Review: First Comes Marriage by Shira Anthony

First Comes Marriage (Dreamspun Desires #2) by Shira Anthony
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 262pgs

3.5 Pants Off

Blurb: Their marriage was supposed to be all business....

When struggling novelist Chris Valentine meets Jesse Donovan, he’s interested in a book contract, or possibly a date. The last thing Chris expects is a marriage proposal from New York City’s most eligible bachelor!

Jesse’s in a pinch: to keep control of his company, he has to marry. So he has valid reasons for offering Chris this business deal. In exchange for living in a gorgeous mansion for a year, playing the doting husband, Chris gets all the writing time he wants and walks away with a million dollar payoff. Surely Chris can handle that. He can handle living with the most handsome and endearing man he’s ever met, a man he immediately knows he wants in the worst way and can’t have. Or can he?

Review

Then Comes Love 

I love the marriage out of desperation trope or arranged, anything along those lines so First Comes Marriage is already a win on that part. So I’m surprised I don’t love it, I really liked it but it lacked a certain amount of angst that would have made it sensational. I think it would have been glorious if they hated each other in the beginning… 

Chris Valentine, struggling author, living on his best friends couch, and working in a coffee shop. He’s running out of options in both life and with his writing. When a handsome stranger makes him an offer that will literally change his life. He balks at the idea, but a man has got to eat and what’s so bad in marrying a good looking guy with lots of money. At the end of it he’ll walk away a million dollars richer, and maybe his manuscript will finally be done. 

Jesse Donovan, rich ass dude. His company is on the line and he can’t have that. His dead grandfather left a clause in his will that guarantees him the company if he marries. He formulates a plan an in order for it to succeed, he’ll need Chris. The natural order is, first comes love, then comes marriage but for Jesse and Chris marriage is most definitely first. 

What can I say about this book? Things don’t go as planned, what was once a business deal becomes something more. The lines become blurred and feelings take root, and you know you can’t stop the feelings. 

Honestly, I liked the book. I liked Jesse and Chris, they worked together on a nerdy level. With that being said, everything felt formulated. 

• • The business/marriage proposal 
  • The marriage  
  • The questioning if this is the right thing to do 
  • The feelings 
  • The sex 
  • The blow out that causes separation  
  • The reunion 

Overall, I liked this offering from the series. I believe it could have been better if only it was a little shorter and had a tad bit more angst. I understand the idea behind painting a picture but after awhile everything felt like dry wilted lettuce. I believe this was my first ever read by Shira Anthony which surprises me because I own a few of her books. I’m actually interested in seeing what else she has to offer.  

First Comes Marriage was a nice harlequin-y type of book.  

Seriously though, where the hell is my secret baby 😁