The Boyfriend Contract

My first read from this author and I LOVED IT! After the troubled childhood she had, Emily has decided that she has taken the final straw when the family company is given to her brother rather than herself. Inheriting her estranged grandmother’s house outside of town, she decides to regroup and restore the house and turn it into an inn, branching out into her own company and making it on her own. Hiring the only contractors in town, she meets Cooper and his family, and while the attraction is instant, the pair aren’t necessarily ready to start anything with anyone because of their pasts. Cooper has also had a rough experience in life and it has hardened him into the person he is today. After it almost wrecked him and his life, he has recovered, but vowed to never fall in love again. But when the feelings towards each other become too much, they decide to essentially have an undefined relationship without gaining feelings, and Emily creates a contract with Cooper as a guideline to their situation. As the story goes on and they pretty much break all the rules, Cooper’s past really gets to be too much for him and consequently breaks Emily’s heart. But with Emily’s past, she vows to bounce back and rely on nobody but herself as she’s the only one she can count on, but when Cooper realizes his true feelings, is it too late? This was my first read from Victoria but it was SO FREAKING GOOD and definitely won’t be my last. I love the spin on the storyline that is somewhat of a romance standard, and her style of writing was so great! Here’s to hoping the rest of Cooper’s siblings get their own books because I would be down for that series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was a wonderful story. Emily inherits her grandma's beautiful but neglected house and nothing else. She is hurt and betrayed by her father. She helped to run the family business of boutique hotels. Upon her parents' death, her hateful brother inherited it all. She will show them. She will turn the rundown house into an inn. It will be the start of her business. She hires Cooper's family contracting business to do the renovations. Cooper is intrigued with her spirit and determination to over come the town's rejection of her business. Cooper is a widower. His wife, Catherine, was his childhood sweetheart. He was devastated when she passed away. He doesn't want to go through that again. He doesn't want to get close to Emily but her loving caring heart just draws him in.

The road to Emily and Cooper's HEA is full of road blocks and misunderstanding. This book is written in my favorite dual POV. Having an insight into the character's thought process really helped me to thoroughly understand and connect to the characters. It really helped to humanize them and bring them to life. It was like a movie coming to life in my mind.

This is a sweet, clean romance that is full of angst. I would recommend this story to anyone. It almost brought me to tears at times so beware.

After being cutout of the family business following the death of her parents, Emily has to go out and stand on her own two feet, completely alone, for the first time. I think my favorite part of this whole book is how unbelievably strong Emily is. I loved that even when I thought she would accept some of the things that happened to her but she stood her ground and more importantly, set boundaries and kept them. I absolutely fell in love with Emily then.

Cooper made me cry so much. His story is so heartbreaking and I honestly wasn't expecting all the angst but his comeback was amazing. There were times that I hated him but by the end, I absolutely loved him.

I want all of these characters to see their HEA. All my fingers crossed that there's a series to come!!