The Billion Dollar Pact

This prequel by Linnea May to the Billion Dollar Pact series introduces us to four college friends – Gabe, Chase, Logan and Aston. Their initially easygoing relationship develops and deepens during their college years, during which they create the Plutus Society and form a pact to all become billionaires by the time they turn 30.

It appears that the subsequent volumes of this series will further develop each member’s storyline, in business, in love, and in life. My interest is peaked and I can’t wait to learn how each of their lives develops and continues to intertwine with the other three members.

Gabe & Ella’s Second Chance Romance Pairs An Idealistic Environmentalist With An Ambitious & Egotistical Billionaire. They Parted Ways On Bad Terms After College, But Seven Years Later Find Themselves Needing To Work Together On A Proposal To The D.C. Governor’s Office.

ABOUT THE BILLION DOLLAR PACT SERIES:

This is the first book in a new series that follows a group of four college guys who make a pact at graduation. This is Gabe Boulder’s second chance story. It opens in late fall in D.C.

The Plutus Society was formed by Aston, Chase, Logan, and Gabe, all ambitious as they prepare to conquer the world after college. They each went their separate ways, but their pact ensures they don’t lose touch. They each embark on their own journey to becoming a billionaire by age thirty. They agree to celebrate their thirtieth birthdays together, and Aston is the first to reach that milestone. In this book, the four bachelors gather at Aston’s home to celebrate their achievements.

Aston was always wealthy, so he had less to prove than his friends. He teaches at Harvard and might have been the most likely to be married with a family by now, but there was apparently someone in his life which nearly cost him his job. As the book closes he is the least likely to have a date.

Chase helped Gabe set up a legal technology platform after college, assisting with coding and staffing. He then took off for the West Coast and Silicon Valley where he has pursued other tech ideas. He is fiercely competitive and like to try new things.

Logan is the rebel of the bunch, the bad boy. He is covered in ink. He typically has weed on him, even today. His friends are afraid to ask how he got his wealth, assuming it is something below the law. Logan is bold and outspoken, and free to give his opinion. He seems least interested in settling down.

IN THIS BOOK:

Gabriel Boulder, twenty-nine, made his fortune after college when he founded, along with his friend Chase’s help, a legal technology platform. He has since stepped back from running the company, though he retains his seat on the board and his stock holdings in the company. He made a killing in the stock market with the windfall he made from the platform, transforming millions into billions. He has since taken a turn to politics – something that always interested him. He doesn’t hold a political office, but rather works in government service. Gabe loves to be the center of attention, so this little detour isn’t entirely selfless. He may one day run for office himself. It is all about visibility. Today, however, he works as an attorney advisor for the governor’s office. He deals with the legal aspects of proposals that make their way through the system. Green ideas are often idealistic, but Gabe has the expertise to help understand where they fall short in terms of practicality.

In the years since college, he has lived life in the fast lane with hard work, huge financial gains, galas, and a ritzy lifestyle. He hates attending events, but it is part of the game. He always takes a different date along so as to ensure nobody – his dates included – reads anything into the girl on his arm. He treats his dates to a glamorous evening and enjoys their company afterward, then happily moves on to the next. It was exciting for a while, but the novelty has worn off. His friends are all single, but he is starting to wonder if he wants something more. Someone to share his life with, to enjoy everything he worked so hard to earn.

Ella Whitt, twenty-eight, is fiercely independent and is as fiery as her red hair might suggest. She can be rather headstrong and is tenacious when she sets her mind on something. She is a dreamer, and idealist, but her ideas sometimes get in the way when it comes to practical matters. She devotes her life to saving the environment and tries to live up to the what she preaches. After college on the East Coast, she headed west to Berkeley for graduate school. It was the best program for her career of choice – environmental policy making. Her dream job was with the EPA, but that hadn’t panned out. Her idealism ended up costing her job a few years ago, when she became a whistleblower on her boss. She wasn’t about to stand back and watch what went down without speaking up, but she found out the hard way that whistleblowers don’t have it easy. She finally got a break two months ago and moved to D.C., where she was offered an unpaid internship at a job she loves, reporting to Mrs. Glenn at the World Resources Institute. She shares a rundown apartment with a near penniless roommate as she herself tries to skirt by on her savings. Ella hopes and prays that she can prove her worth and be offered a position on staff once her six month internship ends.

When Ella realizes that Gabe Boulder will be attending the important meeting at which she will presenting – a meeting critically important if Ella stands a chance of landing a paying job – she panics. He hadn’t been happy with her when she moved to Berkeley, and it will be their first time seeing one another in seven years. He doesn’t seem pleased that she is at the meeting, and Ella’s big chance becomes a disaster. Mrs. Glenn is none too happy, but gives her one opportunity to save her chances for a job. She must work with Gabe Boulder to salvage their proposal, otherwise her unpaid internship will end in nothing.

When Gabe heads to Boston to celebrate Aston’s birthday with his buddies, they all warn him to stay away from Ella after hearing about their chance meeting. Gabe admits he is tired of dating and wants a challenge. He hopes to find someone to share all his success with, and suggests a new pact. A pact to find wives to share their wealth with. Though Logan is slow to come around, they all eventually agree, though it is true that none are sober at the time. But the guys gang up on Gabe and add an additional stipulation just for him: it must be anyone but Ella.

Gabe and Ella were an item throughout college. They had an arrangement. They had a friends with benefits agreement that was meant to expire at graduation. They refused to put a label on what they had, but it worked for them. Gabe had never admitted it, but he eventually fell in love. For the last year he had struggled as she played cat and mouse, periodically pulling away. His friends never really approved of her – Logan especially. Though it shouldn’t have been a complete surprise, Ella took their agreement at face value and announced before graduation that she was leaving the East Coast to attend graduate school at Berkeley. It was the best program for what she wanted to study. Gabe was heartbroken but he never tried to stop her.

Ella always challenged him, unlike the quiet dates he has suffered through since. It made their romps more exciting, and her submission so rewarding. But her departure from his life still stings, and his friends know he is stuck, too. They urge him to move on, and he knows it is the best thing to do. When she suddenly reappears, he isn’t prepared for the rush of memories and feelings their encounter stirs up, and yet he cannot allow himself to fall victim to Ella’s whims once again. He agrees to work with her on the failed proposal, but only because he senses that her job might be riding on it. They have a lot of unresolved issues between them, and emotions are high on both sides. They each overstep a little, and they are both prone to overreacting. The couple eventually earns a happy ending.

There are a few issues that merit mention. First, Gabe works for the governor’s office in D.C., but unless I am mistaken, there is no “governor” in D.C. There is a mayor. Nevertheless, in theory it works. Next, the group and Ella all graduated seven years ago, and it is implied that Gabe has a law degree because he got his law license in D.C. a few years ago and he works as an ‘attorney advisor.’ He also has his legal technology platform. Three years of law school only leaves him with four years to develop the platform, get his company off the ground, make a fortune in the stock market, and go into government service. It is hardly enough time to become a billionaire, not to mention his career achievements. In another point, Gabe might love to be the center of attention, but he changes when around his friends. He seeks their advice and approval, not entirely confident in himself. Perhaps that is the point of it, that his confidence is a façade, but it still feels a little too much. Logan practically walks all over him. Gabe might say he doesn’t listen, but his interactions with his friends paint him as weak in comparison. Their dynamic doesn’t feel authentic if Gabe truly thinks for himself.

It becomes very apparent why Gabe and Ella never worked out. They were both young and immature. They were greatly lacking in communication skills. Ella was on the flighty side. She suffers from panic attacks, so that makes sense. Gabe’s friends consider her flaky. Logan claims she used him, though I don’t see that. But Gabe had never fully invited her into his life, and for her to stay and sacrifice her dreams for him would have been a huge mistake on her part. She did the right thing by leaving under those circumstances.

Gabe and Ella’s second chance romance pairs an idealistic environmentalist with an ambitious and egotistical billionaire. They parted ways on bad terms after college, but seven years later find themselves needing to work together on a proposal to the D.C. governor’s office. Their story is intriguing. The ARC copy has an occasional editing issue, but is not too bad. The wording is often clunky and awkward, which can slow you down a bit. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Gabe and Ella. I rate this book 3.5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This prequel is about four college best friends Gabe, Logan , Aston and Chase and their pact that by the age of thirty they will achieve their goal to be billionaires. This quick read gives us the back story for each guy and how and why they became friends and how the pact became a thing. It also concentrates more on Gabe and his relationship with his friends with benefits non girlfriend Ella. It’s a great tease to what’s to come.
4.5

This book is the prequel to the new Billion Dollar Pact Series which focuses on the Plutus Society boys (Gabe, Chase, Ashton, and Logan) who make a pact with each other in college to become highly successful and powerful billionaires by age thirty. The novella establishes the basic background for the beginning of what looks to be another phenomenal series by Linnea May. I can hardly wait for the release of the next book in the series!

I received a free arc in return for a voluntary and truthful review.

This is the Prequel to The Billion Dollar Pact.

Gabe, Logan, Chase and Aston meet in college and form the Plutus Society. The society makes a pact to be achieved by the age of thirty. They each achieve the goal. Gabe was seeing someone in college. Her name was Ella. They had a fight at the end of college. They see each other again at work related function. They had another argument. We’ll see what happens with them going forward. The four of them meet again when Aston is the first to turn thirty. Gabe brings up making another pact, and that’s where this prequel is left hanging. Can’t wait to read the first book of this series. This prequel is a teaser for sure.

This short prequel grabbed my attention and piqued my interest from the start. College chums and pacts- what could go wrong??? The men are intriguing and interesting, and their next pact sounds ominous, so I’m all on for thst ride and can’t wait.

This is the prequel to a new series following four friends who meet first year of college. Every week they meet for drinks and set goals to achieve. Right before graduation their pact is to become billionaires by the time they have turned thirty. This quick read gives us a glimpse into each of their lives and what’s to come. Can’t wait for the next book to learn more!!!

Introduction to a new series featuring four friends who make a pact to become billionaires by the time they’re 30. I’m hoping for some dark story-telling. It’s a super quick read, intriguing enough that I’m find out what happens with Grant & Ella, the first book in the series.

I received a copy of this book. My honest opinion is voluntarily provided.

Intriguing Prequel!

OOH! This short prequel gives us an intriguing glimpse of what is to come in this new series. After reading it I am now highly curious and need to know more. The characters are intriguing and the plot line is enticing. I absolutely can’t wait for more.

Bring on this new series.