A big thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is my first time reading this author, but I will read others-I found a new author. I liked this book, while it had parts that were predictable, I kept getting surprised. Lots and lots of secrets!! The characters were interested and had great chemistry. While this might not be to everyone's taste, for me it was a fun read. 4 stars

Contract With The Bad Boy is the latest mafia romance from author Sylvia Rae.

I will start by saying that I do think this plot had a lot of potential. Billionaire heiress enters a marriage of convenience with a billionaire mafia alpha and there is a surprise pregnancy; on paper this combination of tropes sounds fantastic. But unfortunately, it just wasn’t well executed. There was more spice than substance and even the spicy scenes didn’t really do much for me.

The book opened in a really interesting way with the MMC saving the FMC from a drink spiking situation and this really hooked me in. But after this initial situation the whole plot felt rushed and lacking in substance. There was little to no relationship building, we just suddenly had this marriage of convenience setup and then, despite it being a business deal rather than a real relationship, the FMC and MMC were suddenly doing it 24/7.

It also felt like the novel wasn’t well planned out and aspects were randomly added to the plot as afterthoughts, such as ‘oh and he was in the mafia’ and ‘oh and he has a brother who used to date the FMC’.

Overall, unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. Fans of a mafia romance who want a shorter read with some spice might like this book but it just really lacked the depth and substance I personally needed.

Rating:⭐️⭐️/5

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5

*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial.

Grumpy billionaire/mafia member meets a billionaire heiress that leads to a fake marriage….what could possibly go wrong?
There was a lot going on in this book, which I feel like led to it being kinda rushed and thrown together. Gabriella & Leonardo, “Leo”, had their fair share of problems, but by the end of the book they are truly living their happily ever after with one child & another one on the way.

Contract with the bad boy is the first book that I have read by the author Sylvia Rae. This was a 3 star read with great spice along with romance.. Gabi is in need of a fake fiance since she is going to be taking over a company that her grandpa owns.

I was expecting a lot more from this book. There were some very steamy parts, but the overall story was just mid. A quick read, but could have used more substance.

This was my first time reading this author. Gabriella, brought up by her Grandfather after her parents death has worked hard to achieve recognition in running the family business. However her grandfather has attached strings to her becoming CEO…. She must marry!
When Leonardo saves her from a so called “friend “ spiking her drink she starts to think that this man may be the ideal husband to attain her goals.
Strong characters and heavy on the sex element which sometimes I felt overtook the story. Overall a good read.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy. Overall, the book was alright. There wasn't much of a story but a lot of spice. I felt like time was going by really slow because there was not much of a plot. It felt rushed. There was no relationship building it was just all in right from the beginning. I honestly was bored. and looked at the time every few chapters.

Contract with the bad boy had a strong heroine and hero. I enjoyed the interaction between Gabriella and Leonardo. The more they were around each other, the deeper in love they fell. Not that it helped! Or that they would admit it. Many obstacles stood between them, not the least of them not wanting to open up to the other. And Gabriella's grandpa! If ever the story had a villain, it was grandpa! And the addition of a surprise pregnancy brought more to the relationship. Gabriella and Leonardo definitely had their issues, but the love story between the two was a joy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a copy of this book. Overall I thought the book was okay. there wasn't anything while reading that grasped my attention and made me have feelings. However, I wasn't bored while reading. I don't think this author's reading is for me. I did enjoy reading about the growing romance.

This book was okay. I felt the characters and story lacked depth. There was spice in it but it overpowered the story. And as the story went on it felt rushed. I had a hard time finishing this book.

Enjoyed this novel. Gabi is in need of a husband to inherit her grandfather's business. Leo is fortunately at the bar he owns when he becomes aware that someone spiked Gabi's drink. He saves her and the story progresses. There were some different twists that develop and kept me interested until the end.

my first read from this author. and I loved it my kind of read. You have it all. And bit of Mafia. that I love. Gabriella was brought up buy her grandfather. When her parents were killed. he is a very cold man where he still thinks women should not be in control. For her to get her grandfather's business she has to marry. Gabriella is a very lonely woman. she decides to go to a bar to wind down. And she thinks the barman so hot Lenardo has spotted her to. When she decides to go to the bar an old school friend comes in with his friend s and when she not looking, he spikes her drink. but Lenardo. sees it on the camera he is the owner and won't have drugs, so he stops them taking her out the club. Gabriella goes back to see him and thank him and then she asks him to marry her so she can get her grandfather's business. It's so good. the twists and turns will keep you hocked.

this wasn't something i particularly enjoyed - the plot wasn't exciting enough to maintain my attention, and i felt like there were too many issues that could have been solved with simple editing.

I thought this had an interesting premise and a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it fell short. The writing was very stilted and clunky. Instead of being transported into the story, I was very aware that I was reading and a lot of the inner monologue sounded robotic.

I liked the pro-feminism theme and that the author highlighted how difficult it is for a woman in corporate world.

This was very quick read for me but it left something to be desired.

This book is poorly edited. In addition parts of the story are all over the place. For example, the FMC and MMC start getting a bit handy. The clothes she is wearing change, suddenly she has no bra and a borrowed shirt when she cam in dressed casually (and returning borrowed clothes). These instances and poor editing totally distract from a good plot. Characters feel flat as well. It has so much potential but falls flat on its face.

A lot more romance I had anticipated, would definitely recommend! Characters seem like regular romance book characters. where the MMC seems like an immature idiot and FMC is honestly just like every other regular FMC in a romance.
Very predictable and not that interesting enough to captivate someone unfortunately. Slightly disappointing.

This story was a struggle for me. I felt like it was missing something that really would entertain the reader. Though I wanted to like it, it just seemed to miss the mark for me.

Contract with the bad boy by Sylvia Rae is perfect for an arranged marriage with billionaire fan book reader.

✅ Arranged marriage
✅ Billionaire / gangster mob
✅ Past trauma
✅ High sexual tension
✅ Plenty of spicy scenes
✅ Suspense
✅ Action
✅ Spicyness: Intense

The storyline are addicting and fast paced. I love Leo and Gabriella relationship development. They goes from hot to cold and hot again, back and forth which drive reader crazy.

I'll definitely be looking forward for the next book by Sylvia Rae.

Loved reading the fabulous and fantastic romance story. When Gabi needs a man to pose as her fiancé in order to take over her Grandfather's company, she tells Leonardo she will pay him to be her fake fiancé. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting story you can't stop reading. Can't wait to read another book by the awesome author, Sylvia Rae!

While the setup of the book was great and has a great premise, I feel like the last half of the book was an afterthought.


****Slight spoilers ahead...****


There was a whole scene where the FMC found out that the MMC was a part of the mafia at one point. I struggled to find where that came from. It seemed really random. Same with the MMC's brother popping out of nowhere. The "drama" with him did not feel significant.

Another thing I struggled with was how the summary of the book acts like the pregnancy will be a big part. Trust me, it's not, and I hate how it's advertised. It isn't until almost the ending that we even find out.😒

I thought the beginning half of the book started out well! We'll have to see about future books, though!