Thursday, March 9, 2023

How to Marry a Bad Boy - Shannon McKenna (HD #2901 - Oct 2022)

Series: Dynasties: Tech Tycoons (Book 3)
 
He needs a temporary marriage. She needs an investor for her start-up. Let the negotiations begin...
 
Step 1: Draw a random name.
Step 2: Propose…
 
Playboy Marcus Moss is the only sibling who hasn't fulfilled his grandmother's decree: marry or lose the family company. So he draws a name from all the single women working on special projects for MossTech: Eve Seaton. A brilliant, beautiful geneticist who can pretend to be his wife while he finds investors for her groundbreaking work. Win-win.
 
Eve can't resist Marcus's promise to launch her start-up -- or their sizzling attraction! But will the truth about Marcus's motives derail their arrangement?

 
Terrific addition to the series. Marcus is the last of the three Moss siblings to fulfill his grandmother's marriage mandate - marry before he turns 35 or lose the family company. While Elaine's motives are understandable - she feels guilty about raising workaholic grandchildren, wants great-grandchildren, and wants to keep the company out of Jerome's hands - her methods are high-handed.
 
Marcus is a confirmed bachelor and well-known for his hook-ups. Though the women throw themselves at his feet, he has no intention of marrying them.  He has been adamant that he would not cave in to Elaine's pressure. But when others remind him of the stakes, he agrees to a business marriage. Leaving it to chance, he draws the name Eve Seaton from the selection of single women working for his company.
 
Eve is a brilliant geneticist who works temporarily for MossTech while she saves money to get her business started. She and her team have developed a type of hardy grass with flowers that bees love, absorbs carbon, and is a nutritious food source. She's been burned by past romantic relationships with men who use her, steal from her, and disappear.
 
I loved watching the relationship develop between Marcus and Eve. Their first meeting and the dinner where he makes his proposal hit Marcus hard with unexpected attraction and fascination with his potential bride. He already senses that his plan to keep his distance is in trouble. Eve is intrigued by his offer, but wary. Besides being burned in the past, she's had a secret crush on him for years. Can she do this without risking her heart? I loved how quickly they connected over dinner, thanks to their shared interests.
 
It was amusing to see Marcus pull his grandmother's chain a little by concealing his marriage to Eve until the last minute. He got an inordinate amount of satisfaction from his announcement, not just from his grandmother's surprise but also his uncle's anger. The scenes with Jerome were disturbing in their vitriol, and you get a real sense of his determination to have his way by fair means or foul.
 
As Marcus and Eve spend more time together, their attraction becomes irresistible. But beyond the chemistry is the realization that there is more than the physical. I loved watching them get to know each other and share the things that are important to them.  As their feelings for each other deepen, they want to believe they have a future together. But when disaster strikes and Eve believes Marcus has betrayed her, it strikes at his insecurities. I ached for both as trust and pride worked against them. I loved it when Marcus fought back the best way he knew how. The ending was fantastic.
 
The siblings' cousin Veronica wasn't included in the marriage mandate because she is already engaged. But she is furious at her father's actions and begs her grandmother to include her. She wants to be the one to put an end to his schemes once and for all. From the book's description, it will be a bumpy ride, and I can't wait to read it! 


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