The Wrong Wife by Maya Alden

2 Stars

Sometimes the wrong choice leads to the right love…

Bound by duty, drawn by desire. Can love rewrite their story?

Even the wrong path can lead to the right love.

Declan Knight always knew he would have to marry a Hartley.

But when the Hartley he loves leaves him the night before their wedding, he’s forced to marry the other sister. She’s not the Hartley he wanted but he can fake it for a year. Can’t he?

Growing up in the shadow of her glamourous sister, Esme Hartley learned to bury her own desires, including her secret crush on Declan Knight. Suddenly thrust into a marriage with him, a glimmer of possibility ignites within her. But can she ever truly capture his heart, or will he remain haunted by her sister’s memory?

Caught between family duty and past scars, can Declan and Esme overcome the ghosts of their pasts and find love in the unlikeliest of places or will their tangled emotions tear them apart?

There was not enough groveling done by Declan let alone Esme’s family. They were all so horrible to her and none of them made up for it. Declan is hot and cold with her because he wanted to be with Viv. When he finally figures out he didn’t love Viv but Esme for me it was too little too late. She is supposed to be a sweetheart with a heart of gold but she came across as a doormat and basically took him back immediately.

Book 1 Golden Knights

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Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry

5 Stars

 

REVIEW HAS SPOILERS BE WARNED

 

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel.

I’ve spent my life kneeling—to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king.

I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood.

But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life.

Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him—bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know.

Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated?

And what if—for the first time—I reached for it?

I loved this book so much. It was the best slow burn ever. I loved Ransom and Odessa’s banter. I figured out the secret very quickly but still enjoyed the journey to get to the reveal and that reveal was AMAZING. The characters felt fleshed out but still more to learn. Even though the book ends on a cliffhanger it didn’t feel like we were left hanging on everything.

Book 1 Shield of Sparrows

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Diamond in the Dark by Poppy Jacobson

3 Stars

I sold myself to three ruthless Irish gangsters, giving up my hard-won freedom to save my mafia family.

Rian is a cold mastermind who thrives on my tears, degrading me and praising me in equal measure.

Cormac is a sadist who revels in pushing me past my limits, until I can’t tell the difference between pain and pleasure.

Liam, the psychopath, craves my blood along with our bliss. His worship terrifies me as much as it reassures me.

Our dark bargain binds us together, but in my years away from the mafia, I’ve learned to be more than a fragile pawn. I’ve fought harder battles than these men could ever imagine, and I’ll continue to fight, even as they threaten everything I’ve built.

Giving into their violent devotion means giving up my freedom—and I was meant to be free.

I don’t usually read mafia books but Poppy Jacobson has converted me to reading them. I loved this book so much. I loved Ginevra and how no nonsense she was. Even though Rian, Cormac, and Liam were strong willed characters and they were gone over for Ginevra. Ginevra gives up her life to be with them and they work so well together. Definitely reading the rest of the books.

Book 1 Savage Jewels

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Between Commitment and Betrayal by Shain Rose

4 Stars

My father's business partner will do anything for the empire they built together...Even marry me.

Declan Hardy, All-American heartthrob and retired NFL billionaire, is my complete opposite.

He's commanding where I'm cooperative.

Spontaneous while I am deliberate.

Loud when I stay quiet.

The only thing we have in common is that both our names are on my father's will.

He'll inherit the fitness and hospitality empire and I'll keep the one thing I hold dear.

As long as I marry him—with conditions.

One year of a fake marriage.

One year of living together.

One year of pretending I belong in his luxury lifestyle.

But stipulations are never that simple.

Especially when I can't tell if his kisses are fake or if I'm pretending when I kiss him back.

And as more conditions arise, it's clear there's a fine line between commitment and betrayal... and neither of us knows where that line falls.

I HATE Everly’s father. He is the biggest asshole in this whole book. Besides that, I really enjoyed reading this book. I was rooting for Everly to get her HEA. Sometimes with Declan, sometimes with someone who deserved her better. Declan is an asshat at times, and he needed to do more groveling than he does but I still enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read the next book with Everly’s stepsister that I liked. I am curious to see how everything plays out.

Book 1 Hardy Billionaires

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Scorned Vows by Victoria Page

2.5 Stars

He was the perfect husband until she got pregnant.

An arranged marriage was always in Natalya Conte’s future.

Luca Moretti is charming and considerate.

Handsome like the devil, he dotes on her and spoils her.

But when two pink lines should have brought them unbridled joy, her husband ices her out.

An arranged marriage gives Luca great power.

To cement that power, he needs an heir.

The quickest way to do it is to make Natalya fall madly in love with him.

He will have her loyalty without risking his heart because love to him means weakness.

Natalya needs Luca to love her.

Because she has secrets that will put them all in jeopardy.

Her heart shatters when Luca shows her exactly how little she means to him.

But it isn’t until she sees evidence of the unforgivable that she loses all hope for a happily ever after.

Oh Instagram adds gets me every time. I wanted to like this as the premise was interesting. However, the time leap because of amnesia was overdone. Not to mention it was as if all issues were just swept under the rug once Luca found Natalya. It just didn’t work for me.

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His Human Widow by Michelle Mills

3 Stars

I married a dead war hero.

His name was Fire Lieutenant Byric Sandstone—an extremely wealthy Hyrrokin landowner, with a complicated estate.

Obviously, I’m not really his widow. It’s a technicality, on paper so I could bypass immigration and perform my duties. Everyone but the lawyer who forged the signature thinks I’m really Byric’s chosen bound, but my real job is to care for his elderly grandmother and his three-headed wulver. I love my cushy life on Tarvos.

One night, the front door to the mansion bursts open. A disheveled, wild-eyed, and monstrous Lieutenant Sandstone returns home, having escaped from his prison cell behind enemy lines.

Wait, my husband isn’t dead?

“Who the hell are you?” he rasps.

“Your bound,” I whimper from underneath the sheets.

Oh no. How is this going to work out?

 

Quick and spicy alien romance. Nothing super special about this book but it was a fun read. Needed some world building and character development to flesh out the stories BUT this could be lacking because I started in book 10 and not 1. It was an insta love situation. The story itself was interesting and unique. If you like alien romances this probably will work for you.

Book 10 Monsters Love Curvy Girls

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An Alpha's Promise (Hund Valley, #1) by Kitt Lynn

 

3 Stars

In the morning my sister is supposed to marry Rin to solidify the bond between our clans but she runs off before the wedding. That leaves my parents no choice but to force me to marry him. It’s not what I want but I have no choice but to marry him. I’m not quite of age but Rin has no choice either. When we get back to his home and things are so different from what I’ve known. Will we fine our HEA or will it be ruined by outside forces?

I enjoyed this. It wasn’t what I expected when I went into it. Rin was actually really sweet with Emmy. He takes it slow with her but can be a big dick with her. She learns to hold her own and it’s nice seeing her come into her own. The bad guy was expected and not a lot of surprises were had throughout the book. It was just a nice omegaverse story. Well worth the time and energy reading it.

Book 1 Hund Valley

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