Coffee Pot Reviews: The Marriage Bargain & Weekend Agreement

 
Welcome to Coffee Pot Reviews! These are short and sweet reviews done in the length of time it takes my coffee pot to brew! I have two romances from Entangled Publishing to share with you today about arrangements and deals. Adult books contain mature content and are not intended for readers under 18 years of age.  Grab a cup of coffee and a scone! 

The Marriage Bargain
by Jennifer Probst
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication date: February 14, 2012
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository
Source: won
*purchase supports this blog

A marriage in name only... 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…

I love arranged marriages and contract troupes ..they always end up with delicious results. The Marriage Bargain while completely predictable was a fun fast read and one I thoroughly enjoyed. All the ingredients were there; sexual attraction, fear of commitment, tension and bittersweet moments. Alexa was a strong, caring, romantic character and I just clicked with her. Nicholas is our damaged, pretty boy who needs Alexa more then even he can imagine. The chemistry felt genuine and there was a nice mix of tender and funny moments. 

Three and half cups of coffee from the corner cafe

Weekend Agreement
by Barbara Wallace
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication date: March 15, 2012
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon
Source: won 
*purchase supports this blog

Some deals were meant to be broken… Cynical billionaire Daniel Martinetti works hard; plays harder and has one ironclad rule. Never trust a woman. Bad news for historian Charlotte Doherty who shows up at exactly the wrong time. Like every other woman in Daniel’s life, Charlotte wants something from him–the deed to her family farm. Daniel agrees, but only if he gets something in return: Charlotte’s company for the weekend! The property is Charlotte’s only link to the mother she never knew. Desperate to keep her history alive, she’ll accept Daniel’s indecent proposal, but not without a few terms of her own. Namely, a propriety clause. No flirting. No kissing. No sex. Daniel has no intention of honoring her conditions, but after one weekend with Charlotte leaves him hungering for more, he can’t help wondering if she could be the exception to his unbreakable rule…

Weekend Agreement was a short, touching, and sweet read. I easily consumed this in a single sitting. I connected with both characters and felt for smexy Daniel. The characters were fleshed out enough that I felt I understood them and despite a little insta-attraction it felt genuine. While the tale was fairly predictable, it had some cute moments and a little drama to spice things up. I found myself, giggling, and rooting for this pair. Purely entertaining this makes a perfect late night read that is low on heat, but heartwarming. 

There and half vanilla lattes out of five