Between Marriage and Merger by Karen Booth
The Locke Legacy #3
Release Date: February 1, 2018
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion or rating. I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2018NewRelease, #COYER
Goodreads
Synopsis
From boardroom to bedroom...and back?
Hotel magnate Noah Locke has worked too hard to let a PR scandal ruin the biggest deal of his career. If a fake engagement will fix his image, he's in. So is Lily Foster, his assistant - and the one woman he's wanted for years. Soon there's nothing fake about their heated kisses and steamy nights together. Can this arrangement turn real...or is Lily playing for a different prize?
Having met Noah and Lily in the previous books of the series, I'd been eager for their story. KBooth didn't let me down, delivering a fun story with a few of my favorite romance tropes. :)
Noah is the Locke sibling that's always felt the effects of living in Sawyer's shadow. With how their father treats him - and even Sawyer and Charlotte to a certain degree - Noah feels like he's never quite good enough. So when he's attracted to his assistant, Lily, from her first day on the job and Sawyer warns him away, he does his best not to let his brother down. Lily came to NYC to escape a mortifying incident - one she doesn't like to think about. She has lived the last two years determined to focus on work and creating her own security while fighting the intense attraction she feels toward Noah.
One of the best things about Noah and Lily denying their attraction is that they've spent a lot of time together and have become really good friends. So when a video showing Noah in a less than favorable light threatens an important deal for the business, Lily agrees to be Noah's fake fiancee.
So, Office Romance? Check
Friends-to-Lovers Romance? Check, check.
Fake Engagement Romance? Check, check, check.
Which all equaled a sweet, romantic story.
My favorite parts were watching Noah and Lily's friendship blossom into more - which, honestly, didn't take much after a scorching kiss. ;) I also enjoyed seeing how they each helped the other overcome insecurities, accepting their vulnerabilities. They were both strong as individuals, whether they realized it or not, but together they were a powerhouse team!
A thing that bothered me was that Lily said she was close to her family but she never let them know about her engagement, which even if it was fake, they were sure to see on social media. Overall though, Between Marriage and Merger was a satisfying installment in the Locke Legacy.
Pregnant by the Billionaire by Karen Booth
The Locke Legacy #1
Release Date: July 1, 2017
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion or rating. I voluntarily provided a review.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #2017NewRelease, #COYER
Goodreads
Synopsis
From playboy to papa!
Kendall Ross's latest PR assignment is the perfect jump start for her career. But her client is hotel magnate Sawyer Locke--the no-holds-barred one-night stand she had six weeks ago. Sawyer knows the feisty redhead is the key to successfully launching his new hotel, but with his meddling father sabotaging his business plans, they have to keep their arrangement strictly professional. As in, no kisses. No fondling. And certainly no mind-blowing sex! Yet when their best-laid plans end with an unexpected pregnancy, the rebel billionaire must choose between his bachelor ways or losing Kendall and his baby for good!
Karen Booth, and her Harlequin Desire titles, are fast becoming guilty pleasures of mine. Her stories are always entertaining and make for easy reading. Pregnant by the Billionaire was no different.
Kendall and Sawyer spent a night getting acquainted - dancing, laughing, and eventually heating up the sheets - at a mutual acquaintance's wedding. That was six weeks ago and although neither has made contact, neither can get the other out of their head. Then they're brought face-to-face when Sawyer hires Kendall's PR firm, where Kendall's boss assigns her to his project. Will they be able to keep things professional?
These two made for a perfectly engaging couple. Kendall's fire, always giving it straight to Sawyer, was fun. He wasn't used to that so it kept him off-balance at times. She's also intelligent and fiercely independent, as well as loyal. She doesn't believe men have staying power though so tends to steer clear. Sawyer is also intelligent and tenacious in building the life and legacy he wants. His family life, his father in particular, has shown him how he doesn't want to live his life and he's worked hard at not being like his dad. As Kendall and Sawyer work together on the reopening of his hotel, the obstacles they face, both professionally and personally, show them their feelings about relationships and love might be skewed. And maybe they just hadn't found the right person. ;)
So I have to say that the trope of the pregnancy is a little tired, but it worked for the story. I wished for more time between Sawyer and Kendall, more development with Sawyer's family, too, but since this is the first book in the Locke Legacy series, I have feeling I'll get my wish even if Sawyer and Kendall aren't the focus of the story.
Pregnant by the Billionaire was an easy and engaging read, one that has me invested in Sawyer, Kendall, and the Locke family. I look forward to Sawyer's siblings' stories.
Between Marriage and Merger by Karen Booth
