This was an interesting take on regency romance, particularly with the intercontinental bent. I loved the French tidbits, particularly how Dieudonné's parents call him mon fils (my son.)
However, it relies heavily on the miscommunication trope which is not my jam. I would have loved a pronunciation guide at the beginning!

I really wanted to like this book, but I often found my eyes glazing over while reading and not really absorbing what was going on. I may come back to this one when I'm in a different headspace, but for now this is a DNF.

Thanks for the ARC! Marriage Bargain with the Comte is a charming historical romance full of courtly drama, friendship-turned-marriage tension, and emotional stakes. The French court setting adds richness and flair, and the bond between Evena and Dieudonné feels heartfelt, even when tangled in duty. A few plot turns felt familiar, but the chemistry and elegance of the time period kept it engaging throughout.

Good friends-to-lovers romance in an unusual setting. It begins in Saint-Domingue (current-day Haiti) and moves to Paris in the 1770s, a little-used era in the Harlequin Historical line. It was refreshing to step outside the Regency period. I liked learning more about these two locations and people. I do wonder about their fates in the coming years of unrest.

Dieudonné is the illegitimate son of a French nobleman, raised by his aunt and uncle. Though illegitimate, he inherited his father's title (we find out why eventually). Though raised primarily in France, his aunt and uncle also own property in Saint-Domingue, where they frequently visit. Dieudonné and the girl next door, Evena, have been best friends since childhood. The book opens with a visit in 1769 when Dieudonné is twenty-one, and Evena is seventeen. Suddenly, he sees her in a whole new light.

Evena is a beautiful and outgoing young woman who adores her best friend. But something changed with this visit, and he stirs feelings she doesn't understand. An impulsive kiss changes everything. Both try to forget, but the memory is there between them.

Five years later, they meet again when Evena and her family travel to Paris. Her father developed a mysterious illness, and they hope to gain access to the King's doctor for his help. That access requires Evena to marry a well-connected nobleman despite her attraction to Dieudonné. At the same time, he wants to marry a well-connected Frenchwoman who can give him the legitimacy he needs for respectability. His first attempt ended with him being left at the altar.

The development of Evena and Dieudonné's relationship was enjoyable and frustrating. Their connection and attraction remain strong, but their goals create an insurmountable obstacle. Dieudonné has trouble controlling his attraction to Evena and copes by avoiding her whenever possible, which strains their friendship. However, Dieudonné is there when Evena's "suitor" attempts to ruin her and rescues her, only to compromise her himself. Marriage to each other is their only option.

Once they marry, each spends an inordinate amount of time beating themselves up for ruining the other's plans. Frequent misunderstandings prevent them from actually talking to each other about their situation and feelings. Dieudonné frustrated me with his frequent response of "not now" whenever Evena tried to speak to him about it. He wasted so much time because he thought she would reject him. I liked Evena's strength of will in taking charge of her life and doing what she thought would help him. I liked how her support helped him see he was chasing the wrong thing. The ending brought several surprises before they found their way to their desired future. The epilogue was good.

Evena's twin sister, Sophiette, intrigues me. She is very different from Evena in that she prefers to be alone. I liked how she clearly sees Evena and Dieudonné and tries to help them through their issues. I look forward to her story and the man who wins her heart.

Enjoyed the storyline, but the true draw is reading about black aristocratic society and how it coexisted with the traditional white aristocratic society. Always a source of interest and wonder for me.

Longtime readers know how much I love an elegant category romance like Cole’s newest Black historical, MARRIAGE BARGAIN WITH THE COMTE (Harlequin Historical, 272 pp., paperback, $7.99). Evena Baptiste and Dieudonné, Comte de Montreau, are childhood best friends in St. Domingue. Long shamed for being both mixed-race and illegitimate, Dieudonné needs a highborn bride to prove his worth in the court of Louis XVI. Evena’s beauty and wit tempt him — but her provincial origin is a mark against her in society’s eyes.

Years later in Paris, the comte has been left at the altar just as Evena arrives to make a match of her own. When her suitor assaults her, it’s Dieudonné who steps in to save her reputation. What follows is a classic case of two people knowing each other well enough to read one another’s emotions, but misinterpreting the cause to disastrous effect. English Regencies unfold against the background of an untoppled aristocracy; here, the looming specter of the coming revolution means we know our couple will have more times of trial to come. It’s to Cole’s credit that they feel strong and adaptable enough to meet one of history’s greatest challenges head-on.

Heat Factor: Compromised! And then we can’t communicate with our mouths OR our bodies.

Character Chemistry: For best friends, they are awfully bad at talking to each other.

Plot: Evena needs a husband with clout who can get her an in at the French court; Dieudonné needs a wife with clout who can get him an in at the French court. Too bad they’re in love with each other and also in denial about it.

Overall: My inability to turn off my history brain really impeded my enjoyment of this one.

This book opens in the mid 1770s in Saint-Domingue, now Haiti. I love a good unusual setting, especially in historical romance (I’ve really enjoyed books by Lydia San Andres, for example). However, I must admit that my optimism was cautious. And it’s because I know too much about history. (Ingrid would probably agree with me, since she has to listen to Erin and me talk ad nauseum about things like the Defenestration of Prague.) And the history is: Haiti is about to start having a revolution that lasts for more than ten years and is not one of the bloodless ones. Plantations will be sacked! Sure, our heroine’s family is Créole and doesn’t use slaves on *their* plantation, but that is no guarantee of safety.1

But then! After a very hot kiss in a rainstorm and some silliness at a ball that I think is only there to set up a future book, we move time and place. Specifically, now it’s the early 1780s, and we’re in Paris.

Ruh roh.

For those people who are not history people, 1789 marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Granted, the beheadings did not really get going until 1794, but let’s just say that the not too distant future holds a lot of turmoil for the French aristocracy.

And what are the goals of our intrepid protagonists? Build a stronger connection with the French court, with the central goal of gaining access to Louis XVI. Dieudonné wants this because, even though he’s a Comte, he grew up on the margin of society (he’s also Créole, plus he’s illegitimate), and now he wants what he didn’t have as a child. Evena wants this because her father has a mysterious illness and the only person who will be able to cure it is Louis’s physician, because apparently the doctor to the king is actually the best doctor in the world (and not just a politically-connected quack).

They both plan on achieving these goals through marriage into the highest of French high society.

Guys, I cannot overstate how much this set up distracted me from the actual romance. Every time they angsted about how they had ruined the other person’s chance at happiness by not being the ideal member of the French aristocracy, I didn’t feel sympathy for their plight—I was too busy thinking about the guillotine haunting their future.

I talked about this a bit with my husband, and he pointed out that the future can hold all kinds of devastation for any one of us—and any one of the characters in a historical romance. Now, obviously that’s true, but the promise of the HEA is that I can pretend that the main characters have a future full of joy ahead of them and that they’re going to die of old age while holding hands in their sleep and their loved ones will mourn but mostly celebrate their beautiful life together. And I can’t do that if the historical setting is such that I *know* something is coming in the future which will specifically target people just like them.

I’m not going to stop actively seeking out historical romances with unusual settings…but maybe I’m not going to read any more books set in pre-Revolutionary France, even if the clothes are excellent.

Jeez, I wrote this whole review and realized I said almost nothing about the actual romance. This is a big ole miscommunication story between two people who are childhood best friends and have supposedly always been completely in tune with each other, with a heavy dose of self-martyrdom for the sake of the love interest that actually makes them both miserable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Evena Baptiste has always been close friends with Dieudonné, Comte de Montreau. Five years after their most recent visit though, when she reunites with Dieudonné, he's just been jilted and she's all but engaged to someone else. But they can't quite stay away from one another, despite his insistence that to be accepted by French Society as a Creole bastard he needs to marry someone with stronger societal connections.

Marriage Bargain with the Comte starts in Saint-Domingue 1769, or present-day Haiti, and takes us to Paris 1774, where we get a glimpse of a pre-revolutionary society (and even an on-page appearance by King Louis XVI). I loved peering into a different era and society than usual. Parker J Cole examines the concerns that mixed-race Dieudonné faces, using them as both core identity and the conflict he grapples with throughout his character arc. Evena's father is wealthy, so her racial heritage is less of a concern in her own eyes, though she recognizes she is somewhat of a novelty to French society, she uses that to her advantage to make connections.

The bulk of the conflict hinges on miscommunication. The good news is that they are forced to learn to communicate, though in a category-length romance, there's not as much exploration of communication as there is telling-not-showing via resolution. The miscommunication is very believable, but I do wish Dieudonné wouldn't have kept saying "not now" to discussing Evena's concerns.

Pick this up for its rich history, unique setting, and racial diversity in historical romance!

Evena and Dieudonné have been friends since childhood, while growing up in present day Haiti. They're families wind up moving to Paris and The Comte and heiress are caught in a n compromised position and have to get married. Can a hasty arrange marriage turn into happily ever after.

This was my first read from this author. The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars was the lack of communication and I feel the story could have been shorter. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

While rescuing heiress Evena from a scoundrel, the Comte de Montreau accidentally compromises her. Their hasty union threatens their friendship, forcing them to question whether their convenient marriage can blossom into something more.

This story is innovative and deeply emotional. Evena and Dieudonné have strong chemistry but don’t always communicate as openly as they could. If you l0ve friends-to-lovers and marriage of convenience, this book is for you.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Set in 1770s France, long time friends Evena & Dieudonné find themselves in a compromising position.

This book started off very slow.
But once it took off, it was very good.

I do wish Evena had a a friend or confidant. Especially considering the different moods of Dieudonné.

-slow burn
-miscommunication trope
-historical romance

Marriage of convenience? Yes, please! It reminds me of Bridgerton or The Princess Diaries when a woman can’t be alone with a man, otherwise, they have to wed. Friends to lovers will always be win with me.

3.5 stars. An interesting picture of late-1700s life with a beautiful romance.

The Comte of Montreau saves his friend from a disreputable suitor, but then ends up compromising her himself. Now they're focused to wed. But she needs a well-connected nobleman to help her ailing father and he wants someone to help him gain more respectability with the court. Will their forced bond become something more?

To me, the biggest strength of this book is the setting. We get a picture of the beautiful, lush landscape of Saint-Domingue (with some creative license so that our characters are not involved in slavery). Then we experience the colors and extravagance of Paris. While the story deals with some of the racism and classism that was very much a part of the late 1700s in France and its territories, it was nice to see this nuanced and slightly modernized version. We don't get nearly enough stories from either of these places (or with characters who aren't white) in historical romance, so I'm so glad to get to read this story.

I did struggle a bit more with the romance. Admittedly, miscommunication is a major issue for me. It was so frustrating to have such a lack of communication when they were friends for their entire lives. I wish we got to see more of them building on that friendship throughout the book.

Overall, if you enjoy historical romance and want something that gives you a setting we don't get very often, definitely give this one a try. It's a quick read that will make you want to visit warm islands.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Historical for an advanced copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it! I love reading a setting outside of Regency England, and I thought the childhood friends to lovers trope was brilliantly executed. I thought the author did a good job of balancing a fairly light tone with some weightier issues around prejudice, race, and social class - it felt impactful without dragging down the tone and making it too heavy. Overall would definitely recommend to fans of historical romance!

Absolutely adored this book. You will get hooked as you read through. Very cute story can’t wait for the second book!

This was so heartwarming and it was a reminder of why I keep going back to historical romances. They do something so well that I feel contemporary romances drop the ball on and that’s the chemistry. I really enjoyed this!

Have you read A MARQUIS TO PROTECT THE GOVERNESS? Before I review MARRIAGE BARGAIN WITH THE COMTE, I highly recommend that you read it. Both stories feature Dieudonne’ Godier, Comte de Montreau (Count of Montreau). When we meet Dieudonne’ in A MARQUIS TO PROTECT THE GOVERNESS, he is a young boy who is being raised by his uncle, Andre Godier, Marquis de Lyonnais under the watchful and caring eye of his governess after the death of Dieudonne’s Creole mother and her lover, Andre’s older brother. Dieudonne’ s background is essential to understanding the way he lives his adult life. In this story, MARRIAGE BARGAIN WITH THE COMTE, Dieudonne’ is a grown man with a title and wealth, but still wrestling with his legitimacy in French society. That is why he loves to visit his mother’s native land, Saint-Domingue, Haiti that feels like home. He also loves to visit the Baptiste family and Evena, “La Sirene”, the lovely daughter of the Baptiste family. Dieudonne’ and Evena are naturally attracted to each other, and have been since they were children. The story is set in 1769, and it explores a fascinating period of history through the vehicle of romance. I loved the ah-ha moment in the story when the resolution of Dieudonne’s issues of nobility and titles and aristocracy rests with the woman who raised him. You will get that when you read the story.

The side characters who stand out are Seigneur de Guise Elbeuf, a lord who is “interested” in Evena, and Agnes Mercier, who left Dieudonne’ at the altar. Their roles help in advancing the plot and developing the main characters . The Epilogue signals a wonderful future for our couple, Dieudonne’ and Evena. I enjoyed reading MARRIAGE BARGAIN WITH THE COMTE. It was like visiting with an old friend and catching up. I recommend it for your reading pleasure.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

I liked a ton of things about this book. First of all, the history was on point, both the portions that take place on Saint-Domingue (the former name of Haiti) and in Paris. I absolutely loved reading about Haitian traditional food and fashion - Evena wears a tignon, a fashionable headwrap, instead of a towering wig with her 18th Century panniers - thought the depiction of Creole society on the island was super fascinating, and especially loved the use of kreyòl throughout instead of just relying on standard French. The French history was also accurate, including a courtesy title for an illegitimate child. Yes, Evena is an heiress and daughter of a plantation owner, but Parker J. Cole allows us to suspend our disbelief by making the plantation a cooperative venture without slavery.

The story is a straightforward friends to lovers romance: both Dieudonne and Evena acknowledge their mutual attraction but are set on marriage of convenience based on their own goals. Diodonne interrupts a ruination scheme only to be caught in a scandalous embrace with Evena after. Oops!

I was a little frustrated that once Evena and Diudonne are married there is a sequence of miscommunications that was harder to believe than the slight glosses of history. (Speaking of that - I do have to admit that an aristocratic romance set in 1770s France makes me nervous for the couple's future, but I realize that I just need to deep breathe through my discomfort.)

If you liked the BIPOC rep in Netflix Bridgerton but have a hankering for something more grounded in history, I definitely recommend this one!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.