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The Contract : A Steamy Dark Lawyer Romance: An Age Gap, Forced Proximity, Alpha Hero Standalone
Not yet published
Expected 20 Apr 26Twelve months. Total submission. One million dollars.
I spent six years in a convent, preparing for a life of silence and service. I never expected my new life to begin under the ruthless control of Stephan Marek—my boss, my temptation, and the most dangerous man in Chicago’s most elite law firm.
Stephan is a brilliant, untouchable predator in a thousand-dollar suit. When he discovers I’m a virgin—untouched in every way—he makes a deal only a monster would
One year of complete sexual submission in exchange for one million dollars.
The money will save my sister’s life. The price will cost me my soul.
The contract is airtight. The rules are absolute. But nothing about Stephan Marek is simple.
As I’m drawn deeper into his world of dominance and control, my shame collides with a dark, awakening desire. In the shadows of his penthouse, obedience begins to feel dangerously close to freedom. I vowed never to surrender again—but what if my submission is the only thing that can set me free?
He owns my body by contract. But will he keep my heart by choice?
The Contract is a dark, emotionally intense BDSM romance that explores the thin line between possession and protection.
If you loved the religious and moral tension of Priest by Sierra Simone or the erotic depth of The Siren by Tiffany Reisz, this is your next obsession.
Fans of the forbidden workplace dynamics in Beautiful Bastard and the high-stakes legal tension of Terms and Conditions will find their new favorite anti-hero in Stephan Marek.
If you crave the raw intensity and binding sexual agreements found in Sara Cate’s Keep Me or Nikki Sloane’s The Initiation, this story of power exchange and ultimate surrender will leave you breathless.
Tropes Virgin Heroine (Former Nun), Forbidden Boss/Employee Romance, Age Gap / Alpha Hero, Forced Proximity & Power Exchange, Explicit BDSM & High-Stakes Consent, Guaranteed Happily Ever After.
Welcome to Binding Agreements—where contracts are seductive, control is currency, and desire always comes with a price.
I spent six years in a convent, preparing for a life of silence and service. I never expected my new life to begin under the ruthless control of Stephan Marek—my boss, my temptation, and the most dangerous man in Chicago’s most elite law firm.
Stephan is a brilliant, untouchable predator in a thousand-dollar suit. When he discovers I’m a virgin—untouched in every way—he makes a deal only a monster would
One year of complete sexual submission in exchange for one million dollars.
The money will save my sister’s life. The price will cost me my soul.
The contract is airtight. The rules are absolute. But nothing about Stephan Marek is simple.
As I’m drawn deeper into his world of dominance and control, my shame collides with a dark, awakening desire. In the shadows of his penthouse, obedience begins to feel dangerously close to freedom. I vowed never to surrender again—but what if my submission is the only thing that can set me free?
He owns my body by contract. But will he keep my heart by choice?
The Contract is a dark, emotionally intense BDSM romance that explores the thin line between possession and protection.
If you loved the religious and moral tension of Priest by Sierra Simone or the erotic depth of The Siren by Tiffany Reisz, this is your next obsession.
Fans of the forbidden workplace dynamics in Beautiful Bastard and the high-stakes legal tension of Terms and Conditions will find their new favorite anti-hero in Stephan Marek.
If you crave the raw intensity and binding sexual agreements found in Sara Cate’s Keep Me or Nikki Sloane’s The Initiation, this story of power exchange and ultimate surrender will leave you breathless.
Tropes Virgin Heroine (Former Nun), Forbidden Boss/Employee Romance, Age Gap / Alpha Hero, Forced Proximity & Power Exchange, Explicit BDSM & High-Stakes Consent, Guaranteed Happily Ever After.
Welcome to Binding Agreements—where contracts are seductive, control is currency, and desire always comes with a price.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 20, 2026
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
When I read the description, I knew this was a book I NEEDED to read. I will say that the book is SOO different from the description - not in a bad way, it's truly about SO MUCH MORE than merely a contract!! And I absolutely LOVED the book!!
We need more books like this... It sucked me in so fast & I was entranced... I loved the characters, loved the slow burn tension. Loved the spicy scenes (which, honestly, there's a lot less of than you'd think from the description). I love all the emotions that this book provoked.
I loved the ending & how they were able to make it all work when it seemed so bleak. I love how they found in each other what they didn't even know they needed or knew to look for.
Please, please write more books!! I can't wait to read them all!!! 💓
Thank you to the author (Elyse Thomas), the publisher (Victory Editing - they have my favorite books!!) & Netgalley for the ARC read. All opinions are my own.
We need more books like this... It sucked me in so fast & I was entranced... I loved the characters, loved the slow burn tension. Loved the spicy scenes (which, honestly, there's a lot less of than you'd think from the description). I love all the emotions that this book provoked.
I loved the ending & how they were able to make it all work when it seemed so bleak. I love how they found in each other what they didn't even know they needed or knew to look for.
Please, please write more books!! I can't wait to read them all!!! 💓
Thank you to the author (Elyse Thomas), the publisher (Victory Editing - they have my favorite books!!) & Netgalley for the ARC read. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley and Elyse Thomas for the early copy of this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Holy wowza, I LOVED this book!! I read something like 195 books last year, and I’d say roughly 80% of them were some form of romance. While it’s my favorite genre, sometimes plots and tropes can get a bit repetitive. This book was such a breath of fresh air!!
I loved Katie and Stephan. Both were fantastic characters, Katie as a former nun and Stephan as a lawyer who needs control in his life. They meet and there’s an instant spark… but then their relationship unfolds in such an organic and unexpected way. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this whole book and couldn’t put it down.
Yearning was top tier ✅
Spice was spicing ✅
Plot was plotting ✅
I truly can’t wait for the next book in the series and can’t recommend this one enough!! If you were a fan of Priest, Unfurl, Audacity, or any book with Dom/Sub relationships, definitely check this out. You won’t regret it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Holy wowza, I LOVED this book!! I read something like 195 books last year, and I’d say roughly 80% of them were some form of romance. While it’s my favorite genre, sometimes plots and tropes can get a bit repetitive. This book was such a breath of fresh air!!
I loved Katie and Stephan. Both were fantastic characters, Katie as a former nun and Stephan as a lawyer who needs control in his life. They meet and there’s an instant spark… but then their relationship unfolds in such an organic and unexpected way. I was on the edge of my seat throughout this whole book and couldn’t put it down.
Yearning was top tier ✅
Spice was spicing ✅
Plot was plotting ✅
I truly can’t wait for the next book in the series and can’t recommend this one enough!! If you were a fan of Priest, Unfurl, Audacity, or any book with Dom/Sub relationships, definitely check this out. You won’t regret it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so glad this is book 1. It's a standalone/complete story but I WANT MORE and I'm happy to know the author is cooking up more! The quality is top-notch, the spices are spicing, and my heart is going up and down like a rollercoaster. I enjoyed this one way too much! I'm being vague as to not spoiler but I appreciate so much when a book has meat and substance. Stepan and Katie were characters that felt actually human. People I cared about and rooted for and understood their complicated feelings and related, and that's so crucial for a 5-star rating!
AND THAT ENDING!! MY HEART!!!
It always feels good when you pick up a new author and hit jackpot!
I'm so glad this is book 1. It's a standalone/complete story but I WANT MORE and I'm happy to know the author is cooking up more! The quality is top-notch, the spices are spicing, and my heart is going up and down like a rollercoaster. I enjoyed this one way too much! I'm being vague as to not spoiler but I appreciate so much when a book has meat and substance. Stepan and Katie were characters that felt actually human. People I cared about and rooted for and understood their complicated feelings and related, and that's so crucial for a 5-star rating!
AND THAT ENDING!! MY HEART!!!
It always feels good when you pick up a new author and hit jackpot!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First of all, thank you for the arc!
I really enjoyed reading it. I wasn’t expecting much from the description but it turned out to be a really good book. I truly appreciate the writing style, the plot was actually quite good. For me, it felt very coherent.
I loved the dynamic between Stephan and Katie, the slow burn tension was amazing. I like Katie, she’s incredibly smart and I love how she'll do anything for her family. And Stephan oh man, he was so down bad for Katie, as he should be !!
The ending was so sweet. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next books in the series!
I really enjoyed reading it. I wasn’t expecting much from the description but it turned out to be a really good book. I truly appreciate the writing style, the plot was actually quite good. For me, it felt very coherent.
I loved the dynamic between Stephan and Katie, the slow burn tension was amazing. I like Katie, she’s incredibly smart and I love how she'll do anything for her family. And Stephan oh man, he was so down bad for Katie, as he should be !!
The ending was so sweet. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next books in the series!
Review of advance copy received from Author
A dark romance that steers away from the typical stereotype.
It was utter perfection.
There is sin, lies, corruption , devotion and absolute loyalty. I was sucked right in from the very beginning and was firmly held in the grip of these pages until they mercifully released me when i finally put it down.
Please read it. You won't be disappointed.
It was utter perfection.
There is sin, lies, corruption , devotion and absolute loyalty. I was sucked right in from the very beginning and was firmly held in the grip of these pages until they mercifully released me when i finally put it down.
Please read it. You won't be disappointed.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Advanced copy from Netgalley
I was sucked into this story of lawyer and his firm representing a pharmaceutical company, when the lawyer Stephan gets involved with an associate whose sister is on medical trial
I was sucked into this story of lawyer and his firm representing a pharmaceutical company, when the lawyer Stephan gets involved with an associate whose sister is on medical trial
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2026
So amazing!!!! Loved loved loved! Has me on the edge of my seat and loved how it ended…The preview to book 2 has me spinning…can’t wait for it💜
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews