Unmasked Heart

by Veronica Eden

Annabeth
They call me a princess.
But I’m nothing like the royalty found in fairy tales. The Noble family aren’t the kind that live in castles.
The “prince” I’m promised to? He’s no Prince Charming.
Cohen took my first kiss and now he expects me to kiss the ground he walks on…as his wife.

Cohen
I always get what I want. Annabeth Noble broke my heart when we were kids and I can’t get her out of my head.
Now her prissy attitude pisses me off and turns me on in the same breath.
The family wants me to marry her? Fine.
But it’s time for her to learn her place.
I have a plan to prove she’s mine once and for all.
Before I’m through breaking her spirit, she’ll be begging to bow down to me.

Warning: Unmasked Heart is a dark mafia arranged marriage bully romance novella intended for readers 18+. This dark romance contains dubious situations and intense sexual/violent content that some readers might find offensive. Please proceed with caution.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Dark Romance, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers, New Adult, Dark

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2019

About the author

Veronica Eden is a USA Today and International bestselling author of romances with spitfire heroines, irresistible heroes, and edgy twists.

She loves exploring complicated feelings, magical worlds, epic adventures, and the bond of characters that embrace us against the world. She has always been drawn to gruff bad boys, clever villains, and the twisty-turns of a morally gray character. She is a sucker for a deliciously swoony hero with a devastating smirk. When not writing, she can be found soaking up sunshine at the beach, snuggling in a pile with her untamed pack of animals (her husband, dog and cats), and surrounding herself with as many plants as she can get her hands on.

Keep up with Veronica:
Newsletter Sign up ➜ bit.ly/venewsletter
Instagram ➜ instagram.com/veronicaedenauthor
Website ➜ bit.ly/veronicaeden
Amazon ➜ amazon.com/author/veronicaeden
Facebook ➜ facebook.com/veronicaedenauthor
TikTok ➜ tiktok.com/@veronicaedenbooks

Reviews

[juli✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

~ 𝟮.𝟳𝟱 ✧

♫ ♪ cross my heart, hope to die
to my lover, i'd never lie
he said "be true, " i swear I'll try
in the end, it's him and i ♫ ♪

🅻.🅼.🅰.🅾. 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗪𝗔𝗦… 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦… and honestly? I don't even know what to think, and yet… at the same time, I have so much to say. I just can't even. See, I picked up Unmasked Heart on a whim and I wasn't even planning on reviewing it, but then... that scene happened and I couldn't not mention UNMASKED HEART. I just had to share my thoughts.

So, without further ado… let us begin 😉✨

✧✦ 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧… 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 ✧✦

Meet Annabeth "Annie" Noble.

At first glance she appears to be nothing more than a sheltered, spoiled, and fashion obsessed princess. But you know what they say, looks can be deceiving. In reality she's trapped within the Noble family's wealth and the cage is getting even tighter.

Meet Cohen Decker(?).

He always gets what he wants… and what he wants is Annabeth Noble. He's loved for as long as he can remember, and now that their marriage has been arranged he's going to stop at nothing to make her his.

One night. One masked stranger. An engagement party for the ages.

✘ 𝗜 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗦𝗞… why was UNMASKED HEART a novella? Cause not even gonna lie, this would've been freaking fabulous if it had been a full length novel. Look, I get it. Novellas are almost always going to leave you wanting more. I think that's just the nature of the beast, buuuut, IDK, I couldn't help but think… what if !? Seriously, UNMASKED HEART has that special something, especially at the beginning. There's this great enemies-to-lovers dynamic happening between Cohen and Annie that could've been stretched out wayyyyy longer. In addition, I loved the idea of Cohen having a huge, almost borderline obsessive, crush on Annie, while Annie is full on repulsed and wants nothing to do with Cohen. Add in a few flashbacks and BOOM. You've got an interesting history to work from. Again, I get it, this was a novella, but damn, I sure wish it wasn't.


✘ 𝗠𝗔𝗡… 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘… hilariously OTT in almost the best way possible? Like, I don't even know… Okay, so first we have Annabeth or Annie or "Princess." Now, as a heroine Annie… had potential. She really did. She has one hell of a backbone and she's not afraid to stand up for herself. However, her "anger" or "feud" with Cohen just - didn't make a lot of sense. Annie was very wishy washy when it came to her feelings towards Cohen and her feelings towards her family's business in general. For example, one minute she's explaining how she hates Cohen, and then .5 seconds later she's giving herself a whole damn therapy session and coming to the conclusion that she's always been in love with him.

umm, 🙃 🙄

Girl seriously gave me a mild case of whiplash, and I honestly couldn't figure her out. Also, question, what was her grand plan to "escape her father's clutches", cause from where I'm standing she never had one. Overall, her character wasn't bad, buuuut again, because the book was so short I never got a firm handle on who she was character wise.

However, that's nothing compared to how I felt about her love interest, Cohen…

Truly, I ask with extreme sincerity, who is this man? Like - what is your deal, and why do you exist? Cause, w-o-w, my guy had a legit undiagnosed split personality.

One minute he's dropping lines like this ↯ ↯

“I promise you, Annie,” I say solemnly, allowing my eyes to rove over her body. “You’ll be mine. Whether you want it or not.”

And this ↯ ↯

“Don’t—” She breaks off with a wet, shuddery breath. “Don’t you dare touch me without my permission.”
“Who says I need your permission to take what I want?”

With complete sincerity, and then all of a sudden he flips a switch and is over here like ↯ ↯

My pride is one thing. It’s the armor I shroud myself with. But a life without Annie in it? That’s the scariest thought that’s ever crossed my mind.

Good sir. Again I ask, who are you?

The guy we've been hanging out with for 65% of this novella was not in the "my life without Annie is meaningless" mindset. He was in a "i wanna fuck the hell outta this girl whether she likes it or not" mindset. Which, I guess if that's who you are… fine. but maybe get help. Thus, this 360 degree personality switch completely confused me. Reading this book has made me realized something. When I read a romance novel I need one thing above all else, consistency. The characters especially need to be c-o-n-s-i-s-t-e-n-t. I hate, and I mean hate, random personality changes at the fifty percent mark. Like, if you're gonna create an asshole, borderline rapey hero, then have the guts to keep him that way… but in love. I don't know… *sighs deeply* Cohen was just… Cohen. He was kind of a weirdo, not gonna lie.


✘ 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗬 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗦… I just - did not like them. So, story time. Cohen and Annie both have wealthy ass dads who are, in some convoluted way, in business with the mafia. Don't ask me to explain, because honestly? I don't really care. But anyway, due to the subsequent mafia-shit Cohen and Annie are in an arranged marriage. Annie hates that she's being forced to marry Cohen. Hates it. Meanwhile, Cohen is over in the corner all hype and shit.

He deadass had this energy going on ↯ ↯

You could just tell that he was so excited that he finally had a chance to corner Annie, but was doing a really bad job of hiding it. Basically, my man had no chill. None whatsoever. I don't know why he acted like a complete and total creep toward Annie… I truly don't, but he did nonetheless. However, Cohen finally gets a clue at their engagement party and decides, "hey i'm gonna stop being weird and actually try and make her like me." So far so good. Now, I'm out here thinking he's gonna take her out for ice cream, or I don't know, have an honest to god real talk with her. Ha. Ha. Ha. Stupid me. Haven't I read enough romance novels?!? clearly not cause i laughed my ass off in disbelief at the following scene. You guys want to know what he does?

He changes his outfit, puts on a masquerade mask (it was a masquerade engagement party), and full on seduces Annie using the most hilariously fake and obvious name in existence.

I - what? HoW dOeS ThAT wORK? How? How? Hooooooow? Like, the name he used was Colton. C-O-L-T-O-N. His name is Cohen. Again I ask, who are you and why are you here? But, you wanna know the best part? Annie totally and completely buys into this asinine and stupid plan.

I'm not kidding. Here's what she thinks when she hanging out with "Colton" at the party ↯ ↯

“You’re mine.”
The voice beneath me is so similar to Cohen it nearly makes me startle.

And she thinks above thoughts like that from minute one of meeting "Colton." *deep sigh* I just - I need to ask; do masquerade masks come with voice changing devices and invisibility cloaks? I mean I've seen people, IRL, who I know wearing face masks at the store and I've instantly recognized them. Soooo, how does she not realize who Cohen is? uggghhhh, IDK, I guess if she had a clue the story would've been over so much faster. Ultimately, I didn't have a problem with this, so much as I thought it was a really stupid plan that, if executed in a much longer book, would've gone down horrendously. I just cannot with stupid. And Cohen's plan? It was BEYOND stupid.


✘ 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔-𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘, 𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗜𝗦 - 𝗖𝗢𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗘… and honestly… ughhhh. For me, the sudden insta-love was the biggest disappointment of UNMASKED HEART. As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, the enemies-to-lovers in this book was, *chef's kiss*, fabulous. I may not have understood why there was so much animosity between them, but my god did I love it. Like, I have to give major props to author, Veronica Eden, she has a gift when it comes to writing enemies-to-lovers. Or, well, the enemies part. It's that "to-lovers" part that she really struggles with. See, in UNMASKED HEART Annie actively hates Cohen, again for reasons, and Cohen greatly enjoys fucking with her. That's their dynamic.

And then… it's not?? See, what Cohen did with the whole "i'm actually Colton, lol" was… kinda fucked? In that, she somehow didn't realize Colton was Cohen. Which, side-note, this quote had me dying, because REALLY HONEY, YOU DON'T SAY!!

Cohen Decker was Colton all along.

I - hmmm. Welcome to the party hon, you're only five hours late.

Anywho, as I was saying, what Cohen did was… kinda messed up, at least from Annie's POV. Let me explain… so, basically, anytime Annie thought about Cohen it was in terms of stabby stabby murder hate. There was the occasional omg he makes me hot-and-bothered, buuuut that was pretty much it. We, or at least I, never got the impression that she liked him all that much. Therefore, when he "reveals" himself to be Cohen you'd think that it would have caused even more hatred between the two of them. He basically tricked her into sleeping with him and she wouldn't have slept with "Colton" if she had realized it was Cohen.

I mean she even has a suitable reaction… at first ↯ ↯

"… I am not your toy, Cohen, I am a person!”

Which, yay, that was a suitable reaction in line with her character… but then… this line of thought starts to happen, and idk, it just confused the ever-loving fuck outta me ↯ ↯

I guess in a way, beneath all the fucked up parts, I can see that Cohen thought it would be a sweet way for me to get to know him without my existing feelings in the way. He just went about it in the stupidest way possible. Typical, impossible, wild Cohen.

Talk about whiplash, jeez. So, basically what I'm trying to say in my typical overly convoluted way is that… VERONICA EDEN is really really good at making believe in the "enemies" aspect of her characters dynamic. What she, at least in my opinion, struggles with is that transition. The transition from enemies to lovers in UNMASKED HEART felt very abrupt to me.

I mean suddenly Cohen is saying shit like this ↯ ↯

“Annie. I’ve been in love with you ever since we were kids. You’ve had my heart in your grip since that first kiss. It’s yours. Hate me, or forgive me, or ignore me forever. Do whatever you want with it.”

And I mean it's sweet, but it also has me like ↯ ↯

I don't know, how they went from Annie contemplating running away from Cohen and her father to avoid the arranged marriage, to Annie being completely down to marry him boggles my mind. Truly it does… ↯ ↯

“Watch the sunrise with me?” I mumble against her knuckles.
“Just this one, or are we talking every sunrise from now on?” Annie teases. …
“Every sunrise.” …
“Hmm.” …
“Deal.”

All in all, the romance was… kinda a complete bust for me. It started out really strong, but then… the insta-love made an appearance 💀 And look, again, I get it. UNMASKED HEART is a novella. But, idk, I still think the transition could've been a tiny bit stronger. Also, I just really dislike insta-love.


♥ 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗬𝗘𝗧… 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗜𝗧𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙 𝗪𝗔𝗦… entertaining as fuck. There. I said it. I greatly enjoy books that reach that… elevated garbage level, and I truly mean that sentiment in the nicest, most truest, way possible. I adore books like UNMASKED HEART. There was something so… unabashedly fun about it, and while I may have had my problems with it… well… it kinda fished me out of my reviewing rut. See, I used to write wordy ass reviews like they were nothing. I'd start typing and inspiration would strike, but lately? Well, idk, the words haven't been flowing. Then UNMASKED HEART showed up and said "hold my beer." Because, wow. I had so much to say. And look, I know I took the piss out of this book for almost this entire review… but like I just stated, this book was so freaking fun. It was OTT in the best way possible, the character were… well they were something, and the smut was nice. Plus, it kept my attention, which again hasn't been happening much lately. So, what I'm trying to say is… I actually really liked this book even though I kinda sorta thought it was laughably outrageous? Idk, I'm complex like that.


🄰 🅁🄾🄰🅁🄸🄽🄶 🄶🄾🄾🄳 🅃🄸🄼🄴 𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡… I have to say, UNMASKED HEART was a hilariously good time. This book had everything. An OTT plot that was so unbelievable that I couldn't help but laugh. A heroine who… well she was something. She had her good moments, like when she stood up to the hero, and she had her head shaking TSTL moments as well. The hero, Cohen, was, well he a person who I am still very confused about. He made… choices and yeah. He was a big reason this book was so damn funny and I wouldn't have him any other way.

Ultimately, I highly recommend this novella. It's short, it's fun, it's smutty, and it has an earnestness to it that I love. So, thank you UNMASKED HEART. You made my day and gave me a strike of inspiration. For that reason alone I can't not recommend it.

I’m his and I’ll never belong to anyone again. Right now. Tonight. Forever. With Cohen locked in my head as the mystery behind the mask.

[🅙𝔲𝔩𝔷 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Veronica Eden and it will definitely not be my last!
Her writing is like a comforting hug, well a comforting hug where the person squeezes your butt.
She writes some super spicy scenes to perfection and the emotions surrounding the conflicts are rich and realistic.
Cannot wait to get my hands on more of her work!

[Yas · Rating 4 out of 5]

ReRead #1 - 24.08.23: 4 stars

Still enjoyed it & perfect as a quick (spicy) read

FTR - 02.01.23: 4 stars

Since it's a Novella, I had different expectations going into it, BUT this book blew me away!
Veronica Eden managed to build interesting complex characters and a plot in such a short page count, I almost forgot that I was reading a Novella. But I still would love a longer version of it.

I wasn’t feeling my last read, so even happier that I enjoyed this so much!

🗂Genre: Contemporary Romance
📕Type: Novella

🏷Tropes:
- Hate to love
- Teasing MMC
- Forced engagement/ marriage
- Masked party
- Obsessed MMC
- Crime world + Ritch people

⚠️Safety: Dubcon, H hides his identity from h while having sex

📖eBook: 1st person, Dual POV

[tane'a · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ the first 50% was good, i love a good delulu man, but the last 50% was corny

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short was okay, but only okay for me. The leads were forced together by their parents from childhood, when they were friends, to now, when they are forced into an arranged marriage. I never really felt the connection between the two and though I liked the dub-con of the masked bit, the rest was just meh.
2.5 Stars

[JadeC · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!! Lol i guess i start to understand the meaning unmasked heart now! Sizzling hot 🔥🔥 nice plot even though its a novella. Arranged marriage + loads of dirty talking!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid, very smutty novella.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun short read. This is my first book by this author and I'm glad I found her books. Annabeth is being forced into a marriage by her father. It is a business move for him but to Annabeth it is unforgiveable.
She has known Cohen since she was a little kid but she doesn't want to marry him. It is soon going to be time for the engagement party and Cohen has a plan of his own to show Annabeth he truly does love her.

[alexa ༉‧₊˚✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Stars

“Be the queen to my empire?”

I really liked this novella and truly wished it was an entire novel! The plot was so good, and I would’ve given it a much higher rating if it was a full-length novel that allowed for more details to be added into the story.

Annabeth was so on brand rich girl but in the best way possible. I loved how head strong she was and how she wasn’t afraid to stand up to her father even though she knew it wouldn’t ever go well in her favor. Also the fact that she had put off the engagement as much as possible was so real of her, I just adored her.

Cohen was such a character, its almost funny how his logic worked. He always knew what he wanted and was out to get it so I give him probs for it though. He really though faking his identity at first to win Annie over would work out in his favor, and well… it did!

Together these two literally gave me whiplash because of how fast they change their minds, but I get that since it is a novella everything had to happen faster. I really did like these two together though and honestly the chemistry between the two was always very prevalent. I do wish we would’ve gotten more of them together though.

Since it was a novella and things had to happen a lot faster it felt very insta-love and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I mean one chapter Annie is swearing she hates Cohen yet in the next chapter she confesses she has loved him forever and is ready to marry him.

It all just felt a little rushed and I truly wish it was a novel because I really did like the characters and concepts. I just know it would’ve been drama filled and intense.

Also, it felt rather short so I feel as if I needed to rate it differently and since some things didn’t necessarily move me in awe I give it a three stars.

Overall, Unmasked Heart was a really good novella and I recommend it to anyone who wants a quick fun read!

[alina boop · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Want me to cut a hole in those tights so you can sit on my lap and ride my cock on the way to campus?”

Why did this sound like an intro to like SVU? He raped her, gave creepy vibes throughout the whole story. He is frightening, I hope she runs. She should’ve ran.

“Who says I need your permission to take what I want?”

LIKE HUHH…. EXCUSE ME. What did he just say??

I was waiting for Olivia Benson to pop out and be like put you to jail. This was horrible, I feel like the intent was going to be good but no like she didn’t consent to having sex with Cohen, she consented to having sex with Colton. Like this book had me so confused. I was lost, absolutely lost.

I didn’t like the couple, Anne’s thoughts confused me and Cohen I just wanted to kill kill stab stab.

[Vanessa Siena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first ever read from Veronica Eden and I went into it open-minded since I've never read a dark mafia arranged marriage bully romance.

Since it's a novella, I accepted the fact that it's a short read, although I would be up for a longer version of this book. Like, immediately.

I finished it last night after just starting it and I couldn't put it down. Cohen somehow managed to dig his way into my heart. Probably because I'm a sucker for rude assholes with strong personalities.

And Annie is such a strong character. I loved every single bit of her.

Overall, I'm definitely picking up some more of Veronica's books in the near future! x

[Ajla Obic · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

This was such a short novella (I think about 90 pages long?) so I read it in about an hour but I really think this would’ve been a great full length novel! The story had so much potential to be turned into a dual timeline romance book & I would’ve loved to have seen this story be more fleshed out. But anyway! I still enjoyed it & thought it was cute & sweet, although it wasn’t anything particularly special. Super easy & quick to read, with a touch of spice.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, novella, she falls first, he falls harder, it’s always been you

[Ryann Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a spicy arranged marriage story set at New Years. Annie and Cohen were both really likable characters and I loved the epilogue! Sweet story!

[dais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spicy novella, arranged marriage, childhood friends to enemies to lovers, second chance, passion, angst and tonnes of sexual tension!!!
I absolutely adored this short story of Annie & Cohen! 🥹

[Lucy Potter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been so much better if it was just longer.

I liked the characters but they needed more. And I loved the writing style.

However, I think the plot was actually pretty problematic, which would have been fine if there was a siginificant amount of working through that and setting things right. But it just kind of ended really quickly and I was left feeling a little icky.

Also, this is just my personal preference, but I feel like a story this short, shouldn't have an epilogue. There hasn't been enough time to get to know the characters, so knowing where they are two years later added nothing to the story. I would have much rather have seen an extended story.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Annie and Cohen is a fast burn bully/torment romance.
They've known each other since they were kids. Their dad's and families run most of the city and are involved in dark and shady business. They're set up in an arranged marriage and be next in line to take over.
Annie has always felt trapped and controlled. Having an arranged marriage only makes her feel more so. She refuses to marry Cohen. She hates him, he has tormented her for years.
Cohen as much as he torments Annie actually cares for her and has devised a plan to win her over.
Read this short book to find out if his plan worked.
Oh and there's also some very steamy action between Annie and some mystery man 😉

[Christina Rybka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, Sexy, and great storyline

Annie’s father is extremely controlling that he’s arranged who she will be married to Cohen who she can’t stand. They grew up together and were friends until they weren’t. Annie goes to the New Year’s Eve party slash engagement announcement and meets Colton. This is where things get interesting. Great characters and storyline. Highly recommended Amazing book. This is my first book by this author definitely not my last. Short and sexy.

[sahra (readwithsahra_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was entertaining and spicy but not more than that. it’s perfect if you want a quick story with a darker tone. the spice was fire tho I’ll give the story that

other than that, the love story was cute but not that marking. but I mean it’s a novella, so we can’t ask more than what we got honesty

if you are searching for an arrange marriage with dubious theme and an childhood friends to enemies to lovers that can be the thing for you!

ratings:
overall: 3.5 ⭐️
spice: 3.5🌶️
tension: 3⚡️

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/2/2021)! 🎁

[Kelly_Reads_Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annie and Cohen's story was really good, this couple have known each other since they were children, and now they are to be married! Annie is struggling with this pending farce, and she meets Colton, and sparks fly, emotions are overwhelming, until the final deceit. More lies, and more manipulation, and Annie is on the run.
Unmasked Heart was a very well written story with fabulous characters.

[FLOR · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dios que libro del demonio... la verdad que lo unico que queria era terminarlo.
No conecte ni con la historia, ni con el plot ni con los personajes. Asi que MALISIMO.

[sicily · Rating 1 out of 5]

literally don’t read it

[Sigrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay

[☽｡⋆dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

no

[Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think i've ever read a "book" this short since I was a kid😭! This novella is literally enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, short easy read, maybe or maybe not dark romance 🤔, spicy🔥🔥, and DUAL POV🤭. There's also a playlist inside the book and... AND...THERE'S A TABLE OF CONTENTS INSIDE😨⁉️ I was so shocked to find the contents inside. I thought those only existed in non-fiction books 😀 Alsooo I think the book is NA (new adult) bc the font is smaller 😓 NO BC HOW IS IT ALREADY DESCRIPTIVE 12 PAGES IN⁉️ JAW DROPPED. Not like they're doing it but his thoughts... I'm scared for what's to happen later on in the book😭 Excuse me? EXCUSE ME? I don't like this Cohen character. Like give us character development RIGHT NOW. It's not a want, it's a NEED. His thoughts are so wild.. like it's giving r*pist 😕 or is that how dark romance works? Like nooo if Cohen doesn't get that NEEDED character development, automatically 1 star. Also since like the author wasn't descriptive about the character's appearance. Since Cohen is Italian i'm imagining him with brown hair, tall, maybe green or black eyes, and he has like tattoos. They described Anne a bit, with her blonde hair and hazel eyes. I'M SORRY... BUT HOW DO YOU BITE BACK YOUR GROWL??? Oh no guys.. he barked at me!!😣 He roared for me to come over him..! LIKE NO STOP ACTING LIKE A FURRY😰 Don't release that inner alpha. KEEP.IT.AWAY. "I bite back that growl that threatens to erupt from me, balling my fist at my side." (Pg. 27....) Nevermind Annie's also a lil dirty😨 But like if IF Colten is Cohen I WANT COHEN TO HAVE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND BECOME COLTEN. STOPP THIS IS A WHOLE 'NOTHER SPICY. Very different from CoHo🫣 I can't take this seriously. "Ah!" LIKE JUST SAY "She moaned." OR SOMETHING BEFORE I KEEP GOOFING AROUND☠️☠️ No.. NOOO STOP. "He must sense the thoughts running through my head because he barks a laugh and puts his lips against my ear." (Pg. 57) STOPP I'M WHEEZING. "He... H-he.. barks.. oh no! He's really mad 🥺🥺" That's what i'm thinking when the MC's love interest growls, barks, snickers, or does any of that cringey stuff😭 Ok ok.. Got me giggling and all 🤗 I CAN SNIFF OUT THAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT‼️ "The last thing I want to do is control you, Annabeth Noble," I swear. (Pg. 79😫) STOP WITH THE WORD CHOICES. Girlie.. not this again. "I bark out a breathy laugh, elation sparking and expanding my chest." (Pg. 81😞) How.. How do you bark out a breath?! "Hah-ruff-hahahahahaah..RUFFRUFF" Like is that how that goes..?😟 Anywasysys time for me to rate🥳 So... out of 5 stars, I rate 3.5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ It wasn't bad; like the ending, the character development, the details. Yeah, the ending is the ending we all need! (HEA🩷🤍🖤)


Songs: Sit Still, Look Pretty by Daya, Secrets and Lies by Ruelle, Royalty by Conor Maynard, Tempt Ny Trouble by Bishop Briggs, Liar by Camilla Cabello, Sorry Not Sorry by Demi Lovato, TRAMPOLINE by SHAED, Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey, Mercy by Shawn Mendes, Way down We Go by KALEO, Dizzy by MISSO, Mind Games by SicKick, Nightmares by Ellise, and I Want It All by Cameron Grey.

[Geralynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much I want to say about Unmasked Heart but I am only limited to so much, alas.

This dark romance, arranged marriage, bully romance combination is one that is not only smart, quick and funny at points, but also superb at honing in on the character's minds and intentions. I felt immediately drawn in by Annebeth and Cohen's minds, and was panting for more about the incredible electricity between these two chars as their history of knowing each other since childhood radiates the tension between the two of them.

Veronica manages to pack the punch and use perfect visualizations that grabbed me and pulled me into this glitzy but gritty world that she created for the reader. I was really blown away with the NYE party event, and the sex scene was absolutely scorching. What I really enjoyed too was how Veronica was able to make Cohen into the anti-hero type, but also a hopeless romantic who wnated to show Annebeth more about him than I think he felt he could show in the beginning of the story. And to me that was such a deeper idea of the characters without giving it all away.

I definitely left after reading this story thinking about these characters and still think about them. infinity/10 would recommend to anyone.

[Rhiyel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful buildup, shortly followed by disappointment.

I’m in two minds about this book. The build up and the suspense was delicious. Admittedly I had to push the niggling disbelief to the back of my head while I was reading the part where he deceives her...I’d think she’d be able to recognise him a bit easier than what was written considering how well she knows him. I liked both characters at the start. Both of them had such conviction and determination to get what they wanted. I loved the fire in the h, she was getting closer and closer to igniting and burning him down for his stunt. But...man she fizzled. And he never grovelled like he bloody well should have. She just gave up and then both of them just suddenly decided to raise their fists to their families and make it work. Ugh. Super disappointed with the ending. The whole thing just deflated to a really unsatisfying ending.

[Jocelynne Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a quickie 😉. Its a freinds-enemies-lovers, arranged marriage troupe. Cohen kind of tricks Annabeth into believing he is someone else for just a little bit at their Engagement party. He wants to convince her that he's a good guy and not the one he has to be around the outside world, but Annie already has her mind made up about Cohen. Colton on the other hand, she believes will be her knight in shinning armor.
Just because the spice is rated on the lower side doesnt mean it was bad because the spice Veronica gave us was amazing, it was just minimal and thats ok. Dont get me wrong love my smut but we love a good story/plot as well. Definitely reccomend if this is your type of reading and just want a quick read.

P.s Im doing a back read list of Veronica Eden book's, because this woman has me book drunk off Matching All the Way its living rent free in my head, and from time to time I like to revisit South Bay and Cooper Vale 😜 in The Devil You Know.

[Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

real rating 3.5 This short love story is about Annabeth and Cohen. They've known each other since they were kids. And now they found in an arranged marriage just for their parents' wealth can grow. But Annie hates Cohen and marrying him is her worst nightmare.
The story was nice. And it unfolded quite easily this makes it very easy to go into the narrative. The characters were nice as well, though I found the change in Cohen a bit abrupt. I mean, I liked the change, but I found his attitude incoherent to how he behaved at the beginning of the book. Also, there were sex scenes which I'm not too into. But aside that, this was a good story!
I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.