The Billionaire's Instant Bride

De: CJ Howard

Narrado por: Susan Marlowe

When Callie Williams signed up to the "bride bidder" app she was in a desperate situation. On the brink of losing her home, she needed money and she needed it fast. Allowing herself to be sold as a bride to a wealthy man was supposed to be a last resort for Callie, but she soon realized it was her only option.

When billionaire Thomas Dearborn signed up to the "bride bidder" app he was not totally interested in finding a traditional wife. He was not a man who wanted any romantic hassle but he knew that being seen as married would help his business interests.

Now, Callie and Thomas have been paired up in extraordinary circumstances for a marriage that suits them both. It is a modern day marriage of convenience with the promise that they will never love or touch one another.

And this is a promise that both parties are going to find very hard to keep.

©2016 CJ Howard (P)2016 CJ Howard

So sweet

It was a good short book! I enjoyed the romance and chase from the woman instead of the man!

Beautiful story

I enjoyed the love story of Thomas and Callie so much that I had to listen to it again. I highly recommend.

Enjoyable contemporary romance

Laid back story with a little drama & enjoyable story line. It was a bit slow but I still liked it.

Callie's grandfather just died and her grandmother gets a letter saying that there a tons of back up taxes unpaid. If she doesn't pay for the balance in one month, they will loose her grandma's house. Desperate for money, she signs up for instant bride and get a couple of bids.

Thomas is a great guy and the deal he is offering is amazing! But should she give up her life and move to another town?

The characters were interesting & the narrator did an ok job reading it. The story is told in Callie's POV. It has a good HEA ending.

** This audiobook was provided free of charge in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion **

Passive storytelling

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was a sweet story, but I found the pacing slow. It opens with Callie attending her grandfather's burial. It is narrate, with lots of back story, that made it difficult to get drawn into the story. Throughout the entire story, there is lots of "telling" (passive storytelling) vs. "showing".

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narrator did an okay job, but like the actual story, there were moments when it dragged. The narrator's tone and voice were fine, but some of the introspection and reflection scenes were tedious.

Any additional comments?

I believe many readers will enjoy this story, but I expected it to be a little edgier, a little more fast paced. It is a sweet, slow moving tale of romance with likeable characters and a predictable outcome.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom.

Pleasant but predictable.

Any additional comments?

This was a pleasant story with characters that were likable with good chemistry. I thought Callie was very well characterized as the unselfish granddaughter who would do anything to keep her beloved grandmother in her home. Throughout the book, the author lets us into Callie's head, so we can empathize with her. I only wish the same was true with Thomas. And because we don't really understand where Thomas is coming from, some of the plot elements become ridiculously unbelievable.

Spoiler Alert: For example, why on earth would Thomas offer double Callie's minimum bid to secure her as a wife when he has not met her and has no idea if they would even be compatible? And if Thomas just needs a wife to stop a business associate from pushing his daughter off on him for a wife, why does he propose a permanent, PLATONIC arrangement with Callie? Wouldn't a few months or years be plenty? And why restrict the terms to a platonic relationship, even when they find themselves attracted to each other? What is Thomas thinking????

But I was mildly entertained by the audible story. I just think it would have benefited from some insight into Thomas' character and thoughts. I also was not crazy about the narrator. While her diction was impeccable, and her delivery was very clear, she spoke with such a monotone that it took away from any emotion the book might have elicited. She did use Italian accents for the characters in Italy, but still spoke in that dreary monotone. The story could have benefited greatly from a more dramatic presentation.

I received a free audible version of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Not bad but not great.

The story premise was good, but story didn't really develop well. Some parts seemed rushed or the listener could see what was coming from a mile a way. Time that could have been spent creating a better arc for the characters was spent on details not really necessary. The narration was fair, but seemed monotone at times. Perhaps if the story was expanded and had more detail and character development that would help.

This audiobook was free in exchange for an honest review via Audiobook Boom.

3 Solid Stars In The Saturated BILLIONAIRE Categor

💵 3 Solid Stars In The Saturated BILLIONAIRE Category

💵 The Billionaire's Instant Bride opens with the main character, Callie at her grandfather's funeral. She and her grandparents live together and her grandmother is beside herself with the loss of her husband.

💵 Shortly after the funeral, Callie's grandmother gets a letter informing her that there are years worth of unpaid taxes due on her home. She has 30 days in which to pay these taxes or the house will go up for auction and grandmother will need both Callie and her grandmother will need to relocate.

💵 Finding no other way to come up with the text money in a short amount of time, Callie puts herself up for auction – similar to an escort – as a wife.

💵 Thomas Dearborn offers a mutually beneficial relationship. He needs a "placeholder" wife to fend off the pressure from the client pushing his daughter on him for a wife.

💵 Thomas and Callie agree that they each have their own life and only need to couple up for business engagements and the like.

💵 The rest is a story and reflections of the twists and turns of this arranged marriage. Add in a trip to Italy and a gentleman caller for Callie and you will have a less predictable billionaire romance!

💵 Like others I found that Susan Marlow performance wasn't the top mark, but it certainly wasn't as awful as those giving her one star. I recommend listening at a little bit faster speed – 1.5 X or 1.2 5X – moves the story along and helps, what others have called "monotone or drag". I give the performance a solid three stars.

💵 Notes: There is no strong language or violence in this work. However, there are some intimate scenes, best left for the 18-year-old plus crowd.


*I received this work in exchange for my review; good, bad or meh. I've written all 3 kinds.

If you found this review helpful, would you take a moment and select "YES" below?

Consider following me on audible.com. I review from most genres.

Authors, publishers and narrators, please feel free to take my review to any other media that you would like. Thanks!

The Billionaire's instant Bride !🌟💖🌟🌟!

I enjoyed this book C J Howard you are a great story teller I Read some of your other books, I have them in my library,
Thomas wanted a paper marriage only but when he met Kali they became friends then they fell in love with each other,
So (HEA) Narrator Susan Marlowe (you were good👍 Thank You Audible!!!! 😊😊 next please!!!

Good story...But Narrator was not!!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I almost could not get through this book due to the Narrator. I would recommend reading this book and not listening to the slow, mellow reader.

How could the performance have been better?

Choose a different Reader...

Such a sweet story!

This was a fantastic book. I enjoyed it very much. The love story between them was so sweet and good. It's definitely a feel good romance.