ABOUT THE BOOK
When your arranged marriage to a small-town stranger is the most promising thing on your calendar, it’s time to accept that the year has gotten away from you.
My Manhattan bridal business is circling the drain. My finances are a crime scene. My wedding singer parents have opinions about my string of failed engagements. Loudly. In public. Often in harmony.
And the only thing standing between me and my childhood bedroom is an arranged marriage to a man I’ve never met, in a small coastal Maine town I’ve never visited, with a six-week eject clause I fully intend to ignore.
Gideon Mars—six-foot-something of controlled fury and burn-scarred jaw—stares down at me from the altar like I am, specifically, his worst nightmare. He’s hostile. He’s enormous. He’s clearly trying to scare me off before the ink dries.
But I don’t scare easily. Despite his glares, I march up to him and say, “I do.”
What follows is six weeks, one bed, and someone in Marswood Harbor who wants me gone even more than Gideon does.
The difference is Gideon changes his mind. Apparently, “I do” comes with a bodyguard.
And I’m going to need him.
MY REVIEW
This book, with its arranged marriage of convenience, tugged at my heartstrings as it explored raw, real themes.
Sadie feels like an outcast in her own family, and she deals with vaginismus, which adds a whole new layer of complexity to her romantic life. Past partners have betrayed her trust, and you can feel her desperation as she decides to marry a stranger. From the very first time she literally sees Gideon’s glare while walking down the aisle, she is determined to follow through with this arrangement no matter how he feels. Gideon would have given up his grandmother’s inheritance in a minute, but when she pulls out the blackmail card, he has no choice but to be tied to an outsider the rest of his life.
It takes a lot of fortitude to up and move to a small town filled with a bit of hostility and skepticism, and Sadie does it like a queen. My heart broke for her predicament, and I was angry at the men who turned their backs on her and made her feel inadequate. However, when Gideon slowly falls for this beautiful woman who is not there for the money, but for wanting a normal life with a family who loves her, it is a pleasure to watch.
Gideon’s scars leave him angry and vulnerable to people who don’t know him, but Sadie is not like everyone else. She is direct and honest and not afraid of his bark. However, Gideon is also extremely patient and selfless with Sadie’s physical issue, which made me tear up a couple of times. His family and town look up to him as the eldest in the large Mars clan, and unfortunately, he’s the first guinea pig in his grandmother’s mission to matchmake the Mars men and energize their small town again.Â
Getting past their insecurities is difficult, but their chemistry is stronger. Their journey toward self-acceptance and understanding also makes them so relatable. If anyone deserves a happily ever after, Sadie and Gideon do.
The Mars family and the people of Marswood Harbor are a fun, often mysterious crowd who welcome Sadie with hopefulness and open hearts as she falls in love with the small town and its quirky residents.
If you love a relatable story about strangers who fall in love and accept each other, flaws and all, give this book a try.
Thank you to Ms. Monroe for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
Marswood Harbor Series
1 Better Off Wed (2026)
2 The Marriage Mistake (2026)
3 Untitled (2026)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lilian Monroe is a contemporary romance author. She loves to add elements of suspense and mystery into her novels while making sure to deliver that oh-so-satisfying happily ever after (as well as lots of oh-so-satisfying moments along the way).
Initially writing in her free time, she developed a love for storytelling and romance and slowly started sharing her stories with her friends. Making the leap to novels was exciting and challenging, and she immediately fell in love with the entire process. She thoroughly enjoys every aspect of writing from conception to editing to publication.
Lilian has lived all over the world: Canada, Australia and Thailand, to name a few. She spends her days writing and teaching English, and daydreaming about the next male lead to star in her books.
Follow Lilian on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Bookbub.
