The Price of a Promise

The Bad Boys of Wall Street, Book 1

By: Ember Leigh

Narrated by: Jeremy York, Jill Smith

Their love never stood a chance...

Axel Fairchild is the eternal outsider, both in his elite MBA program and in the world of NYC finance. Powering through on charm, swagger, and smarts has always worked for him—and it’s poised to pay off in a big way as he prepares to launch his very own finance business with his brothers after graduation. There’s only one thing left on his to-do list: prying the love of his life, Cora Margulis, away from her controlling and manipulative family.

Cora loves Axel’s brash confidence and the way he turns her privileged world upside down. He’s a breath of fresh air in the stuffy, elite enclave she’s lived in her entire life. As she approaches the end of her MBA program and her father pressures her to join the ranks of their realty empire, Cora can see her escape hatch. The future beyond the luxurious world she’s always known scares her, but with Axel at her side, she knows they can create the future of their dreams—together.

But the Margulis family is famous for bending people to their will behind closed doors. The closer Axel and Cora inch to graduation, the more oppressive the pressure grows from Cora’s family to choose the right path. The only thing standing in the way of Cora and Axel’s happily-ever-after is Allan Margulis. And he won’t stop until he gets Cora in his back pocket and Axel is a ruined wreck.

Billionaires. Bad boys. Bleeding hearts. These outsiders are known as the Bad Boys of Wall Street. The Price of a Promise is the prequel to the Bad Boys of Wall Street series. This series is best listened to in order, since the drama is chronological and cumulative throughout the books. Download this steamy forbidden romance between the wealthy NYC heroine and the Kentucky boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Their love story begins in the Price of the Promise and concludes eight years later in The Price of Revenge.

©2022 Ember Leigh (P)2024 Ember Leigh

This series is going to be soooo good!

The Price of a Promise is book #1 (prequel) in The Bad Boys of Wall Street series. Axel and his brothers are from the foster care system, but about to graduate from Columbia University (MBA). He has been seeing Cora for several years. She is about to graduate with her MBA as well, but on the west coast. There's more than location keeping these two apart...her dad doesn't want Axel's "trash" corrupting his empire. Wow, this was so good. There's heartache, intrigue, steam, and a cliffhanger (of course). It's short (4-ish hours) and I finished it fast. No HEA here, but we got a great set-up for the revenge that's gonna happen.

The narration was absolutely fantastic! Jeremy York and Jill Smith really brought Axel and Cora to life with all the emotion and passion of two lovers that are driven apart by greed and hatred. 5/5 stars!!

Loved it!

This story was such a tease, but I’m absolutely intrigued and looking forward to the next book because it leaves in a cliffhanger. I absolutely recommend this story. I’m sure that in order to enjoy the characters in the next book, you will need to know the story of how it all happened. Plus this story is worth the listen. Jeremy York and Jill Smith did an amazing job narrating this story.

Jill and Jeremy's narration are a perfect pairing

This book is the prequel to the series The Bad Boys of Wall Street”. It’s based on the romance between Axel Fairchild and Cora Margulis in their college years and gives a brief foundation of how the Fairchild brothers start their business. It sets up book 1 which is Cora and Axel’s story. Cora comes from a wealthy family and they do not approve of her relationship with Axel. He’s the product of the foster system and is struggling to make ends meet while he finishes business school. Not what daddy Margulis thinks is good enough for his daughter.

I love ember Leigh’s writing. This story has so much happening and yet it doesn’t feel rushed. Family obligations, ultimatums, manipulation, betrayal, angst. Oh, the vengeance Axel feels for Cora’s father. It’s setting up such a fantastic tension in the next book. What her parents do to her and the choice she has to make hits home for me. I so felt for her. I was crying for both of them by the end.

Jeremy York is a great Axel, and uses a range of emotions as Axel is being tested on his love for Cora and his animosity for her father. I love Jill’s narration and the huskiness of her voice works well for the male voices also. And wow, how she performs during the heart wrenching scenes near the end are perfect

Overall, a great prequel to a new series. I jumped in with both feet and enjoyed every second of it. I can’t wait for the first book.

Intense and exciting

Exciting and intense start to finish, first page to last. Runs you through all the emotions and fills you full of frustration at the situation Cora and Alex find themselves in. Their love is strong, but the hold her family has on her just might be stronger. Alex was a foster kid, is working hard to be a successful self-made man, but he’s obviously from the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong part of the country, in fact, and that’s not just a strike against him with Cora’s father but all the strikes with no hope of ever being part of the family.

It was hard to like Cora because all I wanted to do was yell at her to stand up to her family. But she and her dead brother Chris really are the perfect examples of what happens to the children in an abusive family. Not physical abuse. Allan and Bernadette Margulis are too smart, too cultured, for that. But their verbal abuse cut deep, so deep that Chris took his own life rather than try to fight them anymore. And Cora always, always, always breaks and gives in. They’ve planned out her life and she is expected to step in line. If Chris isn’t there to take over, then she’s the one. And she’ll marry the right man and live in the right place, and none of that includes Alex or ever will.

Alex and his brothers are finishing their MBAs and almost ready to launch Fairchild Enterprises. He tries to talk to Allan about Cora with no success. He proposes to Cora and they happily become engaged. For about five minutes, until Allan pulls out his trump card: a letter to Cora and their parents from Chris, written just before he killed himself, asking Cora to take his place in the family business since he can’t. Supposedly they just found the letter, just after they learned of Cora and Alex’s engagement, in fact.

Wrong. So wrong on so many counts. Cora already feels guilty that she didn’t stop Chris from committing suicide – but she was just a high school senior. Her parents’ ridicule and derision of both siblings – you’re too gay and you’re too dramatic – was savage and had lasting effects. Her father threatens to ruin Alex and his brothers forever if she doesn’t accept his demands, and he takes steps to ensure she does what he wants.

Cora is heartbroken. Alex is heartbroken, angry and feels betrayed. There are a couple of hints that Bernadette has an interesting backstory, maybe she wasn’t always as ruthless as her husband Allan. But it’s not explained and what does it matter anyway; she still goes along with his cruel plans.

The Price of a Promise is a perfect lead-in to the next book, The Price of Revenge. Will Cora and Alex find their way back or will they become cutthroat business rivals? Can the hurts be healed or is it far, far too late? Can’t wait to find out. I received a free book. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

The Price of a Promise: Bad Boys of Wall Street #1

🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧

Well, I’m riveted for sure, but more than that, I’m intrigued. The storyline/plot isn’t surprising, and you “see” the ending conflict a mile away so I’d say this prologue is predictable in nature but what I don’t see clearly is how the future will play out, and that’s the intriguing part. There are a lot of different ways this story can grow, and travel and I am hooked. I can’t wait to see how Ember Leigh not only develops Cora & Axel’s journey, but also Axel’s business aspirations with his brothers and other circumstances I can’t give details about because, spoilers!

🎧 Narration by Jeremy York & Jill Smith was really great. Both their voices have great range and distinction between characters was never an issue!

This is my first experience with author Amber Leigh and I am impressed not just with her style, but also her voice and skill. This was a short listen but I’m looking forward to the Price of Revenge to get a full scope on her skills!

An Intriguing Series Prequel~Great Story & Listen!

This is my first book written by Ember Leigh and wow, consider me impressed, not only by her impressive writing style, but by the interesting characters and story she created, a story that swept me in, grabbing my attention right from the start and captivating it the entire time. As the first book of the “Bad Boys of Wall Street” she sets the foundation for the series, which begins with the start of Axel Fairchild and Cora Margulis’ story and it is a dramatic start, one that tugs at your heartstrings. Axel and Cora were in a solid relationship despite being on opposite coasts finishing up grad school, which is nearing the end. Cora comes from a wealthy and powerful family and is the sole heir to the family fortune and next in line to run the family business, something she never had an interest in. Axel comes from Kentucky and has not had the best of childhoods, growing up in foster care, but he is putting that behind him and he and his brothers are working hard to make something of themselves putting a business plan in place to make that happen. Axel and Cora’s love is genuine and deep, and when he asks her to marry him and she agrees, despite her father, Allan Margulis, not liking him. But Allan’s got other plans for his daughter, whether she likes it or not. I despised both of Cora’s parents, who are heartless and manipulative, and they definitely need to be knocked down a few pegs, quite a few. This is an amazing start to the series and I am already rooting for Axel and his brothers to succeed in all their goals and hope that Axel gets his revenge and then some. This cleverly plotted story has the perfect balance of drama, angst, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. Ember Leigh, thank you for this amazing story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧  Jeremy York and Jill Smith did a fabulous job bringing these characters to life and did so with a complete understanding of who they were portraying, giving each a voice that was fitting and was believable in every role. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These two made a great narration team and their performance elevated the story to another level. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to.

Loved this story

I loved this story so much! This audiobook was so fun to listen to and I didn’t want it to end. The first time I heard Jeremy York start talking I was instantly hooked! Definitely recommend listening to this! I will be re-listening.

Just a pawn

This is a very emotionally charged prequel. The narrators performance and capturing all the emotion is amazing. I couldn't stop listening. Cora and Axel have that all consuming, once in a lifetime love that is torn apart by family and obligations. That is the price Cora pays for wanting to keep her lifestyle intact. Talk about heartbreaking. The cliffhanger left me dying to see what happens next. Definitely a 4.5 star must read.

I was sent a free audiobook from HCB and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.