THE MARRIAGE MISTAKE by Jennifer Probst Romance Book Review
Series: Marriage to a Billionaire, #3
Publication Date: November 6th 2012 by Gallery Books
Summary: Carina Conte has had a crush on her brother Michael’s best friend, Max Gray, since she was a teenager. Now she’s earned her MBA and come to work at Michael’s new venture, America’s fastest-growing bakery empire. But some things never change: her family still treats her like a child. With three drop-dead gorgeous siblings, she’s still the ugly duckling of the bunch. And Max, the company’s new CEO, still barely notices her.
Max knows Carina Conte is strictly off limits. But hot-blooded lust wins out at a conference when the two share a scorching one-night stand—and are busted by her mother! Now, forced by old-world Italian tradition into a marriage he’s not ready for, Max is miserable—and Carina is furious. Her new husband is about to realize that hell hath no fury like a woman transformed….
Heroine: Carina is a likeable enough but she does have her faults. I love that she knows exactly what she wants but has a hard time getting it. I’m glad that her character got to grow in the span of the novel. I think that it was crucial to her development as a character. I guess I had a problem with her insecurities. After a while, it just got a little tiring – especially when her family is so nice. While there are expectations, I didn’t feel like the Conte family was the kind to get mad at Carina for following her dreams.
Hero: Max is one of those brooding heroes with a legitimate reason of not wanting to marry yet. He sets ridiculous standards for himself which makes it quite difficult for him to settle down. And he’s a hottie. Usually, I would think it tiring for an author to constantly remind us how hot a character is, but I didn’t mind it at all in The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst. Just one thing I didn’t like was the interjection of random Italian words. I know the characters are supposed to actually be Italians who recently moved to America and all… but it seemed really forced.
Supporting Cast: Okay, the supporting cast starts to get a little overwhelming in The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst. The Conte family just gets so confusing. Everyone’s basically related at this point and I have a hard time remembering everyone’s ties to each other. However, I do like to see that the family is quite involved.
Plot: I have to admit, that I’m a sucker for arranged marriages. It’s a bit of a stretch in this novel, but it is made realistic due to the contemporary setting. I love that Max is Carina’s childhood crush. There’s a lot of history between the two of them and I really like how the story develops based on that.
Romance: The romance in The Marriage Mistake by Jennifer Probst builds up nicely. There is a lot of sexual tension between Max and Carina and the build up makes everything worth the wait. This is not a book that you should read in public.
Love Potion Strength:
– Acceptable
I don’t think I love The Marriage Mistake more than The Marriage Bargain but it was certainly enjoyable. I wish that the characters had been more exciting. However, I look forward to reading more of Jennifer Probst books. I can easily see her becoming my go-to author for contemporary romance.
