Author Lauri Robinson spins a fresh take on the marriage of convenience romance in this delightful 1920s-set story. in which Jolie and Randall are a layered and interesting heroine and hero.

I loved the cover and concept for this book. Sadly, I couldn't get into it. It opened with a series of "frat-boy" style pranks—some people might find that fun, but it's not my style. The book is well-written but not for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Terrific book. It's not often you find a romance set during the Great Depression, which made this one even more appealing. Here we have two sides of the Depression. Jolie Cramer's father invested heavily in the stock market, so when the crash came, he lost almost everything. This brought on a fatal heart attack. Jolie's mother, devastated by the loss of her husband and their lifestyle, spends her days either depressed or pretending that they are still rich. Seeing the effect of her father's loss on her mother, Jolie intends never to fall in love or marry. She plans a career in fashion design. That is, until the day her mother informs Jolie that it's up to her to save the family by marrying Randal Osterlund.

Randal's family came through the crash in good shape. After he took over the business after his father's death, Randal diversified their holdings, ensuring that they still had income. Randal was raised by a father and grandfather who had high expectations - nothing was ever good enough. Now that he's in charge, Randal wants to make a name for himself through his own efforts. He plans to purchase an airline and start passenger service. But the man who owns the airline he wants to buy will only sell to a married man. Randal has avoided love and marriage after seeing the effect his mother's death had on his father. He doesn't want that kind of pain in his life. He makes a deal with Mrs. Cramer (believing it has Jolie's agreement) that he will pay their taxes, provide for the two younger Cramers, and give Mrs. Cramer an allowance if Jolie marries him.

Once she recovers from the shock, Jolie and Randal have a heart-to-heart conversation regarding expectations. They are honest about their anti-love opinions and feel they will do well together. They spend time together getting to know each other. I loved that Randal was Jolie's port in the storm of her mother's controlling behavior. It said a lot about him that he stood up for Jolie's desire to make her wedding dress. They were well on the way to becoming good friends by the time the wedding arrived. The scene with the wedding chase was hilarious and exciting, and I enjoyed how they bonded over it.

As Randal and Jolie settled into life together, I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow. An unexpected attraction grew between them, leading each to contemplate the future. They had already agreed to take the time to be comfortable with each other before adding anything physical to their relationship. Neither expected the deepening feelings, especially after their agreement that love had no place in their marriage. I loved their continuing support of each other. Randal's pride in Jolie's sewing accomplishments was unmistakable, and I loved the scene at the department store when he took her shopping. Jolie was equally supportive of his airline plans. I loved her joy and excitement when he took her flying. There was a fly in the ointment of Randal's plans, however. The owner of the airline he wants turned out to be Jolie's godfather, and he has very different plans for the airline. I ached for Randal and its effect on him and his belief in himself.

There was some conflict near the end brought on by a trouble-making rival of Jolie's. She and Amy were long-time adversaries, and Amy excels at creating trouble. An unexpected encounter between Amy and Randal gives her the ammunition - twisted though it was - to prey on Jolie's fears. While the confrontation between Jolie and Randal was painful, it did end up clearing the air and opening their eyes. I loved the conclusion.

I also enjoyed the importance of family to both Randal and Jolie. Randal has a powerful protective gene, and he likes nothing better than looking out for his family. It became clear that he perhaps takes it a little too far when he objects to his sisters and their husbands exerting some independence. Jolie, being outside looking in, has some good suggestions for his sisters and sees nothing wrong with helping them find their way. I loved seeing the sisters get involved with Jolie's sewing endeavors. For her part, Jolie is just as protective of her siblings but is a bit more clear-headed about it. She spent years protecting them from their mother's foibles, but now that Jolie isn't there, her brother and sister become mom's next money-making targets. When Jolie helps them find their own jobs rather than asking Randal to give them money, he feels hurt and rejected. I enjoyed the ending as the various threads came together in one giant tangle and the love, honesty, and communication it took to weave a solid cloth from them.

I also enjoyed seeing characters from some of the author's earlier series make appearances. It's always fun to see how their lives are going.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for access to this arc.

I was expecting a standard arranged marriage book but instead got something a little more. The setting was excellent with nice touches that made it definitely take place in the early 1930s without going overboard on cramming too many things in. Jolie worries about the family name getting put in an informal list of bad check writers that merchants use. Mount Rushmore is still being carved. A city as large as Chicago only had small airfields and not enough demand from passengers for more than once or twice weekly service to some cities and only part time employees to sell these tickets. Then there’s a fun scene about a custom that sort of reminds me of a shivaree with Randal and Jolie managing to win the day.

Both MCs have sensible reasons why they aren’t looking for love in marriage and are willing to marry for financial gain. Neither is in love with anyone else but importantly to me, both agree to the marriage and try to present a united public face while also being polite to each other. Thank goodness there are no nasty scenes and both families also behave themselves – welcoming the newcomer. Yet even though she knows her husband has money enough for her not to need to watch her spending, it takes Jolie a while to get over the need to mentally calculate the cost of goods and worry about money which makes sense to me.

Where the book really earns points from me is in how Jolie and Randal begin to change their opinions of marriage and about each other. Jolie designed and made her wedding dress which horrified her mother and was mentioned in the wedding announcement in a way Jolie found dismissive. Randal admires her talent and immediately backs, both privately and publicly, her wishes to sew. Randal’s explanation of what he wants to do with the aviation company he married Jolie to be able to buy fascinates Jolie who throws herself behind his plans wholeheartedly. It might seem strange but I actually liked that Randal has a bit of period thinking in that he wants to be the main breadwinner for the family, something that he’d been brought up to believe and what would have been a common feeling for men of the era.

In fact, the two begin getting along so well together that beyond the rising sexual tension (they’d made a pact to put off any sexual intimacy until they both felt comfortable about it) that I wondered where the third act conflict would bubble up from. Then I remembered a certain character who did, indeed, become the source of division between them. The blow up was a bit silly but also, I will admit, was based on behavior that had been baked into the book all along. Thankfully this doesn’t last long and is cleared up with communication between Jolie and Randal which for the most part is something they actually do fairly well all through the book.

So I liked both main characters who act in period ways in period scenes. If there were anachronisms, they didn’t leap out at me. And yay for a business that Jolie starts based on something I don’t remember seeing in a historical book before but which makes perfect sense for that time period. The final conflict blew in and out fairly quickly but I’m happy with the development of the romance and how Jolie and Randal support each other in ways that count plus I look forward to the next book in the series. B

This is Jolie and Randal’s story. Jollie’s family lost their money in the stock market crash. Joliet’s mother makes an arranged marriage to Randal where he provides them with an income. Randal’s family was more diversified in their investing so they did not lose that much money in the crash. Neither one wants to be in love. They have very different dreams. He wants to own a passenger airline. She wants to become a clothing designer. There relationship has many twists and turns. They can make their dreams come true. I loved the story. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Another sweet story from Lauri Robinson. Joliet and Randal are made for each other but only if the get past several problems. It was fun watching them work hard to keep from falling in love only to have it win in the end.

Can I just start by saying this was one of the best books I have ever reviewed. The historical accuracy throughout this book is amazing.The way you get to see both the main characters progress and open up is a key part of the book.I love the fact this this book allows the characters to have flaws it allows the readers to feel more connected to these characters.This book made me mad,frustrated,happy,and love sick. The grandpa kept me smiling with his slick comments.Randal helped me to see that not everything is how it appears to be.Jolie was a perfect female lead she was head strong,caring,smart and didn't let anybody stop her from doing what she needed to do.I truly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys historical romances with a slow burn.