A woman who loves the holiday season and a man who gives Scrooge a run for his money find themselves in a precarious situation trying to manage a public relations nightmare; wow, I loved this fun emotional, and steamy marriage of convenience Christmas story from author Jessica Lemmon!

Billionaire heiress Stefanie Ferguson seems to find trouble even wherever she goes and her latest problem is a man spreading marriage rumors that she not only didn’t agree too but doesn’t want and it comes at a bad time for her brother’s mayoral campaign and threatens to mess up a commitment she has planned until her brother’s head of security, Emmett Keaton, offers to keep an eye on her as she travels out of town. But, Stefanie has big plans for Emmett and soon finds out he is all on board.

I loved the chemistry between Stefanie and Emmett and the fact that they both realize pretty quickly how much they admire and like one another. Emmett was surprised by Stefanie and what she had accomplished for the last several years without her family or the media figuring out what she was doing. Stefanie had great empathy for the incident that impacted Emmett at an early age and changed his life forever. I enjoyed watching them get close and falling in love even when it was the last thing they both expected. Their chemistry was off the charts and what I loved most is neither Stefanie nor Emmett was sure how they felt about that considering their relationship and marriage had a time limit.

A solid romance that I could not put down, I loved A Christmas Proposition!

4.5 hearts
SJ, Romance Junkies

Harlequin Desire books deliver on trope and happily ever after, and A CHRISTMAS PROPOSITION by Jessica Lemmon did that and more. A thoroughly entertaining romance in which Stefanie, the heroine, falls for her brother's best friend, Emmett. Throw in Christmas, a marriage of convenience, and some scandal and sizzling chemistry and you have a holiday must-read.

Full review will be posted on Goodreads and the blog page,

As always, thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

4 1/2 STARS!

Fast paced, attention grabbing and decadently yummy! You'll recognize the heroine as the younger sister of Chase and Zach Ferguson who we've met in the earlier books in the Dallas Billionaires Club series, and this book is just as juicy as they were! Lots of steam, witty banter galore, and a whole lot of fun to read!

Stefanie Ferguson is tired of being the problem child. It seems being the youngest in a successful family leaves the door wide open for childish mistakes you never seem to be able to live down. When she sees another about to happen, she'll stop at nothing to attempt to not let it ruin her brother's political career ... even proposing a marriage of convenience!

Emmett Keaton grew up with Stefanie as her brother's best friend, so he knows her and her jump before you think nature quite well. He'll marry her, but if she thinks it's going to be hands off, she's got another think coming!

A temporary arrangement between friends what could go wrong. Stephanie need to groom to get her out of some hot water with her brother. She and Emmett create enough steam together to set off alarms but it won’t be easy sailing.

The great storyline fun characters and a lot of thundering hope you enjoy this book as much as I did

Nikki’s Review:

This was such a fun series. Jessica Lemmon never disappoints. The characters and spot on writing, made reading this book in one sitting a blast!

Stefanie Ferguson is a hoot. I love a sassy heroine, and she has sass in spades. She’s strong and feisty, but still soft and caring. She’s everything I love in a well-rounded character.

Emmett is my favourite kind of hero. He’s alpha and broody; the strong silent type. You really feel his vulnerability coming off of the pages. He’s so unsure of his own appeal and worthiness of love.

The marriage of convenience trope is loads of fun. I loved seeing these characters fall head over heels for each other when it’s absolutely not what they had planned. Emmett’s stubbornness just slowed down his ability to admit it.

Like all of Jessica Lemmon’s novels, you get all the feels in this one. I found myself giggling (the part with Zach’s naked backside...hilarious!), sniffling during the “dark moment”, and feeling joy when Stef and Emmett found their way back together again.

I truly enjoyed this series about the Ferguson family. I’m sad that it’s over. I’d love to see a short story with some updates on the couples. Hint hint Jessica! 😉


Rating: 4 Stars (A)

This is a fairy tale where the queen is the billionaire and the king is the hired help. Socialite Stefanie Ferguson is the youngest daughter of a wealthy oil baron in Dallas. PR disaster is staring Stef in the face in the form of Blake Eastwood with whom she had a very short fling one benighted night. He refuses to give her up, dropping hints here and there that they have continued to be together. A casual offhand remark that PR maven, and her sister-in-law, Penelope drops — that life would be better for the Fergusons if Stef were to marry someone — takes root in Stef’s mind and develops legs … in the form of Emmett Keaton.

Lemmon skillfully shows how these two people from such disparate backgrounds can figure out how to bridge their lifestyles and build a life together. What starts as a modern-day marriage-of-convenience quickly turns into a relationship where attraction and love intertwine inextricably and where the need to protect, respect and trust rules, taking their commonplace alliance to a precious partnership of equals.

https://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2018/12/17/keira-soleore-romance-recs-suleikha-snyder-jenny-holiday-jessica-lemmon/

This book was recommended to me by one of Harlequin's publicists when I inquired about another title, so I was skeptical. It's the third in a series about Dallas Billionaires and by an author I'd never tried, so I wasn't sure how jumping into the series with this book would go.

I'm happy to say that this book stands alone quite well and it was the fake-marriage fluff I needed when my brain was tired from starting a new job.

Stef made the mistake of sleeping with a jerk a while back, and now he's running against her brother for Mayor of Dallas. He's also friends with a gossip columnist, so he's convinced the world that he and Stef are getting married. Stef feels like a colossal f-up, so she hatches a plan to get married to someone else and prove Blake (the jerk) wrong.

Enter Emmett, her brother's Head of Security for the last decade. Emmett grew up poor, with a father wrecked by the death of Emmett's mother and sister. He feels like an outsider among the wealthy Fergusons, but he agrees to Stef's fake-marriage plan. As long as they don't fall in love, everything will be fine... right?

I assumed I'd hate the family because they're billionaires, but I was able to ignore a lot about the underpinnings of a wealthy oil family and the ways in which they earn/keep their fortune. Lemmon also humanizes Stef in a number of ways that made her a much deeper character than the socialite caricature she could have been.

Stef and Emmett have great chemistry and this was a quick Christmas read without too much angst. Perfect for a lazy winter evening.



Suzanne received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've enjoyed the stories in this series. Despite the extreme wealth of the Ferguson family they come across as a sweet heartwarming unit. . When Stefanie Ferguson becomes tabloid fodder thanks to a set up from an ex-boyfriend it might have an impact on Chase Ferguson's mayoral re-election campaign. Stefanie lives up to her impulsive reputation by surprising Emmett Keaton with a marriage of convenience proposal.

Emmett looks at the Fergusons as a life line and is resistant to losing his friendship with Chase by marrying Stefanie though he's always had a soft corner for her. Of course the marriage of convenience quickly morphs into the real thing and its not going to be pretty when Stefanie's brothers find out.

All in all this is a sweet holiday story light on the tinsel with cute characters.

Marriages of convenience that become more have inspired numerous romances. With A Christmas Proposition, Jessica Lemmon gives us a steamy novel with a frienemies to lovers spin you can cuddle up with just in time for the holidays.

Dallas’s it-girl, Stefanie Ferguson, has put her brother’s mayoral campaign at risk and to fix it she needs to get married ASAP. A seemingly impossible task until she’s trapped on a road trip with her brother’s best friend, Emmett Keaton. He had long ago vowed to himself to protect the Fergusons, but he never imagined getting married on Christmas Day to Stefanie was part of the deal.

Emmett and Stefanie are contrasting characters. Emmett’s middle name might as well be Scrooge, while Stefanie is all about giving, especially during the holidays. Even though they’ve know each other for a while, in a short period of time they discover unknown depths that heightens their attraction which, by the way, causes sparks to fly off the pages. Lemmon also includes the warm cast characters from past books, making Stefanie’s family very appealing.

A Christmas Proposition is a book #3 of the Dallas Billionaires Club by Jessica Lemmon. It is a charming and sexy standalone contemporary romance, told from both points of view with a happily ever after, no cliffhanger.

This is my first book by this author but I will definitely be reading more. I adored this story about Emmett & Stefanie.

4.5

A Christmas Proposition follows Stephanie Ferguson, youngest member of the famed Texan oil family and sister of the Mayor of Dallas, one Chase Ferguson. She also seems to draw the attention of the gossipmongers and tabloids. This time, a former hookup of hers is spouting lies, and Stephanie worries it will begin to effect her brother's re-election campaign. So what does she do? She comes up with the perfect idea: Get married.

Emmett Keaton is not only Chase's best friend but he's also his head of security. The last thing he would ever do is anything that would put his relationship with the Fergusons in jeopardy. So, when Stephanie chooses him as the guy to marry to get the tabloids off her back, while he doesn't want to say yes, he sees the merit in the plan.

Neither Emmett or Stephanie are prepared, or looking, for the marriage to be a happily ever after, they've both agreed to a separation once Stephanie is out of the limelight a little bit. However, once they start the charade, they realize that it might not be as fake as they thought. That maybe their feelings run deeper than either have realized before.

I really loved the somewhat seamless way that Emmett and Stephanie's relationship develops. They're not really enemies, and they're not friends. Emmett has just always been someone around unintentionally keeping an eye out for the Fergusons (namely Chase) but this kind of encompasses all the Fergusons. So when he and Stephanie get together it's a dawning realization for both that they are attracted to each other. It was beautiful and subtle and sweet.

'Tis the season of reading many books with a holiday setting and obviously A Christmas Proposition does this as well, but I was surprised by how much the holidays and season doesn't really play a big role in the story itself. I think if you're looking for more of the coziness of the holidays then Chase's book A Snowbound Scandal fits that bill much better.

I will say that I wanted a bit more out of the relationship / bond between Chase and Emmett. Just a smidgen more I feel would have given that kick that your best friend just married your little sister in what amounts to a fake marriage. Don't get me wrong, Jessica Lemmon certainly tackles these issues, but I felt like I wanted things to be a bit deeper on their friendship side of things.

I did love seeing Stephanie lean a little on Penelope (from Lone Star Lovers) and Mimi (from the above mentioned Snowbound Scandal). Being the only girl in the Ferguson family, I liked that Stephanie has found her "sisters" and that they offered the true support she needed and were able to look past the marriage as more than just Stephanie making another rash decision.

A Christmas Scandal works really well as a standalone, but you'll want to make sure you read the other books too because, honestly, Jessica Lemmon never disappoints.

I loved A CHRISTMAS PROPOSITION! An enemies to lovers story, it was the perfect heartfelt holiday read.

I have to say that I've been eagerly awaiting this book ever since Mimi and Chase's book. I knew there was something simmering between these two and I couldn't wait to find out.

There is so much more to Stefanie than being one of Dallas society's it girls. Beneath the glitter lies a heart of gold and a need to be loved. And Emmett, his tragic past is so heartbreaking, but his fierce protectiveness of Stefanie made me fall in love with him. I wanted so badly for Emmett to realize he's worthy of not only love, but Stefanie's love especially, and to finally find his place - his home - in this world.

A Christmas Proposition
Jessica Lemmon
Stefanie Ferguson needed a husband and fast. One mistake with her brother’s rival ruined her reputation and just might end her brother’s mayoral career. The solution, get married. A marriage of convenience until her brother was reelected. Who could she trust with this secret? Stefanie proposes to Emmett Keaton, head of her brother’s security and his best friend. Emmett has never told anyone but Chase, Stefanie’s brother about his past growing up in poverty after the death of his mother and baby brother. In order to protect Stefanie from any other problems, he agrees to marry her even though they come from two different worlds. As their “relationship” continues, Stefanie realizes that she is falling in love with Emmett and she does everything she can to convince him that he is worthy of her love.
Stefanie is not the princess her family thinks she is. She does a great deal of charitable work including feeding families less fortunate than she is. Emmett was once one of those families and has a hard time letting go. This story got to me. I felt bad for the little boy Emmett was. After his mother and baby brother died, he was basically raising himself because his father couldn’t deal with their deaths. As a result, Emmett didn’t believe he was ever “good enough.” Through Stefanie’s love, he begins to believe. This was a great Christmas story where love does conquer all.

I think this may be my favorite of the series! Emmett and Stefanie were a great team - frenemies to married in a blink by necessity. Emmett was a protector by nature and Stefanie had just a great heart. Fighting the attraction wasn't necessary once they were married, and then they didn't want to! The chemistry was great - and I'm glad the family came around!

A lovely, romantic story about star-crossed lovers. Really more like crossing the line of social classes and mores in contemporary times.
Socialite Stefanie comes up with a scheme to ward off all her previous social flubbs by marrying her brother’s head of security Emmett. Things don’t go as planned, which could be a good thing - or not. Between a public image and reality, they are trying to figure things out as they go along and making their share of goofs and misunderstandings along the way. Not until almost the end will the reader find out which way things will go for this couple.
I received an arc rom NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Stefanie Ferguson has found herself in a bit of a bind, she has an despicable ex that is waiting in the wings ready to pounce at any moment, and she wants nothing to do him. He of course is up to something that could put a wrench in her brothers political career, and she has the perfect plan to send him packing once and for all. It requires a man on bended knee, with ring in hand and a walk down the aisle on the very near horizon... but there is just one tiny issue, there is no willing man in the picture. Or is there?

Nothing says steamy read ahead like a forbidden romance, within minutes of meeting these two it was evident that they had a connection, even if it wasn't glaringly obvious to them. But in the confines of a car, on a lengthy road trip they began to appreciate the finer things about one another, that may have been dismissed before. Then an idea starts to take shape, sparks start simmering, and then all of a sudden things take a serious turn and Emmett and Stefanie are setting flames to the pages! And I was reaching for the nearest fan, and getting all dreamy eyed... and saying silent "thank-you's" to Ms. Lemmon for her perfectly crafted characters and their unforgettable story! Loved this one so much!! Highly recommend you get your hands on this one, it's so good!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

This book had 2 of my favorite tropes - fake marriage & brother's BF / sister relationship. I love Emmett & Stefanie though I am tired of the I-am-not-good-for-you excuse that is being overused these days.

Stephanie is from a wealthy family and constantly beset by scandal, both made up and real. Now a new rumor hits, and right before her brother's upcoming re-election campaign for mayor. A rival is spreading the rumor that they're engaged, so Steph decides the easiest way to beat the rumor is to marry someone else! She convinces her brother's long time friend and body-guard to enter into a temporary (but very real) marriage, and they elope on Christmas Eve.


Short, sweet, and a very convoluted set up, but then again that's half the fun of these fake dating/marriage/etc stories. I really have no idea why Steph thought getting married would help, but after a certain point, I really didn't care, either. Emmett is very good as a gruff-and-silent-with-a-heart-of-gold type, and the two had some good chemistry as their personalities clashed. Once they did get married, though, there wasn't much in the way of conflict so there didn't end up being a lot of payoff for the "fake" (or at least, "intending to be temporary") aspect. It was more a way to get the leads together than a source of friction in and of itself. Also I really didn't care if Steph's brother stayed mayor, and since that was a major motivational factor...meh.

(to be posted on the blog 11/26)

I am so happy that I was chosen to read and review this one, especially after receiving the second one in the series previously to review and loving it! Regardless of whether or not I was chosen to read #3, I still would have tracked this one down to read once it was released...NetGalley and the publisher just gave me the privilege of not having to wait until December!

Reading the second book in the Dallas Billionaires Club series by Jessica Lemmon, A Snowbound Scandal, I was introduced to Stefanie Ferguson, the youngest and only girl in the Ferguson billionaire clan, and the brooding, super-serious and prickly Emmet Keaton, head bodyguard and best friend to Stefanie's older brother (and subject of A Snowbound Scandal), Chase. Their prickly, resentful dynamic towards one-another screamed "sexual tension" to me at the time, and made me really excited to start on their story, and Jessica Lemmon did not disappoint!

Stefanie Ferguson frequently (and unfortunately) finds herself at the center of scandals that always seem to threaten her bother's job as mayor of Dallas, and his campaigns for re-election. With one such scandal looming, Stefanie turns to her brother's best friend out of desperation, needing to marry to make it all go away and to hopefully stay out of the Dallas gossip blogs once and for all. But marrying Emmet, even if it's meant to be a brief marriage of convenience, turns into something that neither Stefanie nor Emmet ever imagined...mutual steamy attraction.

Loved this one...really hoping that there'll be a cousin or something that requires more to this series!