This book right here is the reason why I'm so willing to give small press and selfpublishing a chance. This book right here is the reason why I so patiently roam Amazon and Goodreads, looking for new and undiscovered authors, why I put up with a lot of really bad books in the hopes they will lead me to something like this. 
 The Marriage Bargain is a good romance book. The kind that is hard to find these days. Most books that hide under the Romance banner are erotica books in disguise. So finding something that is what I call a true romance book...well...it feels like I found a precious gem. 
 More often than not, romance books dive right into bed with the characters, and from then on it feels like you're in a sex-marathon. Oh the authors do try to weave in a plot of some kind, but too often if falls flat. 
 In The Marriage Bargain the UST (unresolved sexual tension) is so heavy it makes you want to grab the characters and shake them until they come to their senses. I love that we have to get through more than half the book before anything more than heavy makeout sessions happen. Best of all, none of their sexual encounters are too graphic. A lot is left to the reader's imagination. Honestly, there is nothing sexier than that. Erotica has its time and place, but a true romance is always a win. 
 Speaking of romance, I love that the questions about love aren't resolved until the very end of the book. There are no boring moments that make you reach out for another book to read. Ms Probst spins a tale that makes it impossible to put the book down. And yes, I'll manage just fine on only 3 hours of sleep... :D 
 I have browsed by this book many, many times. The reason why I didn't stop by this book until now, is the cover. It's a gorgeous picture, so it's not that. But I just don't like it as a book-cover. I find it offputting. I like to find out for myself through reading what the characters look like, and a cover like that gets in the way of that. But it kept on popping up on my browsing through Amazon books, so I caved and read the blurb. The blurb is what was the real seller for me. 
 Thanks to a very good summary, I picked up this book. And annoyance over cover aside, I'm exstatic I've read this. 
 Even if you're like me, and none too crazy about the cover, read the blurb, then read the book. If you're tired of all the marathon-sex that most books seem to be full of, pick up this one. This is a feel-good book. Snuggle up in front of a fire, with a hot coffee, tea, or cocoa, and escape into the world of Ms Probst. You won't regret it.