What do you think?
Rate this book
The Pryce Family #1
The Billionaire's Counterfeit Girlfriend
Curvaceous beauty Hilary Rosenberg doesn't believe in love. She only goes out with nice guys who won't expect passionate romance--until a notorious womanizer demands she repay a favor with four weeks of counterfeit dates.
Billionaire playboy Mark Pryce doesn't do relationships. In fact, he's never been with the same woman for more than three months. But when his matchmaking mother tries to sabotage his bachelorhood, he needs a stand-in girlfriend. Luckily, Hilary owes him big time. But as they start to spend more time together, he finds himself wanting to break his first rule: never get too close...
NOTE: Previously published as Four Weeks Till Forever.
Billionaire playboy Mark Pryce doesn't do relationships. In fact, he's never been with the same woman for more than three months. But when his matchmaking mother tries to sabotage his bachelorhood, he needs a stand-in girlfriend. Luckily, Hilary owes him big time. But as they start to spend more time together, he finds himself wanting to break his first rule: never get too close...
NOTE: Previously published as Four Weeks Till Forever.
302 pages, ebook
First published July 16, 2014
2371 people are currently reading
3218 people want to read
About the author
Nadia Lee
75 books2,814 followersBilingual former management consultant Nadia Lee has lived in four different countries and enjoyed many adventures and excellent food around the globe. In the last eight years, she has kissed stingrays, got bitten by a shark, and petted tigers.
She shares an apartment overlooking a river and palm trees in Japan with her husband, winter white hamsters and an ever-widening pile of books. When she's not writing, she can be found digging through old Asian historical texts or planning another trip.
Visit Nadia on her website or her blog. You can also say hello on Facebook or Twitter.
She shares an apartment overlooking a river and palm trees in Japan with her husband, winter white hamsters and an ever-widening pile of books. When she's not writing, she can be found digging through old Asian historical texts or planning another trip.
Visit Nadia on her website or her blog. You can also say hello on Facebook or Twitter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
August 3, 2016
What an outstandingly stupid story. Writing tedious junk like this and calling yourself an author is like making something from a box that said Betty Crocker on it and calling yourself a pastry chef, what with the formulaic/cookie-cutter plot that a computer could write.
***SPOILERS AHEAD ETC ETC***
Meet the characters:
Mark - generic romance novel billionaire. Why authors think a fancy credit card is the most appealing thing possible about a man and negates the need to actually give him a personality, I will never understand. Oh, and that old favourite - he's super troubled because his dad is a womaniser. Haven't heard that one before. His mother's a manipulative bitch and I don't give a shit that she's been made that way because of his father's behaviour. (Uh, no, love - no one forced you to stay for the money).
Hilary - marginally less generic heroine. Curvy and 'not ashamed' but also spends a lot of time being insecure about it. Also troubled and low sense of self-worth, obviously. I say less generic in that there's a less typical reason for her insecurity - her mother and aunt were in some kind of ménage relationship and she and her crazy-ass cousin are also half-sisters. I'm not even going to bother to detail the sheer amount of roadblocks this allows for en route to true love. Oh, and she still lives in the family home which makes no sense whatsoever.
The roadblocks: general shitty self esteem and sense of not being good enough from both. Crazy cousin wandering around hiring actresses and trying to arrange threesomes left, right and centre. Crazy mother "protecting" her darling son. The usual asking-for-it misunderstandings. Mark - why let your lesbian friend hang all over you at a bar? It's obvious Hilary's going to see pictures.
But it's all ok, because they both decide just to get over their issues and Mark pulls some really ostentatious flashy crap - taking over radio stations, billboards (speaking of, “I especially like the way they use the sides of the buildings as ad displays everywhere. There’s nothing like that in…” is a terrible segue Ms Lee. It makes Amandine sound like she's slow. Oh my god, they advertise on the sides of buildings?!?! No way!!), skywriting "Mark and Hilary 4ever (I may or may not have been less irritated by this had it said forever) and so on and wins fair maiden's hand in marriage. When they've only been fake dating for like a month. Like I said, outstandingly stupid.
I would just like to say three things to romance novelists everywhere:
1) If you can't come up with something original then for the love of god, please pick a different career.
2) Money and flashy gestures are not romantic. Being a billionaire and buying your wife "a pink private jet" is not romantic. I'm sure a lot of problems go away if you throw money at them but love is not something to be solved.
3) Couples that have not been together long should not be getting married, in real life or in books. It's not sweet; it's a divorce waiting to happen.
***SPOILERS AHEAD ETC ETC***
Meet the characters:
Mark - generic romance novel billionaire. Why authors think a fancy credit card is the most appealing thing possible about a man and negates the need to actually give him a personality, I will never understand. Oh, and that old favourite - he's super troubled because his dad is a womaniser. Haven't heard that one before. His mother's a manipulative bitch and I don't give a shit that she's been made that way because of his father's behaviour. (Uh, no, love - no one forced you to stay for the money).
Hilary - marginally less generic heroine. Curvy and 'not ashamed' but also spends a lot of time being insecure about it. Also troubled and low sense of self-worth, obviously. I say less generic in that there's a less typical reason for her insecurity - her mother and aunt were in some kind of ménage relationship and she and her crazy-ass cousin are also half-sisters. I'm not even going to bother to detail the sheer amount of roadblocks this allows for en route to true love. Oh, and she still lives in the family home which makes no sense whatsoever.
The roadblocks: general shitty self esteem and sense of not being good enough from both. Crazy cousin wandering around hiring actresses and trying to arrange threesomes left, right and centre. Crazy mother "protecting" her darling son. The usual asking-for-it misunderstandings. Mark - why let your lesbian friend hang all over you at a bar? It's obvious Hilary's going to see pictures.
But it's all ok, because they both decide just to get over their issues and Mark pulls some really ostentatious flashy crap - taking over radio stations, billboards (speaking of, “I especially like the way they use the sides of the buildings as ad displays everywhere. There’s nothing like that in…” is a terrible segue Ms Lee. It makes Amandine sound like she's slow. Oh my god, they advertise on the sides of buildings?!?! No way!!), skywriting "Mark and Hilary 4ever (I may or may not have been less irritated by this had it said forever) and so on and wins fair maiden's hand in marriage. When they've only been fake dating for like a month. Like I said, outstandingly stupid.
I would just like to say three things to romance novelists everywhere:
1) If you can't come up with something original then for the love of god, please pick a different career.
2) Money and flashy gestures are not romantic. Being a billionaire and buying your wife "a pink private jet" is not romantic. I'm sure a lot of problems go away if you throw money at them but love is not something to be solved.
3) Couples that have not been together long should not be getting married, in real life or in books. It's not sweet; it's a divorce waiting to happen.
March 31, 2020
Most definitely started this series out of order. No regrets either.
Four Weeks Till Forever was really cute. One, I loved Hilary and Mark. Two, those twig bitches who were making fun of how 'curvy' Hilary was in the bathroom are god awful. Three, I definitely need coffee before I fall asleep while trying to read books today.
Last one was completely random but hot damn - I need coffee people!
Back to the book, I loved these two together. Since I already knew that they were a couple because I went rogue without realizing it - I was still excited to read about their relationship. Heck, I'm excited for all of them to fall in love until I'm all caught up. So, yeah, I enjoyed the crap out of these two and thought everything was completely adorable.
On to the next book people!
Four Weeks Till Forever was really cute. One, I loved Hilary and Mark. Two, those twig bitches who were making fun of how 'curvy' Hilary was in the bathroom are god awful. Three, I definitely need coffee before I fall asleep while trying to read books today.
Last one was completely random but hot damn - I need coffee people!
Back to the book, I loved these two together. Since I already knew that they were a couple because I went rogue without realizing it - I was still excited to read about their relationship. Heck, I'm excited for all of them to fall in love until I'm all caught up. So, yeah, I enjoyed the crap out of these two and thought everything was completely adorable.
On to the next book people!
February 28, 2016
ARC received for review
2.5 stars
New Year's Resolution - make a dent in the old ARC pile
Meh. That's really all I can say. It was just okay. Nothing extra, just meh.
2.5 stars
New Year's Resolution - make a dent in the old ARC pile
Meh. That's really all I can say. It was just okay. Nothing extra, just meh.
January 10, 2023
Romance isn't dead
I loved this story about a billionaire play boy falling in love with a regular woman. He was kind of a pig with woman before the story started but he changed and he convinced me he loved her multiple times. She had a terrible family and a sordid backstory for them. They were trailer trash for sure. She rose above it though and made something out of her life. His Mother was a terrible person, but she had a sad back story too. His Father was a pig too. The ending was the ultimate romance ending. He pulled out all the stops.
I loved this story about a billionaire play boy falling in love with a regular woman. He was kind of a pig with woman before the story started but he changed and he convinced me he loved her multiple times. She had a terrible family and a sordid backstory for them. They were trailer trash for sure. She rose above it though and made something out of her life. His Mother was a terrible person, but she had a sad back story too. His Father was a pig too. The ending was the ultimate romance ending. He pulled out all the stops.
August 7, 2015
3.5 Stars
This was a nice read. The heroine comes from a family that I can only describe as people you would see on Jerry Springer. However, the heroine is nothing like her family and wants to make something of herself and not be seen as "white trash". Great characters, great hero. I do love a man who pines. *wink* The story moved at a nice pace. My only complaint was that the author pointed out the heroine's curves and hourglass figure every other page. I got it the first time what the heroine looked like. I do not need it repeated 50 times!!! I would like to read the brother's, Iain's, story, but not sure it is worth $4.99.
Multiple POVs which worked for this story.
This was a nice read. The heroine comes from a family that I can only describe as people you would see on Jerry Springer. However, the heroine is nothing like her family and wants to make something of herself and not be seen as "white trash". Great characters, great hero. I do love a man who pines. *wink* The story moved at a nice pace. My only complaint was that the author pointed out the heroine's curves and hourglass figure every other page. I got it the first time what the heroine looked like. I do not need it repeated 50 times!!! I would like to read the brother's, Iain's, story, but not sure it is worth $4.99.
Multiple POVs which worked for this story.
July 24, 2017
Nothing held my interest, so I found this book on my Kindle and the story despite predictable hooked my attention.
Our heroine with a family full of problems and a mother who died of a drug overdose attempts a better life for her and that is different than her family chose.
Hero despite lots of money has a family completely fucked up and full of problems.
She is not one of the Barbie dolls that he's used to date. He is a playboy and womanizer who's not dating the same woman more than 3 months.
Two different people but which complement each other despite the expectation that the relationship has an expiration date.
I was curious about the hero's brothers.
Our heroine with a family full of problems and a mother who died of a drug overdose attempts a better life for her and that is different than her family chose.
Hero despite lots of money has a family completely fucked up and full of problems.
She is not one of the Barbie dolls that he's used to date. He is a playboy and womanizer who's not dating the same woman more than 3 months.
Two different people but which complement each other despite the expectation that the relationship has an expiration date.
I was curious about the hero's brothers.
March 15, 2015
I don't think either Hilary or Mark realise the extent that the life they are both living is a direct result of their parents. Hilary's mother lost herself over a man and added to the sordid family history and Hilary is determined not to repeat her mother's mistake, she has a great job and works incredibly hard, she's dating a nice steady doctor and while some might think of him as boring Hilary thinks of him as safe. Mark grew up in a family where his father had all the power and all the women he wanted whenever he wanted despite the fact that he had a wife and ultimately five children at home he never slowed, under these conditions his marriage never stood a chance and living this life changed his mother from the loving and caring woman he knew to someone else.
Marks mother is determined that the same fate won't befall her children so she's trying to push them into relationships she thinks will be suitable for them, starting with Mark and this is the reason why Mark wants Hilary to pretend to be his girlfriend for his family's 4th July bash.
What follows is entertaining if a little far-fetched and silly at times but since it's a romance and I wanted these two to find their HEA I just went with it, this is the start of a new series and while I wont go out of my way to read the others is the next one turns up free at some point I might give it a try.
July 23, 2014
My Rating:
4.5
Favorite Quote:
“God must’ve been in a really good mood when Mark had been conceived. Grossly unfair, but such was life.”
My Review:
I adore Nadia Lee’s books. She almost makes me believe that rich men can be adorable, and can be capable of indulging and loving women that are independent, less than perfect, and not of their social class. And of course they are all successful, well educated, handsome, well endowed, toned, and talented in bed. Alas, I think we need to change the genre to science fiction or fantasy, as that is not at all what occurs in the real world – but that is why we read books is it not? Ms. Lee delivers beautiful visuals, as if a movie reel is running in my head. Her writing is also emotive, I feel their embarrassment, humiliation, as well as their elation and relief. Only one steamy sex scene in this novel – shucks. But there is plenty of drama and disappointments for our heroine, whose crazy family history makes my own seem much rosier in comparison. As always, I look forward to more of the story and will be anxiously awaiting her next book in the series, yet thankfully, no cliffhangers - as each can stand alone.
4.5
Favorite Quote:
“God must’ve been in a really good mood when Mark had been conceived. Grossly unfair, but such was life.”
My Review:
I adore Nadia Lee’s books. She almost makes me believe that rich men can be adorable, and can be capable of indulging and loving women that are independent, less than perfect, and not of their social class. And of course they are all successful, well educated, handsome, well endowed, toned, and talented in bed. Alas, I think we need to change the genre to science fiction or fantasy, as that is not at all what occurs in the real world – but that is why we read books is it not? Ms. Lee delivers beautiful visuals, as if a movie reel is running in my head. Her writing is also emotive, I feel their embarrassment, humiliation, as well as their elation and relief. Only one steamy sex scene in this novel – shucks. But there is plenty of drama and disappointments for our heroine, whose crazy family history makes my own seem much rosier in comparison. As always, I look forward to more of the story and will be anxiously awaiting her next book in the series, yet thankfully, no cliffhangers - as each can stand alone.
November 19, 2023
1.5 very generously rounded up to 2 stars
This book had a lot of potential but it was somehow buried under a lot of dumb and unnecessary drama, mind-numbing stupidity of all characters, lack of any depth or maturity. Plus, when it comes to the story line, I think I can say with total confidence that me growing ear wings and flying like Dumbo is a more realistic idea than what actually happened in this book.
So, yeah, that wasn't my cuppa.
Maybe I'll try sth else from this author because I loved the idea but the execution was waaay below meh. Like I said, a lot of wasted potential.
This book had a lot of potential but it was somehow buried under a lot of dumb and unnecessary drama, mind-numbing stupidity of all characters, lack of any depth or maturity. Plus, when it comes to the story line, I think I can say with total confidence that me growing ear wings and flying like Dumbo is a more realistic idea than what actually happened in this book.
So, yeah, that wasn't my cuppa.
Maybe I'll try sth else from this author because I loved the idea but the execution was waaay below meh. Like I said, a lot of wasted potential.
September 12, 2017
First in The Pryce Family romance series about a billionaire family and their friends.
This was part of a bulk freebie package for which I cannot find the original email.
My Take
Oh, this was a sweet one, and Lee did a good job of making Mark's desire for Hilary realistic. It was interesting to see that both Mark and Hilary had the same hangup about what they inherited from their respective families. And in both cases, there was one big bad apple!
My only niggle in this story was that there wasn't much show. And I want to go on reading more of The Pryce Family stories and more of Lee's writings.
This was part of a bulk freebie package for which I cannot find the original email.
My Take
Oh, this was a sweet one, and Lee did a good job of making Mark's desire for Hilary realistic. It was interesting to see that both Mark and Hilary had the same hangup about what they inherited from their respective families. And in both cases, there was one big bad apple!
My only niggle in this story was that there wasn't much show. And I want to go on reading more of The Pryce Family stories and more of Lee's writings.
March 22, 2017
This book was well written enough, but it needed some more development. If I was rating it based on my expectations, then it would receive a higher rating since I wasn't expecting much. This is the run of the mill billionaire story. You have a commitment phobic H. Then there's the fesity, curvaceous and so-not-his-type h. He wants to avoid being set up with someone he doesn't like or worse yet, is indifferent to, so he convinces the h to be his fake girlfriend.
As I've stated in other reviews, I don't mind cliche stories as long as they're well written. What I can't stand is sap or cheesiness. Suffice it to say that I was surprised by how much I liked the writing. There was nothing new in this book, but I found the writing very engaging. The MCs were surprisingly well developed. I was sad for how they both grew up. I was also pleasantly surprised at how the H realized there were consequences for his past history with women. Yet, the development of the MCs' relationship needed work. He said that he'd been interested in her for a year? That sentiment should have showed more.
What I liked:
1) The writing. It was funny, heart wrenching at times, and engaging.
2) The h was a strong character. She wasn't socially stunted or awkward. She was a kind person trying to transcend her upbringing.
3) The H wasn't always a good guy, but he worked hard at becoming better.
4) This book wasn't filled with sex scenes and that made the few there were much more meaningful.
5) The drama in this book was purposeful, either at revealing the MCs' pasts, or at inciting necessary action that moved the story along.
6) There were consequences to the way the H treated women in the past. Granted, having a surprise baby with a former girlfriend would probably have been even more realistic, but understandably not very romantic. I do like how the h didn't throw his past in his face, but rather brought it up as a very real concern. The fact that his reputation made him dismayed was all the more endearing.
What I didn't like:
1) No epilogue.
2) There needed to be more relationship development. Maybe I prefer the whole friends to lovers stories too much.
As I've stated in other reviews, I don't mind cliche stories as long as they're well written. What I can't stand is sap or cheesiness. Suffice it to say that I was surprised by how much I liked the writing. There was nothing new in this book, but I found the writing very engaging. The MCs were surprisingly well developed. I was sad for how they both grew up. I was also pleasantly surprised at how the H realized there were consequences for his past history with women. Yet, the development of the MCs' relationship needed work. He said that he'd been interested in her for a year? That sentiment should have showed more.
What I liked:
1) The writing. It was funny, heart wrenching at times, and engaging.
2) The h was a strong character. She wasn't socially stunted or awkward. She was a kind person trying to transcend her upbringing.
3) The H wasn't always a good guy, but he worked hard at becoming better.
4) This book wasn't filled with sex scenes and that made the few there were much more meaningful.
5) The drama in this book was purposeful, either at revealing the MCs' pasts, or at inciting necessary action that moved the story along.
6) There were consequences to the way the H treated women in the past. Granted, having a surprise baby with a former girlfriend would probably have been even more realistic, but understandably not very romantic. I do like how the h didn't throw his past in his face, but rather brought it up as a very real concern. The fact that his reputation made him dismayed was all the more endearing.
What I didn't like:
1) No epilogue.
2) There needed to be more relationship development. Maybe I prefer the whole friends to lovers stories too much.
December 6, 2014
This is the first book I've read by Nadia Lee, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I got an advanced copy of Four Weeks Till Forever, but the title was changed to The Billionaire's Counterfeit Girlfriend after. The title change was a good thing because it matched the premise of the book much better. Mark Pryce needs a date to his family's Fourth of July picnic because he doesn't want to be set up by his mom. Hilary Rosenberg, his best friend's administrative assistant, is the perfect choice. She knows all about his reputation as a playboy and won't get attached. Hilary doesn't believe in love. She came from a messed up family, where her father slept with her mom and her aunt and got them both pregnant at the same time. Hilary has worked hard to get herself away from the reputation of being a Rosenberg girl and the wild things that they are known for. Mark doesn't know about Hilary's past and she wants to keep it that way, but the past has a way of coming out. Neither Mark nor Hilary expect to want more than the month they had planned, but they both end up wanting more, even if Hilary doesn't believe Mark when he says he does. My favorite part of the story was how Mark went about proving to Hilary that he is serious about her and she's not one of his Quarterly Girls. The book was long enough to be satisfying, but not so long that it felt forced. I give this book a solid 4 stars and can't wait to read more from Nadia Lee.
March 19, 2018
Hilary Rosenberg and Mark Pryce come from families whose members would feel right at home as guests on shows like Jerry Springer.
Hilary is of course from the poor side of town and would be considered white trash for lack of a better choice of phrase. Having worked hard to leave her embarrassing past behind she has spent later years presenting herself in a respectable manner, down to her choice of men to date. Men who have no power to hurt her as they are basically a way to kill time rather than fall deeply in love with.
Mark on the other hand comes from money, has billions earned on his own merit and should have had what some would consider a wonderful life. Mark has it all, expensive cars, great place to live, successful business ventures and a new woman on his arm every three months like clockwork. All that and more is at his fingertips and somehow life is still hollow, whether he realizes it or not.
These two run in the same social circles at times as Hilary is the executive assistant to his best friend and accompanies he and his wife to many functions as needed. Mark is there at events as a man with the golden checkbook, giving large donations to charities and making business connections at the same time.
Two people who come from very different worlds find themselves ending up being very similar in their need for the kind of affection, caring and love that was never given when they were growing up.
A contemporary romance about two opposites who find their HEA together after many false starts and stops along the way to it.
Hilary is of course from the poor side of town and would be considered white trash for lack of a better choice of phrase. Having worked hard to leave her embarrassing past behind she has spent later years presenting herself in a respectable manner, down to her choice of men to date. Men who have no power to hurt her as they are basically a way to kill time rather than fall deeply in love with.
Mark on the other hand comes from money, has billions earned on his own merit and should have had what some would consider a wonderful life. Mark has it all, expensive cars, great place to live, successful business ventures and a new woman on his arm every three months like clockwork. All that and more is at his fingertips and somehow life is still hollow, whether he realizes it or not.
These two run in the same social circles at times as Hilary is the executive assistant to his best friend and accompanies he and his wife to many functions as needed. Mark is there at events as a man with the golden checkbook, giving large donations to charities and making business connections at the same time.
Two people who come from very different worlds find themselves ending up being very similar in their need for the kind of affection, caring and love that was never given when they were growing up.
A contemporary romance about two opposites who find their HEA together after many false starts and stops along the way to it.
August 10, 2018
I thought the billionaires counterfeit girlfriend was a drama-filled book with a love triangle in it and overall I loved the book.
January 4, 2019
sweet
April 5, 2022
Great romance!
Nice twist with the horrible family she is desperately escapes…
But can she trust him?
Especially after her cousin tries to destroy her job and relationship by revealing bad choices made in her youth….
But he realises that he had been waiting for her …
And although he has a reputation for serial dating ‘Quarterly girls’, she is the one he thinks of all the time.
He has some extraordinary ways of showing her that she is the one for him.
Nice twist with the horrible family she is desperately escapes…
But can she trust him?
Especially after her cousin tries to destroy her job and relationship by revealing bad choices made in her youth….
But he realises that he had been waiting for her …
And although he has a reputation for serial dating ‘Quarterly girls’, she is the one he thinks of all the time.
He has some extraordinary ways of showing her that she is the one for him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2015
The Billionaire’s Counterfeit Girlfriend is a mildly entertaining romance between Hilary Rosenberg, a curvy woman with an interesting past, and Mark Pryce, a billionaire with relationship issues. Mark is known for leaving all of his girlfriends before three months are up, earning them the nickname “Quarterly Girls.” Hilary has relationship issues stemming from her parents’ sordid history and a cousin who is also her half-sister. She tries to play it safe in love and take the sure bet so she won’t end up like her mother, aunt or sister/cousin, but someone is working against her and ruining what little happiness she does find.
Mark sets out to halt his mother’s attempts of matching him with an appropriate heiress by bringing Hilary to a family party. Hilary reluctantly agrees, not realizing she’d need to spend so much time with Mark prior to the event so they could pull off a realistic relationship. As it turns out, Mark has had his eye on Hilary for some time, but it doesn’t matter much since he never stays with one woman for long.
The relationship between the couple is interesting as they each fight their own battles with love, but there are some pieces of the story that made it a little unbelievable—well, a little more unbelievable than the plot already is. To start, there is supposedly a month between when Mark asks Hilary to go to the party and the actual date of the party, yet within the story, it seems like the party just arrives with no warning. I would have expected Hilary to be worried about how Mark will break up with her once the party is over, but suddenly the day has arrived and she hasn’t really addressed that issue.
Also, the relationships between all of the characters is strange. Hilary works for Mark’s best friend; she’s friendly with Mark’s father’s assistant; her best friend is a stylist and works with Mark’s sister. It’s all a little too convenient.
And then there’s Hilary’s past. Her mother and aunt had a relationship with the same man and both got pregnant at the same time, resulting in Hilary and her cousin/half-sister Bebe. Somehow, this comes to define Hilary and all of her relationships going forward. Bebe’s wild side ends up sabotaging relationships for Hilary on more than one occasion. Although Hilary’s family life is quite convoluted, it felt like the author was constantly banging the issue into the reader’s head instead of trusting we’d remember the situation from one page to the next.
I was pleased when Hilary didn’t immediately take Mark back when their relationship came to a head, however overall the story wrapped up too quickly. I didn’t quite understand how Hilary went from “I don’t trust you’ll stick around but I’ll come hear you out over dinner” to “yes, I’ll marry you.”
Overall, it was a relatively enjoyable read once I suspended disbelief.
Mark sets out to halt his mother’s attempts of matching him with an appropriate heiress by bringing Hilary to a family party. Hilary reluctantly agrees, not realizing she’d need to spend so much time with Mark prior to the event so they could pull off a realistic relationship. As it turns out, Mark has had his eye on Hilary for some time, but it doesn’t matter much since he never stays with one woman for long.
The relationship between the couple is interesting as they each fight their own battles with love, but there are some pieces of the story that made it a little unbelievable—well, a little more unbelievable than the plot already is. To start, there is supposedly a month between when Mark asks Hilary to go to the party and the actual date of the party, yet within the story, it seems like the party just arrives with no warning. I would have expected Hilary to be worried about how Mark will break up with her once the party is over, but suddenly the day has arrived and she hasn’t really addressed that issue.
Also, the relationships between all of the characters is strange. Hilary works for Mark’s best friend; she’s friendly with Mark’s father’s assistant; her best friend is a stylist and works with Mark’s sister. It’s all a little too convenient.
And then there’s Hilary’s past. Her mother and aunt had a relationship with the same man and both got pregnant at the same time, resulting in Hilary and her cousin/half-sister Bebe. Somehow, this comes to define Hilary and all of her relationships going forward. Bebe’s wild side ends up sabotaging relationships for Hilary on more than one occasion. Although Hilary’s family life is quite convoluted, it felt like the author was constantly banging the issue into the reader’s head instead of trusting we’d remember the situation from one page to the next.
I was pleased when Hilary didn’t immediately take Mark back when their relationship came to a head, however overall the story wrapped up too quickly. I didn’t quite understand how Hilary went from “I don’t trust you’ll stick around but I’ll come hear you out over dinner” to “yes, I’ll marry you.”
Overall, it was a relatively enjoyable read once I suspended disbelief.
May 22, 2015
Hilary Rosenberg has risen from her really messed up childhood background and has worked hard to make something of herself. Currently, she works as an executive assistant to a top executive, Gavin. Gavin's best friend, Mark Pryce, has had his eye on Hilary, she isn't exactly "his type" so he's dated other women whom he knows he won't have too deep feelings for. His reputation tells everyone he's a playboy and even the women he has dated are dubbed the Quarterly Girls as that is usually as long as he stays with someone.
Now Mark is being hounded (again) by his mother. She wants him to become involved with a girl of her choosing and he has no interest AT ALL. Before the annual family summer barbeque, Mark convinces Hilary that he needs a date to this event and they have a month to look like they are involved with each other.
Throughout the course of the month, many things happen including Mark's mom warning Hilary off, Hilary's boyfriend's "deception" regarding he was actually engaged, the return of Hilary's self-destructive half-sister/cousin, Bebe, and more. How Hilary survives this stress, well... actually she ends up stressed and collapses at work. Gavin insists that she take a few days off and when Mark learns of this, Mark insists on being the person to help Hilary out while she recovers.
All secrets come out in the end and it tears Hilary and Mark apart. They both have fallen in love, but there are a lot of hurdles to jump over for them to see what is in front of them.
Yes, a typical "I can see what is coming before it is written down" contemporary romance. However, the author did keep the writing light and interesting and for an inbetween book, I enjoyed it more that I thought I would.
Now Mark is being hounded (again) by his mother. She wants him to become involved with a girl of her choosing and he has no interest AT ALL. Before the annual family summer barbeque, Mark convinces Hilary that he needs a date to this event and they have a month to look like they are involved with each other.
Throughout the course of the month, many things happen including Mark's mom warning Hilary off, Hilary's boyfriend's "deception" regarding he was actually engaged, the return of Hilary's self-destructive half-sister/cousin, Bebe, and more. How Hilary survives this stress, well... actually she ends up stressed and collapses at work. Gavin insists that she take a few days off and when Mark learns of this, Mark insists on being the person to help Hilary out while she recovers.
All secrets come out in the end and it tears Hilary and Mark apart. They both have fallen in love, but there are a lot of hurdles to jump over for them to see what is in front of them.
Yes, a typical "I can see what is coming before it is written down" contemporary romance. However, the author did keep the writing light and interesting and for an inbetween book, I enjoyed it more that I thought I would.
March 28, 2017
Okay and pretty generic. The end is a bit of a cop-out (billionaire makes grand gestures but they never, you know, talk about their problem). But I enjoyed it. I don't know why.
August 10, 2016
Mark is renown playboy, getting a rep for his 'quarterly women'. His stick thin, false boob, boring women soon get boring for him and he just moves on to the next one. Hilary wants security, a man in a good job, who cares if that man isn't exciting? You don't need you heart to go boom or your body to crave the love of another to be happy...... or so she tells herself. To separate herself from her past, from her family reputation, she can't have anything to do with Mark, he's no good for her and she's no good for him and plenty of interfering busy bodies make sure they know that.
Mark tells himself that he's ok with his parents relationship but when it's pointed out he is his father's son he doesn't like the assumption, however, he doesn't think he can be anymore than that. He's not made for love and any woman who was with him would eventually change just like his mum did with his dad. After a few home truths and some heartbreak Mark's attempts to prove himself to Hilary and the way he goes about it is imaginative and would have wooed me!
So, two misguided souls looking for the complete opposite of each other, throw in meddling mothers, harassing half sisters and a handful of bad luck and you have a great read. I'm a sucker for billionaire alpha HEA books and Nadia Lee writes them excellently.
Mark tells himself that he's ok with his parents relationship but when it's pointed out he is his father's son he doesn't like the assumption, however, he doesn't think he can be anymore than that. He's not made for love and any woman who was with him would eventually change just like his mum did with his dad. After a few home truths and some heartbreak Mark's attempts to prove himself to Hilary and the way he goes about it is imaginative and would have wooed me!
So, two misguided souls looking for the complete opposite of each other, throw in meddling mothers, harassing half sisters and a handful of bad luck and you have a great read. I'm a sucker for billionaire alpha HEA books and Nadia Lee writes them excellently.
November 30, 2014
I did not like this book exactly as much as the previous I read.
In this specific book, I was put off by two things. First the heroine was extremely successful on a professional plan - being a successful and very demanded executive assistant. And she succeeded there, despite her family environment. However toxic and detrimental to her well-being and self-confidence her family environment was, she not only never really cut the bridge but moreover still lived with her aunt. Hilary was 37-38 years old and considering both her career and the described environment, I never could buy it. I would have accepted that she chose to live nearby and went to visit more or less daily her aunt, but not the sharing a house and being settled in her former cousin's bedroom.
The hero on the other hand seemed a bit too much like a caricature of playboy millionaire with his never longer than 3 months affairs.
Those 2 characteristics in my opinion significantly undermined the real potential those characters had and all the qualities the book had. As usual, it was solidly and nicely written. The plot was realistic and well-managed.
A bit of a disappointment as I did not expect such contextual flaws from this author.
In this specific book, I was put off by two things. First the heroine was extremely successful on a professional plan - being a successful and very demanded executive assistant. And she succeeded there, despite her family environment. However toxic and detrimental to her well-being and self-confidence her family environment was, she not only never really cut the bridge but moreover still lived with her aunt. Hilary was 37-38 years old and considering both her career and the described environment, I never could buy it. I would have accepted that she chose to live nearby and went to visit more or less daily her aunt, but not the sharing a house and being settled in her former cousin's bedroom.
The hero on the other hand seemed a bit too much like a caricature of playboy millionaire with his never longer than 3 months affairs.
Those 2 characteristics in my opinion significantly undermined the real potential those characters had and all the qualities the book had. As usual, it was solidly and nicely written. The plot was realistic and well-managed.
A bit of a disappointment as I did not expect such contextual flaws from this author.
July 7, 2014
4.5
Four Weeks Till Forever
Reading this book made my Fourth of July bearable. The book was more exciting than my actual weekend. Hehe
I liked the fast paced story. I honestly didn't get bored. It was a bonus that Mark was exceptionally handsome for the author to have described him as God being in a good mood when he was conceived. It was really nice for Nadia to incorporate a bit of a fairy tale like the Ailing Beauty, hehe. I also liked the way Mark appreciated Hilary's appetite. For food, what were you guys thinking? And I've mentioned it before, I like redheads :)
One of my fave lines from the chef "Anything worth having requires work. Especially a woman. If she's not worth the work then maybe should let her go"
And ow, the last part about Mark trying to win Hilary back maybe a bit outrageous for some. But I kinda wanted that to happen to me if I were Hilary :) over the top, yet so sweet. You better read it so you'd know the things he went through to show her he loved her. When all he really needed to do was look her in the eyes and say it, once more :)
- JB
Four Weeks Till Forever
Reading this book made my Fourth of July bearable. The book was more exciting than my actual weekend. Hehe
I liked the fast paced story. I honestly didn't get bored. It was a bonus that Mark was exceptionally handsome for the author to have described him as God being in a good mood when he was conceived. It was really nice for Nadia to incorporate a bit of a fairy tale like the Ailing Beauty, hehe. I also liked the way Mark appreciated Hilary's appetite. For food, what were you guys thinking? And I've mentioned it before, I like redheads :)
One of my fave lines from the chef "Anything worth having requires work. Especially a woman. If she's not worth the work then maybe should let her go"
And ow, the last part about Mark trying to win Hilary back maybe a bit outrageous for some. But I kinda wanted that to happen to me if I were Hilary :) over the top, yet so sweet. You better read it so you'd know the things he went through to show her he loved her. When all he really needed to do was look her in the eyes and say it, once more :)
- JB
February 2, 2016
I don't even know where to start with this story. But I will say I'm glad I got this book for free instead of paying 4.99!
This story had SO much potential but it just feel flat for me. The female lead in this story is so hung up on who her family is what a Rosenberg deserves and doesn't. She's so convinced that if she dates males who are safe and don't stir a passion in her she won't turn out anything like her mother, aunt, or cousin.
I swear every time I turned the page she was always putting herself down!
Then if this isn't bad enough, it turned into a Jerry Springer episode with relatives meddling, nasty relatives resulting in blackmail, drugs, and raunchy sex. But then BAM end of story. Nothing to even give us a hint on how they got over Mark's mothers issues with him dating a "commoner" or even what happened to the cousin. I mean seriously!
If I could give this story anything less than 1 star I definitely would.
This story had SO much potential but it just feel flat for me. The female lead in this story is so hung up on who her family is what a Rosenberg deserves and doesn't. She's so convinced that if she dates males who are safe and don't stir a passion in her she won't turn out anything like her mother, aunt, or cousin.
I swear every time I turned the page she was always putting herself down!
Then if this isn't bad enough, it turned into a Jerry Springer episode with relatives meddling, nasty relatives resulting in blackmail, drugs, and raunchy sex. But then BAM end of story. Nothing to even give us a hint on how they got over Mark's mothers issues with him dating a "commoner" or even what happened to the cousin. I mean seriously!
If I could give this story anything less than 1 star I definitely would.
April 18, 2015
3.5 stars
Well damn... it was a hot, sweet, frustrating and emotional read. I actually liked Mark. He was really sweet and caring. Hilary was frustrating. I wanted to throttle her most of the time. Bebe was pure evil and totally crazy! I couldn't believe how sick she was! She made me murderous! Really! Made me want to kill her with my own hands, starting by ripping her hair off her head.
Hilary's Aunt was probably as crazy as Bebe. Like mother, like daughter is right in this case. Probably the daugher's much worse.
I liked how Mark handled Bebe. It really increased my respect for him and made me like him even more.
Mark's mother.... I don't know how to describe her. I wouldn't say she was crazy or evil. But she wasn't really nice either. Maybe her life made her hard and cold and she thought she was protecting her son, acting the way she did, but she was wrong.
It was a good read.
Well damn... it was a hot, sweet, frustrating and emotional read. I actually liked Mark. He was really sweet and caring. Hilary was frustrating. I wanted to throttle her most of the time. Bebe was pure evil and totally crazy! I couldn't believe how sick she was! She made me murderous! Really! Made me want to kill her with my own hands, starting by ripping her hair off her head.
Hilary's Aunt was probably as crazy as Bebe. Like mother, like daughter is right in this case. Probably the daugher's much worse.
I liked how Mark handled Bebe. It really increased my respect for him and made me like him even more.
Mark's mother.... I don't know how to describe her. I wouldn't say she was crazy or evil. But she wasn't really nice either. Maybe her life made her hard and cold and she thought she was protecting her son, acting the way she did, but she was wrong.
It was a good read.
October 5, 2020
This was more 3.5 stars but as we can't do half stars I'll put it as 4 as its more 4 than 3. I will say I've read a few of Nadia Lee's books recently and if this had been the first book I'd read I don't think I'd have continued. She seems to have her books in the same world but not the same series so they all link but not that you can tell aside from this series obviously. Its fine like that but in some cases you don't know if you're skipping or jumping books and I guess could be potential spoilers...
That all said, this book was interesting. I was curious with the family drama. Although hers was worse he wasn't spared from drama with a womaniser dad and a bitch of a mother. Like others I don't think her behaviour is excused because of her husband cheating on her, she came from the same background - no money - but because she had her heartbroken by her husband shes bitter and twisted. I think that was a real shame, and not very just to her.
That all said, this book was interesting. I was curious with the family drama. Although hers was worse he wasn't spared from drama with a womaniser dad and a bitch of a mother. Like others I don't think her behaviour is excused because of her husband cheating on her, she came from the same background - no money - but because she had her heartbroken by her husband shes bitter and twisted. I think that was a real shame, and not very just to her.
January 2, 2021
Outrageously Romantic
One Pryce book down now to read the rest.... the books is that good. The things real men do when their madly in love 😂 ( with tonnes of money)
One Pryce book down now to read the rest.... the books is that good. The things real men do when their madly in love 😂 ( with tonnes of money)
September 25, 2017
2.5 stars
I was in a deep slump and managed to find this for free on my kindle and to be quite honest, it’s what I was expecting.
Again, each main character was underdeveloped and this time the plot wasn’t enough for me to continue to be interested.
However, that woman and her anger. Wooooo, and the cousin. I would’ve smacked them both.
It ended quite abruptly -
Overall, it was good enough for what I was looking for.
Wouldn’t reread.
I was in a deep slump and managed to find this for free on my kindle and to be quite honest, it’s what I was expecting.
Again, each main character was underdeveloped and this time the plot wasn’t enough for me to continue to be interested.
However, that woman and her anger. Wooooo, and the cousin. I would’ve smacked them both.
It ended quite abruptly -
Overall, it was good enough for what I was looking for.
Wouldn’t reread.
September 18, 2015
"Nobody can choose how they were born and raised, but everyone can choose how they're going to live." - Josephine (ARC, Loc 1410)
Hilary's best friend Josephine hit the nail on the head when she said that to Mark. Neither Hilary nor Mark had pleasant family history, but only one of them strove to not let that history define them and it wasn't Mark.
Hilary's hangups were understandable given her own...colorful family. She didn't want what her family defined as normal. She wanted a monotonous relationship, one where the man she chose to spend the rest of her life wanted only her, not her and her half-sister/cousin Bebe. They might look alike, they might share a father, their mothers might be sisters, but that was all they shared. Bebe used their strange family history to her advantage, wrecking havoc in Hilary's life because she felt she could. Hilary, on the other hand, was moving on and past that. She had a great job, great friends, and a man who was sure and steady. Given the craziness of her life, sure and steady was the way to go.
Except she was missing something: passion.
Mark wasn't known as a sure and steady guy when it came to relationships. His parents' marriage was a sham and unhappiness trumped happiness any given day of the week there. It was little wonder his girlfriends were known as "Quarterly Girls". He went through them faster than most people go through a pair of shoes. Three months in and then he's done. Gives them a parting gift and moves on. Really? What the hell kind of life is that?
Oh, right. The kind where he'd never experience the hurt his mother experienced because of his father's infidelity.
It's okay to want to shield your heart from hurt. But at some point your shield needs to come down. If you're too stubborn to do that, you might miss out on the best thing to ever happen to you. It was a lesson both Mark and Hilary learned. They struggled to get there, mostly because Hilary was still too afraid and Mark wasn't sure what he could do to prove he was for real, that she wasn't another one of his Quarterly Girls.
This story is a great opener to The Pryce Family series. Not only did Ms. Lee have one of the Pryce children find love, but she also introduced the rest of the family, prepping her readers for the stories to come. It's an easy read, a little predictable at times, wholly engaging, and a terrific story for anyone who loves billionaire romances but needs something a little different than what they're used to reading in that sub-genre.
(Received from Wickedly Innocent Promotions for an honest review)
July 11, 2015
Honestly, this felt a bit like two books mashed together and I am not sure what to make of that exactly.
So, this book is one of a series - a trend I have somewhat noticed in chick-lit/romance books (get a family and dedicate each book to one sibling) but definitely feels self contained as the other siblings are very much side characters. We have our handsome, attractive and rich leading man (now this may go against chick-lit rules but maybe once can we have a leading man who isn't the sexiest/handsomest/cutest man alive?) and the attractive but doesn't think she is female lead. Can anyone else tell I'm getting a bit annoyed with this 'tried and tested' formula?
Now I started this review by saying that this felt like two books mashed together. The reason I say this is that the story our female lead goes through ... well, it felt really out of place. Now, considering that the lead also feels out of place in various places of the book, if the author intended that feeling to tie into the book, well - bravo author. You succeeded.
Characterisation, female lead (and yes I have forgotten her name which is bad considering I finished this maybe 30 minutes ago) was pretty believable, and likeable actually. I also liked that she was not a stick - makes a change from other chick-lit novels of this type. Male lead (yup also forgotten) - not as new and surprising but hey - he was likeable. The evil character that screws things up - I liked this being a few people (sometimes I find that annoying but it worked here) - two of them were very believable, the last (Bebe I think - and no I don't know why I am remembering her name and not the leads' names!)... I cannot believe that there would be someone like this in 'real life' so I found her rather hard to buy into.
A three star rating by a really small margin - had I read this alongside a different book I imagine this might have gotten two (however the other book got two and I enjoyed this more than that!). Overall this was an okay read. I wouldn't necessarily read it again and I wouldn't necessarily look out for this author's books but I won't be actively avoiding them either.
So, this book is one of a series - a trend I have somewhat noticed in chick-lit/romance books (get a family and dedicate each book to one sibling) but definitely feels self contained as the other siblings are very much side characters. We have our handsome, attractive and rich leading man (now this may go against chick-lit rules but maybe once can we have a leading man who isn't the sexiest/handsomest/cutest man alive?) and the attractive but doesn't think she is female lead. Can anyone else tell I'm getting a bit annoyed with this 'tried and tested' formula?
Now I started this review by saying that this felt like two books mashed together. The reason I say this is that the story our female lead goes through ... well, it felt really out of place. Now, considering that the lead also feels out of place in various places of the book, if the author intended that feeling to tie into the book, well - bravo author. You succeeded.
Characterisation, female lead (and yes I have forgotten her name which is bad considering I finished this maybe 30 minutes ago) was pretty believable, and likeable actually. I also liked that she was not a stick - makes a change from other chick-lit novels of this type. Male lead (yup also forgotten) - not as new and surprising but hey - he was likeable. The evil character that screws things up - I liked this being a few people (sometimes I find that annoying but it worked here) - two of them were very believable, the last (Bebe I think - and no I don't know why I am remembering her name and not the leads' names!)... I cannot believe that there would be someone like this in 'real life' so I found her rather hard to buy into.
A three star rating by a really small margin - had I read this alongside a different book I imagine this might have gotten two (however the other book got two and I enjoyed this more than that!). Overall this was an okay read. I wouldn't necessarily read it again and I wouldn't necessarily look out for this author's books but I won't be actively avoiding them either.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews