BOOK TOUR REVIEW: BOYFRIEND BARGAIN by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Ilsa Madden-Mills knows how to bring the angst in her new adult romances, and Boyfriend Bargain is no different. Zack ‘Z’ Morgan and Sugar Ryan have their own baggage and backstories that they bring into the story line, which means that because readers are privy to both of their perspectives, we’re able to see beneath Zack’s larger-than-life college athlete persona to the man he seems to hide from everyone, including himself as well as the real reason Sugar is desperate to get into Vanderbilt for Law School and the scars that she wears from her father’s refusal to claim her and the struggle she has to protect her heart, even though it seems to know what it wants early in the story.

A player college athlete, a quirky, intelligent heroine, and a fake relationship are commonly used characteristics in new adult romance, but the attributes that separate Boyfriend Bargain from the rest is the depth of Zack and Sugar’s characters and the way Ilsa Madden-Mills delves into who they are beneath the facades they created…underneath the traits that those around them see regularly. And while Zack seems to be the one playing a role throughout the duration of the story, Sugar’s game of pretend focuses on her remaining unaffected by how much she likes Zack and how invested she already seems to be in a relationship that destined to break her.

Zack Morgan is quite the dynamic hero, but it’s not because he’s a hockey star, the life of the college party scene, or the fact that he’s already been picked up by a professional hockey team. It’s more the idea that this strong, gifted, and powerful man, who is supposed to exude strength and fortitude, has a chaotic maelstrom of feelings and stresses inside of him that are slowly debilitating him and proving to him just how not right he is. The process Z goes through in order to deal with his issues reaches a crescendo towards the end of the book, and what that means for his future career as well as his potential future with Sugar is difficult to assess until the truth is revealed and he faces all of the turmoil that no longer is willing to remain hidden.

Sugar Ryan is definitely not Z’s usual ‘flavor of the month,’ and that idea is illustrated from the very beginning. She’s the exact opposite of the other girls at the party she attends in order to talk to Z about her plan, and the fact that she hasn’t been to a single party until now and she’s a college senior helps readers to understand just how out of place she is compared to the other girls in the frat house and perhaps why she’s so worried about making this work while also hiding herself from everyone else. The author catalogs Sugar’s uniqueness, which actually endears her to both readers and ‘most’ supporting characters, which speaks volumes about the kind of person she is and why things between she and Zack were never going to be strictly fictitious because she doesn’t know how to be anybody but herself with all of her emotions and personality traits.

The group of secondary characters made Z and Sugar’s story even better because they are as authentic as the hero and heroine are, which is usually not something I see in most romances. Everyone needs a Taylor and Poppy in their lives because they are true best friends to Sugar and have her back at all times. Z’s best friend Eric is also a great guy who I’m hoping gets his story told soon. Even Z’s brother, as much as I wanted to throttle him, added so much to the story line…a much needed additional perspective on the tragic events of his and Z’s past.

Boyfriend Bargain is a unique and complex new adult romance that delivers steam, laughs, angst, and a bit of hockey in the mix. In some ways, it’s a heavy hitter that will make readers’ hearts ache but in others, it’s a feel good, swoon worthy romance, and it’s its complicated plot and characters that makes it a must-read!

4.5 Poison Apples