The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst

The Marriage Bargain (Marriage to a Billionaire, #1)

by Jennifer Probst

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 uncle's corporation, he needs a wife and needs one fast. When he discovers his sister's childhood friend is in dire financial straits, he's 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 ...

Reviewed by e_rodz_leb on

4 of 5 stars

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My original review can be found here: Reading with ABC

The Marriage Bargain was such a good book! After I read the synopsis I thought that it would be a very predictable story, instead I found myself savoring every word.


The plot of the story is somewhat predictable and you have probably read a book with this story line before, what make The Marriage Bargain a great book is the writing and the characterization. The writing is funny, realistic, and quirky and I appreciate that Alexa and Nick were not in ‘agony’ for eleven months before realizing that they were in love. I really dislike that type of book because it becomes repetitive.


When the need to get married arrives for both Nick and Alexa they come up with a list of attributes that their partner should have. This ‘rational’ approach to marriage is hilarious, especially since the lists are almost the complete opposite of each other :). Alexa was a great character. She is loyal, loving, fun, tender hearted, but also has her feet firmly set on the ground. She would to anything for her family, including marrying Nick to save her parent’s home. Alexa is best friends with Nick’s sister and they knew each other when they were children, so at least she is not marrying a complete stranger.


As I said, this is a great story, steamy love scenes, funny situations, and amazing characters. I truly enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to read about Maggie and Michael in book # 2 of the series!


About the cover: Steamy, but tasteful.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 September, 2012: Finished reading
  • 1 September, 2012: Reviewed