The Contract: two best friends and a marriage of convenience

The Contract is the fifth book in the Brides of Beaufort series by Jess Mastorakos. Zoe Katsaros and Chase Mitchell are fellow Marines and best friends especially after they were on deployment together. His family is about to lose everything and he can’t send extra money home. Her family is pushing for marriage to a Greek man she doesn’t like or love. Thanks to dual military benefits and his willingness to embrace her Greek family’s traditions, Zoe suggests a marriage of convenience as the answer to their problems. They discuss terms and set their plan into motion. However, married life isn’t all they thought it would be, even to a best friend. Their arrangement started out as a means to an end; however, Chase will do everything he can to make it much, much more. 

When I started Chase and Zoe’s story, I wasn’t sure I would like it as well as I did the previous books. It did have a different vibe than the others. However, there were a lot of deep issues present in the story and I cheered for them and ended up falling in love with their story. Parental expectations. Family traditions and culture. And responsibility of adult children to their parents. I loved how strong Zoe was as she loved her family, her culture and their traditions but deep in her heart, she wanted something more than an arranged marriage. I wanted to hug Chase as he struggled helping his parents and I was angry on his behalf when he learned the truth. What is the truth? You’ll have to read the story to find out. I highly, highly recommend The Contract. And if you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for? 

The Contract is available in paperback and eBook