Second Chance Billionaire Romance — Book Review of Bargaining by Sasha Lace

Series: The Thorner Brothers #1 (Standalone)

Publication Date: 15th July 2026

Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249013388-bargaining

Genre: Contemporary Romance

3.5 Stars

One Liner: An easy read, but needed some more depth

Book Blurb

Cole Thorner has gained a name as a ruthless billionaire CEO. He was the boy who broke Charlotte’s heart when they were teens. Now, he arrives at her father’s (who was also Cole’s mentor) funeral with a proposal: to honor the pact they made years ago. They would be married for a year, and she could leave at the end of it with loads of money to save her family from financial ruin. It was supposed to be a business agreement, but it feels less and less so as they get closer to each other.

The story comes in Cloe and Charlotte’s first-person POVs.

My Thoughts

This is the first book in a new series and my first by the author. Billionaire romances tend to be easy reads most of the time, and this wasn’t an exception. I could finish it quickly.

I like that we get some chapters from the past and a few scenes within the present-day chapters. These help in adding to the backstory of their connection. The dual POV in this subgenre is almost always a lifesaver coz the MMCs would be insufferable otherwise!

It takes a while to like the MMC. For someone who was supposed to be smart and make logical decisions, his major decisions were highly emotional and borderline desperate. I guess that’s what the author wanted to show, too — he was contradicting himself by being so obsessed with something that he continues to make mistakes.

The FMC was pretty decent and stood her ground when she should have. She doesn’t really have a support system (though she has a sister and they are close), but I feel we needed a couple more scenes from the past to delve into her grief of losing her father.

The side characters are nice enough. Rueben does look like a good guy. All the Thorner brothers will have their books, so he’ll get his turn (there are two others as well).

The romance had its moments, but I wanted more. It was very spicy (4ish), which should have been balanced a little more with similar levels of emotional connection (not individual monologues).

The pacing feels off since the story moves quickly in the beginning, then spends a major portion in Rome, and then covers weeks in the last quarter. In reality, there’s no dip in reading speed. It just feels that way.

The third-act breakup was bound to happen. There’s decent groveling, which is good. However, we needed another chapter between finding the truth and the ending. It just seemed a bit abrupt.

There’s no epilogue, maybe because we’ll continue to get updates in the subsequent books. Let’s see.

To summarize, Bargaining is a quick and easy read despite a few dark themes (parental death, parental abuse, etc.). It should work as a one-time read if you want something that doesn’t demand 100% concentration.

Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

NetGalley #Bargaining