Kelsie Hoss: Married to Lies

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250191557-married-to-lies

Book Blurb:

He needs a wife to save his business. She needs a husband to escape her past.

Someone I loved betrayed me. She committed fraud, nearly destroyed my company, and tried to pin the blame on me. Since then, trust has come hard. Connection has come harder. Which is why I’ve kept my distance from the gorgeous woman who cleans my office every day.

She’s everything I’m not: warm where I’m guarded, quick to laugh where I’m calculating, able to make strangers feel like family with a single smile. Being around her feels dangerously close to peace… and I don’t do peace. Not anymore.

But a major investor is forcing my hand. To protect the company from being handed to someone who would burn it to the ground, I need a wife, fast. And my cleaner’s the only woman I can imagine standing beside me.

There’s just one problem: as soon as we say “I do,” I realize she’s hiding something. I don’t know what it is—only that whatever she’s keeping from me could destroy us both.
***
Please note: This is book two in the Married Series, featuring Quentin and Rei! For the best reading experience, start with the first book, Married to Secrets!

Tropes:

*Darkstar ALC *Marriage of Convenience *workplace  Romance *Boss FMC *Hidden identities

*Spice *Slow Burn *Guarded MMC *Secrets *family drama  *Green Flag MMC

*State Challenge Texas (repeat) *Sweet MMC *Betrayal *Strangers to More 

*Fake relationship *He falls first *Billionaire MMC *Sunshine FMC *Curvy FMC 

*found family *multiple POV

Thoughts:

I grabbed this one from Darkstar it is the second book in the series and I do believe that if you read them in order you'll have a better understanding of what's going on in book 2 since it mentions things from the first book in this one.

Quentin (MMC) knows that in order to save the business that he helps run with his friends he needs a wife... and fast as part of a stipulation in Simon, the chief investor's will, if he doesn't fufil this requirement prior to his passing the voting shares will go to Simon's greedy kids... who don't have the best interest of the business at heart.

Simon faces challenges of his own once this is out in the open the main one being that his children are now actively out to off him to prevent the other share holders from getting married before their father passes away... seriously these kids are awful.

But Who is Quentin going to marry everyone decided he would be the next to find a bride after one of the other friends/owners found his bride in book one.  There is only one person Quentin can think of for the position he has been watching her from a far for awhile, she's not only beautiful but she is hard working seeing as she cleans the office building.  

Rei (FMC) is strong, sassy and curvy... she is also hiding the fact that she's actually a boss, she doesn't really just work for the company that cleans the building... she owns it but due to a a tragic past history she has someone she thought she could trust acting as the owner and setting up contracts... but she cares about her employees and doesn't want to let anyone down again.

Quentin is shy and guarded ever since his last relationship went south... and quickly but he knows he needs to get back in the game somehow and begins leaving sweet post it messages to Rei on the wall where any employee can leave a message.  It's really cute seeing them work up the courage to actually meet in person.

Rei at first focused mainly on keeping her company from going under receives worse news when the man she assigned to pretend to be in charge... starts making demands of his own or else he will spill her secret past that she has worked so hard to leave in the past.

While Rei wants to tell Quentin and her best friend what's happening she also has difficulties opening up to people since even her own adoptive family didn't have her back when she needed them the most.  

Rei hearing that Quentin needs a marriage of convenience feels this would be the perfect chance to make some terms of her own... but the more she gets to know him the more she feels she needs to tell Quentin the truth... but will he still want to be with her when she lays all her cards on the table? Quentin also has a past history that may be returning to the surface as well.  

The narrators did a great job bringing this story to life the author really put Jakobi Diem & Cindy Kay to work with all the different accents. 

Thank you to Kelsie Hoss and Dark Star Romance for this ALC! 

I plan to go back and read the first book at some point to see what fully happened there, but I didn't feel lost jumping in at book 2.  

There were a few shady characters throughout that kept me on my toes! 

There was a build up throughout the book while I was waiting for Quentin to find out Rei's secret before she could tell him herself... or I was just shouting Girl just tell him already!! 

The story dragged a bit for me in places but picked back up and kept me wanting to know more even in the slower parts.  I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and it did end in a bit of a cliffhanger.  

Have you read this one?  What did you think? 

Blaire Lennox: Claimed by the Bilionaire

 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237812099-claimed-by-the-billionaire-an-age-gap-possessive-alpha-workplace-romanc

This is a fast paced quick read that I picked up from Book Sirens.

Sebastian Wolfe is a billionaire he is powerful and he knows how to get what he wants... and what he wants is to find true love he wants someone who wants more than what he can buy them working in technology he designs an AI system to help his friends (and hopefully one day himself) find true love, the system analyzes data over a large spectrum to rule out and find potential matches it's never been successful with finding a match for him... until now.

Elena Sutton is shy, sweet, and she also needs a job so when she gets invited to apply for an assistant position at a prestigious tech firm that almost seems too good to be true with all the benefits and the amount of money they are willing to pay... she jumps on this she's a hard worker and knows she is up for the job what she doesn't expect is Sebastian and how she feels immediately drawn to him... this is not good she needs this job she can't jeopardize her new position by getting involved with her boss.

Sebastian gives Elena opportunity to say no... and she wants to except for the need to say yes is stronger.  But what will happen when the truth comes out about how Sebastian never just wanted her to be his assistant he wanted so much more from the moment he learned of her existance.

If you enjoy short insta-love, billionaire romances this might be the one for you.  You get exactly what the blurb says on the back with really no surprises.  

*ARC Read  *Book Sirens  *Age Gap  *Billionaire  *possessive MMC  *Virgin FMC  *some spice  

*insta lust/love  *novella *dual POV  *boss/assistant 

Claire Kingsley: Faking Ms. Right

 

Dirty Martini Running Club Series book 1 -->  I think I originally read this in 2023 but have read it a few times, I enjoyed the whole series.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62870038

Everly has had a long series of terrible first dates... it seems that nothing goes right for any of them it's a good thing she has a great group of girlfriends to laugh it off with and she needs that because she is the assistant to the wealthy, handsome, super grumpy Shepherd Calloway it's a good thing that she's amazing at her job in fact this is the longest time anyone has stayed in this position he's hard to handle.

Shepherd is tired of dating superficial women who only seem to want to be around him for his money, what he can buy them they automatically expect because he's wealthy that he needs to shower them with gifts... daily.  While deciding to just be single for a bit and focus on work he ends up in quite a predicament... his latest ex who was a cold hearted gold digger shows up at a big event on the arm of his father... oh no!  She met his dad on her latest trip and Shepherd knows she is doing this to get back at him for breaking things off she can't get her clutches into his dad to make things a bit worse he doesn't tell his dad that she's his ex (after discussing it with his brother and his brother saying he shouldn't tell their dad) and she doesn't tell his dad either this could get awkward.

Not knowing what else to do he calls his loyal assistant Everly if she has been able to handle everything he's thrown at her over the years she can surely handle a night of pretending to be his girlfriend... she accepts only things progress when his father ends up having to move into his home for a period of time he can't tell his dad that he lied about their relationship he'll simply ask her to move in for a short period of time... what could go wrong?

Everly happens to need an awkward favor from her boss (her sister is requesting her to do this) and not knowing how to approach him naturally with this request maybe staying with him is her in, she does him this favor and maybe he will do her this little tiny favor that she wants... only the more she spends time with him the more she realizes he's not the stone cold businessman that everyone sees he is so much more when their fake situationship starts to feel so real at this point can she go through with the ask?  What would he even say if she did ask?

Shepherd while spending more time with Everly begins realizing that he has been going for the wrong women all these years he doesn't want someone who just wants him for his money he wants someone kind, someone who is able to laugh at herself, someone who is warm and loving who doesn't see his money but really sees him she isn't after anything he can give her... or is she? 

I really loved this book it was ridiculous at times but so funny and had many actual laugh out loud moments!  Her girlfriends are great they call themselves the dirty martini running club because after they meet up for a run they always end up at the bar for the martini's (reward) her friends are hilarious and they have her back everyone should have a great group of girls like Everly.  I ended up getting this book on audible.  

*Romantic Comedy  *Spice  *opposites attract *Grumpy/Sunshine  *fake dating/fiancé

*office romance *wealthy businessman  *Boss/assistant  *forced proximity  

*she's not like the other girls

Have you read this series?  Which book was your favorite in the series?  

I gathered some negatives from other peoples reviews to share:

• They were working together for 3 years with no chemistry while dating many other people then the readers are expected to see how quickly they get "closer" after 3 years of nothing
• Super silly plot, the fake relationship moving in could have not even been needed if he had just had a conversation with his dad about how he was dating his ex who was a snake in disguise
• The ex girlfriend is a stereo type cold woman who just wants to be with a wealthy man and doesn't care who
• Absurd and predictable 
• the tropes were not well executed 
• MMC continues to expect different relationship results when he continues to go for the same women over and over then when he feels it's time to break up he ends the relationship and sends the now newly ex on an expensive trip as a parting gift 
• Everly's sister shouldn't have put her in that position to ask her boss for this "favor" and they could have made plenty of other arrangements so she wouldn't have this over her head.  

Alanis Winters How to Fake (and Break) an Engagement in Seven Days

 read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/227993504-how-to-fake-and-break-an-engagement-in-seven-days

Alex Carrington is a workaholic he and his family are very wealthy (Billionaires) and he has been set in his ways for a long time.  His family always has a trip the same time every year and it's coming up his grandma deciding it's time for him to settle down get married and have children (she's not getting any younger)  has put her foot down if he doesn't pick someone to marry soon she is going to pick someone for him in the heat of the moment feeling flustered on this call he says that he already has a fiance... only of course he doesn't the first person he can think of is the woman he spends the most time with his assistant Anika who isn't a huge fan of his at the moment.  His family is both pleased and shocked by the news and they want to meet her as soon as possible, in fact she needs to come on vacation with them.  

Anika Patel is a hardworking woman with a heart of gold, while she didn't want to go into her family business she spread her wings moved across the country and landed on her feet working for Alex who is a bit grumpy and overbearing at times but she knows him well enough now to work with him and predict his needs before he asks like bringing his coffee in the morning the way he likes it even when he doesn't ask... that being said she is completely unprepared for him to ask her to be his fake fiance for the week of his families vacation her first thought is 100% NO, but in order to get her to agree to this plan he offers to pay off her medical bills which racked up the year before after she had to have a surgical procedure.

Anika knows immediately this will be a mistake but she goes anyways how is she going to keep her feelings for him fake he's so handsome and she has been drawn to him in the past how will she be able to separate those feelings?  When they are so close together and enjoying their time on vacation lines get blurred and things begin to feel not so fake, could they actually make a real relationship work?  

I really loved some of the side characters like Alex's grandma is adorable!  his meddling family is a great bonus they are in love with love.  Some not so likable characters make an appearance as well for a bit of drama.  

If you are looking for a feel good book that won't take long to read  give this one a try --> this book is a really cute quick read (it's a novella) the main story is happening over a week long vacation but nothing feels forced because the author does a really good job with pacing and showing that while the couple is currently in a "fake relationship" they are naturally drawn together as they have worked closely with each other for several years and have had an office "fling" in the past.

Have you read any other books by this author?  which one would you recommend to read next?

*Indie author  *Billionaire  *workaholic  *some spice  *2nd chance  *office romance *dual POV

 *fake fiance/relationship  *one bed  *forced proximity  *novella  *Grumpy MMC *happy ending

*has footnotes to read 

Carrie Elks: Strictly Business

 

Book 1 The Salinger Brothers (read in 2023) 

Overall I really enjoyed this book --> is it fully realistic probably not it's actually a little silly at times but it's makes for a bit of comedy and drama.  I found this an entertaining read and it had several scenes that made me laugh.  

Myles is a handsome business savvy bachelor he is in his early 40's and a bit on the grumpy and stubborn side.  Ava our leading lady works in the publishing industry at a smaller branch of the same company Myles works for.  Myles and Ava have met before while at work and not gotten along but it hasn't been that big of a deal because he worked for the New York Branch and she worked at the smaller branch where she lives in West Virginia so they were able to keep their distance. 

Myles comes into Ava's life again when Ava's boss retires and the company sends Myles in as a replacement to help save the West Virginia office so the parent company (Myles home base) doesn't shut them down.  Now they are at the same office working together regularly which causes some conflict.

Ava is 36 and has decided to take matters into her own hands she wants a baby and she wants one sooner than later she is feeling her biological clock tick and at this point has decided this is what she wants she just needs to find a donor then she plans to raise the baby on her own.  Myles overhears these plans during an evening out and before he can stop himself he offers to help her with this goal and the closer they get the more our couple decides that maybe they could do this the old fashioned way.  

Tropes:

*Grumpy (Myles)/ Sunshine (Ava)   *Pregnancy  *enemies to lovers 

*Forced proximity   *co-workers  

some spice but I didn't feel that it over powered the storyline.  I also really loved the side characters and pre-ordered each book in the series prior to coming out.