The book started off slow for me, but once I got into it, it was definitely worth reading. Any book that can have the heroine question whether the Magnum XL condoms were really necessary has my amused attention! ~ Leigh, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Marrying a kinky billionaire wasn’t exactly in my ten-year plan.
Benjamin Chase is not my type. He’s abrasive. He’s arrogant. He doesn’t take anything seriously. I’d die before I dated him, but he has something different in mind.
He has to get married in the next nine months, or he loses his company to his ex-wife. And apparently, I’m the most eligible bachelorette in town. If I accept, I’ll have a fortune, and the opportunity to prove my acting skills with the role of a lifetime. But I also have to accept Ben’s quirks – including the fact that he prefers his women bowing and scraping in a ridiculous parody of gender roles I thought we left behind, oh, several decades ago. I have absolutely no intention of submitting in private, but I’ll have to be by his side at all the right clubs and parties. Pretending to be his property. He says it’s all a game, but my head says to run away.
My heart, on the other hand…not to mention certain other parts of me…secretly craves his discipline. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s not really on offer. This is all just an act…
Isn’t it?
Let me start off saying that on the whole, I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was better than the sum of its parts, because there were a lot of minor issues that bothered me when reading it. But when I was finished, I still sat back and thought “I really liked that!” The book started off slow for me, but once I got into it, it was definitely worth reading. Any book that can have the heroine question whether the Magnum XL condoms were really necessary has my amused attention!
For a billionaire, Ben is lacking in common sense and social graces. He signed a ridiculous divorce settlement with his ex-wife which required him to get married in two years or lose majority ownership in his company. Reaching the deadline, Ben runs into aspiring actress Jenna multiple times around town and decides that she would be perfect for the role of his wife. And although her first impression (and mine) of Ben is that of a spoiled rich kid, she finds herself being drawn to him and considering his offer.
I did have some issues with the boundaries Ben and Jenna set on their relationship. I understand that this was supposed to be a marriage of convenience for both of them. But when the feelings started, I was so frustrated that they just couldn’t admit them and instead insisted on falling back on the fact that “this isn’t real” and having to dance around one another. Ben was supposed to be a Master, wasn’t he? Suck it up, buddy! And for someone that had a dream at being an actress, Jenna seemed to be able to suffer from a lot of stage fright and unable to put on a good act.
My other issue was with the expectations that the title set. The book was more about domestic discipline than an actual master/sub relationship. The DD was handled well and I liked how it was presented by Ben when Jenna feared that it set women’s rights back about half a century. It was delicately handled, sexy and I liked these two people together.
There were some plot twists and turns in the story that added to the overall bond between this couple, and I felt that their interactions, when they weren’t feeling awkward around one another, were humorous and enjoyable. I would love to see these characters again in a future book by Ms. Marchande to see how they are doing, because I would definitely give her stories another look.
3.75 Stars
Thanks for the review Leigh
Great, honest review! I also thought it was about a M/s relationship.
I understand how the H/h going back and forth can become a little annoying, especially considering their situation.
I am looking forward to reading it. I already picked up a copy. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.