Book Blitz Review with Giveaway: The Reluctant Bride by Monica Murphy

Item: The Reluctant Bride
Rating: 4
Author: Lisa Mandina

Posted April 19, 2022 by Lisa Mandina in Blog Tour, giveaway, Review / 3 Comments

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Reluctant Bride by Monica Murphy
Series: Arranged Marriage #1
Published by Dangerous Press on April 19, 2022
Genres: Adult Contemporary Romance
Source: the author
Format: E-galley
My Rating: four-stars

Goodreads

Blurb:

Everyone’s for sale, including me. One moment I’m the forgotten daughter of one of the most wealthy families in the country, and the next I’m the blushing bride in an arranged marriage. My fate is sealed in my wedded union with a complete stranger.

In public, Perry Constantine is the life of the party. Easygoing. Adored. In private, he’s brooding. Dark. Angry. But so am I. It’s a contest of wills to see who will break in the bedroom first, and while I try to remain strong, I find myself craving the very man I swore to hate.

My husband.

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Excerpt

“Good morning,” I say as I take a step back from my mother’s embrace. Can’t linger too long or Winny will say something snide and rude.

He doesn’t say a word beyond a nod of acknowledgement at my arrival. His expression is stern, yet impassive. I never know what he’s thinking, and it’s disconcerting. I’ve learned from that though, and do my damnedest to wear the same expression when I’m dealing with Halcyon business for Win.

Or when I’m trying to get out of a sticky situation with a woman. That happens more often than I care to admit.

“Have a seat, darling,” Mother says, indicating the chair on the other side of Winston. I do as she says, settling into the leather chair that’s more comfortable than the one I sit in at my desk every damn day. “How was your weekend?”

I can’t tell her it was full of debauchery that included too much alcohol and too many women, but I avoid the paparazzi at the more popular clubs to keep it under wraps.

Instead I smile at her and say, “It was fine.”

Winston snorts. I’m sure he knows what I was up to. Wonder if he misses it. If I had his hot wife to come home to every evening, I wouldn’t miss that lifestyle at all.

“That’s nice.” Mother smiles, revealing straight white teeth that nearly blind me. Looks like someone just visited the dentist. “I hear you’ve been given new projects at Halcyon.”

I chance a look at Winston but he’s not paying attention to us. Too busy tapping away on his phone.

“I have.” I try to tamp down my excitement before my brother calls me out for behaving like a hyperactive puppy. “I’m handling all the angry calls that come into the office.”

Mother frowns. “Angry calls?”

I nod. “We piss off a lot of people in this city. There’s a lot of damage control going on. And not always of the—violent variety.”

The knowing look on her face is obvious. She’s just as ruthless as Winston. Swear to God that’s where he got it from, not Dad. Clearing his throat, Winston sits up straight, resting his arms on top of the table.

“Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get down to business.”

“Winston,” Mother murmurs.

I frown at the both of them. “What exactly is this business we’re discussing this early in the morning anyway?”

Mother clears her throat as well, glancing over at Winston before she turns her attention on me. “It has to do with…you.”

I frown. “What about me?”

“Perry, darling. You’re not getting any younger.” Her expression is dour, as if she’s discussing something that displeases her. “It’s time for you to settle down.”

I snort. So does Winston.

“I’m only twenty-four,” I remind her. “Winston didn’t marry until he was forty.”

“Thirty-nine,” he corrects.

“Whatever,” I say to him, returning my attention to our mother. “There’s no one I want to settle down with anyway, so I can’t.”

“Ah, but you can.” Her smile is serene. “I’ve found someone for you, Perry. And you’re going to absolutely adore her.”

Wait a minute.

Back the fuck up

My Review

This was a pretty fast read. We really do get just the leading up to the wedding story. So a bit of a spoiler if you don’t already know, this is going to have a second part. It’s a little bit of a cliffhanger ending to this story, so be prepared! The two characters do grow to at least like each other and maybe look forward to getting married for more reasons than initially. Although neither one is going into this marriage willingly, for the most part. Both have been told by their family that they must do this in order to help their families connect. Both families kind of suck. While Perry’s family may have a little bit more likableness, Charlotte is really lucking out to get out of her house it seems. There are many different things hinted at if not outright spelled out that show how much her life has kind of sucked up to this point, and how much just getting out of her father’s house will be a life saver for her. The little bit of twist at the end does have one clue given shortly before it happens, and I can’t tell you more because I don’t want to ruin it for you!