache could have been avoided. I just wanted to shake her and tell her to be honest with him.

My other issue with the story was the main conflict of the story. I think that it was just pushed aside too easily. I would have liked it to have occurred a bit sooner and maybe have had it drawn out a bit more. The ending result just turned out too cutesy and seemed not in character for either Nicholas or Alexa.

All in all, this book was a quick and enjoyable read despite the cutesy parts. I really enjoyed the growth with the characters and it was great watching them both come together. I give this a high 3.

**ARC copy provided by Manic Readers**

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