GRR Reviews Aria's Christmas Wish by Victorine E Lieske

Kendra is a single mother raising her daughter the best she can, and Christmas is approaching fast. She knew who the father was... Country music star Jacob, but she can never tell him. She was petrified when Jacob returned to town, and saw her daughther. She denied she's his, but there is no mistaking those eyes. What had Jacob done for Kendra to hide a daughter from him? How can he redeem himself... and get his family back?

The reason is both reasonable yet overblown. It's nice, but not that... great. 4/5

GRR Reviews Acting Married (The Married Series Book by Victorine E. Lieske

Acting Married is a good addition to the author's Married series, but it somehow feels not quite as fulfilling as her other books.

Tara McDermott is a maid for the Hollywood Bad Boy Rick Shade. She had been burned by a dick husband Josh who ended up as some bit actor in Hollywood who only left her with a daughter and bitter memories. Tara just wants to settle the legal bills and move back to mid-West where things are simple. Rick Shade has a bad boy reputation, but he's a softie inside. When his publicist told him he needs to settle down to land a better role, he quipped "I should marry the maid"... And surprisingly, his publicist agreed. Rick promised a marriage of convenience with Tara... they can divorce a year later, and they need to go out to feed the paparazzi every once in a while. In return, Rick will pay off Tara's debts and leave her with a nest egg to start over. But as the two pretended to date, then got married for real, Rick and Tara realized just how good they are together... but each carried shame from their pasts... Rick for letting a girl he had loved go for his career... and Tara for entering into this "fake" relationship and allowing her daughter to be attached to Rick. When the secret was outed, will they stay... or break each other's hearts? And what happens when Josh comes back?

Somehow, the threat from Josh just seems really lame, and came really really late, and the book doesn't quite feel as polished as her earlier volumes. The "forced to marry" schtick is getting a little old, and "maid to billionaire" is an old schtick. Combining them without some new schtick like other volumes left me a bit underwhelmed.


Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: A billionaire need his single mother maid to marry him to help his image, and he'll help settle her with $$$ but when they fell in love for real... would that ever work?

Tropes: maid, hot for boss, single parent, marriage of convenience, scars, triangle, blackmail

Overall Rating: 4/5

GRR Reviews Reluctantly Married (The Married Series B by Victorine E. Lieske

Reluctantly Married is a romantic comedy that pits two radio co-hosts ambushed into dating each other despite on-air hostility that is good for ratings. What's good about this is the slow revelations and a grand gesture that managed to wrap up EVERYTHING in one swift stroke, with a bit of convenient timing, of course.

Megan Holloway and her morning show co-host Adam Warner are mortal enemies, even though Adam is a total hunk. He's always goading her on air, but it brought in the ratings, and she reluctantly let the behavior continue. Until one day a relationship expert came on and on-air ambushed Adam into admitting he had feelings for Megan and basically dared Megan to go out with Adam on a date... live-streamed. The date turned into a viral dating show where Adam and Megan alternate between insults and dares, then kisses and make out sessions. As Megan found herself falling for Adam, their producer came with important news... ABC wanted to offer them their own show... a DATING show, the faux reality where they have to get married at the end, with promises of 100K to each person and maybe a real chance to host something bigger. She knew the relationship expert is fake, and Adam was acting. What she didn't know was Adam had fallen for her for real, just as she fell for him...

The romance is clean, and funny as any sitcom, with no cheap laughs except near the end of the grand gesture (you know it's coming). This was like the 3rd or 4th novel I've read with a similar premise (radio co-hosts that are hostile on-air end up falling for each other) but I'd say this was the best among them.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Radio co-hosts that verbally spar on air were forced to confront their real feelings for each other when opportunity called...

Tropes: co-workers, reality show, fake engagement, disguise

Overall Rating: 5/5

GRR Reviews Mistakenly Married (The Married Series) by Victorine E. Lieske

Mistakenly Married is a rom-com with angst featuring one very unlikely couple that somehow made it work.

Penny is jobless, broke, and about to become homeless. When her online boyfriend "William" offered to marry her in Las Vegas, she thought this will save her, and when he arrived via limo, he was smokin' hot, and the marriage was quickly over. THEN she realized she married the wrong guy. This buy is "Harrison Williams", not "William (something)". And while Harrison was in Vegas to get married so he can access his trust fund, he thought he was marrying someone arranged by his brother, not this girl expecting "William". Penny was distraught as "William" actually stood her up... and now she's married to the wrong man, but he was so nice... and when he told her about his needs and promised to pay her 50K when it's over, she reluctantly agreed and went with him to meet his stepmother... After all, what can go wrong?

As you can guess, everything that can go wrong, did. Penny's old job (she's a tribute singer) wanted her back. William turned out to be in his 40's... and married, but STILL trying to seduce Penny. The Harrison found out his trust fund... has problems.

The ending is a bit of deus ex machina which is why this book didn't get 5/5. It is a fun rom-com with just enough angst to make it exciting for you to keep flipping pages.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Man and woman mistakenly married each other; they agree to solve each other's problems, but what to do with feelings of love?

Tropes: marriage of convenience, married the wrong person, triangle,

Overall Rating: 4/5

GRR Reviews Accidentally Married (The Married Series by Victorine E. Lieske

Accidentally Married is a rom-com about circumstances forcing FMC to pose as a girlfriend to a CEO trying to appease his mother, then ended up falling for him for real. While the trope is... well, a trope (fake fiancee real love), this rom com treatment was both sweet and funny.

Madison Nichols, an aspiring actress, is doing... quite badly. With no job, no gig, and no income, she's not going to even have money to pay her half of the rent. After she got a tip about a possible open position as personal assistant to CEO Jared Jameson, she just barged in hoping to score an interview before the position was even advertised. However, there was no open position, and due to a misunderstanding, she ended up playing his girlfriend to his family, a one-night gig, instead of a job. So she sassed him back by announcing to his family that they are engaged. Jared just about saw red, but Madison was outmaneuvering him left and right. Then Jared's aunt, who has cancer, wanted Jared and Madison to marry in two weeks, because she's afraid she is not long of this Earth, and Jared, who fear disappointing his aunt, decided to stage a fake wedding. What they didn't plan on, was for Jared's father to overhear their plans... and set a different plan into motion... For they can tell that Jared and Madison had chemistry... if they will just admit it to each other...

The two actually did have chemistry together, and both had character arcs that they had to travel. He started off as an arrogant jerk and deceitful bastard, but only to reveal that he hired a fake girlfriend just to make his aunt happy. She started off as sassy but a bit down on her luck and prideful, but ended up, well, in love! It's a sweet and funny tale for your guaranteed HEA.

Category: Contemporary / Comedy

Primary Plot: Out of luck actress looking for secretary position ended up as fake fiancee on way to altar with the CEO... is it real or fake?

Tropes: fake engagement, performer, family pressure, disguise,

Overall Rating:  4/5

GRR Reviews Blissfully Married (The Married Series) by Victorine E. Lieske

Blissfully Married is one of those "friends into lovers" trope mixed with a new twist... the girl wore an engagement ring for business reasons, so it's fake engagement to WARD OFF suitors, not in need of a suitor. That's quite fresh.

Sidney is an expert matchmaker, but new clients saw her empty ring finger and bolt out the door. When her BFF suggested that she put on a fake engagement ring and offered up her own brother Ted as the fake fiancee, Sidney can't refuse. Unfortunately, the very next day her one-time crush (and crusher of her heart 10 years ago) Blake came back in town, and Sidney used the engagement ring as a shield, refusing to offer up her heart again. Blake is here to take care of his mom, and was surprised to find Sidney all grown up, but that ring on her finger told him she's not available... Until he figured out the ring was fake... So why would Sidney lie to him? Blake vows to find out...

As many said, the story was a bit cheezy / over-the-top as the lies just get bigger and bigger and chances to explain keep slipping away. But that also ratcheted up the tension, in a rom-com sort of way. Enjoyable read.

Category: Contemporary

Primary Plot: Woman is wearing a fake engagement ring but is also having real feelings for an old crush

Tropes: reunion, disguise, friends to lovers, matchmaker

Overall Rating:  4/5