Author: Suzanne Wright
Series: Stand Alone
Category: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
"Afterall, it wasn't every day that you legally bound yourself to an ex-lover as part of a fallback marriage pact." - Addison
I love a good marriage of convenience trope book to read and review and The Pact was no exception! While Suzanne Wright may be better known for her paranormal romance series, she can do contemporary very well.
Addison is a successful business owner with a great set of family and friends. She has a heart of gold and wants a family of her own but none of her relationships have worked out so far. I loved how pragmatic she was without being cold or closed off, she was my kind of rational. Addison was the type of friend anyone would love to have, but also the type of wife who would never give up on her husband, regardless of whether love was in the picture.
"'Look, we might not have gotten married for conventional reasons, but you're still my husband. You have my loyalty. All the way. I will always stand by you, not matter what. Get used to it.'" - Addison
Dax was as stoic as they come, self-assured and independent. He didn't see the need to let anyone in because he was so self-sufficient. He reminded me of Aiden from "The Wall of Winnipeg" in the way he practically had zero emotional intelligence, or just failed to see the benefit of social niceties. However, he just didn't count on Addison's loyalty digging under his skin, becoming something he could rely on even when he thought he didn't deserve it.
"Businessman. Criminal. Protector. Avenger. Dax Mercier. Also known as my husband."
Former lovers years ago, Addison and Dax pick right back up in their bedroom activities once they marry, and as always for this author, the spice was spectacular. There was definitely a storyline and plot, but also plenty of sexy time and explosive chemistry. It wasn't sex that moved their relationship from platonic to love, but how the characters started to spend more time with each other by choice and truly lean on one another with their feelings.
"'I am going to explore, use, and defile you. Every inch, Addison. Every fucking inch of you will ache for what I can give you. By the time I'm done here, your body is going to know exactly who it belongs to.'" - Dax
If I could find fault in this book, it was how long the beginning dragged on while Addison mulled over honoring their pact to get married. I was impatient to get to the actual arrangement, and because this book is set in the same world as some of Suzanne Wright's other contemporary romance books, there were a lot of secondary character name drops who started to blur together.
Still, I loved this book and can see it on my list of rereads when I'm struggling to find something new. Dax's blend of ruthless possessiveness and Addison's deep loyalty were everything I needed to feel invested in their relationship, not to mention hilarious conversations about their slightly psychotic killer cat.
"'There's no proof that Gypsy beheaded it, okay. Let's not make assumptions. She could have found it this way." - Addison
Highly recommend adding this to your TBR pile, in fact, move it to the top!
Tropes and Themes: Marriage of Convenience, Second Chance Romance, Billionaire, Crime, Mafia, Grump x Sunshine.
Trigger: There are several mentions of miscarriage in the book. I wouldn't call them detailed, but it is referenced and spoken about in past tense.
Blurb
She should say no. Addison Davenport figures that most people likely would. But after having her life plans repeatedly derailed, she’s come to wonder if her chance at marriage and kids ended with the death of her college boyfriend. So when business powerhouse Daxton “Dax” Mercier—a man who’s suffered a similar loss, a man who’s her first in every way—asks her to honor the fallback marriage pact they made years ago, she doesn’t reject it out of hand.
Their partnership would be no more than a business transaction, but what’s the point in holding out for love when it had granted her no guarantees in the past?
Maybe they could make a marriage work. Maybe. One thing is for certain: with the wounds of loss heavy on their souls and the fact that he’s given up on finding the big L again, friendship would be all they’d have.
Love would never enter their picture. Ever. Not even for a moment.
Right?