But alas! The only way he’ll be hired is if he has a reason for leaving his current firm that isn’t so Machiavellian–this new firm prefers team players.

Partly due to revenge and partially because he wants to be a partner, Richard plans to jump ship to his current firm’s competitor: a family-run firm that possesses strong family values. Now, the premise of the plot is that Richard has been looked over for a promotion at his very Enron-esque marketing firm. So, you can imagine the amount of guilt Richard will eventually feel for being such a shit. This woman raised and cared for her after her parents’ deaths. However, everything Richard finds lacking in Katharine (wearing sub-par clothes despite her generous salary, her unsafe apartment, etc.) is primarily due to her taking care of her ailing guardian. At the start of the novel, Richard is seriously one of the worst heroes–he’s just being mean for the sake of it (I’m not kidding here).

What I loved about The Contract, and what I found unique despite the cliché, is how Moreland seemed to focus on the emotional growth of Richard. So, you can already imagine the volatile interactions between the two main characters. She’s the type of person that remembers coworkers’ birth dates and more. The heroine, Katharine, in comparison, is everyone’s friend, loving and caring. In the beginning, the hero, Richard, is such an asshole, and he’s an asshole for no reason too. To anyone who enjoys the clichéd fake marriage’ trope, this is a book for you. See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.Does have a brief separation between the Hero and Heroine.Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away.

The contract by melanie moreland