standalone, contemporary adult romance*
The pact is about to change everything.
4 1/2 I-LOVE-LINDEN STARS!!
I love a sweet, sexy, hot and romantic story, and The Pact is all this and more! Add a charismatic and irresistible Scotsman? YES, PLEASE! Karina Halle hits another home run with this incredibly engaging and modern tale of dating, love and romance. This is a fun, fast-paced and very enjoyable read and a little bit of a different type of book for this author. And I loved every word. Linden and Stephanie are two incredibly engaging characters, both very endearing and sometimes maddening and in the end, just plain human, with all the insecurities, longings and sometimes-dysfunctional relationships that most of us deal with into our adulthood.
These two are best friends, but also find each other irresistible. But they are terrified of ruing their close friendship by becoming involved romantically. So, they make a pact. At Linden’s suggestion, they agree at age 25 that if they are not married by the age of 30, then they will marry each other. Sounds like a good idea, no? But the problem is that no one else can measure up to the other during all the years in between. At times, I just wanted to scream, “Get together already!!”
“I sip my drink and can’t help but feel the slightest bit relieved. In five years, all the dating and the strife could be over. In five years, there’s the tiniest possibility that I could marry my best friend.”
Linden is hot hot hot and the kind of guy that every girl swoons over. He can’t seem to fully give himself to anyone and of course, is madly in love with Stephanie. She, however, is not quite sure if he was just kidding about the pact, but she, too, can’t seem to find true love, either.
“I want to tell her all the filthy things I think about, be real, raw and unfiltered. I want to make her cheeks flush from my dirty mouth and her body with desire.”
Oh, yes, Linden is a dirty talker. Will they finally see through their stubborn resolve and give in to the feelings they have for each other? Things seem to come to a head during a camping weekend and they both seem to finally see the light. Finally! But will they be able to withstand all the outside forces and their own insecurities to be able to really make their incredible bond last?
The Pact has one of the most romantic and heart-pounding endings I have ever read. I was alternately swooning and crying. Karina Halle has written a perfect contemporary romance – it has a believable and relatable hero and heroine, modern settings, real-life problems and lots and lots of incredibly steamy, off-the-charts sex!! Issues with friendships, dating, jobs, family — this book has it all. I loved this book and fell in love with Linden. Highly recommended for all fans of modern romance!
(*ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review)
Her eyes are so blue and wide, like the morning sky, her
mouth so perfectly full. I contemplate running my thumb over her lips before I
kiss the salt off of them.I should just do it. I should just fucking do it.I swallow hard, my throat feeling closed up but I know it’s
not from my cold. It’s from want and it’s from fear.“What are you staring at?” she asks me, her voice shaking slightly.Just f**king kiss her.