Showing posts with label 5-Arranged. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5-Arranged. Show all posts
Hey everyone and welcome to another Throwback Thursday! Every week I'll be sharing my book recommendations within a romantic trope or theme.
Today I'm sharing the first five Arranged Marriage romance books I loved and reviewed on the blog. This happens to be one of my favorite tropes, especially when it's done as well as the books listed below. When they're enemies to start out just makes it sweeter!
If you happen to know of a book in this trope that you think I'd love, please let me know.
Deathless & Divided by Bethany-Kris
No one and I mean NO ONE writes mafia romance like Bethany-Kris. When she makes the couple struggle through an arranged marriage... I don't know what kind of magic she sprinkles into her books, but they're like my catnip. Two strong protagonists, battling their feelings and each other, making for one heck of a journey to true love and a happy ending. Need I say more?
Find my review HERE
Vein of Love by R. Scarlett
This entire series, Blackest Gold, is incredible. The heroine has no idea about her potential, the hero is so much more than he seems, and they were promised from birth. There's a ton of darkness spread throughout and if you enjoy that kind of thing with a paranormal twist, you'll enjoy these books.
Find my review HERE
Arranged by Lexi Blake
I can't be the only one who's a fan of these novellas. This couple are a pair of opposites... or are they? I haven't read much from this author, but if her other books are anything like this one, I'd read them all!
Find my review HERE
Crowned by Hate by Amo Jones
This story gave me a hard time. Seriously, this book made me realize how wholly and completely this author likes to screw with our minds. It even ends on a devastating cliffy. I was a hot mess with this book.
Find my review HERE
Secrets by Aleatha Romig
Take one part delicious alpha hero, part brilliant and brave heroine, and TONS of secrets, and you've got this amazing series. I haven't read a lot from this author, but of everything I've read, this series was the best.
Find my review HERE
He didn't get to have horny Ophelia. Rude kings who probably had a harem of monster side chicks didn't get to have horny wives.
────── ♔ ──────
Luxuria by Colette Rhodes
Standalone - Shades of Sin #1
Release - April 30, 2022
Genre - Paranormal Romance / monster theme / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 5 out of 5 / several explicit scenes / knotting and slick people
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 310 pages
Publisher - Indie
Release - April 30, 2022
Genre - Paranormal Romance / monster theme / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 5 out of 5 / several explicit scenes / knotting and slick people
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 310 pages
Publisher - Indie
Ophelia has a dirty secret.
Well, it’s not really a secret anymore.
Ophelia was born into a family of Hunters, tasked with protecting the humans from the creatures of the night who feast on their fear.
Except Ophelia always found the idea of monsters kind of intriguing. She even made the grave sin of committing some X-rated monster thoughts to paper—which in hindsight may not have been the best idea because her parents were mortified—but you live and learn. Well, everyone finds out your secret, you get banished from society, and then you learn.
But the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity Ophelia has been waiting for to make good on some of those fantasies has arrived. The King of Shades requires a hunter bride, and Ophelia is the best fit for the job.
Now she just needs to convince her surly monster husband, Allerick, that she’s the best fit for him.
Find it here: https://amzn.to/3RBD8EQ
My Two Cents
4.5 "I'm down for some monster luvin" stars
Why did I love this story so much?
⮞ a hunter born who was never a hunter who has fantasies about monsters
⮞ a monster king who is only agreeing to an arranged marriage to save his people
⮞ two people who couldn't be less alike, but who end up being everything for each other
⮞ hot sex. I don't know if this story would be as good as it was for me without all of the sexual tension and actual sex.
Ophelia was hilarious! In the hunter world, she never fit in. How could she when she wanted to befriend the people she was supposed to kill? After being ostracized to the human world, she never quite fit in there either. When given the opportunity to offer herself up as a bride to broker a treaty, she figured maybe she could find her place in the shadow world.
And she definitely made the most of it.
Usually when there's some form of miscommunication, it drives up the angst, doing its best to frustrate me. And although these two really needed to work on their communication skills, the author did it in such a way that I was simply amused, waiting for them to get their act together.
I wanted to walk around with her taste on my tongue every minute of every day. It was a travesty that I wasn't doing so already.
Ophelia and Allerick were magical together. She was all too eager to fall in love with him and he was a bit reluctant. Yet during all of it, they were entertaining while falling deeper into each other. They were so much fun to read and I can't wait to see them again in the following books of this series.
The Author
Colette Rhodes is a huge fan of paranormal romance and reverse harem books. They're what she loves to read and what she loves to write. #WhyChoose, right?Colette studied both History and Ancient History at university and loves including both historical facts and ancient mythology in her work.
When she's not writing, you'll find her spending time with her husband and daughter in beautiful New Zealand.
Contact her here:
Website: coletterhodes.com
Instagram: @coletterhodes_author
Facebook: Colette Rhodes
Now I've made her mine, and I'm only beginning to find out who she is.
An amazing woman.
And amazing lover.
An amazing wife.
I think she makes falling in love with her very easy.
────── ♔ ──────
An amazing woman.
And amazing lover.
An amazing wife.
I think she makes falling in love with her very easy.
────── ♔ ──────
Unintended by Georgia Cates
Standalone - The Sin Trilogy #5
Release - October 20, 2017
Genre - Contemporary Romance / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5 / several descriptive scenes
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 291 pages
Publisher - Indie
Captor becomes lover…
I’m a marksman. Mobster. Deadly assassin.
My job is to protect my brotherhood, but that isn’t my only responsibility.
I’m Kieran Hendry, the up-and-coming leader of The Order, and a new duty calls. I must take a wife.
A wife I don’t know.
A wife born into a position at the top of The Fellowship hierarchy.
A wife who will forge a strong alliance between her brotherhood and mine.
A wife I don’t want.
I knew next to nothing about Westlyn Breckenridge when I abducted her, but I quickly discover that she’s intelligent, strong, defiant, selfless. And beautiful.
One night with her is all it takes for me to see that she is no typical Mafia princess. I’m hopeful this arranged marriage won’t be the miserable union I imagined it to be. But convincing my intended to give us a chance won’t be easy when she sees me as the enemy. The brute who kidnapped her. The vile fiend who threatened to do as he wished with her body.
It’s true. I am all those things. I had cruel intentions. But everything has changed. My affection for her is unexpected. My love, unintended.
My Two Cents
4 "You're mine and I'm yours" stars
I fell in love with the Beauty series and knew Georgia Cates was an author I needed to watch. I needed her books. As I read more from her, each time I was reminded of how right I was. And of how right I still am because Unintended was such a sweet story.
Kieran was next in line to lead his brothers. He was only missing one thing... a wife. In their life, marriage is arranged—to obtain peace, to procure assets, to benefit both parties. A treaty with the Fellowship would be ideal and so he has his choice of three potential brides: Ellison, who's in love and loved by Jamie; Evanna, who's in love and loved by Craig; and Westlyn, who seems to be the enigma of the three.
Wanting a pure wife, he decides that Westlyn is the woman for him—too bad she doesn't know it. When he abducts her, also takes her friend Ellison, and shoots her brother, these two aren't off to a great start. I thought for sure this was going to be some kind of enemies-to-lovers type of story. But oh no. Kieran is quickly brought to his senses and proceeds to woo his chaste wife-to-be and it was charming, alluring, and very sexy. I know that I wouldn't have been able to resist him, so Westlyn didn't stand a chance!
"When you take my name and my cock, you will become mine... my property. But that also means you'll become my treasure to protect. I will place myself between you and whatever danger presents itself. No harm will ever come to you or our children. That's my vow to you."
Le sigh.
I know, I know. I should not be swooning after the whole 'property' speech. But... I really couldn't help it. There was just something about Kieran's misogyny that worked for me in an ironic way. Especially because he did value Westlyn's contributions. He didn't belittle, dismiss or condemn her for speaking her mind. Actually, he loved it. And he had so many good bits. Or maybe I'm making excuses. Who cares, he's hot and fictional!!
I enjoyed Kieran's violence on behalf of The Order, his bond with his family, Westlyn's interactions with her own family, and everything in between. They were great together. So yeah, this book worked really well for me.
About the Author
Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her music and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire it.
Visit https://www.georgiacates.com for more information
I am Snow White and he is the poisoned apple and despite this knowledge, right here, right now, I would die for just one bite of flesh.
────── ♔ ──────
Feyness by E.S. Carter
Standalone - Red Order #1
Release - August 23, 2016
Genre - Dark Romance / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5 / no sex until the end
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 258 pages
Publisher - Indie
Release - August 23, 2016
Genre - Dark Romance / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5 / no sex until the end
Format/Source - ebook purchase from Amazon
Length - 258 pages
Publisher - Indie
I don't see dead people.
I see you.
I see every incarnation of you.
I see the history of your soul.
I can see your aura soaked in the blood of your previous lives.
Most people are inherently good or evil.
Some flit between darkness and light.
Few can change the fabric of their essence; it's a fight that most are too weak to win.
He was once darkness.
An evil so pure that his very soul is black and yet I am drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
Some days, I feel like I am drowning, the waves of my feelings stealing the very air from my lungs.
Other days, I feel nothing at all.
I'm unsure which is worse; gasping for air or dying from this thirst.
Can you learn to breathe underwater when you find someone worth drowning for?
My Two Cents
4 "Nothing like I expected and yet it gave me just what I needed" stars
Faye always knew that she was worth no more than a pawn in her father's dangerous game of human trafficking, torture and enslavement. A decades-long feud lands her in the hands of the man who should be her enemy. Could her new captor also be her savior?
Tonight, I will no longer be me. I will be owned. I will lose the moniker of Faye Craven and become a Hunter. A more fitting name would be prey.
I wasn't sure what to think of Cole. Aside from participating in tons of brutality, there was a kernel of a heart buried deep inside of him. His darkness and hints of light made him a delicious character to read.
This man slays me with desire. Sick, twisted, dirty desire.
I don't really care about the side characters (I'm looking at you, Luke and Grim), however, I think the author could change my mind. It's just that I don't feel like Cole's story is over. The ending wasn't much of an end and I would like to see some sort of conclusive resolution.
Ah well. Cole conquered Faye, she conquered him in return, and the story seems to continue. I'm still not sure what to make of Faye's ESP. I guess it was added to make Cole's history and his reasons for being the way he is part of the story. To make sense. Hopefully it continues to make some sort of sense. We'll see.
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author, ES Carter, lives in Cardiff, South Wales—the home of castles, dragons, and folklore.Her family joke that she was born with a book in her hand, and the urge to write stories soon followed.
At eleven, she won her school's literary prize. At ages fourteen to sixteen - her poetry phase after falling in love with Dylan Thomas and e.e. cummings - she had a few poems published, but life, love, and family overtook her dreams, and she was in her thirties when she began the scary journey of self-publishing.
Her debut and internationally best-selling series, 'Love by Numbers', are a set of interconnected stand-alone romances, all with varying themes of love. From second-chance to romantic comedy and M/M romance. These stories do not need to be read in order (apart from the opening duet Nineteen/Twenty One), in fact, she is often guilty of advising readers to start at the last book and work their way back through.
Contemporary romance is not the only genre she writes, her second series, 'The Red Order', is as dark and twisted as you can get, but there is beauty there too if you can open your eyes and look.
Visit https://www.escarter.com for more information
I've never wanted any touch as much as I want this woman—and she's to be my wife
────── ♔ ──────
The Half-Orc's Maiden Bride by Ruby Dixon
Standalone - Aspect and Anchor
Release - April 1, 2022
Genre - Scifi Romance / historical / legendary beings / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / frequent and filthy
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 190 pages
Publisher - Indie
Release - April 1, 2022
Genre - Scifi Romance / historical / legendary beings / arranged marriage
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat Level - 5 out of 5 / frequent and filthy
Format/Source - ebook borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Length - 190 pages
Publisher - Indie
Lady Iolanthe of Rockmourn Keep expects to be a spinster all her days. She is very tall. She is very poor. And she is thirty. What lord could possibly want her?
But then her father returns with news that he has found a bridegroom for her - one that is impressively tall. One that is strong, and bold, and wealthy. And best of all? He wants Iolanthe. It seems too good to be true.
And when Iolanthe gets her first look at her husband-to-be, she realizes why.
No one mentioned the 'orc' part of things...
My Two Cents
4 "This male loves pleasuring his female" stars
I didn't know how this story was going to turn out, but I know what RD does, and that's deliver, so I wasn't even worried. So what if the hero was a half-orc? So what if I constantly wondered how his tusks didn't get in the way, especially when they came close to sensitive bits? This story gave me exactly what I was looking for — sweet, sexy, swoony fun!
I loved the way the author created this story. The relationship between the characters was so beautiful to me. Iolanthe had lived her life knowing she was unwanted. There was no one to tell her different. And Agakor believed that no human lady could ever come to love him. He was half-orc after all. But what neither of them could have expected... that there was someone who would be the absolute perfect someone for them. That's what they were for each other.
Agakor gave Iolanthe all of the love she had been missing and she did the same to him in return.
Loved it!
And now I'll leave you with some sexy Orcs...
Quick Peek
When I imagined myself taking a human lady as a bride, I didn't think further than that. I wanted a son to cement my claim upon this land, and a bride to ensure that I would look legitimate in the eyes of the other lords. I want them to see me as just another lord, not a squatter or an interloper who bought his way to a lord's title and keep with coin. A bride was just another piece of the puzzle, another way to get respect. I imagined her as something to endure, someone that would be horrified at who she had to marry, but who would put up with me because of the gold I paid her father.
I never imagined someone like Iolanthe. Someone who would shyly meet me in all my desires, someone who is as fascinated at touching me as I am with her. Someone who looks at my run-down keep as her home and even now works to clean it from top to bottom and make it presentable. I didn't imagine that my wife would like me, much less be eager for my touch. From the moment she petted my cock like it was a puppy, she's held my heart in her hand.
About the Author
Ruby Dixon is the secret penname of a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author. As Ruby, she writes sexy barbarian aliens, grumpy shifters, and domineering bikers.
For more on this author, visit http://www.rubydixon.com/
She wasn’t what I’d wanted in a wife, but hell, if she wasn’t exactly what I needed.
────── ♔ ──────
Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly
Standalone
Release - March 8, 2020
Genre - Contemporary Mafia Romance / arranged marriage / virgin heroine
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 292 pages
Publisher - Indie
Release - March 8, 2020
Genre - Contemporary Mafia Romance / arranged marriage / virgin heroine
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 4 out of 5 / several scenes
Format/Source - ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Length - 292 pages
Publisher - Indie
The first time Cassio met his fiancée, she called him ‘Sir’.
After losing his wife, Cassio is left to take care of two small children while trying to establish his rule over Philadelphia. Now he needs a mother for his children, and someone who can warm his bed at night.
But in a traditional world as his, choosing your wife is duty not pleasure.
Rules have to be followed. Traditions heeded.
That’s how he ends up with a woman—a girl barely of age. She might not be what he and his children need, but she’s wicked lovely and a sweet temptation he can’t resist.
Giulia always knew she’d marry a man her father chose for her. Only she never expected to be given to someone much older.
Suddenly she’s supposed to be a mother to two small children when she hasn’t even held a baby in her life.
Giulia quickly realizes that Cassio isn’t interested in a relationship on equal footing. Her mother always warned her that men of power like Cassio don’t tolerate insolence; yet, tired of being treated as a nanny and clueless child-bride, Giulia decides to fight for her vision of a happy family.
You can find your copy of Sweet Temptation here:
Goodreads * Amazon
Free to read with Kindle Unlimited
My Two Cents
4 "Marriage of Opportunity" stars
Although this author has been on my watchlist for a minute (oh, don't act like you don't have an author-to-watch list too), I kinda slept on her. After reading Bound by Honor, I knew that this author was going to be something great. I enjoyed her writing then and I definitely enjoyed it now.
Cassio's wife was dead and he was left to care for two young children. As underboss, he was expected to find a new wife. How convenient it was that everyone seemed to have a solution for him. His biggest problem? His future wife wasn't even legal age!
I think the fact that Giulia was barely 18 worked really well for this story. I didn't like how often they both referred to him as an old man. He himself was barely 30 and don't men love the chance to be with younger women? It was a bit weird.
I loved the lead up to the big reveal behind the death of Cassio's first wife. Good riddance! My heart broke for this man and I was thrilled by how much he was able to grow and thrive with Giulia. She was the absolute best person for him, injecting new life in what had become of his existence. And those kids... Poor sweet Daniele. I'm so happy that Giulia was more than she seemed and I'm a huge fan of how she loved these people.
Cassio was extremely alpha, but Giulia wasn't a doormat and this made for some interesting scenes. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
About the Author
Cora Reilly is the author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, The Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. Before she found her passion in romance books, she was a traditionally published author of young adult literature.
Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn't spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world.
Despite her law degree, Cora prefers to talk books to laws any day.
Visit https://corareilly.com for more information
At that moment, in that brief second before she screamed bloody murder, all I could think was, the poets are right. No one will believe me, and many others will think I am insane. But I want the sun to rise with my name on her lips and my hand on her hips.
She’s an American heiress who can only get her inheritance through marriage.
According to their families they are a perfect match.
According to each other, arranged marriages have no place in modern times and this could not possibly work.
But Prince Galahad “Gale” of Ersovia is bound by duty to obey the crown anyway.
Odette Wyntor doesn’t give a damn, she doesn’t want to get married.
Can he change her mind?
Can she even handle what it means to be royal, if he did?
The Prince’s Bride is Part 1 of a 2 part series.
Part 2 arrives a month later.
I've been waiting for my queen. And now I have her.
Within the underbelly of one of America’s largest cities lives a world where a man’s word is either his most valuable tool or his most respected weapon. When my father ruled that world and that city, he promised me someone who would one day make my reign complete.
Since that day, long ago, Araneae McCrie has been mine.
She just didn’t know.
My father is now gone.
The city and the underbelly are now mine.
The time has come for me to collect who was promised to me, to shred her life of secrets and make her who she’s always been—mine.
Have you been Aleatha’d?
*Secrets is book one of the Web of Sin trilogy.
Crowned #1
Release - November 14, 2017
Genre - Dark Romance
Dual POV - 1st person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 172 pages
Some would say I have a privileged life. Daughter of the current President of the United States, wealthy, famous, and all things that some girls wish they had.
Only I'd dream of having a simple life. A life where I wasn't marrying the scariest man I have ever met. Well, I thought I had just met him, but it turns out, there's so much I don't know about myself. That's all thanks to a past so twisted, so warped, that no amount of money, or presidential status could wipe it clean.
I'm the rebel child. Or as some may see it, the disappointment. I’ve never cared about expensive wedding gowns, or how much someone paid for a tailored suit. I don’t care if your wedding dress is from Walmart, or if it’s from some fancy, upscale designer line.
So why am I marrying the devil dressed in a thousand-dollar suit?
I'm about to find out how I got here. To marrying one of the most powerful men in the country. The road to finding out, though, is paved with darkness, painted with the blood of innocents, and it leads my ass straight to hell. Only this hell is a multi-million-dollar penthouse suite in New York City where Bryant Saint Royal, sits on his throne.
Standalone - Masters and Mercenaries #13.5
Release - April 25, 2017
Genre - Erotic Romance
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 3.5 out of 5
Length - 220 pages
Kash Kamdar is the king of a peaceful but powerful island nation. As Loa Mali’s sovereign, he is always in control, the final authority. Until his mother uses an ancient law to force her son into marriage. His prospective queen is a buttoned-up intellectual, nothing like Kash’s usual party girl. Still, from the moment of their forced engagement, he can’t stop thinking about her.
Dayita Samar comes from one of Loa Mali’s most respected families. The Cambridge-educated scientist has dedicated her life to her country’s future. But under her staid and calm exterior, Day hides a few sexy secrets of her own. She is willing to marry her king, but also agrees that they can circumvent the law. Just because they’re married doesn’t mean they have to change their lives. It certainly doesn’t mean they have to fall in love.
After one wild weekend in Dallas, Kash discovers his bride-to-be is more than she seems. Engulfed in a changing world, Kash finds exciting new possibilities for himself. Could Day help him find respite from the crushing responsibility he’s carried all his life? This fairy tale could have a happy ending, if only they can escape Kash’s past…
Find your copy of Arranged here:
Goodreads | Amazon
Blackest Gold #1
Release - August 16, 2016
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Dual POV - 3rd person
Heat - 2.5 out of 5
Length - 390 pages
"Darkness isn't all one shade, sweetheart."
Three centuries ago, Molly Darling’s ancestors signed a contract in blood—daemon blood—to protect themselves from harm. On the eve she turns nineteen, Molly leaves for her birthday party against her parent’s wishes, sick of their warnings about her “betrothal to a demon.”
Except that she’s very much betrothed, and he’s very much a demon—one who’s only agreed to the nuptials to steal Molly’s ancient daemon powers. Brash, arrogant, and built like a Greek god, Tensley Knight keeps showing up to save Molly from otherworldly attacks, only to insult her a moment later.
As Molly learns more about the demon world, she realizes two things: that her family’s safety depends on a successful marriage, while any chance of freedom she’ll ever have calls for Tensley’s demise.
Yet sometimes Molly spots a tortured soul beyond those liquid grey eyes, and there’s no denying the way her skin tingles when Tensley touches it. In Vein of Love, safety requires sacrifice, foe becomes lover, and one must decide whether to kiss...or to kill.
Find it here:
Goodreads | Amazon
Read it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
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