Unexpectedly Mine

Unexpectedly in Love #2

by Erin Hawkins

Emma

Since the man I thought I would be walking down the aisle with broke up with me, I’ve been focused on my business.

As the designer of Emma Belle Bridal Gowns, headlining the Blushing Bride Convention in Las Vegas has been the highlight of my year. And the legendary editor of The Dress magazine wants to feature me in their upcoming issue?
A dream come true.

And it’s my birthday! Nothing can get me down…except maybe my ex’s engagement splashed across social media.

What’s a girl to do other than drink a truck load of champagne and see a male revue show?
When a dancer pulls me up on stage, the chemistry between us is undeniable.

Forget holy matrimony, I’m going to lower my expectations for one night.
One night that just may last forever.


Griffin

One last night…

After twelve years raising my baby sister, Sophie, and dancing for Las Vegas’s top male revue in order to pay bills and ensure she graduates college, I’m ready to hang up my tearaway pants and start a new life.

My intentions were to protect Emma, a captivating and tipsy woman at the show, from doing something she regrets. With chemistry neither of us can deny, the night takes an unexpected turn and we find ourselves waking up married.

It happens. We’ll correct our mistakes and move on.

But with a viral wedding video, our nuptials end up on Page Six, and Emma needs me in New York to play the part of doting new husband for a career-boosting interview.
I’ll play the part, do what she asks, then we’ll part ways.

Emma’s smart, enchanting and beautiful…and completely unexpected.
But right now, I have nothing to offer a woman like her, let alone forever.

Genres: Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Forced Proximity, Contemporary, Audiobook

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐ This was so good!

This book was not exactly what I was expecting, but it was amazing all the same. Now, I just have to wait for a Griffin Hart to make his way into my life, please and thank you...

RTC!

-------------------------

I just read the first 3 chapters of this book, cause they come as a sneak-peak at the end of Reluctantly Yours and I’m so excited!

Things I’m hoping for in this book:

· First of all, I hope we see Alec cry. That’s it - just ugly cry like reaaaal bad. Cause that voicemail… criminal.

· No shaming sex-work of any kind –ESPECIALLY FEMALE SEX-WORKERS. Please, and thank you. I’m not saying let’s romanticize it either - Just no double standards.

· Chloe & Barrett’s wedding! Where Emma obviously designs the dress.

· Griffin having more personality than just I’m a super-hot male stripper, y’know? Cause right now it’s giving Channing Tatum’s character in Magic Mike vibes… Not that I’m complaining. Barrett was super-hot robot-man hyperfocus on work and no time for real-life relationships. Griffin seems like a character in the brink of a lifestyle change and I can’t wait!

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

***I received this ARC from the author***

If I have said that I loved book 1 with my whole heart, then just know that I loved this one even more.

Griffin is my dream man. A sexy himbo who's sweet and thoughtful and likes to bake and wears glasses to read in bed and is a professional dancer like hello??? When will it be my turn???

I adored every bit of this book. It was sexy and funny and romantic. I immediately wanted to reread it. If you love marriages of convenience, you will really enjoy this story!

6 out of 5 stars 🤍

[Erin Hawkins]

Unexpectedly Mine is coming April 21st!

[Jen ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

This was good. I love the MCs together and how they are mutually attracted to each other. The story is very much insta-love, and I'm always up for that. 

I love how supportive, thoughtful, and in love Griffin (30) and Emma (30) are with each other. How he was willing to put his life on hold to support her and to see her be grateful about it, and when she introduced him to her circle.
 
While I did have fun with the plot, I have to admit that the slowburn almost killed me. I didn't know I'm in for a MZ slowburn pace. Sure, they fooled around, but the actual deed only happened in the second to the last chapter, I think at the 93% mark. Jeez, I don't have that much patience atm.

Also, there's a miscommunication trope and it sure is crap not my favorite. Even though I understood that fear of rejection was the reason, I still hoped they would talk things out like grown adults. 🤷‍♀️ I'm just glad there's no actual breakup and they finally had a conversation.

Overall, this was okay, and I would've wanted a longer epilogue and maybe a glimpse of their lives years later. But that's just me being greedy AF when it comes to HEA. 😂 And if readers are into slowburn, then they should go try this.


Book info:
- Vegas wedding
- Fake marriage
- Forced proximity
- No cheating, opd, breakup
- Miscommunication
- Non-virgin MCs (h - celibate for mos, H - six years)
- Sunshine-Sunshine
- Slooooooowburn (deed at 93%)
- HFN (still married)

[Tetyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Емма - дизайнер, на своє день народження вона дізнається, що колишній хлопець, з яким вона планувала весілля, заручився. Не довго думаючи, дівчина запасається алкоголем і разом з подругою відвідує чоловіче танцювальне шоу, де знайомиться з Гріффіном. А потім стається дещо, що повністю змінює життя Емми.

Гріффін - танцюрист, який робить все, щоб забезпечити свою молодшу сестру. Він добрий, щирий, турботливий, захисний, вміє готувати, а ще до біса відданий людям, яких любить, і ніколи їх не підведе, та готовий повністю перекраїти своє життя заради коханої людини. 

З першої ж зустрічі між головними героями виникає прихильність, хімія між ними була незаперечною. Але вони обоє намагалися тримати себе в руках і бути лише друзями (але хто сказав, що в них виходило😅) 

І я розуміла Гріффіна, який не хотів починати нові стосунки, адже вважав себе негідним, вважав, що йому немає, що дати Еммі, поки він не став міцно на ноги. Емма, ж незважаючи на болюче розставання ніяк не могла зупинити свого потягу до Гріффіна. 

В цілому, це було дуже мило. Флірт, дружба, багато підтримки і турботи, взаєморозуміння, гарячі сцени і відсутність драми. Ця книга ідеально підійде для підняття настрою. 

Спочатку хотіла поставити 5, але зараз розумію, що все таки чогось не вистачило, ніби все чудово, але через декілька днів я майже забула весь сюжет, можливо, тому що все було дуже рівно і спокійно. Коротше кажучи, для мене книга на один раз, тому якщо чекаєте чогось особливого, з несподіваним сюжетом, то це не за адресою. Але якщо хочеться просто розслабитися, посміятися і гарно провести час, то вам сюди

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the sneak preview to accidentally ours book 3 in this series and now im squealing and kicking my feet in the air.

This book itself was super slow burn so if you're a fan, then this book is for you. I wasn't really in the mood for slow burn so it dragged a bit here and there but overall, so freaking adorable. They are just two sweet wholesome characters!!!

[Kiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ROMANCE WITH AN EXOTIC MALE DANCER SIGN ME UP!

-
3.5 stars

As suspected, I loved the whole him being a dancer thing. Mostly ex dancer for the duration of the book. Griffin was as sucpected hot asf. AND HE WEARS GLASSES. And the man satisfied my praise kink!

However, I didn't love it as much as I thought I was going to. Firstly the book was long so I suspected some slow burn or at the least MORE. Griffin and Emma were attracted to each other from the beginning which was nice just once again not what I expected. I didn't expect them to be fighting off their attraction to one another from the get go yet still do 'stuff' with each other in this duration.

I personally think more could have been done with that amount of pages because we got something that wasn't exactly what I'd call mind blowing. The conflict or third act break up or whatever annoyed me to the core because who likes the misunderstanding trope 😭

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down

So much of reading hinges on timing, right? A couple of days ago I read a book where I wanted to beg the characters to talk to each other. This book engendered the same feeling because of miscommunication. Despite that, it’s a cute premise with fun characters and when it says that it’s steamy, it delivers on the steam, whew. That’s with a slow burn to the full act too so lots of not quite all the way there scenes with plenty of hands-on (and other things on) time still. Also, I almost never read stripper heroes but this MMC is fantastic and we only see snippets of two shows, with no on page dancing for anyone but the FMC, so don’t let that hold you back either.

Written in first person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and both are experienced (H has been celibate for 6 YEARS and h for a I think months since her ex broke off their long term relationship).

Some tropes/themes:
☆ Vegas wedding after just meeting
☆ Staying together temporarily (ha)
☆ Insta-connection
☆ FMC works in the bridal industry
☆ MMC worked in a male revue to support his younger sister and law school
☆ “My wife”
☆ Sexy photoshoot
☆ Sexy dancing
☆ Positive friendships (female and new ones for MMC)
☆ Standalone in interconnected series (don’t need to read the prior one)

Emma’s (h) a bridal gown designer in Vegas for a runway show that she hopes will launch her brand into bigger places. She’s still dealing with emotional fallout from the ending of her relationship with her ex, when she sees that he’s recently engaged…on her birthday… She goes out drinking and ends up at a male revue show where she has a meet-cute with the hottest dancer there (of course) on his last night. After-partying turns into accidental marrying and a viral wedding announcement.

I liked Emma and her mostly bubbly personality. She hides some turmoil under the surface and some of her inner monologue eventually wore on me. She was a sweetheart though and she had to experience some growth. Thankfully she ends up with one of the good guys. Griffin (H) was top tier book boyfriend-ness happening. He’s thoughtful, protective, giving, intelligent, and he puts his life on pause to help make their situation right for Emma because an immediate annulment won’t look very awesome for her brand.

Both try to maintain some space, keep things platonic, and they fail, oh how they fail lol. The scenes of them getting to know each other, giving in to their attraction, and the adorable moments really made this book. He bakes for her, they play Twister, she celebrates him. The spicy times do roll in once they start too so plentiful of explicit scenes. Though the author makes you wait til almost the end before they go all the way.

Some aspects I struggled a bit with - at times descriptions felt more like recitations than setting a scene and the book did get draggy for me in places. There’s some great dialogue, but there’s also a lot of inner monologue. And as I said at the start, the dialogue isn’t confessing how they want to make their marriage work until far into the story, even though they’re both falling hard for each other. The third act doesn’t have a breakup but it has some discomfort. I was also disappointed that one of the threads of this was just dropped and Emma never brought it up, even if we knew what happened from Griffin’s POV.

I loved that Emma’s father wasn’t immediately accepting of Griffin, he wanted him to work for it. But Emma’s other family and friends make up for that cold shoulder and truly embrace Griffin. Plus it sets up a lovely moment between Griffin and her dad later. The couple from book 1 are side characters here and were cute. It also looks like Griffin’s younger sister, who was a great side character as well, is the FMC for the next book.

The ending is HEA, they stay married, they’re banging finally lol, and starting their official married life together. A couple of jump ahead time skips show all this, but nothing far out. These two should definitely show up in the next book though and will probably be really sweet. I’m glad I read this!

[sef · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3 stars.


i didn’t finish this book and frankly i don’t care. miscommunication is never a good reason to break couples up and i’m tired of we readers enabling such ridiculousness from authors.

the miscommunication in this is especially grating and annoying like give me a fucking break. it’s just bad writing at this point. i’m so mad i feel like i’ve wasted my time reading this. all for this shitshow of a “fight”.


authors do better. give us fully fleshed out characters for goodness sakes. characters who actually act their age and are realistic. communication can be hard sometimes but when it’s done so badly it makes me question the authors critical thinking skills.

i’m so mad


————————————————————————————

okay i lied. i finished the book. tbf i’m not good at leaving things hanging. i’m upping my rating to a three because the smut in this book was hot and there was 69 yayyy. i always say there’s a strange lack of 69ing in romance books. why do exotic romance authors shy away from this.
anyways yes. the sex scenes got me to up my rating
✌🏿

[aya ‧₊˚✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

the plot was so silly and unserious i'm actually obsessed

[Jeeves Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the hero

With an adorably sexy hero and tropes that felt like they were tailor-made for me, it took no time at all for me to devour this Vegas wedding romance. I was immediately drawn in by the unique setup, and the chemistry kept me turning the pages. These two strangers have one intense moment together that sparks a night of fun in Vegas, and they come together as a team once they realize that they've gotten hitched. I'd consider this something of a black cat/golden retriever romance, as our hero is a total SWEETHEART who would've gone all-in if only that's what our reluctant heroine wanted. I loved the combination of smart and sexy in one cinnamon roll package, and Griffin is one of the best parts of the book. It's also pretty spicy, though I guess you could call it a hot slow burn. It's certainly a hot, sexual tension-filled treat with plenty of tender moments to keep things interesting. I binged it in one sitting, and I've got no regrets.

The story follows Emma, a wedding dress designer who is just starting to get over a bad breakup when she discovers that her ex is engaged - two months after they broke up. Reeling from the information, Emma has a drunken night in Vegas. After having a moment with a sweet and sexy guy, Emma quickly learns that he is one of the dancers in the male revue show she attends that night. And Griffin definitely remembers her. The two have all kinds of drunken fun that night, and they wake up married. But Emma lives on the other side of the country, and getting married to the first guy she's interested in after a breakup is surely a terrible idea. Unfortunately, news of their marriage is already out, and Emma really needs Griffin to put on a show until she can repair her professional image. But faking it with her husband is more complicated than Emma realized, because he's not the kind of man you let get away.

This caught me on a day when I was in the mood for something strangers to lovers, and it did not take long at all for me to get caught up in the romance. While I liked Emma, it's Griffin who steals the show here. He's been raising his little sister for the last 12 years, dancing in a revue show to put both of them through school, and he's finally ready to live life for himself. An absolute sweetheart. He's also got a gruff and protective side that he's been burying for the last several years, and watching Griffin find that side of himself again was really fun to watch. The chemistry between Emma and Griffin was great, particularly at the start and once they started crossing some lines. It was easy to see that they had sexual chemistry, and I'm not sure how anyone could resist falling for a great guy like Griffin. This stayed light and spicy with plenty of forced proximity (they're married roommates!) and a side of fake relationship/marriage of convenience. It was an all-around solid read with some spectacular moments along the way, and I sincerely enjoyed the journey.

[Linna • linnareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun. I loved how everything happened backwards for them, getting married first and then falling in love while having to keep up the image. There were so many sweet moments between them both as they were getting to know each other. You could tell they both saw each other for who they were and happily would do little acts of service to show that. While things move quickly in this one, it works so perfectly for them. It’s a fast burn that turns into a slow burn. The spicy scenes in this one were so unique and hot as well.

Overall a very enjoyable read I finished in half a day.

💍 accidental marriage / fake marriage
👥 close proximity
🛏️ only one bed
🤭 strangers to lovers
❤️ insta love without feeling like it
👏🏼 no third act breakup

dual POV
5/5 stars ⭐️
3/5 spice level 🌶️

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

I love this book! A fun, emotional marriage of convenience/fake relationship love story that is sweet, sexy, and full of chemistry. I love these characters so much, and this book made me so freaking happy.

Emma is a wedding dress designer, and daughter of celebrities, who is in Vegas for her very first fashion show when she learns that her ex-long-term-boyfriend is engaged to somebody else. Drowning her sorrows in alcohol, she decides to let down her hair for once and party while she’s in town – including taking in a male revue show.

Griffin is a dancer in the show. It’s his last night after dancing for over a decade while raising his little sister and putting her through college. He’s been studying law at the same time, and having just taken the bar exam, he’s ready to put dancing him and finally start living his own life.

Emma and Griffin meet unexpectedly before the show and share a moment. That moment gets even more intense when Griffin drags Emma up on stage for a dance, and then when they go out partying afterwards. Griffin declares to himself that he’s just there to protect Emma from getting into trouble, but their chemistry sizzles and wouldn’t you know it, they wake up in the morning married, with their wedding photo splashed all over the internet. And in an effort to save Emma’s reputation, Griffin agrees to accompany her back home to New York and play the doting husband while she closes a big deal for her brand new company, and prepares for an interview which will cement her as a success.

It’s a great set-up, and I loved these two together so much! The attraction is there, and watching them living together, spending time together, and getting to know each other, is an absolute delight! They don’t jump into a real-life romance, but there is plenty of practicing their PDA, and the whole thing has the feel of a slow burn, with lots of sweet moments, epic sexual tension, and growing feelings.

“Your significant other putting in effort should be mandatory. You deserve someone who will put in the effort every day for you. if this was real, I’d do that for you.”

Griffin absolutely stole my heart! The man has a heart of gold, he is the ultimate sweetheart and a bit of a sex god), and I loved how he just lets himself fall for Emma, despite the difficulties it may bring to his life. And Emma is lots of fun. She’s smart and sensible, but she has this relatable vulnerability that makes her instantly likable. Everything between them is so easy, and feels so right.

I’ve been concerned about making him fit into the mold that I thought the perfect husband would be, but he doesn’t need to fit. He is the mold.

It’s all very functional, with very little angst, and their honesty and openness with each other is beautiful. The moments between them may be sizzling with chemistry and sexual tension, but it’s also incredibly heartfelt and romantic, and I was swept up in all of the swoon.

“I don’t feel invisible with you.”
… “You always have my attention, Emma. I don’t know how to not look at you.”

They have quite a bit to work through as they figure out their feelings, what to do about them, and whether they can make something real work between them, but I loved every step of their journey, and finished this book with a huge smile on my face.

“I knew there would be nothing better in this world than to have Emma by my side every day. And I wanted her to be mine.”

I loved this book. It’s sweet and sexy, and made me fall in love. I’m so looking forward to the next standalone in this series, which will be the story of Griffin’s sister, Sophie.

Such a gorgeous read – 4.5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Sue Lino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dove into this book expecting a casual read, but oh boy, did it sneak up on me like a stealthy ninja! I mean, who knew I'd be clutching my pearls at Griffin's onstage? Magic Mike got nothing on this guy! Consider my heart officially stolen. Griffin Hart, welcome to the book boyfriend hall of fame!

From sizzling scenes that could set the Thames on fire to moments that hit you right in the feels, this book delivers the goods. So, if you're up for some Vegas marriage, forced approximation emotions and some seriously steamy encounters, grab a copy and prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

Consider this an official recommendation!

[Denise (inactive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3/5🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
-Fake Relationship
-Forced Proximity
-Slow Burn

At first, I didn't know if this book would live up to the first one in the series but now I'm finding it difficult to choose between the two.

GRIFFIN:
Let's start off with our MMC, Griffin. I've never read about a man so perfect that makes me question all my other fictional bfs. He literally is under the definition of "perfection". He was everything and more. Griffin was a family-orientated, selfless, hardworking man just trying to get his little sister through college. Griffin was a male dancer, like in Magic Mike lol, to say he got my heart racing is an understatement. But at the start of the book, it was his last night working there as he was awaiting his bar exam results. A man who does it all; works to provide for his sister while simultaneously working towards his goal of becoming a lawyer. His connection with our FMC, Emma, was unmatched. I won't lie, I usually do not enjoy the instant connection type of books but something about this one just made it work. There was a pull between them that was undeniable and by the end of the night, they got hitched. To keep it short, he put his whole life on pause just to help his now wife, Emma, with an interview she had which could determine her career in the burial dress sector. He was always supporting her by doing anything she needed to succeed. He was reassuring her in times of doubt and anxiety even when he wasn't sure of what the outcome would be. There wasn't a thing this man wouldn't due for Emma. And I think that was his impact on me because even though they barely knew each other, he could never be selfish with her. He puts real "men" to shame. Also the extra .2 in my rating is just because of Griffin😚🫶🏼

EMMA:
Now our FMC, Emma, a wedding dress designer trying to make it in the industry. My girl really was going through it the day she met Griffin. She had just had a successful show at a Bridal convention and was celebrating her 30th birthday when suddenly she found out that her oger of an ex got engaged 4 months after their breakup. Homegirl had thought she was gonna marry musty Alan so she was devasted. One thing or another, she ends up at a Raining Men show and meets our MMC on a rooftop. Instantly there were sparks and chemistry but she doesn't know he is one of the dancers until she watches the show and basically drools the entire time. Then he pulls her up on stage and things get heated quickly. Okay enough about the story, let's talk about Emma and how I felt about her. I actually really enjoyed her from the first book and loved reading about her personality. Her parents having money never deterred her from wanting to build an empire of her own. She was determined, hard-working, and sweet. I don't think she was overdone and wasn't annoying.

MY NIGHTMARE:
Now what I really want to talk about is the damn MISCOMMUNICATION TROPE that was added at the last 15-20% of the book. Was that really necessary? I can answer my own question, the answer is NOO!! This book was good and dandy, everything going smoothly. Sure they were in a fake legal marriage and there were logistics to consider but they clearly both had feelings for each other, and that were growing by the minute. They just needed to be honest with each other about what they wanted and how they felt. BUT NOOOO, suddenly she thinks he's going to break his heart so she decides to do it first (OKURR girl boss; nobody breaks our heart but wrong moment). And then he's heartbroken and just goes along with her wanting an annulment instead of voicing what he really wanted. They had been "practicing" acting like a real couple to be comfortable around each other during the interview which is the whole reason they were becoming so close and developing feelings. But they couldn't "practice" their communication skills smh. Anyways, I almost wanted to yeet myself when this trope appeared because I thought we were on a road to a happily ever after not on the road to hell. In the end, it all worked out but it was a hell of a ride����

FAV QUOTES:

"She’s everything I could ever want, but I’ve never gotten anything I’ve wanted"

"Your significant other putting in effort should be mandatory. You deserve someone who will put in the effort every day for you. If this was real, I’d do that for you.”

"Tu es à moi"

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so in love with this book and these characters. This accidental marriage/fake dating book follows a romantic wedding dress designer and a selfless revue dancer/future lawyer who decide to fake a relationship after they accidentally tie the knot in Vegas on the day they meet.

Erin Hawkins is a wonder author who manages to mix the steamy with the sweet in such a perfect way. I fell in love with Griffin and specifically how he loves and adored Emma. Their story was so grand and real and I fell head over heels for their chemistry.

Reluctantly Yours is one of my favorite romance books ever and I was so excited to fall back into this world. I highly recommend this whole series!

[Sofía · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay so I feel like wasn't really invested here. In Reluctantly Yours I stayed invested in the development of the relationship. In Unexpectedly Mine the conflict just didn't feel- to me- entirely necessary for them to develop. It felt like the writing was good and the spice was great, but the romance was just a little lacking.

[Katie Tessin · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 44%

This book was just really boring. I’m not following the characters and the plot, and I just really can’t bring myself to read any more.

[Katie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book was so good from the first page, can’t wait to read reluctantly yours 🫶🏻📚

[monica • · Rating 3 out of 5]

griffin is such a cute mmc. overall this was sweet, but forgettable. it was missing something for me.

[✨alexandria✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma & Griffin were very cute. The extremely fast-moving beginning was quite concerning for me ~ however ~ as the story went on, I appreciated the character a development. The way the story progressed was interesting, but also touching at times, and even very endearing. There’s some things that I wish could have either been explained in more detail, or touched on more, but overall - I really enjoyed this !

[Maddie Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5! Who knew that I needed an MMC that was a former-stripper future-lawyer who accidentally married the FMC that was recently dumped by her fiance and hates lawyers. This book was so fun and cute and I loved seeing the relationship go from accidental, to convenient, to love! Didn't know that I like this "married-in-Vegas" trope as much as I do, but I'm not mad at it. I will be reading more in this series.

[Tasneem · Rating 5 out of 5]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

UGH FINALY A 5/5 GOOD BOOK

i literally have no complaints.

their chemistry, banter, everything. 10/10

[Dycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much..
The book is well-written and engaging. I found myself completely drawn into the world of the book, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. IYKYK

[Julie WB · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid 4+⭐️ for me. Enjoyed the premise of drunken Vegas wedding leading to fake/real marriage. Griffen is flawless book boyfriend material. Angst and steam at the same time. Middle got a little repetitive, but I really didn’t mind that much. Just a sweet, low stress read.

[Kelsey Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO CUTE!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
🔥🔥🔥

Emma (FMC) is in Vegas for a wedding dress show where she is the headline. After discovering her ex-boyfriend of over 2 years is now engaged when they broke up for 2 month before, she starts to spiral (did I mention it's also her birthday?!). Emma and her friend end up at a revue on the strip where she runs into Griffin (MMC), one of the male exotic dancers. The connection between Griffin and Emma is instant with him wanting to immediately protect her after running into each other getting fresh air on the rooftop. After a night out of having fun trying to forget, they wake up the next morning and realize they unexpectedly got married. With an extremely important interview that could make or break Emma's career, how will they navigate the fact that they married a complete stranger?

Unexpectedly Mine is your typical cute romcom with quite a bit of spice! I enjoyed this story so much and thought it was different from what I have read lately. It is a major SLOW BURN but don't worry, Erin does a great job teasing the reader with sexual tension between the two main characters throughout the story. I enjoyed the character development of both Emma and Griffin throughout the story as well. Griffin learns it is okay to be selfish and do things for yourself after giving so much to ensure his little sister had everything she needed and more. Emma, someone who has been obsessed with weddings her entire life so much she fits every guy into the forever mold, sees that the person is what truly makes the difference even with an unorthodox Vegas wedding. I found myself laughing out loud at times while others really connecting with the characters story. If you are looking for an easy cute read, this is it! Highly recommend!

Note: This is a second book in the unexpectedly in love series by Erin Hawkins. I don't think you have to have read the first book in the series to read this one BUT I highly recommend reading Reluctantly Yours prior to this one if you have not read it!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much!!!!! This is everything I wanted Jasper Vale to be (drunken Vegas wedding) and more 😭🫠

Emma recently broke up with her boyfriend and is celebrating her 30th birthday/launch of her bridal line in Vegas. She meets Griffin on a rooftop and has a moment with him before heading into see a male stripper show, then realizes he’s part of the act. The night progresses, their connection grows and ends in an accidental drunken marriage at a Vegas chapel.

This was so so good. Slow burn, SO much tension, accidental wedding turned marriage of convenience (my fave trope), forced proximity. It was funny and emotional and sweet and everything I needed. Griffin is my new fave book husband - he’s the perfect combination of quiet & shy and sweet cinnamon roll, plus the dirty mouth helps too 🫠 I really loved Emma too! She really came into her own by the end of the book. The spice was 🤌🏼 I have so many highlights I wish I could share but this was an ARC copy 🫣

This is the second in this series, but they’re interconnected (Emma is Barrett’s cousin) I loved Reluctantly Yours when I read it last year and this was even better for me 🫶🏻 i’m now super excited for Sophie’s story too!! If you liked Jasper Vale but wanted to feel more of a connection like I did, this is for you

[scarlett london · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh to be married to griffin hart and have him call me his wife 🫶🏻🫠

“say something else.”

“tu es á moi.”

“tu es á what?”

“don’t worry about it.”

HIM LITERALLY SAYING “you’re mine” IN FRENCH AND HER NOT KNOWING AHHHHHHHHHH 😭

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read in audiobook 12.18.25:
These two are still perfection. Love the Magic Mike setup, love an accidental Vegas marriage turned marriage of convenience. and WOO, I forgot about some of these sexy scenes! And it took a LONG time for them to go all the way, but they did PLENTY leading up to it 🤭
🎧Narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Robert Hatchet. This was a great audiobook!
My heart wants to give it the full 5⭐this time around... may just have to do that! 3🌶️

From original read may of 2023:
Yes, please!

I really enjoyed this book. Griffin is *chef's kiss*. Emma is likeable. I found myself rooting for them from moment number one.
Good steam. Good flirting.
My only complaint is keeping me from their sex scenes too long! Lol
Satisfying HEA, if a bit too perfect.

4.5⭐

[emsbooklife · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You're beautiful, Mrs. Hart. And you're all mine."
“Tu es as moi”

This book was eventful, spicy, cute, heartwarming, and so funny. Griffin was such a sweet and sexy mmc and I feel like he took the cake with this book, he really had such an amazing turn out, everything that happened for him was well deserved and Emma celebrated him every chance she got so selflessly, because that’s what he did for everyone else, ALWAYS.
I loved their love, everything was so organic between them. This story flowed so perfectly and so real.

10/10 🌶️ 4/5 (shower scenes😮‍💨)
i want to read it all over again for the first time🥹

tropes : marriage of convenience, forced proximity, fake dating