Today is day two of my Four Days of Marriage to a Billionaire Event and I couldn’t be more excited! On Friday, I have a special guest post from the amazing Jennifer Probst and have a set of paperback copies of her Marriage to a Billionaire Series to give away! Leading up to Friday I will be posting my reviews of the series….did I mention I’m SO EXCITED? Well, enjoy and here’s to a great event!
____________________
Buy from Amazon ~ Buy from Barnes & Noble
Synopsis:
Italian billionaire seeks faux fiancée. Willing to agree to anything in return…
In order for his sister to marry, Italian billionaire Michael Conte has to find himself a bride – and fast! When he learns that photographer Maggie Ryan is going to be in Milan, Michael hatches a plan to introduce her to his family as his “fiancée.” Never mind that Maggie is confident, independent, and a control freak. Never mind that she’s everything he doesn’t want in a wife… and everything he wants in his bed!
Convinced that Michael is in love with her married gal pal, Maggie agrees to keep up the ruse if he’ll keep away from her friend. Besides, she’s not attracted to charming, ridiculously hot billionaires who drive her nuts. Once they’re in Italy, however, everything changes – and the sexual tension between Maggie and Michael goes from simmer to naked nuclear meltdown!
But have they found the perfect arrangement… or are they trapped in a make-believe marriage?
My Review:
The Marriage Trap is the second installment in Jennifer Probst’s Marriage to a Billionaire Series and a fabulous addition to the series! This book follows Maggie Ryan, Nick Ryan’s sister, and Michael Conte, the sexy and suave Italian businessman and best friend to Alexa Ryan, in a story filled with emotions that kept me on the edge of my seat through most of the book!
Maggie Ryan still doesn’t trust that the Rico Suave-ish Michael Conte isn’t in love with her sister-in-law, Alexa. She sees him at every damn family function these days. Not surprising she has suspicions about Michael seeing as how Maggie grew up with her brother, Nick, in a less-than-normal household where adultery and a lack of love and nurturing were the norms. Even though Michael has repeatedly denied such feelings, she can’t help but remember the disastrous blind date they had gone on a few months back where, at the end of the date, he looked her dead in the eye and told her it could never work. His love for Alexa had to be the reason. Not that she cared. Maggie was never interested in the long-term, where the risk of being hurt was a constant threat in her mind. A threat she will shield her brother and Alexa’s relationship from at any cost. So, when she has an opportunity to do a favor for Michael, and in turn have him in her debt, she knows exactly what to do to keep her family safe…and take Michael out of the picture for good.
Michael Conte can’t believe the mess he’s in now. After a frantic phone call from his one sister in Italy, he is now in the hot seat and being blamed for the reason she can’t marry her long-time love. As if he doesn’t have enough on his plate, with the grand opening of his family’s bakery here in the States, now he has to figure out how to solve this mess. You see, there’s this old tradition that says she can’t marry until he is married. The problem is, he isn’t even close to marrying. So now, with the threat of breaking up his sister’s relationship, he has to find a wife…now. Luckily, after overhearing Maggie Ryan talking about a business trip she has planned to Milan, he has an idea. Convince Maggie to be his fake wife, visit his family together on a little detour from her Milan trip, have them believe he is married, and, VOILA! Problem solved. Only somehow he knows, this is going to end up being anything but easy….especially when Maggie can’t stand him.
This book was emotion packed from the very first chapter and I loved it! Maggie is a tough, sassy, loyal and driven woman who hides a softer side that broke my heart. She is a wounded soul who deep down, just wants to be loved and feel wanted….two things she’s never felt as though she has been. She is a fierce protector of her family, which ironically, makes her so much like Michael. Michael is a fantastic character. He has every quality a gal could ask for. Successful, driven, loyal, fierce and of course, drop dead sexy! The tit-for-tat between Maggie and Michael is done so well! Their chemistry is amazing, even though they both want to deny it, which to me, makes it even better! But my favorite part of the whole book is the ending. Damn, does anyone write more romantic endings than Jennifer? Nope! So far, in each book in this series, the endings play out like a well-scripted movie in my head and are done beautifully! Freaking loved it! Plus, we got to see what Alexa and Nick have been up to…which of course, I loved.
And now…I’m on to The Marriage Mistake because I already can’t wait to see what happens with Carina and Max! Thank you, Jennifer, for another amazing read!
Four Loves
About the author:
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. At twelve, I took a pen in hand and wrote my first love story. I haven’t stopped since. Those heroines taught me valuable lessons that served me well. I learned to keep my head up high and surge forward when I was afraid; I learned to demand respect in a relationship; I learned about compromise and dreams and independence. Those are the stories I want to write, and I can only hope I give back some of the joy I received over the years.
I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. I’ve traveled to many places but always seem to be drawn back to the mountains. I graduated with a business degree, worked for Mercy College, and now spend most days dedicated to my family and my characters. I’ve pursued many career paths such as travel agent, yoga teacher and insurance salesperson. I’ve wanted to be an airline pilot, a dancer, an archaeologist, and a vineyard owner. I have been all of the above through 
romance novels, and intend to explore many more.
One of my turning points in my career was when I joined Romance Writers of America and met the wonderful people in my local chapter, The Hudson Valley RWA. Through supportive critique sessions, I learned how to develop my raw skills to get a publishable manuscript. I discovered my tendency for wordy prologues and passive phrases that all new writers work through, and now try to help others on their journey.
My “leisure time” is spent writing, reading, and raising two active boys. I believe animals are the other children in this world, and enjoy spending time at the local animal shelter, where I got my first “baby” Bella, a shepherd hound mix who gets into as much trouble as my son! I rescued my second dog from an abusive home, a beagle, basset hound who is the peacemaker in the household.
I met the love of my life when I had finally given up on my own romantic journey. The first time he asked me out he promised to buy my book if he could buy me dinner. We had dinner and fell in love over sushi and haven’t been apart since. We married and settled into domestic bliss. That’s when I learned it wasn’t about happy endings. It was about happy beginnings.
Visit her website
Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @jenniferprobst
Subscribe to her newsletter!
Five Loves
Synopsis: Isabel Anthony has lived a carefree existence masquerading as human, but when this party-girl meets the king of vampires, her world turns deep, dark, and dangerous double-quick. Thad Morgan is looking for the prophesied mate who will unlock his powers. But when he finally finds Isabel in a seedy nightclub, he thinks fate must have gotten it wrong.
Synopsis: Wizards and vampires have been mortal enemies since the beginning. Now Anton, son of the Wizard Master, has one last chance to steal the unique powers of the vampire king’s beautiful sister, Tyra…and then kill her. But when he meets Tyra face-to-face, everything changes…
in the Washington DC area