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The Reluctant Bride by Monica Murphy
Release Date: April 19th 2022
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
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.
My Review:
She may have been born into one of the countries most elite families, but for Charlotte Lancaster, she is the forgotten daughter among a household full of sons. Her brothers will carry the Lancaster name and not her. That is what her intimidating and angry father keeps reminding her. While her brothers get to have the freedom that they want, Charlotte is ignored and treated with indifference. So she rebelled, which quickly backfired on her.
It’s now more than ever that Charlotte is under the watchful eye of her father and no way of getting out of the Lancaster compound that is her home. That is until her father comes into her room one day to inform her that she is to be married Perry Constantine and the contract has been signed. At first, Charlotte doesn’t like the idea of being tossed around like an object, but it’s her only hope of getting away from her family. Marrying a complete stranger doesn’t sit well with her, until she meets Perry for the first time and realizes that becoming his wife might not be so bad after all.
For twenty-four-year-old, Perry Constantine, being the second oldest son has had its benefits over the years. He doesn’t have the pressure of running Halcyon, the family business. While Perry is out partying and spending the family fortune. It’s Winston, his older brother who has managed to make the company a billion-dollar success. Perry has worked hard to leave his partying days behind him and work for the family business instead. He wants to prove that he can be trusted and reliable. Until his mother tells that he will be marrying Charlotte Lancaster and there is nothing he can do about it to stop the wedding from happening.
He is furious and irritated that he is being forced into marrying someone that he doesn’t know. According to his mom, his wedding will merge the two families and they will be a force to be reckoned against their enemies, the Morellis. Perry has to convince Charlotte to help him end their engagement. Yet, it’s the minute they meet that he is completely taken by her beauty and wit. But she won’t let him touch her and he knows that she has been hurt in the past. There is something about Charlotte that makes him want to make her his and Perry is willing to break down the walls around her to do just that.
I loved reading The Reluctant Bride, this arrange marriage story really had me invested in the story overall and the characters as well. Their chemistry is undeniable from the start, no matter how much neither of them want to get married to one another. For Perry, it’s unfair that the rest of his siblings got to get married for love while he is about to have a fake relationship. But the more he gets to know Charlotte, he realizes that he wants to protect her at all costs. On the other hand, Charlotte might have it all, but her relationship with her father is not the best. The Lancasters are known to be ruthless and be able to open doors due to their wealth/influence. So marrying her to another powerful family takes her by surprise, since she is often overlooked. But things are not always easy and Charlotte’s past has come back to haunt her and she only hopes that Perry is there for her when he finds out about it. The book does end on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to read what happens next! :)
***I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.***
My Rating:
Monica Murphy is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the One Week Girlfriend series, the Billionaire Bachelors and The Rules series. Her books have been translated in almost a dozen languages and has sold over one million copies worldwide. She is both a traditionally published author and an independently published author. She writes new adult, young adult and contemporary romance. She is also USA Today bestselling romance author Karen Erickson.
She is a wife and a mother of three who lives with her family in central California on fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, along with their one dog and too many cats. A self-confessed workaholic, when she’s not writing, she’s reading or hanging out with her husband and kids. She’s a firm believer in happy endings, though she will admit to putting her characters through many angst-filled moments before they finally get that hard won HEA.
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