Book Review~The Contract by Zeenat Mahal

Title: The Contract
Author: Zeenat Mahal
Publisher: Indireads
Pub Date: June 12th 2013
Format: ebook
Pages: 108
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult
Links: Goodreads ~ Amazon/B&N ~ Book/Author Site

Synopsis: “…We’ll get married, but I’ll pay you a monthly salary to behave and appear for all practical purposes as my wife…If you agree, the marriage vows can be taken on the phone on Saturday, since I have an hour free in the morning.”

Shahira, a young, divorced mother of a seven-year-old son, wants nothing to do with men ever again. But circumstances have forced her hand, and Hussain’s unusual proposition leaves her secretly relieved. As per their contract, she’ll have his name, will be paid to look after his ailing mother and motherless daughter and will be left well alone by him. Perfect!

Until her new husband decides to stop playing by the rules.

Hussain is suave and rich. He is nobody’s fool…and is not about to be bested by the ex-schoolteacher he is married to. He has Shahira in his sights and she has to have all her wits about her in order to hold him at arm’s length.

Rating: 9.5/10
Source: Provided by the publisher in exchange of an honest review. Thank you to Indireads, Neheed & Zeenat! :)

My Thoughts: I loved loved loved this book! I gobbled it up in one go and had so much fun reading it!

Story: This novella was about two scarred people who heal each other. They don't know it but they are what the other person needs. The author expertly took a serious subject, abuse, betrayal, dysfunctional relationship, and told it in a lighthearted way. Don't get me wrong, this book is pretty deep and a food for thought. But it makes you think without being too serious. I love "contract relationship" plots. I haven't read them in books much but I've seen plenty in Kdramas and I love them! So I enjoyed that very much in this book too. There is just something about two people who are unlikely to ever meet let alone fall for each other are somehow forced into a relationship and then fall for each other. It's just so cute! Especially when the guy falls first! I really enjoyed this story, especially how everything was so perfectly balanced.

Writing: Zeenat Mahal did such a good job! I really enjoyed her writing! It's gripping without being overly expressive and I like how she can keep balance between different aspects of the story. She expresses the characters' thoughts and emotions really well and I loved the humor and romance!

Characters: I loved Shahira! She is very relatable and I love strong women like her! Even though she had past horrors she took control of her life and refused to let any man control her. I was so proud of her! She deserved all the happiness! She has become one of my favorite book characters.

I really liked Hussain! He was such a gentleman! If only guys like him existed in real life... He had his past ghosts too and I liked how he was eager to give a new relationship a chance. He was so caring! He seemed selfish but I felt like he really did love his family. I loved the things he did to get closer to Shahira! He was so cute when he was teasing her!

Aunty Salma was such a fun character! She was like the fairy-godmother except she was more funny and endearing! I really enjoyed her plans of getting Hussain & Shahira closer!

Nudrat was the evil witch trying to get between our couple. She was really well-written and even though I hated her I also felt sorry for her.

Overall: I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to fans of contemporary romances! It is really well-written with great characters and an awesome story!

About The Author:

Zeenat Mahal (@zeemahal) is an avid reader and has been writing for as long as she can remember. She has an MPhil in English literature from Government College Lahore and is currently doing an MFA in creative writing from Kingston University, London. She won a BBC short story competition in 2001 and has been a regular contributor to newspapers. 
Running out of Ink, another international online magazine has published her short story, The Accidental Fiancee in their August 2013 issue. 
‘Haveli’ and 'The Contract' are Zeenat’s first two published novellas. Currently she is working on a novel.

She can be contacted on her FB page https://www.facebook.com/zeenatmahal.author