I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Setting/Worldbuilding: 1/10
Main characters: 3/10
Side characters: 3/10
Dialogue: 8/10
Plot: 5/10
Technique: 2/10
Prose: 2/10
Romance: 7/10
Ending: 7/10
Overall enjoyment: 2/10
Total: 40/100 (2)

This is a grumpy (F) x sunshine (M) fake dating holiday romance between a hotshot lawyer and a furniture maker/builder.

It does what it says on the tin and would have been entirely adequate for its purposes, except for one thing that became extremely glaringly obvious to me from the very first page.

Cassie Connor is not a City lawyer. She might not even be a lawyer. Which is fine, except it doesn't look like any City lawyers beta-read this either. EVERYTHING that was portrayed here about Cassie's job was just wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to begin - it really affected my enjoyment of the book and left me more grumpy than sunshine.

I will be sending detailed notes to the publishers, but won't really hold out hope that my points will be addressed.

This book is so cute!! It's a fun fake dating holiday romance. Rebecca and Hudson had such good chemistry and I loved them! I do wish we got to see a little more of them after they were actually together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Great book for the holiday season if you love a romance! Read this in a day, somewhat predictable but great if you love Hallmark or Lifetime movies.

Greatly enjoyed this book. Wasn’t expecting so much sex from what seemed to be a rom com, but the amount of action was high and yet still enjoyable. It didn’t take over the story and the characters genuinely seemed to fall for each other. Absolutely loved the Christmas with the Strongs bit. Wouldn’t mind reading about the other Strong siblings in their own books to be honest.

This was super trope-y, make fun of itself for being basically a remake of The Wedding Date but also it was hella fun and the spicy scenes were really really well done - I never felt like I was annoyed by word use and the were seamless from the book instead of feeling like they were just shoved in there. All fluff, but super fun.

This book was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Actual rating 3.5

Love under contract is a romantic comedy through and through. The plot starts with a our fmc (female main character) meeting our mmc ( male main character) and both of them getting bad news. They then spend one of their best nights together and agree to never see eachother again. The fmc realizes that the solution to both of their problems lies with each other. And that is when the start of this fake relationship of convenience starts. The plot was consistent throughout the whole book and there was a lot of swooning and humor involved. I liked the characters and how they developed throughout the story ,especially the fmc, Rebecca. But I also liked the character development of the side characters especially the fmc's sister.

This story isn't just about romance and fluff but also about family dynamics. Both of the main characters had very different families and it helped show more depth in them. I also loved how Rebecca is such a badass character in her job and is very independent but realizes later on that she doesn't need to be alone to be independent. The mmc is also such a cinnamon roll and respectful of her decision but at the same time challenges her views and world. They both make a perfect reverse sunshine and grump couple.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. It felt very rushed and as if it needed a few more pages or and extra chapter to really wrap it up. It was also a bit unclear and anticlimactic but overall I really liked the story and characters and will definitely recommend this book.

❄️Book Review❄️
Under Contract
by Cassie Connor

Rating: 4 stars

“When you can’t find the perfect date for the holidays you hire him!”

This was my first fake dating book I ever read and I really enjoyed it!
I loved this story and absolutely adored the male love interest Hudson, he was funny and a perfect man, sweet and caring.
I highly recommend this sweet book it’s perfect for the holidays!

❄️fake dating
❄️grumpy(FMC)/sunshine(MMC)
❄️holiday romance

Thank you to @netgalley @harpercollinsuk and @onemorechapterhc for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinions.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

the romance and plot in this story are excellent! this was fun and cute to read

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC of this book. I very much appreciate it.

This book was so much fun -- I couldn't put it down. The characters were great and very likeable and I wanted to be adopted by the hero's family. However, I found there to be too many sex scenes and a bit light on plot.

I'm very impressed this is a debut novel by this author; I look forward to reading more!

'Love Under Contract' is a good book, but it had the potential to be a great book. The story focuses on a lawyer named Rebecca who is too busy with her career and she doesn't have time to date. She meets a man named Hudson at a bar, and she has a one night stand with him. After this, she decides to write up a love contract with him. She needs a date for his sister's engagement party. Her sister is marrying Rebecca's ex, and Rebecca cannot show up to this event without a date. She decides to pay him $7,000 to accompany her on her trip home to New York. The main story takes place in London.

Hudson agrees to go with her because he needs the money for his furniture making business. When they get to New York, Rebecca and Hudson have a great time together. They both start to develop feelings for each other, but they have to adhere to the rules of the love contract.

There were parts of the book that I enjoyed, but other parts left me confused.
Things that I liked about the book:
1.) Hudson's family and their dynamic
2.) Holiday celebrations- Thanksgiving and Christmas
3.) Chemistry between Hudson and Rebecca
4.) Rebecca's career
5.) Rebecca's relationship with Hudson's sisters

Areas for improvement:
1.) Explaining why Hudson was kissing another woman- this was mentioned, but it was never explained!
2.) More backstory about Hudson- I would have loved to hear the story from his point of view.
3.) More emotional growth/explanation of how Rebecca's upbringing/handling her father's death affected her relationships
4.) More about her career- she was promoted, but we didn't get to find out how it went with her new position.
5.) A lot of British references/words that I was unfamiliar with
6.) Explaining the contract to both Hudson and Rebecca's families
7.) The payment for the love contract- It just seemed like a lot of money

This story has so much potential, but it left a lot of loose ends that I wish could have been wrapped up better.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for an ARC of this book.

If you’re a romcom fan, this book is for you! It starts hot right from the get go. I also loved the reference to romcom movies throughout.

It’s about career focused Rebecca who meets Hudson unexpectedly. They have an instant connection, but she reads him as a love ‘em and leave ‘em type and isn’t interested in investing in anything anyway. But then she realizes she needs to go to New York for her sisters engagement party (to her ex!) and can’t face going alone. So she writes up a contract (her law specialty) and offers it to Hudson in exchange for helping him with a work issue. He agrees. I love the chemistry of the characters throughout and they couldn’t be more different: him friendly, charming, likeable, her rigid and controlled. I can on and on but don’t want to give too much away ;)

On a side note, I would love to read Hudson’s version of this story :)

This is one of the best fake dating stories I have read.

From the very beginning I was rooting for Rebecca and Hudson. I loved their immediate chemistry.

I also loved how Hudson was so well versed in romcom movies.

the ending was a bit lackluster for me. I wish Rebecca had come clean to Hudson sisters about their fake dating arrangement when they showed up at her apartment.

Also, how is there no explanation about the blonde girl that Rebecca saw Hudson kissing??!

This is such a fun story! Some rom-com tropes I enjoyed: reverse grumpy/sunshine; fake dating; dysfunctional family relationships; one bed. I love the main characters, Rebecca and Hudson, and the development of their relationship. The humor is never over the top, as can be the case with some romantic comedies, and Rebecca's struggles at work with the glass ceiling are explored but not dwelt upon. The friendships that she develops with her work friend and with Hudson's sisters are also funny and touching. The pace of the novel is great--I finished it in one day, and never found it to lag anywhere, and the writing is dynamic and flows effortlessly.
(Hopefully, some pretty egregious word misuse and a few misspellings will be fixed by the copy editor and the proofreader, as that is the only thing that took me out of the story at times, but I realize that it's an uncorrected proof.)

This book was not what I was expecting in a good way. Rebecca and Hudson are very cute together. They are total opposite. He is an artist who designs and makes furniture, she is a contract attorney. There was a lot of steamy sex scenes so if that's not your thing you might not like this book. Also, the author is British so there is a lot of British slang. If you aren't familiar with it, it may be hard to understand. However, I don't think that makes the story hard to understand. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is I've read a lot of rom-com books,and this one falls a little flat. The author seems to go over the same plot points again and again. She could have developed the characters a little more. Every other chapter practically Rebecca and Hudson jump in to bed together. It was just a bit much.

I liked the premise of this book, but I don't feel like there was great character development. Rebecca would have revelations about her childhood and how that impacts her current family relationships, but it doesn't seem to stick for long. I also wasn't a fan of the ending as other reviewers have mentioned. However, I would be willing to read other books by this author!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Arc from netgalley

This book was good. A little long for my personal taste. I adored the banter between the main characters.

3.5-4 Stars!! This is a fake dating, rom-com, opposites attract with plenty of detailed ‘sexy times’. Rebecca/Becca is a big shot lawyer and for all that, she’s kinda dumb with emotions and relationships. She annoyed me so much! One minute she’s lovey dovey and the next she’s cold and stand-offish.
The main male character, Hudson, has the patience of a saint. He’s the type that makes friends everywhere he goes. Easy going, talkative and friendly. Basically the opposite of the main female character.
I did enjoy the book but it left a few questions that were never answered and it got me frustrated after Rebecca kept ignoring her feelings and pushing everyone away over and over and over again. Entertaining read I just wish Rebecca wasn’t such a stuck up ‘female dog’ most of the time. Hudson could do better/nicer.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

I found this very entertaining, funny and uplifting. After a one night stand with Hudson, Rebecca looks to hire him as a fake date under contract, to escort her to her sister's engagement party in America.
I liked the serious side exploring the moral dilemma for women who put their carers first and don't have the time nor interest to date.
A good romantic read, with descriptive scenes, endearing characters and very engaging.

This is a great five-star read. I enjoyed the story as a whole, but there were a couple of spots that could have done with a little more polish, those points certainly were not concerning Hudson Stone’s family, I wanted to go spend Christmas with them!! They just warmed my cold heart. I could only imagine how Rebecca would feel in such an alien environment, those moments made this story so much stronger. I am excited to see what this author will bring next, as I can only imagine they will go from strength to strength.

<i>Thank you Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

This book follows the story of Rebecca, a successful lawyer in London, and Hudson, a furniture designer after their one night stand. Unwillingly to go alone to her family thanksgiving in New York, she ends up hiring Hudson as a fake date for the holidays.
I’ve had some small issues with the book, but mostly I thought it was the perfect holiday season rom com until approximately 80% mark. After that, I lost my patience with the FMC as she has the emotional intelligence of a potato, and no matter how many epiphanies she had, she would continue her behaviour and never act on those.

<spoiler> I particularly disliked to see Hudson kissing other girl and then Rebecca and him making up on the same night, without any explanation at all. It was a question of days since their breakup and he was supposedly in love with her.. it wasn’t consistent with his attitude and behaviour, and, for me, it spoiled the ending. </spoiler>

What I liked about the book:
- Strong and professionally driven female character, albeit with no emotional intelligence
- Male cinnamon roll
- Holidays both in New York and UK
- Interesting supporting characters

What I Think it could have been done better:
- I’ve felt there were too many mentions to clothes and luxury brands and I don’t relate to that
- I would have liked to see more emotional growth of Rebecca throughout the story
- The story is mainly centred on Rebecca and we end up knowing almost nothing personal about Hudson. This is unfortunate as it discredits their relationship and makes the story more about sex than romance.

Overall it was an entertaining and fast paced read, ideal to enter into the holiday spirit.