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Golden Knights #1
The Wrong Wife
Declan Knight knows he's marrying the wrong woman—the uglier sister. Esme is shorter, less experienced, less ambitious…just less in every way than his ex-fiancée, who decided to dump him for tech bro.
When the merger between her father's and Declan's company is at stake due to obscure company bylaws, Esme has no choice but to step in and marry the man who loves her sister.
Esme's sister, Viviane, is a beautiful, high-flying, wealthy lawyer. Declan is the CEO of a global tech company. They are a power couple. Esme is a social worker who doesn't understand the business world and doesn't care about stock portfolios. She wants to help people. And yet, Declan can't deny the chemistry between him and Esme. They have nothing in common, except he wants her like he's never wanted a woman.
As the days pass, Esme has to find a way to enjoy Declan both in and out of bed without falling in love with him. Because when he leaves, as he inevitably will, it will destroy her. Declan is falling in love with his wife despite himself, drawn to her by her goodness and big heart. But she won't let him close, confident he'll hurt her.
Will he be able to convince her he loves her? And will Esme finally learn to fight for what she wants?
Publisher's This is a standalone novel with a guaranteed happily-ever-after with no cheating. However, please note that the heroine does marry her sister's fiancé.
When the merger between her father's and Declan's company is at stake due to obscure company bylaws, Esme has no choice but to step in and marry the man who loves her sister.
Esme's sister, Viviane, is a beautiful, high-flying, wealthy lawyer. Declan is the CEO of a global tech company. They are a power couple. Esme is a social worker who doesn't understand the business world and doesn't care about stock portfolios. She wants to help people. And yet, Declan can't deny the chemistry between him and Esme. They have nothing in common, except he wants her like he's never wanted a woman.
As the days pass, Esme has to find a way to enjoy Declan both in and out of bed without falling in love with him. Because when he leaves, as he inevitably will, it will destroy her. Declan is falling in love with his wife despite himself, drawn to her by her goodness and big heart. But she won't let him close, confident he'll hurt her.
Will he be able to convince her he loves her? And will Esme finally learn to fight for what she wants?
Publisher's This is a standalone novel with a guaranteed happily-ever-after with no cheating. However, please note that the heroine does marry her sister's fiancé.
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First published June 23, 2023
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About the author
Maya Alden
49 books937 followersA top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 621 reviews
July 2, 2023
I hated it. It was pure dog water with pieces of grass that the dog ate in it.
She has to marry the H otherwise a deal with her fathers company will fall apart with them marrying. Her half sister cheated on the H before the wedding so they just switch the sisters like they’re chess pieces instead of…you know….human beings. She does whatever the family tells her to do because she has no spine and wants to keep the peace no matter the cost to her happiness. 😬
So I have many reasons why I hated it.
Let me count the ways
1. He says penis instead of cock. “My penis didn’t want to cooperate”. That’s ew
2. She marries the H with no objections because she’s had a crush on her ex future brother in law and has no problem marrying her sisters lover to keep the peace. That’s ew
3. She gets her sisters sloppy seconds. That’s ew
4. He’s still in love with hs sister til about 40%. That’s almost half the book 😒 that’s ew
5. Her dad is abusing her in front of everyone and no one says anything. That’s ew
6. She works with women who are abused and she’s attacked herself by a bf of a abused lady at her shelter. Then her mom gets hurt by her dad and when her mom tells her not to say anything, she agrees.🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ 😬😬😬😬that’s just….ew
7. She gives in a hand job in the car, and right after, he goes to her sister and hangs out with her the whole time. Oolololol dafuq. That’s ew
8. They talk like this: “did you like it? My blow job?” She says excitedly. “Yes! It was wonderful!” He tells her 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ that’s ew
9. It turns out that the beautiful, rich, evil, successful lawyer sister loved the guy she cheated on with the H but her father didn’t want her with him and would hurt her too. That’s ew.
10. I thought the Hs dad was named Julien. And it was. Til he was renamed Gerald towards the end. And I was like “who dafuq is Gerald?” 🤣 so many Juliens! And then the half sister is called a stepsister in the book and I was like “say what now?”. That’s just lazy writing and….that’s ew.
Trust. And believe. It was so fucking cringe. It started off almost good cuz the angst of him calling her a doormat (to her fucking face) and the rest of it just went down the shitter. Shitters full everyone!
Should have dnfed
If you like it, I will side eye your recs from now on 😂😂😂😒
She has to marry the H otherwise a deal with her fathers company will fall apart with them marrying. Her half sister cheated on the H before the wedding so they just switch the sisters like they’re chess pieces instead of…you know….human beings. She does whatever the family tells her to do because she has no spine and wants to keep the peace no matter the cost to her happiness. 😬
So I have many reasons why I hated it.
Let me count the ways
1. He says penis instead of cock. “My penis didn’t want to cooperate”. That’s ew
2. She marries the H with no objections because she’s had a crush on her ex future brother in law and has no problem marrying her sisters lover to keep the peace. That’s ew
3. She gets her sisters sloppy seconds. That’s ew
4. He’s still in love with hs sister til about 40%. That’s almost half the book 😒 that’s ew
5. Her dad is abusing her in front of everyone and no one says anything. That’s ew
6. She works with women who are abused and she’s attacked herself by a bf of a abused lady at her shelter. Then her mom gets hurt by her dad and when her mom tells her not to say anything, she agrees.🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ 😬😬😬😬that’s just….ew
7. She gives in a hand job in the car, and right after, he goes to her sister and hangs out with her the whole time. Oolololol dafuq. That’s ew
8. They talk like this: “did you like it? My blow job?” She says excitedly. “Yes! It was wonderful!” He tells her 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ that’s ew
9. It turns out that the beautiful, rich, evil, successful lawyer sister loved the guy she cheated on with the H but her father didn’t want her with him and would hurt her too. That’s ew.
10. I thought the Hs dad was named Julien. And it was. Til he was renamed Gerald towards the end. And I was like “who dafuq is Gerald?” 🤣 so many Juliens! And then the half sister is called a stepsister in the book and I was like “say what now?”. That’s just lazy writing and….that’s ew.
Trust. And believe. It was so fucking cringe. It started off almost good cuz the angst of him calling her a doormat (to her fucking face) and the rest of it just went down the shitter. Shitters full everyone!
Should have dnfed
If you like it, I will side eye your recs from now on 😂😂😂😒
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2023
this was so “woman written by a man” coded.
if you told me this author was a man using a woman’s pseudonym, i would believe you.
if you told me this author was a man using a woman’s pseudonym, i would believe you.
December 15, 2023
Well… I was pretty into the start of this one. I liked the angsty set up. I love the Cinderella trope. It even has an evil OW. I love all that sh*t.
Unfortunately it nosedived from there. The author had sexual contact between the MCs way too early in light of their lack of relationship and the ugly way the hero had been treating the h. It’s not coerced. It’s totally consensual which made the whole thing WORSE. Then she paints the hero as a weak-willed passive loser who was still panting after the woman who had humiliated him and cheated on him. He was willing to take her back. This is AFTER he’d finger-f*cked the h. Then the author yadayadayadas through all the relationship development. Telling us what happened over weeks/months instead of showing us. Unfortunately we REALLY needed to be shown because of the situation with the hero being so in love with the sister prior …. Then out of the blue the hero starts throwing around “my loves” and “darlings”, like a corny hero from the 1920s. 🙄. He moves the heroine into the room he shared with her sister 😵💫 - no one bats an eyelash. 👀 Then AFTER he’s finally f*cked the h (no condom- just a “im clean” with no explanation why he’d know that since his ex fiance was a cheating whore, but okie dokie 👍🏻), and claims to love her (in his head) he leaves her home for months while he attends social events without her… and sometimes even goes to events with her sister… the woman who cheated on him and dumped him and has made no secret she wants him back …. No explanation is provided to the h and the h doesn’t ask about it… AND THEN there’s the scene where the h’s father and sister show up and the sister starts berating the h asking how she likes sleeping in the bed where she used to f*ck the H… and the H DOES NOTHING…. AND THEN the h is bullied into annulling her marriage by her family, and the H allows it even tho he knows why she’s doing it. AND THEN he leaves her for a month and doesn’t do a thing to fight for her and is AGAIN pictured out with the sister…. AND THEN… the evil bitch of an OW is made out to be a victim too and the H is sorry for her and wiping her tears and saying that the Ow actually had it WORSE than the h, because the OW’s pain hadn’t been seen by anyone… 🫠
Bye.
Unfortunately it nosedived from there. The author had sexual contact between the MCs way too early in light of their lack of relationship and the ugly way the hero had been treating the h. It’s not coerced. It’s totally consensual which made the whole thing WORSE. Then she paints the hero as a weak-willed passive loser who was still panting after the woman who had humiliated him and cheated on him. He was willing to take her back. This is AFTER he’d finger-f*cked the h. Then the author yadayadayadas through all the relationship development. Telling us what happened over weeks/months instead of showing us. Unfortunately we REALLY needed to be shown because of the situation with the hero being so in love with the sister prior …. Then out of the blue the hero starts throwing around “my loves” and “darlings”, like a corny hero from the 1920s. 🙄. He moves the heroine into the room he shared with her sister 😵💫 - no one bats an eyelash. 👀 Then AFTER he’s finally f*cked the h (no condom- just a “im clean” with no explanation why he’d know that since his ex fiance was a cheating whore, but okie dokie 👍🏻), and claims to love her (in his head) he leaves her home for months while he attends social events without her… and sometimes even goes to events with her sister… the woman who cheated on him and dumped him and has made no secret she wants him back …. No explanation is provided to the h and the h doesn’t ask about it… AND THEN there’s the scene where the h’s father and sister show up and the sister starts berating the h asking how she likes sleeping in the bed where she used to f*ck the H… and the H DOES NOTHING…. AND THEN the h is bullied into annulling her marriage by her family, and the H allows it even tho he knows why she’s doing it. AND THEN he leaves her for a month and doesn’t do a thing to fight for her and is AGAIN pictured out with the sister…. AND THEN… the evil bitch of an OW is made out to be a victim too and the H is sorry for her and wiping her tears and saying that the Ow actually had it WORSE than the h, because the OW’s pain hadn’t been seen by anyone… 🫠
Bye.
May 13, 2024
3.5 Stars
Cute.
Cute.
September 2, 2023
I went into this with grave reservations given the reviews that talk about what a doormat the heroine is/was. I don't really agree with the assessment. True, the heroine is second-best and does not plow her horrible father upside the head with the skillet he so deserves or smack down her bitchy stepsister, but her reasons for rolling over are real life reasons and not the manufactured BS most authors shill out nowadays on KU.
The plot: Bitchy, self-serving stepsis who is a power hungry exec has dumped the H for another man. It puts a merger in question that frankly made my eyes glaze over because who cares. The evil dad twists the h's arm, probably literally, to marry the H for a year. He doesn't want her to go to any parties...just let stepsis step in for her. Right. Even the deluded H is confused over that one. H is miffed his favorite toy is gone and sets out to make the h miserable for it, you know the one person that did NOT deserve it. He canoodles with his ex and bows down to his mommy that looks disturbingly and acts (poorly) like his ex. He even acknowledges he may have a mommy issue. Eek.
Yes, the h rolls over and keeps quiet over her family's demands, but she also manages to go her own way with the job she wants rather than the one her condescending MIL decides for her. Rather than a doormat, she seems more like a woman that picks her battles and doesn't sweat the small stuff she knows she can't change.
At the end, the little mouse does some roaring which was nice and she places blame back where it belongs.
The plot: Bitchy, self-serving stepsis who is a power hungry exec has dumped the H for another man. It puts a merger in question that frankly made my eyes glaze over because who cares. The evil dad twists the h's arm, probably literally, to marry the H for a year. He doesn't want her to go to any parties...just let stepsis step in for her. Right. Even the deluded H is confused over that one. H is miffed his favorite toy is gone and sets out to make the h miserable for it, you know the one person that did NOT deserve it. He canoodles with his ex and bows down to his mommy that looks disturbingly and acts (poorly) like his ex. He even acknowledges he may have a mommy issue. Eek.
Yes, the h rolls over and keeps quiet over her family's demands, but she also manages to go her own way with the job she wants rather than the one her condescending MIL decides for her. Rather than a doormat, she seems more like a woman that picks her battles and doesn't sweat the small stuff she knows she can't change.
At the end, the little mouse does some roaring which was nice and she places blame back where it belongs.
June 23, 2023
DNF @ 34ish%. This book needs to be edited. 3 characters named “Julien”. Then one Julien’s name is switched to Cecily. 🤦🏻♀️ Sister is actually half sister but is also called step sister. Numerous grammatical errors. If I’m curious about the ending, I may skip ahead when my annoyance goes away. 🤣
July 21, 2024
After reading The wrong husband by this author I realized I had this book by her and decided to read back to back to give her author shot. Maybe the first one was just a fluke. Suffice to say, this was as awful as the first one and the very last book I’d ever read by this author.
Peace out ✌🏾
Peace out ✌🏾
February 21, 2025
This was a fun read…mostly. It reminded me of a soapier version of The Wrong Bride, but I appreciate whacky/unrealistic storylines. There’s no cheating, but you have to be ok with a sister lovin’ situation. The blurb sets it up, the book opens with Declan marrying Esme because his fiancée (Liz/h’s ½ sister) ran off with another man.
The sister is the OW dynamic isn’t for everyone, and IMHO, it works best in this scenario where the tone is very soap-opera-y, not resembling real-life, and unrealistic. This requires a just go with it attitude, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for something serious with deep feels. The characters’ actions are ridiculous at times and very OTT.
There’re a couple things that might make it more palatable. The OW/sis is a total bitch, they’re only ½ sisters, and they weren’t raised together.
Esme is quite pathetic for most of the book, and even called a doormat a few times, but she’s been treated horribly by her family and has issues. Sure, I wanted her to be less agreeable, but I could see how years of physical and verbal abuse would give her a “seek the path of least resistance” attitude… but it’s a lot to take as she continues to let her terrible family crap all over her. Declan is moody (hot/cold) in the beginning and flip-flops between being understanding, mean and feeling guilty. He is very much hung up on Liz for the first 40% or so… she’s not around, but I was gobbling it up because Esme has secretly been crushing on him for years.
This has lots of soapy-goodness ingredients… 🟢martyr h 🟢H hung up on sis. 🟢Nasty sis wants H back. 🟢 Snooty MIL that doesn’t approve. 🟢 Terrible parents that both use her. 🟢 Contracts/Mergers that require marriage 🟢gay BFF 🟢cringy sexy-time … but I agree with other reviewers that the second half lost momentum.
Bottom Line- Started out great then lost steam. I liked that he didn’t pine for the OW for the entire book, (it is really only one scene that they’re all together that he’s struggling), but it was whiplash when he changed his mind. (Like he LITERALLY went from I’m going to take her back to we’re finished within a few pages) It made for a couple of very angsty chapters as he ignored her, but I needed more of a transition. And after the “epiphany” things slowed way down and got repetitive for a large chunk of pages. I wish Esme would’ve had some development earlier and taken more of a teammate approach with Declan against her terrible family… but my biggest grump is that the OW-sis receives zero comeuppance, and the author tries to justify all her bitchy deeds which just didn’t fly for me. No decent person would’ve overlooked, been complacent, and acted the way she did, and I felt like the author wanted us to sympathize with her… NO WAY. It’s on KU, so I would recommend it for anyone that likes to escape into whacky/soapy reads with a drama-llama storyline.
The sister is the OW dynamic isn’t for everyone, and IMHO, it works best in this scenario where the tone is very soap-opera-y, not resembling real-life, and unrealistic. This requires a just go with it attitude, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for something serious with deep feels. The characters’ actions are ridiculous at times and very OTT.
There’re a couple things that might make it more palatable. The OW/sis is a total bitch, they’re only ½ sisters, and they weren’t raised together.
Esme is quite pathetic for most of the book, and even called a doormat a few times, but she’s been treated horribly by her family and has issues. Sure, I wanted her to be less agreeable, but I could see how years of physical and verbal abuse would give her a “seek the path of least resistance” attitude… but it’s a lot to take as she continues to let her terrible family crap all over her. Declan is moody (hot/cold) in the beginning and flip-flops between being understanding, mean and feeling guilty. He is very much hung up on Liz for the first 40% or so… she’s not around, but I was gobbling it up because Esme has secretly been crushing on him for years.
This has lots of soapy-goodness ingredients… 🟢martyr h 🟢H hung up on sis. 🟢Nasty sis wants H back. 🟢 Snooty MIL that doesn’t approve. 🟢 Terrible parents that both use her. 🟢 Contracts/Mergers that require marriage 🟢gay BFF 🟢cringy sexy-time … but I agree with other reviewers that the second half lost momentum.
Bottom Line- Started out great then lost steam. I liked that he didn’t pine for the OW for the entire book, (it is really only one scene that they’re all together that he’s struggling), but it was whiplash when he changed his mind. (Like he LITERALLY went from I’m going to take her back to we’re finished within a few pages) It made for a couple of very angsty chapters as he ignored her, but I needed more of a transition. And after the “epiphany” things slowed way down and got repetitive for a large chunk of pages. I wish Esme would’ve had some development earlier and taken more of a teammate approach with Declan against her terrible family… but my biggest grump is that the OW-sis receives zero comeuppance, and the author tries to justify all her bitchy deeds which just didn’t fly for me. No decent person would’ve overlooked, been complacent, and acted the way she did, and I felt like the author wanted us to sympathize with her… NO WAY. It’s on KU, so I would recommend it for anyone that likes to escape into whacky/soapy reads with a drama-llama storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2023
I am So conflicted on this
I wanted to dnf this at 10%. The hero was so cruel and the things he said and thought about her were disgusting. I was like no way can he be redeemed. But I continued on. The heroine was a doormat just like he called her one. After he said she was fat and ugly and ... I just hated him and the heroine was just a martyr. Her sister Viv was evil and I do not buy her remorse at the end. At all. She was vile. Her Mother was an idiot and her Father was an abuser. I really struggled with all of them and don't even get me started on the friends relationships that were so messed up. Mateo and Raya and Daisy and Forest. Needless to say I will not be reading those books for sure. This one was hard. He was obsessed with her sister and they had been lovers of course. The heroine had even heard them having sex. Just gross. Then she had sex with him in the same bed he had sex with her sister. Family relations takes on a whole new meaning there. Yuk! I just didn't like the dynamics. I do believe he came to love her but I don't really understand why. I thought the intimate scenes were a little crass but that's just me. I got sick of all the lies and manipulations everyone was throwing at each other. The ending was okay but I felt like it needed more. I wish there was a kid too. Lol. My first time reading this author but this book pushed all my buttons. Good and bad. I was glad he was faithful through their marriage though. I really was worried about that. All in all a decent book and I will give this author another try. But not for the other two couples in this book. They were just toxic already.
I wanted to dnf this at 10%. The hero was so cruel and the things he said and thought about her were disgusting. I was like no way can he be redeemed. But I continued on. The heroine was a doormat just like he called her one. After he said she was fat and ugly and ... I just hated him and the heroine was just a martyr. Her sister Viv was evil and I do not buy her remorse at the end. At all. She was vile. Her Mother was an idiot and her Father was an abuser. I really struggled with all of them and don't even get me started on the friends relationships that were so messed up. Mateo and Raya and Daisy and Forest. Needless to say I will not be reading those books for sure. This one was hard. He was obsessed with her sister and they had been lovers of course. The heroine had even heard them having sex. Just gross. Then she had sex with him in the same bed he had sex with her sister. Family relations takes on a whole new meaning there. Yuk! I just didn't like the dynamics. I do believe he came to love her but I don't really understand why. I thought the intimate scenes were a little crass but that's just me. I got sick of all the lies and manipulations everyone was throwing at each other. The ending was okay but I felt like it needed more. I wish there was a kid too. Lol. My first time reading this author but this book pushed all my buttons. Good and bad. I was glad he was faithful through their marriage though. I really was worried about that. All in all a decent book and I will give this author another try. But not for the other two couples in this book. They were just toxic already.
January 22, 2024
3.75 stars! I honestly enjoyed this read and am surprised by other reviews. I ate this up in a single sitting.
In the beginning I did feel a bit frustrated with the characters, both the MMC and the FMC. However, as I learned more of their back stories, their actions matched their prior traumas and upbringing.
I felt as though the feelings/actions portrayed in this book are congruent with real life situations, and while it can be frustrating to read at times… it was also very relatable.
In the beginning I did feel a bit frustrated with the characters, both the MMC and the FMC. However, as I learned more of their back stories, their actions matched their prior traumas and upbringing.
I felt as though the feelings/actions portrayed in this book are congruent with real life situations, and while it can be frustrating to read at times… it was also very relatable.
February 21, 2024
Not a chance. Badly done book where the heroine marries her stepsister fiancé because sister cheated on him and dumped him to marry another man.
Of course the doormat had a crush on him but he loves her ss.
- heroine is plain, dark and curvy, and wear glasses. But she’s good, selfless, and generous.
-sister is blonde, Scandinavian beauty, skinny, classy. And selfish and mean.
- hero is like sister, shallow, mean, selfish, snobbish.
- heroine has a crush on the hero forever but of course he’s never seen her.
- A lot of shallowness by the hero and the heroines family.
- heroine is abused by her father, the man uses to beat her and her mother.
- the hero falls in love with the heroine, eventually
- the sister, who’s a bitch, doesn’t have a comeuppance. She is forgiven because she was afraid of papa too. But she’s a bitch nonetheless.
Nope. I don’t like sisters sharing penis.
I don’t like racism and there’s a lot here. What does it mean the comparison with the sister who’s blonde, skinny, beautiful while the heroine is dark, curvy, petite? Is dark skin still something less attractive? Really? The hero is shallow like no other, he only judges the heroine by her skin tone, her looks, her clothes. Dude, he deserved her shallow cheating sister. How I wish that in those cases the evil sister gets the hero so he can taste his own piece of hell.
And the cherry on top, the heroine begs the hero to marry her in the end. Yuck.
Of course the doormat had a crush on him but he loves her ss.
- heroine is plain, dark and curvy, and wear glasses. But she’s good, selfless, and generous.
-sister is blonde, Scandinavian beauty, skinny, classy. And selfish and mean.
- hero is like sister, shallow, mean, selfish, snobbish.
- heroine has a crush on the hero forever but of course he’s never seen her.
- A lot of shallowness by the hero and the heroines family.
- heroine is abused by her father, the man uses to beat her and her mother.
- the hero falls in love with the heroine, eventually
- the sister, who’s a bitch, doesn’t have a comeuppance. She is forgiven because she was afraid of papa too. But she’s a bitch nonetheless.
Nope. I don’t like sisters sharing penis.
I don’t like racism and there’s a lot here. What does it mean the comparison with the sister who’s blonde, skinny, beautiful while the heroine is dark, curvy, petite? Is dark skin still something less attractive? Really? The hero is shallow like no other, he only judges the heroine by her skin tone, her looks, her clothes. Dude, he deserved her shallow cheating sister. How I wish that in those cases the evil sister gets the hero so he can taste his own piece of hell.
And the cherry on top, the heroine begs the hero to marry her in the end. Yuck.
July 17, 2023
3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK or decent reads.
=======================
At first Zero is despicable and treats her very badly and with contempt. He still loves the ex who cheated on him and married someone else, when she was supposed to marry him to merge their family companies.
Our Zeroine is the inferior, poorly dressed, doormat substitute that the family chooses to use and abuse. She is a second-rate version of the beautiful and successful half-sister.
As the story develops, we discover the nuances of Zeroine's repressed personality and Zero notices the ex's diabolical behavior.
Horrible family with abusive father, mother who does everything to keep the marriage and doesn't love her daughter and Zero's mother is a bitch too.
I remembered the phrase that talks about flowers growing among thorns. I think it sums up our Zeroine well.
=======================
At first Zero is despicable and treats her very badly and with contempt. He still loves the ex who cheated on him and married someone else, when she was supposed to marry him to merge their family companies.
Our Zeroine is the inferior, poorly dressed, doormat substitute that the family chooses to use and abuse. She is a second-rate version of the beautiful and successful half-sister.
As the story develops, we discover the nuances of Zeroine's repressed personality and Zero notices the ex's diabolical behavior.
Horrible family with abusive father, mother who does everything to keep the marriage and doesn't love her daughter and Zero's mother is a bitch too.
I remembered the phrase that talks about flowers growing among thorns. I think it sums up our Zeroine well.
August 18, 2024
I liked this one. The second half went downhill a bit, and the ending was way too easy. Other than that, I really did enjoy this story.
October 24, 2023
2.75🌟!
There was so much crassness in the book for me to it give more stars. I loved the heroine and how her character was portrayed. She was sweet but strong.
The story was also very compelling and I couldn’t stop reading but there were times I almost dnfed. I read this book anticipating the drama and the angst not for TMI about hero’s past s** life.
Let’s be honest, who wants to know about the Hero Declan and his ex fiance Viv (who is also heroine Esme’s sister) used to f*** like rabbit all the time or, Viv was a dynamo in the bed or they had amazing s**life or they had s** in the back of limos and cars all the time. Each time these unnecessary things were revealed I was feeling 🤢. But the cherry on top was when it was revealed in Esme’s POV that she heard them having s** when Viv and Dec was together. And there was dirty talking involved and I almost barfed. It really put me off of love scenes. I did like Dec in the second half more.
Not continuing the series as I think the next two books are definitely not safe enough for me even though I was looking for Raya and Mateo’s book. They were so cool in this.
—marriage of convenience.
—forced marriage.
—sister’s ex fiancé.
—angst, drama and TW.
There was so much crassness in the book for me to it give more stars. I loved the heroine and how her character was portrayed. She was sweet but strong.
The story was also very compelling and I couldn’t stop reading but there were times I almost dnfed. I read this book anticipating the drama and the angst not for TMI about hero’s past s** life.
Let’s be honest, who wants to know about the Hero Declan and his ex fiance Viv (who is also heroine Esme’s sister) used to f*** like rabbit all the time or, Viv was a dynamo in the bed or they had amazing s**life or they had s** in the back of limos and cars all the time. Each time these unnecessary things were revealed I was feeling 🤢. But the cherry on top was when it was revealed in Esme’s POV that she heard them having s** when Viv and Dec was together. And there was dirty talking involved and I almost barfed. It really put me off of love scenes. I did like Dec in the second half more.
Not continuing the series as I think the next two books are definitely not safe enough for me even though I was looking for Raya and Mateo’s book. They were so cool in this.
—marriage of convenience.
—forced marriage.
—sister’s ex fiancé.
—angst, drama and TW.
March 16, 2025
24-06-24:
Apparently, according to the H, the h has balls of steel because she endured years of abuse and torment at the hands of her family.
This he decides all the while loving the ow, her sister for most of the book.
All the while he's lusting after the h.
All the while he and the rest of the characters - give or take a few - are free to call her a "doormat" to her "plain" 'ole face.
She's the "noose around his neck" / "not the sharpest pencil in the box". etc etc etc.
They pull no punches. They are happy to share their disgust to her face.
Very disappointing for me, especially I as kind of enjoyed the banter and the author's easy way with words. Not so much the lack of contractions, the wary/weary homophone that put me on edge to expect more.
Very disappointing, because this author's go-to trope seems to be the downtrodden h + the evil sister ow + cruel hero - not my cup of tea.
I cried a lot because... damn ...this girl.
Their hea was nice-ish. He does care about the h, but I don't like the "I-realise-now-that-I-didn't-really-love-the-ow-after-all trope."
No, dude, don't lie.
23-06-24:
If this girl doesn’t grow some balls I’m ditching this book despite it been recommended to me by some well-meaning people…
Dear gawd
Can this man despise the h any more?
Apparently, according to the H, the h has balls of steel because she endured years of abuse and torment at the hands of her family.
This he decides all the while loving the ow, her sister for most of the book.
All the while he's lusting after the h.
All the while he and the rest of the characters - give or take a few - are free to call her a "doormat" to her "plain" 'ole face.
She's the "noose around his neck" / "not the sharpest pencil in the box". etc etc etc.
They pull no punches. They are happy to share their disgust to her face.
Very disappointing for me, especially I as kind of enjoyed the banter and the author's easy way with words. Not so much the lack of contractions, the wary/weary homophone that put me on edge to expect more.
Very disappointing, because this author's go-to trope seems to be the downtrodden h + the evil sister ow + cruel hero - not my cup of tea.
I cried a lot because... damn ...this girl.
Their hea was nice-ish. He does care about the h, but I don't like the "I-realise-now-that-I-didn't-really-love-the-ow-after-all trope."
No, dude, don't lie.
23-06-24:
If this girl doesn’t grow some balls I’m ditching this book despite it been recommended to me by some well-meaning people…
Dear gawd
Can this man despise the h any more?
October 22, 2023
2.5 stars
This had me until the H made the h come to him and apologize for not believing in them. Like are you fucking kidding me?! With her past of course she was gonna have a lot of fucking doubts and it wasn't like he was Mr. Prince charming the whole time.
This had me until the H made the h come to him and apologize for not believing in them. Like are you fucking kidding me?! With her past of course she was gonna have a lot of fucking doubts and it wasn't like he was Mr. Prince charming the whole time.
January 18, 2024
if you told me this was written by a man I wouldn’t be surprised.
The sexism is real in this one folks. It’s like a worse version of the Wrong Bride, which I didn’t think was possible.
The sexism is real in this one folks. It’s like a worse version of the Wrong Bride, which I didn’t think was possible.
December 1, 2023
2.5 This H Declan was made so obnoxious for half of the book… that I still didn’t like him after he supposedly turned. There was so much hate speak from H about fmc. She was plain, fat,mousy,short,a horrible dresser,flaky, and had no smarts per the H…. I’m surprised he didn’t have a big L tattooed on her forehead!It just went on and on the verbal abuse of the fmc so much so that I was just sick of it and skimmed to the hea. Was this book written by a mean girl????🤣🤣🤣
September 1, 2024
DNF @ 48%
I love angst, assholes heroes slowly being redeemed, and some good groveling, but for some reason this book was absolutely not for me (or just awful?). First of all, this book is a complete rip-off of a much better book, The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura. The plot of the FMC having an arranged marriage with the MMC after her bitchy sister—who is liked better by their family—cheats on the MMC and breaks off their engagement. However, due to a business deal, the FMC and MMC have to get married for their family companies. It’s literally the same down to a T. I mean hell, even the fucking covers are the same.
The FMC in here is also a complete and utter ditzy manic pixie dream girl idiot. I saw someone say she seemed like she was written by a man, and that is absolutely true. The MMC calls her a pushover at one point, and she absolutely is. She does things for her family that treat her like shit. She literally married a man—her sisters ex fiancée no less—for a year just because???? This broke ass bitch didn’t even ask for money by the end of the marriage??? She has sex with the MMC when she knows he’s still in love with her awful sister…she lets the MMC’s family control where she works and says nothing…she was so fucking stupid. Like sweetie u r 24 years old, fucking stand up for yourself.
The MMC is just horrible. I love a good asshole hero who manages to redeem himself and grovel, but he’s just an asshole and doesn’t grovel at all. He calls the FMC ugly, worthless, ditzy, and stupid, in his head and hey, she’s almost all of the above, but I won’t stand for the fucking hero thinking about the girl he’s supposed to love like that!! And for no reason too?? Like she is literally so nice to him and he was absolutely insufferable to her. And he just keeps hurting her, hanging out with his cheating ex fiancée—her sister/-despite knowing it will hurt her. He was a fucking douche bag.
If you want this plot with much better writing, characters, and story overall, read The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura. This is basically a plagiarized, much worse version of that one. This was absolutely awful, I genuinely haven’t read a book this bad in a long time.
I love angst, assholes heroes slowly being redeemed, and some good groveling, but for some reason this book was absolutely not for me (or just awful?). First of all, this book is a complete rip-off of a much better book, The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura. The plot of the FMC having an arranged marriage with the MMC after her bitchy sister—who is liked better by their family—cheats on the MMC and breaks off their engagement. However, due to a business deal, the FMC and MMC have to get married for their family companies. It’s literally the same down to a T. I mean hell, even the fucking covers are the same.
The FMC in here is also a complete and utter ditzy manic pixie dream girl idiot. I saw someone say she seemed like she was written by a man, and that is absolutely true. The MMC calls her a pushover at one point, and she absolutely is. She does things for her family that treat her like shit. She literally married a man—her sisters ex fiancée no less—for a year just because???? This broke ass bitch didn’t even ask for money by the end of the marriage??? She has sex with the MMC when she knows he’s still in love with her awful sister…she lets the MMC’s family control where she works and says nothing…she was so fucking stupid. Like sweetie u r 24 years old, fucking stand up for yourself.
The MMC is just horrible. I love a good asshole hero who manages to redeem himself and grovel, but he’s just an asshole and doesn’t grovel at all. He calls the FMC ugly, worthless, ditzy, and stupid, in his head and hey, she’s almost all of the above, but I won’t stand for the fucking hero thinking about the girl he’s supposed to love like that!! And for no reason too?? Like she is literally so nice to him and he was absolutely insufferable to her. And he just keeps hurting her, hanging out with his cheating ex fiancée—her sister/-despite knowing it will hurt her. He was a fucking douche bag.
If you want this plot with much better writing, characters, and story overall, read The Wrong Bride by Catharina Maura. This is basically a plagiarized, much worse version of that one. This was absolutely awful, I genuinely haven’t read a book this bad in a long time.
June 30, 2023
2.25 stars. (LW/WM). Kindle Edition e-book. Arranged marriage of convenience.
Setting: Current day USA.
Main characters:
Esme Harley-Knight, heroine, is a 23-year-old Latina mixed race social worker.
Delcan Knight, hero, is the 34-year-old wealthy CEO of Knight Technologies, a multi billion dollar company.
Delcan was engaged to marry the heroine's White half sister before she cheated on him an married one of her lovers. Esme is made to marry Delcan (who she's been crushing on for years) and remain married to him for a year as a condition for Knight Technologies to merge with and save Esme's family's faltering company. Esme is a weak character who is humiliated, dismissed and treated badly by her family and Delcan; eventually that changes, and she and Delcan fall in love. It takes forever. This story is full of grammatical errors, mixup of character's names and a long paced storyline.
Setting: Current day USA.
Main characters:
Esme Harley-Knight, heroine, is a 23-year-old Latina mixed race social worker.
Delcan Knight, hero, is the 34-year-old wealthy CEO of Knight Technologies, a multi billion dollar company.
Delcan was engaged to marry the heroine's White half sister before she cheated on him an married one of her lovers. Esme is made to marry Delcan (who she's been crushing on for years) and remain married to him for a year as a condition for Knight Technologies to merge with and save Esme's family's faltering company. Esme is a weak character who is humiliated, dismissed and treated badly by her family and Delcan; eventually that changes, and she and Delcan fall in love. It takes forever. This story is full of grammatical errors, mixup of character's names and a long paced storyline.
avoid
September 2, 2023Self note avoid
- doormat slurping sister’s leftover trope. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
- doormat slurping sister’s leftover trope. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
dnf-i-skipped-the-whole-book
September 6, 2023I read the epilogue first and I knew it, this book isn't for me
November 28, 2024
Marriage of convenience, sisters ex fiancé tropes. Esme has always been the quiet disappointing daughter, the “doormat” to her loud and successful sister Viv. Supporting herself through her social work degree, Esme just wants to help people. After it’s found out that Viv was cheating on her Fiancé Declan, and puts the business merger at risk, the family decides that Esme will marry Declan. Esme has always had a crush on Declan, but he has never noticed her before. Will some forced proximity cause him to see what’s been there the whole time?
June 28, 2024
It was good though it reminded me of another book I've read recently. The story line was pretty much the same. This one had a good writing and the appropriate angst. The beginning was a little bit off for me, in a matter of hours after hating the fmc he changes his mind and sees her with another eye?
July 13, 2024
I'm really starting to think this author's not for me. I'm seriously trying. I basically just read for the ow theatrics, but the FMC's are just irritating. I get it. Esme was treated horribly, but at some point we gotta pick ourselves up. The H Declan was ok, but he's like every other hero this author writes. I'm still waiting for one to click, but I don't think it'll happen. I have to say though Maya's books start out strong and I find myself enjoying it, but then it starts to slowly decline.
December 17, 2024
Angsty Arranged Marriage Story
4.5 🌟 stars
Social Worker marries millionaire who agrees to marry her after he dumps her younger sister.
I was amused reading this story. Its plot is entertaining, and there is a whole lot of family drama.
Declan agrees to marry his ex Viv's younger half sister. Who cheated on hom and married someone else. He at first denies any attraction to her and is set to divorce her in a year. Esme on the other hand has had a crush on Declan for years. She tries to win hi. O er with her sunshine personality. Slowly his heart melts after he gets to know Esme and he wants all of her. Esme pushes him away at first but feels a strong pull towards keeping him
and the marriage.
Will they stay together despite all of the obstacles including her violent father)? I definitely suggest reading the book to find out.
The reason I took off gold a star is that although
there is a little bit of angst and sex; it's not well described. It's what I call " surface level angst and
smut." Its mostly tell and not a whole lot of show. I did sympathize with Esme's character but couldn't completely relate to Declsns character.
Trigger Warnings: Although there is no physical cheating, there is emotional cheating between Dean and Esne's sister, Viv.
There is also physical abuse ( Esmes father is abusive). There is also prejudice against Eame and hee Mother that is prominent because of their Mexican heritage. Also, the FMC is called fat by her family members several times throughout the book but says she's a size 6 and works out constantly. So I would put that into the verbal abuse category.
4.5 🌟 stars
Social Worker marries millionaire who agrees to marry her after he dumps her younger sister.
I was amused reading this story. Its plot is entertaining, and there is a whole lot of family drama.
Declan agrees to marry his ex Viv's younger half sister. Who cheated on hom and married someone else. He at first denies any attraction to her and is set to divorce her in a year. Esme on the other hand has had a crush on Declan for years. She tries to win hi. O er with her sunshine personality. Slowly his heart melts after he gets to know Esme and he wants all of her. Esme pushes him away at first but feels a strong pull towards keeping him
and the marriage.
Will they stay together despite all of the obstacles including her violent father)? I definitely suggest reading the book to find out.
The reason I took off gold a star is that although
there is a little bit of angst and sex; it's not well described. It's what I call " surface level angst and
smut." Its mostly tell and not a whole lot of show. I did sympathize with Esme's character but couldn't completely relate to Declsns character.
Trigger Warnings: Although there is no physical cheating, there is emotional cheating between Dean and Esne's sister, Viv.
There is also physical abuse ( Esmes father is abusive). There is also prejudice against Eame and hee Mother that is prominent because of their Mexican heritage. Also, the FMC is called fat by her family members several times throughout the book but says she's a size 6 and works out constantly. So I would put that into the verbal abuse category.
November 2, 2023
This book had me so angry and near tears for the first half. Esme, poor Esme! As someone who suffered from bullying as a child at school, my heart broke for her. I always felt like the ugly one with frizzy, curly hair, glasses, and a chubby body. Her parents and sister, and Declan were absolutely atrocious to her! Declan goes from calling her a doormat to seeing her inner beauty pretty quickly. Regardless of what he did after her fell for his wife, I cannot forgive him for what he said/put her through in the initial days of their marriage. It was also frustrating watching Esme let her family treat her the way that they did. I don't care if Viv was emotionally abused by her father too, nothing could excuse her behavior towards Esme. There are definitely moments that are cute and heartwarming, but I couldn't get over the coldness Declan displayed towards Esme, even though he came through for her after. He needed to do a LOT more groveling. That said, the whole bit with Esme getting attached and Declan being beside himself - nice!
August 12, 2023
2 stars,
Quite literally the typical arranged marriage book where he doesn't like her at first then he does but she's too insecure to believe it even though he tells her he likes her + she likes him.
The dialogue is a little cringe at times which made me want to dnf but I pushed through for some reason.
I also didn't like that the entire storyline of her abusive father abusing the entire family was just...left without a conclusion? Like she cut off contact with them, great but after reading an entire book about what she went through her entire life, we just have an exit stage for her father, mother and sister and they don't return. What happens to them? Does Esme, who works with abused women full time, let her father continue to abuse her mother and sister since she's escaped the situation?
The ending kind of ruined it for me, i just didn't enjoy it + there were a few grammar mistakes and sometimes even a POV change in the middle of a chapter?
I might read the next book if they're about the side characters, but no commitments.
Quite literally the typical arranged marriage book where he doesn't like her at first then he does but she's too insecure to believe it even though he tells her he likes her + she likes him.
The dialogue is a little cringe at times which made me want to dnf but I pushed through for some reason.
I also didn't like that the entire storyline of her abusive father abusing the entire family was just...left without a conclusion? Like she cut off contact with them, great but after reading an entire book about what she went through her entire life, we just have an exit stage for her father, mother and sister and they don't return. What happens to them? Does Esme, who works with abused women full time, let her father continue to abuse her mother and sister since she's escaped the situation?
The ending kind of ruined it for me, i just didn't enjoy it + there were a few grammar mistakes and sometimes even a POV change in the middle of a chapter?
I might read the next book if they're about the side characters, but no commitments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2024
This book is a solid 3.5. If it hadn’t ended with a very ridiculous scene, it probably would’ve been bumped up to four. Unfortunately, like a lot of authors, the author has sacrificed reality for drama. While the h eventually gave up on her relationship, it was understandable. Everyone went along with the H’s ridiculous, cruel charade because the h needed to grow up and be brave. everyone took his side, which is ridiculous and makes me question her friends. She was abused and gaslit and he was inconsistent. At the end of the book, he was spending all of his time with his ex and how was she supposed to trust him? I also don’t like the paternalistic nature of a husband trying to help his wife grow up by teaching her a lesson.
That said, it was an enjoyable book. The heroine was a stellar, honorable person, and the H showed remarkable growth by recognizing that.
I agree with Vintage that the sister should not have been redeemed. If anything, the faintest of overtures could be made, but that’s it. I should warn people who are starting the series with this book that things go downhill from here, particularly in Mateo‘s book and the book about the judge, whose name I have blocked out because he is the worst in a very subtle, weedy way.
That said, it was an enjoyable book. The heroine was a stellar, honorable person, and the H showed remarkable growth by recognizing that.
I agree with Vintage that the sister should not have been redeemed. If anything, the faintest of overtures could be made, but that’s it. I should warn people who are starting the series with this book that things go downhill from here, particularly in Mateo‘s book and the book about the judge, whose name I have blocked out because he is the worst in a very subtle, weedy way.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2023
Your going to love it or hate it
Declan marries his ex fiancee' sister Esme. Esme has always had a crush on him. Let me tell you her family is a piece of work. It takes the whole book for her to even stand up for herself a little.
Declan is absolutely awful for the first half of the book. I just wished Esme stood up for herself more. But I understand when you've been conditioned and abused your whole like it's very hard especially without some counseling and good friends.
Declan marries his ex fiancee' sister Esme. Esme has always had a crush on him. Let me tell you her family is a piece of work. It takes the whole book for her to even stand up for herself a little.
Declan is absolutely awful for the first half of the book. I just wished Esme stood up for herself more. But I understand when you've been conditioned and abused your whole like it's very hard especially without some counseling and good friends.
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