Marriages of convenience have a long history and are usually made for economic or political reasons. In the case of this novel, there is a seemingly “simple deal” between two men: Ondrej is to invest money in Archie’s company (since his funds are tied up in unstable Greek banks), and in return, Ondrej gets to stay in the US (and away from his judgmental family in Eastern Europe) because he is now married to a US citizen. But, as the blurb already hints, the “simple deal” is not as straightforward as it looks. It became obvious to me pretty early on that both men are far more interested in their “business partner” than they want to admit – to themselves or their partner. This novel is about their journey to recognizing the connection they have, the feelings they share, and their fight for getting what they really want – as opposed to what the original business deal stated.

Ondrej is good-looking, he is a businessman with a high degree of experience, and he has inherited a significant amount of money from his grandparents. He is also desperate to stay in the US – and with a family like his, who can blame him? Ondrej secretly admires Archie a great deal and wishes they could have more than a piece of paper between them, but he has no idea how to go about it and if his advances would even be welcome.

Archie has taken over the family company from his father, only to find a huge mess of mismanagement, money tied up in accounts he can’t get to, and a board that is opposed to many of the changes he wants to make. He wants to get closer to Ondrej, is fascinated by him, but can’t see how this can happen while Ondrej is keeping him at arm’s length. He wants to keep up appearances at the very least, and taking Ondrej out to “be seen” is his excuse for spending time with a man he wishes he knew more about. Not that it is working, and he urgently needs a new approach.

In many respects this unorthodox love story follows the classic route of a marriage of convenience leading to true love over time. But the strength of both main characters, the intriguing and sometimes complicated situations they find themselves in, and the ability of both men to think strategically and work well together in a business setting gives it a fresh, modern feel. A set of secondary characters who cover everything from amusing to utterly irritating, as well as some unexpected twists and turns make this a very entertaining read.

If you like relationships that build only after the couple is already married, if business intrigue is your thing, and if you’re looking for a fun read that has touching moments, hilarious situations, and quite a bit of romance in unexpected places, then you will probably like this novel.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )