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With This Ring

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Attraction has nothing to do with it. Until it does. NICOLE DELANEY Down-on-her-luck heiress Nicole Delaney can’t take another hit. First, her dad dies, leaving in his wake a million debts that wipe out the family coffers. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, she now lives in a cramped downtown apartment with her mother. No privacy, and no money! Only thing worse? Her professors in her fashion school telling her to pick a new job! Nicole is simultaneously too old to rely on her sickly mother, and also too young to have a real chance to free herself from this unfortunate situation. So what does her mother do? Call the matchmaker. Surely, there’s some rich guy out there looking for a hot, young wife… JENNY BISHOP The once-homeless Jenny Bishop now has it a bustling business as a fashion designer, enough money to keep her housed and fed for life, and access to everything she couldn’t have as a foster kid. Except… there’s one thing missing. A family. Whether broke or investing millions back into her business, Jenny continues to search for that elusive family she’s always dreamed of having. When time gets in the way of traditional dating, she hits up a matchmaker with the hopes that there’s one woman out there willing to wed a lesbian like her. TWO RINGS TO RULE THEIR HEARTS Nicole only agrees to marry Jenny to get her money, but what quickly unfolds is a genuine attraction that blindsides formerly-frigid Nicole and blinds Jenny to the logical solutions she desires. How can they think about a logical marriage of convenience when they’re too busy jetting off to Hawaii for inspiration and… “inspiration?” Too bad. Because one of the nastiest women to ever play with a billion dollars is on a mission to destroy their blossoming love. So much for that June wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii!

449 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 26, 2017

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Cynthia Dane

128 books524 followers

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5 stars
179 (45%)
4 stars
119 (30%)
3 stars
64 (16%)
2 stars
21 (5%)
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8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
Profile Image for Alexis.
510 reviews649 followers
December 19, 2017
What happened to their writing?

Some of the books Cynthia and Hildred have written together have blown me away and others make me wonder if they use them to experiment with different writing styles. (see list below) I just couldn't connect with the characters in this 7th book.

A major reason for that was because a lot of very important dialogue between the two main characters has been completely glossed over. They wrote one such moment as the following:
"“Talking” amounted to a few apologies, a little bit of tears, and the neediest kiss..." etc etc.
Seriously who writes a pivotal scene like that?

This lack of in=depth communication going on throughout the book is why I didn't find myself getting lost in its narrative as I have with the previous books. Aside from the entire concept of an arranged marriage being absolutely archaic the whole story just felt superficial and contrived. This was a swing and a miss, hopefully book 6 is better. *crosses fingers*

So far my ratings for their books have been:
1 Hard to Get 5*
2 On the Rocks 5* all time favorite
3 Stay Here Tonight 2*
4 Crash & Burn 5* all time favorite
5 Kiss & Tell 5*
6 Bound TBR
7 With This Ring 3*
8 'Tis The Season TBR
Profile Image for C.
737 reviews78 followers
January 3, 2018
If you like previous books you will enjoy this one.

I think I've read all if not most of the books by the duo. I enjoyed this one and seeing appearances from some characters from previous books...although I will just say what Amber did was jacked up. Regardless, this one is about 28 year old Jenny who went from being homeless to a CEO and owner of a multi-million dollar company in just over five years and 21 year old Nicole who went from a multi-million dollar heiress to almost penniless. Each have their own issues but one main one...Edith Myers. It's a pretty straightforward read with small twists but nothing too crazy. The only thing I would have liked to have seen more is Jenny to struggle spending so much money. Anyway...pretty good read especially for fans.
365 reviews42 followers
December 22, 2017
Nicole and Jenny could be alter bound in With This Ring.

Before reaching thirty, Jenny transitioned from homelessness to running a multi-million dollar fashion accessories business. Talent has taken her far from the streets, but growing up in foster care has taught her next to nothing about building a family. Enter Iris, the high end matchmaker, and her book of marital candidates. Too preoccupied with the demands of running her corporation, Jenny needs help finding a future wife. She's searching for a woman to run her household, but she desperately needs of a family of her own. Nicole has lost her father and her wealthy lifestyle. Still in college and struggling to make it in her chosen career, an arranged lesbian marriage may be her best financial opportunity. Although she's straight, men don't do all that much for her in the bedroom. At twenty-one, grieving her father and waking up to life without money, Nicole Delaney is left with few options. Her mother took it upon herself to set things up with Iris and her client. Jennifer Bishop is rich, young, beautiful, creative, successful and a lesbian who wants a wife.

Nicole never looked at another woman the way she ogles Jenny. At first dead set against selling herself in holy matrimony, the pressure from her downtrodden mother and the awakening attraction to Jenny opens her mind. As hard as everything works to bring them together, a malevolent presence decides to toss the bombs necessary to blow them to pieces. Edith Myers sunk her teeth and claws into Jenny while she sold trinkets on the street so that she could dine at McDonald's. She saved Jenny from homelessness and fronted the capital when Jenny started Bishop Takes Rook, her jewelry design business. Time has failed to blunt Edith's determination to assert her ownership of Jenny. Nicole and the couple's impending nuptials are just another obstacle to destroy.

With This Ring is another solid lesbian romance set among the upper echelon of wealthy lesbians. The writing team of Dane and Billings have created a successful series of novels. The characters are richly drawn and the storyline is imbued with great passion. Jenny's struggle to find marital bliss reaches the right emotional peaks and valleys.
Profile Image for Cindy Stein.
793 reviews13 followers
December 5, 2017
Jennifer Bishop is an up-and-coming designer of accessories trying hard to get past her youth spent in foster care followed by years of homelessness. She's also trying to walk the line between being grateful to her female patron, who got her off the streets and gave her her start in business, while creating distance from the same woman who made her agree to a sex-for-support bargain. Jennifer's goal is to have a real family, and she hires a matchmaker to arrange a marriage between her and a future wife.

Nicole Delaney is a 21 year old heiress whose family has fallen on hard financial times following the death of her father. Nicole is at first outraged when her mother hires a matchmaker in an effort to obtain a secure future for her daughter, but soon she acquiesces.

Neither Nicole nor Jennifer thought that this would be the love match that it turned out to be. But unfortunately, Jennifer's abusive patron has other ideas.

This is the latest romance set in the universe that Dane/Billings has created encompassing many of both Dane's straight romances and the pair's lesbian books. Once Jennifer and Nicole become involved, much of the middle of the book is about their burgeoning relationship, including the sexual part. The real tension in the plot comes at about the 80% mark.

Fans of these co-authors will welcome this new addition, as I did. It's a fun read with a bit of a twist on the traditional rich girl-poor girl story. I'd give it 4.5 stars, with the subtraction representing a bit of a sag in the middle before the plot revs up again.
816 reviews8 followers
May 17, 2020
I like how the people from other books are intertwined yet do not to take away from the central story. Nichole is very young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Jenny is too experienced in the ugly side. Enjoyable story.
Profile Image for Dannica.
836 reviews33 followers
August 18, 2018
Tempted to dock this a point bc it distracted me from college packing but that's my own damn fault, can't blame a book for being too good.

Anyways. I haven't read a Hildred Billings book since On the Rocks last October. I've been procrastinating it in the way you procrastinate things you know you will enjoy, holding off partly bc what if it's not as good as you expect? and partly because once it's done it's done. That said, Billings' backlist is ridiculously long, so I am going to try to stop procrastinating and just read the books of hers that I have (I have two more at this point) so I can marginally catch up. Except I'll have to let myself breathe for a while before I start the next one because the experience is too intense to read two in a row.

But enough about me. This book was great!
Something I love about it is how little "will they or won't they" there is. Nicole and Jenny are engaged to be married for most of the book, and while some conflict centers around whether it will be a love match or not, actually they're very straightforward about their feelings and become a "real couple" early on. That makes it sound like the rest of the book is boring, but there's still plenty going on: Troubles from Jenny's past, for one thing, and the slow growth of the relationship and the characters as people. But Nicole and Jenny settle that they like each other pretty quick.



Also, Nicole and Jenny are both great characters. In an odd reversal, Jenny, who is now a millionaire, was homeless only a few years ago, while Nicole, currently impoverished, is a former heiress. This adds interesting dimensions to their characters: Nicole is a little spoiled, but she makes up for it with her earnest nature, and Jenny, who is in a position of power and should hold all the cards in the relationship, is somewhat uncertain of herself and very much wants to be loved and have a family, which is the reason she's seeking out an arranged marriage in the first place. Jenny's longings for love and stability are much of what drive the book, and really I just wanted to give her a hug, constantly. I'm glad she has Nicole.

What else? Uh, there's a lot of fashion talk, but I, who know nothing about fashion, was not put off, so it's not that intense. Both MCs are very femme. I feel guilty because Nicole is described as blonde (and very conventionally attractive) multiple times but I still mostly pictured her as a brunette because for some reason that's what the name "Nicole Delaney" summons for me. Also, it's kind of a long book. Billings books seem to tend to be longer than most lesfic, but yeah, this clocks in at 449 pages according to Amazon. I read it very fast myself, but again, I should not have. I wasted packing time!

(Also I forgot to add this but I like how Billings isn't afraid of people being bisexual. Nicole in this book is pretty definitely a lesbian--she's been with men before but after making out with Jenny she realizes she's into Jenny in a whole new way, and maybe was never into the men. But the possibility that she's bi is at least brought up--by Jenny no less, who thinks Nicole's transformation is a little overwhelming--and in the world of lesfic, I appreciate that.)

In short, I love Hildred Billings and will be back for more soon :)
Profile Image for Charlie.
292 reviews12 followers
February 2, 2018
This book was horrible, but I loved it! Okay, the third part was less loved than the first two, but it's fine. I wanted to slap the 21-year old MC, a lot, (wait, 22? 21… Whatever.) And I often wanted to shake the older MC as well. And how absurd was it all. BUT I love the stories where a couple isn't exactly in it for love, but rather for a purpose, such as a fake girlfriend, or here, an arranged marriage. (Also books where the couple is thrust into a situation together and not really happy about it.)
Seriously, this is not top-shelf anything, but damn was it a good guilty pleasure for enough of the book that I'm not mad.
Profile Image for Jen.
1,300 reviews2 followers
April 22, 2019
Good entertainment

“Jenny may have been enamored with weddings, but it wasn’t the mere act of having a wedding that made her so doe-eyed. It was what it represented. Marriage. Family. Stability.”
“Getting married meant she would finally have something she never had before.”

“Jenny hadn’t been allowed to indulge in naivete when she was Nicole’s age. She had been forced to mature long before her body did.”
“People always wanted something. When she was poor and desperate, it was usually her body. Now it was her money. At least that was less traumatic.”

“It almost seemed too good. Jenny had long learned that things that seemed too good to be real were often yanked away from her.”
+ • + • + • +

A unique storyline made this a very entertaining book. Very enjoyable with nice flow, interesting narrative & relatable characters made it an easy read.

Loved the journey of attraction, recognition, understanding & love as it developed & intensified between Tamsin & Diane— all while in the midst of a redefining self-discovery of understanding & acceptance their transformed identities, was crafted marvelously!!
Profile Image for JLNicky.
131 reviews6 followers
November 14, 2019
I finished this a while ago but although 2 months has passed I’m still recalling the plot, the romance, and the characters. The only drawback, which i am not sure is a true drawback is, it should have been cut back a bit for pacing. It ran long on most scenes and i would use those long scenes to put it down to do other things but i kept coming back because the romance was fun and heartfelt. The premise was humorous. Rich girl down on her riches and mom calls in a matchmaker. Then girl turns GAY. Yep that happens. But the way this goes is funny. Then book takes a dark turn with evil woman and moms health. Not sure why the author didn’t keep it funny, she was doing so well. Soooo, not a 5. Prob more like a 3.5 but this rating scale is 3 or 4 not in between. I think the pace was off, and the tone went light to dark, and the chars were great. Take that as you will. Great job on publishing and keep writing and ill see more of your work for sure.
Profile Image for Fried Potato.
38 reviews
November 28, 2018
When I read the book description I knew this would be 1) an amazing story with a lot of dept and character development or 2) the biggest crap I read in a long time. Sadly, it was the latter.

It's the umpteenth story about a straight girl that meets a lesbian she initially hates and then suddenly out of the blue starts to think "you know what would be awesome? to eat her p*ssy". So original.

The book just feels like those high school papers made in groups where you split the work and everybody writes a part, and at the end when you merge it, it doesn't makes any sense cause lacks consistency. Both main characters have like multiple personality without any coherence between scenes.

Around 40% into the book, with the sex scene, I just had to drop it cause it was making me cringe so much.

Made me sad cause the plot had A LOT of potential.
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
Author 5 books4 followers
January 23, 2022
3.5 stars. The description is intriguing and the storyline is different than what I've normally read, however I didn't love this book. Perhaps because it seemed odd to me... A straight girl (or actually not though doesn't know it yet) and a legit lesbian get an arranged marriage. That in itself is strange. It's not even a coming to figure out who I am story, it's an ok I accept this and I'm all in to try everything story. Maybe I didn't like it so much cause it didn't seem realistic to me. Or that I'm not into the fashion topic and that's where most of this circled around. The sex shop scene and the sex within weren't also my cup of tea (go figure). Either way the conflict in the story is also interesting as you wouldn't expect it coming from another woman (IE: men taking advantage not women). It was a decent book overall though I suppose.
Profile Image for Angel Jendrick.
Author 8 books17 followers
June 22, 2022
As a former foster kid myself, I could relate to a lot of the emotional push and pulls Jenny had faced in her life! I found the story tasteful and thought-provoking, and I actually appreciated how early on Nicole and Jenny developed and admitted (at least to themselves) what the other meant in terms of affections. It was a nice change to the majority of books I read, and genuine, as sometimes love really does happen that fast! The MCs were believable and I enjoyed getting to know them and what makes them tick. The antagonist had my blood boiling (she who shall not be named!) and more than a few times I wished our heroines were a bit on the antihero/edgy side where they'd just take her out of the equation! I look forward to reading more from Dane and Billings!
Profile Image for ANNBOOKSHELF.
1,111 reviews15 followers
February 11, 2018
Story pulls in a tough topic and brings it to light and the romance &love that gets them through it.

Jenny a homeless girl who tries to dodge the predators while staying alive. She learns later not all predators are easy to spot, until its too late and they have their claws in you. Nichole a heiress that really has had the life most dream of, the lap of luxury and no responsibility. Nichole world crashes when he father dies of cancer and they loose everything. Nichole mom Lynda has a new path for Nichole that is when the excitement picks up...violence2 (abuse of young girls), sex2 ( not vanilla and a same sex couple).

More reviews my2centsbookreviews.com
Profile Image for Andrea.
Author 1 book4 followers
March 27, 2018
This was a very enjoyable book with likable characters. I could definitely feel the chemistry between them but at some points it was kind of taken away with their dialogue. It almost seemed like as if the Authors didn’t want them to have too much chemistry at certain points.

The whole Jenny thing was a bit unrealistic in my opinion - being homeless and turning into a multimillionaire within 5 years is a bit much. But that’s what books are for - to let the reader dream of the unimaginable.
184 reviews1 follower
Read
November 21, 2018
I got a bit more than halfway through this. I lost interest at the part where the "nasty woman" will no doubt start trying to break them up. (At least this is what the summary promises.) Turns out I'm not into that sort of storyline. I didn't like it in Finding Love Down Under or Her Best Friend's Sister, either.
Profile Image for CassTrusty.
83 reviews
December 21, 2017
This was hot

I did not predict anything in this story. I didn’t fully read the description and was only looking to pass the time. Jenny confused me with her personality. It all made sense towards the end, but my opinion of her did a 180° not too far into the book. This was pretty interesting, sweet, and HOT story that I recommend to anyone who may be interested in an intriguing and sexy story.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
243 reviews11 followers
December 31, 2017
Another addictive storyline

There is so many different layers to all of the characters and you can't help but fall in love with them all. Nicole, Jennifer, and Linda deal the some heavy issues that will continuously impact their futures. As with most things in life, their decisions decide the route their lives take. This book is not just about love, but it's also about learning from life's lessons.
Profile Image for Carolyn.
466 reviews
September 19, 2019
The Designer Finds A Wife

Jenny Bishop grew up in the foster system and became homeless after being put on her on. Found on the street by a ruthless woman who helps her build a fashion design empire. Jenny wants a family so she goes to a matchmaker to find a woman. Nicole Delaney is a down-her-luck heiress whose mother is trying to finding a rich match for her daughter. Can they make a match? Erotic romance. Recommend.
Profile Image for EvaLovesRomance.
472 reviews
October 1, 2020
These two love birds were so much fun to read about!!!

I definitely enjoyed thus book. Made feel sad excited happy worried annoyed and so angry I wanted to have Edith knocked off. Lol Thus was a beautiful story about getting something you've always desired and hoping for the best and get something phenomenal instead. Don't want to give away the story because I want you to read it!!! Loved it
578 reviews5 followers
January 24, 2025
I really hate that bitch character, Edith! This is a great read!

Cynthia Dane, Hildred Billings: wow what a super story! The characters are richly developed, the settings well imagined and so wonderfully fill the imagination. As I mentioned, Edith is the bitchy menace in the love story. Her character is evil in all its ugliness. Despite her the heroines Nicole and Jennifer win out. It is classic virtue over evil with class!
Profile Image for Amanda.
66 reviews4 followers
December 28, 2018
Had me hooked and then ...

I was totally hooked with this book, the character development with the protagonist and the antagonist was fantastic and then the last couple of chapters just left me hanging! Is there a follow up book, if so then the ending makes sense if not, I want to know what happened!
26 reviews1 follower
April 8, 2019
Ugh... What did I just read? I guess I was supposed to find an arranged marriage between a rich person and a desperate young woman sexy, but I really didn't. The worst part was the 'sexy' talk - 'I'm going to c*m all over your p*ssy' and phrases like it made me wonder if the authors just copied the dialogue from straight porn. I quit halfway through.
31 reviews
December 4, 2019
Good read

Loved this book, the story line is a classic one with a lesbian twist and its good. The characters pull you in and the storyline keeps you reading. It was hot hot hot too! A good read I will end up reading again. The only thing is I wanted a better ending, babies, or something that didn’t have me craving a second book. But I still recommend this good read.
111 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2023
Good read

This was a pretty good book, it didn’t get boring Ms Myers gave me terrible anxiety I might have cussed her a few times. I feel it wasn’t as steamy as other books I’ve read by these authors and that’s one thing that draws me to their books. But it was a good read and a good story
Profile Image for Marsha.
204 reviews2 followers
December 20, 2017
Good

I really like this novel. My first read by Cynthia Dane....I must admit I had skip overall few other books before this story line caught me. I certainly don't regret choosing this book. It was truly a fun read. I will be trying more of Ms Dane's books.
Profile Image for Paula.
72 reviews18 followers
January 29, 2019
I really enjoyed the book, specially Jenny, I think I might be in love with her. But the end feels like it's in a rush. The story is kinda long, but when it gets to the end, I think she could have go slowly, I don't know, but it does worth it, I had a great time.
74 reviews3 followers
June 30, 2019
1 going up & 1 coming down but a HEA

Homeless to gay millionaire, supposedly straight broke heiress
romance with an age gap that truly works, eventually. Nice touch for Linda at the end.
Profile Image for Susan.
671 reviews3 followers
October 10, 2020
Impressive!

I've read several books from Hildred Billings and I have loved them all! The books are well written, and the characters come to life on the pages. This author belongs on your must read list!
Profile Image for Sheila.
933 reviews
October 27, 2021
another great book

I love how this book starts, fire and enigmatic way to start. While villains roam the background each page, the strength and love for each other will always survive for a HEA.
Profile Image for Heather Henkel.
1,404 reviews23 followers
December 13, 2017
Great story

This was a fun book to read. I would like to have strangled one character in particular but there are predators everywhere.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews

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