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Love and Chocolate #1
Corporate Husband
To inherit her grandfather's chocolate company, Louisa Brannigan needs a loyal employee to marry her and keep his mouth shut. Justin Reilly seems like the ideal candidate, until he starts changing the rules. Corporate Husband is book one in the Love and Chocolate Series. Each book is a stand-alone sweet romance without cliff-hangers.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2013
454 people are currently reading
722 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Farr
24 books60 followersHappily-ever-after is my drug of choice. Not that I won’t read or watch a sad story (now and then), but I crave happy endings. I love Jane Austen, Cinderella stories, and 1930s screwball comedies. (Think An AFFAIR TO REMEMBER or WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING). Since real life has a way of being tough enough, I write sweet, quirky contemporary romances to take the edge off.
What you will find in my stories:
1. Sweet quirky romance.
2. Very little swearing. There may be an occasional hell or damn, maybe even a b*tch, but there will be no Lord’s name in vain and no f-bombs.
3. No explicit sex scenes. Characters might discuss sex, but any love scenes are off screen (Think AFRICAN QUEEN).
4. No vampires. At least, not yet.
What you will find in my stories:
1. Sweet quirky romance.
2. Very little swearing. There may be an occasional hell or damn, maybe even a b*tch, but there will be no Lord’s name in vain and no f-bombs.
3. No explicit sex scenes. Characters might discuss sex, but any love scenes are off screen (Think AFRICAN QUEEN).
4. No vampires. At least, not yet.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
February 27, 2014
2.5
I liked the premise for this one, but the execution felt a little dry. Louisa is the CEO of her family's chocolate company, much to her grandfathers disappointment. He is sexist and thinks men are smarter than women. In order to stay president she has to marry (giving her grandfather the illusion that she has a man to help lead her). She chooses Justin, a lawyer from her company.
Louisa was previously married to an abusive man and has quite a few issues because of that. I understand why is acts the way she does, but she is just so reserved and aloof I had a really hard time connecting with her. I liked Justin, he is very patient. I didn't feel like they had great chemistry. I wasn't sure what he saw in Louisa besides a challenge. A challenge that might seem fun in the beginning, but with her issues and coldness I think even he would get fed up eventually. She does make some small steps towards the end, but I didn't really think her character grew all that much from start to finish. I also thought there was too much time spent on "shop talk" and was a little bored with the business side of things.
I also thought all the drama was weird. Overall, it was an okay read. Again, I liked the premise and I'm sure others would probably enjoy it more than I did.
Content
Romance: Pretty clean. Mild innuendo and implied intimacy (closed door).
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild
I liked the premise for this one, but the execution felt a little dry. Louisa is the CEO of her family's chocolate company, much to her grandfathers disappointment. He is sexist and thinks men are smarter than women. In order to stay president she has to marry (giving her grandfather the illusion that she has a man to help lead her). She chooses Justin, a lawyer from her company.
Louisa was previously married to an abusive man and has quite a few issues because of that. I understand why is acts the way she does, but she is just so reserved and aloof I had a really hard time connecting with her. I liked Justin, he is very patient. I didn't feel like they had great chemistry. I wasn't sure what he saw in Louisa besides a challenge. A challenge that might seem fun in the beginning, but with her issues and coldness I think even he would get fed up eventually. She does make some small steps towards the end, but I didn't really think her character grew all that much from start to finish. I also thought there was too much time spent on "shop talk" and was a little bored with the business side of things.
I also thought all the drama was weird. Overall, it was an okay read. Again, I liked the premise and I'm sure others would probably enjoy it more than I did.
Content
Romance: Pretty clean. Mild innuendo and implied intimacy (closed door).
Language: Mild
Violence: Mild
November 8, 2018
Well that could have gone better but it did keep me reading. The book had some pluses. It is one of my favorite kinds of stories. I like how it all came together. Tho the author could have done a better job at expressing there emotions you can tell the Hero is fascinated and half in love with the Heroine of the story before she proposes marriage. It makes this a little more believable. I was a little worried at first that this book would have more sexual content in it, it has none other then them talking about it and him thinking about it. I thought this was a Christian romance but they don't talk about God till the book is almost over. It was more of a prayer of sadness that goes no where. If I had to sum this book up in one word it would be Flat. It just all fell flat, the characters and story just were flat for me and I just couldn't get emotionally involved.
March 23, 2017
After a grim evening I picked this up, expecting a 'sweet romance'. And yes, it WAS sweet, and it was romantic in its own way but I am so utterly sick and fed up of reading so-called ‘romances’ where There were plenty of ways the author could have written both scenes.
There were a couple of scenes that were somehow ‘missing’
All in all this could have been a cracking good read, but perhaps it was the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
Two stars. But for those (spoiler) moments, this would have been 4.5.
There were a couple of scenes that were somehow ‘missing’
All in all this could have been a cracking good read, but perhaps it was the wrong book at the wrong time for me.
Two stars. But for those (spoiler) moments, this would have been 4.5.
September 21, 2017
This was an okay read. The story is about a woman named Louisa who is marrying someone for convenience, instead of love to keep her grandfather's company. So she chooses to marry Justin, the company's lawyer. The book is about their relationship. The premise was great, but the story lacked in execution. I was actually a bit disappointed with how the book turned out. The characters were okay. I did not love them or dislike them. They just were not that relatable to me. Also, there were moments where I bored, so I had to book down. The ending was okay. I thought the book could have been so much better. Overall, an alright read.
September 2, 2017
This was a cozy romance. Nothing over the top, but not bad.
Many reference Justin to a luscious piece of chocolate, that can be savored and enjoyed. And I do so love my chocolate. He did have a lot of patience and treated her with the utmost respect.
However, since I have never met a man in the real world like this; it was a tad of a stretch for me. I just couldn't identify with it.
It is able to stand on its own, was clean, and ended with an HEA.
June 1, 2014
DNF at 34%. This book just isn't for me. I like to enjoy myself and escape from reality when I read. I don't like feeling annoyed and wanting to smack the heroine the entire time I'm reading, which is exactly how I'm feeling about this book. I'm sure others will disagree but I just can't connect to the characters.
May 23, 2018
Louisa Brannigan is the CEO of Brannigan Chocolates...for now. Her grandfather is the owner and is quite old. He's as sharp as a tack mentally, but he's slipping and he has old-fashioned ideas about women needing men to protect them and thinks the women aren't capable of doing certain things, such as running a company.
Louisa wants to hold onto the company after her grandfather passes and, in an attempt to do this, she sets out to marry someone from her company. It's more like a business arrangement with no emotional ties involved. There's a legitimate contract between them and after three years, everybody will walk away with a smile on their face.
Only Justin isn't going to have it like that. He agrees to marry her, goes through the motions of being roommates and living in the same house with her but sleeping in separate rooms. They really did nothing together while they were home and kept a public facade. He's patient and kind and wants a lot more from her than to just be her business partner.
The characters in the book were flat, one-dimensional, the story lacked depth and feeling. There were many situations that could have been awesome and would have made me cry had the story been more developed and the characters more believable and easier to care about. It had a ton of potential, but sadly fell flat.
The idea of this story is great. I loved that. The writing is very good with no errors that I noticed. As I said earlier, the plot needs more development. If the author were to rewrite out three particular scenes which I can't disclose without a spoiler and put some "umph" to them, this would have been a killer book.
I liked the book. I didn't love it, but many will. It's a sweet, clean romance.
Louisa wants to hold onto the company after her grandfather passes and, in an attempt to do this, she sets out to marry someone from her company. It's more like a business arrangement with no emotional ties involved. There's a legitimate contract between them and after three years, everybody will walk away with a smile on their face.
Only Justin isn't going to have it like that. He agrees to marry her, goes through the motions of being roommates and living in the same house with her but sleeping in separate rooms. They really did nothing together while they were home and kept a public facade. He's patient and kind and wants a lot more from her than to just be her business partner.
The characters in the book were flat, one-dimensional, the story lacked depth and feeling. There were many situations that could have been awesome and would have made me cry had the story been more developed and the characters more believable and easier to care about. It had a ton of potential, but sadly fell flat.
The idea of this story is great. I loved that. The writing is very good with no errors that I noticed. As I said earlier, the plot needs more development. If the author were to rewrite out three particular scenes which I can't disclose without a spoiler and put some "umph" to them, this would have been a killer book.
I liked the book. I didn't love it, but many will. It's a sweet, clean romance.
July 2, 2017
A cute novel with likeable characters who grew together.
July 23, 2016
This was cute!
I'm sap for this kind of story. I usually don't enjoy contemporary- romances very much, but Marriage of convenience are too cute sometimes and probably only in fiction!
This was enjoyable and it's free on Kindle so you can't lose! And it's clean too.
very cute. I don't feel the need to go to much into detail, because anything i said beyond this point could be spoilers. I will say that it was really nicely written and engaging, also that these characters had depth and you saw their relationship and affections grow. It wasn't a *BAM* sudden love situation.
Have a nice read!
Stay Awesome!
-The Book Herald
Louisa Brannigan has one passion. That's right just one. Chocolates.
She's the CEO of Brannigan chocolates, one of the best and greatest chocolate industries in America.
She would do anything to keep her family's company afloat, even if she has to marry someone she doesn't know to do it.
Justin Reilly is a simple Lawyer at Brannigan, when the CEO approaches him with an outrageous proposal his first inclination is to get the heck out of dodge, but then, he could never resist a damsel in distress!
This is a contract, 3 years only.
Only they didn't expected to like each other so much.
I'm sap for this kind of story. I usually don't enjoy contemporary- romances very much, but Marriage of convenience are too cute sometimes and probably only in fiction!
This was enjoyable and it's free on Kindle so you can't lose! And it's clean too.
very cute. I don't feel the need to go to much into detail, because anything i said beyond this point could be spoilers. I will say that it was really nicely written and engaging, also that these characters had depth and you saw their relationship and affections grow. It wasn't a *BAM* sudden love situation.
Have a nice read!
Stay Awesome!
-The Book Herald
August 16, 2016
My reading is cyclical, as I'm sure is true for many; I read several novels in one genre, and when I'm ready for something new, I move on to a different genre. I have been in a romance phase for a while, and this is by far my favorite, the best contemporary romance novel that I have read in the last couple of years. The characters were realistic and engaging. Justin anyone? Seriously, he was almost as close to perfect as a guy can be. And even though I don't have as many negative experiences as Louisa, I was still able to relate to her insecurities and her reactions to the many situations she was in; as my husband would say, "Maybe it's a woman thing." Haha. Not only were the characters amazing, the plot was well-paced and had several unexpected twists and turns that added more depth and emotion to the story. I read this novel quickly because it was so wonderfully well written, and I wanted to know what happened between Justin and Louisa, but now that I'm done, I wish I would have read a little slower because I'm already missing the characters. There was just a little language here and there, and there was talk about sex throughout the book, but there were no inappropriate details, making this a clean read. What a ride! I will definitely be reading more of Beverly Farr's work.
November 16, 2015
Louisa Brannigan is the heiress apparent to Brannigan's, a premier chocolate company owned by her dying grandfather, Cyrus. But Cyrus is old school and she's not sure he will leave the company to an unmarried woman. He still hasn't forgiven her for divorcing Brian, who was being groomed to take over Brannigan's.
Louisa needs a husband who is loyal to Brannigan's, and Justin Reilly is the only possible choice. He is an attorney with Brannigan's and is surprised at her offer, but agrees to a "corporate marriage" with her. He is attracted to her and as a good attorney is hoping he can convince her to renegotiate terms as she learns to trust him.
I loved Justin... He is so kind and patient as Louisa works through her trust issues with men. I also really liked Louisa... She may come across as a tough corporate type, but she is really vulnerable and is trying to heal from all the wounds her ex-husband Brian gave her. I will definitely be reading more books in this series.
Content: Clean, a few swear words, talk of sex between a couple, but no details
Source: amazon.com
Louisa needs a husband who is loyal to Brannigan's, and Justin Reilly is the only possible choice. He is an attorney with Brannigan's and is surprised at her offer, but agrees to a "corporate marriage" with her. He is attracted to her and as a good attorney is hoping he can convince her to renegotiate terms as she learns to trust him.
I loved Justin... He is so kind and patient as Louisa works through her trust issues with men. I also really liked Louisa... She may come across as a tough corporate type, but she is really vulnerable and is trying to heal from all the wounds her ex-husband Brian gave her. I will definitely be reading more books in this series.
Content: Clean, a few swear words, talk of sex between a couple, but no details
Source: amazon.com
February 14, 2015
This was a marriage of convenience story. As per the usual, convenience turns into something more, slowly but surely. I enjoyed the story overall, but I wish I would have had a bigger emotional connection to the characters. I thought Justin was a kind, and gentle man which is how I like my heroes. :) I thought there was a lot of major events thrown into this book without allowing me to connect to any of them. It's like they were just skimmed over and I wanted more emotional detail and depth. (death, accidents, new babies, bombings, physical abuse, shootings...)
There was swearing and although there was not descriptive sex scenes, there was sexual references and fade to black sex between a married couple.
There was swearing and although there was not descriptive sex scenes, there was sexual references and fade to black sex between a married couple.
September 6, 2016
I appreciated the clean romance, but it was a bit too clean and didn't draw me in (it was lacking emotional drive in the romance department). The characters were not compelling or realistic to me. The one thing I did like was the family dynamic. The crazy "bad guy" was over the top. It was interesting to have a POV of someone with a phobia. It was written ok, but the author didn't believe in the world enough to make it real for the reader. I did like the pacing as well, and I liked her reason to marry for convenience better than other books I have read so far (with a similar premise), but it was still forced/unrealistic overall.
May 12, 2017
The premise was great. The female MC was not likable and the male MC was not believable. The front cover picture is just plain weird as is the ending in baseball metaphors. I will not be reading Love and Chocolate #2.
March 12, 2016
I can't remember the last time I finished a book in one sitting. This was a really fun story that hooked me immediately.
October 10, 2016
Fast interesting read.
September 20, 2021
This is more a 4.5 star book.
I know this is a formulaic love story with a straight forward love story. I know this and I love it. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but you know this one is done really well.
Okay so the 1/2 a star off is because Justin's a little bit of a Marty Stew. It's not bad like every scene he's perfect and can do no wrong, but it happens enough to take the 1/2 star.
So now I'm going to gush and there will probably be spoilers.
So Louisa, do love her because she is a very "typical" CEO. She's limiting her decision by wearing predominantly black, she works hard and tries to make her mark on her granddad's company. She's strong when she needs to be, a little conniving (in a good way), but she also has a soft side and like a lot of issues she's dealing with but it takes time to deal with phycological issues.
I know this is a formulaic love story with a straight forward love story. I know this and I love it. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but you know this one is done really well.
Okay so the 1/2 a star off is because Justin's a little bit of a Marty Stew. It's not bad like every scene he's perfect and can do no wrong, but it happens enough to take the 1/2 star.
So now I'm going to gush and there will probably be spoilers.
So Louisa, do love her because she is a very "typical" CEO. She's limiting her decision by wearing predominantly black, she works hard and tries to make her mark on her granddad's company. She's strong when she needs to be, a little conniving (in a good way), but she also has a soft side and like a lot of issues she's dealing with but it takes time to deal with phycological issues.
November 28, 2018
4.5 stars
I loved this book! It was kind of low key, but it was never slow, dull or redundant. What I really appreciated was how the author took a popular though not particularly believable romance trope and had it happen & the characters behaving in fairly believable ways.
Except Justin - he was unbelievably patient and just too perfect. That said, he's now one of my favorite heroes, he was totally swoony, and I'd like to know where I can get one!
I'm so happy to see that it's the beginning of a series!
Clean romance level:
Discussions of sex between the hero and heroine but with no details or graphic descriptions (nothing that would scandalize), a few passionate kisses
I loved this book! It was kind of low key, but it was never slow, dull or redundant. What I really appreciated was how the author took a popular though not particularly believable romance trope and had it happen & the characters behaving in fairly believable ways.
Except Justin - he was unbelievably patient and just too perfect. That said, he's now one of my favorite heroes, he was totally swoony, and I'd like to know where I can get one!
I'm so happy to see that it's the beginning of a series!
Clean romance level:
Discussions of sex between the hero and heroine but with no details or graphic descriptions (nothing that would scandalize), a few passionate kisses
June 5, 2024
Truly delightful. Highly recommended.
Louisa and Justin were well drawn characters who were easy to like and cheer for. Beverly kept the story moving with unexpected happenings - good and bad - to come to a very satisfying conclusion.
The writing began with a lot of telling, but soon became stronger and the story flowed so well that it was hard to put down.
There were no sex scenes or foul language which made a tremendous difference to my enjoyment. No mentally changing words or skipping pages.
Thank you, Beverly. I'm looking forward to reading more of your books.
Louisa and Justin were well drawn characters who were easy to like and cheer for. Beverly kept the story moving with unexpected happenings - good and bad - to come to a very satisfying conclusion.
The writing began with a lot of telling, but soon became stronger and the story flowed so well that it was hard to put down.
There were no sex scenes or foul language which made a tremendous difference to my enjoyment. No mentally changing words or skipping pages.
Thank you, Beverly. I'm looking forward to reading more of your books.
August 10, 2017
Okay...
The story started off very interesting and enjoyable but later on it started to loose spark and was just okay. There was just a lot of jumps in time that made it seem like the author was rushing to finish the story. It felt like some details were missing and instead of having someome tell us a complete story we were getting only fast forward pieces to speed it up and get to the end. At least this had a happy ending I guess.
The story started off very interesting and enjoyable but later on it started to loose spark and was just okay. There was just a lot of jumps in time that made it seem like the author was rushing to finish the story. It felt like some details were missing and instead of having someome tell us a complete story we were getting only fast forward pieces to speed it up and get to the end. At least this had a happy ending I guess.
November 4, 2018
Loved this book
Interesting take on a love story. Louisa had such a horrible experience with her first marriage she had PTSD. Fortunately, she had to make an arranged temporary marriage so her grandfather would leave the majority shares of the chocolate company to her brother and Louisa. So many twists and turns, but true love wins in the end. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!
Interesting take on a love story. Louisa had such a horrible experience with her first marriage she had PTSD. Fortunately, she had to make an arranged temporary marriage so her grandfather would leave the majority shares of the chocolate company to her brother and Louisa. So many twists and turns, but true love wins in the end. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!
November 9, 2018
Really sweet
What an AMAZING story! I couldn't put it down until I finished the whole story. The plot was good and not exactly predictable. It was a believable story. I really enjoyed the growth to love and overcoming of fears. I couldn't get enough! Rge only thing I didn't like were the sad parts, but that is part of life! It helped male this a believable story. I look forward to reading more from this author!
What an AMAZING story! I couldn't put it down until I finished the whole story. The plot was good and not exactly predictable. It was a believable story. I really enjoyed the growth to love and overcoming of fears. I couldn't get enough! Rge only thing I didn't like were the sad parts, but that is part of life! It helped male this a believable story. I look forward to reading more from this author!
October 3, 2021
Slow burn
The pacing is crap. But it shows that love and life aren't fast paced projects that they're a result of all the days combined. I liked Justin but he's a non-entity. I like strong with strong. Louisa was a witch and instead of staying that way but becoming more self aware she slid into nothing status with him. Like if you can't be caustic then the only other option is to be inoffensive.
The pacing is crap. But it shows that love and life aren't fast paced projects that they're a result of all the days combined. I liked Justin but he's a non-entity. I like strong with strong. Louisa was a witch and instead of staying that way but becoming more self aware she slid into nothing status with him. Like if you can't be caustic then the only other option is to be inoffensive.
November 12, 2018
Potential
A decent read. Would have liked it a lot more if the author has opted to share more about "Brian" his abuse of his wife, his response to the divorce etc. It wasn't a big reveal that he was responsible for the car accident or condo destruction so why not build suspense knowing he is coming? Just seemed like there were holes in the story to me.
A decent read. Would have liked it a lot more if the author has opted to share more about "Brian" his abuse of his wife, his response to the divorce etc. It wasn't a big reveal that he was responsible for the car accident or condo destruction so why not build suspense knowing he is coming? Just seemed like there were holes in the story to me.
December 7, 2018
I have read this book several times over the years and I love it. It's a very clean read and also very enjoyable with likable characters.
There's a lot of emotion in this book and yes, there is a sad part, so bring tissues, but that just makes the story all the more real.
I can't wait to get the other books in this series.
There's a lot of emotion in this book and yes, there is a sad part, so bring tissues, but that just makes the story all the more real.
I can't wait to get the other books in this series.
January 3, 2017
Fun read
This was a fun read with just enough suspense to keep it interesting. The character development was great. The plot was well developed with some unexpected turns. I lived that it was clean and romantic.
This was a fun read with just enough suspense to keep it interesting. The character development was great. The plot was well developed with some unexpected turns. I lived that it was clean and romantic.
May 17, 2017
This is a nice book with a role reversal about the work-aholic female and a male logically selected to pose as her husband. Running off to a B&B in the middle of nowhere is very familiar to an other story as the reconcilliation device.
January 18, 2019
Crazy
I've heard of people doing all kinds of crazy things in the name of their business but this story almost takes the cake. Hang in there cause it gets so intense you won't stay seated.
I've heard of people doing all kinds of crazy things in the name of their business but this story almost takes the cake. Hang in there cause it gets so intense you won't stay seated.
May 10, 2019
I loved this book so much!! The character development was great, giving a little mystery to the character and revealing just enough at just the right time to keep the reader drawn in. I fell in love with Justin. The twist at the end was genius! I would love to see this book turned into a movie!
December 9, 2022
this left a smile on my face
I must have enjoyed this short read, as I smiled, teared up a bit, was concerned and was left smiling at the end. There was talk of sex, not crudely and with no bad language at all, it’s a good read anyone can enjoy. Great plot, nothing too taxing.
I must have enjoyed this short read, as I smiled, teared up a bit, was concerned and was left smiling at the end. There was talk of sex, not crudely and with no bad language at all, it’s a good read anyone can enjoy. Great plot, nothing too taxing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews