Alpha Andrew isn't interested in love, or marriage. He'd much rather hunt down the scum that's been haunting his pack and assaulting women, but he can't run away from his pack's expectations. He has to provide the pack with a Luna.
Lance has never had a chance at a real relationship. He's hated by most and stays to himself and out of the way. It's a fate he expects to live out until his half-brother one day snaps and kills him.
Love isn't something that Xavier has ever cared about. Bodyguard to the Alpha he's exposed to all kinds of willing women and he's always ready to take them up on their generous offer. Anything real he doesn't deserve.
Laura just wants to blend in, she’s never been one that likes standing out, not after the past she's had. But after breaking something of her Alpha’s, she’s forced into pretending to be his future Luna. If she fails she knows she'll be exiled. But she can't stop herself as she gets involved with the three different men and a heart once shuttered, opens.
But everything changes once she discovers more about the mysterious assailant and the ties he has to her own past and the dark secrets she harbors. Will she share what she knows and risk her happily ever after or will she let the pack suffer?
A slow-burn romance, but still with steamy situations, adult language, and content dealing with an abusive ex, this story is a #whychoose for adults.
Thank you for giving me this free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Alpha's Fake Wife had both good and bad points for me.
Firstly, I felt that things very happening very quickly at the very beginning. The situation the first characters meet in was quite unique so I understand the sudden proximity between them, but I felt like the characters didn't have enough time to bond enough to care and feel so much for each other. The guy was ready to leave everything behind for the girl in like Chapter 10, and it didn't feel the most natural. However, I did like that the last chapters and epilogue portrayed how much they ended up loving each other.
Laura's emotions were...hard to understand sometimes. I felt like she went from an extreme to the other: she was either happy/oblivious about what was happening or was crying for everything. This is not something bad don't get me wrong, but it kind of lacks some variety of feelings. This could be done maybe by describing the facial aspects/features and how they change when her emotions do. She could perfectly be crying but crying from sadness or crying from frustration or crying while feeling numb is not the same thing. And while the story progresses, we get to know her better because without even naming the emotion, we can deduce how she is feeling by how her body/face expresses it. In this aspect (portraying emotions) is better to show than directly telling the reader.
Something I found very positive is the length of the chapters. They are so short and it makes it so easy to keep and keep reading without noticing how much of the book you have read. The multiple POV is also something I search for in many books, and I do feel like each character had their own voice. It didn't feel like all characters were the same person, each had their way of dealing with problems and their reasons for it. There is also a quite balanced quantity of angst, mystery, and romance in the story; and things are constantly happening so it keeps you entertained.
There are grammatical errors, but if I'm not mistaken this is an ARC that has yet to be corrected so I'm not going to get into detail. However, there are sentences that were repeated -in the same paragraph, or said by the same character more than once on the same page/chapter- or even whole dialogues/monologues that were explaining the same situation/plan twice, so it could feel heavy to read at times when this appeared. Repetition is not very needed, at least not when that same thing being repeated has been said not long ago.
It's also quite strange how many times characters change opinions in the same paragraph. It mostly happened with the three men, as they all wanted Laura but knew it was wrong. Time after time they were repeating how wrong it was but how bad they wanted it. Which is, the point of the plot right? Yet, it didn't feel natural all these thoughts they had. I connect this point with some lack of logic too, and for this I would like to quote from the book:
"The fewer people I had to compete with for Laura, the better. Even if she might never know my feelings. I couldn't betray Drew, I had to keep it inside."
So...you like her and you want to literally compete with the others to be the one to end with her, BUT you don't want her to know you like her AND also you don't want to betray your friend. It just didn't quite get Xavier at all.
Again with repetition, Laura asks Brandon why is he doing what he was doing (no spoilers), after he just confessed and told her almost everything so he just kind of...repeated the same reasoning but with different words/order. And it made no sense because we as readers knew the reason as he just told Laura.
In my notes I have something about a jump from chapter 70 to 71. I think Laura had a call with Drew, and he was about to communicate something very important to her (or at least the dialogue said that) but we are never told what was going on or what that important thing was. It did look like he was going to confess, but we didn't get that part at all in the book and I found that a bit strange. Maybe it wasn't that big of a deal but "I know I should wait. But I want to talk to you now. Discuss things with you now." looked like an interesting call honestly.
Going back to the positive aspects, the bite being a full image was an idea I hadn't seen before and it was actually quite unique and fun to know what represented every relationship. Also, feeling not only mentally but physically in your body how your mate is feeling was so very cool to read about.
Finally, talking about the final chapters and epilogue, they were full of action so it makes you want to read more to know what is happening. It also prepares the way for a second book while giving closure to the first book, which was very well done. I have talked about more negative points, but of course, I did enjoy the book and I am very grateful that I was able to read it. I will be waiting for the second book because I am dying to know who this new villain will be.
3.5-3.75 stars If you're a fan of slow burns, reverse harems, and/or paranormal romances, you'll enjoy this novel. The author was able to add multiple twists and turns along with the mystery assailant storyline. This is going to be part of a series, so some questions/problems didn't fully get solved by the end. This doesn't bother me but for some, it might leave you a bit unsatisfied. My main issue with the novel was the multiple grammatical errors, weird word choices/phrasing, and the redundancy of explanations/descriptions. If you can overlook that, the novel is quite enjoyable.
***I would like to thank BookSirens and Maria Warren (the author) for graciously providing a copy of the novel for me to read & review.***
I did enjoy this story. The alpha finds himself in need of a Luna for the pact. The first person available is Laura. Not his type, but he needs this for his pact. This isn’t your typical love story. They don’t even get along. Slowly, others start to fall for Laura too. So many twists and turns. Lots of danger and mystery. As you find out more about the characters, you start to like them more. Eventually, the story becomes more steamy with Laura and her guys. Would love to read the next in the series.
The author assured me she’d fix the duplicate chapter problems before the sale date.. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
ALPHA'S FAKE WIFE is the first book in a series that really does show potential but, unfortunately for me, I just didn't feel as though it lived up to that potential as it stands right now.
It is a slow-burn Reverse Harem romance with a mystery/romantic suspense element to it as someone is drugging and assaulting females in Drew's pack.
Our main female, Laura, is brought to a party by her not-so-likeable best friend, Brandon, before he abandons her for other women. After he leaves her, she is handed a drink, drinks it, is immediately drugged, and starts to be led away. She is able to free herself but feels ill - which is how she meets Drew. Lance is Drew's half-brother who acts completely out of character when he throws a party for the pack to celebrate the new Luna - even though he is only tolerated by most of them, and actually prefers to stay out of the limelight. Lance meets Laura the same night and mistakes her for one of Drew's usual floozies. We don't meet Xavier until about halfway through (or so it felt) although he is supposed to be Drew's bodyguard! I am told about these four having a connection - or rather, three having a connection to Laura, and her to the three - but I never see or feel it.
There are situations and circumstances left unexplained in here that, although may be explained in future books, could have done with at least something to be going on with. For example, what is with the intense dislike of cherries? There are some fruits I don't like, but hers is crazy. And seriously, if you've got someone going around assaulting women, stop going out by yourself when you've been asked not to (unless it's for a bloody good reason which none of hers were). And how many times are you going to be on the receiving end of a drugged drink and be able to pass it off as a mistake?
There are a couple of Not-So-Big Bads here that didn't come as a surprise at all, but there are clues given to a Big Bad called The Alchemist who I guess will be the overall story arc going forward.
If this book went through a severe editing process, dropped a few thousand unnecessary words, tightened up the story as a whole, made a connection between the characters, and made said characters more relatable, then I would continue with it, but as it stands, I won't be reading this series any further. ** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. * Merissa Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The moment Laura stumbles into trouble, Alpha Andrew decides he can make use of her by forcing her to become his fake Luna. But even though Andrew is dedicated to his pack and certain Laura isn't his type, he can't prevent himself gradually falling for her. Unbeknownst to him though, he's not the only one who wants her, and not all of them have honest intentions…
"Alpha's fake wife" is the first book by Maria Warren I've read and I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the personal growth all the main characters experience. None of these characters make the best impression from the start, but I have to say it's really worth it to keep on reading and watch them become better versions of themselves. This story takes a lot of different twists and turns, but the storyline wraps up nicely so it doesn't end in a cliffy. Although there is room for more developments, I believe this book can be read as a standalone. I'm still looking forward to see what will happen next with these characters though.
I actually thought that this book was a standalone (which it might be? Im not sure) but with that ending it gave me the idea that there might be more in the future? We'll see i guess.
Back to this book its a slow burn read with some dark themes. Laura (FMC) gets involved with Alpha Andrew's ploy to make him his fake Luna. Leading to plenty of plot twists, secrets and lies that slowly get uncovered in the course of the book. I really liked the dynamic between Laura and guys - Andrew, Lance and Xavier. This was a great read and Ill keep an eye out for any more books in the future in this series
One of the most compelling stories I have read in a while.More twists than a corkscrew from start to finish . This is the first of a series and one you really wont want tomiss . If the rest of the story is as good as this book then it really will be one to keep rereading
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Amazing book about a rouse, betrayal, lies, and need for power with added spice here and there. You really connect with these characters, fall in love with each character. The fight scenes are detailed enough you can see them play out in your head. Well rounded romance novel.
I love Laura’s story and Drew's growth so much that I couldn’t put the book down. The twists and flow were perfect. I can’t wait for the next one to come out!
I’m here as a recommendation from Jessica Hall. Maria Warren is a brand new author for me. I enjoyed the book. It’s not y like other shifter series I’ve read. I look forward to reading more of her books. The only thing I am disappointed in was I did not realize this was not a standalone and it was an incomplete series. I hate starting a book in a series that is not yet complete. But I will wait for the next books in the series to finish.
I didn't know what to expect with this book but as the title was intriguing I dig it and I'm definitely not disappointed.
As the excuse of the fake Luna (fake wife) didn't appeal to me at the beginning, the numerous plot twists made me almost read this book straight through!
The different POV are definitely a strength of this book because I found the FMC, Laura, a bit too naive and too quickly ready to throw herself at the guys. The guys aren't perfect people (who is?) and I hate them some times. My less favourite is Xavier because I quite didn't understand who he really is. His character was a bit confusing in my opinion.
I thought that this book was a standalone so I was surprised to discover that it's a serie which takes place in a universe called Aeqasia. Even if you didn't read any book of the author previously you wouldn't have any problem to understand the worldbuilding in this book.
So if you like RH with multiple POV, shifters, slow building harem, and numerous plot twist don't hesitate, this book is for you!
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
I feel like I just read a good first draft of a novel with some extra problems thrown in since this book was originally written in an episodic fashion.
To the author: GET AN EDITOR! LOOK AT YOUR SHIT BEFORE YOU HIT PUBLISH FFS! So many odd word choices and turns of phrase like "I handed her my elbow". Did you even look at this after you wrote it? Also so many needlessly unexplained plot points (why did she hate cherries???) and characters acting outside of their nature (why would Lance throw that party, really???). I enjoyed the twists and the slow burn to high heat and the plot in general, but GET AN EDITOR.
To fellow readers: It was a fun read in between the shitton of editing and proofreading issues.
I wasn’t overly thrilled with this particular story. The characters all seemed very weak. Even getting stronger later didn’t make me like them very much. Laura seems particularly weak and gets in a situation with the Alpha Andrew. He is trying to deal with whoever has been assaulting females in the pack. Using Laura to give the pack a Luna just seemed like a box to tick off in his daily to-do list.
Also in Laura’s harem is Lance who isolates himself from others, and Xavier who has had his pick of the females hanging around the Alpha but has never looked for real love. Will they find out more about the masked assailant who is hurting women? Is the attacker part of Laura’s past?
"Alpha's fake wife" is the first novel I've read by Maria Warren, and I was pleasantly impressed. it was an easy read, i finished it in one sitting. This story had a lot of twists and turns that kept me on edge; I couldn't totally trust the characters until chapter 70 and believe me when I say you'll be surprised most of the time, you won't see it coming. My main issue with the story is Laura's love life; the fact that she was the mate for three separate males bothered me; it was too much. But I'm still curious to see what happens next with these guys.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Wow! What a ride! This was a promising first installment of a new series. It kept me engaged and on my toes. Very slow burn, but worth the wait! I loved how the main female character overcame her fears and how loving and sweet her men turned out to be. This book would have been given 5 stars if the dialogue had been more natural in some places. There were also numerous sentence structure errors, which pulled me out of the story. Overall, great book and I can’t wait for the next in the series!
I hate weak, whiny, and pathetic females. She literally started sobbing for absolutely no reason. Andrew was selfish, gross, and just plain unlikable. I couldn’t even stand the chick’s supposed best friend who she blames for getting her fired from her jobs because she was too spineless to make him leave her alone during her time at work.
I definitely would not recommend this book or this author.
Bit different than my normal but very enjoyable. There are some great twists you don't expect. The fmc finds herself in trouble and to get out of it must pretend to be the alpha's luna. But what fun is that! She isn't what he wants in a mate but as you can guess they fall in love. Of course there are other things going on and the alpha is not the only one after her.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a wild ride of a book. There was mystery, romance and a slow burn to the spice.
The characters developed over the whole book. Which was nice cause when I started reading it seemed like your typical alphahole story but it got better and hooked you with the storyline. Can't wait to read more.
I totally loved the plot of this book. I loved the three boys, my favorite characters however were Caroline and Mimi. They are absolutely amazing and made me laugh. I can't wait for the Alchemist.
Alpha Andrew, Lance, Xavier and Laura have an uphill battle to face and face it they did. Action, drama, romance and steamy sexy moments all rolled into one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.