Review: The Bargain by Christine Feldsman

The Bargain by Christine Feldman

Adult Romance

Publisher: Crimson Romance on 7/22

Amazon Link
My Review: 8/10

Tomboy Shannon Mahoney has always been a lot more comfortable with power tools than high heels or lipstick, and she wishes she could reinvent herself and finally tell her perfect boss, Drew Kingston, she has had a crush on him since high school. But she is just as tongue-tied and awkward around him now as she ever was, and long-familiar patterns are hard things from which to break free . . . Ladies’ man Michael is a former bad boy looking for redemption. He is desperate to atone for past mistakes that he made with his family, but younger brother Drew has cut him out of his life and refuses to even speak to him. Which means Michael needs help getting to Drew. And so he approaches Shannon with a proposition: If she will get Drew to agree to hear him out, Michael will mentor Shannon in how to win his brother’s heart. Suspicious of Michael’s motives, Shannon initially enters into the bargain just to make sure Michael isn’t actually in town to cause trouble for Drew, but the two unlikely allies are surprised to discover they enjoy each other’s company far more than either expected. Shannon starts to realize that maybe love isn’t about reinventing yourself after all. It’s about finding your perfect match.

I loved this book, which is kind of unsurprising, considering how I felt about the first novel of hers that I read. So let's take it from the top.

We begin our story with our main character, Shannon. Again, like the last book of Christine's I read, she was instantly likable AND (get this) relatable! Her awkwardness I could immediately feel for, along with her school girl crush for her employer that barely knows she exists.

And then there was Michael. Sigh. I mean, is it wrong to be attracted to a fictional character? I think not. Michael was so bad boy-ish. I loved the sweet side of him that I saw only when he and Shannon connected. Like Shannon, I thought I got off on the wrong foot with him, but by the end of the story he had grown on me.

If you read the blurb for the book, you're probably thinking, "Aw, what a predictable plot." But really, it's not. The way the story was written was incredible. Even when there wasn't action, I found myself interested. I mean, I even passed up watching Lifetime movies to read this book.

The romance was so incredibly sweet. My god. Not only that, but both of the characters go through their own journeys of finding themselves. The whole story was a beautiful tale, and I'm incredibly glad that I read it.

But then again, all this is expected from Christine Feldman.

If you're looking for a really good read, I highly suggest you pick this book up. It'll be worth your while.

See my review for Coming Home, another novel by Christine S. Feldman.

Until next time...