lady_h_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overall Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️½
"You meet so many people in your life, and none of them touch you. And then you meet the one, and you realize you don’t deserve her."
📚 Book Review 📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My new favorite of the Morally Grey Billionaires couples - Liam and Isla's story is a sweet take on the enemies-to-lovers and fake relationship tropes. It's mild on the enemies-to-lovers side, with a MMC who falls first for a FMC who is trying, with all her might, not to be hurt by giving in to their fake relationship.
From the first introduction to Isla, I fell in love with her character. She is confident and strong, a no-nonsense FMC who can hold her own against the billionaire Liam (yes, she is coerced into a fake marriage, but she refuses to give in to all his demands). She’s holding a deep secret that forces her to keep everyone at arm's length, even the man she’s come to love.
Liam and Isle have intense sexual chemistry. Liam thinks he can fuck her out of his system, believing her only to be an obsession, just to find how perfectly matched they genuinely are.
Their HEA brought me such joy with some of the sweetest (and hottest) declarations of love.
🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The narrators were perfect for their roles. They make a great team in this dual-narration style performance.
Shane East is one of my top male narrators for a reason. Not only is his voice dripping with sex, but he also does a fantastic job performing female characters without making them whiny. His voice always gives me the taco tingles, especially when he says, “Good Girl.”
Roxy was a perfect Isla. She also has the talent for convincingly performing the opposite sex.
I highly recommend spending a credit on this book.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes/Features: billionaire, enemies to lovers (light), fake marriage, marriage of convenience, he falls first, strong and confident FMC, controlling billionaire MMC,
Narrator: Dual 1st Person POV
Audiobook Narration Type: Dual-style narration
Voice Actor(s): Shane East and Roxy Isles
Relationship Type: MF, fast-burn, very spicy
Book Type/Ending: Standalone with HEA
TW/CW: None listed
book_lover21's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
thesmutdaddy's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Isla Bailey has finally made it . After the endless hours she has worked over the years making the biggest weddings happen flawlessly, she has landed her biggest client yet - Liam Kincaid . Except one thing leads to another + somehow Isla has talked the future Mrs. Kincaid to be out of marrying Liam . Which leaves Isla backed into a corner . Either fake marry Liam, pretend to be madly in love + watch her wedding business flourish or walk away knowing Liam will ruin everything she’s ever worked for .
Liam Kincaid is known to be a morally grey, billionaire who has extremely close ties to The Seven . What the world doesn’t know is that his future changed the same day The Seven’s did all those years ago . That’s why, amount with other reasons, Liam must get married . There is an imagine to uphold + nothing can get in the way of that . So when a very nosey and overly opinionated Isla Bailey ruined all his laid plans, a new one came easily . The question is - will Isla accept the proposal .
L. Steele knows exactly what she is doing when it comes to morally grey billionaires + I am absolutely here for it every single time . Liam and Isla are a banter match made in heaven - two fires that learn to burn brighter together ! I loved that we got to see The Seven but also get a closer look at Liam + Isla’s besties . I’m so excited to see what happens next with Hunter, Zara, and the rest of this crew .
This is book one in the Morally Grey Men series + it can be read as a complete stand alone .
PLEASE CHECK THE TWs !!!
This book was given to me for honest review by Valentine PR + Literary Management .
plantsandromance's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Isla is Liam's wedding planner until his fiancee calls things off. Liam demands Isla fill in to be his bride with just two weeks until the big day and so Liam can get his inheritance and father's company. These two cannot stand the sight of each other, but that doesn't last long.
Liam fell for Isla fast. He went from being so angry with her to loving her within days. The book was good, but there were a few things that stood out and bothered me. There are various references in the book to Isla being vegan, but also a scene where she is eating eggs. It felt like the term "alphahole" was thrown around in every chapter. At one point Liam calls himself an alphahole. Guys don't call themselves that. Probably my favorite part was that Liam's mother figured them out. I've never seen that in a fake marriage book.
Shane East and Roxy Isles narrated wonderfully together. Roxy's voice was a little fast for me and took me a bit to get used to her speed, but once I did there weren't any issues.
Liam fell for Isla fast. He went from being so angry with her to loving her within days. The book was good, but there were a few things that stood out and bothered me. There are various references in the book to Isla being vegan, but also a scene where she is eating eggs. It felt like the term "alphahole" was thrown around in every chapter. At one point Liam calls himself an alphahole. Guys don't call themselves that. Probably my favorite part was that Liam's mother figured them out. I've never seen that in a fake marriage book.
Shane East and Roxy Isles narrated wonderfully together. Roxy's voice was a little fast for me and took me a bit to get used to her speed, but once I did there weren't any issues.
groovygirl858's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the premise and was engaged with the story, but almost EVERY SINGLE TIME the FMC had a decision to make, she made the wrong one. Worse, her choices were NOT understandable, in the slightest. Oh, she had her reasons. But they were senseless. Typically, that means the FMC is too stupid to live and I'm able to dismiss the character entirely. In this frustrating book, the FMC WASN'T stupid. Which means she was either mentally ill or her decisions were just nonsensical for the sake of angst in the story. Since the story didn't go the mentally ill route, I can only assume her character arc was based on the author just trying to cram in as much drama as possible, even if it made the FMC look unstable.
The FMC told the MMC she didn't care about him and didn't want to be with him so many times (after sending mixed messages), AFTER he expressed his feelings for her, that I couldn't help but think about how if the roles were reversed and the MMC was being so harsh and cold after the FMC declared feelings, it would be seen as toxic and emotionally manipulative, at best, and emotionally abusive, at worst. Her behavior really made it difficult to root for them to be together, especially with the MMC claiming the FMC is "strong." Her actions were weak. It's strength she pushed away the man she loves to deal with her emotional bullshit regarding her "condition?" No. The harder decision would have been to lean on him for support and be vulnerable. She had been pushing him away the entire book. Pushing him away is the easy route for her. But whatever. I guess the book can pretend she's strong if it wants.
Overall, I give this book 3 stars. There was a lot about it that frustrated me, but I liked the MMC and, despite my frustration, I wanted to know what happened next. I also was intrigued by the characters featured in the next book in the series.
The FMC told the MMC she didn't care about him and didn't want to be with him so many times (after sending mixed messages), AFTER he expressed his feelings for her, that I couldn't help but think about how if the roles were reversed and the MMC was being so harsh and cold after the FMC declared feelings, it would be seen as toxic and emotionally manipulative, at best, and emotionally abusive, at worst. Her behavior really made it difficult to root for them to be together, especially with the MMC claiming the FMC is "strong." Her actions were weak. It's strength she pushed away the man she loves to deal with her emotional bullshit regarding her "condition?" No. The harder decision would have been to lean on him for support and be vulnerable. She had been pushing him away the entire book. Pushing him away is the easy route for her. But whatever. I guess the book can pretend she's strong if it wants.
Overall, I give this book 3 stars. There was a lot about it that frustrated me, but I liked the MMC and, despite my frustration, I wanted to know what happened next. I also was intrigued by the characters featured in the next book in the series.
hollycouldhollywood's review
Wow, could not stand this FMC - constantly in search of a problem
khaleesimod93's review
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I love how both characters had issues to work past. While Liams were mental and Islas were physical, they still both struggled. I cried when Liam opened up first. Usually, it's the female! It was such a nice change. And I also love the fact that he fell first and he admitted his feelings first! Overall so sweet. I did feel in some places it dragged and made it hard to continue the story. I'm looking forward to Hunter and Zaras story. They are about to be hotter than Liam and Isla!!