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Arranged
There were rules in the cash-for-beauty game. The money held the power. The beauty followed the rules and jumped through the hoops.
THE BRIDE
I knew what everyone would think if they knew the truth about my marriage. They'd be shocked and appalled. And rightly so. I was a young, modern, independent woman, and I'd done the unthinkable. I'd sold my virginity to a spoiled, rich boy. To a stranger who didn’t love me.
And yes, I'd done it all for money.
THE GROOM
My bride was as gorgeous as she was unwelcome. As desirable as she was unwanted. I wanted nothing to do with her, but that didn’t seem to matter exactly the second she got close enough to touch. I wanted her to hate me more than she loved the millions she’d sold herself for.
I wanted to spurn her, but unfortunately, I wanted to fuck her more.
ARRANGED is a standalone erotic romance.
THE BRIDE
I knew what everyone would think if they knew the truth about my marriage. They'd be shocked and appalled. And rightly so. I was a young, modern, independent woman, and I'd done the unthinkable. I'd sold my virginity to a spoiled, rich boy. To a stranger who didn’t love me.
And yes, I'd done it all for money.
THE GROOM
My bride was as gorgeous as she was unwelcome. As desirable as she was unwanted. I wanted nothing to do with her, but that didn’t seem to matter exactly the second she got close enough to touch. I wanted her to hate me more than she loved the millions she’d sold herself for.
I wanted to spurn her, but unfortunately, I wanted to fuck her more.
ARRANGED is a standalone erotic romance.
438 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 2019
About the author
R.K. Lilley
37 books12.6k followersR.K. Lilley has been a writer since she can remember, but has held down some interesting jobs to pay the bills. For several years she was a first class flight attendant, and she always swore that she just had to write a book about it. Mixing her love of romance and all things BDSM, the Up In the Air Trilogy is her debut into the world of contempary romance and erotica. She is currently working on the final installment in the series.
You can contact R.K. at Authorrklilley@gmail.com
Visit her Facebook page to keep up-to-date on what she's working on
https://www.facebook.com/authorrklilley
And check out her website http://www.rklilley.com/
R.K. also writes urban fantasy under the pseudonym: Rebecca K. Lilley
You can contact R.K. at Authorrklilley@gmail.com
Visit her Facebook page to keep up-to-date on what she's working on
https://www.facebook.com/authorrklilley
And check out her website http://www.rklilley.com/
R.K. also writes urban fantasy under the pseudonym: Rebecca K. Lilley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 893 reviews
July 23, 2019
Hell fucking no. Husband cheats on his wife the first month into their marriage. He disappeared after taking her virginity on their wedding night and it turns out he had been fucking his crazy ex fiancé the whole time.
Don’t give a damn that it wasn’t a marriage of love.
Worthless cheating piece of shit.
Over and over again throughout the entire book he calls her a whore. He even calls her one in front of his best friend. He treats her like garbage and insults her in front of other people. The fact that this imbecile of an author thinks this is romantic is beyond me. Romanticizing a man that calls a woman whore, cheap, trash, and a cum dumpster and having her fall in love with him? What a disgusting example of love and romance. I’m ashamed that I’ve ever read a book by a woman that would write something so absolutely vulgar and disgusting and paint it as romantic.
There’s no relationship or character development. It literally goes from him hate fucking her and finishing with calling her a whore for 80% of the book to her finding out about the cheating and now he’s in love. What? How the hell did that happen? How does the heroine fall in love with a man that fucks her and then calls her a cum dumpster? Where the hell did the love come from?
TO TOP IT OFF, HE ALSO HAD A TATTOO OF THE OW ON HIS BACK. Don’t give a shit that he has it removed (last few pages of the book)
Don’t give a damn that it wasn’t a marriage of love.
Worthless cheating piece of shit.
Over and over again throughout the entire book he calls her a whore. He even calls her one in front of his best friend. He treats her like garbage and insults her in front of other people. The fact that this imbecile of an author thinks this is romantic is beyond me. Romanticizing a man that calls a woman whore, cheap, trash, and a cum dumpster and having her fall in love with him? What a disgusting example of love and romance. I’m ashamed that I’ve ever read a book by a woman that would write something so absolutely vulgar and disgusting and paint it as romantic.
There’s no relationship or character development. It literally goes from him hate fucking her and finishing with calling her a whore for 80% of the book to her finding out about the cheating and now he’s in love. What? How the hell did that happen? How does the heroine fall in love with a man that fucks her and then calls her a cum dumpster? Where the hell did the love come from?
TO TOP IT OFF, HE ALSO HAD A TATTOO OF THE OW ON HIS BACK. Don’t give a shit that he has it removed (last few pages of the book)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2020
2 Stars. And that's a hell of a stretch.
**********Spoilers, maybe**********
Ever heard the expression "beating a dead horse"?
Okay, I obviously didn’t pick up this book because of its…. original theme. Believe me, I’ve had my share of "tall, slim hipped, broad shouldered magnificent creatures" and I think I’ve reached my limit. In my fictional life,unfortunately of course. I prefer more… how should I put it… human-like characters these days. You know, more rugged, more flawed, more real, less perfect... Intelligent ones with character.
Still, despite the fact that the arranged marriage theme is coming out of my ears, nose, eyes, and every other orifice these days, one tiny part of my heart secretly hoped I would love this book.Stupid heart.
Wanna know why?
Because this is R.K. Lilley, the creator of Tristan and Danika’s series. And as much as fucked up and devastating that series was for me, it’s still one of my favorites. Maybe it was because I was so much younger, so much more clueless back then. It was a time when NA romance books were far and few between, when broody alphas felt like a delicious novelty, when cheating wasn’t the reason for shelving the book as not-in-this-lifetime... Everything felt better back then.
I’ve evolved as a reader since then, my tastes have changed, I’ve matured, become more demanding, turned into a not-so-easily-wowed witch.
So I dove into this book out of sheer curiosity. When I accidentally stumbled upon it, I thought to myself: Let’s see what Ms Lilley has been up to. And here’s what I learned:
1. The writing is as gripping as it was years ago and that was the only deciding factor in awarding this book 2 stars.
2. However, this not-so-adventurous journey was spoiled by numerous hurdles and struggles I had to go through trying to get to the finish line.
The first time I stumbled I almost fell.
Don’t believe me? Read this:
Ah, the joys of arranged marriages slash fake relationships slash mail order bride books! So disgustingly romantic. Or is it romantically disgusting? I have to give it to the author: this evoked some REAL emotions.
The second hurdle came when the douchebag told the“boneless, thoughtless puddle on the bed” heroine that The words didn't piss me off. It was the harsh and disrespectful tone the entire characterization of the hero is based upon that killed my enthusiasm.
3. I kept reading and reading and reading and reading, waiting to hear the reason why the heroine sold her virginity and her pride. When it was finally, finally revealed, I burst out laughing. At least the reason wasn’t cliché. Well girl, you’re lucky you didn’t get this:
Now, I'm not going to jump into a rant over her reasons. Who am I to judge? I’m just going to pretend that she was an immature and uninformed teenager who had to go through the process of growing up. Lesson learned. I hope. Besides, every person has a right to do whatever they want. Of course, if, by doing it, they are not hurting innocent people around them. Or maybe I'm wrong.
4. The book treats some serious, potentially dangerous issues like starving oneself or emancipation of minors in a light-ish, almost desirable way. It rubbed me the wrong way. Or maybe I'm wrong about that too.
5. To conclude, this was not a pleasant read for me. Ms Lilley certainly has some great skills and knows how to suck the reader into a story. And yet, despite her writing skills I couldn’t warm up to the hero.
Or the heroine.
Or the story.
Or the ending.
NOT because the hero was a dick to the heroine, but because he is a lousy human being in general. Their relationship didn’t grow. The plot was superficial, cliché (pregnancy scare, really?) and boring, the story lacked real, raw emotions like the ones I experienced while reading Tristan and Danika series. The characterization based on Neanderthal growling, half-mast eyelids and unexciting sex scenes is not enough for me. Not anymore.
With Tristan and Danika I could at least somehow, somehow accept the fact that he was a cheater because the characters were so much more dimensional, the circumstances were so much more serious, the emotions were so much stronger and deeper, the expression was so much richer.
Or maybe I'm wrong again. But what I’m trying to say is that authors should evolve too. There are more than 7 billion people on this earth. That’s 7 billion different stories. Then why do we have to read the same story over and over and over again?
I'm going to finish my review the same way I started it:
**********Spoilers, maybe**********
Ever heard the expression "beating a dead horse"?
Okay, I obviously didn’t pick up this book because of its…. original theme. Believe me, I’ve had my share of "tall, slim hipped, broad shouldered magnificent creatures" and I think I’ve reached my limit. In my fictional life,
Still, despite the fact that the arranged marriage theme is coming out of my ears, nose, eyes, and every other orifice these days, one tiny part of my heart secretly hoped I would love this book.
Wanna know why?
Because this is R.K. Lilley, the creator of Tristan and Danika’s series. And as much as fucked up and devastating that series was for me, it’s still one of my favorites. Maybe it was because I was so much younger, so much more clueless back then. It was a time when NA romance books were far and few between, when broody alphas felt like a delicious novelty, when cheating wasn’t the reason for shelving the book as not-in-this-lifetime... Everything felt better back then.
I’ve evolved as a reader since then, my tastes have changed, I’ve matured, become more demanding, turned into a not-so-easily-wowed witch.
So I dove into this book out of sheer curiosity. When I accidentally stumbled upon it, I thought to myself: Let’s see what Ms Lilley has been up to. And here’s what I learned:
1. The writing is as gripping as it was years ago and that was the only deciding factor in awarding this book 2 stars.
2. However, this not-so-adventurous journey was spoiled by numerous hurdles and struggles I had to go through trying to get to the finish line.
The first time I stumbled I almost fell.
Don’t believe me? Read this:
“I was so dry and tense, he had to spit on his hand and rub it on himself to ease inside.”
Ah, the joys of arranged marriages slash fake relationships slash mail order bride books! So disgustingly romantic. Or is it romantically disgusting? I have to give it to the author: this evoked some REAL emotions.
The second hurdle came when the douchebag told the
3. I kept reading and reading and reading and reading, waiting to hear the reason why the heroine sold her virginity and her pride. When it was finally, finally revealed, I burst out laughing. At least the reason wasn’t cliché. Well girl, you’re lucky you didn’t get this:
Now, I'm not going to jump into a rant over her reasons. Who am I to judge? I’m just going to pretend that she was an immature and uninformed teenager who had to go through the process of growing up. Lesson learned. I hope. Besides, every person has a right to do whatever they want. Of course, if, by doing it, they are not hurting innocent people around them. Or maybe I'm wrong.
5. To conclude, this was not a pleasant read for me. Ms Lilley certainly has some great skills and knows how to suck the reader into a story. And yet, despite her writing skills I couldn’t warm up to the hero.
Or the heroine.
Or the story.
Or the ending.
NOT because the hero was a dick to the heroine, but because he is a lousy human being in general. Their relationship didn’t grow. The plot was superficial, cliché (pregnancy scare, really?) and boring, the story lacked real, raw emotions like the ones I experienced while reading Tristan and Danika series. The characterization based on Neanderthal growling, half-mast eyelids and unexciting sex scenes is not enough for me. Not anymore.
With Tristan and Danika I could at least somehow, somehow accept the fact that he was a cheater because the characters were so much more dimensional, the circumstances were so much more serious, the emotions were so much stronger and deeper, the expression was so much richer.
Or maybe I'm wrong again. But what I’m trying to say is that authors should evolve too. There are more than 7 billion people on this earth. That’s 7 billion different stories. Then why do we have to read the same story over and over and over again?
I'm going to finish my review the same way I started it:
May 22, 2019
“He hated me on principle, and he fascinated me in spite of myself.”
If you’ve been reading my reviews for a few years, you’d know that I am utter and complete R.K. Lilley trash. Not only is my favorite sex scene of all-time in Bad Things, but R.K. Lilley proves again and again that she truly is out here writing all the sexiest of scenes in the romance genre. And even though I didn’t love Arranged completely, the sex scenes in this were so fucking hot that I feel like I need a glass of water just writing this review. Seriously, if you’re looking for steam, look no further, and I still think that this was such an enthralling enemies to lovers, age gap, standalone romance that was a treat to read.
➽ Noura - A very young up-and-coming model, who just sold her virginity and promise of marriage to a man she doesn’t know, but for a whole lot of money.
➽ Calder/Banks - The soon-to-be groom, regardless of how he feels about the situation his family has placed him in.
I mean, with a promise like this, you all know what you’re getting into and you know it’s going to be messy in the best way possible. Noura is so sweet and kind, but is pushed to her limits trying to further her career while also playing the part of the perfect wife to a husband who lets her know constantly that he doesn’t want to be in this marriage. Yet, their sexual tension and compatibility are off the charts with each other, so it puts them in a very unique situation that both of them are afraid to approach.
Okay, this paragraph is going to have a spoiler in it, so read at your own risk! As always, I list my content and trigger warnings at the end of this review, but I feel like I need to talk about one of those triggers in a section all of its own; cheating. There is off page cheating that comes out at the very end of this story, and if you’ve read other reviews for this title on Goodreads, then you will know that a lot of people in the romance community are very upset about it, and that’s valid. For me, the cheating wasn’t unbearable because it was off page and because the other character doesn’t easily forgive the adultery. Also, I read and review a lot of new adult romance differently than other kinds of literature, since I’m really reading it to just escape and suspend my disbelief. Like, this is a story about a girl selling her virginity and marrying a guy she doesn’t know; I think cheating is a little believable in a story like this? But, again, everyone’s feelings are valid, but these are just my feelings on the controversy surrounding this book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I will continue to read everything that R.K. Lilley writes. I truly hope whatever she does write next will be set in Vegas like so many of her other books, but she set up so many characters in this NYC world to eventually have their own books written about them. But if you’re looking for something a little over the top, but with some of the best written sex scenes 2019 has to offer, then I completely recommend you pick this one up.
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Content and Trigger Warnings: underaged drinking, a lot of very triggering talk of eating disorders and restricted eating that were personally very triggering to me, talk of statutory rape of a side character, a lot of very controlling “alpha male” behavior that I know will be too much for many readers, talk of past loss of a loved one, mention of past cancer of a loved one, assault, cheating, and violence.
Buddy read with Paloma! ❤
July 24, 2020
Spoilers -
Another case of same shit, different book.
First of all, what the ever-loving fuck was that ending? Why was it so rushed? For what reason, please? We need more. So Noura finally forgave him and took him back. What happened next???? You can’t just finish the book at this point and then give a unsatisfying and generic epilogue. I’m convinced my copy just didn’t have the actual last chapter because that wasn’t a fucking ending.
Nevertheless, I liked how the author made the hero grovel so much, this is what I like to see!! But why did he have to fuck his ex-fiance MULTIPLE TIMES whilst he was married to the heroine. Granted, it was still in the beginning of the relationship where it was just a contract, but why couldn’t that be avoided with something else? And of course, it is not a new adult romance without a hero’s crazy ex getting pregnant and going through all that drama if the baby is his or not. (It's not, thank fuck)
If I was 15, I would have definitely given this four stars. I would have overlooked everything the hero did but now I detest cheating in all forms. I have read this plot over and over again in different books where it worked beautifully without the hero fucking ow. It’s honestly unnecessary. Why couldn’t he be a prick and faithful at the same time? I have concluded that sleeping with ow are apparently a fucking requirement in NA books and I’m sick of it. It’s fucking 2019, if I want to read about cheating then I’ll read about Tristan cheating on Khloe again. I don’t need it in my books, I actually try to avoid it. AGAIN NOTE TO SELF: READ THE FUCKING REVIEWS. I do not fucking learn.
At least I know Banks truly loved Noura in his own fucked up way. And Noura??? I honestly liked her character! The way she demanded a divorce and didn’t forgive him straight away unlike the other pathetic heroines. She wanted to sell her virginity to secure her future? Be rich? You fucking go girl, I am a fan. But I wish she got with another guy or three after leaving Banks. He should feel the pain Noura did, right? Why do authors still like to keep the heroines untouched by other men whilst the hero can fuck every girl he comes across? Disgusting.
Another case of same shit, different book.
First of all, what the ever-loving fuck was that ending? Why was it so rushed? For what reason, please? We need more. So Noura finally forgave him and took him back. What happened next???? You can’t just finish the book at this point and then give a unsatisfying and generic epilogue. I’m convinced my copy just didn’t have the actual last chapter because that wasn’t a fucking ending.
Nevertheless, I liked how the author made the hero grovel so much, this is what I like to see!! But why did he have to fuck his ex-fiance MULTIPLE TIMES whilst he was married to the heroine. Granted, it was still in the beginning of the relationship where it was just a contract, but why couldn’t that be avoided with something else? And of course, it is not a new adult romance without a hero’s crazy ex getting pregnant and going through all that drama if the baby is his or not. (It's not, thank fuck)
If I was 15, I would have definitely given this four stars. I would have overlooked everything the hero did but now I detest cheating in all forms. I have read this plot over and over again in different books where it worked beautifully without the hero fucking ow. It’s honestly unnecessary. Why couldn’t he be a prick and faithful at the same time? I have concluded that sleeping with ow are apparently a fucking requirement in NA books and I’m sick of it. It’s fucking 2019, if I want to read about cheating then I’ll read about Tristan cheating on Khloe again. I don’t need it in my books, I actually try to avoid it. AGAIN NOTE TO SELF: READ THE FUCKING REVIEWS. I do not fucking learn.
At least I know Banks truly loved Noura in his own fucked up way. And Noura??? I honestly liked her character! The way she demanded a divorce and didn’t forgive him straight away unlike the other pathetic heroines. She wanted to sell her virginity to secure her future? Be rich? You fucking go girl, I am a fan. But I wish she got with another guy or three after leaving Banks. He should feel the pain Noura did, right? Why do authors still like to keep the heroines untouched by other men whilst the hero can fuck every girl he comes across? Disgusting.
April 24, 2019
He slept with the ow for nearly a month after sleeping with his wife the h. I don’t care if their marriage was arranged I lost all respect and any liking for him after finding this out NEARLY AT THE END OF THE BOOK!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2019
First things first- I love Rebecca, she's the sweetest human and a kickass writer. I've fallen for all her men and fallen hard.
This book though released after a long gap, I didn't care!! I grabbed it soonest and devoured it.
Its full of volcanic emotions on both ends of the spectrum. There's raging passion and blood curdling hostility, wounding everyone when they collide. A battlefield of personalities where everybody loses in the end
She has created an asshole of the degenerate Degree- Calder Banks Costello. He carries a volcano of boiling anger inside him, lashing out at everybody. His tongue is a virtual whip, beating everybody and anybody. To be honest, some of the filth he spews is very tough to come back from or for me to digest.
"She’s a piece of art that my father bought for me to fuck on a regular basis. An expensive blow up doll. A gorgeous fucking cum dumpster. She’s my own private whore"
At this point I was ready to bash his teeth in🤬
Having said that, I can understand that it stems from his utter frustration and humiliation from having lost everything at the hands of misjudged love.
Put in a corner, he orders The Bride Catalogue (I've heard about it actually in real life), and picks 18 year old, supermodel-in-the-making, Noura as his mate.
Here comes the point of contention that many readers and reviewers are stuck on. Her cold hearted motive....WHY!
All I can say is that she is very much aware of her naked truths in life, her diminished pool of resources and her a lack of ability to change things, so she opts for this wholeheartedly.
SHE GOES IN WITH EYES OPEN.
"I was a young modern, independent woman, and I'd done the unthinkable.
I'd sold my virginity to a spoiled rich boy.
And yes, I'd done it all for money."
She knows her role, she's been vetted thoroughly, her background researched with a fine tooth comb, she's been groomed for 6 months and now she's ready to be a plasticated trophy wife to stand by Banks's side. There's a book of rules she has to strictly adhere to and it's as thick as a telephone directory,I swear.
"There were rules in Cash-For-Beauty game. The Money held the power, the Beauty followed the rules and jumped through the hoops"
Oh and she's a virgin- that got her extra bucks🤷♀️
Their "marriage" is of course a sham and pretend drama. Complete with practiced Fake Smiles, staged touches, choreographed embraces and counterfeit laughs.
But nowhere in the rule book does it say that she'd be falling in love with Calder...does it?
"He owned me, but he didn't love me"
Whole lot of complications crop up and tides of trust and lust ebb and flow, advance and retreat.
So as I'm reading reviews, I see some readers having trouble accepting the basic aggression of Calder and what he did, which was heinous in my opinion BTW, and why did Noura accept it.
Here's my take- Noura is VERY VERY CLEAR in her head as to what she's going into this "arrangement for. She's NOT CONFLICTED at all!! For an 18 year old that's too much sensibility, BUT having met Christie Turlington and listened to her, I do realise these supermodels are who they are in their teens, due to their superior intelligence and dedication to their profession. Not everybody gets to achieve what they did, they grow up fast and smart generally starting at 14 working till 19. A very short career and lifespan as a model.
Noura immediately took space in my heart and throughout the story my feeling for her were unchanged. I could see beyond her stoic mask and her stark realities broke my heart.
Calder was confused, burnt out by love, vindictive, on a path of destruction. His personality took me a while to get attached to, but he did, right about when his character graph showed an upward incline.
his problem was his pent up emotions that needed a vent. He's burning with passion and Wrath at the same time and when the Embers fall on poor Noura, shes burnt alive. so why does she take it silently?????
Because she doesn't take her eye off her target...simple! Wrong or right, that's what she does and OWNS IT. Along with her, my moral compass remained firmly pointing north throughout
The transformation of Calder was gradual and slower than expected and his past was nipping at his heels. His nefarious actions are hard to digest but in his mind he was justified and as a reader outside looking in, I accept it
As for the people touting that story is "unbelievable and unrealistic ", I know of One such arrangement in NYC and it's quite a custom in India.
Only thing that bothered me was that it was ended hastily. It should have been a Duet, it had so much story in it, so much more potential. Or maybe I was just greedy and wanted more and more. Rebecca can spin love and heartbreak tales like no other and I'd have loved a more elaborate plotting of the end and thrown some more wrenches, seen more of Chester, Asha, Jovie angles. But still I couldn't put it down. I started at noon and finished at 12:02 am(I checked the clock😜).
I love her unusual writing style so I enjoyed it so much, I never put it down...to hell with housework!
I bet you'll do the same
4.5 stars for Gold digger & Spoiled Rich Boy
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This book though released after a long gap, I didn't care!! I grabbed it soonest and devoured it.
Its full of volcanic emotions on both ends of the spectrum. There's raging passion and blood curdling hostility, wounding everyone when they collide. A battlefield of personalities where everybody loses in the end
She has created an asshole of the degenerate Degree- Calder Banks Costello. He carries a volcano of boiling anger inside him, lashing out at everybody. His tongue is a virtual whip, beating everybody and anybody. To be honest, some of the filth he spews is very tough to come back from or for me to digest.
"She’s a piece of art that my father bought for me to fuck on a regular basis. An expensive blow up doll. A gorgeous fucking cum dumpster. She’s my own private whore"
At this point I was ready to bash his teeth in🤬
Having said that, I can understand that it stems from his utter frustration and humiliation from having lost everything at the hands of misjudged love.
Put in a corner, he orders The Bride Catalogue (I've heard about it actually in real life), and picks 18 year old, supermodel-in-the-making, Noura as his mate.
Here comes the point of contention that many readers and reviewers are stuck on. Her cold hearted motive....WHY!
All I can say is that she is very much aware of her naked truths in life, her diminished pool of resources and her a lack of ability to change things, so she opts for this wholeheartedly.
SHE GOES IN WITH EYES OPEN.
"I was a young modern, independent woman, and I'd done the unthinkable.
I'd sold my virginity to a spoiled rich boy.
And yes, I'd done it all for money."
She knows her role, she's been vetted thoroughly, her background researched with a fine tooth comb, she's been groomed for 6 months and now she's ready to be a plasticated trophy wife to stand by Banks's side. There's a book of rules she has to strictly adhere to and it's as thick as a telephone directory,I swear.
"There were rules in Cash-For-Beauty game. The Money held the power, the Beauty followed the rules and jumped through the hoops"
Oh and she's a virgin- that got her extra bucks🤷♀️
Their "marriage" is of course a sham and pretend drama. Complete with practiced Fake Smiles, staged touches, choreographed embraces and counterfeit laughs.
But nowhere in the rule book does it say that she'd be falling in love with Calder...does it?
"He owned me, but he didn't love me"
Whole lot of complications crop up and tides of trust and lust ebb and flow, advance and retreat.
So as I'm reading reviews, I see some readers having trouble accepting the basic aggression of Calder and what he did, which was heinous in my opinion BTW, and why did Noura accept it.
Here's my take- Noura is VERY VERY CLEAR in her head as to what she's going into this "arrangement for. She's NOT CONFLICTED at all!! For an 18 year old that's too much sensibility, BUT having met Christie Turlington and listened to her, I do realise these supermodels are who they are in their teens, due to their superior intelligence and dedication to their profession. Not everybody gets to achieve what they did, they grow up fast and smart generally starting at 14 working till 19. A very short career and lifespan as a model.
Noura immediately took space in my heart and throughout the story my feeling for her were unchanged. I could see beyond her stoic mask and her stark realities broke my heart.
Calder was confused, burnt out by love, vindictive, on a path of destruction. His personality took me a while to get attached to, but he did, right about when his character graph showed an upward incline.
his problem was his pent up emotions that needed a vent. He's burning with passion and Wrath at the same time and when the Embers fall on poor Noura, shes burnt alive. so why does she take it silently?????
Because she doesn't take her eye off her target...simple! Wrong or right, that's what she does and OWNS IT. Along with her, my moral compass remained firmly pointing north throughout
The transformation of Calder was gradual and slower than expected and his past was nipping at his heels. His nefarious actions are hard to digest but in his mind he was justified and as a reader outside looking in, I accept it
As for the people touting that story is "unbelievable and unrealistic ", I know of One such arrangement in NYC and it's quite a custom in India.
Only thing that bothered me was that it was ended hastily. It should have been a Duet, it had so much story in it, so much more potential. Or maybe I was just greedy and wanted more and more. Rebecca can spin love and heartbreak tales like no other and I'd have loved a more elaborate plotting of the end and thrown some more wrenches, seen more of Chester, Asha, Jovie angles. But still I couldn't put it down. I started at noon and finished at 12:02 am(I checked the clock😜).
I love her unusual writing style so I enjoyed it so much, I never put it down...to hell with housework!
I bet you'll do the same
4.5 stars for Gold digger & Spoiled Rich Boy
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Shelved as 'nope'
April 24, 2019Nope because he is a disgusting pig!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh, if you read the review, please also read the comments - especially the one about how he takes her virginity, how he doesn't even care if he hurt her.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh, if you read the review, please also read the comments - especially the one about how he takes her virginity, how he doesn't even care if he hurt her.
April 27, 2019
3 STARS
I love RK Lilley's brand of angst. So of course the second I saw she has a new book coming out, I jumped on it with a rabidness of a starving squirrel. That analogy made sense, right? No? Whatever. Just go with me here.
Arranged marriages are my jam and bullheaded, broody, and brokenly mean heroes are my crack. So of course the blurb to this book hooked me, line and sinker. The irony of my rating is that I DEVOURED this book. I'm talking straight up binge read here, people. But I also couldn't help but feel that something was missing for me. I'm thinking this was likely the heroine's balls up until the bitter end. Le sigh.
The set up is delicious. A bride that sells herself and her virginity to a cold and unwilling husband who only marries her to get his inheritance from his father. She agrees to be his perfect trophy wife and obedient doll. He makes it apparent she will never be anything more to him. Enter a game of push and pull the likes of which will make you want to rip your hair out. And this was the beginning of the end for me here. Because while the set up was my catnip, the heroine was my kryptonite.
Now look, I get it. She sold herself for millions of dollars and knew full well what she was walking into. She agrees to take it all in stride and be the perfect little wife. She HAS to take all of her husband's vile and hot and cold behavior. But at the same time, I didn't get her either. He treats her like trash, and yet she still trembles because of their sexual chemistry. She's so up and down with this that I started to get dizzy. He rips her to shreds and she barely walks away without gaping wounds, but the second he gives her the sex eyes, she's all over it, because...magic penis.
Now you may have seen a HUGE spoiler floating around in some reviews. And I want to make myself very clear that this didn't bother me. In context, I got it. But I get how this may be a huge no for some people. I'm not one of them, though. For me, this was staying true to this character and I wouldn't buy it if he was the perfect little husband if I'm being perfectly honest. Where it went wrong for me with Calder is his sudden 180. The man goes from bitter and cold to suddenly the exact opposite and I simply didn't buy the total and complete turnaround.
Does he grovel at the end, absolutely. But I couldn't help but feel I needed something a little more. The heroine also finally grows a pair and lets him have it, which was satisfying. But again, it didn't take long for her to succumb to his sex voodoo.
I loved the premise of this book and as I already mentioned, I totally binged on it. But something in the execution just felt lacking for me. I will say that I'm thrilled to have RK Lilley back in action and can't wait for more books from her. This one, while falling short in some of my personal preferences, was still an entertaining read. So if you're looking for a sexy arranged marriage trope with a real alphahole of a hero, definitely give this a go!
Find me on:
He hated me on principle, and he fascinated me in spite of myself.
I love RK Lilley's brand of angst. So of course the second I saw she has a new book coming out, I jumped on it with a rabidness of a starving squirrel. That analogy made sense, right? No? Whatever. Just go with me here.
Arranged marriages are my jam and bullheaded, broody, and brokenly mean heroes are my crack. So of course the blurb to this book hooked me, line and sinker. The irony of my rating is that I DEVOURED this book. I'm talking straight up binge read here, people. But I also couldn't help but feel that something was missing for me. I'm thinking this was likely the heroine's balls up until the bitter end. Le sigh.
The set up is delicious. A bride that sells herself and her virginity to a cold and unwilling husband who only marries her to get his inheritance from his father. She agrees to be his perfect trophy wife and obedient doll. He makes it apparent she will never be anything more to him. Enter a game of push and pull the likes of which will make you want to rip your hair out. And this was the beginning of the end for me here. Because while the set up was my catnip, the heroine was my kryptonite.
Now look, I get it. She sold herself for millions of dollars and knew full well what she was walking into. She agrees to take it all in stride and be the perfect little wife. She HAS to take all of her husband's vile and hot and cold behavior. But at the same time, I didn't get her either. He treats her like trash, and yet she still trembles because of their sexual chemistry. She's so up and down with this that I started to get dizzy. He rips her to shreds and she barely walks away without gaping wounds, but the second he gives her the sex eyes, she's all over it, because...magic penis.
Now you may have seen a HUGE spoiler floating around in some reviews. And I want to make myself very clear that this didn't bother me. In context, I got it. But I get how this may be a huge no for some people. I'm not one of them, though. For me, this was staying true to this character and I wouldn't buy it if he was the perfect little husband if I'm being perfectly honest. Where it went wrong for me with Calder is his sudden 180. The man goes from bitter and cold to suddenly the exact opposite and I simply didn't buy the total and complete turnaround.
Does he grovel at the end, absolutely. But I couldn't help but feel I needed something a little more. The heroine also finally grows a pair and lets him have it, which was satisfying. But again, it didn't take long for her to succumb to his sex voodoo.
I loved the premise of this book and as I already mentioned, I totally binged on it. But something in the execution just felt lacking for me. I will say that I'm thrilled to have RK Lilley back in action and can't wait for more books from her. This one, while falling short in some of my personal preferences, was still an entertaining read. So if you're looking for a sexy arranged marriage trope with a real alphahole of a hero, definitely give this a go!
Find me on:
Shelved as 'nope-nope-nope'
March 28, 2020You authors need to get a new schtick. Virgins, cheating heros, mean heros etc etc arent making the cut anymore. I dont even think authors generally write anymore cause they love it. They just throw books together to make money, find a bunch of ppl who will give 5 stars to anything, rinse and repeat
August 7, 2022
Reread 07/06/2022 - Gah. I still love it. Still wishing for more. There are just a handful of books that make me FEEL, and this is one of them. I’m just a giddy mess. I just love it so much and think it’s a shame we haven’t seen anything from this author for so long. 💕
……………………..
Review written 11/2020
💓Omgoodness. This book. I did a REread last night, and it was a "Finish at 1:00 am and stay awake, smiling like a loon at your darkened bedroom ceiling, rehashing it in your mind til 3 am" kind of delicious reread. 😍 The basics: It's an arranged marriage between a rich guy who was coerced into it by his family, and a struggling model who needed the cash.... but its just So. Much. More.
What I loved:
• (everything)
• h is an 18 yr old virgin - she's my favorite kind of h - she's clever, determined, and has internal strength. We see that strength more and more as the book plays out, and we get to fall in love with her right along with the H. 💘 It's bloody brilliant
• H is a straight up Jealous and Possessive, Bossy, Controlling, Cold, Dirty-talking Asshole - He's just awful for the 1st half of the book. Like, stab-him-in-the-eye-with-a-fork Terrible. Oh, but friends, we get these little glimmers of hope that reel you in. It reels her in too, and you are so there for it. Gah. 💘 #alphaholesaremyjam
• there's around an 8-10 year age gap. He’s around 26-28. (The exact age is not given but some of his school friends’ wives are 26 and they attended school together)
• The j/p scenes in this book are effing delicious. And there's several.
#iluvyouBanksletsmakesomebabiesmmkthxbye ❤️
• OW drama in SPADES - she's the most Awful Person in the World. Truly an Evil Cackling Whore 🖤
• OM drama, as well - I mean, why not?! #whatsgoodforthegoose 🤷♀️
• Angst. All the angst. The kind that twinges behind your breastbone and in your belly. And makes you giddy and uncomfortable. "Should I stop reading?? I don't know if I can take this?!" (The answer is KEEP READING!) Its so awesome...
• I cried - *3 times* - 2 of which was during the H's point of view, which i find interesting. I should be feeling the most upset for the h, but it was when the H is falling that got to me the most. Gah. 😥💔
• There are MONTHS of groveling. *MONTHS*. (you might even say YEARS) The h shows her strength and sense of self-worth. Did I mention how much I love her? 💓
What I didn't like:
• I would have added 2 chapters - one right after the apex of the story, but before the grovel, in his POV - I need some DETAILS: what did you whisper in her ear? Where the hell have you been?? What was the confrontation like, when I assume you ripped That Witch to shreds? 🖤 - the other chapter would have been between the last chapter and the epilogue. I wanted to see them in one of those situations again where he's going all j/p feral and cavemaning about her job, and we get to see the differences now that they are in luuurrrve ❤️ I was writing both scenes in my head at 3 am. 😂 (*Mouthing To RK Lilley*: CALL ME! 😂)
Bottom Line? FIVE (count em: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) sparkling, dancing, butterflies in your stomach, and goosebumps on your arms, perma-grin stars!! 😍😁 ❤️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(I have 5-starred exactly 2 books this year. TWO. T-W-O. This is one of those. 🤷♀️)
⚠️Safety Squad⚠️ If you're still with me 😬, the warnings are below, as they could probably be considered MAJOR SPOILERS.
⚠️Safety Squad SPOILERS⚠️
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- no sharing
- there is cheating with extenuating circumstances, but yeah. Cheating. - the H sleeps with OW during the 1st month of their marriage - this is after their terrible consummation, but well before either knew each other or had any feelings
- loads of OW drama she’s a 1st Rate Evil Cackling Whore
- dubcon- their first time was not great. I don’t know if it would trigger people, there’s no real dubcon or noncon, but he’s not nice.
- h is a virgin
- H 30-ish and a manwhore
- no condoms
……………………..
Review written 11/2020
💓Omgoodness. This book. I did a REread last night, and it was a "Finish at 1:00 am and stay awake, smiling like a loon at your darkened bedroom ceiling, rehashing it in your mind til 3 am" kind of delicious reread. 😍 The basics: It's an arranged marriage between a rich guy who was coerced into it by his family, and a struggling model who needed the cash.... but its just So. Much. More.
What I loved:
• (everything)
• h is an 18 yr old virgin - she's my favorite kind of h - she's clever, determined, and has internal strength. We see that strength more and more as the book plays out, and we get to fall in love with her right along with the H. 💘 It's bloody brilliant
• H is a straight up Jealous and Possessive, Bossy, Controlling, Cold, Dirty-talking Asshole - He's just awful for the 1st half of the book. Like, stab-him-in-the-eye-with-a-fork Terrible. Oh, but friends, we get these little glimmers of hope that reel you in. It reels her in too, and you are so there for it. Gah. 💘 #alphaholesaremyjam
• there's around an 8-10 year age gap. He’s around 26-28. (The exact age is not given but some of his school friends’ wives are 26 and they attended school together)
• The j/p scenes in this book are effing delicious. And there's several.
#iluvyouBanksletsmakesomebabiesmmkthxbye ❤️
• OW drama in SPADES - she's the most Awful Person in the World. Truly an Evil Cackling Whore 🖤
• OM drama, as well - I mean, why not?! #whatsgoodforthegoose 🤷♀️
• Angst. All the angst. The kind that twinges behind your breastbone and in your belly. And makes you giddy and uncomfortable. "Should I stop reading?? I don't know if I can take this?!" (The answer is KEEP READING!) Its so awesome...
• I cried - *3 times* - 2 of which was during the H's point of view, which i find interesting. I should be feeling the most upset for the h, but it was when the H is falling that got to me the most. Gah. 😥💔
• There are MONTHS of groveling. *MONTHS*. (you might even say YEARS) The h shows her strength and sense of self-worth. Did I mention how much I love her? 💓
What I didn't like:
• I would have added 2 chapters - one right after the apex of the story, but before the grovel, in his POV - I need some DETAILS: what did you whisper in her ear? Where the hell have you been?? What was the confrontation like, when I assume you ripped That Witch to shreds? 🖤 - the other chapter would have been between the last chapter and the epilogue. I wanted to see them in one of those situations again where he's going all j/p feral and cavemaning about her job, and we get to see the differences now that they are in luuurrrve ❤️ I was writing both scenes in my head at 3 am. 😂 (*Mouthing To RK Lilley*: CALL ME! 😂)
Bottom Line? FIVE (count em: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) sparkling, dancing, butterflies in your stomach, and goosebumps on your arms, perma-grin stars!! 😍😁 ❤️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(I have 5-starred exactly 2 books this year. TWO. T-W-O. This is one of those. 🤷♀️)
⚠️Safety Squad⚠️ If you're still with me 😬, the warnings are below, as they could probably be considered MAJOR SPOILERS.
⚠️Safety Squad SPOILERS⚠️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- no sharing
- there is cheating with extenuating circumstances, but yeah. Cheating. - the H sleeps with OW during the 1st month of their marriage - this is after their terrible consummation, but well before either knew each other or had any feelings
- loads of OW drama she’s a 1st Rate Evil Cackling Whore
- dubcon- their first time was not great. I don’t know if it would trigger people, there’s no real dubcon or noncon, but he’s not nice.
- h is a virgin
- H 30-ish and a manwhore
- no condoms
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2019
4.5 I really liked this one Stars ⭐️
April 2, 2020
I didn't love it. I wanted to so bad, as the whole Arranged Marriage thing is so my cup of tea, especially when the dude is a complete arsehole, and let me tell you, Calder Banks Castelo is a BIG ONE. As much as I loved how mean he was, something was just off. It was super hot, but I needed more and found myself skimming the pages and I only do that when I'm getting bored and desperate to just finish.
If you're looking for a book that's full of sex, an arsehole alpha and a heroine who is a bit of a pushover and gets off on how mean he is to her with very little angst (R.K. Lilley wrote one of my most favourite angst books ever, so I guess I just assumed this would have at least some good angst) and a smidge of suspense, then this book is for you :)
If you're looking for a book that's full of sex, an arsehole alpha and a heroine who is a bit of a pushover and gets off on how mean he is to her with very little angst (R.K. Lilley wrote one of my most favourite angst books ever, so I guess I just assumed this would have at least some good angst) and a smidge of suspense, then this book is for you :)
April 11, 2022
I gave in and read the book because some of my very few GR friends raved about it. Yea, most gave this book one star and I can see why.
I can’t see how any self respecting women can read such garbage as this and think there is a love story here.
He cheats on her which didn’t even bother me, since they’re in a moc, and the h married him, signed a contract saying he won’t be faithful!
But the fact that he treated her like shit for 90% of the book (and it was horrible the shit he called her - example: cum dumpster whore - (to his bestfriend, and she heard him call her that to other people!!) and she still chased him and lusted after him.
This doormat was so obsessed with the H, who ignored her for weeks, that she would come up with plans just to get his attention!
Omg, what a spineless, pathetic, level 5 clinger. I had such second hand embarrassment being in her head.🙄
And him, nah his great love will always be the ow, I didn’t buy his I don’t love her anymore comment to the h. 🙄These two dated for years, he gave up everything for her, they even have matching tattoos, and seeing and smelling roses will always remind him of the ow. Yea, no. The author went over board showing evidence of his love for the ow and not enough for the h.
The MCs barely spent anytime together…what love are people raving about?
Giving it 1 star for the delicious angst, and I was never bored whist reading this, but the book pissed me off.
Ps. Ow always have big boobs, in this case she had DD chest, with an ass songs are sang about, while the h had “ perky” tits in a skinny body.🙄
But hey, the h is a virgin, therefor it must be true love?
—————————————————————-
Note to self, Avoid.
Safety gang
Cheating book. The H has a tattoo of this ow name on his shoulders and he cheats on the h with this woman... 🤮
He fucks his ex fiancée whom he used to love for a month after marrying and sleeping with the h.
I can’t see how any self respecting women can read such garbage as this and think there is a love story here.
He cheats on her which didn’t even bother me, since they’re in a moc, and the h married him, signed a contract saying he won’t be faithful!
But the fact that he treated her like shit for 90% of the book (and it was horrible the shit he called her - example: cum dumpster whore - (to his bestfriend, and she heard him call her that to other people!!) and she still chased him and lusted after him.
This doormat was so obsessed with the H, who ignored her for weeks, that she would come up with plans just to get his attention!
Omg, what a spineless, pathetic, level 5 clinger. I had such second hand embarrassment being in her head.🙄
And him, nah his great love will always be the ow, I didn’t buy his I don’t love her anymore comment to the h. 🙄These two dated for years, he gave up everything for her, they even have matching tattoos, and seeing and smelling roses will always remind him of the ow. Yea, no. The author went over board showing evidence of his love for the ow and not enough for the h.
The MCs barely spent anytime together…what love are people raving about?
Giving it 1 star for the delicious angst, and I was never bored whist reading this, but the book pissed me off.
Ps. Ow always have big boobs, in this case she had DD chest, with an ass songs are sang about, while the h had “ perky” tits in a skinny body.🙄
But hey, the h is a virgin, therefor it must be true love?
—————————————————————-
Note to self, Avoid.
Safety gang
Cheating book. The H has a tattoo of this ow name on his shoulders and he cheats on the h with this woman... 🤮
He fucks his ex fiancée whom he used to love for a month after marrying and sleeping with the h.
April 23, 2019
My GIRL IS BACK.
Whether RK writes sexy, romantic, grab your heart out of your chest stomp all over it and leave you with an ending to make you want to throw your kindle out the window, whether it be smutty, funny, fun. Whether she writes soft, hard, smooth. Whether she makes me wait for a million years for that next story.
IT REALLY WILL NEVER MATTER.
She always leaves me breathless with her words, characters, plots, and feels. Maybe it’s because I’ve waited so damn long for her next book of magic. I don’t care the reason. RKL newest book has left me with that heart pumping, ache in your heart and soul, fire in your veins for characters that will soon not be forgotten.
This story starts out as a hate to well rip your cloths off right now lovers. The setting is pretty obvious it’s an arranged marriage based on money. Lots of it. Both characters have there reasons which you will learn once the story unfolds.
Calder hates Noura. Noura wants to hate Calder. Calder wants Nouras body. Noura feels the same. Hate. Lust Passion. Money. Torment. Explosive angst. This story and these characters will leave you frenzied for there passion and screaming for their unstoppable, crazed, union.
I LOVED THIS BOOK.
RKL WORDS LIVE ON.
Calder & Noura were so worth the wait. RKL weaves passion, fury, and heart shaking enchantment in this story. I could not get enough.
Whether RK writes sexy, romantic, grab your heart out of your chest stomp all over it and leave you with an ending to make you want to throw your kindle out the window, whether it be smutty, funny, fun. Whether she writes soft, hard, smooth. Whether she makes me wait for a million years for that next story.
IT REALLY WILL NEVER MATTER.
She always leaves me breathless with her words, characters, plots, and feels. Maybe it’s because I’ve waited so damn long for her next book of magic. I don’t care the reason. RKL newest book has left me with that heart pumping, ache in your heart and soul, fire in your veins for characters that will soon not be forgotten.
This story starts out as a hate to well rip your cloths off right now lovers. The setting is pretty obvious it’s an arranged marriage based on money. Lots of it. Both characters have there reasons which you will learn once the story unfolds.
Calder hates Noura. Noura wants to hate Calder. Calder wants Nouras body. Noura feels the same. Hate. Lust Passion. Money. Torment. Explosive angst. This story and these characters will leave you frenzied for there passion and screaming for their unstoppable, crazed, union.
I LOVED THIS BOOK.
RKL WORDS LIVE ON.
Calder & Noura were so worth the wait. RKL weaves passion, fury, and heart shaking enchantment in this story. I could not get enough.
March 5, 2024
Spoilers ahead, 1.5*
Wow!
Well I'm actually speechless but let me get into it a bit
18 year old model Noura has been on her own and struggling to get ahead for years. With the death of both of her parents and a countdown clock in mind on her modeling career she decides to enter the bride catalogue, basically selling herself into marriage....her virginity is a bonus.
Banks is bitter and angry at his bride, he didn't want to marry but his father made it a condition of his financial backing. Banks lost everything a few years before due to the betrayal of his ex fiancee now he needs his father's help to get his business back on track. He picks Noura out of the catalogue because she's attractive but he has no intention of sticking with his money grubbing wife, in fact he intends to run her off as soon as possible..... But Noura isn't anything like Banks expected and before long the beautiful girl that has charmed everyone in her life has Banks longing for her. Unfortunately he made some choices that come back on them with a vengeance destroying his "fake" marriage just as he realized he wanted it to be real.
*********
1)This was really well written, I literally never put it down and read it straight through from beginning to end. I actually had this on my no way shelf but decided to take a chance
2)I really liked Noura, aside from her dealings with the H. She was 18 but she wasn't immature and whiny, she made a decision and handled it beautifully. I enjoy women who take charge of their lives by any means necessary. She was sweet and kind yet strong with a good head on her shoulders.....with that being said I hated Noura with Banks.... Hated Her!!! She was ruled by her attraction to him and let so much slide I was pissed! The definition of BBS! He said some truly hateful things to her and 2 seconds later she's spreading her legs! I was so confused! This went on until his betrayal came out and she DIVORCED HIM! Yay you go girl!! And stuck to her guns for a while too! Yay! But the balance was broken by that point, I'd really hoped this author would've flipped things around earlier....to me the bad dragged on too long for the good to redeem anything.
4)Banks had been in love with his ex for years, his marriage to Noura was one of convenience only and he was very angry at it's necessity. They had 2 brief meetings before the wedding and a 2 minute consummation and no contact for a month. During that month he was with his ex, his father forced him to meet his wife for their month anniversary and it seemed things started slowly changing from there. For me up until about 80% all I felt from Banks for Noura was lust. Yes the connection was delightfully intense but he was also needlessly cruel with his stupid words and I wanted more time with them happy before the twist. Just as he finally realized he was drawn to his wife and obsessed with her and I settled into this new version of Banks then bam!..... attack,pregnancy,separation! Definitely not enough sweet times together to redeem him after the horrible things he said to her(much less what he did).... Even with his grovel and pain post divorce.
5) I enjoyed the plot and the secondary characters and was pleasantly surprised that his parents weren't villains but likeable people who just wanted the best for their child
6)What the hell kind of ending is that dear author?? I already had such little time with them "good" together I deserved a damn epilogue!I
7)Someone said this had a good grovel, to me it needed to be longer.... I wanted him dragging on the ground begging lol. And sex definitely shouldn't have been the catalyst! Ugh their relationship was already based on too much sex.
All in all this wasn't a book I would've seen myself enjoying but the h made it slightly tolerable, without his shit comments I'd have enjoyed it much more.
I will say that this won't ever be rated highly by me simply because the cheating was unnecessary, I mean cheating is always unnecessary to me but in this case he was already such an ass to her that him sticking his dick in another woman was just added insult to injury. It was ONLY a month! He's busy building up his business couldn't he have gotten drunk instead??? Ugh! Thankfully we are spared details as we only get his POV later on.
An intense and interesting read honestly.
Cheating
OW drama
H 26/h 18
Wow!
Well I'm actually speechless but let me get into it a bit
18 year old model Noura has been on her own and struggling to get ahead for years. With the death of both of her parents and a countdown clock in mind on her modeling career she decides to enter the bride catalogue, basically selling herself into marriage....her virginity is a bonus.
Banks is bitter and angry at his bride, he didn't want to marry but his father made it a condition of his financial backing. Banks lost everything a few years before due to the betrayal of his ex fiancee now he needs his father's help to get his business back on track. He picks Noura out of the catalogue because she's attractive but he has no intention of sticking with his money grubbing wife, in fact he intends to run her off as soon as possible..... But Noura isn't anything like Banks expected and before long the beautiful girl that has charmed everyone in her life has Banks longing for her. Unfortunately he made some choices that come back on them with a vengeance destroying his "fake" marriage just as he realized he wanted it to be real.
*********
1)This was really well written, I literally never put it down and read it straight through from beginning to end. I actually had this on my no way shelf but decided to take a chance
2)I really liked Noura, aside from her dealings with the H. She was 18 but she wasn't immature and whiny, she made a decision and handled it beautifully. I enjoy women who take charge of their lives by any means necessary. She was sweet and kind yet strong with a good head on her shoulders.....with that being said I hated Noura with Banks.... Hated Her!!! She was ruled by her attraction to him and let so much slide I was pissed! The definition of BBS! He said some truly hateful things to her and 2 seconds later she's spreading her legs! I was so confused! This went on until his betrayal came out and she DIVORCED HIM! Yay you go girl!! And stuck to her guns for a while too! Yay! But the balance was broken by that point, I'd really hoped this author would've flipped things around earlier....to me the bad dragged on too long for the good to redeem anything.
4)Banks had been in love with his ex for years, his marriage to Noura was one of convenience only and he was very angry at it's necessity. They had 2 brief meetings before the wedding and a 2 minute consummation and no contact for a month. During that month he was with his ex, his father forced him to meet his wife for their month anniversary and it seemed things started slowly changing from there. For me up until about 80% all I felt from Banks for Noura was lust. Yes the connection was delightfully intense but he was also needlessly cruel with his stupid words and I wanted more time with them happy before the twist. Just as he finally realized he was drawn to his wife and obsessed with her and I settled into this new version of Banks then bam!..... attack,pregnancy,separation! Definitely not enough sweet times together to redeem him after the horrible things he said to her(much less what he did).... Even with his grovel and pain post divorce.
5) I enjoyed the plot and the secondary characters and was pleasantly surprised that his parents weren't villains but likeable people who just wanted the best for their child
6)What the hell kind of ending is that dear author?? I already had such little time with them "good" together I deserved a damn epilogue!I
7)Someone said this had a good grovel, to me it needed to be longer.... I wanted him dragging on the ground begging lol. And sex definitely shouldn't have been the catalyst! Ugh their relationship was already based on too much sex.
All in all this wasn't a book I would've seen myself enjoying but the h made it slightly tolerable, without his shit comments I'd have enjoyed it much more.
I will say that this won't ever be rated highly by me simply because the cheating was unnecessary, I mean cheating is always unnecessary to me but in this case he was already such an ass to her that him sticking his dick in another woman was just added insult to injury. It was ONLY a month! He's busy building up his business couldn't he have gotten drunk instead??? Ugh! Thankfully we are spared details as we only get his POV later on.
An intense and interesting read honestly.
Cheating
OW drama
H 26/h 18
December 3, 2019
I'm a sucker for Asshole Hero stories. It's been a long time since I read an asshole hero book that was worth the ride, but I found everything I could ask for and more with this story and I couldn't put it down. Calder was forced to marry Noura in order to keep his inheritance, and he used every opportunity and hateful word he could to shatter Noura and make her life hell. Calder really put poor Noura through the paces. I loved experiencing Calder detest everything about Noura, but still not be able to control his attraction to her.
This story had all the elements I crave:
I couldn't love this story more!
June 22, 2023
Oof, that was an awful experience!
I never want to revisit this.
I was made to believe this was a hot enemies-to-lovers, so that's why I picked up the audio.
Awful, awful hero!
Even worst heroine!
The heroine, I liked her motives at first, because I respect women who know the value of money and would do anything to get it, and she was doing great at first. And I always love stories that start this way: the character was in it for something else but then falls in love unexpectedly.
But then she starts (falling?) for the hero, way too fast... A hero who calls her horrible names and cheats on her...? What the fuck?! No way. This is not the type of heroine I want to read about.
At some point, she even claimed she was "turned on" after the hero practically humiliated her...? And it wasn't even a hot thing, the hero was blatantly disgusting and rude to her!
Um... Girl, I liked you at first but the fact that you don't even try to tell this man off for his disgusting behavior towards you is very much off-putting and disappointing, and gag-inducing.
And I would totally get it if the reason she was taking the abuse was because of the money, but in her POV, she claimed to be so attracted to the hero, claimed to want his attention so much, that I'm like...
Girl, he just called you a cum-dumpster.
Have you no shame? Do you not value yourself? Why do you care at this point if this man loves you or is attracted to you?
Don't read this book unless you want to rip your eyes out.
And I do notice this is a trend with this author. She has her heroines act like doormats to awful, cheating heroes. I also read her Tristan and Danika series a while back and had a similar experience, I just could not stand how the heroine just lets the cheating hero walk all over her like she was dog-shit.
The only good series I have read from her is the Up in the Air series, a few years ago, which I may need to revisit now, if only to see if my initial good judgment of it was correct.
Because if her other books are like this, maybe Up in the Air was not as great as I remembered...
I never want to revisit this.
I was made to believe this was a hot enemies-to-lovers, so that's why I picked up the audio.
Awful, awful hero!
Even worst heroine!
The heroine, I liked her motives at first, because I respect women who know the value of money and would do anything to get it, and she was doing great at first. And I always love stories that start this way: the character was in it for something else but then falls in love unexpectedly.
But then she starts (falling?) for the hero, way too fast... A hero who calls her horrible names and cheats on her...? What the fuck?! No way. This is not the type of heroine I want to read about.
At some point, she even claimed she was "turned on" after the hero practically humiliated her...? And it wasn't even a hot thing, the hero was blatantly disgusting and rude to her!
Um... Girl, I liked you at first but the fact that you don't even try to tell this man off for his disgusting behavior towards you is very much off-putting and disappointing, and gag-inducing.
And I would totally get it if the reason she was taking the abuse was because of the money, but in her POV, she claimed to be so attracted to the hero, claimed to want his attention so much, that I'm like...
Girl, he just called you a cum-dumpster.
Have you no shame? Do you not value yourself? Why do you care at this point if this man loves you or is attracted to you?
Don't read this book unless you want to rip your eyes out.
And I do notice this is a trend with this author. She has her heroines act like doormats to awful, cheating heroes. I also read her Tristan and Danika series a while back and had a similar experience, I just could not stand how the heroine just lets the cheating hero walk all over her like she was dog-shit.
The only good series I have read from her is the Up in the Air series, a few years ago, which I may need to revisit now, if only to see if my initial good judgment of it was correct.
Because if her other books are like this, maybe Up in the Air was not as great as I remembered...
July 20, 2023
first time read 5 stars
re-read 2.5 stars
third time revisit for some quotes and got me triggered all over again why i have a love and hate for this book; 3.5 stars
this is me to the heroine noura the whole entire time
i mean noura dumbfuck really really should have at least gotten her LICK back at Banks by getting it on with Fatima’s ex hubby. dat would have been real juicy revenge with da the greatest comeback ever. da shame they bring, smh. oh i didnt forget banks, his dumbass should have noura name tatted on his shoulder to replace the og tat, wtf. both of them dummies need 2 get tf out, fuckin disgrace. hero didnt even grovel enough for forgiveness and heroine wasnt even playing hard to get. bring me so much pain where i feel like i have every right to unleash my wrath, lol.
re-read 2.5 stars
third time revisit for some quotes and got me triggered all over again why i have a love and hate for this book; 3.5 stars
this is me to the heroine noura the whole entire time
i mean noura dumbfuck really really should have at least gotten her LICK back at Banks by getting it on with Fatima’s ex hubby. dat would have been real juicy revenge with da the greatest comeback ever. da shame they bring, smh. oh i didnt forget banks, his dumbass should have noura name tatted on his shoulder to replace the og tat, wtf. both of them dummies need 2 get tf out, fuckin disgrace. hero didnt even grovel enough for forgiveness and heroine wasnt even playing hard to get. bring me so much pain where i feel like i have every right to unleash my wrath, lol.
April 23, 2019
I'm confused
So the story was nowhere original but it was ok. I like these hate to love books, but I have thoughts.
- We have the two main characters POV and we only learn about their past in the last third of the story. That annoys me so bad. If you don't want to spill the tea until the big finale, don't write from the hero/heroine's POV. It's that simple.
- So Banks agrees to marry a stranger to have his father's money to save his business. Then, after everything goes to shit, Banks says to Noura that he doesn't need his father's money as he founded others investors. Doesn't that put the whole freaking plot inside out ? Couldn't Banks find these investors in the beginning ?
- I don't really understand why Noura decided to sell herself. I really expected some serious dark past, but she was alright ? She just wanted more money and secure her future ? And she knew she could be 'sold' to some grandpa even if she had the last word in that matter. But if she had the nerves to sell herself and knew the possible outcome, why would she do it just for more money ? Because she really didn't seem like the type of girl (because she's fucking 18) who could to that.
- Noura met Fatima, knows that Fatima hates her, Fatima is all bitchy to her when they meet, and when she get nearly killed, she couldn't think of anyone who would do that ?
- In the beginning, I really thought Bank's family was in the mob. Because the way Noura described her 6 months training and the wedding, I didn't see them being as charming as they were. That was the real twist in my opinion.
- That club scene came out of the blue. Banks friends, the wives, the bitchy girls, why were they written ? We don't see them again and we're supposed to believe they are close friends to Banks ?
- I didn't believe Banks changing all his persona overnight. I didn't believe for one second his love to Noura was genuine. They barely know eachother. It was just lusting to me. He only talks about how hot she is, how all the men want her, how he only wants to see naked. This is not love.
- There is no end to this book. It just stopped. And then there is a bad and rushed epilogue.
I liked how Noura makes Banks grovel in the end, but I would have never NEVER take him back. Cheating is a big no.
The sex was vanilla to my disappointment.
I'm guessing the five brothers will have their own book ? With Jovy and perhaps the other male model whose name I already completely forget ? If Banks younger brother is 15, why don't we hear from him when Noura has all these Sunday brunches with the family ?
So the story was nowhere original but it was ok. I like these hate to love books, but I have thoughts.
- We have the two main characters POV and we only learn about their past in the last third of the story. That annoys me so bad. If you don't want to spill the tea until the big finale, don't write from the hero/heroine's POV. It's that simple.
- So Banks agrees to marry a stranger to have his father's money to save his business. Then, after everything goes to shit, Banks says to Noura that he doesn't need his father's money as he founded others investors. Doesn't that put the whole freaking plot inside out ? Couldn't Banks find these investors in the beginning ?
- I don't really understand why Noura decided to sell herself. I really expected some serious dark past, but she was alright ? She just wanted more money and secure her future ? And she knew she could be 'sold' to some grandpa even if she had the last word in that matter. But if she had the nerves to sell herself and knew the possible outcome, why would she do it just for more money ? Because she really didn't seem like the type of girl (because she's fucking 18) who could to that.
- Noura met Fatima, knows that Fatima hates her, Fatima is all bitchy to her when they meet, and when she get nearly killed, she couldn't think of anyone who would do that ?
- In the beginning, I really thought Bank's family was in the mob. Because the way Noura described her 6 months training and the wedding, I didn't see them being as charming as they were. That was the real twist in my opinion.
- That club scene came out of the blue. Banks friends, the wives, the bitchy girls, why were they written ? We don't see them again and we're supposed to believe they are close friends to Banks ?
- I didn't believe Banks changing all his persona overnight. I didn't believe for one second his love to Noura was genuine. They barely know eachother. It was just lusting to me. He only talks about how hot she is, how all the men want her, how he only wants to see naked. This is not love.
- There is no end to this book. It just stopped. And then there is a bad and rushed epilogue.
I liked how Noura makes Banks grovel in the end, but I would have never NEVER take him back. Cheating is a big no.
The sex was vanilla to my disappointment.
I'm guessing the five brothers will have their own book ? With Jovy and perhaps the other male model whose name I already completely forget ? If Banks younger brother is 15, why don't we hear from him when Noura has all these Sunday brunches with the family ?
May 3, 2019
3 - 3.5 STARS
For probably 85% of this book, I was pretty certain I was reading my next 5 STAR read. I was so into it. Arranged had all the angsty push and pull of The Unwanted Wife, one of my all time favorite marriage of convenience romance novels. Calder Banks Castelo is such a jerk, he does some deplorable things and I seriously loved the book because of it. If you go read some other reviews, you can easily find out what he does and a lot of those reviews are why I bought the book and devoured it in one sitting. Angst and heartache are my jam and there was loads of it on these pages. I was ready to give this book 5 STARS very early on because of all the yummy heart twinges I was feeling.
But the end-ish of this book is what lost me. It just wasn't fleshed out the way I needed it to be and it kind of lost me. The pacing of the last 15-20% seriously just let all the air out of the balloon I was happily swept away on and that was so unbelievably disappointing. Like, I could cry because it didn't have to be that way. It was missing some serious... something. It was too swift on several fronts and I just needed more. It felt like it turned into another book, so completely out of touch with what I'd been reading for the last 4 hours and ughhhhh... I missed what was. Not because the truth came out... I was all about the truth bombs being ugly. I love a book that wrecks me. It was just the WAY things went down and came back together that just didn't work for me.
All in all, I recommend reading Arranged but, man, I'd be lying if I said it was a solid read. It was solid until it wasn't and I wish I could read it again and then just stop and make up my own ending. I'm all about the implosion of this relationship, I'm fine with the way it all went down. Basically everything after like chapter 33 was a mess and I'm disappointed. Yeah, he groveled and she made him work for it, which was great... but the pacing just didn't satisfy and the ending felt abrupt.
For probably 85% of this book, I was pretty certain I was reading my next 5 STAR read. I was so into it. Arranged had all the angsty push and pull of The Unwanted Wife, one of my all time favorite marriage of convenience romance novels. Calder Banks Castelo is such a jerk, he does some deplorable things and I seriously loved the book because of it. If you go read some other reviews, you can easily find out what he does and a lot of those reviews are why I bought the book and devoured it in one sitting. Angst and heartache are my jam and there was loads of it on these pages. I was ready to give this book 5 STARS very early on because of all the yummy heart twinges I was feeling.
But the end-ish of this book is what lost me. It just wasn't fleshed out the way I needed it to be and it kind of lost me. The pacing of the last 15-20% seriously just let all the air out of the balloon I was happily swept away on and that was so unbelievably disappointing. Like, I could cry because it didn't have to be that way. It was missing some serious... something. It was too swift on several fronts and I just needed more. It felt like it turned into another book, so completely out of touch with what I'd been reading for the last 4 hours and ughhhhh... I missed what was. Not because the truth came out... I was all about the truth bombs being ugly. I love a book that wrecks me. It was just the WAY things went down and came back together that just didn't work for me.
All in all, I recommend reading Arranged but, man, I'd be lying if I said it was a solid read. It was solid until it wasn't and I wish I could read it again and then just stop and make up my own ending. I'm all about the implosion of this relationship, I'm fine with the way it all went down. Basically everything after like chapter 33 was a mess and I'm disappointed. Yeah, he groveled and she made him work for it, which was great... but the pacing just didn't satisfy and the ending felt abrupt.
June 20, 2022
2.5 Stars
Overall Opinion: This was enjoyable...until it wasn't. I like the arranged marriage trope. I also don't mind if one mc is unwilling and upset about it. Sometimes that makes for the best tension and feeling development! This H was just a spoiled jerk, plain and simple. He never redeemed himself for me. He was cruel and hurtful and such a hypocrite! The connection between the characters fell flat for me. It felt sex based and not any deeper, especially because of the drastic, questionable, and instant change in the H. I thought that the drama towards the end was a little OTT and not fully explained or fleshed out. It also left me with a lot of questions! I also didn't like that we don't get enough grovel or them rebuilding their relationship on page. We're told about it in the epilogue, but it wasn't experienced which left it unsatisfying. Overall this had the potential to be great for me, but sadly, fell flat.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Noura and Calder's story. They are in an arranged marriage set up by the groom's father. Noura for money and status that she has struggled with all her life, and Calder for his trust fund to be released and to be away from his ex. Calder is bitter and nasty because of this forced arrangement, and Noura understands that it's not a love match and does what she needs to do. The more time they spend together, the more they start to care for one another and eventually fall in love. There is some ex drama, some sexy times, and a suspenseful scene...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Noura (mostly) and Calder's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well for the most part until the last ~1/4ish where it felt rushed.
Instalove: No, more like hate to love.
H (Hero) rating: 2.5 stars. Calder. He was a douche! He never groveled enough for me and just seemed to do a complete 180 one day that left me with questions.
h (heroine) rating: 4 stars. Noura. I liked her. I appreciated her strength and how she stuck to her true kind self regardless of the situation.
Sadness level: Low, I never cried or needed any tissues.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue but a huge gap between the conflict resolution and it. I thought it was an alright ending but not nearly enough closure as I had many unanswered questions. I would still classify this as a HEA ending , but barely.
Safety: This one is probably Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences
Overall Opinion: This was enjoyable...until it wasn't. I like the arranged marriage trope. I also don't mind if one mc is unwilling and upset about it. Sometimes that makes for the best tension and feeling development! This H was just a spoiled jerk, plain and simple. He never redeemed himself for me. He was cruel and hurtful and such a hypocrite! The connection between the characters fell flat for me. It felt sex based and not any deeper, especially because of the drastic, questionable, and instant change in the H. I thought that the drama towards the end was a little OTT and not fully explained or fleshed out. It also left me with a lot of questions! I also didn't like that we don't get enough grovel or them rebuilding their relationship on page. We're told about it in the epilogue, but it wasn't experienced which left it unsatisfying. Overall this had the potential to be great for me, but sadly, fell flat.
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Noura and Calder's story. They are in an arranged marriage set up by the groom's father. Noura for money and status that she has struggled with all her life, and Calder for his trust fund to be released and to be away from his ex. Calder is bitter and nasty because of this forced arrangement, and Noura understands that it's not a love match and does what she needs to do. The more time they spend together, the more they start to care for one another and eventually fall in love. There is some ex drama, some sexy times, and a suspenseful scene...and they get a HEA ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between Noura (mostly) and Calder's POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well for the most part until the last ~1/4ish where it felt rushed.
Instalove: No, more like hate to love.
H (Hero) rating: 2.5 stars. Calder. He was a douche! He never groveled enough for me and just seemed to do a complete 180 one day that left me with questions.
h (heroine) rating: 4 stars. Noura. I liked her. I appreciated her strength and how she stuck to her true kind self regardless of the situation.
Sadness level: Low, I never cried or needed any tissues.
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No
Cheating: Yes
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with a cute epilogue but a huge gap between the conflict resolution and it. I thought it was an alright ending but not nearly enough closure as I had many unanswered questions. I would still classify this as a HEA ending , but barely.
Safety: This one is probably Not Safe for most safety gang readers depending on personal preferences
May 21, 2022
4 ❤️❤️❤️❤️⚡️🔥⚡️💥⚡️🌟🌟🌟🌟s❣️
R. K. Lilley’s writing was superb and her profile of the main characters was striking!!! Cardel was such a great arsehole and Noura slightly unnerving. The whole story brought out plenty of emotions and most of them were not cheerful! However this book gripped me and couldn’t put it down.
The last chapter, or else the epilogue, seemed rather rushed and abrupt.
R. K. Lilley’s writing was superb and her profile of the main characters was striking!!! Cardel was such a great arsehole and Noura slightly unnerving. The whole story brought out plenty of emotions and most of them were not cheerful! However this book gripped me and couldn’t put it down.
The last chapter, or else the epilogue, seemed rather rushed and abrupt.
April 16, 2019
*I'll be back with a review :) *
August 16, 2022
2.5 stars
If I’m ever going to read a “cheating” book, I’d hope it’d be something like this. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. But I wish some things were done differently. I will say, Lilley definitely got me to feel (rage and stomach aches were among those feelings lol) and it’s been YEARS since I read her books (sigh. I was in love with James Cavendish back in the day. And… AND… I was somehow able to stomach reading Tristan and Danika😬🫣)
Noura’s (18/19) a model and needs money. She signs a contract to get married to Calder Banks (26) and immediately gets groomed to be the perfect trophy wife (the things she has to learn to do 🫣). She signs a prenup (duh) along with things she’s expected to accept in her marriage, including being available to please her husband at any point and… ugh… never asking where his d has been.
Calder HATES gold diggers, especially women like Noura. He’s been burned before and he’s scarred because of it. He meets his wife less than an hour before they get married and is forced to consummate their marriage that night (horrible night 🥴 no prep work for her v 😵💫 and… it lasts seconds 😬). His dad’s controlling him with this marriage (he’s ALSO getting money from this) and he despises his beautiful wife because of it.
What I liked: spoilers ahead
—how jp Calder gets. Omg. These scenes were delicious. He gets jealous of her SMILE. Yeah. Her SMILE🤣. Don’t get me started on her laughs 😂😂😂. Ermagod. The way his thoughts go and how much he wants to torture the people around her that bring her happiness because it’s not him had me smiling 😅. When he’s still hating her, he wants to know the name of the masseuse that learned of her erogenous zones 🤣. And then when she posts a nude ish selfie, he goes ballistic. These. Scenes. Are. GOLD!!! 💅
—OMD scenes. I knew going in that this was a cheating book, so it made me appreciate the OM scenes even more. I generally love OMD scenes, and the few ones we get are pretty good. Too bad they don’t go anywhere 🙄. Not one kiss. Not one caress. Sigh (I’ll address this down below)
—the steamy scenes 🔥. Calder has to make up for the horrible wedding night debacle, and man, does he ever 🥵💦. He needed to erase her memory of that night and he makes it his job to do that 😅😉. You do you
—when she finds out about the cheating and everything it entailed, she dips. That’s right. She divorces his @$$💅💁🏻♀️. She decides to continue living her life away from him (but he doesn’t let her move on)
—the side characters, more specifically Chester and Vincent. And well Jovie too. They made Noura seem more human and approachable since she comes off as cold and callous when the book begins
—the grovel. Yes. There’s a grovel👏🏻. When Calder finally signs the divorce papers, he requires Noura to meet with him for an hour one time a week. It goes on for many MANY months and Noura doesn’t cave💅… for while (until she eventually does). I looooved LOOOOOVED how cold and standoffish she was during these meetings. She got the timer ready to go and then sit there… awkwardly… until the timer rang 🤣😅. Man. Calder was sweating BU!!€TS 😅💁🏻♀️. BUUUUT… I wanted more 🤣. I was completely satisfied with this 🫣😬😅
—the firing of disrespectful people 🥹. This was actually VERY swoony 🥰🥰🥰. He makes sure Noura is respected and taking care of herself. I loooved this
—celibacy during the separation. Both are celibate (but I wish Noura hadn’t been 😅🤣🤣🤣)
What I didn’t like/wanted more of: (spoilers)
—the grovel. Although I’m happy that there WAS a grovel, I wanted more 🫣🤷🏻♀️. He “cheated” on her for the first month of their marriage, basically abandoned her, and she caved in too quickly *FOR ME*. Yes, I know. They had NO feelings (and many don’t even consider this cheating), but it happened… and there’s so much drama and angst because of it. The woman he HATED and had been smexxing for years gets pregnant… which created lots of not-great feelings in me 😏. Sigh. I mean. It got me angry 🤷🏻♀️. And it definitely felt like a huge betrayal since Noura and Calder were doing well when it all came to light
—the owd. Not only is Noura forced to hang out with Calder’s previous f buddies early in the book when they’re getting to know each other (feelings were still developing), she has to endure the ow he cheated on her with. I WISH we had seen Calder put her in her place or put Noura first in front of her. It’s more like he wanted to avoid confrontation and just left it as that 🤷🏻♀️. Show me she’s your one and only (well, hard to say that considering that she wasn’t for the first month, but afterwards she was).
—the OW tattoo. 😑🥴🤬. It takes him MANY MANY months AFTER the divorce to get it removed. Like. What?!?!?! 🥴 why is the ow, whom you supposedly hate, STILL ON YOUR BODY?!?!?! Makes no darn sense to me!! This angered me so much 🤬
—Noura remaining faithful through it all. She owes Calder NOTHING and she doesn’t even TRY to see other men? No dating. No kisses. No anything. I. Was. P!SS€D! She doesn’t even flirt with OM 😑. I wanted her to actually try to see if maybe there’s another man out there for her, but… NOTHING 🙄🙄🙄. Sure, it's not in her character, but basically, Calder has her in his pocket because he knows how she is. He should've been sweating bullets and shitting bricks, not just waiting for her to "get over it" and take him back... sigh... there was great potential here for there to be some angst on Calder's part. Once they start f’ing again, she tells him they need to stop so she can get over him, he says I don’t want that. Well duh 🤷🏻♀️. SMDH Noura.
—Noura needing to get his attention. The first time she posted the nude-ish selfie, I thought it was great since Calder reacted so *violently* with his jealousy lol, but then she had to do it again with a male model friend so that Calder sees her and goes back to her. Why is SHE chasing him... She's already done this, let him do some chasing💁🏻♀️, which leads me to…
—the amount of times Calder leaves Noura alone. As in, there are many times he doesn’t see her for weeks or many days. In the beginning, it made sense, but then once he started developing feelings for her, he should’ve been actively pursuing her 🤷🏻♀️
—Chester needed to get some play time😏. Bahaha! I mean, I wouldn't have minded adding this book to my "bodyguard" shelf lol That way, at least Noura knew what it was like to KISS another man 🤷🏻♀️ (after the divorce). I LOOOVED that he had a nickname for her... and it made Calder so jealous lol. Or, you know what would've been even better? Going out with the OW's ex-hubby (the one the OW cheated on with Calder). THAT would've been the cherry on my sundae
—the rushed ending😐. Sigh. Listen, I know we can't always get the types of epilogues we all want, especially in these older books. But... really? We get an epilogue 6 years later where Noura FINALLY caves and says yes, and then that's it... like... what? What happened in the meantime? What happened after she caved and decided to give him another chance? Why did it take so long? What did SHE stipulate for the relationship? SOOOO many questions
—the damn contract saying she couldn't ask Calder where his d's been was just gross🥴... it made my tummy hurt. I get it; it's not a marriage where they're in love... but still... still made me feel icky... I wish we had clarification on whether or not he had done other things with other women besides his ex lover during that month he was actively cheating. It's almost implied that he didn't, but Noura never asks (I feel like I care more than she did 😅)
—Noura caving so quickly. I think the reason why it seems like she caves so quickly is because we don't see all of the required dates in their entirety. I would've loved to have seen a lot more, from beginning to end, from the awkward silences to the angry goodbyes. GIVE ME MORE lol. He asks to talk privately and she agrees... like...what? Even Chester doesn't think it's a good idea 🤣😅. He double-checks to make sure that she's serious lol. Chester for the win *whispering* Chester. Pssst. You should’ve tried wooing her… maybe 🤣.
—more of Calder's POV. There were pivotal times his POV should've been in the book, like when he talks to the OW privately or even during the separation after the divorce. We get some chapters, but not enough. I REALLY REALLY wanted to see his POV when he was talking to the OW. When Noura gets released from the hospital, he's MIA for like 8 days. EIGHT DAYS!!!! During which he was seeing the OW to talk about the surprise pregnancy situation. Sigh... this would've made ME feel better about the direction of the book or even the grovel that we got from him. But, we don't see any of the good "put the OW in her place" scenes 😑. Also, earlier in the book, there’s a scene where the OW makes an appearance while Calder and Noura are together. He goes to her and whispers something in her ear. What did he whisper???? 🤔
Overall, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I devoured it, so there's that
⚠️safety squad⚠️ SPOILERS
-no sharing
-technical “cheating”- he slept with his previous lover for the month following his wedding
-h hangs around with a bunch of his previous hookups (from his younger years) including the bridal party
-OW- the ow is still in the picture. The H even has a tattoo of her. He slept with her after the h
-praise kink
-OM- there’s a man that grabs the h. Her bodyguard quickly paws him off. OM2 lightly kisses h on the lips during a photo shoot. OM3 wants to date her. He’s the OW’s ex. H goes ballistic during all of these
-the H gets jealous of everyone that makes her eyes twinkle, her lips smile or even laugh.
If I’m ever going to read a “cheating” book, I’d hope it’d be something like this. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. But I wish some things were done differently. I will say, Lilley definitely got me to feel (rage and stomach aches were among those feelings lol) and it’s been YEARS since I read her books (sigh. I was in love with James Cavendish back in the day. And… AND… I was somehow able to stomach reading Tristan and Danika😬🫣)
Noura’s (18/19) a model and needs money. She signs a contract to get married to Calder Banks (26) and immediately gets groomed to be the perfect trophy wife (the things she has to learn to do 🫣). She signs a prenup (duh) along with things she’s expected to accept in her marriage, including being available to please her husband at any point and… ugh… never asking where his d has been.
Calder HATES gold diggers, especially women like Noura. He’s been burned before and he’s scarred because of it. He meets his wife less than an hour before they get married and is forced to consummate their marriage that night (horrible night 🥴 no prep work for her v 😵💫 and… it lasts seconds 😬). His dad’s controlling him with this marriage (he’s ALSO getting money from this) and he despises his beautiful wife because of it.
What I liked: spoilers ahead
—how jp Calder gets. Omg. These scenes were delicious. He gets jealous of her SMILE. Yeah. Her SMILE🤣. Don’t get me started on her laughs 😂😂😂. Ermagod. The way his thoughts go and how much he wants to torture the people around her that bring her happiness because it’s not him had me smiling 😅. When he’s still hating her, he wants to know the name of the masseuse that learned of her erogenous zones 🤣. And then when she posts a nude ish selfie, he goes ballistic. These. Scenes. Are. GOLD!!! 💅
—OMD scenes. I knew going in that this was a cheating book, so it made me appreciate the OM scenes even more. I generally love OMD scenes, and the few ones we get are pretty good. Too bad they don’t go anywhere 🙄. Not one kiss. Not one caress. Sigh (I’ll address this down below)
—the steamy scenes 🔥. Calder has to make up for the horrible wedding night debacle, and man, does he ever 🥵💦. He needed to erase her memory of that night and he makes it his job to do that 😅😉. You do you
—when she finds out about the cheating and everything it entailed, she dips. That’s right. She divorces his @$$💅💁🏻♀️. She decides to continue living her life away from him (but he doesn’t let her move on)
—the side characters, more specifically Chester and Vincent. And well Jovie too. They made Noura seem more human and approachable since she comes off as cold and callous when the book begins
—the grovel. Yes. There’s a grovel👏🏻. When Calder finally signs the divorce papers, he requires Noura to meet with him for an hour one time a week. It goes on for many MANY months and Noura doesn’t cave💅… for while (until she eventually does). I looooved LOOOOOVED how cold and standoffish she was during these meetings. She got the timer ready to go and then sit there… awkwardly… until the timer rang 🤣😅. Man. Calder was sweating BU!!€TS 😅💁🏻♀️. BUUUUT… I wanted more 🤣. I was completely satisfied with this 🫣😬😅
—the firing of disrespectful people 🥹. This was actually VERY swoony 🥰🥰🥰. He makes sure Noura is respected and taking care of herself. I loooved this
—celibacy during the separation. Both are celibate (but I wish Noura hadn’t been 😅🤣🤣🤣)
What I didn’t like/wanted more of: (spoilers)
—the grovel. Although I’m happy that there WAS a grovel, I wanted more 🫣🤷🏻♀️. He “cheated” on her for the first month of their marriage, basically abandoned her, and she caved in too quickly *FOR ME*. Yes, I know. They had NO feelings (and many don’t even consider this cheating), but it happened… and there’s so much drama and angst because of it. The woman he HATED and had been smexxing for years gets pregnant… which created lots of not-great feelings in me 😏. Sigh. I mean. It got me angry 🤷🏻♀️. And it definitely felt like a huge betrayal since Noura and Calder were doing well when it all came to light
—the owd. Not only is Noura forced to hang out with Calder’s previous f buddies early in the book when they’re getting to know each other (feelings were still developing), she has to endure the ow he cheated on her with. I WISH we had seen Calder put her in her place or put Noura first in front of her. It’s more like he wanted to avoid confrontation and just left it as that 🤷🏻♀️. Show me she’s your one and only (well, hard to say that considering that she wasn’t for the first month, but afterwards she was).
—the OW tattoo. 😑🥴🤬. It takes him MANY MANY months AFTER the divorce to get it removed. Like. What?!?!?! 🥴 why is the ow, whom you supposedly hate, STILL ON YOUR BODY?!?!?! Makes no darn sense to me!! This angered me so much 🤬
—Noura remaining faithful through it all. She owes Calder NOTHING and she doesn’t even TRY to see other men? No dating. No kisses. No anything. I. Was. P!SS€D! She doesn’t even flirt with OM 😑. I wanted her to actually try to see if maybe there’s another man out there for her, but… NOTHING 🙄🙄🙄. Sure, it's not in her character, but basically, Calder has her in his pocket because he knows how she is. He should've been sweating bullets and shitting bricks, not just waiting for her to "get over it" and take him back... sigh... there was great potential here for there to be some angst on Calder's part. Once they start f’ing again, she tells him they need to stop so she can get over him, he says I don’t want that. Well duh 🤷🏻♀️. SMDH Noura.
—Noura needing to get his attention. The first time she posted the nude-ish selfie, I thought it was great since Calder reacted so *violently* with his jealousy lol, but then she had to do it again with a male model friend so that Calder sees her and goes back to her. Why is SHE chasing him... She's already done this, let him do some chasing💁🏻♀️, which leads me to…
—the amount of times Calder leaves Noura alone. As in, there are many times he doesn’t see her for weeks or many days. In the beginning, it made sense, but then once he started developing feelings for her, he should’ve been actively pursuing her 🤷🏻♀️
—Chester needed to get some play time😏. Bahaha! I mean, I wouldn't have minded adding this book to my "bodyguard" shelf lol That way, at least Noura knew what it was like to KISS another man 🤷🏻♀️ (after the divorce). I LOOOVED that he had a nickname for her... and it made Calder so jealous lol. Or, you know what would've been even better? Going out with the OW's ex-hubby (the one the OW cheated on with Calder). THAT would've been the cherry on my sundae
—the rushed ending😐. Sigh. Listen, I know we can't always get the types of epilogues we all want, especially in these older books. But... really? We get an epilogue 6 years later where Noura FINALLY caves and says yes, and then that's it... like... what? What happened in the meantime? What happened after she caved and decided to give him another chance? Why did it take so long? What did SHE stipulate for the relationship? SOOOO many questions
—the damn contract saying she couldn't ask Calder where his d's been was just gross🥴... it made my tummy hurt. I get it; it's not a marriage where they're in love... but still... still made me feel icky... I wish we had clarification on whether or not he had done other things with other women besides his ex lover during that month he was actively cheating. It's almost implied that he didn't, but Noura never asks (I feel like I care more than she did 😅)
—Noura caving so quickly. I think the reason why it seems like she caves so quickly is because we don't see all of the required dates in their entirety. I would've loved to have seen a lot more, from beginning to end, from the awkward silences to the angry goodbyes. GIVE ME MORE lol. He asks to talk privately and she agrees... like...what? Even Chester doesn't think it's a good idea 🤣😅. He double-checks to make sure that she's serious lol. Chester for the win *whispering* Chester. Pssst. You should’ve tried wooing her… maybe 🤣.
—more of Calder's POV. There were pivotal times his POV should've been in the book, like when he talks to the OW privately or even during the separation after the divorce. We get some chapters, but not enough. I REALLY REALLY wanted to see his POV when he was talking to the OW. When Noura gets released from the hospital, he's MIA for like 8 days. EIGHT DAYS!!!! During which he was seeing the OW to talk about the surprise pregnancy situation. Sigh... this would've made ME feel better about the direction of the book or even the grovel that we got from him. But, we don't see any of the good "put the OW in her place" scenes 😑. Also, earlier in the book, there’s a scene where the OW makes an appearance while Calder and Noura are together. He goes to her and whispers something in her ear. What did he whisper???? 🤔
Overall, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I devoured it, so there's that
⚠️safety squad⚠️ SPOILERS
-no sharing
-technical “cheating”- he slept with his previous lover for the month following his wedding
-h hangs around with a bunch of his previous hookups (from his younger years) including the bridal party
-OW- the ow is still in the picture. The H even has a tattoo of her. He slept with her after the h
-praise kink
-OM- there’s a man that grabs the h. Her bodyguard quickly paws him off. OM2 lightly kisses h on the lips during a photo shoot. OM3 wants to date her. He’s the OW’s ex. H goes ballistic during all of these
-the H gets jealous of everyone that makes her eyes twinkle, her lips smile or even laugh.
May 10, 2019
4-4.5 ⭐'s
I was so happy that R.K. Lilley was coming out with a new book. I love her writing style...angsty, with something edgy and usually tabooish with no holds barred.
I can see how this book could be a bit much for some people. The whole arranged marriage to a virgin, how Noura's life is set up, her life as a model and especially his "other" arrangement.
Of course, for me...I loved all that stuff (except the dieting model) and I would have loved even more angst (naturally). Still, I was sucked in right from the get go...rooting for these two to find love with each other. ~Sigh~
If you love enemies-to-lovers stories, this one is right up your alley. Calder (aka Banks) is sooo cold to Noura. He was forced to get married and since he is spoiled and rich, he stomps his feet all over everyone and everything. However, there's something about Noura that he's drawn to. Of course, the whole being her first everything is a huge draw.
I loved how Noura took her hits and kept on going. She stayed true to her side of the bargain and kept working toward her future. She turned negatives into positives.
There's some drama of course. Noura gets attacked and when things come to light, she takes things even further. This was the first time I thought Calder actually had a plan and it was a very good plan at that.
I was so happy that R.K. Lilley was coming out with a new book. I love her writing style...angsty, with something edgy and usually tabooish with no holds barred.
I can see how this book could be a bit much for some people. The whole arranged marriage to a virgin, how Noura's life is set up, her life as a model and especially his "other" arrangement.
Of course, for me...I loved all that stuff (except the dieting model) and I would have loved even more angst (naturally). Still, I was sucked in right from the get go...rooting for these two to find love with each other. ~Sigh~
If you love enemies-to-lovers stories, this one is right up your alley. Calder (aka Banks) is sooo cold to Noura. He was forced to get married and since he is spoiled and rich, he stomps his feet all over everyone and everything. However, there's something about Noura that he's drawn to. Of course, the whole being her first everything is a huge draw.
I loved how Noura took her hits and kept on going. She stayed true to her side of the bargain and kept working toward her future. She turned negatives into positives.
There's some drama of course. Noura gets attacked and when things come to light, she takes things even further. This was the first time I thought Calder actually had a plan and it was a very good plan at that.
October 12, 2021
This would be 50 Shades of Grey if it was published by Wattpad. And I mean that as a compliment.
Except for the BDSM element, this was pretty much the same book. With the older ex-girlfriend, the billions of money, the privileged white boy (also an entitled asshole— but that's already a given). But Anastasia was a model and a mail-order bride.
This was overdramatic, trashy, and cringey. Some scenes made me grimace, a few lines were beyond 🤢 and there are things that happened and they were... dare I say convenient when it needed to be.
The author did more telling than showing, it grated on my nerves a little but I can move forward. The plot kept me reading and the fact that I was desperate for her to dump him.
However, despite all the things that irritated me. I found this book... oddly endearing. I found myself fairly attached to both MCs, no matter how stupid they were. And this couple made tons of stupid decisions.
I was rooting for them. I was craving their HEA. And what I'm more impressed by is how Lilley actually nailed the groveling part. Finally, an author who got it right. Thank you! 🤦
Mini Spoiler: It took her 38 weeks to give him his official second chance. And a few more years before marrying him again.
She had self control and knew her self worth, which is impressive comparing to most heroines in a second chance romance. She didn't just jump in when he swung his dick out. Which is nice and greatly appreciated.
This wasn't the best written book. Plot wise? it was just fine, not for everyone definitely. I like trashy books tho, reminds me of my wattpad days lol.
Except for the BDSM element, this was pretty much the same book. With the older ex-girlfriend, the billions of money, the privileged white boy (also an entitled asshole— but that's already a given). But Anastasia was a model and a mail-order bride.
This was overdramatic, trashy, and cringey. Some scenes made me grimace, a few lines were beyond 🤢 and there are things that happened and they were... dare I say convenient when it needed to be.
The author did more telling than showing, it grated on my nerves a little but I can move forward. The plot kept me reading and the fact that I was desperate for her to dump him.
However, despite all the things that irritated me. I found this book... oddly endearing. I found myself fairly attached to both MCs, no matter how stupid they were. And this couple made tons of stupid decisions.
I was rooting for them. I was craving their HEA. And what I'm more impressed by is how Lilley actually nailed the groveling part. Finally, an author who got it right. Thank you! 🤦
Mini Spoiler: It took her 38 weeks to give him his official second chance. And a few more years before marrying him again.
She had self control and knew her self worth, which is impressive comparing to most heroines in a second chance romance. She didn't just jump in when he swung his dick out. Which is nice and greatly appreciated.
This wasn't the best written book. Plot wise? it was just fine, not for everyone definitely. I like trashy books tho, reminds me of my wattpad days lol.
Shelved as 'read-but-cant-rate'
April 24, 2019Wtfffff? Safety at the end.
I love this author. I really do. I read in flight like once every month. So I was really looking forward to this book. Had such a great plot and the writing was phenomenal butttt damn my heart can’t take the cheating no matter the reasons. And the way he treated her. I feel the heroine should have never forgiven him. And in my eyes he wasn’t redeemable (even though the heroine took months to forgive him!!). I continued till the end because of my love for the author. But I can’t read another book like this again. I truly feel the hero needed a whole book to grovel not just a couple pages.
I love this author. I really do. I read in flight like once every month. So I was really looking forward to this book. Had such a great plot and the writing was phenomenal butttt damn my heart can’t take the cheating no matter the reasons. And the way he treated her. I feel the heroine should have never forgiven him. And in my eyes he wasn’t redeemable (even though the heroine took months to forgive him!!). I continued till the end because of my love for the author. But I can’t read another book like this again. I truly feel the hero needed a whole book to grovel not just a couple pages.
January 13, 2024
The man cheated with his ex gf who dumped him to marry a richer man, for one month after he married the heroine. Both the hero and the heroine married for money so there was no love lost but anyway he was a spoiled stupid brat who called her a ho while he did the same for the same reason. Yuck.
I only liked that she divorced him and didn’t go back at once but I still would have liked if she had got some good d as a bad aid. Nope. After all these romance writers are the daughters and granddaughters of the feminists of the 60s who burned their bras in public, and now those young women have regressed to one century ago. Only the man can fugg freely, women must remain chaste. Yuck again.
I only liked that she divorced him and didn’t go back at once but I still would have liked if she had got some good d as a bad aid. Nope. After all these romance writers are the daughters and granddaughters of the feminists of the 60s who burned their bras in public, and now those young women have regressed to one century ago. Only the man can fugg freely, women must remain chaste. Yuck again.
Shelved as 'not-going-to-read'
April 23, 2019Hero cheats on the heroine when he disappears for a month after their marriage. They sleep together on their wedding night and heroine was a virgin. He is with his ex girlfriend during that month’s time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2021
Kept-me-hooked 4*.
Another book with lots of mixed reviews. But why when it's only serving what it promised -- a h coldly selling herself in a cash-for-beauty moc to a truly jerk H with some emo-sadistic moves, and so the dismay over the dipsh*t moves is not comprehensible to me.
'I may be a gold digger, but you’re a spoiled rich boy.'
First off, I like the h. She's cool, cynical and pragmatic. And a self-confessed gold-digger who allows herself to be trained into 'a jaded, skilled virgin'. She goes into the moc with eyes wide open, for money, security and moving up the social ladder. No BS about dying grandmothers in the background.
And he's a first rate rat. Mean, vicious, hateful and constantly hating - and yet obsessing.
The h is picked from a Bride Catalogue and is groomed to be the perfect Trophy Wife for him and that she vows to be, while he comes to the marriage blackmailed, forced and mad with it. And all this vitriol and resentment gets laser focused on her. But then, he cannot keep away too and neither can she.
'I was becoming obsessed with my own hostile husband'.
+Major spoilers+
Another book with lots of mixed reviews. But why when it's only serving what it promised -- a h coldly selling herself in a cash-for-beauty moc to a truly jerk H with some emo-sadistic moves, and so the dismay over the dipsh*t moves is not comprehensible to me.
'I may be a gold digger, but you’re a spoiled rich boy.'
First off, I like the h. She's cool, cynical and pragmatic. And a self-confessed gold-digger who allows herself to be trained into 'a jaded, skilled virgin'. She goes into the moc with eyes wide open, for money, security and moving up the social ladder. No BS about dying grandmothers in the background.
And he's a first rate rat. Mean, vicious, hateful and constantly hating - and yet obsessing.
The h is picked from a Bride Catalogue and is groomed to be the perfect Trophy Wife for him and that she vows to be, while he comes to the marriage blackmailed, forced and mad with it. And all this vitriol and resentment gets laser focused on her. But then, he cannot keep away too and neither can she.
'I was becoming obsessed with my own hostile husband'.
+Major spoilers+
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