The Boyfriend Contract

by Jason Collins

It’s normal for your new boss to ask you to be his fake boyfriend at the interview, right? When I arrive at the run-down vineyard for a bartending job, I’m not expecting a man like Ethan Carrington to answer the door. Tall, chiseled, and passionate, the man is sex on legs, and he offers me more than bar work. Ethan wants me to pretend to be his boyfriend to impress investors. I’m reluctant, but I need the money, and there are many perks to working with the drop-dead gorgeous man in charge. The job is fun, the benefits are excellent, and Ethan is charming and intriguing. I can pretend to be his boyfriend, no problem. That’s all this an arrangement we’ll both benefit from. So why can’t I stop fantasizing about him? We’re surrounded by wine, and all I want to do is offer Ethan a private tasting. He's gorgeous, and he just gave me the best Climax I’ve ever had. Well, at least that was the name of the sample drink he prepared for me during the interview. He's good with his hands, but I have my eye on more than just his cocktails. I used to be all about living fast and spending money, but those days came to a screeching halt when my wealthy father gave me an prove my skills by flipping an old vineyard and turning a profit, or he’ll cut me off. The vineyard needs renovations from the ground up, but investors aren’t willing to part with their money. They want proof that I’m good with long-term commitments. A stable boyfriend would do the trick. All my dreams come true when Brett shows up. Sexy and irresistible, he’s more than capable behind a bar, but I have something crazier in mind. If his acting is as good as his bartending, he’s perfect fake boyfriend material. The question is, what happens when it stops being an act? Things are heating up, and I’m not sure if we’re still pretending. Note to This is a sweet and steamy MM romance with a heat level of 10.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Fake Dating, Ebooks, Workplace

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2018

Reviews

[Eugenia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope-a-doodle-doo! DNF 'cause the writing style annoyed me from the get go.

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this "fake BF" trope love story... despite this corny line ("He's gorgeous, and he just gave me the best Climax I’ve ever had.") in the blurb for the book! The two main characters in this book, Brett (Just sooooo perfect!) and Ethan (a bit self-absorbed at first) are impossible not to fall for and their story is absolutely fun and sexy! The writing is superb and the story is one that delivered just the right amount of angst to keep things interesting without it becoming annoying. This book had me hooked from the start and never let me go till the end. An excellent read that truly entertained! Definitely a book that is going on my list to read again the future!

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2★'s = it was ok.

This was a miss for me and I'm just going to leave it at that.

Based on the reviews I seem to really be in the minority so, you know, go read those reviews and enjoy!

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Collins has become my go-to author for a feel good love story.

This book met and exceeded all the positive feelings I crave when I need to escape life in the real world. Ethan Carrington, born of weath and privilege meets Brett Parker, a young man from the blue collar middle class. The one thing they have in common is their relationships with their dads. Ethan’s smug and belittling dad has set almost insurmountable expectations for him and Brett’s dad is as good as nonexistent. When Brett comes looking for a job at Ethan’s newly purchased rundown vineyard, Ethan comes up with a plan: The Boyfriend Contract. He does this to prove to potential investers but mainly to his father that he is no longer the irresponsible self-centered rich boy and having a steady boyfriend will lend credence to his maturity. When Brett agrees to The Boyfriend Contract he wonders more than once how this “business” contract will play out. Well now....lol.

So this is where my heart starts to go pitty patter as I found myself mostly smiling, swooning and sighing with an occasional fist shake and tsk tsk at Ethan. We also get a sweet grandma thrown in as an added bonus for some wisdom & chuckles. Love love loved how they all interacted in this adorably well written love story.

[Kendra T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brett and Ethan were totally adorable. Ethan was a former player who got handed a real crap deal by his horrible father in an effort to watch him fail. Ethan decided that he wanted to succeed, so he put his all into rebuilding a vineyard hotel. Brett comes by looking for a job, and Ethan hires him right away. Shortly thereafter, Ethan realizes he needs investors and in order to get investors, he needs to appear stable. He asks Brett to be his fake boyfriend, and Brett agrees.

I loved how the characters were pretty transparent with each other. They both felt an attraction, but there was no real dancing around it. They started a fake relationship, but it eventually turned to friends and then friends with benefits with a whole lot of feelings attached. The writing was great, and I felt like I was right there with the guys. I really enjoyed this!

I am voluntarily reviewing an ARC provided by the author

[Shelley Chastagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan and Brett just made me smile throughout the whole book. They found so much happiness in one another. Both guys have less than stellar dads. While Brett's dad is just distant and uninterested in him, Ethan's dad is a bully. I liked that Ethan recognized and continually attributed his success to Brett. His business, his ability to impress his investors, and his strength to stop his father's attacks are all because he has Brett by his side. Grandma Mary was wonderful.
Adult read

[♡ cal ♡]

DNF

Ummm.. its boring.

[JD Crittendon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake Boyfriend is the new Black!🙂

The fake boyfriend trope is the premise for the Brett & Ethan story. This is a lightweight romantic tale. No surprises, light angst and stunning, beautiful MCs. Just okay.

[Mopest · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I am a sucker for fake boyfriends/husbands premise but should know better than to pick books based solely on premise by now. This just didn't work for me. The set up was sudden and not well justified (of course most of them are far from realistic but this one was really really stretching it), the storytelling felt choppy where things that should have been shown were told after the fact quickly (like time jumps after what would be an interesting development where you want to see the next encounter of the characters but you don't and this happens again and again). The obstacles came out of nowhere and made no sense whatsoever.

[Dee Wy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet easy read with a nice flow to the story. Glad I gave this author a try!

[Claudia Lezár · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 *
PLEASE READ FIRST MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings (thanks to amazon I had to change it again and 'upgrade' it a little bit)

5* - very very good and rare (it would be a Blow- Away-book like 'Liberty' from Seth King,
'Save the kids' series from EM Leya or 'Jesse's Smile' from Angelique Jurd), it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often reread and is a WOW-book with interesting plot and surprises
(like most of Andrew Grey books) it's like an A

3,5* - a really good book, which will be reread a few times (most romances where you can enjoy
for relaxing and during waiting times in hospitals). I can recommend them definitively! It's
like an B+

3* - it could be more then a one-time-reader, but not really an often reread book

2* - it was ok to read, but it's more a one-time-reader (i wouldn't recommend it heartily, but it
was ok) It's like a C-, D

1* - sorry, but that isn't really a book for me (too many mistakes, not nice plot, illogical, so an
absolut NO-GO). It's like failure in the whole line, dismissed, repeat the class

[Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Jason Collins, you will definitely enjoy The Boyfriend Contract.

Ethan hires Brett to be the bartender at his new vineyard, as well as hiring him to be his fake boyfriend. As they spend time together, the lines between employer/employee start to blur, as the attraction between the men is strong. Soon, what starts as a fake relationship with benefits becomes more.

This romance contains some fun angst in the form of Ethan's dad, who not only belittles and insults Ethan's business skills, but also doesn't want him dating the help. All in all, his dad's an ass who continually tries to cause trouble, creating an extremely memorable dinner scene.

I love Ethan's drive to succeed despite everything his dad tries to throw his way. Ethan certainly knows his stuff, and with Brett's help they certainly can make this new business successful.

Ethan and Brett are perfect together. Their attraction is hot and their moments together are intense. I adore the way that Brett makes Ethan feel loved.

Overall, The Boyfriend Contract is another fun book by Jason Collins. Check it out when you're in the mood for a sweet romance.

[Pingmg · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Light and sweet story, no real angst and not much conflict. Just one big major misunderstanding that was eventually resolved. Ethan and Brett were lovely characters, Ethan was portrayed as a playboy in his early years and Brett was just stable and dependable from the start. When they first saw each other both fell in lust from the beginning and as time passed fell in love for real.

Some of Brett and Ethan’s thoughts that made me go “aww” as I was reading...☺️

{Our kiss was the culmination of an emotional connection, rather than just two bodies colliding in space and time. His heart spoke to my heart, and though I couldn’t quite determine yet what it had said, I knew it was something powerful. Something profound enough to permanently shift the way we acted together.}
-Brett

{Everything about Brett’s life was so sincere and genuine that just a taste of it had made me realize how fluffy and flimsy my life had been up to the point that I met him.}

{Brett was the one who made me realize I might not be immune to falling in love.}
-Ethan

❤️

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites by Jason Collins! Brett and Ethan are great characters and their story was a fun, feel-good read! Jason Collins does a great job with the fake-boyfriend thing and it's easy to see how these two would fall for each other.

Ethan comes from a world of money and entitlement but his father throws a challenge at him and he has to see it through. He meets super hot bartender Brett and sees more than a mixologist and he convinces Brett to act as his boyfriend, to help the business. Sure, it starts off as a business partnership, but their feelings get real pretty quick, even if it takes a bit for them to admit it to themselves and each other.

This story has a great flow to it with a bit of drama, of course, but these two figure their stuff out! I really liked these two together, they genuinely seem to get each other and there's also great chemistry! Definitely a winner from Jason Collins!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, a story of Ethan, a somewhat spoiled rich young man, trying to prove himself as not what everyone believes him to be, but a reformed man. Ethan is trying to make it on his own, against the dire wishes of his own family. He is determined to right his past and become a better man. Meeting Brett, a bartender looking for a job, he takes a chance on him and in turn, a chance on himself. Building a luxury winery/hotel/restaurant will be much easier now the two are working together, but therein lies the crux of the story as Ethan wants Brett to pretend to be his boyfriend to make his renaissance seem a little bit more feasible and his goal more attainable, but the two soon find out, pretend is not what they want. This story is extremely well told, drawing you in, wanting it to end well.
I hope there may be a sequel in the works as it left me wanting more... a lot more.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable

Considering all the other reviews, I am in the minority when I say I found this story predictable , unconvincing and overly-complicated; even the sex scenes were boring with no real heat whatsoever.

I understand that there is such a thing as author creative license and us as readers have willing suspension of disbelief but when one of the main plotline is refurbishing and remodeling a old vineyard and boutique hotel , interviewing and hiring your food and beverage team and housekeeping staff all in one week . And the hero doing all that have no previous experience , knowledge and PA to help him navigate it all , and everything goes well, with only one bartender, one chef and one server !

Anyways, it might be a case it's me not you type of case here . It just didn't work for me.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethan Carrington's father had given him a task of reviving a wine orchard and he fully expects Ethan to fail given the small budget for this project.

Trent needs a job. He has moved north to help care for his Grandma Mary, who for the most part, raised him. Ethan hired him to help get the orchard ready an on time, as well as bartend when they open. In exchange, he'll own 25% once they are profiting, if he will also be his boyfriend.

Ethan's dad, seeing Ethan not only not failing, but he's thriving, pulling in investors and clients left and right, tried setting up roadblocks, including inviting Ethan's smarmy ex-boyfriend.

I enjoyed getting to know not just Ethan and Trent, but Gramma Mary and the staff that helped pull off the impossible. It's a light-hearted, fun to read story.

[Teal Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

 Ethan needs help wooing the investors he needs to get his renovated vineyard to the successful levels his dad demands for Ethan to keep his inheritance. A man who was used to a partying nightlife must prove he is responsible... and to do that he decides to ask Brett to pose as his long-term boyfriend.
 perfect boyfriend material, perfect- sexy, confident and able to give a killer Climax... the drink, that is.  But what happens when it starts to be real?

Sexy and irresistible men, sweet moments mixed with steamy encounters, and an entertaining storyline.... The Boyfriend Contract by Jason Collins is a winner.


I received this book as an advanced reader's copy and voluntarily am leaving my honest review and recommendation.

[Dixiecowgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun romp in wine country with a bit of intrigue, a little angst, and lots of romance. What happens when the perfect fake boyfriends develop real feelings? Two men with very different backgrounds find they have a lot in common including love. Writing flowed nicely and the story-line was a winner! This book hit a lot of feels for me!

Brett and Ethan are steamy, sweet, hopeful and so perfect together. I love the supporting characters and thoroughly enjoyed this story!

One of my favorite quotes from this story is: "What I have with... is real, and I mean the kind of real that makes you want to change yourself to be better , to push past all that... all that meaningless crap we did together, "

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

🍇 Ethan matures as his vineyard prospers and he partners with his barman😜
September 25, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
😉 Lots of🔥 hot,🔥 hot times for Ethan, a playboy and dilettante taking a turn at some serious renovation of a neglected vineyard in Napa Valley, and working class Brett. These guys slip easily into a supportive camaraderie that takes a steamy turn and doesn't let up despite some serious sabotage efforts from Ethan's dear old conniving dad. Plenty of angst and internal second guessing, maybe a bit too much, but an enjoyable read nonetheless with a satisfying outcome. I liked the MCs, the hotel staff and Brett's grandma but they did not wring any major emotion from me.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vineyard Romance

Fake boyfriend dual point of view
In order to prove himself to his father, Ethan needs to make a success of the vineyard/hotel/restaurant his father has given him and prove he can be stable. Brett arrives at the rundown vineyard/hotel/restaurant looking for a job to help him take care of his grandmother - he never expected to be a fake boyfriend/bartender/business partner to a playboy to do it.
Sweet and cute.
Wanted to see more resolution to Brett’s issues with his dad.
Wanted to see more with the secondary characters - felt there were quite a few mentioned and then dropped.
Wanted to see more of Brett’s construction experience play out in the renovation.
Wanted the timeline to be clearer.

[D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebel juga ya kalo salah memprediksi siapa yang menerima dan siapa yang memberi. Lol.

Di buku ini Jason Collins sangat kurang detail mendeskripsikan Ethan dan Brett terutama Ethan. Dari deskripsinya, bisa membayangkan kalau Brett itu berotot dan lebih gagah pokoknya laki banget makanya rada kaget pas di bilang kalau Brett itu seorang cutie. Hancur sudah bayangan yang terbentuk dari awal dan ternyata si Ethan yang memberi dan Brett yang menerima.

Temanya bagus banget, seorang playboy yang merupakan anak milyuner diberikan tugas oleh ayahnya untuk merubah vineyard bobrok menjadi baru dan sukses tp entah kenapa Jason Collins kurang bisa mengemas kisahnya Ethan dan Brett menjadi kisah apik yang luar biasa malah jatuhnya flat dan monoton.

[Ashley D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brett needs a job, so when he comes across Ethan who is trying to turn a failing vineyard into a viable resort. Ethan's father is challenging him to make a resort on a shoestring budget, to show that he has grown up. Ethan hires Brett as his bartender, but also asks him to be his his fake boyfriend to impress investors.

Brett was such a sweet guy, who you couldn't help but love, while Ethan was a bit self-centered at the beginning of the book. By the end of the book, I started to like him, he stood up to his father, rather than giving into him. This was a fairly low angst book, with a some great secondary characters.

[Alysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ethan and Brett were drawn to each other the moment they set eyes on each other. Which is probably the only reason Ethan suggested the contract and Brett accepted in the first place, although the money was a nice compensation too. Grandma Mary was a spitfire who raised Brett into the amazing, caring man that Ethan fell in love with. I loved it when Ethan finally gave Daniel and his father a piece of his mind and got that negativity out of his life.

'I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily reviewed it.'

[Julie Leopold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brett Parker is a out of work bartender, caring for his aging grandmother. Ethan Carington is a former playboy, looking to redeem himself. Together these two work to bring an old vineyard back to life, and discover each other on the way. If their pasts would just leave them alone. I truly enjoyed this story! It had heart and heat. From the beginning you were captured by the energy between Brett and Ethan. I have already reread this book and the second time was just as good!!
I highly recommend this book!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Boyfriend Contract just gets better the further you read, I loved it.It was well written, full of romance, chemistry and respect.

This is the story of the Bartender (Mixologist) and the Millionaire. Both are instantly attracted to each other but instead of acting on desire they built a friendship, developed a successful business and ultimately a loving relationship. All starting with a fake boyfriend arrangement.

[Esther Alayeto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story that I totally loved!! Brett and Ethan are absolutely great together and I love watching them grow closer throughout the story as their relationship developed from fake to real. The secondary characters are really good and added a lot to the story. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way Jason Collins writes! Light, fairly uncomplicated story in this sweet gem. Michael Carrington was as obnoxious as his name sounds. The give and take between Brett and Ethan was both hot and sad. If Ethan had only asked Brett out in the awkward beginning...well there would not have been the entire story.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brett goes to this vineyard looking for a job. Ethan interviews & offers him the position, there was an instant attraction so Ethan offers Brett a better incentive. Well written story filled with equal parts romance, laughter & hot sex. Offered an ARC for an honest review.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

angsty... love... intrigue... i liked this book a lot.. it was very well written.. the characters were funny and likable and i felt like i was part of their lives and emotions with them. very well done and good story :)