Falling in love w/ the Best Friend's Older Brother

I have always been partial to the whole "falling in love with the best friend's older brother" thing. Don't really know why. Most of my friends don't have hot older brothers for me to trip over myself after. However, I must admit I tend to like older men. ;) Now let's get back to the books...

First up, The Marriage Bargain by Jennifer Probst and I give it a 8/10. This book is about a girl who needed money to save her family's home. What I thought was cute was how she made references to Gone with the Wind; such as referring to her family's home as Tara and comparing herself to Scarlett O'Hara. The billionaire whom she ends up married to is her best friend's older brother whom she's always had a crush on. Where does his need come from? Not his love for her, but because he needs to marry in order to have complete control over the architectural firm his uncle left him. Their story is about how they fall in love while trying to face doubts in each other as well as their own. No matter how much they fight their attraction and try to keep it all business, this story proves that fate has a way of messing with the best laid plans.
Pros: There was good character development for the main characters. I really liked how well the background was developed,. They have a really long history and it is shown over and over again with their recollections of the past as they grew up together. And as adults, they both had their own problems to deal with, but they do so while reconnecting. There were some interesting scenarios, such as the card game. I enjoyed the little banters between the brother, sister, and the main girl. I thought it was cute how the girls ganged up on the guy. Go Girl Power!
Cons: There was also a lack of supporting character development. I wanted to read more about the sister since she is after all the middle person. I wonder about why she drifted apart from her brother. Did something happen? What about her date with the Count? Why did Alexa, the female lead, want to set her and the Count up? Is there something wrong with the sister's dating habits?
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good read.

The second book is His to Keep by Stephanie Julian and I'd rate it 7.5/10. This book is about a girl who was has always been in love with her best friend's older brother. The guy started noticing her when she turned 18 or so but kept his distance because he felt she would always be too young for him since they were 9 years apart. This all changes when he receives a threatening phone call and he becomes worried about her safety. They are thrust upon one another in more ways than one and become intimately involved.
Pros: Interesting plot that mixes looming threat and the passions of two people. The characters are quite entertaining as well.
Cons: I felt the ending a bit rushed. Right after the climax of the story - where the villain is revealed and captured, he proposes. I thought that was a bit weird. However, I suppose since they waited this long to be together, they just couldn't wait.

Between the two books, I'd say The Marriage Bargain has more of a family theme while His to Keep has a bit of a mystery theme. I enjoyed both books and look forward to reading other works by these authors.