I think my rating is more about Lareina (29) than the story itself. 😅 I had a great time with her, and I really loved her character. I’m not saying Ares (32) is bad or anything; it’s just that I liked her more than him.
Ngl, there’s a lot going on in this story! It wasn’t completely all over the place, as I could still keep up with it, but readers are certainly thrown into a world where events happen on both sides of the characters. It wasn't overwhelming, but it did distract me from time to time since I'm not sure what the main focus was supposed to be.
As I mentioned, a lot has gone on here. As the MCs explored their budding relationship, they were also dealing with their greedy and selfish family members who were always looking to take advantage of them.
When it comes to family stuff, they both had pretty complicated backgrounds. Ares' mom was quite a character, and Lareina's aunt and cousin? They were on a whole other level of wild.
I'm just glad that Ares' dad's side is so supportive and welcoming to Lareina. Before, she was all alone, but once she got married, she suddenly had a family that would always have her back and look out for her.
As for the romance, it was attraction at first sight. If readers aren't into insta-something, I doubt they'll enjoy it, but I like insta-love, so it's all good for me. Even though they've only known each other for a few days, they're already experiencing feelings they've never felt before. The chemistry was there, and I liked how they didn't play a push-pull game. They acknowledged their mutual attraction and didn't hesitate to explore it. 🤭
Lareina is definitely the highlight of this book (for me). I liked her honesty and eccentric personality. And I really admire how she stood up to her toxic family in her own way and didn't let them take over her life completely. It's pretty amazing that after everything she's been through, she still manages to be such a good person and hasn't let her past dictate her future. I was sooo happy when she finally got away from them.
Also, I had fun with her really complying with the "respectful indifference" thing Ares imposed at the start of their marriage. While he was falling fast and hard for her, she was still holding her ground about not being too clingy to him. 😂 It was hilarious watching him get all worked up because she didn't show any jealousy or possessiveness. If only he knew how she really felt.
I really liked Ares; he wasn't a jerk at all. He was protective, helpful, and had his own kind of jealousy going on. I thought it was cool that he noticed right away what Lareina's issue was with food. I think it's swoonworthy when guys just get what their partners want and need without them even having to say anything. I dunno, I guess it just means they're actually paying attention to them. 🤭
I also like that he's not a hoe. 😂 He mentioned he only had four girlfriends, but honestly, I could do without hearing about them every other chapter. I totally get that what you had with them isn't the same as what you have with your wife. But I really don’t need to keep reading that again and again.
Anyway, my review is freaking long, again. I'm going to stop here. But overall, I had a good time with this book, and again, that's mainly because of the FMC. I really loved strong-headed heroines, and I love it even more when they find men who are supportive of what they do and love. I think it's worth reading, and to each their own as always.
Book info:
- Billionaire x Billionaire (she's richer tho) 🤭
- Vegas wedding
- Kidnapping
- Loss of loved one (past)
- Poisoning
- Body scarring
- Nightmares
- Instant attraction
- Physical assault
- Found family
- No cheating, OM/OW, separation
- V FMC, No info on MMC
- HEA (still married)
Notes:
- OW. Not really. Ares' ex showed up a few times claiming she's pregnant with his baby, but that was a lie. She even came to their house to tell Lareina of her "pregnancy," but she wasn't bothered by her at all. Yaas, Queen! Anyway, she was just gone out of the story, and idk what happened to her. He didn't love her and wasn't interested in rekindling anything with her. Also, she cheated on him. Not sure though how long they've been broken up.
- OM. Not really. Lareina's lawyer friend, Ethan, is Ares's rival at a different firm. She didn't know that they knew each other when she hired him. Anyway, they had meetings to sort out her legal matters, and Ares crashed those meetings every time. I mean, he's possessive and jealous that she hired him. 😂
- I normally avoid books with virgin heroines, but this time I did understand why that's the case here. When her parents died (murdered), her nasty aunt took her guardianship because of her inheritance. She was literally their hostage up until the present time. They had been slowly poisoning her since she was 13, kept drugging her to make her compliant, and they hired guards to keep her in line. They wanted to marry her off to her stepcousin in order to gain control of her money. That's why they flew her to Vegas to elope, but she finally escaped them.