The Contract (The Contract, #1) by Melanie Moreland

Series: The Contract

Release Date: May 24th, 2016

Rating: 4.25/5 stars

I seriously loved The Contract. To anyone who enjoys the clichéd fake marriage’ trope, this is a book for you. In the beginning, the hero, Richard, is such an asshole, and he’s an asshole for no reason too. The heroine, Katharine, in comparison, is everyone’s friend, loving and caring. She’s the type of person that remembers coworkers’ birth dates and more. So, you can already imagine the volatile interactions between the two main characters.

What I loved about The Contract, and what I found unique despite the cliché, is how Moreland seemed to focus on the emotional growth of Richard. At the start of the novel, Richard is seriously one of the worst heroes–he’s just being mean for the sake of it (I’m not kidding here). However, everything Richard finds lacking in Katharine (wearing sub-par clothes despite her generous salary, her unsafe apartment, etc.) is primarily due to her taking care of her ailing guardian. This woman raised and cared for her after her parents’ deaths. So, you can imagine the amount of guilt Richard will eventually feel for being such a shit.

Now, the premise of the plot is that Richard has been looked over for a promotion at his very Enron-esque marketing firm. Partly due to revenge and partially because he wants to be a partner, Richard plans to jump ship to his current firm’s competitor: a family-run firm that possesses strong family values. But alas! The only way he’ll be hired is if he has a reason for leaving his current firm that isn’t so Machiavellian–this new firm prefers team players. And so the fake relationship is created: Richard will provide and “care” for Katharine if, in return, she pretends to be his girlfriend/fiancée.

What follows is a really enjoyable story about two people who are so vastly different but seem to actually work together. I really enjoyed how Moreland went out of her way to allow the main characters to bond and form a friendship. But she didn’t hold back the bumps that come with any new relationship (no matter how fake it is). Also, the friendships in this book were also really sweet–especially since the main characters are so used to being alone.

I basically just loved the camaraderie and how Richard slowly–but surely–learns how amazing Katharine is and how badly he needs an attitude adjustment (ha!). There’s just so much growth, love, and acceptance in The Contract that you can’t help but love it!

Note: There’s a novella that’s basically an extended epilogue.

Other Books I’ve Reviewed by Melanie Moreland

Bentley (Vested Interests, #1) by Melanie Moreland

Beneath the Scars By Melanie Moreland

Preview the Books I Mentioned on Amazon Kindle