canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
I have read a few books but Jennifer Probst before and I have really enjoyed them all.
I very much enjoyed The Marriage Arrangement. For a novella, this book is very well written and does not feel rushed at all. I was able to read this in one sitting and I just couldn't put it down.
Since this is a prequel in the A Marriage to a Billionaire series you can read this novella first.
I do highly recommend this book.
I very much enjoyed The Marriage Arrangement. For a novella, this book is very well written and does not feel rushed at all. I was able to read this in one sitting and I just couldn't put it down.
Since this is a prequel in the A Marriage to a Billionaire series you can read this novella first.
I do highly recommend this book.
kara_hildebrand's review against another edition
5.0
The Marriage Arrangement is a novella in the Marriage to a Billionaire series by the very talented Jennifer Probst. I am a big fan of Jennifer and this series so I was excited to get more! Ripley Savage is running the Windsor Winery and it's his life. He's saved the business, but then he finds out he has to marry the owner's daughter if he wants to keep it. It needs to stay in the family. Caterina ran away from the family business over a year ago after a bad break up. She just couldn't be there. She's been in Italy trying to decide what to do with her life. Rip needs to bring her home and marry her to keep his job and what he loves. Cat doesn’t trust him, but she loves her dad and her legacy. When they are forced to work together all day, the sparks fly. Will Cat agree to marry Rip for more than just the winery? Will Rip win over her heart? I loved this story. It's short, but it packs in all the feels. I laughed, cried, had to fan myself and didn't want it to end. Jennifer always delivers with her deep characters, wonderful writing and fun scenes.
"Carbs. There's something sexy as hell about watching a woman eat a piece of bread."
"I think we're going to get along just fine."
"I think you're beautiful," she whispered.
"Keep looking at me like that and there's only one place we'll end up."
"What did you think when you first saw me? Please include the word hot in there somewhere."
"Carbs. There's something sexy as hell about watching a woman eat a piece of bread."
"I think we're going to get along just fine."
"I think you're beautiful," she whispered.
"Keep looking at me like that and there's only one place we'll end up."
"What did you think when you first saw me? Please include the word hot in there somewhere."
lostinfictionaluniverse's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mlcarl's review against another edition
After years of working incredibly hard and singlehandedly saving Winsor Winery, Ripley Savage expects that when the owner and his mentor steps down, Rip would inherit the company. But there’s a catch. Turns out the family run business can only be owned by a family member. Willing to do whatever it takes to get what he feels like he’s earned, Ripley seeks out Caterina, the runaway rich girl daughter of his boss. Ever since being cheated on by her fiancé, Cat has been hiding out in Milan, unwilling to return home to the life she felt boxed into. But in order to get the winery, Rip doesn’t just have to convince Cat to come home, he also has to convince her to marry him, making him a part of the family.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like Caterina, but it turned out that her character was fabulous. She had so much more depth to her character than I’d expected. In the beginning, Ripley painted her as just an awful socialite who ran away to Europe to spend her ailing father’s money. So as the story developed and we learned more about Cat’s backstory and why she has the emotional responses to situations that she does, I just grew to love her more. Sure, she didn’t always make the best decisions, but I understood her motivations and when the time came, she made smart and bold choices that I respected.
But it was absolutely the reverse of that when it came to Ripley. I really liked him at the beginning- I had a lot of respect for him working so hard and being so devoted to his adoptive father figure. And I understood his motivations for wanting to do whatever it took to obtain what he felt like he deserved from the winery. But here’s the thing. You can’t just lie and deceive someone for the vast majority of the book and have me still think you’re the good guy at the end? From the book blurb, I anticipated that Rip would track down Cat, convince her that a marriage arrangement would be mutually beneficial to both of them, and then they’d eventually both realize that they had feelings for each other. Fake dating, forced proximity, all of that is very much my cup of tea. But what really happens is that Rip basically stalks Cat and when they finally meet, his entire introduction to her is essentially a lie. He then spends most of the book falling in love with her and letting her fall in love with him, but without ever telling her the truth about his name, what he does, or that he’s only in Milan to convince her to move back home and marry him. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he constantly struggled with all the lies, but still continued to do it, even breaking his own rule of not sleeping with her until she knew the truth. He had a hundred opportunities to do the right thing, but instead everything fell apart when someone else let the truth slip. By this point, I was really rooting for Caterina and struggled to have any respect for Ripley after that.
The one thing that really held my attention and kept me reading until the end, despite my utter dislike for Ripley, was Probst’s writing style. I may not have been hooked on the characters, but I absolutely adored the setting. Probst did a great job of describing the sights, and more importantly, the tastes of Milan in a way that just made me desperately want to book a flight there and just eat all the food.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like Caterina, but it turned out that her character was fabulous. She had so much more depth to her character than I’d expected. In the beginning, Ripley painted her as just an awful socialite who ran away to Europe to spend her ailing father’s money. So as the story developed and we learned more about Cat’s backstory and why she has the emotional responses to situations that she does, I just grew to love her more. Sure, she didn’t always make the best decisions, but I understood her motivations and when the time came, she made smart and bold choices that I respected.
But it was absolutely the reverse of that when it came to Ripley. I really liked him at the beginning- I had a lot of respect for him working so hard and being so devoted to his adoptive father figure. And I understood his motivations for wanting to do whatever it took to obtain what he felt like he deserved from the winery. But here’s the thing. You can’t just lie and deceive someone for the vast majority of the book and have me still think you’re the good guy at the end? From the book blurb, I anticipated that Rip would track down Cat, convince her that a marriage arrangement would be mutually beneficial to both of them, and then they’d eventually both realize that they had feelings for each other. Fake dating, forced proximity, all of that is very much my cup of tea. But what really happens is that Rip basically stalks Cat and when they finally meet, his entire introduction to her is essentially a lie. He then spends most of the book falling in love with her and letting her fall in love with him, but without ever telling her the truth about his name, what he does, or that he’s only in Milan to convince her to move back home and marry him. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he constantly struggled with all the lies, but still continued to do it, even breaking his own rule of not sleeping with her until she knew the truth. He had a hundred opportunities to do the right thing, but instead everything fell apart when someone else let the truth slip. By this point, I was really rooting for Caterina and struggled to have any respect for Ripley after that.
The one thing that really held my attention and kept me reading until the end, despite my utter dislike for Ripley, was Probst’s writing style. I may not have been hooked on the characters, but I absolutely adored the setting. Probst did a great job of describing the sights, and more importantly, the tastes of Milan in a way that just made me desperately want to book a flight there and just eat all the food.
kiks396's review against another edition
3.0
A quick and easy read, following the same patterns as the other books in the series. Even though this is book #4.5 in the series, the story is set before the first book. Enjoyable as usual.
bobosbookbank's review against another edition
4.0
THE MARRIAGE ARRANGEMENT is book #4.5 in the Marriage to a Billionaire series. It's also a novella that's part of the 1001 Dark Nights series but is a standalone.
Caterina is the sole heir to her family's winery but when her engagement ends in disaster, she flees to Italy for some recuperation and TLC leaving her father to run the winery alone. Rip has spent the last year and a half saving the winery from bankruptcy but in order to keep it, Rip has to marry Cat. That has him going to Italy to bring back Caterina but will she agree to an arranged marriage?
I've not read any of the books from this series but it was easy to enjoy this one! Even though it's a novella, Jennifer Probst did a great job fleshing out the plot and the characters. I LOVED all the imagery used in the beginning...it felt like I was in Italy with Caterina and Rip. I was also delighted with the touch of whimsy used to bring them together (maybe!). This whole little tale was sweet and sexy!
Rip and Caterina may have seemed to be opposites: Rip was everything dark whereas Cat was everything light. But in the end, the one thing that binded them together (besides their intense chemistry!) was their love for the winery.
This book is a wonderful afternoon read, easy and light with sweet characters and a fun plot. Told from dual POVs with a happy ending. I received, read and voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Caterina is the sole heir to her family's winery but when her engagement ends in disaster, she flees to Italy for some recuperation and TLC leaving her father to run the winery alone. Rip has spent the last year and a half saving the winery from bankruptcy but in order to keep it, Rip has to marry Cat. That has him going to Italy to bring back Caterina but will she agree to an arranged marriage?
I've not read any of the books from this series but it was easy to enjoy this one! Even though it's a novella, Jennifer Probst did a great job fleshing out the plot and the characters. I LOVED all the imagery used in the beginning...it felt like I was in Italy with Caterina and Rip. I was also delighted with the touch of whimsy used to bring them together (maybe!). This whole little tale was sweet and sexy!
Rip and Caterina may have seemed to be opposites: Rip was everything dark whereas Cat was everything light. But in the end, the one thing that binded them together (besides their intense chemistry!) was their love for the winery.
This book is a wonderful afternoon read, easy and light with sweet characters and a fun plot. Told from dual POVs with a happy ending. I received, read and voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
beckymmoe's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 5/2/18.
[b:The Book of Spells|18051419|The Book of Spells (Marriage to a Billionaire, #3.5)|Jennifer Probst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1370870564s/18051419.jpg|25334965] strikes again!
Caterina Windsor fled to Italy after a disastrous engagement, and has spent the last year and a half trying to figure out her place in the world. The very night she decides to try out the love spell she discovered in a used book, she finds herself drawn to the stranger sitting in the dark corner of a bar...
Rip's poured the last year of his life into Windsor Winery, pulling it back from the brink and working under the assumption that the owner--and his mentor--would be turning the reins over to him in the near future. Until that same owner--and fate, in the guise of The Book of Spells--throws a wrench into his plans...
Rip and Caterina's story was really satisfying, considering its short format. Rip's deception was revealed a bit sooner than I'd expected, which gave him plenty of time to make things right again in a fairly believable way. Their romance had just the right amount of heat and chemistry, alongside some really funny moments (two words: tea party. LOL) Like many books in the 1001 Dark Nights series, The Marriage Arrangement both works well as an introduction to the other series it's a part of (Marriage to a Billionaire) for newbies as well as gives fans another book to love.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
[b:The Book of Spells|18051419|The Book of Spells (Marriage to a Billionaire, #3.5)|Jennifer Probst|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1370870564s/18051419.jpg|25334965] strikes again!
Caterina Windsor fled to Italy after a disastrous engagement, and has spent the last year and a half trying to figure out her place in the world. The very night she decides to try out the love spell she discovered in a used book, she finds herself drawn to the stranger sitting in the dark corner of a bar...
Rip's poured the last year of his life into Windsor Winery, pulling it back from the brink and working under the assumption that the owner--and his mentor--would be turning the reins over to him in the near future. Until that same owner--and fate, in the guise of The Book of Spells--throws a wrench into his plans...
Rip and Caterina's story was really satisfying, considering its short format. Rip's deception was revealed a bit sooner than I'd expected, which gave him plenty of time to make things right again in a fairly believable way. Their romance had just the right amount of heat and chemistry, alongside some really funny moments (two words: tea party. LOL) Like many books in the 1001 Dark Nights series, The Marriage Arrangement both works well as an introduction to the other series it's a part of (Marriage to a Billionaire) for newbies as well as gives fans another book to love.
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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