The Billionaire Love Match

The Billionaire Surprise #1

by Emma St. Clair

Does real love stand a chance on reality TV?

The odds are NEVER in your favor. At least, that’s what she thought. But when Casey makes the final casting call for a matchmaking show, she holds her breath and takes a chance.

Colt Woods needs to find ratings, not romance. When the show he expected to be all-fake turns all-too-real, Colt has to rethink everything. Especially when his movie-mogul mother tries to script the ending.

In front of cameras and surrounded by fourteen other jealous women, Colt and Casey do their best to let a real relationship unfold.

Can they trust something built on live television or will their relationship run out like fifteen minutes of fame?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Clean Romance, Christian, Celebrity

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2018

About the author

Emma St. Clair is a USA Today Bestselling Author who loves sassy heroines, witty banter, and love stories with heart and humor. She has an MFA in Fiction and lives in Katy, Texas (go, Tigers!) with her hubby, five children, and Great Dane. Her favorite place to write is tapping on her phone while on the elliptical machine. No Emmas have been hurt in the writing of these novels. (Yet.)

Want a free novella? Grab Upping the Ante here: https://emmastclair.com/ante

You can follow the day-to-day on instagram @kikimojo.

Reviews

[My_every_day_chilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positive thoughts:
I really didn't expect to enjoy this one like I did, I mean I do not watch reality shows, hate them, so reading about one? I seriously had my doubts. But it's Emma St Clair, and I wanted to give this series a try. And I couldn't believe how much I loved this.
It really takes you onto all the fake that's in the reality show (which kinda makes it not so reality, know what I mean?), how much is stages, manipulated and humiliating, and all for the glory of ratings. No wonder I hated watching them on TV. It's quite shocking

Negative thoughts:
I have been put off starting this series because this book was about a reality show, so I thought it a great risk making this the first book. But in this case I must admit it turned out ok.
It wasn't as fast a read I was hoping it to be, maybe because I wasn't convinced a romance about a reality show was going to convince me or it was just slower then all the other Emma St Clair books I've read (still I read it in 3 days).

Overall:
I loved the hero and heroine, they hit off with such amazing chemistry and I loved how he suffered when she was wronged (and he couldn't show it because of his mother). He tried to protect her as best he could without the crew knowing.
I thought the Morse code was a brilliant idea, a bit unrealistic, because for a person that didn't even know what the SOS Morse code was, to have suddenly learnt the entire alphabet in a few days, seems a bit far fetched to me. But still, I was glad they had that.

Romance: 4/5
Spice: 0/5
Chemistry: 4/5
Humour: 2/5
Foul language: 0/5

Tropes:
- reality show
- independent author
- forced proximity
- Insta love
- scheming mother
- Morse code communication
- rich guy – poor girl

[Jes Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never watched the Bachelor or any related shows, but there is something to be said about the allure behind them. This book captures that allure with a twist- our contestant and bachelor accidentally meet before the show. Now, amid the drama and stress of competing with several other women- not to mention the highs and lows of fame and the strain it brings to her Christian witness. Plus, there's the hero's manipulative (and I mean manipulative) mother.

I really enjoyed this book, but there was one thing that bugged me. Everyone was acting like it was some big deal that most of the other girls in the house didn't get along with her, like that was some kind of red flag or something. Um, no, that just means that there are a bunch of girls being jealous at the one who got special attention from the guy they're all trying to catch. And if being a pariah was a red flag, everyone who got excluded from the cool kid's group would be the enemy number one. That's probably why I don't watch these kinds of shows- the way they would be edited to make innocent people seem like bad guys would drive me crazy.

Anyway, if you like bachelor and/or billionaire tropes, this one stands out from the bunch.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good

I found this to be a really good twist on a bachlelor-type reality TV show. The story is unrealistic but the ending does make it more real. The mother in this story is quite rotten and she doesn't really redeem herself.

Content: Clean. Definitely some steamy kissing but this is a clean read.
Language: clean
Religious: Yes. This is a Cristian read and religion is discussed several times in the story. I actually liked this because the author discusses religion more as a who I am instead of preachiness.

Happy reading!!

Content: Clean

[Kate McMurry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A “Christian” romance with very little Christianity

Casey is a 24-year-old Texan who owns a gun and wears cowboy boots. She was raised as a conservative Christian by parents who had her in late midlife, and is determined to remain a virgin until her wedding night. Her only other sibling is ten years older, and she rarely sees him or his family. She moved to Los Angeles with her best friend, Amanda, who is a makeup artist, sometime in the unspecified past, which freaked out her parents, given how liberal the population in California is in general, and LA in specific. There is no indication that either Amanda or Casey have a college degree. Casey works during the day as a coffee shop barista, and at night she writes cozy mysteries, which she self-publishes, with modest financial returns.

Colt is a 25-year-old native Los Angelino whose father, Steve Wood, and mother, Grace Beacon, formed the production company, BeaconWood Entertainment, many years ago. Steve was a devout Christian during his lifetime, a faith he passed on to Colt, who has maintained a vow of chastity until marriage since age 15. During Steve’s lifetime, BeaconWood specialized in G-rated family entertainment and educational films that reflected Steve’s Christian values. Initially Grace, who is a beautiful woman, was involved on the acting side of their business. But, since she has no real acting talent, she eventually moved to the production and finance side of the business. Unfortunately, the wholesome projects Steve approved turned very little profit and, when Steve died of cancer eight years ago, when Colt was 17, the company was practically bankrupt. Once freed from the constraints of Steve’s Christian values—since Grace clearly worships no other god but mammon—she was determined to do whatever it took to not only bring the company out of the red, but make it hugely successful. Abiding by the maxim that sex and violence sell, Grace switched the company’s focus to huge, commercial, venal films, and two years ago, expanded into network TV programs. As a result, Grace is currently the “most powerful movie executive in Hollywood,” raking in billions of dollars every year.

Colt’s faith—and his backbone—have not been strong enough to allow him to break free of the tight leash his mother has kept on him since his father’s death, forcing him to be part of her corrupt world. He continued to live at home after he turned 18, not even leaving to attend college. He worked as an actor for a few years on movies produced by Grace and, over the years, his mother has cynically mandated that he go out on numerous fake dates with beautiful actresses and models in order to create an image with the paparazzi press of a “bad boy billionaire.” In reality, he hasn’t had an actual girlfriend since before his father died and, as his fellow-Christian BFF, Ty, rationally informs him, a reputation like that is not the kind a man should have whose deepest desire is to make the kinds of films his father used to make. But Colt has convinced himself that his only possibility to fulfill this cherished goal is to get his mother to finance him. He cannot finance himself because, though the press calls him a “billionaire,” in actuality, he has no significant income of his own. His mother, the actual billionaire, keeps stringing him along, year after year, using two cruelly effective techniques: (1) the carrot of eventually funding his own production company someday in the perpetually unspecified future, and (2) the stick of blackmailing him with the threat that, if he doesn’t remain imprisoned by her side, obeying her every command, any attempt he makes to independently form his own production company will be sabotaged by her.

Currently, Grace’s latest Colt-enslaving project is a reality dating show called, Billionaire Love Match, to be aired on a Netflix-like streaming service. She demands that Colt be the “billionaire” bachelor who is pursued by 15 beautiful, young women. Everything about the idea appalls Colt’s values. But he convinces himself that, this time around, he will finally force his mother to fork over the startup funds for his production company by insisting their deal be enforced by a legally binding contract between them.

Casey’s motivation for trying out for Billionaire Love Match, in spite of the fact that she cannot stand reality dating shows, is a combination of several factors: (1) She is being stalked by a violent ex-boyfriend, Lucas, and if she gets on the show, she will be secluded for four weeks. She hopes his obsession might cool off in that time, though for the past two months, it has only amplified. (2) She is under the mistaken impression, since all applicants are required to take extensive personality tests through a matchmaking service, that the show’s focus is finding a compatible mate for each contestant. (3) Though she writes under a pen name, and she would be on the show under her real name, Casey hopes that participating in the show might somehow generate enough media attention to boost her book sales.

Casey doesn’t believe it is possible to meet a potential life mate on a reality show, which is all fake. Not to mention, what are the chances the bachelor would be a Christian like her? But then, on tryout day, she meets Colt on the set of the reality show—in a men’s bathroom, of all places—where she is hiding out from her stalker ex, who has tracked her to the show. As a means to disguise her presence from Lucas, she kisses Colt, and it is a doozy of a kiss for both of them.

Things I liked about this story:

1. Colt is a sweet, Beta male, and his best friend, Ty, is as well.

2. Casey is a distinct, unique heroine in the romance genre.

3. There is no foul language, drunkenness or bacchanalian revels.

4. There is nothing generic about the locale of the story, as is the case in far too many romance novels. The settings of LA beaches and the different scenes of a typical reality show are vividly drawn.

5. The writing in and of itself flows smoothly, and there are zero editing errors.

Things I struggled with in this story:

1. Regarding Casey’s characterization: I had trouble accepting that a religiously and politically conservative, gun-toting, Texas Christian would voluntarily choose to live in the leftwing, “Sodom and Gomorrah” that such believers consider Los Angeles to be. It was also hard to believe that Casey would choose to date anyone but a nice, sweet Christian boy. How she ever got involved with someone as crude, aggressive, and immoral as Lucas—no matter how charming he initially seemed—is beyond me. He is obviously not a Christian and, since Casey is clearly only interested in dating with a view toward marriage, one would think she would only consider another Christian as a viable, potential boyfriend. There are plenty of Christian dating sites, most especially eHarmony, if there are no acceptable dating choices in her church. Thus, the inclusion of Lucas in the plot, even with the motivation for it of Casey having “bad judgment when it comes to guys,” seems to be a convenient plot contrivance rather than well motivated. She would have to be a lot more clueless to make that type of mistake than she is otherwise presented as being.

2. It is confusing to me as to why this story is categorized as “Christian,” given that the only elements of Christianity present are the following: (a) Both Casey and Colt consider themselves Christian and, offstage, go to church fairly regularly. (b) Both of them have taken vows of celibacy until marriage. (c) A couple of times prayer is mentioned. That’s it. On stage, the entire focus of this “Christian” romance novel is on the corrupt world of Hollywood, most especially the vicious, backbiting world of shows like The Bachelor, which is what this story is an homage to. It is also not at all “Christian” to offer as a major selling point of the book that Colt is a billionaire (even though he isn’t actually himself a billionaire, as stated above). I kept thinking of the central tenet of Christianity embodied in the famous quote from Jesus in the New Testament, “And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

3. In the incredibly misogynistic world of Hollywood, I find it extremely hard to believe that Grace Beacon, as a woman, could become the “most powerful movie executive in Hollywood,” even if she could realistically pull off the magical feat of hauling her small, inconsequential production company from bankruptcy to billions in just four years.

4. Both Casey and Colt are frustratingly passive and easily dominated until almost the very end of the story.

5. Casey and Colt, as the story itself admits, fall in love with each other after having little more than a total of 30-45 minutes of conversation (they are already in love when they finally have a couple of uninterrupted hours together). So this is essentially an “instalove” plot.

Having said all that, for Christian romance readers who only demand chastity and clean language in their Christian fiction, who have no problem with instalove, and who also enjoy extremely non-Christian reality shows like The Bachelor, this story may be just their cup of tea.

[Jessica Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]
This is good. The writing isn’t quite as polished as St Clair’s more recent books, but I still found it engaging. The MCs are on a dating show, with the FMC competing for the MMC against many hostile women. Which also makes the story rather awkward at times, as the MMC is kissing said women while pursuing her 🤔

It’s definitely insta-love, and of the corny variety. Despite knowing nothing about each other (other than physical attraction while kissing) and speaking only a handful of words, they both intuitively know that they have this ‘special connection’… it’s acknowledged as being ridiculous, but that doesn’t make it any LESS ridiculous.

And yet, I kept reading and never once considered a DNF. So, there’s that 🤓

Content:
There’s no foul language or sex, and the violence is minimal. The romance does not go beyond kissing, heated but only mildly descriptive. A female character is physically assaulted, but rescued.

Final note, this is supposed to be a Christian book, and… Maybe? But only in the most superficial way possible. The characters are said to be Christian and they have both decided they are waiting to have sex until marriage… but that is the extent of any “Christian” messaging. There is no message of faith, God, or redemption. I also feel that for a Christian book there is too much lusting, and the characters are too quick, loose, and heated in their kissing.

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (11/15/2018)!💝

Blurb:
Does real love stand a chance on a rigged reality show?

Casey’s friends tell her that she’s a terrible judge of character. When she hears about a matchmaking reality show based on personality tests, she applies on a whim. But moments before the show starts filming, a chance encounter with a stranger has her questioning everything.

Colt wants nothing more than to break out from underneath his movie mogul mother’s powerful grip. If he agrees to star in a reality show to help secure a streaming TV deal for her billion-dollar company, he’ll get his wish: his own film studio. He knows as well as anyone those shows are heavily staged, so his heart won’t be on the line. But when he makes a real connection with one of the fifteen women just before the show, he’s got bigger problems. If he follows his mother’s plans, he may wreck his chance at love. If he doesn’t, his mother may destroy them anyway.

In front of cameras, under the watchful eye of his mother, and surrounded by fourteen other jealous women, Colt and Casey do their best to let a real relationship unfold. Can they trust something built on live television or will their relationship run out like fifteen minutes of fame?

[Ru4repeat · Rating 5 out of 5]

No competition here. This one's a winner!

It was quite fascinating to get a behind the scenes look at Reality TV, even from a fictional standpoint. I could totally feel the shock, embarrassment, anger, hurt and betrayal that Casey experienced. Her personality was so likable and engaging. Perhaps that's why even the twists were so vivid for me.
I loved the nicknames they have to each other and was glad to see those used through out the story.
While the romance was quite physical at the beginning I was happy to see the substance deepen when they connected on many other levels. Speaking of levels, on a steaminess level I would rate this a mild PG-13. Luckily before I got uncomfortable they stopped locking lips.

[K. Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This is a perfect read if you are a fan of The Bachelor. What a fun, sweet story with a taste of one of my favorite TV shows. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more of Emma.

[Kathryn Noorani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!!!! I loved the faith aspect tied into the complex storyline. All around a good entertaining read!

[B. D. Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is only my second book by Emma St. Claire. I admit to a little hesitation in selecting this book because the published synopsis did not seem appealing to me. But, since I had awarded 5-stars to the previous book and it was the first book of a new series, I elected to select it. I am happy with that decision. “The Billionaire Love Match” is a stand-alone, clean, contemporary romance. Possibly the most unbelievable part of the story is that the protagonists, who are involved in a Hollywood produced matchmaking reality TV show are both committed to moral standards that reserve sexual intimacy for the marriage bed. I had great difficulty laying the book aside. The author was successful in crafting a plot line that not only put flesh and bone on the protagonists but also took the reader on a satisfying journey to an HEA conclusion.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I embarrassed by the fact that I read a book with this title? We are not going to answer that, but also why could we not have named it something else?? I am absolutely convinced there were better options...but alas...here we are.

Although silly and very connected to the Bachelor (specifically Colton's season "insert side-eye emoji here), I really enjoy Emma St. Clair's writing! She is able to tell stories like this in a way that doesn't make me cringe which is a huge win. The book probably gets 3 stars realistically, but I had a fun time reading it, hence the 4 stars.

[E.C. Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great twist on semi-love-at-first-sight. As usual, St. Clair upturns tropes, creates memorable characters, and had me yelling at the book. She has changed my mind about romance novels. Can't wait for more in this series!

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and clean

[Bev Walkling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light enjoyable read inspired by the current trend of reality tv shows some of which focus on romance.

[Micah (micahs.bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Billionaire Love Match is a dating show similar to The Bachelor with some fun twists. It feels a bit like a behind the scenes look at the show (although the main characters are pretty negative about the concept of a reality dating show). Even if you don’t like The Bachelor, you will probably still enjoy this book because the characters don’t fully believe in the show.

I thought this book was really fun and kept my interest. The writing is really good and the structure of the story worked really well.

*Some notes on what’s different about this book than Emma St. Clair’s current books. This book is written in 3rd person POV (instead of first person). The genre is sweet romance and feels a bit different than her romcoms, so just don’t go in expecting it to be exactly the same. There are also light Christian/faith elements, which I liked. There are still beautifully written sentences with great analogies that I’ve learned to expect from Emma St. Clair books.

🔥: Kissing

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the very best billionaire romances that I’ve ever read. The Billionaire Love Match kept its focus on the characters, their feelings, and what they were going through, not on the extravagancies that all that money can buy. I really liked the main characters and their best friends. The pacing of the story was perfect. My only problem with the book was that I couldn’t wait to see what happens next, but I was sad when it ended. The book has a wonderful HEA. I would highly recommend this book to sweet romance readers and Christian romance readers.
I received an ARC. I chose to write a review and share my opinion.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was seriously so good and such a fun read. It’s like a favorite rom com that you watch over and over and the swoon worthy parts get you every time. The story between Casey and Colt was really sweet with plenty of humor.

This is kind of a new genre for me. It was a “clean romance” with elements of faith that didn’t sound like a block of Velveeta. St. Clair has found the perfect middle ground between g-rated love stories that make you roll your eyes and romance novels that cause you to blush, you know the ones.

I will be sure to read more by this author!

[Gerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the Sandover Beach Series this book was a big disappointment. It's a clean romance however I'd disagree with the Christian Romance claim. The only thing Christian about this book was that the main characters were virgins. It takes more than that to be a Christian.

Colt was not close to his mother since his dad died and felt she was cold and manipulative. Yet he agrees to help his mother with this show because she promises him his own company. He knew he wouldn't agree with everything she did but went along with it anyway and never asked questions. His best friend questioned his integrity and Colt agreed with him yet continued with this scheme. When Colt verbally attacked Casey and threw Lucas in her face that was it for me. No matter how angry or upset Colt was he saw first hand what Lucas was like.

As for Casey. Throughout the book she questioned everything and knew it was wrong but kept on going. That to me was sad. Once again, when Colt threw Lucas in her face that should have been her walk away moment for good.

And the mother. Anyone who treats and uses people like she did is obviously not Christian. Colt knew not to trust her and yet he believed her at the end about Casey and the contract. Mother and son are not much different.

I am so tired of books with the message that families need to stick together no matter what someone does to them. This is so wrong. If anyone verbally, emotionally, or physically mistreats you, you need to walk away. You can forgive them, which is for you, but they need to be in your rear view mirror. I often say, if a friend treated you like that would you continue to be their friend?

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma St. Claire is quickly becoming one of my MOST favorite contemporary romance authors to date. Her writing is awesome. Every book I've read so far is immediately engaging, hilarious, and super heartfelt. The Billionaire Love Match is no exception. I loved this story so much. It's another can't-put-down novel that I read in one day. I admit that I was hesitant to read this book because I've never read a Billionaire story before and have always felt they were super cheesy, shallow, and cliched. Also, how does one relate to a Billionaire love story? Those aren't typical to real life. But I'm so glad I read this book. The characters are great and totally relatable. The conflicts, even though set in a reality-TV show setting, are believable, and how the characters deal with their conflicts is believable. And the romance is perfection! The immediate chemistry between the main characters is palpable and steamy, but even that is realistic. The insta-love in this story plays out nicely. I don't always feel that way in fiction, but in The Billionaire Love Match it really worked. All in all, I am super stoked I chose to read this book and will continue with the other novels in this series. The Billionaire Love Match is a really great Contemporary Romance that I truly cannot recommend enough. Take a risk on this story ... you'll be happy you did!

I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on January 2, 2021, in order to read for fun and review. The opinions in this review are my own.

[Heidi Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it and I hated it. It was wonderfully written, as all of Emma St Clair's books are, but it was also really hard to read in some parts. Basically a girl named Casey goes on a reality TV dating show, and ends up falling in love with the guy, whose name is Colton, it's kind of like the Bachelor but fictional, and a lot cleaner where he has like 15 different girls he has to pick from. Basically they have a bunch of amazing chemistry, but she gets treated like crap by the other women because they're all petty and can't handle the fact that he likes Casey more than the rest of them. Anyways, this affects her A LOT, and there are lots of scenes where she is just so down, like she has no friends on this show, they all hate her, the internet hates her because she's made out by the producers to be some conniving, gold digger who is only there for Colton's money. There's also an abusive ex that ends up coming back towards the end and some of the stuff the producers and directors do is just truly awful. I know that it shows a lot of the reality behind reality TV but there were still some parts that I hurt for Casey. I would definitely read it again, but I will warn you, it deals with some pretty heavy topics that I'm not really used to seeing in some of her newer books. Other than that though it was amazing and I did enjoy it.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! What a great book! Loved every single part of it! The characters... oh~ they are amazing! They have a perfect blend of kindness, confidence and vulnerability. You just can't help but fall in love with them. Colton and Casey had me nearly screaming in frustration at time when things went wrong, and cheering for them to end up together. Out of the all the characters from books I've read this year, Casey and Colton are definitely my favourite couple!!!Considering I read about 300 books a year... they are fantastic!! The plot was super interesting with a few unexpected plot twists. Another part of the story that I fell in love with were the secondary characters; especially Ty! Sometimes secondary characters from books are detached, but Ms St. Clair has managed to give them depth and character. Loved how everything came together in the end and if I could, I would give this book 6 out of 5 stars!! I would very highly recommend this novel!!

RATING: 5 points

1-5 SCALE:
1: I couldn’t even finish it
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but I didn't like it either
3.5: On the line between good and ok
4: Solid story / worth reading
4.5: Close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it!

[J Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, a happily ever after reality show!

Casey has agreed to be on a reality TV show that is supposed to match her up with her perfect match. When her ex-boyfriend Lucas shows up at the contestant reveal announcement party Casey hides in the bathroom hoping to avoid him. Unfortunately, it's the men's bathroom and it’s occupied. She would have left immediately but when she heard Lucas at the bathroom door, she grabbed the stranger and kissed him hoping to hide her face from Lucas when the door opened.

Colton has agreed to be the bachelor star of his mother's new program billionaire love match in exchange for funding his own film studio. He couldn't believe it when a beautiful petite woman grabbed him and began kissing him unexpectedly in the men's room before the start of the first show. It was even more of a shock when a man burst through the door and punched him.

They were both surprised to discover they were on the same show. Their kiss was electric but it left them questioning each other's motives for taking part in a reality show and the constant manipulation of the contestants by Colt’s mother made Casey’s time on the show unending torture.

I received an ARC but my review is voluntary. I thoroughly enjoyed this clean billionaire romance!

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect of the beginning of this series. I've read almost all of Emma's romcoms, so it was different reading a more Christian-based romance. I definitely related to the characters a lot since I am Christian as well.

I am not the biggest fan of this trope - the whole dating show, fifteen women after one man, thing. I actually don't like it at all, but Emma made it work! I loved having both their POVs which definitely helped me get through it. Colt's mom was manipulative, but she had a somewhat redeeming moment in the end. I love the idea of love/like at first sight; it's definitely a trope I enjoy. Casey and Colt were so cute, and I absolutely adored their secrete messages in Morse Code when they were on camera - and off! I actually really liked Tessa...and then she turned out to be a real piece of work. It was so sad to me that she was Casey's only friend but then turned out to be...not.

Overall, it was a good twist with the way they did the show in the book, though they definitely twisted the footage to make certain people look good and others look bad. Overall, good book!

[Maggie | TheeReadingRedhead · Rating 3 out of 5]

📚 Series: The Billionaire Surprise (Book 1)
🎭 Genre: Contemporary Romance

🥜 In a Nutshell: A woman goes on a dating reality show and forms a real connection to the bachelor but must overcome his controlling mother, her abusive ex, and 14 other women competing for his attention.

✅ Reality TV drama
✅ The Bachelor vibes
✅ Overbearing mother

This one had been on my TBR for a while so I thought I would give it a try. I am not really into billionaire romances but I enjoy Emma St. Clair's writing and I liked the premise of it being a Bachelor type show. This was really entertaining and kept my interest the whole time. I liked how the characters used morse code as a way to communicate secretly with each other. There was a lot of drama which on one hand kept things interesting but on the other hand felt cheesy at times. I often found myself thinking, "that would never happen," or "they would never do that," while reading. So I am in the middle about this one. I was entertained but I also rolled my eyes a lot and felt frustrated with the story at times. Overall, entertaining but cheesy.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be right back- just learning Morse code

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
❤️.5/5

The characters = sublime
The sizzling romance = top notch
Colton = 😮‍💨

I really loved this book, as per Emma fashion it was beautifully written and the characters were multi-layered. Showing vulnerability and change.
The secret little Morse code messages, wow they hade me weak! I’m literally going to learn it in the hopes that a hunking billionaire will fall for me and tell me they love me through tapping my wrist.
I was pleasantly surprised to read about the Christian morals, boundaries and the faith based focus. It’s the first I’ve read from Emma that openly talks about faith, and I’m definitely not complaining! It was so refreshing to have book characters so similar to me!
Only thing is that I found a little difficult is the fact that Casey and Colts love is so fast, they only meet and talk openly 1 time before they start to feel love. Just wasn’t as relatable or realistic than other Emma reads. But still awesome!

[Jean Hall]

This is a clean, stand-alone story with a twist on the bachelor-type reality show. Casey and Colt meet before the start of the reality show, not knowing that they both were on the show. Colt's mother is the producer of the show and a nasty woman. Since her husband died and she took over his company, all she thinks about is money. She manipulates both Casey and Colt. I liked that both Casey and Colt have taken vows of celibacy until marriage. I could see why he wasn't interested in most of the other women as some of them were quite aggressive-one of them even kept trying to sit on his lap despite him moving away from her. This is basically an insta-love story. Some twists in the story with betrayal by one of the other contestants, which took me by surprise. And the mother puts Casey in a spot with her ex-boyfriend, who had tried to rape her at the beginning of the story. Very nice ending.

[Raechel Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this title in the collection "Just Kisses" - I thought it was a novella, and needed a quick read, and since I love Emma St. Clair, this was an easy choice. I quickly caught on that it wasn't a novella, but it still turned out to be a rather quick read because I enjoyed it and read it any time I grabbed my phone instead of scrolling social media, etc.
The plotline was fun - while I haven't ever watched The Bachelor or Bacholerette shows, I do enjoy an occasional love matchmaking type show (like Married at First Sight or Love is Blind), and have read one or wo stories that follow that idea, which I find to be entertaining! Even if I think in reality, a tv show romance would have so many complications. XD
And to be fair, Casey and Colt really did face a lot of complications, a lot of ups and downs. But I enjoyed seeing how their tale unraveled, and it was a sweet romance with only kisses.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to try reading a "billionaire" love story. I enjoy Regency romance, so in all actuality, how different is a contemporary billionaire romance from a Regency romance with wealthy, titled lords and people marrying for wealth and status. Not all that different, just the matter of when it takes place. The Billionaire Love Match is a clean romance with a few kisses with a lot of chemistry. There are Christian themes and a reminder that integrity is important. The characters are written well, both the protagonists and the antagonists. The story takes place over a dating reality show, which isn't my favorite plotline, because it's hard for the characters to know what's real. The 2 lovebirds figure out a way to keep things real and communicate during filming, and it's kind of fun. I enjoyed Emma St. Claire's Love Cliche series, so I thought I'd give this one a go. On to book 2!

[Laura Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blooming loved It

I am going to be grumpy tomorrow. Because I was so engrossed in this story I’ve stayed up until 2:30am reading when I should be sleeping. I can’t rate this book high enough. Well-written, fun characters, more twists and turns than my brain could keep up with. I literally gasped and said “OH HECK NO” out loud lol.

Can we just be real for a second? This book is a Billionaire romance but it’s so much more. There are sub-plots and rules broken. It’s unpredictable, yet ticks all the boxes in what you’d expect from a romance.

AND it was clean! But naughty, it was naughty in a clean way.

Honestly I can’t even tell you how much I adored this book. Their romance made me swoon.

Onto the next one I guess, but not before this tired mama gets some sleep!

[Sarah (tn.bibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey signs up for a reality TV dating show to get away from her ex. Colt agrees to be the billionaire on his mother's new TV show in order to get the studio space he needs to create the types of movies he wants. After a steamy bathroom kiss and a black eye, Colt and Casey build a relationship, but is the relationship real or all for the cameras?

I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved how authentic Casey seemed on the show. Lucas is the absolute worst. I'm not the biggest fan of Colt's mother, but there was a nod to a better relationship towards the end of the book. This book did include Christian themes.

Content Warning:
-Loss of a father
-Controlling mother
-Sexual assault attempt that is stopped
-Reality TV show drama and manipulation
*This is a clean contemporary romance