Better Off Wed

Marswood Harbor #1

by Lilian Monroe

Pros of marrying a stranger at first a fresh start, a cute new small town home, and an escape from my spectacular disaster of a life. one bed, one extremely grumpy husband, and zero chemistry. (That last part was a lie.)

Gideon Mars made it very clear he didn’t want a wife. I made it very clear I didn’t need a husband. We shook on it, signed the paperwork, and agreed to share one bed like two reasonable adults who were absolutely not attracted to each other.

Reader, we were not reasonable adults.

When someone began leaving threats around town with my name on them, my scarred, brooding, overprotective husband stopped pretending faster than I could say this wasn’t part of the deal. Which was a problem—because the more he showed up for me, the harder it got to remember why I’d built my walls in the first place.

I came to Marswood Harbor to start over quietly. Gideon was not interested in quiet—because that man will burn everything down before he lets the world touch what’s his.

Hard No is a steamy romcom packed with an arranged marriage, a marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers heat, grumpy/grumpy banter, only one bed, a scarred protective hero, forced proximity, and a matchmaking grandmother who is absolutely not sorry. HEA guaranteed.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Marriage Of Convenience, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Billionaire Romance

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2026

About the author

Lilian Monroe lives in a luxurious jungle treehouse surrounded by lush greenery, with an army of scantily-clad men with rippling abdominal muscles ready to attend to her every need.

No, wait. That's not true.

Lilian Monroe spends her days dangling her feet into her pool, while a scantily-clad pool boy with rippling abdominal muscles feeds her chocolate-covered strawberries and massages her back.

Okay, okay. You got me. That's not true, either. Let's try again.

Lilian Monroe lives at home with her two children, three dogs, and twelve chickens. Her husband likes to work shirtless in the back yard. His sweaty, gleaming abdominal muscles ripple with every movement and he—

I'm sorry. I have to stop. Fine, I'll admit it. That one isn't true either.

How about this: Lilian Monroe loves thinking about men with rippling abdominal muscles serving her hand and foot, and she wants you to think about them too! She is an avid reader, writer, and lover of all things romance.

She loves everything from bad boys to billionaires. Her books are packed with sizzling-hot heat, action, suspense, and everything from second chances to single dads. She hates cheating and loves a good happily ever after (and rippling abs).

Reviews

[Morally_Gray_Nola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gideon and Sadie misread each other from the start — though Sadie has flashes of clarity on that front, they both are clearly lacking in body language 101 skills. If it wasn’t for the sweet, loving, innocent, non-invasive, gentle nudges of Gideon’s diminutive grandmother, Etta — Who I want to be when I grow up, they’d still be two equally scarred, equally lonely souls, living equally alone.
*** Very, Very Good Stuff ***
*** Recommended ***

MMC:
✨Gideon
FMC:
✨Sadie
HEA/Cliffhanger:
✨HEA
Series:
✨Book 1: Marshwood Harbor
Tropes:
👉small town romance
👉he falls first
👉marriage of convenience
👉found family
👉forced proximity
👉protective mmc
👉scarred mmc
👉arranged marriage
Triggers:🛑see content warning page/author’s website for full list🛑
💥18+
💥 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, mf, open🚪sex
💥profanity

[Lisa M Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read

For the first 59% of the book, we had the same non communication going on and on and on. I was about to dnf as it was really getting old. I did manage to finish the book. The villain of the book made no sense and was, in my opinion, unnecessary. Still the writing and story made for a decent read. This will be a series and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This is a standalone.

[Meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was readable.

Both characters are far too insecure and incapable of conversation. They got more whiny and self focused as the story progresses. I really didn’t rate Gideon, looking at his behaviour objectively, he's not a great option. They know each others issues but are too wrapped up in themselves to really support another. Honestly forget the wedding and choose therapy people!

There's no growing bond, until almost 90% these two are far from a united front. Then there's some drama before everything is fine; medical problem fixed, magic-peen for the win. It lost the optimistic second star there.

The mysteries? First was obvious even if it didn't make sense, second completely ridiculous and even less sense. Plus there's foreshadowing done with a sledgehammer for a future character arc.

But there's a Harbour presumably near the sea? With a population of five people beyond the umpteen Mars family members to marry off. For some reason a security firm and not the cops are responsible for town (I think it's a town) policing.

Oh and an epilogue 8yrs later.

[Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super miscommunication trope but it was insta love for the both of them
It’s an arranged marriage, both have a lot of issues and a little abandonment trauma, still the book is funny and entertaining
Safe
Not very smutty
Both mcs are amazing and interesting!
I stopped reading this author because there was never a good grovel but in this book there’s no break up or fight

[Angela Machado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story proves you can heal and fall in love at the same time

Were there so many times where I wanted to scream at each character “OMG JUST TALK IT OUT!” in equal measure? Oh yes. So many, many, (and yup you guessed it) many times. And yet the story was lovely. From the innovative grandmother, to the quirky townsfolk, to this family full of mischief and everything in between, I loved the detail that went into setting each scene. I felt a part of the town, as if I could see it in my mind’s eye, as these two explored their feelings for each other while also solving a mystery. The twist at the end that also confronted the fears of our hero was a full circle moment in growth, acceptance, and bravery. I was so proud of our heroine and how she faced her own demons and bullies. She was very relatable in how the world had picked her apart. I’m so curious about the feud and can’t wait to see more of the story unfold.

[Casi Brook · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 30%
The miscommunication dragged on for too long. Too much internal monologue. Too much self hatred for both characters. I lost interest fast.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes for me

Gideon - scars that he thinks turn Sadie off

Sadie - wedding business. It’s failed because of her ex fiancée.

Opens with Gideon’s Gma Etta meeting with her family. She’s concerned their small town and family heritage is dying out. The condition to inherit her fortune is marriage and children.

Gideon and Sadie met on a dating app Gma put together. Sadie moved to there to marry him. They haven’t even officially met yet. As she walks down the aisle Gideon looks unimpressed and unhappy. Sadie slips on a rose petal and falls. He helps her up saying maybe this is a sign they should call it off. She refuses.

Sadie’s life back home had fallen apart. Her wedding dress business crashed, her fiancée broke up with her. She had nothing to lose. She has a physical issue where intimacy is incredibly painful.

They sign the wedding license but have 6 weeks before it’s filed. In case they change their mind.

Gideon only has one chapter in his POV. However each chapter has a couple of lines at the end on how he’s feeling.

This entire story is miscommunication. Personally it was exactly what I was in the mood for. I enjoyed it! I will definitely read Jack’s story.

Safety

No Vs

She thinks of past partners and how it pertains to her physical issue.

He was engaged before his accident. His ex makes an appearance causing misunderstanding that’s cleared up quickly.

[Vanessa Ouellette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadie feels like an unmarried outcast in her wedding industry family. She also has vaginismus, making intimate relations difficult for her. She's been betrayed, rejected & abandoned by previous partners. Desperate, she enters into an arranged marriage of convenience. Gideon is being blackmail by his grandmother to marry or be cut out of the will. Gideon was scared in a fire & struggles with self-esteem & abandonment issues. He feels that no one can love a "beast" & though the undeniable chemistry between the two is there, they each have to become honest & vulnerable to see the real truth. It's a very sweet & raw love story & though these issues may not impact the reader, I feel they can relate to the self esteem & self doubt issues.

[J Rush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent new series

These books are not going to win any writing awards but they are easy reading escapism. She's opened up a huge door for a series that has scope to just go on forever.

This book - the premise to the story was not bad but fairly superficial. What i find particularly frustrating with this writer is the constant internal monologue and repetition.

Will I continue with the series- yes!

[آثمة · Rating 4 out of 5]

ما راح أتخطى ثُنائي هالكتاب🤌🏻🥹
تخيلو بس، زواج مدبر من خلال تطبيق مواعدة، هي عدها تشنج بالعضلات السفلية وعقدة نقص عن نفسها واستحقاقها، وهو يكره نفسه بسبب الندوب!

بالأول واضح كانت رواية كوميدية وعادية، حسيت كأنه شي عادي، بس الكاتبة مرة عجبتني، حكت عن مواضيع كتيرة، وبعيدا عن البلوت، طلعت غلطانة بالنّهاية😭💔

تخيل يا عزيزي، تلاقي نفسك متزوجه ع اساس خوارزميات تطبيق، وهالزوج يصحى الصبح كل يوم يجيب لك لتيه ماتشا بس لأنك كتبتي بسيرتك ذاتية انك تحبي الماتشا، ومو بس كذا، لا جلس يصادر الماتشا من مدينة ثانية لبلدتهم عشانها بس😮‍💨✋🏻

وفوقها، يسوي لها الفطور، يهتم براحتها، لما يلمسها يتأكد ألف مرة إنها ما بتتأذى، ياخي عسللل عسللللل😭😭😭😭😭🎀
أما البطلة، فحرفيا كانت مهشمة، عدها ندوب داخلية، مُهشمة من الأهل، وحبيبها السابق، ونفسها، لدرجة تشوف نفسها ناقصة، عمري ما حسيت كذا ببطلة، وقوتها وشخصيتها الكوميدية مجرد غطاء عن آلامها🥹💔
حبّيتها جدا، أول مرة أحب كذا رواية، شعوري متناقض عنها بسبب اشياء معينة، ورغم ذا، حبيت كل شيء، علاقة الابطال رغم إنها سريعة شوي بس كانت حلوة، كانت فيها كتير لمحات عن الحب، اكتشاف الذات، تهشيم الذات، كيف البطل مِعطاء، وكيف البطلة تحاول قدر الإمكان تثبت نفسها🥹🎀
I love it, and i'll wait to next book! 😭✋🏻

[Michelle Quintana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

The book started off unexpectedly. Etta is the matriarch of the family and doesn't want to see the town her father built so she devises a plan to repopulate. She was going to set up arranged marriages for her grandchildren whether they liked it or not. First up is her grandson Gideon. He doesn't want to get married so when Sadie arrives at the church and starts walking down the aisle, he is not the most friendliest person. Sadie almost turns around but figures this is her last chance at ever being married. The marriage starts off rocky mainly due to each other's insecurities and not being truthful. This story has angst but also suspense as someone graffities the businesses around town and then someone starts stalking Sadie. I loved the ending of the book and they got their happily ever after. When I first read Sadie's condition, I had to look it up to see if it really is real. Turns out that condition does exist. Learned something new from this book.

[Dee Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome
This was so much more than I expected. It’s full of humour, feelings and brilliant characters. It’s a great start to a new series.
Sadie and Gideon (and Grandma Etta) really kept me entertained. There’s matchmaking afoot to build the town and these two are the rookie couple. They’ve both got some baggage and have a few hurdles to clear, but feelings soon start to grow.
With tension and angst, laughter and tears, miscommunication, slow burn steam, interesting family dynamics, intrigue and healing, this small town romance kept me eagerly turning the pages
I can’t wait for the next book.

[Angela Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the insta love aspect of it even though they both had their own issues of insecurity. Repeatedly. I still enjoyed it.
The one thing I did not care for was the “villain” probably would have made more sense if it was his ex and not hers.

[BLK 13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

just okay. Fine quick read but nothing stands out or stays with you when you’re are done.

[BigRed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this WHOLE book a miscommunication trope? Yes. Did I enjoy myself reading it? Also yes.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was everything I love about romcoms: love, self awareness, smart women, more love.

[Simply Adventures · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I read up to about 52% and then I skimmed through the rest . The non-communications / miscommunication Trope is strong with this book. Honestly it's too much.

The mmc's grandma once her grandkids to have children and Revitalize the town because they haven't had a lot of babies being born and more people are leaving. We're not really told a lot just a family meeting about the arranged marriages we just kind of get thrown in at their wedding where they first meet each other. At this point at least we aren't told how the FMC finds out about the dating app arranged marriage thing we're just told that she did it because she just broke up with her boyfriend who was a shitty person. Then you have the FMC who has feminine issues which I do like being represented I just feel like she had a lot of weird Vibes about it and the way that she addressed it was really kind of odd. The FMC at this point has had multiple times that she's been able to tell the MMC about her medical issue but instead of doing that she doesn't and the MMC takes that as her not liking him because he had been in a fire and that created scar tissue. He is the oldest grandchild of Etta who also owns a lot of places in the neighborhood. Then you've got the fmc's family who apparently deal with the wedding industry and she also makes dresses and such. She closed her business got married but on the questionnaires you chose one out of 10 for the sex area and so did he and she thinks that they connected because of that being a big deal or so she thinks. But basically it's back and forth this whole time and they have 6 weeks from the wedding stay at his late grandfather's cabin and then after the 6 weeks they can decide if they want to file the marriage license or if they want to rip up the license and go back to life. There's also this underlying issue of certain people in the community not wanting people to move in and other people being fine with it. There's this whole Mr titty person who keeps tagging local businesses with blue spray paint and they soon realize it's more than one person doing it and someone is also attacking the FMC because they are drawing on her car or slashing her tire. Its just alot. Oh and then you throw in the fact that the FMC is also now receiving unknown phone calls that she didn't answer cuz she thought they were spam but then she gets a text message basically telling her that the MMC doesn't want her and he saw the text messages and then brought her home but they didn't really do anything about it it was kind of weird I don't know I just feel like if someone was messaging me that I would have been like on top of it not like oh let's just go home and hang out no like what.



Especially since you are also being introduced to every other character that's going to be in other books. Although I do like how they kind of sprinkle some of the pairings into the story but still focus on the primary couple in the book.


"When he spotted Lola being marched into Marswood Security, Connor folded like a cheap suit. The whole story came blubbering out of him—how he, Glenn, and Lola didn’t want to be subjected to arranged marriages. How they’d concocted a plan to make the town look unappealing. How they targeted family properties because they didn’t want to get other people involved, other than a select few who annoyed them. Ivan Popov had been rude to Lola, for example, and Glenn had tagged his shop in retaliation."
...
"Henry kept the gun in his lap as he drove. His movements were jittery, his gaze glassy. His pupils were pinpricks that gave me shivers every time he glanced at me.
“It didn’t have to be this way,” he repeated for the hundredth time. “If you’d just come back to me like you were supposed to, this wouldn’t have had to happen. But you left, Sadie. You left and got married. You shouldn’t have done that.”

[Piper Brintnall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won’t give this book a one star review because I reserve those for books that are hate reads. And I kind of hate to give this a two star review because it did capture my attention and I did read it in one afternoon by the pool. But, there are several things about this book that takes it down from a three star review in which I would say it was a decent read to a solid two star review.

Let’s start off with the biggest trope in the book to me was miscommunication. Someone said in their review that the miscommunication trope went on too long and I have to agree. The entire miscommunication trope is centered around two main characters who possess absolutely no communication skills. The miscommunication between Gideon and Sadie is purely from neither of them being able to express out loud thoughts that they are having. The book is so much internal communication, that it is almost comical.

Then you have the fake marriage trope, which I don’t really love to begin with, but I really don’t like it in this book. You have the matriarch of the family who deems that her grandkids need to get married so that the town can re-populate and not die. But this is a town that is on the coast of Maine and has large mansions that people people stay in for a week or two. So you would assume that there is some kind of tourism business or support that needs to happen for these residence that have the mansions. But according to the grandmother, it is a dying town. So, she concocts a dating app or maybe a matchmaking app. But you never really know how the outsider marrying into the family gets connected to this app. Like, why and how did Sadie get connected to this app that led her to being fake married to Gideon? And how exactly does the grandmother think all of her grandkids having spouses and potentially children keep this town from dying? I mean, I understand that obviously more people getting married means more people in town, but you still need more outsiders to come into town that are not marrying into your family to make the town grow.

Then you have two mysteries going on in the book. As one reviewer said, the first mystery doesn’t really make sense but is kind of plausible and then you have the second mystery which makes absolutely no sense. It is so far-fetched. A little spoiler for you, the second mystery is about someone stalking Sadie and vandalizing/threatening her. And it turns out to be her ex, but there is absolutely nothing that makes sense for why her ex would have tracked her down to a tiny town in Maine in which she got married to a guy there. And why would he want to track her down? It makes no sense.

Circling back to the miscommunication trope, there really doesn’t seem to be a lot of character development or growth for Gideon or Sadie. They are both so insecure about their issues and those issues play into the miscommunication trope and really keep the characters from growing.

This is a read it or leave it book. I don’t regret reading this book, but I definitely have a ton of questions that will never get answered. But I think I’m going to give book two a chance because I kind of wanna see if book one was a fluke or if this nonsense, non-Sequitur writing/storytelling/tropes will continue.

[Dotti Elrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better off Wed
Gabriel and Sadie
Small town, arranged marriage

This was a good story. A quick and easy read that introduces you to the tiny town of Marswood Harbor, Maine. And one very rich and determined grandmother with a plan and an algorithm to revitalize and repopulate the town her family founded. Starting with her unmarried grandchildren.

Sadie has agreed to marry a stranger to escape her family. Being the only unmarried member of a family that lives and breathes all things wedding, she has become the overlooked member. Never good enough, never what any man expected when they date. She’s made herself small and inconsequential. Her underlying health problem doesn’t help. She waits to be left once the truth comes out.
Gabriel has agreed to marry Sadie to save his security business, that keeps him and several other family members employed. Grandma holds the purse strings to the funds he used to start it. Gabriel is the last person anyone expected to be a groom. A fire left not only his skin scared but his confidence as well. He knows people only see his scars. No one looks deeper than his appearance. They don’t see the gentle, kind and loving soul buried deep within him. He’s always waiting for the next person to shun him or turn away in horror.
Until Sadie. She took the time. And loved what she saw. It was lust at first site, that quickly changed to love.
These two have communication problems. Instead of talking they assume. Then walk away. Secretly both are in love with the other. Just afraid to take that leap.
One thing that drove me nuts was the inner dialogue that kept rehashing the same things over and over and over again. It seems to be the writing style of this author, she’s done it in most of the other books I’ve read of hers. Too much over thinking.
That being said, I did like the book. I loved the characters and the family dynamic. No cheating. It’s a great start to a new series. I can’t wait to read the next one.
The story is told mostly from Sadie’s point of view. Gideon gets a little blurb at the end of each chapter. They have a few things that pop up that need solving but eventually find their happy ending.

[Constance Haske · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could have a pile of perfectly good books sitting right in front of me, but show me a book with a scarred MMC and it will rise to the top of my TBR every time. That's exactly how I ended up reading this book. I saw an MMC with burn scars and an arranged marriage to an FMC with sexual dysfunction and suddenly my Sunday morning was booked.

In a dying coastal town, a fierce octogenarian with a host of unmarried grandsons devises a plan to save the dwindling population by forcing her progeny into algorithmically arranged marriages. She's starting with her eldest, a burn victim hero, who sustained his injuries while saving three teenagers from a fire but subsequently lost his fiance because of his altered appearance five years ago. His blushing bride-to-be has scars of her own, they just aren't visible on the surface. She suffers not only from vaginismus, but a lack of confidence and self-worth because of past rejections, her failed bridal business, and an emotionally abusive mother. Both have some of the highest emotional walls that I've seen and their relationship really is touch-and-go for most of the book due to mutual insecurities.

While the story itself is touching and delves into heavy topics regarding intimacy, I loved that the author brought moments of levity into the story with side character interactions, opinionated townsfolk, a gang of helpful motorcyclists, dangerous geese, and a breast-obsessed graffiti artist. I am now emotionally involved and have to see how the rest of the grandsons get paired off. Caroline, my favorite matcha latte making, pulls-no-punches side character better get a HEA in one of them!

Tropes

Scarred MMC
Sexual dysfunction
Only one bed
Forced proximity
Meddling family
Arranged marriage
Blackmail

[Amy Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal beginning!

I absolutely loved this book! It’s time for a new series from Lilian and this one is off to one heck of a start with the tale of Gideon and Sadie! They are set up by his grandmother Etta for an arranged marriage based on compatibility. Etta is trying to bring life back into the town her family has been a big part of and she is using marriage as her tool. Gideon is the first one she targets. He was injured in a fire and bears the scars, thinking they make him broken and unloveable. She is coming off her latest rejection by a man and the collapse of her business. Things are a little shaky to start but soon, feelings start to develop (even if they won’t admit it). But there is trouble in town. Someone is spray painting local businesses and Sadie’s car is being vandalized. Determined to get to the bottom of both sets of crimes, Gideon works with his brothers and other family members to try and catch the culprits. Their relationship is a bit of a roller coaster ride but the two find themselves falling in love but a certain the other is ready to run the other way. When misunderstandings finally get cleared up, there will be one more hurdle to cross when Sadie has the chance to restart her business. It will take some soul searching from them both, a fire and the return of Sadie’s latest ex to get the two of them to finally realize that the love they have is worth fighting for and I love how their story ends! We get a peek at the next Mars family member to be targeted by Etta and I can’t wait to read what comes next!

I read an ARC copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.

[Mrs R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a standalone romance.

Sadie needs a fresh start after her New York business collapsed, and Gideon has been hiding away behind the physical and emotional scars of a past fire. They are thrown together by a meddling grandmother's marriage scheme (and some blackmail).

I found Sadie refreshing, she was a great FMC, confident in herself despite her internal hurts, snarky, and matched Gideon's guarded nature perfectly. She’s a determined woman fighting her own health issues who is just looking for a place to truly belong. I enjoyed the realistic mix of confidence and self-doubt.

Gideon is a protector underneath his gruff exterior. Even though he panics about being unloveable due to his scars and pushes back against his grandmother's matchmaking, he falls incredibly fast and hard for Sadie.

The chaotic family dynamics took a bit to figure out, and I don't trust Etta one bit, I'm convinced she's is up to far more than marrying off her grandchildren.

Local graffiti tagger named 'Mr. Titty' added some humour to the story. And there's also some suspense.

The lack of communication went on for far too long for me, they were both adults and an honest converation would have been enough to shorten this story as it felt too long for the content.

All of the chapter were from Sadie's POV, but will a few paragraphs at the end from Gideon and I enjoyed this more than I thought - I think this was a nice change from multi POV chapters.

💜 Arranged marriage / Marriage of convenience
💜 Small-town romance
💜 Forced proximity
💜 Misscommunication
💜 Grumpy x sunshine energy
💜 Scarred, protective hero
💜 Meddling grandmother
💜 Slow burn to high spice

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Synopsis (No spoilers): In an attempt to save her dying town, Etta Mars, matriarch of the Mars family, devises a scheme to marry off her grandchildren in an attempt to bring life back into Marswood Harbor. Meet Gideon Mars, or Grandson #1, through fancy computer matchmaking software he is paired with Sadie, a failed wedding dress designer from New York. What begins as an arranged marriage of convenience turns into something much more. Sadie isn’t afraid of Gideon or his scars, but Gideon is afraid of being hurt again. What better to bring the two together than a graffiti mystery and a few vague threats? Sadie and Gideon have some things to work out. But, make no tits about it; they are meant for each other.

**My thoughts: I’m a fan of Lilian Monroe, but the lack of communication between FMC, Sadie, and MMC, Gideon, made we want to bang my head against a wall. Both of them kept making assumptions rather than being open, and I get it. People have hang-ups. We all have some kind of trauma or emotional scars. Vulnerability is hard. I hate it, too. And yes, without it, we wouldn’t have had a plot. I just wanted to duct tape them together and tell them to figure it out.

Also, I was almost disappointed that I wouldn’t be getting Dual POV, but I should have known that Monroe wouldn’t disappoint me. I like the little snippets of Gideon at the end of every chapter. Made me want to punch him all the more that he wouldn’t say those things out loud to Sadie. Now, combine all that with a little mystery, and the only thing that could have made this book better is if it had made me cry. Maybe in Jack's book.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed "BETTER OFF WED" given by the author for my honest review its an interesting, intriguing, intense, suspense emotional drama, with secrets, escape, feeling unworthy, danger, keeping you on edge.
Sadie came to Marswood Harbor to get away after breaking up with her ex- Henry & start over quiety
Gideon Mars was a match to Sadie for a marriage of convenience by his grandmother Etta Mars to get his inheritance.
Gideon made it clear he didn't want a wife & Sadie didn't want a husband either especially a grumpy, cold, broody pain in the a** until someone threatened her making him become very protective, making it hard to keep her distance from him, the walls she built to protect herself were falling.
Etta is trying to bring her family closer & targerts Gideon first he was injured in a fire with scars to show for it he needs someone he thinks he broken & unloveable because if it.
Someone is causing trouble in town spray painting Sadie's car, local business's as well so Gideon & his brothers look into who's doing the crime, its quite rocky in the beginning for Sadie & Gideon with twists, emotions, misunderstandings.
Will Gideon & Sadie be able to make an honest go of it with each other especially when her ex-Henry returns & the fire you don't want miss getting this amazing well written journey these two take you on a page turner to the end.

[Adri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two very broken people finding each other in an arrange marriage of epic proportions and both have everything to loose if it doesnt work out.
Personally I think it was love at first sight for them… but it took them a bit to figure it out.
Both Sadie and Gideon are just so messed up by their pasts that they can not see straight.
You can clearly feel the chemistry BUT they keep missingf it…
The things they both been trough and going tough on a physical and emotional level is not to be played off as easy to deal or live with. Ive learnt a bit about some things as wel while reading.
I love hoe the emphasis kept moving to -There are more to relationshops than the physical. Yes it helps to be able to connect on a physical level and not to be underestimated but when you dive a little deeper there are so much more.
I loved this romance. Curious about the MC making an appearance.. Sounds like there might be a story there…

x

“It really freaking hurts to feel like an outcast,” I whispered. “Especially when you’ve got nowhere else to go.”

And that’s when I remembered that I’d told an itty bitty lie on the application. A lie that had seemed inconsequential at the time.

It was fate’s cruelest prank that men found me beautiful and interesting and attractive until they got to know me.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gideon & Sadie - physically and psychologically scarred people who have not had the best deal in their lives so far. After an accident and the aftermath, Gideon tends to keep to himself and is quite happy being alone and keeping it that way. Sadie has had nothing but bad luck with men and is sick and tired of being the odd one out (and the butt of jokes) at family gatherings. She is over it and so ready for something new.

Etta - a meddling grandmother and matriarch of the Mars family - has decided she is not going to let the Mars legacy in Marswood Harbor dwindle to nothing, so decides to give her grandchildren a not so subtle push towards matrimony. Which is how Gideon and Sadie end up in an arranged marriage at first sight.

An excellent start to a new series by the author, told predominantly from Sadie's POV interspersed with insights from Gideon on his thoughts and feelings mainly regarding Sadie. It is well written with some interesting characters (I'm looking at you Mr Titty!) and a dash of intrigue and suspense.

There are a couple of twists you may not see coming towards Gideon and Sadie's HEA . I'm looking forward to the promise of more to come in this series.

I gratefully received an complimentary copy of this book and this is my honest review.

[Ana Gimenes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am trying to find words to describe this amazing book. Sadie was struggling with the damage her past experiences caused to her as a woman and a human being. Gideon had no idea how much his past had changed the way he saw the people around him. Sometimes destiny puts a target on our backs, and it looks like happiness is not an option. But in this case, destiny was playing another game. A matchmaker scheme. A wedding for convenience. Two wounded souls who decided on an agreement. Easy peasy. But their hearts had a way of misunderstanding the deal. While reading, I asked myself if love can heal a damaged soul. Is it possible to believe in someone after bad experiences, or can you give your heart and soul to someone without regrets? So emotional. There are no words to describe this adventure about Sadie and Gideon while they are fighting their own demons. An addictive story. I cried, I laughed, and I enjoyed each second of it. A must-read. Lilian Monroe is a wonderful author. It’s a pleasure to read all of her books.

[Jens_Book_Cubby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Off Wed is book one in the Marswood Harbor Series. It is an arranged marriage, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, found family, small town romance with plenty of miscommunication. The story is told in first person, dual pov.

Sadie and Gideon agree to an arranged marriage, each with their own goals in mind. No feelings were meant to be caught, but when Sadie starts getting threats, Gideon goes into protective mode and feeling definitely start developing.

This was a good read and I enjoyed the story. The characters, both main and secondary were awesome. I really loved Etta, Gideon's meddling grandma. I liked the mystery, the suspense, how both MC's deal with their individual insecurities, and how their relationship develops and evolves. The ending was great, and I loved that they get their HEA. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you so very much to Lilian Monroe for the ARC; all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first book by Lillian Monroe, and it definitely won't be my last.

One of my favorite things about this book was the way the POV was handled. Most of the story is told through Sadie's perspective, with occasional glimpses into Gideon's thoughts. It felt like a really unique approach compared to the more common dual-POV format where chapters alternate between characters. I thought it worked really well and added a lot to the story.

I also loved that both Sadie and Gideon were broken in their own ways. Watching them navigate their struggles and find comfort in someone who understood what that was like was one of the strongest parts of the book. It truly felt like they healed each other.

Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read. I enjoyed my time with it and even though I would recommend it, it's probably not one that's going to stick with me long. That said, I'm definitely interested in continuing the series and already have the next book on my TBR.

[Kari Tidwell (karisbookstodevour) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is just too cute! I love the whole premise of this new series, grandma wants to save her town so she’s requiring all her grandkids get married to inherit, and this first book in the series is just a perfect combination of one long awkward get to know you blind date but like with wedding vows, suspense, a nefarious graffiti artist named Mr. Titties, and sweet romance where the MMC thinks he’s hideous and the FMC thinks she broken. A well done and super fun read!
I loved this. Like end of full stop just loved it. The way Sadie’s vaginismus was written was gold, it was faced head on and hopeful and it was fabulous, and I also loved the way that Sadie never shied away from Gideon and his scars. These two were just wonderful together in a story that is funny, charming, full of almost and want, and a grandma who’s devious enough to find exactly the right match for her grandkids. Highly recommending!