Boyfriend Bargain

OH MY!!! AMAZING! That about sums up this book. Hot hockey guy, shy smart girl, she needs him to help her, he just needs HER. This story touches on some points about mental illness, anxiety to be exact. It is about overcoming your ‘faults’ to move on and be the best you can be. I can relate to Zack, it is hard as hell to overcome a panic attack, they are scary, mean and suck the life out of you. To end up on the other side is a wonderful feeling.

This story is of moving past the guilt from the past and moving toward the bright future!

Ilsa Madden-Mills knows how to bring the angst in her new adult romances, and Boyfriend Bargain is no different. Zack ‘Z’ Morgan and Sugar Ryan have their own baggage and backstories that they bring into the story line, which means that because readers are privy to both of their perspectives, we’re able to see beneath Zack’s larger-than-life college athlete persona to the man he seems to hide from everyone, including himself as well as the real reason Sugar is desperate to get into Vanderbilt for Law School and the scars that she wears from her father’s refusal to claim her and the struggle she has to protect her heart, even though it seems to know what it wants early in the story.

A player college athlete, a quirky, intelligent heroine, and a fake relationship are commonly used characteristics in new adult romance, but the attributes that separate Boyfriend Bargain from the rest is the depth of Zack and Sugar’s characters and the way Ilsa Madden-Mills delves into who they are beneath the facades they created…underneath the traits that those around them see regularly. And while Zack seems to be the one playing a role throughout the duration of the story, Sugar’s game of pretend focuses on her remaining unaffected by how much she likes Zack and how invested she already seems to be in a relationship that destined to break her.

Zack Morgan is quite the dynamic hero, but it’s not because he’s a hockey star, the life of the college party scene, or the fact that he’s already been picked up by a professional hockey team. It’s more the idea that this strong, gifted, and powerful man, who is supposed to exude strength and fortitude, has a chaotic maelstrom of feelings and stresses inside of him that are slowly debilitating him and proving to him just how not right he is. The process Z goes through in order to deal with his issues reaches a crescendo towards the end of the book, and what that means for his future career as well as his potential future with Sugar is difficult to assess until the truth is revealed and he faces all of the turmoil that no longer is willing to remain hidden.

Sugar Ryan is definitely not Z’s usual ‘flavor of the month,’ and that idea is illustrated from the very beginning. She’s the exact opposite of the other girls at the party she attends in order to talk to Z about her plan, and the fact that she hasn’t been to a single party until now and she’s a college senior helps readers to understand just how out of place she is compared to the other girls in the frat house and perhaps why she’s so worried about making this work while also hiding herself from everyone else. The author catalogs Sugar’s uniqueness, which actually endears her to both readers and ‘most’ supporting characters, which speaks volumes about the kind of person she is and why things between she and Zack were never going to be strictly fictitious because she doesn’t know how to be anybody but herself with all of her emotions and personality traits.

The group of secondary characters made Z and Sugar’s story even better because they are as authentic as the hero and heroine are, which is usually not something I see in most romances. Everyone needs a Taylor and Poppy in their lives because they are true best friends to Sugar and have her back at all times. Z’s best friend Eric is also a great guy who I’m hoping gets his story told soon. Even Z’s brother, as much as I wanted to throttle him, added so much to the story line…a much needed additional perspective on the tragic events of his and Z’s past.

Boyfriend Bargain is a unique and complex new adult romance that delivers steam, laughs, angst, and a bit of hockey in the mix. In some ways, it’s a heavy hitter that will make readers’ hearts ache but in others, it’s a feel good, swoon worthy romance, and it’s its complicated plot and characters that makes it a must-read!

4.5 Poison Apples

It’s been a while since I read a book by this author, who is one of my favorites, but I was hooked from page one! It seemed a bit long before we did find out just exactly how having Zack as her boyfriend would be something to help her with her law school goals, that is probably part of what kept me on the edge of the seat as I read. I also seemed to have forgotten just how hot and steamy this authors books are, and was very happy to read and enjoy the naughty bits in this story. And then, Zack, hot, sexy, sweet, I want him for myself! I loved so many little things about this book as well though. I loved that Sugar’s guardian or only family left ran a strip club, and that it was used in this story not as a sleazy drug-filled place, but as a respectable (or as much as possible) type of place. Another little tidbit that I felt was perfect was how when the hockey guys walked into a party after a game, it mentioned that one of them was missing a tooth, and you rarely seem to hear that kind of thing in hockey romances it seems. Yeah, sure, part of the mention was that he just hadn’t fixed it yet and was going to, but I like the realism of that little bit.

Loved this book, and if you love steamy new adult romance with hot hockey players, this is the book for you!

Overall:

You know that line from Field of Dreams: “If you build it, he will come”? For some reason, when I think of Ilsa Madden-Mills, I think “if she writes it, I will buy.” It is second nature for me to get excited for her books and covet them. She has this way of infusing humor and angst and characters with complicated pasts into her stories that you simply cannot stop reading. It’s like driving past an accident, you know you have to look. When Ilsa Madden-Mills writes a book, it has to go instantly into your Kindle library to read immediately. At least that’s the case with me.

Boyfriend Bargain is no different. I’m actually excited for the possibilities for any future books, as she has written a story rife with character stories that need to find purchase in other books. I’m talking specifically of the ancillary characters to Sugar and Zack (or Z), the stars of this book.

Like the ancillary characters, Sugar and Z are complicated and multi-dimensional. They bring such depth to this story of opposites attracting. Both are college students in their senior year. Sugar’s life is difficult. Her mother died when she was younger; she has a guardian, but she has had to work very hard for every penny to attend college. She carries with her “daddy issues” because he abandoned her, leaving a wake of hurt. Her sole purpose is proving that she is “good enough,” when she grew up feeling like an afterthought.

I felt myself in her story. Like Sugar, I too have “daddy issues” growing up feeling abandoned. In reading her pain on the page and understanding her initial reticence towards Z, I understood. I felt her feelings and knew her thoughts because I have felt and thought as she did. Madden-Mills captures her angst and fear beautifully on the page.

Z comes from a wealthy family, and it has been seemingly easy. He is the star hockey player at the university, a top draft pick destined for the NHL. However, he carries anxiety over high expectations for himself and guilt from a trauma in his teens. His story is a story for today, a time when mental health issues are receiving focus in the media for important reasons. With his story, Madden-Mills connects us to this timely topic, and his story reminds us of the importance of dealing with our feelings in meaningful and clinical ways.

Together, Z and Sugar fight against each other. I’ll be honest. There was a moment in their relationship when I didn’t know if I’d survive them. My heart hurt for their struggles, but I realized that this is life. Madden-Mills shows us, through their story, that we have to accept ourselves, make peace with our pasts, and live for today because this is all that we have.

Boyfriend Bargain is a poignant story of letting go to find love. Z and Sugar’s story is engaging and fiery and heartfelt. Ilsa Madden-Mills “built” a beautiful love story with her book, and this reader “came” to read and connect with the genius of a complicated, but satisfying story of opposites finding love and each other.

What an emotionally charged book. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. These two were emotionally broken from their past. I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to finish this one with all the feelings I had going on. I loved both Zack and Sugar, they were both just amazing characters. This one is a MUST read!!

5 There’s So Much More than What Appears on the Surface Stars!!!

The minute I read the blurb for this newest book by Ms. Madden-Mills I was hooked!! I thought I was going to be reading a somewhat light and flirty college romance, but OH MY STARS!!! This book is SO MUCH MORE than that. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely some light and flirty moments in this book along with some HAF sexy times that had me fanning myself.

But what’s at the root of this story are two people that have some secrets that, if one of them gets out could change the trajectory of their life and with the other one, there’s this perceived goal in mind that they’d do anything to accomplish to prove their worth. Yes, I’m totally being vague because I don’t want to ruin this amazing story.

Zack and Sugar are two people that couldn’t be more opposite. But there’s this connection they have that seems almost impossible to fight….

“’There’s something going on between us that’s … I don’t know…interesting. I knew it the moment I saw you.’ He pauses, ‘I want you’”

While these are two people that you wouldn’t think would go together given their different upbringing and where they are in life, they truly the other half of each other’s souls. There’s a peace that comes over Z when he’s with Sugar. And trust me when I tell you, he needs this calmness in his life. As for Sugar, she’s a girl that doesn’t hold back and gives as good as she gets. As much as she doesn’t want to be attracted to this college superstar, she just can’t help herself.

This book gave me ALL THE FEELS. It’s a story that is moving, emotional, angsty, full of love, laugh out loud moments and a love story that is so beautiful that there were tears in my eyes at times. Ms. Madden-Mills has outdone herself with this one and I’m totally ready to get Eric and Reese’s stories!!!

Boy oh boy, Katherine was so not prepared for Theo! He was blown away from the first moment they met. Theo completely understood how Katherine’s mind worked and laid siege with a gentle assault. He didn’t try to change her, but accepted her for all her quirks and knew that she was going to be his family. Katherine never expected to have a partner, especially a partner that didn’t try to change her. They were very Well Suited and I loved every minute. SO sad that this is the last of the Red Lipstick Coalition!