The Marriage Bargain (Marriage to a Billionaire Book 1)

I absolutely LOVE this book! The story is fantastic, with a wonderful blend of romance, humor, and sensuality. Ms. Probst is a seasoned author, so as you might expect, the book is extremely well written, with three dimensional characters who are so well drawn that they seem real. Furthermore, the book is professionally published, so there are no amateurish editing issues, such as grammatical mistakes, incorrect spelling, or the like. Nick and Alexa are both wonderful characters; and I loved them equally (rare for me, as I usually like the H more than the h) Alexa is a fabulous heroine. She is feisty, smart, determined, witty, bubbly, impulsive, and quirky. Nicholas, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. He's calm, always in control, super organized, and plans every step before making a move. When we meet Alexa and Nick for the first time, she is fourteen and he is sixteen. Alexa and Nick's younger sister, Maggie, are best friend; Nick is Alexa's nemesis. He lives to torment the poor girl, but she gives as good as she gets!After the prologue, the story then jumps ahead thirteen years. Alexa and Maggie are still best friends; although Alexa and Nick haven't seen each other in almost ten years. Alexa is in desperate need of $150,000 in order to help her family out of a financial crisis. She figures the easiest way to get this money is to find a man who has an extra hundred grand lying around. To achieve this end, Alexa performs a love spell--yes, you read right...a love spell!--asking the earth mother to provide a man who fulfills a specific list of requirements, including having the money that she needs for her family. Her number one requirement?--that he be a Mets fan. LOLNick too is in desperate need of a woman--although for completely different reasons. Nicholas is now a successful architect. He needs a wife for one year, in order to secure his inheritance. Getting married is the last thing that Nicholas wants, but his back is against the wall--it's either get married and get control of his uncle's architectural firm, or don't get married and become a figure-head with no real power (these are the terms dictated in his Uncle's will.) As far as Nick is concerned, the latter isn't even an option. So a wife a is needed. Nick makes a list of all his requirements for a wife...none of which Alexa meet...well none, except for one "woman I can trust."When Maggie discovers that Alexa needs money, she comes up with the idea for Nick and Alexa to get married. He gets a wife for a year, and Alexa gets her $150,000. Nick's first reaction when Maggie suggests Alexa as a potential wife, is a resounding, hell no! Alexa absolutely does not fit the image he has for his wife. She's too stubborn, too impulsive, and absolutely too reckless! Unfortunately, Nick has no other candidates in mind, and has a deadline to meet, so Alexa it is. When the two finally meet to discuss the marriage contract, Nick immediately discovers yet another criteria Alexa does not fulfill, "a woman I do not desire to sleep with." ROTFL Alexa is a hot siren, and Nick can barely concentrate. I laughed so much during the contract scene, my side started hurting. Nick tries to play hardball with Alexa, but she's more than a match for him. I love the way the negotiations went down...Alexa: "You have a list of requirements?"Nick: Just a few qualities I'd like my wife to have."Alexa: You want a hostess, an orphan, and a robot all rolled into one...You want a Stepford wife without the sex. Haven't you learned anything about women since you were fourteen?"Nick: "As my wife, you'll need a proper wardrobe. You'll get an allowance and have access to my personal shopper."Alexa: "I'll wear what I want, when I want, and pay my own damn way."Nick: "I have a huge deal on the line, so you'll need to make nice with the other wives."Alexa: "I can manage to keep my elbows off the table and laugh at their stupid jokes. But I need to be free to run my own business and enjoy my own social life."And when it came to the sex clause! OMG! I almost choked, I was laughing so hard! In any event, an agreement is reached and the two get married. From there the story progresses to the HEA. Of course the nice, easy, unemotional, business deal of a marriage that Nick envisioned is anything but. Pretty soon he and Alexa toss the "no sex" clause out the window and the two are knocking boots. I'm happy to say that this does not happen right away, and when the two finally do have sex, I thought the timing was perfect. The sex scenes are hot and steamy, and are tastefully done--no crude language!--and add a nice element of sensuality, without overwhelming the story. As time passes, feelings begin to develop between the two and love blossoms.Nick is terrified of marriage, commitment, and family. He and Maggie had a horrible childhood, being raised by selfish indifferent parents, who had no use for their children, other than as pawns to use against each other. Nick's biggest fear is that he will turn out like his father, and he doesn't want to subject a child of his own to the same suffering he had to endure. In Nick's mind, marriage equals messy emotions, which eventually lead to heartache, and inevitably divorce. As for Alexa, she accepts that at the end of the year her time with Nick will come to an end, but is decided to accept whatever he is willing to give her, and make the most of the time she has with the man she loves. The story that unfolds is sweet, touching, and absolutely captivating! It held me hostage from beginning to end!The book is just about perfect. It has everything from romance, to humor, to steamy sex. Shoot it even has an epilogue--I love epilogues--where you get to see Nick and Alexa some months after they declare their love, which is very sweet. The book is so wonderful that this is the second time that I've read it--both times cover to cover! I loved it so much, that after I borrowed it from the library, I went and bought my own copy. So, if you're in the mood for a good, grown-up, realistic romance, look no further. Just get yourself a copy of this book, sit back, and enjoy. Happy reading!FYI, the epilogue in this book is a perfect set-up for book two,  The Marriage Trap (Marriage to a Billionaire Book 2) . As a matter of fact, the real focus of the epilogue is Maggie, as evidenced by the fact that the chapter is labeled "Maggie." LOL In any event, Maggie and Michael are the h and H in book two. Both characters are introduced in this book, and the two even have a dinner date, although we, the readers, only hear about it after the fact; apparently it didn't go well. LOL In the epilogue we get to see Maggie and Michael together for the first time. Michael is a business contact of Nick's, who appears in the story, and eventually becomes a close friend. Maggie, however, is convinced that Michael is in love with Alexa, and worries that he is a threat to her brother's marriage. She doesn't hide her feelings and is very hostile towards Michael. It's this love that Michael supposedly has for Alexa that he uses manipulate Maggie into agreeing to pretend to be his fiancee in book two. I had to laugh when I read the blurb for that book, because while Michael obviously is very fond of Alexa, I don't for one second believe that he is in love with her. IMO, Michale has the hots for Maggie, but she can't see the forest for the trees. I can't wait to read that book! I have it on hold at my library, but if it's half as good as this one, I'll end up getting my own copy of that book too. My poor wallet. Sigh! I just pray I wont have to wait too long for a copy to become available.

Alexa McKenzie and Nicholas Ryan were childhood friends. They grow up and go their separate ways with Alexa remaining best friends with Nicks sister, Maggie.Nick's rich Uncle dies, leaving Nick a substantial inheritance (even though he's already extremely wealthy, he wants this money)... He will inherit only if he marries within 2 wks. after the Will is read and remain married for one year. Nick has no interest in marriage as he feels it is nothing more than a fairy tale - - and for him, monogamy doesn't exist. He feels being married is an unnecessary evil. But he need's a wife fast...and one who will agree to walk away from the marriage after the contracted one year has expired.Alexa is the complete opposite of Nick. She dreams of marriage and a family - - but has no prospects. And she needs money NOW to help her parents keep their home. Nick's sister, Maggie..arranges for Nick and Alexa to meet...and they strike a bargain after much negotiation. A marriage in name only for one year. Nick will receive his inheritance and Alexa will get her $$. The only problem is Nick is verrrry attracted to Alexa, much to his irritation, and it scares the hell out of him...(where did the pesky brat of his childhood go?) On top of everything else, he doesn't think Alexa will be easy to "handle" or control, as she speaks her mind and exhibits emotion without thinking. Basically, Alexa is a "free spirit".Nevertheless he must marry within the week or lose the money. Little does he know that Alexa is very attracted to him as well - - gone are the childhood feelings of her thinking him a bossy jerk and him thinking her a pest...(a whole new set of "irritations" grow). However even though strong attractions are there, they have absolutely no common interests...zero! They can barely tolerate being in the same room together. And even if they DID like each other...even a little bit...Nick is too badly damaged by neglectful parents to take a chance on a woman. He'd never let a woman inside - - his heart is carved of stone. His parents' neglect convinced him love doesn't exist and children are a casualties. In his mind, there is no happy ending with marriage.I absolutely loved this story - - a story of how opposites attract and of healing. I loved how Alexa brought disorder and chaos into Nicks orderly and lonely, structured life. The healing that she brought to him, the genuine warmth and life was touching to see unfold and bloom. This story has great dialogue with hilarious and humorous situations. It's a fabulous story full of profound lessons and is sure to warm your heart - - it'll bring laughter and you'll shed a few tears. I loved it all!

This is the first book in the series and I read it after reading Searching for Someday and Searching for Perfect. The book introduces you to the characters that have background roles in that series. The story is similar to hundreds of others, the heroine Alexa, needs money to save her family's home. The hero Nicholas, needs a wife to maintain control of the firm. The bargain is simple, one year of marriage then each go their separate ways. The only problem, the two have a history from childhood. Moments in their lives that were turning points to who they became and where they would go. This is were Ms. Probst rises above the others with a wonderful story of love, possibilities, letting go of old hurts, removing the walls one builds up around themselves and accepting the possibility of happily ever after. Her characters are strong, her storylines intricately woven together and when the last page is turned your only regret is you want to continue on with everyone's lives. They have become your friends, your family, your life for that brief moment between the pages. A wonderful read, strong females, hot males and great romps between the sheets. What I love best is that while the sex is great, Ms. Probst doesn't use it to hold the readers attention. She uses it like a fine wine, opened and let to breathe before savoring the rich, bold taste. I look forward to the rest of her series!

This wasn’t really my sort of book - gave up reading it after about 30 pages as I just couldn’t get into itPlease take a moment to push the helpful button and make my time typing up and reviewing worthwhile 🥰

I really enjoyed The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst. It follows newlyweds Nick and Alexa as they adjust to married life after they sign a contract to marry for one year - both have their reasons; Alexa in order to get money for her parents, Nick in order to get an inheritance.I think Jennifer did a very good job of heightening the sexual tension between the two main characters. I really like how she portrayed both as authentic and realistic in their reactions and behavior.The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because I thought it was a little rushed at the end. *SPOILERS* I really enjoyed the epilogue and was hoping to see the birth of their baby girl but the book ended abruptly after they left for the hospital. I may look into Book #2 for this reason. Overall I really enjoyed it!

I got this on the recommendation of someone on Instagram that loves these types of books. I wasn’t so sure but have been in a reading slump and watching predictable romance films instead so I gave this a go.It took me about 4 hours to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Predictable? Yes of course. But the characters were likeable, the sexual tension was believable and the love scenes weren’t smutty and vulgar.It was also a nice change that the man was allowed to be protective and the woman was allowed to be looked after while maintaining her independence. It might not be a very feminist attitude but I liked it and it was different from the forced independence of characters in books I usually read where they are criticised by readers for wanting a man!I really enjoyed it and would definitely read more by the author.

This book was one of my recommendations by Amazon so I took the bait. Boy am I glad I did. This is a lovely story. It is funny and actually made me laugh out loud on quite a few occasions especially the bit involving the homeless dogs housed in a spare room. I kid you not. This is just a really lovely story. There were times when I was cross with Nicholas but then he redeemed himself. Alexa is a fiesty character and quite charming. She is definitely a sharer and giver a complete opposite to Nicholas. I have now received the second book which follows 2 characters in the first book. I hope I will not be disappointed. Jennifer Probst is a new author to me and I'm not always struck with American writers but this is a great read and I look forward to reading other stuff by her. You should at the end of the book have a lovely glow about you and a smile on your face. Enjoy....

Easy read. Some really laugh out loud moments. Likeable heroine, Alexa and gorgeous but damaged hero, Nick. A bargain is struck between them but feelings change.....Good ending and no cliffhanger, just a glimpse at the couple in the next book. ( Maggie and Michael) . I read this book because it was mentioned in Kelly Elliott's New book ' Broken Dreams' repeatedly and I'm glad I did. I do think it is expensive for a Kindle book though and that puts me off buying the others in the series.