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The Marriage Raffle #3
Their Bride
All Vanessa ever wanted was to be loved.
Okay, strike that—all she wanted was not to die at the hands of the homicidal maniac who was obsessed with hunting her down—AND to be loved.
Was that too much to ask?
Going to Jacob’s Well and becoming a Lottery Bride sounded like it would make all Vanessa’s dreams come true.
For the first time in her life, she’d have a family. For the first time in her life, she’d have not just one person to love her, but FIVE.
And she’d be safe from the notorious female slave trader, Lorenzo Bernal.
There’s just one teeny, tiny problem.
When the lottery husbands are announced, it turns out none of them intentionally entered. And they want out of the bargain.
*Events of this novel occur at the same time as events in Book 2 in the series but Their Bride is a full-length, standalone novel in the series.
Okay, strike that—all she wanted was not to die at the hands of the homicidal maniac who was obsessed with hunting her down—AND to be loved.
Was that too much to ask?
Going to Jacob’s Well and becoming a Lottery Bride sounded like it would make all Vanessa’s dreams come true.
For the first time in her life, she’d have a family. For the first time in her life, she’d have not just one person to love her, but FIVE.
And she’d be safe from the notorious female slave trader, Lorenzo Bernal.
There’s just one teeny, tiny problem.
When the lottery husbands are announced, it turns out none of them intentionally entered. And they want out of the bargain.
*Events of this novel occur at the same time as events in Book 2 in the series but Their Bride is a full-length, standalone novel in the series.
300 pages, ebook
First published August 5, 2018
1688 people are currently reading
980 people want to read
About the author
Stasia Black
74 books2,094 followersStasia was born in Georgia, grew up in Texas, recently spent a freezing five-year stint in Minnesota, and now is happily planted in sunny California, which she will never, ever leave.
She loves writing, reading, listening to podcasts, and has recently taken up biking after a twenty-year sabbatical (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it). She lives with her own personal cheerleader, aka, her handsome husband, and their teenage son. Wow. Typing that makes her feel old. And writing about herself in the third person makes her feel a little like a nutjob, but ahem! Where were we?
Stasia’s drawn to romantic stories that don’t take the easy way out. She wants to see beneath people’s veneer and poke into their dark places, their twisted motives, and their deepest desires. Basically, she wants to create characters that make readers alternately laugh, cry ugly tears, want to toss their kindles across the room, and then declare they have a new FBB (forever book boyfriend).
She loves writing, reading, listening to podcasts, and has recently taken up biking after a twenty-year sabbatical (and has the bumps and bruises to prove it). She lives with her own personal cheerleader, aka, her handsome husband, and their teenage son. Wow. Typing that makes her feel old. And writing about herself in the third person makes her feel a little like a nutjob, but ahem! Where were we?
Stasia’s drawn to romantic stories that don’t take the easy way out. She wants to see beneath people’s veneer and poke into their dark places, their twisted motives, and their deepest desires. Basically, she wants to create characters that make readers alternately laugh, cry ugly tears, want to toss their kindles across the room, and then declare they have a new FBB (forever book boyfriend).
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November 2, 2022
Slavers, smugglers and cannibals, Oh My!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💛🖤💜💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌏
Character development: ☺️😊😘😍
The heroine(s): Vanessa - She is 23 and has survived on her own in the woods for eight years after the apocalypse. Vanessa has recently come to Jacobs Well Township and is the next woman to get five husbands in the lottery.
The Hero: Logan (a.k.a. Ghost) - He likes to be left alone. He is thirty eight years old and still mourning his wife Jenny.
Michael - a journalist with sensory processing disorder and can’t stand being touched. He watches the neighbor woman every day through his curtains, as she gets undressed and gives him a show with her curtains open.
Cam - An alpha-hole with daddy issues.
Ross - An identical twin to Riordan. He was 19 years old and was the favored twin of their domineering mother, a golden boy who could do no wrong. He spends his free time doing eagle scout activities.
Riordan - Identical twin to Ross. He wanted out of Jacob’s Well and was ready to take off at a moments notice. He was tired of their manipulative mother.
The Story: Logan and a few others are on patrol and hear a scream and find a large smuggler attacking a boy, who then turns the tables and kills the smuggler. They soon find that the “boy” is actually a small woman with short hair. They take Vanessa back to Jacob’s Well and she is entered in the lottery.
When the lottery box goes missing, the Colonel has to do some fast thinking to pick the five men who will marry Vanessa. So she ends up with five guys picked at random from the crowd and it turns out most of them didn’t want a wife. Vanessa just wants a family, to be loved and taken care of since she has been doing it all alone for so long.
She was running from a guy named Lorenzo Bernal who is a flesh peddler and has been going after Vanessa because she was still a virgin and worth a lot of money. She had been caught by him and escaped after three weeks before he could sell her. He has been after her now because she bested him.
The narration was done by Noah Michael Levine and Erin DeWard. I enjoyed both of their voices and I loved the storylines and the diverse characters. The world building was terrific and I like this world despite the fact that I usually don’t like dystopian stories.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💛🖤💜💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌏
Character development: ☺️😊😘😍
The heroine(s): Vanessa - She is 23 and has survived on her own in the woods for eight years after the apocalypse. Vanessa has recently come to Jacobs Well Township and is the next woman to get five husbands in the lottery.
The Hero: Logan (a.k.a. Ghost) - He likes to be left alone. He is thirty eight years old and still mourning his wife Jenny.
Michael - a journalist with sensory processing disorder and can’t stand being touched. He watches the neighbor woman every day through his curtains, as she gets undressed and gives him a show with her curtains open.
Cam - An alpha-hole with daddy issues.
Ross - An identical twin to Riordan. He was 19 years old and was the favored twin of their domineering mother, a golden boy who could do no wrong. He spends his free time doing eagle scout activities.
Riordan - Identical twin to Ross. He wanted out of Jacob’s Well and was ready to take off at a moments notice. He was tired of their manipulative mother.
The Story: Logan and a few others are on patrol and hear a scream and find a large smuggler attacking a boy, who then turns the tables and kills the smuggler. They soon find that the “boy” is actually a small woman with short hair. They take Vanessa back to Jacob’s Well and she is entered in the lottery.
When the lottery box goes missing, the Colonel has to do some fast thinking to pick the five men who will marry Vanessa. So she ends up with five guys picked at random from the crowd and it turns out most of them didn’t want a wife. Vanessa just wants a family, to be loved and taken care of since she has been doing it all alone for so long.
She was running from a guy named Lorenzo Bernal who is a flesh peddler and has been going after Vanessa because she was still a virgin and worth a lot of money. She had been caught by him and escaped after three weeks before he could sell her. He has been after her now because she bested him.
The narration was done by Noah Michael Levine and Erin DeWard. I enjoyed both of their voices and I loved the storylines and the diverse characters. The world building was terrific and I like this world despite the fact that I usually don’t like dystopian stories.
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March 24, 2020
I’ve been torn over this series. I like the world that’s been created here. And I want to see where this story is going but...
I’ve had problems with the female leads. First Audrey then Shay. I’ll admit I didn’t have high hopes for Vanessa. But I wanted to know where the back story was going.
It turned out Vanessa was the least annoying so far. I liked her. I’m not a fan of books where the ghost of a dead spouse hangs over everything. Again this happened here with Logan.
But it was the best so far.
November 12, 2021
Reread 11/12/21
Another home run hit out of the park. There wasn't much of the overarching storyline progressed in this one, but this is Vanessa's story which was a character we met in Shay's book.
I loved that this showed a clan, where things were not going good and everything wasn't hunkydory. From the get go, everything started to crumble and fall apart. Poor Vanessa really struggled with long seeded issues of rejection, when she finds out none of her husbands had wanted a wife or were that happy to have her.
As the clan and the Hs work through their issues, and realize not everything may be as good with Vanessa as she is portraying, we get to see the Travisville attack diversion from the perspective of those still within Jacob's Well. Then the ensuing chaos.
Again Stasia does a great job giving us distinctive Hs in the harem, even when two are identical twins. In this one she even addresses a cognitive/sensory disability in one of the Hs. Even though the modern world falls, these things still are present and need accomodations. It was nice to see how they made it work so that he could be involved and happy, as much as the other men. And then here we go with another twist I didn't see coming. Something that could potentially blow the clan apart. Family looks a little different in the new world, and it's okay to love who you love. It doesn't mean you love others less.
Another home run hit out of the park. There wasn't much of the overarching storyline progressed in this one, but this is Vanessa's story which was a character we met in Shay's book.
I loved that this showed a clan, where things were not going good and everything wasn't hunkydory. From the get go, everything started to crumble and fall apart. Poor Vanessa really struggled with long seeded issues of rejection, when she finds out none of her husbands had wanted a wife or were that happy to have her.
As the clan and the Hs work through their issues, and realize not everything may be as good with Vanessa as she is portraying, we get to see the Travisville attack diversion from the perspective of those still within Jacob's Well. Then the ensuing chaos.
Again Stasia does a great job giving us distinctive Hs in the harem, even when two are identical twins. In this one she even addresses a cognitive/sensory disability in one of the Hs. Even though the modern world falls, these things still are present and need accomodations. It was nice to see how they made it work so that he could be involved and happy, as much as the other men. And then here we go with another twist I didn't see coming. Something that could potentially blow the clan apart. Family looks a little different in the new world, and it's okay to love who you love. It doesn't mean you love others less.
November 20, 2018
I'm still loving this series. Vanessa is a strong woman who just wants to be loved and never abandoned again. She's survived alone is the wilderness and is thankful to finally have the opportunity to have a family. Michael is a very interesting character and I like the solution Vanessa came up with to include him in her marriage. Logan, Logan, Logan...**sigh**
December 15, 2022
2.5
En este libro no hubo nueva información de la trama que me parece interesante, la guerra. Es decir, el spicy no está mal, pero me quedé picada con lo que está sucediendo detrás de la burbuja de pasión entre los personajes.
Supongo que tendré que leer el otro...
En este libro no hubo nueva información de la trama que me parece interesante, la guerra. Es decir, el spicy no está mal, pero me quedé picada con lo que está sucediendo detrás de la burbuja de pasión entre los personajes.
Supongo que tendré que leer el otro...
August 9, 2018
It could be a case of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire when Vanessa escapes the clutches of Lorenzo Bernal only to end up at Jacob's Well where child bearing age women are required to participate in a lottery system to marry five men "til death us do part" and all. Yet, that's what Vanessa wants and needs to be safe in the Post-Apocalyptic world Earth has now become.
Now a married claimed woman, Vanessa is faced with five men who have their own stories. One, still grieving for his long dead wife, one who has 'daddy dearest' issues, two who are twins in their teens who don't want to be married, and one who can't touch her and never will.
Let the honeymoon begin.
* * *
Stand alone installment in the reverse harem series "The Marriage Lottery" with the added comment that there is content that references previous installments which readers would benefit from, but it's not a deal breaker sort of thing if one hasn't read any of the other books in this series. I also think this installment is a bridge of sorts read that moves the series into another direction.
The main characters. This is a true reverse harem based story that does include graphic erotic content. For those who are on a need to know basis: no man on man peenie play at all - it's all about Vanessa and her men though group scenes do result in orgasmic fun for all.
Secondary characters. For frick sake. Sophia. The longer I am exposed to this character and get to know her, the more I DON'T want to read her story, whenever that comes out. TSTL and a PITA come to mind. I just want her gone, or, see her story come out so she just goes away. Commander, Sophia's father, now that one I have a burning need to read and I'm excited as it seems he's next on the block to fall. lol
Overall feelings about this book/story are that the author does have a talent in mixing up characters to make things interesting. I appreciated how clan Washington came together, but only after multiple pitfalls and problem solving to make their marriage work. Then. The twist, oh that twist. Yup. That twist......
Overall this was an enjoyable read that had it's pros and cons for me. I'm totally on the fence of 3 or 4 as certain content fell outside my view of realistic possibles. I appreciated that the world building is a futuristic take on the Old West in terms of technology and creature comfort aspects yet still includes what modern times would have had available up to the time of the Apocalyptic threshold - got me thinking that my own little e-reader isn't safe in the event of an Apocalypse and maybe I should invest more in print books. :)
Now a married claimed woman, Vanessa is faced with five men who have their own stories. One, still grieving for his long dead wife, one who has 'daddy dearest' issues, two who are twins in their teens who don't want to be married, and one who can't touch her and never will.
Let the honeymoon begin.
* * *
Stand alone installment in the reverse harem series "The Marriage Lottery" with the added comment that there is content that references previous installments which readers would benefit from, but it's not a deal breaker sort of thing if one hasn't read any of the other books in this series. I also think this installment is a bridge of sorts read that moves the series into another direction.
The main characters. This is a true reverse harem based story that does include graphic erotic content. For those who are on a need to know basis: no man on man peenie play at all - it's all about Vanessa and her men though group scenes do result in orgasmic fun for all.
Secondary characters. For frick sake. Sophia. The longer I am exposed to this character and get to know her, the more I DON'T want to read her story, whenever that comes out. TSTL and a PITA come to mind. I just want her gone, or, see her story come out so she just goes away. Commander, Sophia's father, now that one I have a burning need to read and I'm excited as it seems he's next on the block to fall. lol
Overall feelings about this book/story are that the author does have a talent in mixing up characters to make things interesting. I appreciated how clan Washington came together, but only after multiple pitfalls and problem solving to make their marriage work. Then. The twist, oh that twist. Yup. That twist......
Overall this was an enjoyable read that had it's pros and cons for me. I'm totally on the fence of 3 or 4 as certain content fell outside my view of realistic possibles. I appreciated that the world building is a futuristic take on the Old West in terms of technology and creature comfort aspects yet still includes what modern times would have had available up to the time of the Apocalyptic threshold - got me thinking that my own little e-reader isn't safe in the event of an Apocalypse and maybe I should invest more in print books. :)
May 14, 2020
Rating: 3.5 to 4 stars somewhere in between.
Personally, I found the twins to be annoying. Too immature. They eventually behaved more like marriage material.
I really liked Michael's character and well-written.
By a fair margin this book in the series I liked the least, but still enjoyed it.
Personally, I found the twins to be annoying. Too immature. They eventually behaved more like marriage material.
I really liked Michael's character and well-written.
By a fair margin this book in the series I liked the least, but still enjoyed it.
February 3, 2019
When you are a woman who is living in a post-apocalyptic world where 90% of women died from a virulent plague, you are a hot commodity. You do everything you can to keep yourself alive and to not be a slave. For Vanessa, that meant living way, way, way off-the-grid and killing anyone who threatened her. When that got to be too much for her, after 8 years, she decided that she was going to to go Jacob's Well. She knew that it was a safe place for women. She also knew that she would have to marry 5 guys, but she was OK with that. It meant that she would have her family and she would always have someone who loved her. And that sounds all great and all, but there's one slight hitch, the 5 guys who won the lottery don't want a wife.
You have Logan, also known as Ghost, who has spent the last 8 years mourning the death of his wife Jenny. Then there's Michael who has a sensory disorder and who can't stand to be touched. Cam is a jerk and has a massive complex because of his dad. And finally, you have the twin, Ross and Riordan who are only 19 and only went to join the lottery because their overbearing mother made them. Ross is her golden child and Riordan has had one foot out of the settlement as long as he could've. So when those 5 come before Vanessa and the Commander, none of them are thrilled to be there. And they all make that known in different ways, which makes Vanessa, a woman who Logan watched kill men the day before, start to cry.
I wanted to smack Logan, because he was making everyone miserable by not handling his issues. You have to deal with stuff at some point. Cam was just an a$$ for a lot of the time, at least in the beginning, but I'm pretty sure that you learn to be that way so that no one can hurt you first. Then there are the twins, who have their own issues plus the whole sibling rivalry thing. It can be hard to deal with thinking that your parent loves your sibling better than you or that the sibling is perfect. I can't imagine how hard it would be if that sibling were your identical twin. Finally, we have Michael. I like Michael, pretty much from the very beginning. He does what he can to be a decent man, and he's the one who does what he can.
There was one particular side character who had a very interesting storyline in here.
I can't wait to see more of this world, especially after what happened in this book and the last book, which happened concurrently.
You have Logan, also known as Ghost, who has spent the last 8 years mourning the death of his wife Jenny. Then there's Michael who has a sensory disorder and who can't stand to be touched. Cam is a jerk and has a massive complex because of his dad. And finally, you have the twin, Ross and Riordan who are only 19 and only went to join the lottery because their overbearing mother made them. Ross is her golden child and Riordan has had one foot out of the settlement as long as he could've. So when those 5 come before Vanessa and the Commander, none of them are thrilled to be there. And they all make that known in different ways, which makes Vanessa, a woman who Logan watched kill men the day before, start to cry.
I wanted to smack Logan, because he was making everyone miserable by not handling his issues. You have to deal with stuff at some point. Cam was just an a$$ for a lot of the time, at least in the beginning, but I'm pretty sure that you learn to be that way so that no one can hurt you first. Then there are the twins, who have their own issues plus the whole sibling rivalry thing. It can be hard to deal with thinking that your parent loves your sibling better than you or that the sibling is perfect. I can't imagine how hard it would be if that sibling were your identical twin. Finally, we have Michael. I like Michael, pretty much from the very beginning. He does what he can to be a decent man, and he's the one who does what he can.
There was one particular side character who had a very interesting storyline in here.
I can't wait to see more of this world, especially after what happened in this book and the last book, which happened concurrently.
August 18, 2018
I have read all of these books (The Marriage Lottery) this story is going on while the last one was going on. So they do meet at the endish.
This story is pretty good, I didn't like it as much as the other ones, to be honest, I can't pinpoint exactly why, but there just seemed to be something different. But the overall was pretty good. The characters were pretty strong but again something was missing, maybe there wasn't a deep connection like the others had. I don't know.
I would recommend this and the others to be read.
I am excited to see what the next story brings us.
August 6, 2018
I voluntarily received a copy of this book for review purposes. I wish I could say I will be buying a paperback copy aswell but I won't as I feel that Their Bride paled in comparison with other books in the series. While there were certainly enjoyable parts of the book but I don't find it to be one I will pick up again.
The characters were very difficult to connect to in any meaningful manner this time around, which is a shame as I've not had that problem with this particular author before. I think this is because, more so than any other book in the Marriage Lottery series, Their Bride is centered around only half of the clan. Vanessa, Logan and Cam are the most fleshed out of the six with Logan and Cam getting 10 chapters between the two of them as opposed to to Michael, Ross and Riordan who only get 9 chapters from their points of view. The end effect of this is that while Ross and Riordan want to be thought of as more then just the same person they never really get sufficient development to be anything beyond, “The Apocalyptic Eagle Scout” and “Rebel Without a Cause”. It's a shame that we never hear about their mother again after the wedding, not even a brief mention on Ross and Riordan's part. It's as if the woman disappeared of the face of the planet.
Michael is another great example of this author being great at being all inclusive in her writing. The real world isn't filled with knights in shining armor that are without any flaws and there are a lot of Michaels and Grahams, and Rafes in the world. Stasia has always been great and writing them in a way that they are equal to every Logan, Nix and Charlie. It's a shame that Michael didn't really have that same redemption moment the others had where they had the chance to be part of saving the day. Then again, not everyone needs to be a hero. Too many cooks in the kitchen, and all that.
Vanessa is written as your typical “strong female character”, albeit unbelievably so. Despite the fact that she is borderline starving to death she is still capable of taking down two full grown men. Disarming one of the heads of the security squad and barreling down a former security squadron member and threatening him with a knife is similarly easy for her. While Vanessa doesn't fall under the column of being a damsel in distress and practically needing a mans help to breath she is the other extreme; a too far-fetched, super heroine, which is equally annoying.
Camden, who was mentioned in the previous book, really only serves the purpose of setting up a supposed rivalry with Logan. Despite the fact that they both mention having issues with one another they just seems to disappear from one chapter to the other without ever being mentioned again. Did they fight it out or decide to be adults and put there issues aside? Did aliens abduct them both and replace them? Your guess is as good as mine, because we never get any information about what happens to make them suddenly get along with one another. Camden also goes from a; brash, temperamental, Bull in a China Shop type of guy to this demure, “I so love my wife” attitude without any explanation whatsoever. With a story employing as many timeskips as this one if would have been so easy to write a few lines to the tune of, “5 Months Later: Logan and I are getting along better because of X Reason and I grew as a person because of Y Reason”. It still would have been lazy writing but it would have been better than nothing.
LoganJohn Steinbeck Washington, loves his wife. He's loved his wife for eight years despite her being dead. He's easily the most convincing of the main characters, most people can relate to that crushing feeling of loss and blame after a loved one passes away. Moving on is hard and Stasia writes Logan perfectly as someone who wants something more out of life but is afraid to admit it to himself because doing so would mean letting go of the past, and forgiving himself for his perceived failures. He's the most relateable of all the characters in this book (with the exception of Drea) and is a perfect example of the author being awesome at characterization.
Unfortunately, much like in the previous book the Drea hate is alive and well. It continues to give me a headache the size of the New Republic of Texas. The other characters act as if she is the most unbelievably unreasonable person they have ever met in their whole lives, when she is actually the most sane woman in this series. We are all here for the menage, lets not kid ourselves but we should be able to admit that Drea is the only one that's acting in a logical manner here. This story takes place a decade after Xterminate hit, it's unfair to assume that during the course of 10 years every woman let alive suddenly thought to themselves “YeeHaw! I can't wait to be forced to trade my safety for an unwanted relationship with multiple men!” The way the other women treat Drea is both unbelievable and inexcusable and speaks volume for their lack of character and all around outlandish personality.
Don't even get me started on Wolford and his horrible brainwashed idiot of a daughter Sophia. Remember in book one when Wolford talked about how well regulated the Bride Lottery is, and how the head of every family clan is someone he inexplicably trusts? Well the author(s) sure as heck forgot about that because Wolford literally organizes the men in almost random groups of five and calls out a number and that's how Vanessa and her men get paired up. Instead of being the person that “cares deeply about every woman in Jacob's Well” that he claims to be, he berates the chosen men for “behaving ungratefully” and being all around jerks yet lets the farce of apublic display of hatred and childish behavior wedding happen.
I digress though. This book didn't live up to expectations and fell prey to the number one most overused trope in the romance genre; the last quarter conflict that resolves itself neatly within two chapters. This is a trope that the author has avoided thus far, as even in the previous book the ending twist had almost a whole books worth of buildup behind it. While it was a surprise it wasn't necessarily out of left field, and didn't feel tacked on in the editing process like this books conflict was. Overall, this story lacked the flow of the previous books in the series and I felt it very obvious that there was another author involved in writing this particular story.
I've read all of Stasia Black's previous books and I've enjoyed her recent ones. She usually shines in making realistic characters with, mostly, logical convictions and actions that most anyone can relate to. World building has been spot of throughout this series especially when ones remembers that Dystopian type stories aren't exactly the authors cup of tea. However, it's plainly obvious that this book was written by two separate authors as it feels vastly different from Stasia's usual style which is a shame, as overall I've enjoyed some of her past writing. I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like these characters. I'm really upset at myself for not really liking either.
The characters were very difficult to connect to in any meaningful manner this time around, which is a shame as I've not had that problem with this particular author before. I think this is because, more so than any other book in the Marriage Lottery series, Their Bride is centered around only half of the clan. Vanessa, Logan and Cam are the most fleshed out of the six with Logan and Cam getting 10 chapters between the two of them as opposed to to Michael, Ross and Riordan who only get 9 chapters from their points of view. The end effect of this is that while Ross and Riordan want to be thought of as more then just the same person they never really get sufficient development to be anything beyond, “The Apocalyptic Eagle Scout” and “Rebel Without a Cause”. It's a shame that we never hear about their mother again after the wedding, not even a brief mention on Ross and Riordan's part. It's as if the woman disappeared of the face of the planet.
Michael is another great example of this author being great at being all inclusive in her writing. The real world isn't filled with knights in shining armor that are without any flaws and there are a lot of Michaels and Grahams, and Rafes in the world. Stasia has always been great and writing them in a way that they are equal to every Logan, Nix and Charlie. It's a shame that Michael didn't really have that same redemption moment the others had where they had the chance to be part of saving the day. Then again, not everyone needs to be a hero. Too many cooks in the kitchen, and all that.
Vanessa is written as your typical “strong female character”, albeit unbelievably so. Despite the fact that she is borderline starving to death she is still capable of taking down two full grown men. Disarming one of the heads of the security squad and barreling down a former security squadron member and threatening him with a knife is similarly easy for her. While Vanessa doesn't fall under the column of being a damsel in distress and practically needing a mans help to breath she is the other extreme; a too far-fetched, super heroine, which is equally annoying.
Camden, who was mentioned in the previous book, really only serves the purpose of setting up a supposed rivalry with Logan. Despite the fact that they both mention having issues with one another they just seems to disappear from one chapter to the other without ever being mentioned again. Did they fight it out or decide to be adults and put there issues aside? Did aliens abduct them both and replace them? Your guess is as good as mine, because we never get any information about what happens to make them suddenly get along with one another. Camden also goes from a; brash, temperamental, Bull in a China Shop type of guy to this demure, “I so love my wife” attitude without any explanation whatsoever. With a story employing as many timeskips as this one if would have been so easy to write a few lines to the tune of, “5 Months Later: Logan and I are getting along better because of X Reason and I grew as a person because of Y Reason”. It still would have been lazy writing but it would have been better than nothing.
Logan
Unfortunately, much like in the previous book the Drea hate is alive and well. It continues to give me a headache the size of the New Republic of Texas. The other characters act as if she is the most unbelievably unreasonable person they have ever met in their whole lives, when she is actually the most sane woman in this series. We are all here for the menage, lets not kid ourselves but we should be able to admit that Drea is the only one that's acting in a logical manner here. This story takes place a decade after Xterminate hit, it's unfair to assume that during the course of 10 years every woman let alive suddenly thought to themselves “YeeHaw! I can't wait to be forced to trade my safety for an unwanted relationship with multiple men!” The way the other women treat Drea is both unbelievable and inexcusable and speaks volume for their lack of character and all around outlandish personality.
Don't even get me started on Wolford and his horrible brainwashed idiot of a daughter Sophia. Remember in book one when Wolford talked about how well regulated the Bride Lottery is, and how the head of every family clan is someone he inexplicably trusts? Well the author(s) sure as heck forgot about that because Wolford literally organizes the men in almost random groups of five and calls out a number and that's how Vanessa and her men get paired up. Instead of being the person that “cares deeply about every woman in Jacob's Well” that he claims to be, he berates the chosen men for “behaving ungratefully” and being all around jerks yet lets the farce of a
I digress though. This book didn't live up to expectations and fell prey to the number one most overused trope in the romance genre; the last quarter conflict that resolves itself neatly within two chapters. This is a trope that the author has avoided thus far, as even in the previous book the ending twist had almost a whole books worth of buildup behind it. While it was a surprise it wasn't necessarily out of left field, and didn't feel tacked on in the editing process like this books conflict was. Overall, this story lacked the flow of the previous books in the series and I felt it very obvious that there was another author involved in writing this particular story.
I've read all of Stasia Black's previous books and I've enjoyed her recent ones. She usually shines in making realistic characters with, mostly, logical convictions and actions that most anyone can relate to. World building has been spot of throughout this series especially when ones remembers that Dystopian type stories aren't exactly the authors cup of tea. However, it's plainly obvious that this book was written by two separate authors as it feels vastly different from Stasia's usual style which is a shame, as overall I've enjoyed some of her past writing. I wanted to like this book. I wanted to like these characters. I'm really upset at myself for not really liking either.
December 14, 2025
This was a well deserved “4 stars for the vibes” book.
You know when you pick a RH up it’s going to be steamy.
But I love when we get a plot too.
I love the added action.
The added suspense.
That the characters have depth, issues and insecurities.
And I love the we follow them overcome it.
Then add smuggler, slavers, cannibals and a FMC that fights for her survival, and I am hooked.
I like the pace of the writing and I like how the characters are all so different yet they compliment each other.
Read: 14.12.2025
1st rating: 4 stars
Genre/tropes: RH- smut- erotic- adult-new adult- dystopian
Cover: 2 stars
POV’s: 3rd POV- Multiple
Will I recommend: Yes
You know when you pick a RH up it’s going to be steamy.
But I love when we get a plot too.
I love the added action.
The added suspense.
That the characters have depth, issues and insecurities.
And I love the we follow them overcome it.
Then add smuggler, slavers, cannibals and a FMC that fights for her survival, and I am hooked.
I like the pace of the writing and I like how the characters are all so different yet they compliment each other.
Read: 14.12.2025
1st rating: 4 stars
Genre/tropes: RH- smut- erotic- adult-new adult- dystopian
Cover: 2 stars
POV’s: 3rd POV- Multiple
Will I recommend: Yes
August 30, 2018
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I have to say I am getting into these marriage lottery books. In these books the world has essentially ended making survival the name of the game as females are few and far between. In Jacob's Well to fix that they do a marriage lottery where five guys are picked to be with one bride. Vanessa thinks this is a perfect idea to keep her safe from hunters that she has been fleeing from for years. Things would have been great but the lottery box comes up missing and the men chosen are not happy about the results. There is a rocky start to all this but over some time it really starts to come together with quite a few twists I did not see coming (like the bomb drop towards the end). If you like end of the world RH novels then you should try these. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
I have to say I am getting into these marriage lottery books. In these books the world has essentially ended making survival the name of the game as females are few and far between. In Jacob's Well to fix that they do a marriage lottery where five guys are picked to be with one bride. Vanessa thinks this is a perfect idea to keep her safe from hunters that she has been fleeing from for years. Things would have been great but the lottery box comes up missing and the men chosen are not happy about the results. There is a rocky start to all this but over some time it really starts to come together with quite a few twists I did not see coming (like the bomb drop towards the end). If you like end of the world RH novels then you should try these. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
May 8, 2020
I didn't like much the heroes.
Want to read
May 7, 2020🎁 Books 2-5 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (5/7/2020)! 🎁
January 7, 2022
Storyline continues and plot thickens
August 26, 2018
Another page-turner from The Marriage Lottery series!
I really liked the main characters; wife & all five husbands, I loved how the storyline continued to push forward; so you never got bored & I loved the fact that the previous clans weren't forgotten; they popped up frequently throughout the story.
What I HATED (Yep, strong word but it's the truth.)... All the sh*t with the Jenny situation. It just completely soured things for me & made me feel uncomfortable all-around. (For both myself & the characters.) I truly wish it was never part of the storyline.
I know that Drea & the Commander's book is next but I'm most looking forward to Sophia's story. Can't wait to see who gets drawn for her!
I really liked the main characters; wife & all five husbands, I loved how the storyline continued to push forward; so you never got bored & I loved the fact that the previous clans weren't forgotten; they popped up frequently throughout the story.
What I HATED (Yep, strong word but it's the truth.)... All the sh*t with the Jenny situation. It just completely soured things for me & made me feel uncomfortable all-around. (For both myself & the characters.) I truly wish it was never part of the storyline.
I know that Drea & the Commander's book is next but I'm most looking forward to Sophia's story. Can't wait to see who gets drawn for her!
August 8, 2018
Another wonderful book in this series!
Stasia Black has created another fabulous story in this futuristic tale.
My heart broke for Logan and everything he had to endure, from being a ghost to confronting his past and letting go.
I felt so bad for Michael. What a terrible affliction for a person to endure.
Vanessa and I felt like kindred sisters. What she went through was much worse than what I went through, but I could really feel her suffering. I must say I have never had to endure 5 husbands, so for that i was envious of her!
Stasia Black has created another fabulous story in this futuristic tale.
My heart broke for Logan and everything he had to endure, from being a ghost to confronting his past and letting go.
I felt so bad for Michael. What a terrible affliction for a person to endure.
Vanessa and I felt like kindred sisters. What she went through was much worse than what I went through, but I could really feel her suffering. I must say I have never had to endure 5 husbands, so for that i was envious of her!
August 10, 2018
This is the first book that I have read in this series. With more world building and character development this would have the potential of being far greater than I found it to be.
February 13, 2023
Te odio trope de esposa muerta
August 9, 2018
I voluntarily received a copy of this ARC for review.
I hate even giving this book 3 stars because I truly LOVE the series, the marriage lottery/apocalyptic backdrop, and the steamy sex scenes. But this book felt rushed to me. Logan was given more character development than any other. It was easy to connect to his pain and his personality, but the others were forgettable for me. The twins didn't seem like separate people until the very end and by then I wasn't all that invested or interested in them. Cam was confusing because he was so set against Vanessa in the beginning, even thinking that she was ugly and then suddenly he's over that and he's sold on the idea of being with her? At the end he says he was just scared of his feelings for her which contradicts his very thoughts in the beginning. I also didn't like how the guys didn't find her appealing in that first scene with her because she was crying. But the second she showed back bone and spunk then she was suddenly interesting to them? That irked me. I'm usually ALL for strong female leads (couple that with the "bad boy" and I'm in love). But I don't mind reading the perspective of soft, kind female leads and the fact that they were turned off by her showing emotions was irritating. The sex scenes were steamy, but without feeling fully invested in ALL characters I just didn't find them as hot as in the previous books. The rope and anal sex scenes reminded me of the scenes in book 2 but without as much punch. The ending was super rushed. Vanessa is kidnapped, quickly saved, they discover Jenny is alive, have a few scenes with her, and then she conveniently dies leaving Logan free with no loose ends? The idea of there being a second woman sounded like juicy conflict, but it was just a quick tease before it was neatly finished. (Heck, the idea of them ADDING a second woman to their clan was tantalizing as well!) I am still in love with this series and will come back for more. Drea's book sounds really intriguing, but I hope Drea isn't quickly won over by the guys, because knowing what we do about her character that just wouldn't be realistic. I would expect her to put up a good, long fight. Audrey from book 1 until nearly the bitter end was hell bent on leaving Jacob's Well and no matter how much that irked me when reading, it felt genuine to her character. Once again, I love the series and the author, just not this particular book.
I hate even giving this book 3 stars because I truly LOVE the series, the marriage lottery/apocalyptic backdrop, and the steamy sex scenes. But this book felt rushed to me. Logan was given more character development than any other. It was easy to connect to his pain and his personality, but the others were forgettable for me. The twins didn't seem like separate people until the very end and by then I wasn't all that invested or interested in them. Cam was confusing because he was so set against Vanessa in the beginning, even thinking that she was ugly and then suddenly he's over that and he's sold on the idea of being with her? At the end he says he was just scared of his feelings for her which contradicts his very thoughts in the beginning. I also didn't like how the guys didn't find her appealing in that first scene with her because she was crying. But the second she showed back bone and spunk then she was suddenly interesting to them? That irked me. I'm usually ALL for strong female leads (couple that with the "bad boy" and I'm in love). But I don't mind reading the perspective of soft, kind female leads and the fact that they were turned off by her showing emotions was irritating. The sex scenes were steamy, but without feeling fully invested in ALL characters I just didn't find them as hot as in the previous books. The rope and anal sex scenes reminded me of the scenes in book 2 but without as much punch. The ending was super rushed. Vanessa is kidnapped, quickly saved, they discover Jenny is alive, have a few scenes with her, and then she conveniently dies leaving Logan free with no loose ends? The idea of there being a second woman sounded like juicy conflict, but it was just a quick tease before it was neatly finished. (Heck, the idea of them ADDING a second woman to their clan was tantalizing as well!) I am still in love with this series and will come back for more. Drea's book sounds really intriguing, but I hope Drea isn't quickly won over by the guys, because knowing what we do about her character that just wouldn't be realistic. I would expect her to put up a good, long fight. Audrey from book 1 until nearly the bitter end was hell bent on leaving Jacob's Well and no matter how much that irked me when reading, it felt genuine to her character. Once again, I love the series and the author, just not this particular book.
August 7, 2018
The Reluctant Husbands💕
This is the third book about the dystopian world author Black has written. They are standalone books but some the characters are in each book.
Women💃 are rare, 90% dying off from The virus, then more dying from violence, or starvation, in the hard times after THE FALL.
Men who are leaders, gather their armies and followers around them, learning to scavenge for food, weapons🔪🔫, electronic parts unaffected by The EMP blasts, and women💃. They must start over, but with the advantage of technology not being completely lost.
The town of Jacob's Well is located in the New Republic of Texas and is trying to keep a democratic type of government, even though much of Texas is controlled by Warlords and gangs.
Jacob's Well has a lottery system for the lopsided number of men to women. All found or rescued women💃 of child bearing age are each married to five men, all picked by a lottery system, set up by the town.
This book📑, and the others, are about a recently rescued woman and her five new husbands. The book, as are the others, is well developed and written with an interesting plot.
XXX scenes make the book for Adults Only.
ARC Received from Booksprout.
I also got The book with KU.
This is the third book about the dystopian world author Black has written. They are standalone books but some the characters are in each book.
Women💃 are rare, 90% dying off from The virus, then more dying from violence, or starvation, in the hard times after THE FALL.
Men who are leaders, gather their armies and followers around them, learning to scavenge for food, weapons🔪🔫, electronic parts unaffected by The EMP blasts, and women💃. They must start over, but with the advantage of technology not being completely lost.
The town of Jacob's Well is located in the New Republic of Texas and is trying to keep a democratic type of government, even though much of Texas is controlled by Warlords and gangs.
Jacob's Well has a lottery system for the lopsided number of men to women. All found or rescued women💃 of child bearing age are each married to five men, all picked by a lottery system, set up by the town.
This book📑, and the others, are about a recently rescued woman and her five new husbands. The book, as are the others, is well developed and written with an interesting plot.
XXX scenes make the book for Adults Only.
ARC Received from Booksprout.
I also got The book with KU.
August 11, 2018
The Reluctant😟 Husbands💕
Marriage👰 with the Misfits
This is the third book about the dystopian world author Black has written. They are standalone books but some the characters are in each book.
Women💃 are rare, 90% dying off from The virus, then more dying from violence, or starvation, in the hard times after THE FALL.
Men who are leaders, gather their armies and followers around them, learning to scavenge for food, weapons🔪🔫, electronic parts unaffected by The EMP blasts, and women💃. They must start over, but with the advantage of technology not being completely lost.
The town of Jacob's Well is located in the New Republic of Texas and is trying to keep a democratic type of government, even though much of Texas is controlled by Warlords and gangs.
Jacob's Well has a lottery system for the lopsided number of men to women. All found or rescued women💃 of child bearing age are each married to five men, all picked by a lottery system, set up by the town.
This book📑, and the others, are about a recently rescued woman and her five new husbands. The book, as are the others, is well developed and written with an interesting plot.
XXX scenes make the book for Adults Only.
ARC Received from Booksprout.
I also got The book with KU.
Marriage👰 with the Misfits
This is the third book about the dystopian world author Black has written. They are standalone books but some the characters are in each book.
Women💃 are rare, 90% dying off from The virus, then more dying from violence, or starvation, in the hard times after THE FALL.
Men who are leaders, gather their armies and followers around them, learning to scavenge for food, weapons🔪🔫, electronic parts unaffected by The EMP blasts, and women💃. They must start over, but with the advantage of technology not being completely lost.
The town of Jacob's Well is located in the New Republic of Texas and is trying to keep a democratic type of government, even though much of Texas is controlled by Warlords and gangs.
Jacob's Well has a lottery system for the lopsided number of men to women. All found or rescued women💃 of child bearing age are each married to five men, all picked by a lottery system, set up by the town.
This book📑, and the others, are about a recently rescued woman and her five new husbands. The book, as are the others, is well developed and written with an interesting plot.
XXX scenes make the book for Adults Only.
ARC Received from Booksprout.
I also got The book with KU.
August 13, 2018
Wow. This was the best one yet! This is book 3 in the series but happens at the same time as 2. All can be read as stand-alone but the characters do overlap into each of the books.
I loved Vanessa. She's strong and kick butt. She's had a really hard life and is a fighter. I love that each of the men also have all these layers. With so many characters in the story you'd feel like stuff would get lost but it was really well rounded.
There was lots of action and emotion, and of course sexy fun times. I can't wait to read more!
I loved Vanessa. She's strong and kick butt. She's had a really hard life and is a fighter. I love that each of the men also have all these layers. With so many characters in the story you'd feel like stuff would get lost but it was really well rounded.
There was lots of action and emotion, and of course sexy fun times. I can't wait to read more!
September 23, 2018
This was way more than I was expecting from a RH read. Dystopian style story - not enough women means 5 men share each bride. Plenty of chemistry and heat but the twist in this one was the men were so very different from each other & also didn't want to be in the raffle to begin with. I really enjoyed this one and will be looking for more from this author.
August 6, 2018
"An Amazing Futuristic Reverse Harem Romance"
The story setting is in the distant future. Eco-terrorist released a virus that killed 90% of the female population.
Now the United States is broke up into territories.
Women are scarce this puts into danger if there is no one to protect them! Vanessa heard of a town she can find protection. So she heads to Jacob's Well. In the way she is attacked by smugglers. Vanessa is rescued by the Jacob's Well security team. The town welcomes her with open arms. Only there is one rule to remain in town. This is she must take five husbands. The town holds a lotto to choose the men. When they are chosen at first the men are not happy. Vanessa vows to change their minds. It seems each man has some emotional baggage!
Can Vanessa win them over? Will the men protect her from harm?
You will love this super exciting,funny,touching, thrilling, and scorching hot Reverse Harem Romance. This is a five star plus story.
The story setting is in the distant future. Eco-terrorist released a virus that killed 90% of the female population.
Now the United States is broke up into territories.
Women are scarce this puts into danger if there is no one to protect them! Vanessa heard of a town she can find protection. So she heads to Jacob's Well. In the way she is attacked by smugglers. Vanessa is rescued by the Jacob's Well security team. The town welcomes her with open arms. Only there is one rule to remain in town. This is she must take five husbands. The town holds a lotto to choose the men. When they are chosen at first the men are not happy. Vanessa vows to change their minds. It seems each man has some emotional baggage!
Can Vanessa win them over? Will the men protect her from harm?
You will love this super exciting,funny,touching, thrilling, and scorching hot Reverse Harem Romance. This is a five star plus story.
August 14, 2018
This was a good addition to series it is the third book and might just be my favorite so far. A good reverse harem with Vanessa and her five husbands a well written hot read. I enjoyed it a great read for a lazy afternoon
January 8, 2024
⭐3,75⭐
August 21, 2022
¿Me gusto? No como los otros pero si lo encontré bien y la historia de cada uno de los 6 fueron profundas y este sí tiene menos drama que el anterior.
NO ES UN LIBRO PARA TODOS, LEER LAS ADVERTENCIAS.
⭐ 3
🌶 3,5
NO ES UN LIBRO PARA TODOS, LEER LAS ADVERTENCIAS.
⭐ 3
🌶 3,5
August 9, 2018
I’m sure that my review is going to be in the minority, but this one was very disappointing for me. The first two books were so fully fleshed out with well rounded, dynamic characters. I’ve been so amazed that these authors could manage to write six amazing MC’s while some authors can’t manage two. Unfortunately, I don’t think the authors were able to keep up the momentum here. It felt as if they were writing on a deadline and trying too hard to match the formula of the first two books.
I genuinely grew to love each of the MC’s, but I found most of them to be frustrating. They weren’t given equal amounts of attention and all of them had a lack of rationale. They had SO MUCH potential but never quite made it where the authors intended them to go, in my opinion.
This starts by saying that it’s a standalone novel, but I would have found it difficult to read had I not read the first two in the series. There are too many supporting characters and I think it would have become confusing. Also, part of this book runs parallel to book two, but this wasn’t noted anywhere. I was confused several times because I remembered things from book two that weren’t lining up with what was happening until I realized that we’d gone back in time.
There were several minor plot mistakes and redundancies that really grated on me. For example, one minute she’s said to be wearing a tiny camisole, but the next moment, she’s pulling off her tee-shirt. Then, her hair is only a half inch long, but she’s able to get a super cute pixie cut. Finally, during one of the sex scenes, the term ‘than ever’ was used three times within a few paragraphs. “More drenched than ever”, “More wildly than ever” , “More furiously than ever”.
The world and culture that have been created in Jacob’s Well are amazingly unique, and I can imagine that it is difficult to commit to writing all of those MC’s in each installment. I’m not sorry that I read this, and I will most certainly jump on the next in the series when it comes out. I think this may have been a case of my expectations being SO FREAKING HIGH that nothing could ever measure up.
*Provided by BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.
I genuinely grew to love each of the MC’s, but I found most of them to be frustrating. They weren’t given equal amounts of attention and all of them had a lack of rationale. They had SO MUCH potential but never quite made it where the authors intended them to go, in my opinion.
This starts by saying that it’s a standalone novel, but I would have found it difficult to read had I not read the first two in the series. There are too many supporting characters and I think it would have become confusing. Also, part of this book runs parallel to book two, but this wasn’t noted anywhere. I was confused several times because I remembered things from book two that weren’t lining up with what was happening until I realized that we’d gone back in time.
There were several minor plot mistakes and redundancies that really grated on me. For example, one minute she’s said to be wearing a tiny camisole, but the next moment, she’s pulling off her tee-shirt. Then, her hair is only a half inch long, but she’s able to get a super cute pixie cut. Finally, during one of the sex scenes, the term ‘than ever’ was used three times within a few paragraphs. “More drenched than ever”, “More wildly than ever” , “More furiously than ever”.
The world and culture that have been created in Jacob’s Well are amazingly unique, and I can imagine that it is difficult to commit to writing all of those MC’s in each installment. I’m not sorry that I read this, and I will most certainly jump on the next in the series when it comes out. I think this may have been a case of my expectations being SO FREAKING HIGH that nothing could ever measure up.
*Provided by BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.
September 4, 2018
Interesting post apocalyptic set up. But I'll say right off the bat, too much sex. I know these reverse harem books are all about the sex but there just seems to be too much orgying. It's only been 7- 10 ish years or so since the world fell apart. Everyone is so on board with the new world order. I'd think it would take longer than that for things to shake out to the extent they were in this book. Why are all of these guys so on board with sharing a woman and what not? Why is no one jealous? How did all of these different political groups get so far advanced/settled? I mean things weren't totally settled but i'd think it might take longer than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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