Brooke Fern
***3.5 Stars*** This one was a rough one for me, one that I came quite close to DNF’ing if I’m absolutely honest. I hate to admit that, because I never want to DNF a book, especially one that I have been looking forward to reading (even if it did take me a long, LONG time to get to). But there was that one ‘thing’ that kept me reading, which I’ll get to in a bit) and in the end I’m happy I stuck it out to see how everything worked out for Nikki and Brant. So, the ‘thing’, or really ‘things’, that kept me reading were Cole and Nadine. I’ve loved Nadine since first being in her presence and kinda want to be her when I grow up. But Cole was pretty amazing. Had there not been a “Cole” in the mix, I wouldn’t have kept going. He was sweet, protective, snarky and I absolutely adored him. Now for Nikki and Brant. It’s really hard to truly dislike either of, especially after all that they had gone through in a very short amount of time. Nikki, I really liked from the start and after finding out all that had happened I couldn’t help but admire how she found a way to pick herself up and at least attempt to have some semblance of a life. Brant, I obviously had many, many moments where I wanted to do way more than Gibbs smack him, even after finding out the full story. I swear my heart bled for both of them, but his self loathing went to a level that I couldn’t handle. But, as they both FINALLY communicated with each other ~ truly communicated, I started to root for them and ended up very happy with where they were at in the end. This one put me through the ringer and the honest truth is that if Cole, or a character like him, hadn’t been a part of the story I would have DNF’d, so this really goes to show how secondary/supporting characters can help to make or break a book for me. I waffled a bit on my rating and if I should round down or up, I picked up because by the end I was all in. So, if you like OTT angst, then this one is definitely for you. ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
Isha Coleman
Never have I lost my heart as quickly as I have with Rachel Van Dyken's, Bachelors of Arizona series. Brock and Jane were the beginning of something wonderful. Bentley and Margot were the culmination of something special and Brant and Nikki were like a dance with destiny. The Bachelor Contract is as captivating as it is heartbreaking. What began as a beautiful romance, lost it's innocence and became a journey of pain, guilt and salvation. I have yet to piece my heart back together. Every author has a story that symbolizes the best of them and I think, The Bachelor Contract is Ms. Van Dyken's signature tale. The message is powerful, the hope is inspiring and the love story is everlasting.