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Where Vows Collapse: A Billionaire Marriage Betrayal, Second Chance Romance
He built a marriage without love… and broke it with betrayal.
Noelle Laurent agreed to the marriage knowing it was a transaction. A solution. A life decided for her.
Elias Strathmore made one thing clear from the their marriage would function… and nothing more.
No love. No warmth. No promises beyond what was required.
She learned to live beside him. To smile when expected. To stop reaching for something he would never give.
Until the night his distrust causes him to break her heart.
And it’s a betrayal she can’t forgive.
So she does the one thing no one expects—
She walks away.
And for the first time, Elias is the one losing control. But some betrayals don’t come with second chances. And wanting her back might not be enough to make her stay.
Elias isn’t a man who lets anything slip through his fingers—especially not something that belongs to him.
The problem? Noelle was never supposed to matter.
And now she might be the one thing he can’t get back.
The man who never wanted her… might not be able to let her go.
A deeply emotional, high-angst contemporary romance about devastating betrayal, hard-won redemption, and a man determined to win back the only woman who ever mattered.
Arranged Marriage
Betrayal (MMC Kisses OW)
Walking Away / Starting Over
She Falls First / He Falls Harder
Major Groveling & Redemption
Slow Burn Tension → Steamy Payoff
HEA
Noelle Laurent agreed to the marriage knowing it was a transaction. A solution. A life decided for her.
Elias Strathmore made one thing clear from the their marriage would function… and nothing more.
No love. No warmth. No promises beyond what was required.
She learned to live beside him. To smile when expected. To stop reaching for something he would never give.
Until the night his distrust causes him to break her heart.
And it’s a betrayal she can’t forgive.
So she does the one thing no one expects—
She walks away.
And for the first time, Elias is the one losing control. But some betrayals don’t come with second chances. And wanting her back might not be enough to make her stay.
Elias isn’t a man who lets anything slip through his fingers—especially not something that belongs to him.
The problem? Noelle was never supposed to matter.
And now she might be the one thing he can’t get back.
The man who never wanted her… might not be able to let her go.
A deeply emotional, high-angst contemporary romance about devastating betrayal, hard-won redemption, and a man determined to win back the only woman who ever mattered.
Arranged Marriage
Betrayal (MMC Kisses OW)
Walking Away / Starting Over
She Falls First / He Falls Harder
Major Groveling & Redemption
Slow Burn Tension → Steamy Payoff
HEA
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 26, 2026
About the author
M.L. Hall
14 books47 followersM.L. Hall writes angsty contemporary romance packed with emotional twists and hard-won happily ever afters. She loves flawed characters, second chances, and stories where love has to be fought for, because the best endings are never easy.
She enjoys long walks, travel, curling up with a good book, and spending time with her husband, her very own happily ever after.
Follow her to be kept up to date on new releases.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
May 17, 2026
I’ll save you the time of reading this.
Two robots enter into an arraigned marriage. From what I can tell they never consummate the marriage. The expectation is that she marries him and he bails out her father’s company. They barely speak. I mean, like ever. They just exist unless he needs her to accompany him to dinners or events. At those times, he’s the perfect husband. Looks, touches and listens to her as he should but it’s all for show. Without an audience the entirety of their conversations are female robot asking how productive was your day and male robot responding it was good. Boom. Nothing else. He never ever asks her anything personal and she never offers. I’m sure it was discussed beforehand but I skimmed a lot.
A few times they kiss but he stops it. I mean, the entire marriage they kiss maybe three times. Each time he stops it from going further because he’s a robot and they don’t show emotion.
Anyway, he finds out her father lied and he’s in way worse trouble financially. Female robot is aware of this. A man from male robots past has created a fake dossier that looks like her lawyer is colluding with that bad man from his past. It was fake. Instead of speaking to her about it, he sets her up with a very public kiss from a woman the robot wife had shown a bit of jealousy towards. Public humiliation and then the female robot grows a spine and files for divorce. Now, he sees his mistake. She moves out, berates her father finally and starts to move on with her life.
That’s all I got because for a very short book, it was incredibly boring. She does realize she’s in love with him and I’m like…how?! They never talked unless there was an audience and they very rarely spent time together at home. They just existed within the same space. No chemistry. Nothing. Extremely formal and bland.
Anyway, save yourself a few hours because this isn’t the book you thought it was. Even the gut punch was a meh because the robots don’t have depth or warmth or a heartbeat.
Two robots enter into an arraigned marriage. From what I can tell they never consummate the marriage. The expectation is that she marries him and he bails out her father’s company. They barely speak. I mean, like ever. They just exist unless he needs her to accompany him to dinners or events. At those times, he’s the perfect husband. Looks, touches and listens to her as he should but it’s all for show. Without an audience the entirety of their conversations are female robot asking how productive was your day and male robot responding it was good. Boom. Nothing else. He never ever asks her anything personal and she never offers. I’m sure it was discussed beforehand but I skimmed a lot.
A few times they kiss but he stops it. I mean, the entire marriage they kiss maybe three times. Each time he stops it from going further because he’s a robot and they don’t show emotion.
Anyway, he finds out her father lied and he’s in way worse trouble financially. Female robot is aware of this. A man from male robots past has created a fake dossier that looks like her lawyer is colluding with that bad man from his past. It was fake. Instead of speaking to her about it, he sets her up with a very public kiss from a woman the robot wife had shown a bit of jealousy towards. Public humiliation and then the female robot grows a spine and files for divorce. Now, he sees his mistake. She moves out, berates her father finally and starts to move on with her life.
That’s all I got because for a very short book, it was incredibly boring. She does realize she’s in love with him and I’m like…how?! They never talked unless there was an audience and they very rarely spent time together at home. They just existed within the same space. No chemistry. Nothing. Extremely formal and bland.
Anyway, save yourself a few hours because this isn’t the book you thought it was. Even the gut punch was a meh because the robots don’t have depth or warmth or a heartbeat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2026
3.5 Very emotional ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Listen, if you like betrayal and grovel, this is a great story. Is it perfect? No. You’ll definitely find flaws, but the reality is that this is by no means a shallow story, and I have to applaud that. My feelings were engaged!❤️
This honestly could have been a fantastic traditionally published novel with a few tweaks. I genuinely hope we get that in the future. 🙏
The premise:
Noelle agrees to marry Elias, fully aware that it’s a transaction between two powerful families.
Elias makes one thing clear from the very beginning: their marriage is an arrangement and nothing more.
No love, no friendship, no warmth.
And he delivers.🖤
Noelle learns to live beside him. To smile when expected, and to stop yearning for something he will never give her.
Until one night, his distrust of her causes him to publicly break her heart.❤️🩹
And it’s a betrayal she neither can nor should forgive.
So she does the one thing she can: she leaves him with dignity.🙌 I loved that.
For the first time, Elias is the one losing control. He never anticipated the loss he would experience, but some betrayals don’t come with second chances.🖤
The problem? Elias isn’t a man who lets anything slip through his fingers, especially not something he considers his.
The bigger problem? Noelle was done. It doesn’t get any better than this.😂
This was deeply emotional in a short time and super angsty. The writer genuinely has a way with words, and it’s almost poetic reading about such devastating betrayal and hard won redemption.
I’m listing some flaws because this book had the makings of an all time favorite gut punch for a romance reader like me. Not because it was bad, but because it came so close to being epic.
So here we go: A readers dream scenario.
I would have liked more background on the arranged marriage and the parents’ involvement.
I wanted to know Noelle better, both before and after the wedding. At times she felt a little too simplified.
I also would have loved more page time of them being unhappily married because of him.
And yes, I wanted them to have sex, or at least some intimacy in that time frame.
That would have raised the emotional stakes of the betrayal even more. I needed more loneliness, yearning, and emotional pain from Noelle.
Elias’ betrayal was a gut punch, but I needed it to be even worse. More prolonged. I didn’t want him realizing his mistakes the very same night. I wanted more suffering, more isolation, and more time watching him slowly understand why he was falling apart.😁
The spice also isn’t exactly spicing, but honestly I think that’s hard for many newer romance writers.
But the grovel, the comeback was so good. Slow and costly 🙌
Should you read it? YES😁
It absolutely hits the spot, it’s super addictive, and it definitely activates those pesky feelings we all love to chase in romance.
Chance of divorce the second time around? 5%. I actually believe they worked it out.
Does the cover reflect the story? 80%. It has definitely evolved for this writer.❤️
PS:
When I first started reading this author’s betrayal stories, I am pretty sure ML Hall was listed as a man. That has since been changed in the bio.😂
Listen, if you like betrayal and grovel, this is a great story. Is it perfect? No. You’ll definitely find flaws, but the reality is that this is by no means a shallow story, and I have to applaud that. My feelings were engaged!❤️
This honestly could have been a fantastic traditionally published novel with a few tweaks. I genuinely hope we get that in the future. 🙏
The premise:
Noelle agrees to marry Elias, fully aware that it’s a transaction between two powerful families.
Elias makes one thing clear from the very beginning: their marriage is an arrangement and nothing more.
No love, no friendship, no warmth.
And he delivers.🖤
Noelle learns to live beside him. To smile when expected, and to stop yearning for something he will never give her.
Until one night, his distrust of her causes him to publicly break her heart.❤️🩹
And it’s a betrayal she neither can nor should forgive.
So she does the one thing she can: she leaves him with dignity.🙌 I loved that.
For the first time, Elias is the one losing control. He never anticipated the loss he would experience, but some betrayals don’t come with second chances.🖤
The problem? Elias isn’t a man who lets anything slip through his fingers, especially not something he considers his.
The bigger problem? Noelle was done. It doesn’t get any better than this.😂
This was deeply emotional in a short time and super angsty. The writer genuinely has a way with words, and it’s almost poetic reading about such devastating betrayal and hard won redemption.
I’m listing some flaws because this book had the makings of an all time favorite gut punch for a romance reader like me. Not because it was bad, but because it came so close to being epic.
So here we go: A readers dream scenario.
I would have liked more background on the arranged marriage and the parents’ involvement.
I wanted to know Noelle better, both before and after the wedding. At times she felt a little too simplified.
I also would have loved more page time of them being unhappily married because of him.
And yes, I wanted them to have sex, or at least some intimacy in that time frame.
That would have raised the emotional stakes of the betrayal even more. I needed more loneliness, yearning, and emotional pain from Noelle.
Elias’ betrayal was a gut punch, but I needed it to be even worse. More prolonged. I didn’t want him realizing his mistakes the very same night. I wanted more suffering, more isolation, and more time watching him slowly understand why he was falling apart.😁
The spice also isn’t exactly spicing, but honestly I think that’s hard for many newer romance writers.
But the grovel, the comeback was so good. Slow and costly 🙌
Should you read it? YES😁
It absolutely hits the spot, it’s super addictive, and it definitely activates those pesky feelings we all love to chase in romance.
Chance of divorce the second time around? 5%. I actually believe they worked it out.
Does the cover reflect the story? 80%. It has definitely evolved for this writer.❤️
PS:
When I first started reading this author’s betrayal stories, I am pretty sure ML Hall was listed as a man. That has since been changed in the bio.😂
May 6, 2026
Notes for me
Chapter 12-There is cheating. He gives a long kiss to a woman at a gala with 200 people. The purpose was to make sure his wife knew he wouldn’t fall for her.
Chapter 12-There is cheating. He gives a long kiss to a woman at a gala with 200 people. The purpose was to make sure his wife knew he wouldn’t fall for her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2026
I was not a fan of the style of writing. It was like in riddles & almost like reading a philosophical textbook from school or something.
Also, the connection was not there. It all fell flat. How do you go from being this docile woman, who’s barely spoken to her husband, all to claim you’ve fallin in love with him? It didn’t really add up
Also, the connection was not there. It all fell flat. How do you go from being this docile woman, who’s barely spoken to her husband, all to claim you’ve fallin in love with him? It didn’t really add up
May 22, 2026
Tedious arranged marriage—too much description and inner monologues and not nearly enough conversations.
May 12, 2026
It could have been a good book if there were emotions in it too. It felt very bland, emotionless and repeatative! There is a lot of ROOM ... for improvement. The mmc and fmc almost felt robotic. And the conversations between them were hardly few words.
May 16, 2026
This is a review in progress as I’m reading. This book has an overtone of sadness and melancholy. At 33% I think there have been less than 50 words of dialogue.— was you day productive?—- yes—- I’m glad. Ex 2– you don’t have to wait up— I’m not— ex3- Good Evening—- Good Evening.. Basically every few pages one of these same snippets of diary are repeated. That’s problematic. Also I find myself skimming through the busboy aspect/ The thing is we have some interesting characters here that need the breath of life breathed into them. I’m interested but it’s like looking at a cardboard cutout of your favorite actor. So we go through more suspicions from the H Elias. This book reminds me of the songs Lyin eyes by the Eagles and Suspicious Minds by Elvis. Anyways the cheating kiss happens at 45% and it does bring the angst so bravo for that! Moving along to the D-I-v-o-r-c-e I’m hearing Tammy Wynette singing now… guess this book reminds me of a lot of oldies… anyways the angst played out pretty good the n fizzled as the H is puzzling out all the business machinations. Can I tell you one thing? Business is extremely boring to a romance reader. Don’t spend a chapter on what you could say in a sentence. I reiterate.. Business =Boring. Next we get the grovel but it was subpar. She is very proud of staining some oak floors on a book store— when I say very I mean very! He’s proud of her too… I guess it’s the little things!🤣🤣🤣 so she forgives him and they live hea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2026
Totally interesting
This was very good. Yes all the deep thoughts and dialogue are still included but it was definitely better than the last. I hated the hero and her reaction to the kiss was devastating. I was reading it sitting at a bar waiting for my husband and I actually started tearing up so I had to put it down. But then I picked it up again and I was so.proud that she just walked away. Kissing that woman in front of her and 200 other people was just vile. I loved that they took the time towards reconciliation rather than jumping back in. The books he sent her and the quotes were just so emotional and I loved it. The picnic in the bookstore, the old movie theatre, everything he did was perfect. The epilogue was nice. And all the reading about gardening made me curious. I may have to look into that. It sounded fascinating. Just wow.
This was very good. Yes all the deep thoughts and dialogue are still included but it was definitely better than the last. I hated the hero and her reaction to the kiss was devastating. I was reading it sitting at a bar waiting for my husband and I actually started tearing up so I had to put it down. But then I picked it up again and I was so.proud that she just walked away. Kissing that woman in front of her and 200 other people was just vile. I loved that they took the time towards reconciliation rather than jumping back in. The books he sent her and the quotes were just so emotional and I loved it. The picnic in the bookstore, the old movie theatre, everything he did was perfect. The epilogue was nice. And all the reading about gardening made me curious. I may have to look into that. It sounded fascinating. Just wow.
July 19, 2026
A robot marries a cardboard cutout.
Tons and tons of inner dialogue. None of the actions sound like actual human reactions.
(Possible spoilers ahead)
There is zero chemistry between the MCs.
The hero has major trust issues, so I’m not exactly sure why he entered this arranged marriage with the heroine. There’s A LOT of business talk and I just really did not care.
Anyway, these two are married for a few weeks ?? (Timeline is shaky) and the hero gets some information that seems like the heroine betrayed him. Does he ask her? Nah, that’s way too easy. The hero decides to humiliate her by kissing this OW in front of 200 people at…..wait for it….a GALA (😂 it’s always a gala)
Now, does the heroine get mad or show any emotion? Nope. She’s like peace out ✌️
Why couldn’t we have the Jerry Springer show at the gala? At least reading about the heroine body slamming the OW/hero into a table would’ve made it interesting.
How about the heroine finding the first hot guy there and lip locking him in front of the hero? Or maybe the heroine walking up to the hero and kicking him in his balls? Literally anything except being the bigger person while your husband acts like a cheating jackarse.
The betrayal was whomp whomp whomp
Afterwards, everybody is just so damn proper. No yelling, no cussing, no throwing stuff…just proper, civilized conversation. Each sentence spoken becomes this like profound statement of enlightenment or something.
This heroine just keeps thinking about how much she loved him. How? They literally never had a connection. No conversation. No dates. They didn’t even have smex yet. They had ONE kiss. That was it. She spent 98% of her marriage reading books. He spent 98% at work.
So the heroine leaves, files for divorce, then buys a book store. Aargh. I guess it’s a step up from a bakery, though (so many of these books have heartbroken bakers)
Very quickly after their separation, the hero finds out the heroine was innocent and she wasn’t a back-stabbing spy.
He grovels by buying her first-edition books. He takes her on dates. He talks to her. 🙄 They finally have smex.
One year later, they get remarried
It’s hard to feel anything except boredom when characters have no personality.
Tons and tons of inner dialogue. None of the actions sound like actual human reactions.
(Possible spoilers ahead)
There is zero chemistry between the MCs.
The hero has major trust issues, so I’m not exactly sure why he entered this arranged marriage with the heroine. There’s A LOT of business talk and I just really did not care.
Anyway, these two are married for a few weeks ?? (Timeline is shaky) and the hero gets some information that seems like the heroine betrayed him. Does he ask her? Nah, that’s way too easy. The hero decides to humiliate her by kissing this OW in front of 200 people at…..wait for it….a GALA (😂 it’s always a gala)
Now, does the heroine get mad or show any emotion? Nope. She’s like peace out ✌️
Why couldn’t we have the Jerry Springer show at the gala? At least reading about the heroine body slamming the OW/hero into a table would’ve made it interesting.
How about the heroine finding the first hot guy there and lip locking him in front of the hero? Or maybe the heroine walking up to the hero and kicking him in his balls? Literally anything except being the bigger person while your husband acts like a cheating jackarse.
The betrayal was whomp whomp whomp
Afterwards, everybody is just so damn proper. No yelling, no cussing, no throwing stuff…just proper, civilized conversation. Each sentence spoken becomes this like profound statement of enlightenment or something.
This heroine just keeps thinking about how much she loved him. How? They literally never had a connection. No conversation. No dates. They didn’t even have smex yet. They had ONE kiss. That was it. She spent 98% of her marriage reading books. He spent 98% at work.
So the heroine leaves, files for divorce, then buys a book store. Aargh. I guess it’s a step up from a bakery, though (so many of these books have heartbroken bakers)
Very quickly after their separation, the hero finds out the heroine was innocent and she wasn’t a back-stabbing spy.
He grovels by buying her first-edition books. He takes her on dates. He talks to her. 🙄 They finally have smex.
One year later, they get remarried
It’s hard to feel anything except boredom when characters have no personality.
May 12, 2026
Second chance had to be earned after what he did…
Marriage of convenience because they didn’t seem to know each other at all. The MMC, Elias, is one of those cold, analytical people. He totally misreads some situations and punishes her by kissing the wannabe in front of a crowd. She walks away and files for divorce immediately.
The FMC Noelle starts building herself a life after divorce.
KU read and this one had a journey that I enjoyed. I’m still not sure I actually liked either one of them. I did like her mother, who should have divorced her husband years ago. He basically sold Noelle to Elias. That whole thing, along with the Michael Warren thing, didn’t get explained very well. This needed a bit more because it made no sense. Why was the Warren guy stealing information from Elias? There was no reason given…
Marriage of convenience because they didn’t seem to know each other at all. The MMC, Elias, is one of those cold, analytical people. He totally misreads some situations and punishes her by kissing the wannabe in front of a crowd. She walks away and files for divorce immediately.
The FMC Noelle starts building herself a life after divorce.
KU read and this one had a journey that I enjoyed. I’m still not sure I actually liked either one of them. I did like her mother, who should have divorced her husband years ago. He basically sold Noelle to Elias. That whole thing, along with the Michael Warren thing, didn’t get explained very well. This needed a bit more because it made no sense. Why was the Warren guy stealing information from Elias? There was no reason given…
May 20, 2026
My gosh this was a long slog. Noelle is vapid and dull. She's rich, has her own money, walks away from MMC, and opens a used book store that sells rare gardening books - some of which are in foreign languages. The type of store one can only operate successfully if one already has a large fortune.
Elias is dull. When Yvonne was introduced, I thought we were finally getting somewhere. Wrong.
I'm glad Noelle and Elias ended up together because they would have bored anyone else.
Elias is dull. When Yvonne was introduced, I thought we were finally getting somewhere. Wrong.
I'm glad Noelle and Elias ended up together because they would have bored anyone else.
June 7, 2026
I’d compare this to a love story between robots, but I can think of so many examples of robot stories where there was actual depth and emotion, and it feels like a disservice to them to put this book in the same category as them.
This was…not good for me. I hate to say the writing was horrible because there was some merit to it. But I had to take my romance reader hat off to find it. Then I had to take my fiction reader hat off. Once I did that, I found a prose that was overly allegorical and flowery, and it makes me think maybe this author is more suited to poetry or introspective nonfiction. It certainly didn’t work here.
These characters were weak. There was no depth, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why they claimed to love each other when they never spoke…or emoted (honestly, Wall-E has more emotion than they do).
And Elias? What the hell even was that plan of his? He doesn’t want his wife to like him, so he shuts her down in a blatantly public way that really would do him irreparable damage too. I can’t believe I managed to keep reading after that, and I can’t say it was really worth it.
This was…not good for me. I hate to say the writing was horrible because there was some merit to it. But I had to take my romance reader hat off to find it. Then I had to take my fiction reader hat off. Once I did that, I found a prose that was overly allegorical and flowery, and it makes me think maybe this author is more suited to poetry or introspective nonfiction. It certainly didn’t work here.
These characters were weak. There was no depth, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why they claimed to love each other when they never spoke…or emoted (honestly, Wall-E has more emotion than they do).
And Elias? What the hell even was that plan of his? He doesn’t want his wife to like him, so he shuts her down in a blatantly public way that really would do him irreparable damage too. I can’t believe I managed to keep reading after that, and I can’t say it was really worth it.
August 7, 2026
Phew!
What a roller-coaster ride! Gripping, emotional and unputdownable.
A marriage of convenience that gradually evolves into something more. Unfortunately, after previously being double-crossed by an employee he allowed himself to trust, Elias mistrusts everyone - he especially lacks faith in Noelle and won’t allow himself to fall in love with her. It is only after he has betrayed her so viciously does he discover that she had been trying to help him all along. Noelle realises, at the very moment Elias is betraying her, that she loves him. Nevertheless, she cannot overlook his despicable behaviour, she leaves him, petitions for divorce and thrives on her own. Too late Elias realises he loves Noelle and doesn’t want to lose her and so begins his bid to get her back.
The book isn’t without its shortcomings but there is much to be admired - the story is well-written with some beautiful turns of phrase
‘The room unfolded behind her in deliberate beauty. Black marble floors, white orchids, a low gold light that fell on every surface like it had been placed there by hand. The guests moved through it in clusters that shifted and reformed with the choreography of people who understood exactly what tonight was and had agreed, collectively, to pretend otherwise.’
Just the first of many beautifully descriptive images which appear throughout the book.
Elias is an unsympathetic character until after the divorce and his recognition that he has lost something precious, he then comes into his own. I adore his attempts to win Noelle back, his devastation when he realises her resolve, and that he may never regain her trust and affection.
Noelle is amazingly calm at all times. She has been trained by her mother never to allow her feelings to show on her face. Even after the humiliation Elias puts her through she remains admirably dignified. I like the way she doesn’t allow her feelings to swamp her, she finds another outlet and concentrates on making it a success.
An extremely emotional and heartrending book that is well paced - it is a long while before Noelle allows Elias back into her life and even then she takes it slowly, gradually rebuilding her trust in him. She also works towards forgiving her father. We see growth in both Elias and Noelle, they each recognise within themselves a need for change and gradually work on their inner fears and resentments. There is also a wonderfully fulfilling epilogue.
What a roller-coaster ride! Gripping, emotional and unputdownable.
A marriage of convenience that gradually evolves into something more. Unfortunately, after previously being double-crossed by an employee he allowed himself to trust, Elias mistrusts everyone - he especially lacks faith in Noelle and won’t allow himself to fall in love with her. It is only after he has betrayed her so viciously does he discover that she had been trying to help him all along. Noelle realises, at the very moment Elias is betraying her, that she loves him. Nevertheless, she cannot overlook his despicable behaviour, she leaves him, petitions for divorce and thrives on her own. Too late Elias realises he loves Noelle and doesn’t want to lose her and so begins his bid to get her back.
The book isn’t without its shortcomings but there is much to be admired - the story is well-written with some beautiful turns of phrase
‘The room unfolded behind her in deliberate beauty. Black marble floors, white orchids, a low gold light that fell on every surface like it had been placed there by hand. The guests moved through it in clusters that shifted and reformed with the choreography of people who understood exactly what tonight was and had agreed, collectively, to pretend otherwise.’
Just the first of many beautifully descriptive images which appear throughout the book.
Elias is an unsympathetic character until after the divorce and his recognition that he has lost something precious, he then comes into his own. I adore his attempts to win Noelle back, his devastation when he realises her resolve, and that he may never regain her trust and affection.
Noelle is amazingly calm at all times. She has been trained by her mother never to allow her feelings to show on her face. Even after the humiliation Elias puts her through she remains admirably dignified. I like the way she doesn’t allow her feelings to swamp her, she finds another outlet and concentrates on making it a success.
An extremely emotional and heartrending book that is well paced - it is a long while before Noelle allows Elias back into her life and even then she takes it slowly, gradually rebuilding her trust in him. She also works towards forgiving her father. We see growth in both Elias and Noelle, they each recognise within themselves a need for change and gradually work on their inner fears and resentments. There is also a wonderfully fulfilling epilogue.
June 16, 2026
It was like reading about robotic humans. I couldn't connect with the world building or the lives being portrayed. Not because I am not a billionaire but because I am human. There was no human feelings involved here. There was no interaction for love to grow, yet I was told there was love within these pages by the author. There was no back story to their lives. It was a very weird read. I dnf'd at the point where she realizes she is inlove with her husband at the exact moment he decides to be a child and humiliate his wife infront of 200 people just so he doesn't get emotionally close to her. This is not a spoiler. If u read the blurp u will see that. Anyway. The emotional depth was zero.
May 27, 2026
Oh my word. I have never been as bored in my bloody life. Are the characters robots? They barely speak. How can they be in love? Also, the writing?! Every line felt like a secret, or part of a blurb. Why am I still wondering what they’re feeling at 30%? I don’t care if the FMC’s face folds away the details of a conversation, certainly not after the millionth time.
June 17, 2026
written by AI
Horrible writing irritating was written by AI. There is no connection between sentences
Either too much details and extra words as homework assignments to write 500 words of something
Then two words line that just a huge indication of AI
Plus the way it describes the behavior no human
Horrible writing irritating was written by AI. There is no connection between sentences
Either too much details and extra words as homework assignments to write 500 words of something
Then two words line that just a huge indication of AI
Plus the way it describes the behavior no human
May 18, 2026
This book is basically:
✨ yearning
✨ silence
✨ suspicious billionaires
✨ internal monologues
✨ long stares across rooms
✨ emotionally unavailable rich people doing absolutely nothing about their problems
And yet somehow I keep reading because now I need to know whether these two eventually:
A) finally have a conversation
or
B) continue silently suffering until the end of time.
NOW… IF YOU STILL PLAN TO READ, GO READ BECAUSE THE REST IS THE SPOILS.
⭐️⭐️½ stars — This book feels like two attractive strangers aggressively misunderstanding each other in silence for 300 pages… even though it’s only 216 pages.
I got 84% in and I still don’t fully understand why these people are in love because THEY HAVE NEVER HAD A CONVERSATION.
Not a real one anyway.
This is less “marriage in crisis” and more:
“two people wandering around a mansion having separate internal monologues while occasionally making eye contact or hand to lower back contact at galas.”
So here’s the setup:
Noelle is basically offered up for marriage by her debt-ridden father, and billionaire Elias marries her despite apparently trusting absolutely no one on earth.
Which immediately raises my first question:
Sir.
If you are THIS paranoid…
WHY are you marrying a complete stranger???
You are a billionaire.
Hire a private investigator.
Run background checks.
Install seventeen firewalls.
Do billionaire things.
Instead this man said:
“I trust nobody ❤️”
and then legally bound himself to someone he refuses to speak to.
Brilliant.
Their marriage consists primarily of:
• separate bedrooms
• emotional constipation
• complete but silent suspicion
• walking past each other in hallways
• Noelle reading books near windows
• Elias staring at her like she’s both poetry and corporate espionage
And somehow this is apparently high level romance.
The entire book feels like stream-of-consciousness narration instead of actual interaction. They rarely talk. They barely touch. They don’t learn meaningful things about each other. He knows she likes books about Ottoman history. She knows he owns suits.
That’s it.
That’s the relationship.
And yet somehow BOTH of them are catching feelings at Olympic speed.
At one point he puts his hand on the small of her back at a gala and the book acts like this man has rewritten the stars.
Meanwhile I’m sitting here like:
“Okay but do either of you know each other’s favorite color???”
Then comes the “betrayal.”
Elias receives a mysterious envelope with photos proving that Noelle met with her family lawyer… at her own house… during a meeting he already knew about…
BUT because the lawyer also met with Elias’s old business enemy, Elias immediately decides:
AH YES.
Clearly my wife is a master spy infiltrating my corporation despite the fact that she spends 95% of this book quietly reading hardcover nonfiction in corners.
Naturally, instead of asking a single clarifying question like a human being, he decides to publicly kiss another woman at a gala for approximately ten business days.
And THIS SCENE absolutely sent me because somehow:
• he’s kissing Yvonne
• making eye contact with Noelle
• Yvonne ALSO makes eye contact with Noelle afterward
• everyone is apparently positioned like a Renaissance painting
I genuinely could not map the geometry of this kiss.
But honestly?
Good for Noelle because she immediately says:
“You don’t have to pretend anymore.”
puts down her drink,
leaves,
checks into a hotel,
and has divorce papers delivered the next morning.
Queen behavior.
No notes.
What absolutely fascinates me though is that she’s devastated because she realizes she loves him…
HOW?
WHY, NOELLE?!?
THIS MAN HAS SAID APPROXIMATELY SOME WORDS TO YOU.
I truly think these two fell in love with imagined versions of each other they created entirely inside their own heads because there is no evidence of an actual emotional relationship occurring on-page.
like i said, this book is basically:
✨ yearning
✨ silence
✨ suspicious billionaires
✨ internal monologues
✨ long stares across rooms
✨ emotionally unavailable rich people doing absolutely nothing about their problems
And yet somehow I keep reading because now I need to know whether these two eventually:
A) finally have a conversation
or
B) continue silently suffering until the end of time.
Then she opens a book store. He buys her books. Which honestly… key to my heart. Elias, I forgive you. You had me at free books.
But he’s already signed the divorce papers, so I quit reading. My final thoughts are.
This is the perfect relationship as is.
1) She got her divorce.
2) She got a bookstore.
3) He’s giving her free books.
4) No drama if I DNF here.
The end.
✨ yearning
✨ silence
✨ suspicious billionaires
✨ internal monologues
✨ long stares across rooms
✨ emotionally unavailable rich people doing absolutely nothing about their problems
And yet somehow I keep reading because now I need to know whether these two eventually:
A) finally have a conversation
or
B) continue silently suffering until the end of time.
NOW… IF YOU STILL PLAN TO READ, GO READ BECAUSE THE REST IS THE SPOILS.
⭐️⭐️½ stars — This book feels like two attractive strangers aggressively misunderstanding each other in silence for 300 pages… even though it’s only 216 pages.
I got 84% in and I still don’t fully understand why these people are in love because THEY HAVE NEVER HAD A CONVERSATION.
Not a real one anyway.
This is less “marriage in crisis” and more:
“two people wandering around a mansion having separate internal monologues while occasionally making eye contact or hand to lower back contact at galas.”
So here’s the setup:
Noelle is basically offered up for marriage by her debt-ridden father, and billionaire Elias marries her despite apparently trusting absolutely no one on earth.
Which immediately raises my first question:
Sir.
If you are THIS paranoid…
WHY are you marrying a complete stranger???
You are a billionaire.
Hire a private investigator.
Run background checks.
Install seventeen firewalls.
Do billionaire things.
Instead this man said:
“I trust nobody ❤️”
and then legally bound himself to someone he refuses to speak to.
Brilliant.
Their marriage consists primarily of:
• separate bedrooms
• emotional constipation
• complete but silent suspicion
• walking past each other in hallways
• Noelle reading books near windows
• Elias staring at her like she’s both poetry and corporate espionage
And somehow this is apparently high level romance.
The entire book feels like stream-of-consciousness narration instead of actual interaction. They rarely talk. They barely touch. They don’t learn meaningful things about each other. He knows she likes books about Ottoman history. She knows he owns suits.
That’s it.
That’s the relationship.
And yet somehow BOTH of them are catching feelings at Olympic speed.
At one point he puts his hand on the small of her back at a gala and the book acts like this man has rewritten the stars.
Meanwhile I’m sitting here like:
“Okay but do either of you know each other’s favorite color???”
Then comes the “betrayal.”
Elias receives a mysterious envelope with photos proving that Noelle met with her family lawyer… at her own house… during a meeting he already knew about…
BUT because the lawyer also met with Elias’s old business enemy, Elias immediately decides:
AH YES.
Clearly my wife is a master spy infiltrating my corporation despite the fact that she spends 95% of this book quietly reading hardcover nonfiction in corners.
Naturally, instead of asking a single clarifying question like a human being, he decides to publicly kiss another woman at a gala for approximately ten business days.
And THIS SCENE absolutely sent me because somehow:
• he’s kissing Yvonne
• making eye contact with Noelle
• Yvonne ALSO makes eye contact with Noelle afterward
• everyone is apparently positioned like a Renaissance painting
I genuinely could not map the geometry of this kiss.
But honestly?
Good for Noelle because she immediately says:
“You don’t have to pretend anymore.”
puts down her drink,
leaves,
checks into a hotel,
and has divorce papers delivered the next morning.
Queen behavior.
No notes.
What absolutely fascinates me though is that she’s devastated because she realizes she loves him…
HOW?
WHY, NOELLE?!?
THIS MAN HAS SAID APPROXIMATELY SOME WORDS TO YOU.
I truly think these two fell in love with imagined versions of each other they created entirely inside their own heads because there is no evidence of an actual emotional relationship occurring on-page.
like i said, this book is basically:
✨ yearning
✨ silence
✨ suspicious billionaires
✨ internal monologues
✨ long stares across rooms
✨ emotionally unavailable rich people doing absolutely nothing about their problems
And yet somehow I keep reading because now I need to know whether these two eventually:
A) finally have a conversation
or
B) continue silently suffering until the end of time.
Then she opens a book store. He buys her books. Which honestly… key to my heart. Elias, I forgive you. You had me at free books.
But he’s already signed the divorce papers, so I quit reading. My final thoughts are.
This is the perfect relationship as is.
1) She got her divorce.
2) She got a bookstore.
3) He’s giving her free books.
4) No drama if I DNF here.
The end.
May 9, 2026
Where Vows Collapse was about twenty-something-year-old Noelle Laurent and Elias Strathmore (his age was not specified, but at one point it was mentioned that "he wasn't a man who second-guessed his senior counsel, and had not been in 30 years", so he was definitely older than 30, and his business was never named).
Six months before the book opened, Noelle's father had entered into some form of business/legal agreement with Elias, but it was never explained why Noelle had to marry him. It wasn't a business merger between their families, and it definitely was not a love match, as they had never met before the contract had been agreed upon without her knowledge. The only thing Noelle (and the reader) ever knew was that her father had said the marriage was necessary. (The author included the information that her father was in some kind of financial distress, but that didn't explain where the marriage contract fit into the scenario.)
For the first five weeks of their marriage, she made an effort, albeit an unconscious one, to be present for her husband, to make the marriage work. Until one night when she waited so long that, upon his eventual arrival home, he told her that her efforts were unnecessary. It was at that point she realized everything she had done was in vain, and stopped trying to make the best of the situation. She didn't withdraw completely, though. She still made herself available when he needed her to, still talked about what he determined was important. She just left everything else out.
Several weeks later, they were attending an event when a woman named Yvonne approached them. Although Elias introduced them, he didn't do so the way he did with everyone else: he didn't acknowledge her as his wife.
While Noelle knew there were things Elias was keeping from her, she was also aware that he didn't trust her. The longer they were married, the more apparent that became, until it reached the point that, when he believed she was working against him, and that he believed she had been betraying him all along, he finally did something irreversible to destroy their marriage.
It wasn't until several months into the marriage that everything came to a head. There was another Gala, at which Elias deliberately publicly betrayed and humiliated Noelle in such a way that caused her to decide enough was enough, and she left him standing with 200 people watching. She didn't return home, and although Elias noted her absence, he fully expected her to because that's what she was raised to do...to always return. Instead, he learned he had miscalculated and misjudged his wife from the moment he met her until the moment she walked away.
This story had a ton of angst, drama, betrayal, and an emotional rollercoaster worthy of high praise for its accuracy. The push/pull between the two main characters was indefinable but interesting to watch play out. The conflict was the only real issue I had with the story, and that's because it was disproportionate to the necessary storyline.
Both main characters were well developed, but the FMC was by far more mature than the MMC, who seemed to have been stunted in his growth from something that had happened many years before he ever met the FMC. However, he was allotted the growth necessary to make him redeemable...barely.
I gave this a three-and-a-half-star rating, rounded up to four. It was drawn out too long, needed some tweaking, some clarification in certain spots, and definitely some editing/proofreading to clear up the horrible grammatical injustices speckled throughout the story.
Six months before the book opened, Noelle's father had entered into some form of business/legal agreement with Elias, but it was never explained why Noelle had to marry him. It wasn't a business merger between their families, and it definitely was not a love match, as they had never met before the contract had been agreed upon without her knowledge. The only thing Noelle (and the reader) ever knew was that her father had said the marriage was necessary. (The author included the information that her father was in some kind of financial distress, but that didn't explain where the marriage contract fit into the scenario.)
For the first five weeks of their marriage, she made an effort, albeit an unconscious one, to be present for her husband, to make the marriage work. Until one night when she waited so long that, upon his eventual arrival home, he told her that her efforts were unnecessary. It was at that point she realized everything she had done was in vain, and stopped trying to make the best of the situation. She didn't withdraw completely, though. She still made herself available when he needed her to, still talked about what he determined was important. She just left everything else out.
Several weeks later, they were attending an event when a woman named Yvonne approached them. Although Elias introduced them, he didn't do so the way he did with everyone else: he didn't acknowledge her as his wife.
While Noelle knew there were things Elias was keeping from her, she was also aware that he didn't trust her. The longer they were married, the more apparent that became, until it reached the point that, when he believed she was working against him, and that he believed she had been betraying him all along, he finally did something irreversible to destroy their marriage.
It wasn't until several months into the marriage that everything came to a head. There was another Gala, at which Elias deliberately publicly betrayed and humiliated Noelle in such a way that caused her to decide enough was enough, and she left him standing with 200 people watching. She didn't return home, and although Elias noted her absence, he fully expected her to because that's what she was raised to do...to always return. Instead, he learned he had miscalculated and misjudged his wife from the moment he met her until the moment she walked away.
This story had a ton of angst, drama, betrayal, and an emotional rollercoaster worthy of high praise for its accuracy. The push/pull between the two main characters was indefinable but interesting to watch play out. The conflict was the only real issue I had with the story, and that's because it was disproportionate to the necessary storyline.
Both main characters were well developed, but the FMC was by far more mature than the MMC, who seemed to have been stunted in his growth from something that had happened many years before he ever met the FMC. However, he was allotted the growth necessary to make him redeemable...barely.
I gave this a three-and-a-half-star rating, rounded up to four. It was drawn out too long, needed some tweaking, some clarification in certain spots, and definitely some editing/proofreading to clear up the horrible grammatical injustices speckled throughout the story.
May 17, 2026
I was disappointed and couldn't finish the book. It has an amazing cover and the storyline could've been amazing if only it wasn't written in such a cold and detached manner. Sentences were at times short and abrupt. At times the content felt confusing and a few details in the book was repeated unnecessarily, as if to make up for word count. It felt VERY formal and UNROMANTIC, robotic if you will.
I don't often give bad reviews on books because as the saying goes...."If you can't do better, then..." so I would like to leave this review as constructive criticism and not as an insult to the work the author has put into the book.
I don't often give bad reviews on books because as the saying goes...."If you can't do better, then..." so I would like to leave this review as constructive criticism and not as an insult to the work the author has put into the book.
Did Not Finish
July 7, 2026I just don’t see how they can have any affection towards each other when they only exchanged like 15 sentences with one another over 5 months.
The concept is fun, but I didn’t feel much. I think this would’ve benefited from more dialogue
The concept is fun, but I didn’t feel much. I think this would’ve benefited from more dialogue
May 11, 2026
Liked this one.
Other woman drama, he kisses other woman publicly to make a point but later regrets it.
Very honest conversations.
Other woman drama, he kisses other woman publicly to make a point but later regrets it.
Very honest conversations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2026
I really enjoy previous books by this author
I stopped at chapter 12 and could no longer believe this book had absolutely no character development at all these two had no friends no experiences that we were given no insight into who they were or what they did day to day
I stopped at chapter 12 and could no longer believe this book had absolutely no character development at all these two had no friends no experiences that we were given no insight into who they were or what they did day to day
June 17, 2026
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t want to be the person pointing out potential AI or AI assisted stories, but lately I’m finding it harder to finish a book, where the writing doesn’t feel choppy, and the conversations robotic and stilted with no emotions. But this is another one
I actually gave up at 89% because I didn’t want to label another one ‘did not finish’ so only 11% to go is a pass yeah?
I actually gave up at 89% because I didn’t want to label another one ‘did not finish’ so only 11% to go is a pass yeah?
May 25, 2026
This would have been so much better if she had an editor or better writing skills. Literally, every other sentence was like this: “They acknowledged that the thing he'd done couldn't be undone, and they proposed, in the language of a man asking for something he didn't, strictly, deserve, that the two of them might nonetheless attempt, together, to live in a version of their life in which the thing had been done and was being lived with rather than refused.” You do not need all of these commas and extra random words don’t need to be in the sentence. Write in complete sentences. I was so confused and having to skip those added words to read the complete sentence and understand it. It was like this in the whole book.
July 26, 2026
This read like AI, the MCs were very very robotic, eg “if this then this” kind of logic and strangely methodical behaviors. The book was also repetitive as all hell talking about eyes shuttering and tucking reactions away but not so fast the other MC to missed the change. I’d like to see how that actually happens, because it sounds like one of those phrases that’s used because it sounds pretty and not because it really is possible/means anything. I only nitpick at it because it was repeated no less than 18 billion times. Also all the thoughts/“emotions”/actions revolved around the male MC’s big cheating reveal. There was nothing happening in the background, not really any side characters to add dimension to the plot, and there was no dimension to the Mcharacters themselves. Everything was flat and hyperfixated. It made the flow of the story even rougher.
I think Audible might be uploading stories written or at least strongly assisted by AI, because this is not the only book I’ve come across recently where the MCs read so robotically. Beware.
I think Audible might be uploading stories written or at least strongly assisted by AI, because this is not the only book I’ve come across recently where the MCs read so robotically. Beware.
June 1, 2026
This is an arranged marriage for obscure business reasons. In fact, this whole story is too abstract. I read it and it stuck with me; hence this long review only because the last 40% is different, good, probably because there's some actual emotion in it. (There are small typos in the story. Why don't authors run a simple spelling/grammar check on what they write?)
I looked at the other stories in this 'series'. All novellas; all dropped in the same month; all with the same people on the covers; all with the same plot, more or less; all with repetitive phrasing. I'll try one but I expect it to be the same plot. Possibly AI?
Noelle's father is in financial trouble and somehow this marriage, which he 'forces' her into, is supposed to fix that although none of this is ever made clear. Elias is some paragon of the business world; a tycoon, maybe, it's never clear what he actually does. They meet one time for maybe 5 minutes before the marriage. They are married, maybe spoke two words on the ride back to his penthouse. Then begin an emotionless marriage of mostly silences. He is proud he created his model wife. We never learn who these people are; how old are they?
Throughout the few months of the marriage, they barely speak except for the niceties. "How was your day?" "Fine." He leaves early, returns late. She has nothing to do with her days; barely goes out; has no friends. She reads books. They never touch one another except when Noelle tests his emotional boundaries to see what he will do, because she is trying to figure out if he even likes her. We get more of Noelle's POV as she tries to figure out her role in this marriage. For some unknown reason, she begins to have feelings for him. He is precise and cold in his interactions with her, lots of tiny cruelties, which slowly kills her spirit. She gives up trying to connect with him. We get some of his POV but it's not enough to understand him; he's not a fully developed character.
The first 50% or so of this story is written in such a remote, detached style that there is no way to latch onto this story. It's repetitive narration and her inner dialogue; we learn even less about him. They are both emotionless, tightly masked and controlled. At one point, the word 'robot' came to mind about both of them although we do know of Noelle's pain. Their ONLY communication seemed to be the micro expressions that would flash across their faces. Both are highly skilled at interpreting what those mean; the flash of an eye for a second, the tightening of a jaw, that kind of thing.
"She watched the sequence of micro-adjustments that moved across his face in the space of half a second. "
I did finish this story although I can't say I actually 'read' it. I skimmed most of the first 50%. The writing style was so strange. I was considering a DNF but then, the lights came on around 60%. Now the writing style changes into actual talking to one another! Actual emotions show up. Dialogue!
Elias thinks she's a corporate spy or something, collecting information and reporting to a man named Vander. She doesn't try to hide her meetings with this family friend, lawyer? He thinks it's evidence of her betrayal. He has them investigated; reads reports that he later learns were falsified by his business enemy. He jumps to the wrong conclusions. His revenge is a shocking, devastating, public humiliation and betrayal at a charity gala. This is far more painful than the usual cheating/betrayal.
Good for Noelle because she leaves with her dignity intact, goes to a hotel and never returns to the marriage. She immediately has him served with divorce papers; her 'plan B' which was already set up, just in case. Elias is rather surprised that she didn't return home after what he did. "She'd adjusted her whole life. She'd adjusted since she was a girl. She wasn't going to adjust to this."
I did enjoy reading the last 40% because of her strength, watching her decide she was done being the Stepford wife. She was done subjecting herself to this painful existence and how he treats her. They meet a couple of times for a brief conversation and she makes it painfully clear she wants nothing to do with him. They are divorced.
The rest of the story is how Elias comes to terms with what he did. He realizes he was wrong. The author makes sure we know it too because it's all in CAPS - HE WAS WRONG. I was floored when the author says the only thing he felt was regret! We don't actually see it of course; we are told he is regretful.
He thinks he can win her back, "I'm sorry, I was wrong." He tries to talk to her a couple of times, but she makes it quite clear she'll serve him with a restraining order if he harasses her anymore. She's done even though she is in love with him. I liked how she created a new world for herself, the first time in her life doing something for herself. Sure, she creates this magical and obscure bookstore indulgence but it works for me.
Over the next few months, he watches her life from afar; sees the new Noelle, the real person; realizes he has always loved her. Starts sending her books with thoughtful notes in them. At the next annual gala, he makes a public apology to the people in attendance, owns up to what he did and how wrong he was. Of course it was filmed; she sees it. She begins to talk to him, lets him in. He starts a courtship which, of course, they should have had at the very beginning. Dates, picnics, movies, etc.
Finally, reconciliation and love.
I looked at the other stories in this 'series'. All novellas; all dropped in the same month; all with the same people on the covers; all with the same plot, more or less; all with repetitive phrasing. I'll try one but I expect it to be the same plot. Possibly AI?
Noelle's father is in financial trouble and somehow this marriage, which he 'forces' her into, is supposed to fix that although none of this is ever made clear. Elias is some paragon of the business world; a tycoon, maybe, it's never clear what he actually does. They meet one time for maybe 5 minutes before the marriage. They are married, maybe spoke two words on the ride back to his penthouse. Then begin an emotionless marriage of mostly silences. He is proud he created his model wife. We never learn who these people are; how old are they?
Throughout the few months of the marriage, they barely speak except for the niceties. "How was your day?" "Fine." He leaves early, returns late. She has nothing to do with her days; barely goes out; has no friends. She reads books. They never touch one another except when Noelle tests his emotional boundaries to see what he will do, because she is trying to figure out if he even likes her. We get more of Noelle's POV as she tries to figure out her role in this marriage. For some unknown reason, she begins to have feelings for him. He is precise and cold in his interactions with her, lots of tiny cruelties, which slowly kills her spirit. She gives up trying to connect with him. We get some of his POV but it's not enough to understand him; he's not a fully developed character.
The first 50% or so of this story is written in such a remote, detached style that there is no way to latch onto this story. It's repetitive narration and her inner dialogue; we learn even less about him. They are both emotionless, tightly masked and controlled. At one point, the word 'robot' came to mind about both of them although we do know of Noelle's pain. Their ONLY communication seemed to be the micro expressions that would flash across their faces. Both are highly skilled at interpreting what those mean; the flash of an eye for a second, the tightening of a jaw, that kind of thing.
"She watched the sequence of micro-adjustments that moved across his face in the space of half a second. "
I did finish this story although I can't say I actually 'read' it. I skimmed most of the first 50%. The writing style was so strange. I was considering a DNF but then, the lights came on around 60%. Now the writing style changes into actual talking to one another! Actual emotions show up. Dialogue!
Elias thinks she's a corporate spy or something, collecting information and reporting to a man named Vander. She doesn't try to hide her meetings with this family friend, lawyer? He thinks it's evidence of her betrayal. He has them investigated; reads reports that he later learns were falsified by his business enemy. He jumps to the wrong conclusions. His revenge is a shocking, devastating, public humiliation and betrayal at a charity gala. This is far more painful than the usual cheating/betrayal.
Good for Noelle because she leaves with her dignity intact, goes to a hotel and never returns to the marriage. She immediately has him served with divorce papers; her 'plan B' which was already set up, just in case. Elias is rather surprised that she didn't return home after what he did. "She'd adjusted her whole life. She'd adjusted since she was a girl. She wasn't going to adjust to this."
I did enjoy reading the last 40% because of her strength, watching her decide she was done being the Stepford wife. She was done subjecting herself to this painful existence and how he treats her. They meet a couple of times for a brief conversation and she makes it painfully clear she wants nothing to do with him. They are divorced.
The rest of the story is how Elias comes to terms with what he did. He realizes he was wrong. The author makes sure we know it too because it's all in CAPS - HE WAS WRONG. I was floored when the author says the only thing he felt was regret! We don't actually see it of course; we are told he is regretful.
He thinks he can win her back, "I'm sorry, I was wrong." He tries to talk to her a couple of times, but she makes it quite clear she'll serve him with a restraining order if he harasses her anymore. She's done even though she is in love with him. I liked how she created a new world for herself, the first time in her life doing something for herself. Sure, she creates this magical and obscure bookstore indulgence but it works for me.
Over the next few months, he watches her life from afar; sees the new Noelle, the real person; realizes he has always loved her. Starts sending her books with thoughtful notes in them. At the next annual gala, he makes a public apology to the people in attendance, owns up to what he did and how wrong he was. Of course it was filmed; she sees it. She begins to talk to him, lets him in. He starts a courtship which, of course, they should have had at the very beginning. Dates, picnics, movies, etc.
Finally, reconciliation and love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2026
3.5. Rated PG-13. Contemporary
Marriage of Convenience/ Second Chance.
This was written as someone telling a story. Some dialogue but not much. And wow did our MMC mess up! I didn’t think any amount of groveling could fix it.
My heart hurt in several places. 💔
This book will not win any awards but I found it interesting and entertaining.
Marriage of Convenience/ Second Chance.
This was written as someone telling a story. Some dialogue but not much. And wow did our MMC mess up! I didn’t think any amount of groveling could fix it.
My heart hurt in several places. 💔
This book will not win any awards but I found it interesting and entertaining.
May 19, 2026
characters are robots and lack any depth or personality
The characters lacked any depth or connection. They supposedly fell in love when based on conversations that consisted of how was your day and it was fine. It’s boring and incredibly redundant. Skimmed half of it due to its repetitiveness.
Do not waste your time or money.
The characters lacked any depth or connection. They supposedly fell in love when based on conversations that consisted of how was your day and it was fine. It’s boring and incredibly redundant. Skimmed half of it due to its repetitiveness.
Do not waste your time or money.
May 23, 2026
Clearly AI written
This book reads like a text book on tax law. It's slow, repetitive, and both character's POVs sound the same. There's no difference in their tone.
Disappointing is an understatement.
This book reads like a text book on tax law. It's slow, repetitive, and both character's POVs sound the same. There's no difference in their tone.
Disappointing is an understatement.
May 27, 2026
No encontré de que manera y sobre todo, cuando, se enamoraron si ni se veían jajajajaja. Además la humillación pública e infidelidad no se perdonan o tal vez si, pero no sé olvidan....
A continuación escribo todo lo que pasa en la historia, puros SPOILERS, para poder respaldar mi opinión de que no tenía sentido .
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Empieza con Noelle Laurent arreglándose y diciendo que en pocos días se casarán con Elias Strathmore. Hablan en su fiesta de compromiso y sobre que es un matrimonio arreglado. Se casan, él se apartado y serio, dice que sigan como si nada ocurriera, ella hace un intento, él dice que no lo haga. Pasan las semanas. Van a un evento y se topan con una tal Yvonne, que dice Elias se su amiga. Noelle le pregunto porque no la había presentado, medio discuten y al final Elias se disculpa. Más tarde la manda a casa y él se queda. Elias, que ya había sido traicionado antes, descubre que Edmund (padre de Noelle) aceptó el matrimonio porque está en la ruina y piensa que Noelle lo sabía, no dijo nada y lo traicionó. Cuando se entera que irá a una cena, él también va, la ve con su abogado, Gordon Vander y la está observando. Ella lo invita a ver una película, él la rechaza y ella empieza a dejar de preguntar o esperarlo. Elias está atraído por ella pero no hace nada. Otro día, se besan y él dice que fue un error. Gordon va a ver a Noelle, hablan de deudas y así, accede a no decir nada a Elías para protegerlo, llega Elias y sigue alejándose de ella. Van a una reunión, lo ve cercano a otra mujer y luego actúa con él como matrimonio. Pregunta porque la evita y él dice que no lo hace, ella piensa que no estarán casados para siempre. El ha estado investigando. Otro día, se están besando y así, cuando recibe un papel y la ve como traidora mentirosa, luego la rechaza y la deja ahí, como si hubiesen estado besándose. Van a una gala, juntos pero cada quien por su lado, hasta que escucha murmullos y es por que Elías besó a Yvonne, un beso largo, y luego la volteó a ver. Noelle se derrumbó por dentro, comprendió que lo amaba, aparentando por fuera que nada pasó. Le dice que ya no tiene que fingir y se va a un hotel. Elias menciona que había salido con Yvonne antes pero lo aburrió y no volvió a salir con ella, solo que esa noche le servía para lastimar a Noelle y la humilló públicamente. Esperaba que ella reaccionara de otra manera, se va a su casa y se queda esperando, convencido de que ella regresará pero nunca lo hizo. En la mañana piensa que ella regresará en cualquier momento y se va al trabajo, todo como si nada. Hasta que llegan los documentos del divorcio y Noelle ni si quiera lo tiene que enfrentar, todo es por medio de abogados. Se da cuenta que no esperaba eso. Noelle, regresa a su casa, confronta a su padre y casi casi justifica la reacción de Elías? Que pedo, por más cosas que hubiese hecho el padre, lastimarla a ella era lo correcto? No. Ahora lo culpa a él por "perder" su matrimonio, algo que ni había. Al día siguiente se ven en el juzgado, él quiere preguntar, ella dice que pudo hacerlo antes, no lo hizo y ahora ya no es posible. Le dice que terminaron y se va. Se va a Francia, Elías sigue llamando y ella lo rechaza hasta que va a verla, hablan, le dice que descubrió que el abogado no hizo nada, que solo era amigo de la familia, que Yvonne ya no está en su vida, que lo siente, que fue un error, etc. Noelle le dice que está bien, pero sabe que lo de Yvonne no fue error, fue una decisión para lastimarla. Quiere besarla y le dice que ya no puede hacerlo. Se va. Elias intenta retrasar el divorcio, le dicen que Noelle puso que si se acerca donde ella esté, se considera acoso, y que no aceptan extender el tiempo porque no hay nada que negociar. Elias piensa que actúa como una mujer herida y que ya se le pasará. Noelle rehace su vida, incluso está por poner una librería. Elias la había estado observando, ve que es feliz y quita la prórroga, decide firmar. Le envía libros, con notas, todo diferente, la observa vender sus libros. Sigue una gala y ahí, se pone a hablar sobre lo que hizo con Yvonne y para humillar a Noelle, pide disculpas, dice que se equivocó y que la ama, se va. Noelle recibe el vídeo de parte de su madre y está sorprendida. Elias la invita al cine, diciendo que si no va, lo entenderá y que ya no enviará libros. Noelle termina yendo, hablan y al día siguiente se hablan por teléfono, él envía libros y flores. Ahora son como un noviazgo. Salen a citas, él le hizo un picnic. Un día ella lo besa, duran rato así y se van a casa. Pasan la primera vez juntos.
Al terminar, ella le dice que tal vez fue un error, que necesita pensar y se va. Habla con su madre y ella le dice que haga prácticamente lo que su corazón diga, que no viva con miedo. Va a ver a Elías y le dice que lo ama, que está dispuesta a arriesgarse, se besan, se dicen te amo y vuelven a estar juntos. Ya en el epílogo: Un año después, se vuelven a casar, están juntos y se quieren. Fin.
A continuación escribo todo lo que pasa en la historia, puros SPOILERS, para poder respaldar mi opinión de que no tenía sentido .
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Empieza con Noelle Laurent arreglándose y diciendo que en pocos días se casarán con Elias Strathmore. Hablan en su fiesta de compromiso y sobre que es un matrimonio arreglado. Se casan, él se apartado y serio, dice que sigan como si nada ocurriera, ella hace un intento, él dice que no lo haga. Pasan las semanas. Van a un evento y se topan con una tal Yvonne, que dice Elias se su amiga. Noelle le pregunto porque no la había presentado, medio discuten y al final Elias se disculpa. Más tarde la manda a casa y él se queda. Elias, que ya había sido traicionado antes, descubre que Edmund (padre de Noelle) aceptó el matrimonio porque está en la ruina y piensa que Noelle lo sabía, no dijo nada y lo traicionó. Cuando se entera que irá a una cena, él también va, la ve con su abogado, Gordon Vander y la está observando. Ella lo invita a ver una película, él la rechaza y ella empieza a dejar de preguntar o esperarlo. Elias está atraído por ella pero no hace nada. Otro día, se besan y él dice que fue un error. Gordon va a ver a Noelle, hablan de deudas y así, accede a no decir nada a Elías para protegerlo, llega Elias y sigue alejándose de ella. Van a una reunión, lo ve cercano a otra mujer y luego actúa con él como matrimonio. Pregunta porque la evita y él dice que no lo hace, ella piensa que no estarán casados para siempre. El ha estado investigando. Otro día, se están besando y así, cuando recibe un papel y la ve como traidora mentirosa, luego la rechaza y la deja ahí, como si hubiesen estado besándose. Van a una gala, juntos pero cada quien por su lado, hasta que escucha murmullos y es por que Elías besó a Yvonne, un beso largo, y luego la volteó a ver. Noelle se derrumbó por dentro, comprendió que lo amaba, aparentando por fuera que nada pasó. Le dice que ya no tiene que fingir y se va a un hotel. Elias menciona que había salido con Yvonne antes pero lo aburrió y no volvió a salir con ella, solo que esa noche le servía para lastimar a Noelle y la humilló públicamente. Esperaba que ella reaccionara de otra manera, se va a su casa y se queda esperando, convencido de que ella regresará pero nunca lo hizo. En la mañana piensa que ella regresará en cualquier momento y se va al trabajo, todo como si nada. Hasta que llegan los documentos del divorcio y Noelle ni si quiera lo tiene que enfrentar, todo es por medio de abogados. Se da cuenta que no esperaba eso. Noelle, regresa a su casa, confronta a su padre y casi casi justifica la reacción de Elías? Que pedo, por más cosas que hubiese hecho el padre, lastimarla a ella era lo correcto? No. Ahora lo culpa a él por "perder" su matrimonio, algo que ni había. Al día siguiente se ven en el juzgado, él quiere preguntar, ella dice que pudo hacerlo antes, no lo hizo y ahora ya no es posible. Le dice que terminaron y se va. Se va a Francia, Elías sigue llamando y ella lo rechaza hasta que va a verla, hablan, le dice que descubrió que el abogado no hizo nada, que solo era amigo de la familia, que Yvonne ya no está en su vida, que lo siente, que fue un error, etc. Noelle le dice que está bien, pero sabe que lo de Yvonne no fue error, fue una decisión para lastimarla. Quiere besarla y le dice que ya no puede hacerlo. Se va. Elias intenta retrasar el divorcio, le dicen que Noelle puso que si se acerca donde ella esté, se considera acoso, y que no aceptan extender el tiempo porque no hay nada que negociar. Elias piensa que actúa como una mujer herida y que ya se le pasará. Noelle rehace su vida, incluso está por poner una librería. Elias la había estado observando, ve que es feliz y quita la prórroga, decide firmar. Le envía libros, con notas, todo diferente, la observa vender sus libros. Sigue una gala y ahí, se pone a hablar sobre lo que hizo con Yvonne y para humillar a Noelle, pide disculpas, dice que se equivocó y que la ama, se va. Noelle recibe el vídeo de parte de su madre y está sorprendida. Elias la invita al cine, diciendo que si no va, lo entenderá y que ya no enviará libros. Noelle termina yendo, hablan y al día siguiente se hablan por teléfono, él envía libros y flores. Ahora son como un noviazgo. Salen a citas, él le hizo un picnic. Un día ella lo besa, duran rato así y se van a casa. Pasan la primera vez juntos.
Al terminar, ella le dice que tal vez fue un error, que necesita pensar y se va. Habla con su madre y ella le dice que haga prácticamente lo que su corazón diga, que no viva con miedo. Va a ver a Elías y le dice que lo ama, que está dispuesta a arriesgarse, se besan, se dicen te amo y vuelven a estar juntos. Ya en el epílogo: Un año después, se vuelven a casar, están juntos y se quieren. Fin.
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