Carole reviews: Bet with a Billlionaire

 

Author: Hope Thorn

Title: Bet With A Billionaire

Series: Marriage Of Convenience Book 1

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Novella

Format: ebook

Pages: 137

Published: May 30, 2023

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

When Ivy is offered a prestigious opportunity to paint murals in the lavish penthouse of billionaire playboy Jasper Frost, little does she know that their encounter will ignite a passionate connection.

Intrigue unfolds as Jasper, faced with a bet among his friends, concocts a plan to maintain his reputation and emerge triumphant. He proposes a fabricated romance, tempting Ivy to enter into a web of lies as his fake fiancée. What begins as a charade quickly becomes a battleground of emotions as Ivy and Jasper find themselves irresistibly drawn to one another amidst the glamorous backdrop of high society.

Torn between the allure of security and the pursuit of genuine affection, Ivy faces an agonizing decision. Will she succumb to the charade and risk a lifetime of emptiness, or will she find the courage to seek a love that transcends falsehood?

Review:

Grabbed this since it was free AND it meets one of my reading challenges. Plus....that cover? Cute!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here we have Ivy. She is offered a great opportunity to paint murals in the penthouse of a billionaire playboy. That playboy is none other than Jasper Frost. Little does Ivy know that their encounter will ignite passion....and a deal. Jasper needs a fabricated romance and marriage. He brings Ivy in on it and they will find themselves battling over faking it and real emotions. 

This had great bones as they say. I really enjoyed the setup and the characters. The execution? Eeeeeeeeee....I'm on the fence about that. 

The lust was FOR SURE THERE *fans self*, however, the love? The friendship? Eeeeeeeee....I didn't feel it. Ivy and Jasper didn't spend any time with each other and their conversations lasted just minutes and then they were off to the races. To be honest I didn't buy their love even by the ending. Is book 2 going to be about them? That could change everything for me. They need more time with each other for love. 

The ending was good! It felt...right. 

All-in-all, I liked our characters and the bones of the story. It had some good characters, lots of smexy bits, a fun trope (I love me some fake love), and the setup was fun. However, we needed more to really fill this out. I am in a good mood and thanks to ending ending how it did...I'll give it a solid 3 stars. 

Challenge(s):

- #21 for Romance Reading Challenge - 'Billionaire' in the title