Be My Always

Make It Marriage #1

by Nia Arthurs

A BWWM Romance

My next giant mistake has a name.
Brendon Humes.
M&A mogul. Tortured billionaire.
A hunk with glasses and dimples. Clark Kent as Superman. Dazzling silver eyes.
My almost one-night-stand.

I’m wound too tight. He’s just what I need to take the edge off.
There’s just enough alcohol in my system to make this seem like a good idea.
Then he bails.
Before we even leave the bar.
I don’t expect to see him again.
But when I do… well, let’s just say the offer still stands.

It’s just physical.
No strings. No feelings. No falling in love.
But Brendon’s a rule breaker and I’m a glutton for punishment.
There’s no way this works.
Believing there can be more is all kinds of wrong.
Then Brendon slides his hands over my shoulder and presses his hard lips to mine.
And all that wrong starts feeling right.
I forget our rules. I forget I'm the lost, wounded woman who doesn’t deserve love.
I kiss him back like I'll never get enough.
I won't.
But I can't risk losing my heart.
Even if I’ve finally stumbled on the man who’ll take precious care of it.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, African American, Amazon, Interracial Romance

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2019

About the author

From an early age, Nia knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began chasing that dream when she was a teenager.

Nia writes interracial romance and contemporary romance with guaranteed happy endings. She loves strong heroines and swoon-worthy heroes, and just enough spice and drama to keep things interesting!

Look for the Taming Series (Taming Mr. Jerkface, Taming Mr. Charming, Taming Mr. Know-It-All, and Taming Mr. Darcy) in ebook format.

And catch up with Nia on Facebook @authorniaarthurs. Happy Reading!

Reviews

[Steph's Romance Book Talk · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars / 2 Steam Fans

Video review available in Week 27: Jun 28 – Jul 4 weekly book reviews.

For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am Grateful I got this book Free on Kindle Unlimited. Its just a badly written story.

Brendon Humes is a billionaire but you would never know it by the story. There is nothing to visualize that Bredon lives the life of a billionaire. Except he is heir to his father Humes Industry. Brendon was a nice guy.

Kayla is a Matchmaker she and Brendon casually meet in a bar and then later meet at a wedding. There is no romance between the two characters. The sex is implied after the fact. It's written in a nondescript way. Which is ok for readers who like a Clean Read!! I needed something to connect the two characters together. The epilog was even worse because it is Bredon's young sister point of view of whats happening in her life. She does mention she found a ring box of Brendon's. So I guess this means Brendon is going to ask Kayla to marry him. Who knows!!

Well I won't be reading anymore in this series by this author!!

[Obsidian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did Not Finish-20 percent.

I am trying to find new romance authors out there. But I could not get past Arthurs's style of writing. Every sentence was about 3 words. The entire premise of this book makes zero sense. I can't even go with insta-lust on this one, cause it's not there. I gave up at the 20 percent mark and was just glad that I got this one for free via Kindle Unlimited.

"Be My Always" is the first in the "Make it Marriage" series. This book follows Kayla who is a matchmaker and Brendon who is a billionaire. Yeah guys I don't know what to tell you. Billionaires be all over the place. Kayla has given up on love for reasons. Her boss/friend/coworker (I am still unclear on this) says that Kayla needs to just get laid cause that will make everything better. I am just baffled either of these fools are working at a matchmaking service. Kayla eventually gets dragged out and makes eye contact with Brendon. Brendon comes over and flirts with Kayla. Kayla is not interested and reluctant, but then Brendon gets a call and leaves. This makes Kayla angry cause he promised himself or something because he spoke to her.

Look. If the situation was reversed everyone would be carrying pitchforks about a dude in a romance novel who got angry the heroine bailed and didn't give him sex. Gah. The whole thing was beyond idiotic. And then Kayla is just angry (or something) because she heard him say a name that was female and therefore he must have a girlfriend.

After my brain tried to cause me to have a migraine over what I was reading I decided that life is too short and stopped reading this book.

[SassafrasfromAmazon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0⭐️ My overall impression is that this was a very interesting read, and many of the characters get their own books subsequently. I wasn’t able to write down detailed notes, but both Brendon and Kayla are two anguished people. Both had their demons to conquer, both from within and from challenging issues from others. They both felt that spark instantly, but did not act on those feelings until later. While they had sex, it was not graphic. I would say that sexual tension was very high and their sexual thoughts, banter and almost sexual encounters were featured prominently. I loved how they each found a way to be there for each other during critical emotional upheavals and how they ultimately helped each other to tear down their walls, to heal and to take a chance.

This was a terrific story; however as some of my notes indicate, Brendon spent the whole book smirking, then others started smirking; that was so annoying to me. There are myriad other ways to convey looks and expressions. There are some very glaring editing issues, although the book is not rife with errors. Nevertheless, I hate when names of the characters are misspelled or the communication is with a particular person, but the wrong name is given. That drives me crazy.

All told, because the editing issues overshadowed some of the story, I could not rate more than a 3.0, despite the fact that it is a very good read. I do inted to read her subsequent books about other characters that stood out in this book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book by Nia Arthurs that I have read, but I'm looking forward to many more as I get deeper into this series. I enjoyed the breaking down of walls that both of the main characters went through in order to let the other in and to find love again. I very sweet BWWM romance.

[Coco.V]

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[Tama · Rating 2 out of 5]

After weeks of reading trashy books I was genuinely smiling when I started reading this story. I loved the early banter between the leads, how both of them could see right through the other: it was a breath of fresh air.

However, this book was filled with some awful clichés. The billionaire dad kidnapping his wife but in fact kept her safe from her mental illness was so over the top and eye-roll inducing: It really took the fun out of me. The devoted big brother to his little sister that does everything for her (my problem with the latter is that it was told repeatedly rather than showed and crossed the "too much" line)

Also I could feel the building interest between the MCs but it was cut short when the author refused to show the sex scenes. This is my first book from her so I don't know if it's an habit in her other books but it was jarring to not read detailed love scenes. The intensity of their passion suffered because of those scenes not being shown.
There was this other scene, that we didn't see, that Brendon shared when he met his mother at the hospital. He bawled in his car and the author didn't let us see that and I find this a disappointed lack of judgement. Like the sex scenes, I really don't understand why the author kept such important scenes from the readers.

Another point is the style of writing, her prose was like reading a poem. At the beginning I liked it but then it got on my nerves: it had the opposite effect of what the author intended to, which was amplifying emotions.

I could have done without both MCs baggages, I mean it took a lot of space compared to the size of the book and it got me frustrated fast. There was lust between them that is undeniable. But they only saw each other a few times and there was already thoughts of love, meeting the mom and babies. At 75% I wanted it to end and I did.

2 stars it is.

[sjoyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always Leaves You Smiling

I bought this book over a year ago and never read it until now. I am "a real, flesh-and-blood, interracial-romance-lovin' human." I would never describe myself that way until I read this book and subscribed to the author's newsletter.

I was smiling when this book ended. Not because it's the best interracial book that I've read, nor is it the spiciest . There was much left to be desired in the book with many unanswered questions with almost no backstory. The sex left a lot to your imagination. Interracial books are known for spicy sex which borders on soft porn. I also didn't notice the editing errors that a lot of interracial books are filled with.

Still, I loved the way Brendon loved Kayla in spite of his problems. He loved her until she responded in kind. It was a very sweet romance. Had I read this when I bought it, I probably would not have loved it. I needed a book like this at this time in my life. I can't wait to read other books in this series by this author.

[Cathy Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a real great story of a Match Maker who is given a second chance on Love. This story of Brendon Humes, CEO. tortured mogul billionaire. Brendon was and is a more loving person than he lets on. Then there is Kayla Montgomery, head of a match making company, Make it Marriage. Still, I loved the way Brendon loved Kayla in spite of his problems. He loved her until she responded in kind. It was a very sweet romance. There was so much dialogue internally done by both Brendon and Kayla. We eventually find out why Kayla is so put off on love and the reason why Brendon is so wanting not to be like his father. We find out a little about his family, his sister and his mother. I liked this book, but I just really wanted more, so I hope in the epilogue I will find out what has happened to Kayla and Brendon and even there is a story for his young sister Ariya. Maybe it is in the extended epilogue. This is a good read from a great author. Will be reading more of this exceptional author.

[*Ebony I* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ready or Not....here comes love

This book really played with my emotions, it was a story avout a couple that was absolutely NOT ready for love but could not escape those feelings. Kayla had built a fortress around her heart. She was a prisoner to guilt for a situation that was beyond her control. She was scared to let it go and live. Brendon wss a prisoner to his families wealth and the reputation and issues that came with that. His family was literally falling apart at the same time he was finding solace, passion, and an unspoken relationship with Kayla. The connections Kayla made with Brendon's family was so sweet, I love that it was sort of downplayed yet so important. I would've loved to have seen a little bit of interaction with Kayla's family.They made a big deal of the unsavory deal Brendon's father made I wanted to know what came out of that, but it wasn't addressed. Overall though I was invested in this story and even shed a few tears.

[riana · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was okay. there are still lots of things that were lacking to me. but the potential is there.

i wanted more banter and more character interactions. i think the development of their romance wasn't fleshed out enough and too much outside world were given prominence.

i think the writing style can also still improve. it's there but it lacked the right editing and proof reading (and also with the several typos i found also)

the ending was wrapped up too quickly. too focused on brendan but the father side of the issue wasn't tackled. this led to several loopholes. and kayla's problem i also think hasn't been given proper resolution.

the book contains a lot of unsaid feelings and endings that needs to be said.

i also think ariya's plotline isn't well fleshed out.

but still overall the story had lots of potential. and i will be continuing with the series but by bit (possibly, maybe)

2.5 stars

[Charlene_Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Love with the Matchmaker!

Brendon and Kayla are good together. They each aren't looking for love but, when you find that special one, it's a joy that fills your heart. Brendon melted my heart seeing how much love he showed for his sister Ariya. The two most important ladies in his life were his mom and sister and he protected them at all costs. So, it was sad that his mom was sick and eventually passed. Kayla's own reasons for not wanting a relationship is painful, because we can't always help someone suffering from mental illness. Her guilt over ex-Drew's death almost let her miss out on finding love again. I am happy that Brendon stood by her and was the strength she needed, especially when she visited Drew's grave. Brendon's father was an A-Hole. However, these two together were strong enough to be there for each other to help one another overcome the demons that made them feel like they wouldn't find love and happiness. Brendon and Kayla have their HEA and they have Ariya who has lost her mom too, so they all deserve this chance to be a happy family, which makes this a beautiful ending.

[Lately25 · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time....

This was my first time reading anything by this author, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars and not 5 was because there's some editing that needs to be done. The book blurb says the H/h run into each other months later after their initial meeting, yet one of the characters says something about it being a week. There is another instance of the timeline being off when Brendan says his father had to step down years ago, but then in another portion of the book he says it was a year ago. There's another instance of the time flow of happenings in the book but I think you can see where I'm going. Again, great book but perhaps have it looked at by another editor.

[Katharine Worth · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

What worked:
* The main characters: I really liked Brendon, Kayla, and Ariya (and Brendon's mom, the short time she was in the story)
* The grief angle: getting over loss is tough and I loved that these characters helped each other deal with their respective grief

What didn't:
* The melodrama: from the crazy, one-dimensional villain to the drama when the two main characters met, much of the plot was so melodramatic that it actually took away from the development of good characters
* The style: every page was littered with short, 2-3 word paragraphs. Many in a row. Over and over. It could have worked if that style had been used sparingly and strategically. Instead, it was just monotonous.

Overall: I made it through, but mostly felt the boom didn't deserve Brendon or Kayla.

[Vilma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kayla and Brendon drew me in right from the start

Kayla is smart, independent, quiet and confident. Well we thinks she’s confident, until we get to know more about her character. Brendon is sexy in a Clark Kent (I prefer to picture Henry Cavil) kind of way. And he’s intelligent and devoted to his family.

Other than their instant chemistry when meeting, once Kayla knows Brendon dumper her for his little sister, she’s willing to give him another chance.

There are quite a few twists, but they just add more depth t9 the characters developing love story.

I literally could not put this book down.

[Yvonne Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Lovely

OH my what a delightful story! One that is definitely enjoyable this is such a fantastic story that has awesome characters, with such great chemistry. This is really a sometimes sad, exciting, thrilling, unusual passionate romance! There is a part that will bring a frown to your heart along with such a unique romantic element, but the one thing I wish is that there was more to the ending. But the time spent on building up their relationship is such a delight and so incredible to read that even the secondary characters are great. Overall this is a five star romance which l greatly enjoyed.

[Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

So true the things you mentioned in the book about Kayla and Brendan. His dad was a real piece of work and was really getting on my nerves. But I'm so happy that Brendan was able to break down her walls it just wasn't fair that she held on to that guilt and especially from her exes family. It was not her fault what happened to him and they had no right to hate and blame her for it. I liked Brendan's little sister she was too cute and too smart and grown up for her own good. I really enjoyed this story now on to the next in this series.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holding past pains can interrupt your future

Kayla, Brendan, Ariya, the match making firm, suicide, secrets, infidelity- it shapes your future.
Brendan was trying to be the best he could be for himself, his and his mother. His mother and sister knew what he needed. He knew what he wanted but he put everyone's needs before his own.
Kayla was living with the fact that her ex committed suicide because of her not because of himself. She labeled herself unworthy. She was the ultimate matchmaker and couldn't get out of her own way. Very believable.
I recommend Be My Always.

[Getthept · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally not affected

There’s a scene towards the end that made my eyes leak, but I couldn’t stop reading. Lots of reviews on Amazon talk about the feels, etc. This one delivered. Romance may be her specialty, but enabling the reader to feel and understand the sadness as if you were the character takes a special talent. Unlike most books and movies the author doesn’t gloss over the impact of the life experience that we all go through at some time in our lives, whether we want to or not. The rest of the book wasn’t bad either.

[Tamarah Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Matchemaker finds her match.

This is my first time reading this author & I couldn't put this book down. I found the pairing of Kayla & Brendon to be a great choice. They complement each other in different areas. Although, there are great romantic & humorous moments the story also addressed serious issues with care as well. I have a few lingering questions,but I still enjoy the book. I would definitely be back for Book 2 in the series.

[Reba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The first scene with the dad was intense. I also loved the interaction between Kayla and his little sister. Being a glasses lover, I love how the main character wore glasses. That’s different. I also loved the scene when he find his sister and Kayla sleeping on the couch. Felt like I was there. The love he has for his sister is an amazing. I will be reading other books by this author. #cillasbookmaniacs

[Celeste Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious Romance Treat

Ms Arthurs continues to delight this reader with wonderfully written love stories. The characters are well developed and charming. Kayla was vulnerable and yet strong, while Brendon's swagger was balanced by his deep love for the people who were important to him. The book is filled with humor and wit. There is also great insight into relationships. I highly recommend this book.

[Kay Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming!

My mouth aches a little from the perpetual smiles, grins, smirks, and chuckles that danced across my face for the duration of this novel. Brendon and Kayla’s chemistry and dialogue had me amused and bemused from start to finish. What a great IR romantic comedy, if you will. Must read!

[Anita Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be My Always

I really liked this book. Kayla was really relatable she was so guarded and it not till we get to know her back story that we understand why.
I loved Brendon and how patient he was in his pursuit of Kayla. Also loved how caring her was of his sister in the middle of the family turmoil.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

?

So what with his dad making him sign the questionable contract ? That part left me hanging. Brendon seemed a little weak in this one with some daddy issues. Kayla attitude about love and her being a match marker made it hard to connect with her but loved his sister and the best friend. Enjoyed Nia writing style looking forward to the next book

[Marsha Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping an open mind

This was a book about interracial relationships. I’ve never been in one and I liked the way the author didn’t allow the woman to loose herself because of a billionaire. It was more about a true relationship and not a token. I liked the way the author dealt with mental illness and adoption. Great read.

[Michele F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than I expected

I was looking for quick read on Kindle Unlimited. I wasn't expecting much. However, this was a good short story. Glad I took the chance on the book and the author. This author is new to me. Can't wait to read the rest of the series. I like the covers for this series as well.

[T. CH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet!

This was a sweet and beautiful romance. Kayla and Brendon discover one another at the right time for love and healing. Each character was richly drawn. I loved that the love they shared was sweet, beautiful, healing and absolute! I also loved their circle of friends and will pursue reading their romances by this delightful author Nia Arthurs as well!

[Betty L. Whittle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be My Always:A BWWM Romance( Make it Marriage

I absolutely enjoyed this book Nia Aurthers did an outstanding job. This book grabs you and it’s impossible to put it down. Billionaire Brendan fall for matchmaker Kayla with all of her erected walls and it’s game on. There are so many

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be my always

I enjoyed reading this book and learning about how Brendon and Kayla's love developed. This novel has drama, determination, hope, dreams, secrets, and finding true love. However, the ending needs a lot of work. It ended abruptly without saying anything about the story line.