When I first started The Pact it was so funny that I thought I would get a zany whirlwind romantic comedy. As I read on it became abundantly clear that I was heading for heartbreak. You know the feeling? Its's that sense of impending doom when everything looks so fun and perfect but you just know something is going to screw it all up. But, like I said, it was hilarious so I kept reading and I'm very glad I did. 
 The Pact is the story of Stephanie and Linden who've been friends for years and (not so) secretly in love with each other. One drunken birthday they make a pact to marry each other if they are both single at 30. Thirty comes around and it's time to either "nut up or shut up" out of lack of better terminology. I enjoyed their romance and the love they had for each other and was heartbroken when the inevitable break up came. (That's not a spoiler! There's always a break up!) The only thing that annoyed me was the fact that they couldn't just express their feelings! Like come on! At one point I wanted to enter the book and lock the two of them in a room and tell them to start mating already! 
 Karina Halle's writing style flowed so fluidly that I really felt like these were real people. (Also I completely talk the same way as Stephanie does so I was able to relate to her on a deeper level because of it.) These are people you could really meet in real life and want to be friends with. They're messy and flawed and also amazing and hilarious. After reading The Pact I actually feel like I really know the characters. There were loads of hilarious dialogue and it's hard to even narrow it down into my favorite funny quote because there were just so many! But I do want to put in at least one quote so here is my favorite emotionally deep moment: 
 "Life leaves scars. Sometimes you don't see them until later. Sometimes you don't know where they've come from. Sometimes they fade before your eyes. But the world leaves it's mark on us." 
 It's easy to rely on smut to sell a romance. Don't get me wrong, the smut in here was grade A hot! But, it also had substance to fall back on. The characters were vivid and well developed, the setting was richly detailed, and it had a big old happy ending. I got pretty much everything I wanted out of reading The Pact. I think I will continue on with the series and read the next book The Offer.