A sugar daddy website, a likeable character who wants to better her life and a wealthy man needing some arm candy.

Idk what took me so long to read this book?! I loved it!!! What a great little story! I do feel like I need a cigarette after reading this though! Lol wooooo this book was 🔥🔥🔥!!! This is Marissa and Vince book, Vince is very very wealthy and his playboy jerk of a father joins a sugar daddy online sight but Vince doesn't trust his father to not take advantage of the girl so he steps in! Marissa ex idiot left her with all his debt and there was a lot of it! Her best friend gets her to join sugar daddy just for companionship, she thinks she's meeting a dirty old man but in walks vince!! This book was funny, had some heartbreak, heartache, drama, and definitely some 🔥steamy moments!! Definitely don't miss out on this one! I can't wait to dive into book two!! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Sugar Sweet by Christine D’ Abo is the first book in the Sugar series. I love the chemistry between Marissa and Vince. Really kept me turning the pages. They are well thought out characters that have a quality to them that makes me want to know more about them.
Marissa needs money. She is sinking in debt fast. She is not sure how to get out of it. She is a good person with a good heart. I also liked that she has her own mind she is strong on her own.
Vince is used to people using him for money. This time he wants someone to like him for him. He just never counted on liking the person back. He is a kind person who has built up a shell around himself. He is loyal and strong. Really lovable guy.
Overall really loved this story. The romance is quirky and funny. There is also an intensity to it that has you feeling the character’s chemistry. I really am looking forward to more in the series I cannot wait to see where it goes next.

Five Shooting Stars

Loved it, great characters.....you’ll fall in love with Vince and Marissa hoping that they fall in love and live happily ever after considering all the complications......definitely a must read.....this is the first time I’ve read anything by Christine d’Abo but will definitely be reading more

Sugar Sweet by Christine d’Abo
Book #1: Sugar Series
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars

I have such a soft spot for Christine D’Abo and feel like she is really one of my go-to authors when I’m craving a bit of naughty with a real plot and real characters enveloping that naughty. Once again, I was rewarded with Sugar Sweet, the first book in d’Abo’s new Sugar series.

Marissa Roy never saw her life becoming the hot mess that it has become. Thanks to a kind and trusting heart, Marissa has found herself in a level of debt that is both overwhelming and not hers! As it happens, the bank and the various other lenders don’t care that Marissa was a co-signer and not the original recipient of the money. Between trying to get through school, the mailed notices, and the phone calls, Marissa is desperate to find a solution to her life.

Then, Marissa finds a website . . . .

As it turns out, men like Vince Taylor (or his skeevy dad) have a ton of money and no significant other because they work all the time (or are totally skeevy!). For many of these men (except Vince’s skeevy dad), companionship in return for funds and/or gifts is a perfect business arrangement. Though Vince doesn’t think he needs this type of arrangement, meeting Marissa changes his perspective and his plans. Marissa doesn’t want to be a part of this type of arrangement at all, but her situation is desperate, and she is clear about that from the very beginning. Vince is also very clear about their arrangement, he will expect Marissa to be available for a variety of social/work events, she will be expected to intelligently converse with colleagues and their spouses, and there will be no physical component to their arrangement.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA . . . . . . . .

Yeah, it takes both Marissa and Vince a hot minute to figure out there is an inevitable and undeniable attraction between them. Their physical relationship is a matter of when, not if, and with each passing encounter, when gets ever closer. What increases the attraction is the behavior Marissa and Vince exhibit towards one another. Vince, though he wasn’t seeking a connection, feels strongly about Marissa and wants to not only help her, but protect her as well. Marissa quickly discovers the skeevy and deceitful nature of Vince’s father, and steps up to run interference so Vince can further his business endeavors. It is clear to all who meet the new “couple,” they are a strong partnership and work well together.

Unfortunately, not all good partnerships are meant to last long-term, and due to circumstances beyond her control, Marissa’s life implodes even further. Her crappy apartment floods, her ex comes back into her life and threatens both she and Vince, and Vince’s father is practicing dirty deeds behind the scenes that only Marissa has worked out. Though they knew their arrangement was meant to be temporary, both Marissa and Vince had both been pondering the what if of long-term. That is, before all awful showed up and some very hard decisions had to be made.

The Bottom Line: I truly don’t feel like Christine d’Abo has ever let me down with her books. I always know I am going to get solid characters, a good plot, and some seriously good naughty bits that enhance the read rather than overtake it. I love naughty bits as much as the next girl, but I need them to be a logical part of a read and not just gratuitous sex. That’s what I always get with these books. One of the best aspects of this read for me is the twist of the Sugar Daddy website. I like this as it’s a bit unconventional, completely interesting, and like nothing else I’m reading these days. Using a fictional (I’m assuming) site like this allows for a whole host of characters and stories that can carry this series into multiple reads. Onward and upward . . . .

Marissa never thought she'd be the kind of woman to have a sugar daddy. She finds herself in debt, with a vengeful ex boyfriend out to ruin her. She meets Vincent a rich, sexy young guy that is looking for an escort that won't destroy his personal life. What starts out as business quickly turns into hot, intense sex. I enjoyed reading this book. This was my first book by this author and I will be looking to read more.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

Sugar Sweet by Christine d'Abo is the First book in the Sugar series. This is the story of Marissa Roy and Vince Taylor.
Marissa is in need of money after a bad breakup where her Ex is putting her in this financial mess. Work several jobs and going to school isn't making the collectors happy, so when a friend suggested the a "Sugar Daddy' type website for quick cash...she goes for it.
Vince's tries to keep his dad in check but their feelings for each other have never really been close. Now his father is talking about hiring a college girl to play as being his girlfriend to try a secure a deal. Vince argues with his father about doing this until his father tells him to do it. Vince ends up agreeing which puts him meeting Marissa. Sparks are flying left and right but he tries to sit to his ideal of her just being for show and no romance or physical touching. But the sparks just keep getting bigger until they go up in flames.
Can't wait for the next book in this series....loved it!

You know the classic she needs money cause her craptastic ex is trying to ruin her financially so she signs up for a sugar daddy website, right? Yeah me either, although the website brings them together, Marissa comes off as the sweet and determined independent woman. Vince is pretty much exactly what you'd expect of you've ever read these Millionaire, multimillionaire or billionaire storylines, cold, prone to being an a&&hole, not looking for a relationship, you get the gist. But they form a deeper connection and can save each other.
The story was pretty predictable, only reason I rated so high is there were moments of promise thrown in. But overall it dragged in places and likely could have been cut by several chapters.

Vince, the hero is a celebrity Shark Tank type who also co-owns a green manure energy company with his dad. Dad is a jerk ever since mom left 20+ years ago. Marissa, the heroine, is an older college student who put off college to help her long term boyfriend with his business. The gem of a boyfriend persuaded her to co-sign several loans and she’s now in deep, financially, and receiving collection notices at every turn. Vince and Marissa meet when he steps in to save her from a date with his dad. The paid companion gig was supposed to solve Marissa's problems, but she and Vince each find a few before things are put to rights.

It's an interesting read, though not my favorite from this author.

I received an ARC of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While I really like this author I was a bit leery to read this book. The whole Sugar Daddy/Sugar Baby thing can either be played out well or skeevy. I'm happy to say this one went well. A lot of that was due to Marissa and Vince. I liked Marissa from the start, she was very reluctant to be a Sugar Baby, but was between a rock and hard place and this seemed like the best option. Vince was an ass at the start, but even he was charmed by Marissa. I liked that Marissa was open and honest about things, how she thought things could work with them being a team, being friends. And work it did until someone close to them sabotaged things. I hated that one 2 levels, first being who it was and the second is that the person didn't get how wrong it was. I was glad when they were called out on the behavior and put in their place. Of course by this time feelings were hurt and groveling had to happen, but it was worth it in the end for Vince and Marissa.

4.5 stars! This was a good book. I thought I knew how this plot was going to go, but I was pleasantly surprised. Marissa is a struggling college student who’s previous boyfriend left her with many unpaid bills. She is being hounded by debt collectors and working double shifts and going to school. Her friend tells her about a dating site that can help her with money. It’s a sugar daddy site that only has millionaires. Marissa didn’t want to do it, but saw no other way out. So she set up a date and was surprised when a young reality TV persona was there instead. Vince is a multimillionaire who is trying to get out from under his fathers’ thumb. Him and his father own a company together and are trying to sell it. His father decides that hiring an escort to accompany him to business meetings would be the best idea. But Vince knows his father can’t behave and insists he meet her. Both Vince and Marissa surprised each other and struck a deal neither could refuse. Their unique relationship was fun and actually endearing. Both have not had luck in the past with relationships. And together they give each other something neither realized they needed. They made a sexy, fun couple and I enjoyed reading their journey

Two people from very different worlds discover that you can't buy happiness in this 'Sugar Daddy' romance set in Toronto Canada. A troublemaking ex has caused financial problems for Marissa, and she's reluctantly decided to follow advice from a friend and join a sugar daddy website for some quick cash. To her surprise, the man she meets isn't the one she expects, but his handsome and younger (but still sugar daddy material!) son Vince. Vince can't stand the thought of his father (a somewhat reprehensible character since divorcing Vince's mother) taking advantage of Marissa so he's decided to take over the arrangement but with the caveat that while Marissa will be his escort for public events their relationship will be sex-free. Marissa agrees to the exchange and Vince's contract. But when the sexual chemistry gets too hot, will they be able to stick to their agreement? And what happens if they fall in love?

This is a fun and sexy older man/younger woman romance. Vince is a wealthy, handsome and charismatic man and while he and Marissa initially agree to a hands off arrangement, it doesn't stay that way. Marissa is a sexually confident woman and they share some steamy scenes, fully consensual and definitely satisfying for them both. Falling for each other isn't supposed to be part of the arrangement, and complicating things are that Marissa is getting paid to be Vince's companion. Marissa's ex isn't quite done wreaking havoc for her and Marissa and Vince have to deal with him before they get their happy ending. I really enjoyed this look at a sugar daddy relationship, the motivations behind it and how things are often not what they seem for those involved. I look forward to reading more of this series!

Review has been posted at Goodreads and sale sites.

Nice way to spend a few hours reading.

I've read Christine d'abo before so I was excited to receive an advance reader copy from Netgalley. Unfortunately while this was a pleasant enough read there just seem to be something missing to be a great read. I think the first meet between the couple was interesting. However one of the problems for me is I just didn't feel the chemistry between Marissa and Vince. I also wanted Vince to be a more alpha character and didn't really feel his strength. It was Marisss that appeared the stronger of the two.

Marissa is a girl whose is trying so hard to right the wrongs that have hit her in life. Going to college is a big expense, add in a ton of creditors her ex defaults on, leaving her holding the bag! The creditors have started threatening her more and more, but what else can she do? She is working double shifts and going to school. There's not more time left. She remembers a friend gave her a possible way to make good money. Millionairesugardaddy.com. She takes a tough step, not seeing any other way, and enrolls.

Vince is at his wits end regarding his father. He meddles in everything and pushes the envelope regularly. When he hears he booked time with a girl from millionairesugardaddy.com, he knows he can not stand by and let him wreck some girl's life. He takes his place for the meeting determined to pay her for her time and send her on her way. No harm done. Only she is not what he expected. She's goodness and light and smart too! Definitely more than he bargained for. Before he realizes it, he comes to an agreement with Marissa for some society functions in exchange for paying part of her debts. Oh and he decides that sex is off the table. He wants the arm candy not the commitment. Sex he says is easy, someone to trust is not. They shake on the deal.

Both of them have been hurt in the past and are very jaded. Those insecurities rear their ugly heads. And even though rules are in place, things veer rather quickly from the plan.

I enjoyed reading about Vince and Marissa! I liked them together. I also liked the secondary characters for the most part. There was some suspense along with this budding romance, which I found very believable. Marissa was a strong girl and had no problem calling Vince out on his a**hole behavior when needed. He found her refreshing because most people just go along with the man with the money. Marissa cared about him-not his money.

An overall interesting concept and intriguing story.

reviewed by Deb

When you have a parent, who has regressed after a divorce. With that also becoming harmful to his rep but now it is affecting Vince’s which is becoming a real problem. When it harms his business.

Vince Taylor’s father Geoff has turned into a bitter and hateful man ever since divorcing his mother. As if taking out all the anger on his son will make up for all the anger he has for his ex. Vince is by no means a lightweight.

You see he is a co-host of a television show, Bull Rush. Where those chosen give sales pitches hoping to get venture capital out of the two host. But as you can imagine Vince was rarely one to give willingly.

But when he did those people were very successful in what they chose to do. Which leads us to Marissa Roy. A college student going to business school. She is hoping to one day open her own business. There is only one big huge problem. Her ex-Andrew left with all the money that she signed for all the loans for solely. Leaving her with all this mounting debt.

When she pays off one another pops up. She doesn’t even have enough to buy good T.P. he bled her so dry. She was working double shifts and is going to school full time and trying to payback every creditor even if she is late doing it. She admits she was the stupid one.

Then a friend tells her about a sugar daddy site at 3W.millionairesugardaddy.com that is legit. Has been a Godsend to some girls who really needed the money. They are for rich men who need a woman on their arm for functions or events. At first, Marissa said no way. When one bill collector came pounding on her door yelling horrible things at her she thought again.

Enter Geoff Taylor, Vince’s daddy. He has already been in hot water, due to being caught with having an affair with a business partners wife. and sexual harassment complaints with mandatory counseling. So, when he tells Vince he booked a date Vince said No! Way! That he would meet the young lady instead and just pay her for her trouble and then send her on her way.

The meet and greet were not what he expected. Marissa was beautiful and down to earth. Not to mention a business major but not yet have a handle on how to do that clearly since she wrote her name on loans for her ex-who has now skipped. She didn’t care that he had bank and she told him point blank. She didn’t give a rat’s ass what he wanted or expected because as she said she didn’t book with him anyway. Her banter and street smarts intrigued him. As well as her care, kindness, and manners she showed to his staff.

See what they agree to on that boat as she calls it, LOL! The joking that goes on about this is funny. As well as the word millionaire. He thinks there need to be, rules. Yet, when things go south he wants to break them. A real Cinderella story and worth the read. I give this: 4 stars. Provided by netgalley.com. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

I enjoyed the concept of this story, and I assume the series as a whole will run with the idea. Instead of a regular dating site, the characters use a sugar daddy site. NOT an escort site, although there is some fears and stigma that go along with the idea of getting a lot of money to be arm candy for a rich person.

Marissa is a super-likable character. She tries so hard to take care of her own problems…even with the problems shouldn’t even be hers but were thrust upon her by bad people in her life. She may have had her moments of weakness in her life, especially when it comes to her ex-boyfriend, but she’s learned her lesson and is not the shrinking violet she first appears to be. She’s going to do what needs to be done to take care of her problems while also going to school to better her life.

Of course, the multimillionaire Vince is not quite as likable at first. But once he confronted by someone who doesn’t bow down at his feet we get to see his true heart. Marissa truly brings out the best in him, against his own better judgement even. It was fun to see such a strong and in charge business man get bossed around by Marissa occasionally. He had his alpha moments, but he really tried so hard to pull back those instincts in most matters.

There are things I didn’t quite understand about Vince, his father, and their companies. At first I really wanted to understand and thought I needed to understand the whys and hows. And, in fact, I couldn’t understand why Vince didn’t more deeply question his father’s insistence on how they were dealing with their mutual investment. Then, I relaxed and decided to just go with the flow. They whys and hows were not really that important to the overall story. Just the fact that Vince’s dad is a real jerk is enough for the reader to know.

What did continue to irk me throughout the story was the awkward language at some points. And some totally mis-used words. Now, this story takes place in Canada so there are some slight differences in what we, in the United States, call things. That is not what I’m talking about. My hope is, since I read an ARC of this story, there is still some editing that will be done before publication. Even if these things are not caught, this is still a great story.

Christine d’Abo is a new-to-me author and I’m looking forward to reading more by her. Especially the next book in this series.

3.5 stars

Sugar Sweet by Christine d’Abo is a modern-day Cinderella type story. It is well written and held my interest throughout the story. The main characters are well defined and have an interesting attraction to each other. Marissa is a struggling student who is left with a high financial debt by her former boyfriend. She is working double shifts just to try to pay some of the debt even though her boyfriend left her holding the bag. Vince is a multimillionaire who feels he is missing something out of life. He meets Marissa himself through a website called “Sugar Daddies”. These two have past relationship pain that they are dealing with that makes them hard on each other. He needs her to accompany him to events and she needs the extra money. It is a business proposition only. Things change as they spend more time together and they both get their happily ever after. I think Christine d’Abo did a good job on the story plot, the characters, and the setting. I enjoyed the story and recommend it for all romance book lovers out there.

Marissa is a girl whose is trying so hard to right the wrongs that have hit her in life. Going to college is a big expense, add in a ton of creditors her ex defaults on, leaving her holding the bag! The creditors have started threatening her more and more, but what else can she do? She is working double shifts and going to school. There's not more time left. She remembers a friend gave her a possible way to make good money. Millionairesugardaddy.com. She takes a tough step, not seeing any other way, and enrolls.

Vince is at his wits end regarding his father. He meddles in everything and pushes the envelope regularly. When he hears he booked time with a girl from millionairesugardaddy.com, he knows he can not stand by and let him wreck some girl's life. He takes his place for the meeting determined to pay her for her time and send her on her way. No harm done. Only she is not what he expected. She's goodness and light and smart too! Definitely more than he bargained for. Before he realizes it, he comes to an agreement with Marissa for some society functions in exchange for paying part of her debts. Oh and he decides that sex is off the table. He wants the arm candy not the commitment. Sex he says is easy, someone to trust is not. They shake on the deal.

Both of them have been hurt in the past and are very jaded. Those insecurities rear their ugly heads. And even though rules are in place, things veer rather quickly from the plan.

I enjoyed reading about Vince and Marissa! I liked them together. I also liked the secondary characters for the most part. There was some suspense along with this budding romance, which I found very believable. Marissa was a strong girl and had no problem calling Vince out on his a**hole behavior when needed. He found her refreshing because most people just go along with the man with the money. Marissa cared about him-not his money.

An overall interesting concept and intriguing story.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ 4-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

> > Judging a Book by it's Cover < <
Illustrated cover of a man in a suit, walking across an upper floor of a highrise building with the top of a cityscape beyond the all-glass wall behind him. Font choices are a little weak.
Synopsis sounded interesting, different from anything I've read recently.

> > Looking Deeper < <
POV ~> Third-person
Setting ~> Mostly Canada, with a weekend in New York.

You'd think that this would be a typical rags-to-riches story based on the blurb but Marissa is much too strong for that. Going back to college to get her business degree while working two jobs to make ends meet is taxing enough but when her scumbag ex-boyfriend starts sending creditors her way and it becomes physically threatening, she opts to take extreme measures at a friend's suggestion.
Vince has had just about enough of his father's sloppy and manipulative meddling but even he could not allow the man to meet up with some innocent young woman looking for an easy payday. He takes his father's place on the sugar daddy date and although he's the multimillionaire, her goodness and openness bring more to the table than he bargained for.
Both are coming off crappy relationships, are hurt and guarded. He needs a steady date to secure a business deal, she needs some extra money to get control of the mounting debts. Rules are in place and agreed upon. But things don't always work according to plan.
Yes, Vince is a self-proclaimed a-hole but he acknowledges that he's not necessarily proud of that and pledges to be a better person. Marissa is smart, strong, honest and upfront. Their chemistry was enjoyable. The secondary cast was widely varied, as was their likability. Dialogue was mostly good, the interactions were believable for the majority of it. There were several conflicts and all were resolved by the end. Predictability was low. The conclusion was satisfying enough, but not concrete solid.
While I am aware that this was an ARC copy and am not deducting points for typos and errors, it could use one more pass by a proofreader. I'd picked up at least 4 things that made it to this pre-release stage. Hopefully those will be caught before the final copy is released to the masses in about 2 weeks.
Enjoyable story with a strong heroine who's not easily intimidated and unafraid to speak her mind. Boorish multimillionaire that is humbled to be put in his place and is smart enough to allow it, most of the time.
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Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.2 ~ Stars: 4
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⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

First I must admit this is the first book I’ve read by this author. Second I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to read it. I was given an ARC from Netgalley and my review is based solely on my honest opinions. I really enjoyed Marissa spirit she fought really hard when all the chips were stacked against her. Vince is rich, arrogant but all his exterior is just part of his facade. I loved watching the two of them grow. They both had some serious issues fighting against them but struggling through them just made them stronger in the end.