Billionaire's Marriage Deal

by Joy Carlyle

Fake marry my ex. Silence the gossip. Fool the court… and pray I don’t fall for her again.

Ten years ago, my girlfriend said I wasn’t worth the risk—then proved it by staying in this small town while I built a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Now I’m back, fighting for custody of my niece, and I need a wife to look “stable”.

So I ask the one woman I never stopped wanting.

Lila’s a single mom with a floundering café, and my deal could save us both—one "I do," a few staged kisses, then we walk away.

Easy.

Except the first time I touch her again, it’s not for show—it’s in her bed, her nails on my back, my name on her lips.

Except she still drives me insane—pushing me away one moment, pulling me under the next, making me forget every rule.

But the town is watching, her ex is circling, and just when I think this might be real…

I find out her biggest secret—one with my eyes and her smile.

401 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2025

Reviews

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake and Lila were young and in love, and then life happened. Tough choices were made. Ten years later, tragedy strikes, and Jake needs help. Lila, struggling business owner and recently divorced mom, is that person, or so he hopes.

With two girls to protect, can Jake and Lila make this "deal" work?

💍 Fake Engagement
💙 Forced Proxcimity
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Family Drama - in more than one situation!
❤️ Second Chance Love
🥰 Found Family

 This was my first book fom Carrlyle, and she absolutely rocked it! This sweet, contemporary romance has it all - loss, secrets, longing, trust, love, humor, found family, and a deliciously happy ever after!

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

[Yugie Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leave it to Joy Carlyle to come up with such an angsty, emotionally intense second chance romance. All throughout the book I could feel so strongly the struggles, the fears, the hopes, and the longing of both Jake and Lila as they navigated their way through the predicament they found themselves in. I could not help but want to reassure them to have faith in each other, that the path they take together is the right one even when they could not see it yet. It was like having your heart be unable to relax as the story unfolded, because you could see the obstacles in their way, though with each one they overcome one could start to breathe more easily. The finale for me was something I definitely liked to see happen, for a wholly fresh start was I believe what the characters truly needed the most to fully enjoy their newfound happiness. I had a wonderful time being hooked to this book, as is bound to happen to me whenever I pick up a Joy Carlyle book.

I received an ARC of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Inaccuracies and errors - this book is AI.

I really wish Amazon would address AI written books. This one so clearly was written using it and I’m also not sure this author is real. The question I have is, who is getting the profits? Here’s why I know this book was not written by a real person.

- No evidence this author is a person. Social media is very fluff. No photos. No original comments.
- The story does not make sense. Is the premise there, yes. But the story jumps so fast and it’s completely wrong. For instance, one scene she kisses Jake and then bolts. Next sentence “Jake and I had sex”. Um, no that did not happen.
- Use of em dashes. Once, twice is ok but generative AI uses them too much and it’s so obvious.

I didn’t finish this book and I will not read any others by this mythical person.

[Luna Ray]

This was such a cute and comforting read! I really enjoyed the chemistry between the characters the way their relationship grew from convenience to something deeper felt so genuine. It had just the right mix of tension, sweetness, and heartfelt moments.

Joy Carlyle knows how to make you root for the couple, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Sometimes you just need a love story that feels like a warm hug, and this book gave me that. Definitely a feel-good romance I’d recommend to anyone who loves a good billionaire twist!

[Momma T's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read! There was so much emotion going on. I couldn't put it down. A quick and easy read.

"I found my real life. And it's everything. Loud. Messy. Unfiltered. But full. And mine."

💍 Fake Engagement
👶 Baby momma/daddy drama
💑 Ex-lovers to Haters to Lovers to ...
3.5 🌶🌶🌶

Carlyle hits the mark with this one. Loss. Love. Family. Humor. Secrets. Children. Longing. Trust. Sisterhood. Second chances. It has it all.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake and Lila's story is an intense story that had my emotions soaring as I connected with it. They were once a couple who went their separate ways, but their feelings remained intact. Jake is back in town seeking custody of his niece and to get it he needs a wife. When he and Lila reconnect as fake husband and wife it restarts their journey. Will they finally get their chance for happiness.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[GuiltyPleasures · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lila and Jake—she’s a single mom who has a coffee cafe and he’s a billionaire businessman who just got custody of his niece when his sister died. And they had been together over 10 years ago and then things fell apart. Now he’s fighting his niece’s grandparents for custody of her and needs a wife. So he asks Lila. And the adventure begins. Lots of ups and downs, tensions, misunderstandings which end with a HEA for them all.

[Frances Packingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.M.G! This was so good! A page turner. I read this straight through in just a few hours it was too good to stop. So much happens, and the twists and turns, the emotions, everything is described so well it plays like a movie in my head. All the crazy chaos that happens with Jake, Lila, Emily, and Mia is crazy. I highly recommend you read this book! Plus, there are some steamy sex scenes.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re addicted to steamy contemporary romance books like I am boy oh howdy does Joy have the perfect book right here for you. Jake and Lila are going to really WOW you with their romance. The cover is really sexy, and the storyline is perfectly written so I suggest you start reading this romance book NOW.

[Julie Juhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Billionaire's Marriage Deal by Joy Carlyle! This was an excellent storyline which made it hard to put down. Lila and Jake have unbelievable chemistry, passion and lots of drama. The author, Joy Carlyle wrote a well written book that will knock your socks off.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Linda Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

heartbreaking at times and heartwarming at others

You will fall in love with this love story, young love, second chance, with 2 little girl s that are so bright so full of laughter and mischief. Their battle to fight for their loved ones is one of the best. You won’t be able to put it down until the last word, I read it in one sitting, it was so so good.

[Terri Zumbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite

I was in a real book slump before picking up BILLIONAIRE’S MARRIAGE DEAL. This is the first book in months I read right through without putting it down.

I liked the second chance Roman e, but the real attraction is the characters. They are memorable and I just had to see what happened to them.

[Kristina Schurmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was written so well. I was not prepared for all of the twists in the story. My God! It kept me on the edge of my seat. On top of that, the writing and characters had me laughing. Lila and Jake had my heart and I am so relieved how the story ended. I highly recommend!

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Billionaire’s marriage deal which was Jake and Lila’s story. It was an intriguing second chance read. I got a copy of the book and voluntarily leaving this review.

[KathyDarlene Tomcik · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny

Love it! Lots of humor and fun dialogue between kids and parents.
Reasonable story. Lost love found again. Well worth the read!!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have given this four stars except Lila's daughter Mia was ten years old.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy Carlisle you make me smile but also …the angst ! You rinsed me out but I say thanks . Why? Because this awesome book put me through a wringer of an emotional wave . It’s real to life ,all the strife and the wonder ,the highs the lows ,the thunder, a tsunami wave even ,crashing in and soaking me into the fabric of their story . There’s still a lot of chemistry between Jake and Lila after ten long years. She stayed in the small town while he went on to become a billionaire ,but all the wherewithals he has in abundance won’t help his case,he needs a stable family unit to claim he’s a perfect fit to take on the care and custody of his niece . Lila is a single mum,a family unit already exists. The complicated situation amps up a tad when they act on the reaction their bodies cannot resist. He succumbs to her arms as she falls for his charms . It’s too late to start trying to fake what they have between them already however unsteady it is. A rollercoaster ride as they try to deny feelings and sigh while flying by the seats of their pants with the angst and all. Wow , with this awesome book that has it all . I had my heart racing and bracing for a heavenly read with need from the very start. The storytelling grabs you by the heart as well as the mind that is also racing mind. Great writing and wonderful characters who endear you to them so swift. A treasure this book is a gift! The storyline is divine! Bravo Joy Carlisle ,good show!