Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Boyfriend Bargain

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Boyfriend Bargain by Ilsa Madden-Mills

2 reviews

bribreez's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5⭐️/ 4🌶️

Ilsa Madden-Mills always writes such amazing, unique, enjoyable stories, and with, “Boyfriend Bargain”, it was the kind of story that switched things up. This story followed, Sugar and Zack. Not going to lie, the fact that her name was, “Sugar” caught me off guard, but oh well it was fine. Anyways, Sugar was a hardworking college student with aspirations of getting into law school. Whereas, Zack was the popular man on campus, captain of the hockey team at Hawthorne University, and number one prospect for the NHL draft. Sugar and Zack were from different worlds, but one encounter at a frat party changed everything. Sugar had hoped to ask Zack to pretend to be her fake boyfriend, but instead they shared a steamy night that left them either lingering memories of their instant chemistry. This story had fake dating, little bit of angst, heartfelt moments, romance, and an all together amazing story written by Ilsa Madden-Mills.

All Sugar wanted was to accomplish her goal of getting into law school, getting her dream job, and prove to those that she was worthy of greatness. Aside from wanting to get into law school, Sugar was an introverted, sweet, kind, and at times sassy woman. I liked Sugar right away with the way she overcame her nerves, and took chances like, asking Zack to be her fake boyfriend to help get into her law school. Sugar wasn’t like the rest of the students that attended Hawthorne University who grew up wealthy. Instead, Sugar had always worked from a young age to support herself, and focused on her studies since she was not only driven, but also very intelligent. Sugar was in for quite a ride once she got Zack to be her fake boyfriend, and OOOO IT WAS GREAT!

You can never go wrong with a hockey romance, but you also can’t go wrong with falling for the captain of said hockey team like, Zack. On the outside, Zack was the kind of man who seemed to have everything he could want from popularity, friends, adoring fans, and a future cemented in the NHL. Deep down though, Zack dealt with some inner demons, a tragedy that affected his life, and an unsettling feeling of anxiety always in the background. I will say that I did like how the story highlighted Zack’s anxiety and his effort to work through it such as, going to therapy. As a student athlete, Zack had a lot of pressure resting on his shoulders, and with the loss of someone from his past still appearing at the forefront of his mind, he had a lot to deal with. Although, that fraternity party ended up being the best thing to happen to Zack since that was the night he shared an incredible, steamy night with Sugar. Zack was more than agreeable to help Sugar out, between the required outings, kisses, and flirting, it was all in the name of making Zack and Sugar’s relationship believable.

The fake dating was a means to help Sugar out, but it was clear from the beginning that Zack wanted more with her. I’m a big fan of the fake dating trope, among others, but the way Zack and Sugar fake dated each other was sexy, passionate, and gradually became serious. There was the obvious chemistry between Zack and Sugar that I absolutely adored seeing throughout the story, and more so getting to see how much Zack fell for Sugar. Zack was use to just focusing on hockey and his future, but through fake dating Sugar, he felt a sense of happiness and utter joy being around her. Plus, there was the undeniable passion and desire that grew exponentially hotter between Zack and Sugar that had me blushing a couple of times! Zack was very much determined to make Sugar his girlfriend from the beginning! I loved how Zack didn’t pretend, and again despite it being fake dating, he didn’t hold back in letting Sugar know just how much he wanted her, and I WAS LOVING IT!!!!

The road to a happily ever after wasn’t easy for Zack and Sugar, but they eventually got there. Between Zack’s past and his mounting anxiety and Sugar coming to terms with her past as well, the two had some obstacles to overcome. Zack’s storyline was a mix of angst, emotional, and illustrated his struggles with his anxiety. I appreciated seeing the ways Zack took the initiative to seek therapy to help better manage his anxiety and mental health. As an anxious individual that’s something I always appreciate seeing highlighted in stories espoused in this case. Sugar was a lovely young woman and I really loved her! What started out as a means to help her get into the law school of her choice ultimately lead to her finding love! Sugar dealt with doubts and fears of being left behind, lied to, and lack of trust due to her past, but Zack worked hard to show her how much he cared for her. In the midst of some of the more emotional parts, there was the romance that had me swooning! The little things that Zack did for Sugar made me love him more. Not to mention, the spice was hot and had me flustered through out the book! OOOOO! HOT! There were so many wonderful aspects to this story, and I couldn’t put the book down! Sugar and Zack managed to find their way together and it ended on a very great note for them, especially the epilogue showing such a wonderful and beautiful scene between Zack and Sugar (sniff) I adored it! Ilsa Madden-Mills is just one of those authors I wholeheartedly adore and I absolutely loved this book! Highly recommend!

Content Warnings

kb33's review against another edition

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lighthearted tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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