The Marriage Merger (Marriage to a Billionaire #4) by Jennifer Probst

Her sisters have found wedded bliss with their wealthy,wonderful dream men, but not Julietta Conte. She’s stayed on terra firma as top executive of the family’s corporation, La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Work is her passion, and her trendy Milan apartment her sanctuary . . . until Sawyer Wells, a masculine masterpiece in a suit, lures her out of hiding with an irresistible offer: an exclusive partnership with his international chain of boutique hotels.

Julietta’s been burned before—and trusting her brother-in-law’s friend, whose powerful gaze alone has her rethinking the best use of a conference room, is the riskiest proposition. But with a once-in-a-career chance to take the bakery global, will she mix stone-cold business with red-hot seduction?

Grace's Review

3.0 - 3.5 Stars

As a fan of the previous books in the series, I was really excited and curious about the fourth book, which pairs Julietta Conte and Sawyer Wells! Julietta is head of the family business, La Dolce Famiglia bakery. Sawyer has big plans for the chain of hotels he's opening and offers Julietta a huge merger deal. When they first meet, boy, is the attraction instant! Business shouldn't mix with pleasure, right?

I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Julietta is fierce, independent, and business savvy. Sawyer is a truly giving person with a damaged past. There are reasons why he needs to be in charge and in control.

In the end I liked The Marriage Merger, but it was really difficult for me to rate. I think the reason why is the first half of the book was too slow and uninteresting for me. Right away Sawyer senses submissive qualities in Julietta and doesn't waste time trying to pursue her. Their first encounter in the bedroom was a whopper! Although it was steamy, I got easily bored. This particular scene was really, really long, and I kept checking to see how many pages was left in the chapter...not good. I LOVED the second half more! I'm pretty sure it all has to do with Mama Conte doing what she does best. If you've been following the series, you know what that is! As for Julietta and Sawyer, we get to see all their emotions play out wonderfully. Both find each other a challenge. Sawyer feels Julietta deserves better, so there's lots of angst while they sort out issues.

Jennifer Probst is really great at bringing the beautiful Italian setting surrounding Milan to life in the story. Her writing left me with a “wish-I-was-there” feeling. Really, I wanted to climb into the Conte household and share a meal with them! Yum! I also found the story of how Sawyer met Mama Conte to be really touching. The addition of the secondary character, Wolfe, was both unexpected and genius! I loved Wolfe! I was craving more of him by the end.

Although not my favorite, The Marriage Merger is a solid installment. I have enjoyed the Marriage to a Billionaire books very much. Jennifer Probst ends this series in a satisfying full circle, which I truly appreciated. If you're looking for something romantic, seductive, with the right amount of angst and humor, give this whole series a try. The Marriage Merger can be read as a standalone.

***A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.***

The Marriage Mistake (#3) By Jennifer Probst

Carina Conte has had a crush on her brother Michael’s best friend, Max Gray, since she was a teenager. Now she’s earned her MBA and come to work at Michael’s new venture, America’s fastest-growing bakery empire. But some things never change: her family still treats her like a child. With three drop-dead gorgeous siblings, she’s still the ugly duckling of the bunch. And Max, the company’s new CEO, still barely notices her.

Max knows Carina Conte is strictly off limits. But hot-blooded lust wins out at a conference when the two share a scorching one-night stand—and are busted by her mother! Now, forced by old-world Italian tradition into a marriage he’s not ready for, Max is miserable—and Carina is furious. Her new husband is about to realize that hell hath no fury like a woman transformed….

Grace's Review:

 Will the love spell strike again?

I have to admit that after reading The Marriage Trap, Carina Conte was my least favorite character. She acted and seemed much younger than her age. The Marriage Mistake takes place 3 years later. Carina is more mature, more confident, and has earned her MBA. She's ready to move to America to work in her brother's company. Working close with her long-time crush could be fun, if only he can get past viewing her like a younger sibling.

Forget about Nick and Michael. In my opinion, Maximus Gray blows them away! Max is Michael Conte's best friend. He grew up very close with the Conte family. For most of his life, Max has had to learn to reconcile his feelings about his father's actions. As a result, he has commitment issues with women. He really does not want to be like his father. When Carina begins working as his assistant, there is no denying the physical attraction he feels for her, but he must keep his distance or risk losing his best friend's trust.

Carina certainly does not make things easy for Max. As a 26-year old virgin, she may come off as a little too eager to give her V-card away, but there is no question that Max is who she wants to give herself to. She's always been in love with Max. When he finally takes her up on her one-night-stand offer, oh boy! Too bad, they are busted and forced to get married! Will these two find happiness with their miserable marriage? Will the love spell strike again? Read and find out!

The Marriage Mistake is my favorite of the series thus far. The story has a strong backbone with family and friendship. There is a little of Nick and Alexa and a nice dose of Maggie and Michael. Probst wove them all well into the story. Let's just say the families keep getting bigger and bigger!

As for Carina and Max, although both go through a lot of learning and growth, these two are so electrifying together! She wants to be a little submissive, and he doesn't mind giving her all that she desires! Oh, yes! He also knows what do with a paintbrush and chocolate body paint. *fans self*

 

The Marriage Trap (#2) By Jennifer Probst

WIFE WANTED…

Italian billionaire seeks faux fiancée. Willing to agree to anything in return...

In order for his sister to marry, Italian billionaire Michael Conte has to find himself a bride – and fast! When he learns that photographer Maggie Ryan is going to be in Milan, Michael hatches a plan to introduce her to his family as his “fiancée.” Never mind that Maggie is confident, independent, and a control freak. Never mind that she’s everything he doesn’t want in a wife… and everything he wants in his bed!

Convinced that Michael is in love with her married gal pal, Maggie agrees to keep up the ruse if he’ll keep away from her friend. Besides, she’s not attracted to charming, ridiculously hot billionaires who drive her nuts. Once they’re in Italy, however, everything changes – and the sexual tension between Maggie and Michael goes from simmer to naked nuclear meltdown!

But have they found the perfect arrangement… or are they trapped in a make-believe marriage?

 

Grace's Review:

Imagine him whispering “la mia tigrotta” to you!

After reading The Marriage Bargain I wasn't too sure about Maggie being paired with Michael. They just seemed like an unlikely match to me, but Jennifer Probst proved me wrong by writing a story where two very stubborn individuals can create mad, passionate chemistry together!

Maggie Ryan is Alexa's best friend and Nick's sister. She's very independent and makes a good living photographing underwear models. Nice job! Oh, and look, her next photo shoot happens to be in Milan! How lucky for Michael Conte! A family situation concerning one of his sisters has come up, and he needs someone to pretend to be his wife immediately! Striking a deal with Maggie is the easy part. Spending a week together in Italy with his family without killing each other is another story.

Although I enjoyed The Marriage Bargain slightly more than The Marriage Trap, what I loved was getting to know the Conte family, and how accepting they were of Maggie. Since her own parents never loved her enough, she grew up feeling unwanted and lonely at times. It was good to see her let her guard down while being around Michael's family. Michael...what can I say about this hot, Italian billionaire? He's got his flaws. Since his father passed away, he takes being responsible for his family very seriously, maybe a little too seriously. Probst did a good job putting Maggie and Michael into situations where they would end up understanding each other a little more. I think the babysitting scene was one of my favorites! That scene was exhausting and funny and so not sexy, but it got them working together and that's all that counts! These two love to hate each other that the tension between them is very fiery! Every time Michael refers to Maggie as “la mia tigrotta”, his term of endearment for her, well that made me all tingly!

Steamy and fun, The Marriage Trap is a pretty decent sequel. 

 

 

The Marriage Bargain (#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 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’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…

Sam's Review:

This is the second book this week I have bought from Amazon on a whim and haven’t been disappointed. This is a good, solid romance book that continues to give me reasons to purchase small press authors and give them a chance. Because every now and again you stumble upon ones like this that makes all the crappy ones, worth it.

Firstly when you read this book, you’re getting a romance story. Not a book claiming to be romance but is actually more along the lines of hot porn. It’s kind of hard to find a book like this these days. The Marriage Bargain, we really get to know the characters and their lives behind what people are seeing. I loved that the H/H didn’t fall straight in to bed with one another. The sexual tension that was built in this story was palpable. The author kept placing in perfectly well timed interruptions during heated moments that it took over half the book to get into anything hot and heavy and by then I was ready to jump on anyone’s lap. The few sexual encounters that the author gives are, are neither to graphic or unstimulating – the author found the perfect balance for this Modern Contemporary Romance.

Honestly this book was well written, I thought it was a bit jumpy in the beginning but soon got used to it, and found it necessary to move through the story. It is the book that you just want cuddle up on the couch with and not put back down. I didn’t think it was a very long book (I get confused on my kindle) – but it wasn’t novella material. I do however wish there would have been an epilogue. There were something’s I would have loved to seen fore filled.

So in conclusion? It pays off every now and then to take a chance on a book that you otherwise may not have purchased, because I think this one was a gem just waiting to be found.