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Marriage by Contract #3
The Wrong Fiancée: Dean's Story
One True Love + One Wrong Fiancée = One Epic Fiasco!
Dean Archer has meticulously curated his life to include his family's global art and antiquities empire and a fiancée who is his intellectual equal.
When he arrives at a luxury resort in Kauai for a vacation with his new fiancée’s family, the last person he expects to find cleaning his room is Elika Hamlet—the woman who once set his world, and his bed, ablaze. And since the universe has a wicked sense of humor, she's also his fiancée’s cousin.
Their affair ended badly when Elika overheard Dean telling his friend she was fun for a fling, but as a hotel maid with no education, she wasn't an intellectual equal. Dean's fiancée, on the other hand, is everything he thought he wanted—smart, beautiful, perfectly connected, and flawless on paper.
But, as Dean spends more time with the fierce and captivating Elika, he realizes he’s been chasing after the wrong cousin.
Can Dean undo the damage he caused and prove he’s changed? Or will Elika walk away, leaving him to face the consequences of choosing the wrong fiancée?
The Wrong Fiancée is a billionaire second chance small town romance and Includes all your favorite tropes:
Second Chances
Opposites Attract
Other Woman Drama
Engaged to Another/Cousin
Small town/Island
Overheard
No Cheating
Complete Standalone
Dean Archer has meticulously curated his life to include his family's global art and antiquities empire and a fiancée who is his intellectual equal.
When he arrives at a luxury resort in Kauai for a vacation with his new fiancée’s family, the last person he expects to find cleaning his room is Elika Hamlet—the woman who once set his world, and his bed, ablaze. And since the universe has a wicked sense of humor, she's also his fiancée’s cousin.
Their affair ended badly when Elika overheard Dean telling his friend she was fun for a fling, but as a hotel maid with no education, she wasn't an intellectual equal. Dean's fiancée, on the other hand, is everything he thought he wanted—smart, beautiful, perfectly connected, and flawless on paper.
But, as Dean spends more time with the fierce and captivating Elika, he realizes he’s been chasing after the wrong cousin.
Can Dean undo the damage he caused and prove he’s changed? Or will Elika walk away, leaving him to face the consequences of choosing the wrong fiancée?
The Wrong Fiancée is a billionaire second chance small town romance and Includes all your favorite tropes:
Second Chances
Opposites Attract
Other Woman Drama
Engaged to Another/Cousin
Small town/Island
Overheard
No Cheating
Complete Standalone
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 18, 2025
467 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Maya Alden
39books711followersA top 20 Amazon Bestselling Author, Maya Alden pens angsty contemporary romances.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
January 18, 2025
-1000000 stars
I don’t understand the five stars all around and I don’t understand why not one of those reviews warned that there is such an amazing scene in there.
I honestly hoped this new one was similar to the last two books that were quite decent, but this has a new low in it.
The hero has a fling with the hero four years before, she was a maid and he a guest. He’s rich she’s poor but she was trying to save for her college.
She overhears him telling to the hotel owner that is his friend that she is just a dumb maid but she’s an excellent fuck and gives the best head.
They meet again four year later, she’s a maid because her sister had a car accident and is now paralyzed and needing expensive care, he’s engaged with her evil cousin.
So, her cousin is really an evil and nasty bitch, nonetheless he does nothing for days. Do you want to know the disgusting scene?
The author thought it would be nice if the heroine came inside the room while the hero is having great sex with his cousin.
Afuckingmazing!
So, while the heroine slaves away because she has no time to date he has the time of his life and keeps having sex with his fiancee even after he understands he has unresolved feelings for the heroine and gets hard because he wants the heroine and not his fiancee.
Are you fucking kidding me?
How is this romantic.
And how am I supposed to like a hero that is not only this level of gross but also dumb as a jellyfish?
One thing I hate as much as men having sex with other women while lusting for another, is a stupid man. And he’s the worst.
After this I just couldn’t care about what happened.
He’s stupid to begin with.
He should ave never made those assumptions and be that kind of idiot to a girl that was working that hard, anyway. I just can’t find sexy a man like him, that is unable to see if the woman he’s engaged with is a bitch when all the people around him are telling him so.
I really would love honest reviews.
I would have never read this book if I had known there was a scene where the heroine sees the hero having sex with another woman.
I don’t care if he’s engaged to this woman, he still has a past with the heroine, he has met her now and I don’t want the hero to have sex with another woman when he meets the heroine again, not even if he’s engaged. The author could spare this part, why didn’t she.
It was humiliating and debasing, and useless.
I don’t find it romantic if a hero is able to have sex with other women when he knows and has already sex with the heroine, especially if he still feels attracted to her, this is wrong and demeaning.
Double standards of course.
The heroine had only some random sex but apparently not recently.
I hoped the author had matured and grown up in her writing style, and that she was eventually able to write angsty books where there were not such awful situations that make me feel second hand embarrassment for a heroine who is forced to end with such a disgusting prick. A man that, after witnessing how evil, mean, nasty and shallow his fiancee is, is still able to sleep with her while secretly lusting for another woman is not and will never be worthy of a second glance.
To all my safety friends.
Please, avoid trauma.
There’s nothing safe here.
I don’t understand the five stars all around and I don’t understand why not one of those reviews warned that there is such an amazing scene in there.
I honestly hoped this new one was similar to the last two books that were quite decent, but this has a new low in it.
The hero has a fling with the hero four years before, she was a maid and he a guest. He’s rich she’s poor but she was trying to save for her college.
She overhears him telling to the hotel owner that is his friend that she is just a dumb maid but she’s an excellent fuck and gives the best head.
They meet again four year later, she’s a maid because her sister had a car accident and is now paralyzed and needing expensive care, he’s engaged with her evil cousin.
So, her cousin is really an evil and nasty bitch, nonetheless he does nothing for days. Do you want to know the disgusting scene?
The author thought it would be nice if the heroine came inside the room while the hero is having great sex with his cousin.
Afuckingmazing!
So, while the heroine slaves away because she has no time to date he has the time of his life and keeps having sex with his fiancee even after he understands he has unresolved feelings for the heroine and gets hard because he wants the heroine and not his fiancee.
Are you fucking kidding me?
How is this romantic.
And how am I supposed to like a hero that is not only this level of gross but also dumb as a jellyfish?
One thing I hate as much as men having sex with other women while lusting for another, is a stupid man. And he’s the worst.
After this I just couldn’t care about what happened.
He’s stupid to begin with.
He should ave never made those assumptions and be that kind of idiot to a girl that was working that hard, anyway. I just can’t find sexy a man like him, that is unable to see if the woman he’s engaged with is a bitch when all the people around him are telling him so.
I really would love honest reviews.
I would have never read this book if I had known there was a scene where the heroine sees the hero having sex with another woman.
I don’t care if he’s engaged to this woman, he still has a past with the heroine, he has met her now and I don’t want the hero to have sex with another woman when he meets the heroine again, not even if he’s engaged. The author could spare this part, why didn’t she.
It was humiliating and debasing, and useless.
I don’t find it romantic if a hero is able to have sex with other women when he knows and has already sex with the heroine, especially if he still feels attracted to her, this is wrong and demeaning.
Double standards of course.
The heroine had only some random sex but apparently not recently.
I hoped the author had matured and grown up in her writing style, and that she was eventually able to write angsty books where there were not such awful situations that make me feel second hand embarrassment for a heroine who is forced to end with such a disgusting prick. A man that, after witnessing how evil, mean, nasty and shallow his fiancee is, is still able to sleep with her while secretly lusting for another woman is not and will never be worthy of a second glance.
To all my safety friends.
Please, avoid trauma.
There’s nothing safe here.
January 29, 2025
There once was a man called Dean
Whose fiancee was really mean.
At least the h was good in bed
And he liked she gave good #ead.
Too bad all she did was clean.
Cinderella story where the h is besieged by evil relatives that stoop to all kinds if shenanigans with a Prince Charming that is lacking. It's no coincidence that he decides to really go after her after he finds out she once had ambitions beyond being a maid. Be happy the heroine is happy I guess.
There was a Harlequin with almost the exact same plot I'll try and post.
It was .
Whose fiancee was really mean.
At least the h was good in bed
And he liked she gave good #ead.
Too bad all she did was clean.
Cinderella story where the h is besieged by evil relatives that stoop to all kinds if shenanigans with a Prince Charming that is lacking. It's no coincidence that he decides to really go after her after he finds out she once had ambitions beyond being a maid. Be happy the heroine is happy I guess.
There was a Harlequin with almost the exact same plot I'll try and post.
It was .
January 19, 2025
4.5ish stars
Of all the resorts in the world, why did he have to walk into the one I cleaned toilets at?
Several years ago, Elika and Dean spent some sexy time together at a resort Elika worked at. While she felt they had a true connection, a conversation overheard made it abundantly clear Dean didn’t feel the same way.
Fast forward and Elika’s job description remains the same. And Dean being a pompous jerk remains the same. How these two come together in the midst of familial obligations, a super duper case of arrogance and a whole lot of grace shown by Elika are what make this story a wonderful read.
Arc Provided by the author
Of all the resorts in the world, why did he have to walk into the one I cleaned toilets at?
Several years ago, Elika and Dean spent some sexy time together at a resort Elika worked at. While she felt they had a true connection, a conversation overheard made it abundantly clear Dean didn’t feel the same way.
Fast forward and Elika’s job description remains the same. And Dean being a pompous jerk remains the same. How these two come together in the midst of familial obligations, a super duper case of arrogance and a whole lot of grace shown by Elika are what make this story a wonderful read.
Arc Provided by the author
January 19, 2025
The angst made me read these idiotic zero’s of MA and I will continue to read. Shame on me! lol
January 21, 2025
I am obsessed with anything Maya Alden writes - drama, angst, longing, all the feels. She writes these strong female characters who have vulnerabilities but persist. That know their worth. And the grovel and redemption is *chefs kiss*.
Dean is a workaholic on vacation in Hawaii with his fiancée and his soon to be in laws to celebrate the engagement. His fiancée Felicity is what he thinks is the picture perfect woman for him - smart, successful, beautiful. But when he runs into an old flame working at the resort where he is staying, he wonders if he actually loves his fiancé, or the idea of her? Elika has always remembered the short fling with Dean and how he broke her heart, having him show up to the resort where she works was difficult. Having him show up engaged to her cousin? Devastating. As much as she tries to keep her distance, she keeps getting sucked into his orbit, and their chemistry is very much still there. And Dean sees a new side to his fiancé that isn’t so nice, an starts to wonder if he missed the warning signs and rushed his relationship?
Dean is a workaholic on vacation in Hawaii with his fiancée and his soon to be in laws to celebrate the engagement. His fiancée Felicity is what he thinks is the picture perfect woman for him - smart, successful, beautiful. But when he runs into an old flame working at the resort where he is staying, he wonders if he actually loves his fiancé, or the idea of her? Elika has always remembered the short fling with Dean and how he broke her heart, having him show up to the resort where she works was difficult. Having him show up engaged to her cousin? Devastating. As much as she tries to keep her distance, she keeps getting sucked into his orbit, and their chemistry is very much still there. And Dean sees a new side to his fiancé that isn’t so nice, an starts to wonder if he missed the warning signs and rushed his relationship?
January 19, 2025
This one wasn’t my fave Alden book sadly. I wanted more angst and it just felt unrealistic how quickly it turned into a grovel fest and how involved Dean’s family got. The writing and descriptions of the setting were fantastic though. Will definitely read the next but this one just wasn’t for me.
Read
January 19, 2025Note safe
He shit talked her and then years later. Is engaged to her evil cousin. He is in a relationship for most of the book. And the fmc walk in on them havinf sex
Gag
He shit talked her and then years later. Is engaged to her evil cousin. He is in a relationship for most of the book. And the fmc walk in on them havinf sex
Gag
January 20, 2025
Not a fan: Spoilers
For some reason I've had a hard time with the Wrong series. This one had way too much repetitive thought life and not enough dialogue. It wasn't much of a story. I was disappointed that her interests was the same as his so that made his growing seem less genuine. The character should have had a different interest that maybe didn't even require the degree but seeing that someone could be knowledgeable and be a success without the degree. It also was a bit too sweet with how fast the family just embraced her without even meeting her. The main male lead had already proven he couldn't choose wisely so you'd think there would be a grace period before she was just accepted. Plus, the author throwing in a Bridgerton moment toward the end of him being bi, turned his character into something different quickly. It just felt like it was a last minute idea and thrown in quickly. It just seemed so out of place and random. I for one want to read about a heterosexual male who can have any woman he wants and all the women want him but the one he wants is the main lead female. Adding the bi, changes it to, is he going to want a man down the road? Will the relationship really last between the two lead characters? It took away from the story somehow. These are questions that pop into readers minds.
For some reason I've had a hard time with the Wrong series. This one had way too much repetitive thought life and not enough dialogue. It wasn't much of a story. I was disappointed that her interests was the same as his so that made his growing seem less genuine. The character should have had a different interest that maybe didn't even require the degree but seeing that someone could be knowledgeable and be a success without the degree. It also was a bit too sweet with how fast the family just embraced her without even meeting her. The main male lead had already proven he couldn't choose wisely so you'd think there would be a grace period before she was just accepted. Plus, the author throwing in a Bridgerton moment toward the end of him being bi, turned his character into something different quickly. It just felt like it was a last minute idea and thrown in quickly. It just seemed so out of place and random. I for one want to read about a heterosexual male who can have any woman he wants and all the women want him but the one he wants is the main lead female. Adding the bi, changes it to, is he going to want a man down the road? Will the relationship really last between the two lead characters? It took away from the story somehow. These are questions that pop into readers minds.
December 9, 2024
I was lucky to get an arc for this book - I finished it (make sure to read the bonus chapter) with a HUGE smile on my face!
Elika (our fmc) is one of my all time favourite fmc's. She's strong, resilient and has a deep sense of loyalty for family and friends. Life has thrown her some massive curve balls in the worst and most tragic of ways, She's selfless but doesn't see it as that, she sees family in need and that's what you do for family - no complaints and very limited 'pity parties'...she just gets on with it.
Dean (mmc)...... Dean..... what can I say about Dean... This was me pretty much the whole time whenever he opened his mouth.... He's SUCH an elitist snob, it was painful to read how snobbish and what an intellectual snob he was. He would deny that, of course 🤦🏻♀�
Great book - I've re-read it a couple of times and it's on my 'fave re-reads' bookshelf.
Elika (our fmc) is one of my all time favourite fmc's. She's strong, resilient and has a deep sense of loyalty for family and friends. Life has thrown her some massive curve balls in the worst and most tragic of ways, She's selfless but doesn't see it as that, she sees family in need and that's what you do for family - no complaints and very limited 'pity parties'...she just gets on with it.
Dean (mmc)...... Dean..... what can I say about Dean... This was me pretty much the whole time whenever he opened his mouth.... He's SUCH an elitist snob, it was painful to read how snobbish and what an intellectual snob he was. He would deny that, of course 🤦🏻♀�
Great book - I've re-read it a couple of times and it's on my 'fave re-reads' bookshelf.
January 21, 2025
This one was not my favorite, but it was still good.
What I liked:
-down on her luck heroine
-evil OW (cousin) and her mom
-overheard trope
What I didn’t love:
-H all of a sudden doesn’t love his evil fiancée and pines for h
-he’s “always� been hers� no he hasn’t!
-h forgave H wayyyyy too quickly
-H was heavy handed in interfering with h’s life (her sister, school enrollment, etc)
Always a fan of Alden. She’s the queen of angst. Didn’t 100% love this one, but read it very quickly!
What I liked:
-down on her luck heroine
-evil OW (cousin) and her mom
-overheard trope
What I didn’t love:
-H all of a sudden doesn’t love his evil fiancée and pines for h
-he’s “always� been hers� no he hasn’t!
-h forgave H wayyyyy too quickly
-H was heavy handed in interfering with h’s life (her sister, school enrollment, etc)
Always a fan of Alden. She’s the queen of angst. Didn’t 100% love this one, but read it very quickly!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2025
2.5 stars, rounded. This wasn’t horrible, but it was underwhelming as usual. It follows the same system Maya Alden operates around, so you pretty much know what to expect: a stupid hero that grovels and a heroine that’s foolish in her own regard.
January 20, 2025
Meh. After what he said the first time? No second chance for him. Goodbye. Aloha.
January 13, 2025
I rate books that are super emotional in terms of # of tissue boxes I go through I rate books that are not super emotional in terms of stars. This one is in terms of stars. I give The Wrong Fiancèe 3.5 stars, which rounds up to 4 stars in the rating systems.
This is Dean's story. He is the youngest of the three Archer sons. His older two brother are Damian (The Wrong Husband) and Duncan (The Wrong Wife). I absolutely adored Damian and loved Duncan. Dean, I could do without. I honest to gosh don't know where he came from. How could he have been raised by the same loving, kind, and connected parents, who seemed down to earth and reasonable in The Wrong Husband and The Wrong Wife? Well, they weren't displaying their kindness and reasonableness in The Wrong Husband to begin with, but after Damian flubbed up, we saw the real them. Where did they go wrong with Dean? From start to finish he is a stuck-up, better-than-though, superficial, image-conscious, starts with PR and ends with ICK. I truly with Elika had refused to give him the time of day when she meets him again, instead of giving in to body betraying syndrome. Honestly, she did hold out for a while, but eventually gave in, because even though he treated her like a common hooker the last time she saw him, she still loved him years later! I personally think she didn't truly love him, she just idolized the time she had spent with him when she was in college. He was older than her, more worldly, and sophisticated, at least much more than she was. And her life had been difficult at that time, and became so much more difficult after they parted the first time.
I despised her sister, her cousin, and her aunt and uncle. Her uncle was wishy-washy, and only able to function so long as he did his wife and daughter's bidding. He wanted to help Elika and sister, but because his wife said no, he had to follow her desires instead of his. Worthless male!
Even after starting up a physical relationship with Elika a second time, after he pursued her, despite her telling him she was not interested at all, he continued to remain engaged to Elika's wicked cousin! He did not deserve a second chance, or a third or fourth, with Elika. I wish she had slammed her door in his face and pursued other possible relationships instead of Dean. I normally love heroes and heroines in romance stories, and it is rare that I find a couple I truly wish they had other partners. I would have loved to even see Elika involved with her boss at the hotel!
Elika ends up with the job of her dreams. So, that made me thrilled for her. I really liked Elika! She was a hardworking, kind, caring, bend over backward and willing to give you the shirt off her back kind of person. Seeing her dreams come true made worth all the suffering she had gone through. I hope you read The Wrong Fiancèe and like Elika as much as I did.
This is Dean's story. He is the youngest of the three Archer sons. His older two brother are Damian (The Wrong Husband) and Duncan (The Wrong Wife). I absolutely adored Damian and loved Duncan. Dean, I could do without. I honest to gosh don't know where he came from. How could he have been raised by the same loving, kind, and connected parents, who seemed down to earth and reasonable in The Wrong Husband and The Wrong Wife? Well, they weren't displaying their kindness and reasonableness in The Wrong Husband to begin with, but after Damian flubbed up, we saw the real them. Where did they go wrong with Dean? From start to finish he is a stuck-up, better-than-though, superficial, image-conscious, starts with PR and ends with ICK. I truly with Elika had refused to give him the time of day when she meets him again, instead of giving in to body betraying syndrome. Honestly, she did hold out for a while, but eventually gave in, because even though he treated her like a common hooker the last time she saw him, she still loved him years later! I personally think she didn't truly love him, she just idolized the time she had spent with him when she was in college. He was older than her, more worldly, and sophisticated, at least much more than she was. And her life had been difficult at that time, and became so much more difficult after they parted the first time.
I despised her sister, her cousin, and her aunt and uncle. Her uncle was wishy-washy, and only able to function so long as he did his wife and daughter's bidding. He wanted to help Elika and sister, but because his wife said no, he had to follow her desires instead of his. Worthless male!
Even after starting up a physical relationship with Elika a second time, after he pursued her, despite her telling him she was not interested at all, he continued to remain engaged to Elika's wicked cousin! He did not deserve a second chance, or a third or fourth, with Elika. I wish she had slammed her door in his face and pursued other possible relationships instead of Dean. I normally love heroes and heroines in romance stories, and it is rare that I find a couple I truly wish they had other partners. I would have loved to even see Elika involved with her boss at the hotel!
Elika ends up with the job of her dreams. So, that made me thrilled for her. I really liked Elika! She was a hardworking, kind, caring, bend over backward and willing to give you the shirt off her back kind of person. Seeing her dreams come true made worth all the suffering she had gone through. I hope you read The Wrong Fiancèe and like Elika as much as I did.
January 21, 2025
1. If Felicity was as “well educated� as Dean claimed, she would know when to use “Daddy and I� and when to use “Daddy and me�. 🙄
2. Dean was a piece of dog $hit. Even after admitting to himself how badly Felicity was treating Elika and how much he hated it, he still defended Felicity to Elika.
3. Yeah, I REALLY could have done without Elika walking in on Dean and Felicity having $ex.
4. At 34%, Dean said to Elika, “I have retired from the business of judging people.� I called bull$hit and I was right; he hadn’t changed at all. He only decided that he wanted to be with Elika AFTER she was successful in her new job and she was more than just an uneducated maid.
5. The H was with the OW for more than half the book; how is this romantic?
6. At 63%, Elika said that she was “in trouble� because she had a big bill coming due soon from her sister’s rehab hospital and her “bank account barely had enough to cover rent.� That made no sense since she was now making 20% more at her new job.
7. It seemed to me that Dean’s father put in more work to get Elika to forgive Dean than Dean actually did.
8. I would have liked more detail about how Damian was “ruining� Felicity and her family and I would have liked to see a final confrontation between Felicity and Elika.
9. At 85%, the author just randomly mentioned, totally out of the blue, that Dean was bi$exual and then Elika asked him if he missed being pegged by men???? WTAF???
10. Noe had a TBI that caused “extreme mood swings�, “frustration�, “deep-rooted despair� and clinical depression. All of these symptoms just � disappeared and she was able to go out and get a job?
2. Dean was a piece of dog $hit. Even after admitting to himself how badly Felicity was treating Elika and how much he hated it, he still defended Felicity to Elika.
3. Yeah, I REALLY could have done without Elika walking in on Dean and Felicity having $ex.
4. At 34%, Dean said to Elika, “I have retired from the business of judging people.� I called bull$hit and I was right; he hadn’t changed at all. He only decided that he wanted to be with Elika AFTER she was successful in her new job and she was more than just an uneducated maid.
5. The H was with the OW for more than half the book; how is this romantic?
6. At 63%, Elika said that she was “in trouble� because she had a big bill coming due soon from her sister’s rehab hospital and her “bank account barely had enough to cover rent.� That made no sense since she was now making 20% more at her new job.
7. It seemed to me that Dean’s father put in more work to get Elika to forgive Dean than Dean actually did.
8. I would have liked more detail about how Damian was “ruining� Felicity and her family and I would have liked to see a final confrontation between Felicity and Elika.
9. At 85%, the author just randomly mentioned, totally out of the blue, that Dean was bi$exual and then Elika asked him if he missed being pegged by men???? WTAF???
10. Noe had a TBI that caused “extreme mood swings�, “frustration�, “deep-rooted despair� and clinical depression. All of these symptoms just � disappeared and she was able to go out and get a job?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2025
4 stars
This gave me Harlequin Presents vibes, in the best way! One minute I was reading a few pages to see if I wanted to keep it on my TBR, because these types of stories are hit and miss, and next thing I knew I’d finished the book. 😂
Downtrodden but they can’t take her courage FMC (Elika)
+ the snobbiest rich MMC (Dean) that took me about 50% of the book to warm to, but he was humbled and grovelled
+ villains who needed a good slap like nobody’s business (especially Elika’s bitchy cousin a.k.a. Dean’s wrong fiancee)
+ Elika having a lot of people on her side at the end
= my personal catnip.
I think I have a new go-to author for these types of soapy storylines!
This gave me Harlequin Presents vibes, in the best way! One minute I was reading a few pages to see if I wanted to keep it on my TBR, because these types of stories are hit and miss, and next thing I knew I’d finished the book. 😂
Downtrodden but they can’t take her courage FMC (Elika)
+ the snobbiest rich MMC (Dean) that took me about 50% of the book to warm to, but he was humbled and grovelled
+ villains who needed a good slap like nobody’s business (especially Elika’s bitchy cousin a.k.a. Dean’s wrong fiancee)
+ Elika having a lot of people on her side at the end
= my personal catnip.
I think I have a new go-to author for these types of soapy storylines!
January 19, 2025
It started off great�
It started off great, to the point I couldn’t put it down. But then it got annoying. For starters, there were way too many D names in this book. I was so confused at one point. The MMC seemed like a pushover. He couldn’t make up his mind, he was telling the finance he loved her one minute and then wanting to break off the engagement the next. And the FMC didn’t make him grovel enough for me. It’s like his dad softened her up and the son came back and she was ready to get it on. The MMC was the one making her wait? I couldn’t believe it. Where was the grovel? Make him earn it! And my last complaint: she was too forgiving. These people kept trying to get you fired, saw you and your sister struggle everyday and did nothing but make your life harder, they actually framed you and got you arrested, yet you want Damian to take it easy on them? Nah, sis. Im so glad he kept at it. She was way too nice.
It started off great, to the point I couldn’t put it down. But then it got annoying. For starters, there were way too many D names in this book. I was so confused at one point. The MMC seemed like a pushover. He couldn’t make up his mind, he was telling the finance he loved her one minute and then wanting to break off the engagement the next. And the FMC didn’t make him grovel enough for me. It’s like his dad softened her up and the son came back and she was ready to get it on. The MMC was the one making her wait? I couldn’t believe it. Where was the grovel? Make him earn it! And my last complaint: she was too forgiving. These people kept trying to get you fired, saw you and your sister struggle everyday and did nothing but make your life harder, they actually framed you and got you arrested, yet you want Damian to take it easy on them? Nah, sis. Im so glad he kept at it. She was way too nice.
January 20, 2025
Overall Opinion:
This is an ARC copy.
Overall, I give this book a 4 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed it! The angst and build-up was what caught my eye and kept me hooked.
I started reading Maya Alden’s books in 2023. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of some of her earlier works because I felt the heroes were too much of an asshole to be redeemed and the heroines were too much of a doormat. And also, this author has some books where the hero continued to see other people after he had been with the heroine. But gradually, I continued to read her books and it got better and better. My perspectives on those books also changed as I understand the author more. I consider her one of my go-to and favorite authors for angst. She is truly a master of angsty build-up.
For my safety gang, a few of this author's books, including this one, has a plot where the hero is currently with OW as a girlfriend or fiance and he does get intimate with OW. I know for my safety gang, this is a big turn-off. I understand if this book is not for you. I am a safety gal myself. I realized that this author, like many authors, has an MO (modus operandi), and this type of plot is part of her repertoire. So knowing this, I am not surprised or mad at the content.
Also, for those bothered by the pollyanna/doormat type heroines, the author has a few books with that. I was once bothered by it too, but the doormat character is very upfront about that and it is part of making the angst so good. It also doesn't last long. The heroines find their backbones soon. I don't think the heroine here is a doormat.
Author: Maya Alden
Year Pub/Re Pub: 2024
Page Length: 300
Genre: contemporary romance
Standalone/Cliffhanger: No Cliffhanger/ part of a series, but Standalone
Epilogue Included: Yes, with additional epilogue with email sign-up
Any Trigger Warning: Not really
Recommend Reading: Yes!
Will I Re-read This Book: Yes.
Would I Read More Books by this Author: Yes and I have already.
Technical/Editing Quality: very little grammar error.
Writing/Content Quality: Well written. One of the main characters is half-Hawaiian. The author is knowledgeable regarding the food, language, and culture surrounding it. Most of the author's books are interracial romance where one of the main characters, usually the heroine, is not white. I think because the author is not white herself, the non-white characters feel authentic and I feel immersed in the book. The dialogue felt real and human.
Blurb: Four years before the book begins, the hero and heroine meet as a guest and staff in a Hawaiian hotel where they spent two weeks hooking up. The crux of the angst starts with what the heroine overhears the hero says about her to his friend. What he says is very crude and devastating that summarizing it doesn’t fully grasp how hurtful his words were. I highly recommend reading it with your own eyes! He says she is “just a hotel maid� he doesn't think she is “intellectually on par� to be with him. She doesn't meet him to say goodbye. He leaves her a short goodbye note and an envelope of $1,000. Cut to four years later, a life changing event killed her alcoholic father, paralyzed her sister, and killed her dream to finish university to study art. The heroine is struggling financially and drowning in work (she works multiple jobs to pay for sister's on-site living rehab facility) when she meets the hero again in another Hawaiian hotel, engaged to her rich and mean-girl half-cousin. Through situations outside their control (many of the staff becoming sick in the hotel), the heroine and hero cannot avoid seeing each other and are forced to confront their past.
Book Cover: The covers for the entire series are cute and follow similar color and cartoon schemes.
Favorite Line: "Don't make life harder than it is. No point being bitter. Focus on why you're doing this. Keep your heart clean, sis. Now, tits out and chin up. You got this.�
I like this quote because this is when the heroine sees the hero again and knows that he is engaged to her half-cousin. On top of being heartbroken, she feels and is made to feel small and insignificant and is also financially struggling. I think many of us can relate to this and the pep talk we give ourselves to keep going.
Point Of View (POV): Dual POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good pacing.
Instalove: Kind of. They are both physically attracted to each other when they first see each other four years ago. Four years later, there is still the spark, but both do not acknowledge it because for H, he is engaged to OW and for h, because of how it ended.
H /h Relationship Info: Four years ago, they were not in a relationship, more like a hookup. It was instant attraction and lust so it was a two week hookup. They met in a Hawaiian hotel when she was the maid there and he was on a quick stop during a business trip. He was only supposed to stay a few days, but ended up extending his stay for two weeks because of his attraction to the heroine. They were getting to know each other and the heroine was hoping it was going to lead to a relationship until she overhears the hero talking about her to his friend. Four years later, the hero is engaged and the heroine is completely drowning in life to be in a relationship.
Age: 30 year old Hero and 26 year old Heroine.
Hero: Hero is Dean Archer. The hero makes appearances in his brothers� books in the series and he was likable in those books, but insufferable in this book. He is a billionaire with a phD in history working for his family’s business, Archer’s Art & Antiquities managing the Asian operations so he is always traveling. He is bisexual (this is mentioned 80 percent into the book and I feel like this is a plot hole which I will discuss further in the section “What I Didn’t Like.�)
What the heroine overhears the hero says about her to his friend is crushing and portrays the hero as a rich and intellectual snob asshole. The irony is that he believes he is one of the good rich people since his family is down to earth, has genuine love towards each other, and doesn’t look down on other people. He is completely blind to his privilege as a wealthy, educated white person, but he thinks he is aware of it.
Since the start of the book, the moment he sees the heroine again, he can’t stop thinking of her and gradually becomes conflicted with his engagement to his fiance/heroine’s half-cousin. It becomes worse when the facade he had of his fiance and his future in-laws start unraveling with every interaction they have with the heroine (they are super snobby). He believed they were good people in the beginning. Through his point of view, the readers see how he is flip flopping in his mind and making justifications for why he should be with his fiance, which sounds more like a business deal than a marriage, even though he says he wants a loving marriage like his parents and brothers� marriages.
Hero Description: He is described as gorgeous with dark hair, blue eyes, and olive skin.
Hero Likability Rating: 1 out of 5 stars. I don’t hate him, but I do not like him, because of 1) what the heroine overheard him say and the money he left on the table like their time together was a transaction, 2) his snobbery, and 3) his conflict of whether he wanted to be with his fiance or the heroine took too long, even though it wasn't. While he did grovel and I liked how he made amends to the heroine, somehow I thought the grovel should be more, or maybe not more, but sooner. When they do get together, the heroine asked him if he ever thought of her and he said “way too much� and that when he proposed to the fiance, he thought of her too, but that he never came for her because he thought she already moved on. I don’t believe his explanation. The reason he left was because he was a snob and she wasn’t good enough for him since she was a maid. Overall, I was convinced he loves the heroine in the end, but I don't believe he would have come looking for her if the situation didn't happen as they did.
Book Boyfriend Material/OTT Alpha: I would not say he is book boyfriend material and not OTT.
Heroine:: Heroine is Elika “Elikapeka� Leina Hamlet. She is native Hawaiian on her mother's side and half native Hawaiian on her father’s side. Like this author’s other book, Best Kept Secret, this heroine is another heroine with a tragic and painful past and present. When her mother was alive, she had a happy childhood with modest means. Her mother was a school teacher and her father worked at the bank. She has an older sister, who she is not particularly close to. Her father has a chip on his shoulder. He was the product of an affair between a native Hawaiian woman and a wealthy, old east coast money man. The man was pretty much a coward and had his over controlling wife browbeat him to not acknowledge his son. When he died, the fortunate went to his legitimate son, Samuel Thatcher. The heroine’s parents and Sam were close friends, but when Sam met his wife Ginny, they no longer became friends. Sam is a coward like his father and has an overbearing wife like his mother.
When the heroine’s mother dies of breast cancer, her father becomes bitter about not inheriting any of his father’s wealth. He became an alcoholic and since he was closer to his eldest daughter, his bitterness about not being rich also transferred to her. She would egg him on. He eventually lost his job. He mortgaged their home to pay for a smarmy lawyer to contest the will and lost. The heroine’s father was able to pay for his eldest daughter to go to hospitality school and she made good money working at a salon. By the time they lost the lawsuit, they had no money left. At no point did Sam, his half-brother, help him financially, not even when his wife had cancer.
It was soon after the hero left the heroine four years ago, that the life changing accident happened. Her father was driving drunk with her sister in the car resulting in his death and her sister paralyzed. Since then, the heroine has had to pause her study at the university to take on more hours and more jobs to pay for her sister to attend a top quality rehab living facility. She works 6 out of 7 days a week at the hotel and surrounding restaurants. The one day she doesn't work, she visits her sister who takes out her depression and anger on the heroine. She lives in a small cabin in the hotel grounds for the hotel employees. The author really drives the point that every minute and every dollar is literally precious and essential to the heroine and she is stretched thin.
The heroine overhears the hero saying he enjoyed her company, but because she is a hotel maid, he doesn’t see a future with her. He doesn’t think she is intellectually on par with him and even though she shared she is a university student, he believes she is either lying to save face or doesn’t believe she will continue her studies. He tells his friend that he took her out, but his friend correctly surmises that he took her to places where no one would recognize him. He said she was the best sex of his life and when his friend asks if he will miss her, he responds, “I’ll miss the awesome head she gives�, when the heroine overhears this, she realizes he reduced her to “what was between her legs�.
Heroine Description: she was described as stunning with dark hair, smooth caramel skin, full lips, and deep brown eyes that held a quiet intensity. She had a natural grace when she moved, and carried a quiet strength and beauty, but had an edge of weariness.
Heroine Likability Rating: I love Elika! I would shower her with thousands of stars out of 5. She is a fighter. Her description embodies her character. As a maid for a luxury hotel, I imagine she has been demeaned and looked down a lot by snobby guests. But while it does wear her down, she doesn't show it, she carries that dignified, quiet strength. I think we can all relate to having felt insignificant.
I like how she carries herself when she sees the hero again. She is heartbroken and taken aback, but quickly recovers. She wasn't pining away for him and she doesn't show him how he affects her. Unlike the hero who is in upheaval over seeing her again, she is focused on her life/struggle to make sure she always makes ends meet.
Important Secondary Characters:
Brief Summary of the Storyline: The story starts with the hero and heroine meeting again after four years in a hotel room in Hawaii. She knows he is here with his fiance who is her half-cousin. He is surprised to see her and her still being a maid reinforce the stereotypes he had of her. Immediately, he can't stop thinking about the heroine and later finds out she is related to his fiance. Meanwhile, she acts like he is like any other guest.
The first half of the book focus on their meeting again after four years, the hero finding out more about the heroine and getting his assumptions of her wrong (which was really satisfying), really good angsty OW drama in form of the hero’s fiance (the fiance, also her half-cousin and her friends and family continuously try to put her down and report her to her employer), the confrontation of the past between the hero and the heroine, and the hero’s conflicting feelings regarding the fiance and the heroine. Seeing the heroine again, he can’t stop thinking of her and tries to convince himself that he isn’t making a mistake being engaged to his fiance. The safety gang might not like this because in order to convince himself he does love the fiance, there are kissing scenes with the fiance and one intimate scene that the heroine walks in on, but during all those times, the hero is thinking of the heroine (lol). The author does a great job in describing and showing just how hard the heroine works. She works from sunup to more than sundown and the one day she doesn't work, she bikes miles away to the expensive rehab living facility to visit her ungrateful sister.
The second half of the book focuses on the grovel and healing for the heroine. The heroine does not take him back immediately and there is no body betrayal syndrome. There is still lingering drama and OW drama going on that keeps you entertained.
This ends in a satisfying HEA with satisfying comeuppance for the OW and her family.
Pros/What I Liked:
1.The angst and OW drama in this story is sooooo good. Her angst in the other books in this series are great too. I did not like that the hero was with the fiance, but I enjoyed the OW drama. My favorite scene was when the heroine confronted the hero about what she overheard him say and another favorite scene was when he wanted to give her money and she explained she couldn’t accept it because she didn’t want to rely on him or anyone else. This was when he was still engaged to the OW. She said that one day, his fiance would make him stop giving her money and then she would need to learn how to fend for herself again.
2. There was a comeuppance for the heroine's evil half-cousin and her parents. After a scene where the OW frames the heroine with a crime, the hero cut ties to their family business. The cowardly uncle asks the heroine to take pity on them, which the heroine agrees, but one of the hero’s brothers, who is the CEO of their family business, is ruthless, and decides to ruin their business anyway. In the epilogue, with her family business not doing so well, the OW asks the heroine to help them, to no avail.
3. I cannot wait for Dante’s story!
Cons/What I Didn't Liked:
1. The hero being bisexual did not seem authentic. It came out 80 percent into the book when the book was ending. In his inner monologue throughout the book, he mentions sleeping with other women, but never mentions men. In his talks with his family and friends about his pending marriage and finding love, there was no mention of whether he would be happy with a man. One of the main plots of the book is that the hero is conflicted about who he loves. It wasn’t just the fiance or the heroine he was conflicted about. He wanted a marriage that his parents and brothers have with the right person. Why didn’t he ever wonder if the right person could have been a man? Additionally, his fiance was the judgmental and conservative type. It was never mentioned if she knew if he was bisexual, but it’s not something she would have accepted about him.
Angst/Sadness level: The heroine led a sad life, but no tears.
Push/Pull: Pushing from both heroine and hero and then pulling from the hero.
Heat level: I think there were only a few intimate scenes, but I didn’t mind because I was more focused on the plot and it wouldn’t make sense to have too many intimate scenes because then the heroine would have folded easily and the hero would not have groveled so much.
Descriptive sex: Yes between hero and heroine.
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes, OW drama.
Did OW/OM/Ex Ruin the Book For You: No, it made the angst better. I loved it! I love how the OW and friends tried to put down the heroine, but failed. I lived for those scenes.
Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes, there are some kissing scenes and a quick scene where the heroine walks into the hotel room when the fiance is straddling the hero having sex.
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F
Birth Control/Condoms: Hero always wore protection, even with his fiance, but not with the heroine. They discussed this.
Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h relationship: No.
Grovel Rating: 3 out of 5. I was convinced of the hero’s grovel and that he loved the heroine, but I am conflicted about the hero. If I was in the heroine’s shoes, I am not sure I would have taken him back. Some moments I think I would because the ending was satisfying, but I don’t know if I can get over what the hero said and him not ever showing up in the four years since they hooked up. If he did not get engaged and went back to Hawaii, would he have even come back for her (he said he thought of her all the time)?
Love Triangle: No.
Separation: Yes, off-page they hooked up for two weeks (the heroine expected it to turn into more), they were not together for four years. The book starts four years later, with the hero engaged unknowingly to the heroine's half-cousin.
Virgin/Celibate/Manwhore: No virgins and they were not celibate during their four years apart. The hero said he had slept with other women, and it's not clear how many other people the heroine slept with, but it was clear she slept with someone. It was difficult for her to date or even have time for sex since she works almost 24/7.
Contains Children: No.
Contains Flashback: No.
Possible Pet Peeves/Triggers: No pet peeves.
Plot Holes: Explained above, but the mention of the hero being bisexual 80 percent in the book was weird, it contradicted the hero’s inner monologues and overall story.
HEA/HFN/etc Ending: HEA.
Closure/Epilogue: Yes with extra epilogue with email sign up.
Safety: I don’t think the hero was a manho, but he did have sex with other women after he left the heroine. He is also engaged to ow in the beginning of the book and they are intimate. There are some kissing scenes and a quick scene where the heroine walks into the hotel room when the fiance is straddling the hero having sex. In his inner monologue, even when he kisses fiance, he can’t stop thinking of the heroine. He gets hard just thinking of her and the fiance assumes it’s because of her. After the intimate scene, he does avoid sex with the fiance
This is an ARC copy.
Overall, I give this book a 4 stars! I thoroughly enjoyed it! The angst and build-up was what caught my eye and kept me hooked.
I started reading Maya Alden’s books in 2023. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of some of her earlier works because I felt the heroes were too much of an asshole to be redeemed and the heroines were too much of a doormat. And also, this author has some books where the hero continued to see other people after he had been with the heroine. But gradually, I continued to read her books and it got better and better. My perspectives on those books also changed as I understand the author more. I consider her one of my go-to and favorite authors for angst. She is truly a master of angsty build-up.
For my safety gang, a few of this author's books, including this one, has a plot where the hero is currently with OW as a girlfriend or fiance and he does get intimate with OW. I know for my safety gang, this is a big turn-off. I understand if this book is not for you. I am a safety gal myself. I realized that this author, like many authors, has an MO (modus operandi), and this type of plot is part of her repertoire. So knowing this, I am not surprised or mad at the content.
Also, for those bothered by the pollyanna/doormat type heroines, the author has a few books with that. I was once bothered by it too, but the doormat character is very upfront about that and it is part of making the angst so good. It also doesn't last long. The heroines find their backbones soon. I don't think the heroine here is a doormat.
Author: Maya Alden
Year Pub/Re Pub: 2024
Page Length: 300
Genre: contemporary romance
Standalone/Cliffhanger: No Cliffhanger/ part of a series, but Standalone
Epilogue Included: Yes, with additional epilogue with email sign-up
Any Trigger Warning: Not really
Recommend Reading: Yes!
Will I Re-read This Book: Yes.
Would I Read More Books by this Author: Yes and I have already.
Technical/Editing Quality: very little grammar error.
Writing/Content Quality: Well written. One of the main characters is half-Hawaiian. The author is knowledgeable regarding the food, language, and culture surrounding it. Most of the author's books are interracial romance where one of the main characters, usually the heroine, is not white. I think because the author is not white herself, the non-white characters feel authentic and I feel immersed in the book. The dialogue felt real and human.
Blurb: Four years before the book begins, the hero and heroine meet as a guest and staff in a Hawaiian hotel where they spent two weeks hooking up. The crux of the angst starts with what the heroine overhears the hero says about her to his friend. What he says is very crude and devastating that summarizing it doesn’t fully grasp how hurtful his words were. I highly recommend reading it with your own eyes! He says she is “just a hotel maid� he doesn't think she is “intellectually on par� to be with him. She doesn't meet him to say goodbye. He leaves her a short goodbye note and an envelope of $1,000. Cut to four years later, a life changing event killed her alcoholic father, paralyzed her sister, and killed her dream to finish university to study art. The heroine is struggling financially and drowning in work (she works multiple jobs to pay for sister's on-site living rehab facility) when she meets the hero again in another Hawaiian hotel, engaged to her rich and mean-girl half-cousin. Through situations outside their control (many of the staff becoming sick in the hotel), the heroine and hero cannot avoid seeing each other and are forced to confront their past.
Book Cover: The covers for the entire series are cute and follow similar color and cartoon schemes.
Favorite Line: "Don't make life harder than it is. No point being bitter. Focus on why you're doing this. Keep your heart clean, sis. Now, tits out and chin up. You got this.�
I like this quote because this is when the heroine sees the hero again and knows that he is engaged to her half-cousin. On top of being heartbroken, she feels and is made to feel small and insignificant and is also financially struggling. I think many of us can relate to this and the pep talk we give ourselves to keep going.
Point Of View (POV): Dual POV.
Overall Pace of Story: Good pacing.
Instalove: Kind of. They are both physically attracted to each other when they first see each other four years ago. Four years later, there is still the spark, but both do not acknowledge it because for H, he is engaged to OW and for h, because of how it ended.
H /h Relationship Info: Four years ago, they were not in a relationship, more like a hookup. It was instant attraction and lust so it was a two week hookup. They met in a Hawaiian hotel when she was the maid there and he was on a quick stop during a business trip. He was only supposed to stay a few days, but ended up extending his stay for two weeks because of his attraction to the heroine. They were getting to know each other and the heroine was hoping it was going to lead to a relationship until she overhears the hero talking about her to his friend. Four years later, the hero is engaged and the heroine is completely drowning in life to be in a relationship.
Age: 30 year old Hero and 26 year old Heroine.
Hero: Hero is Dean Archer. The hero makes appearances in his brothers� books in the series and he was likable in those books, but insufferable in this book. He is a billionaire with a phD in history working for his family’s business, Archer’s Art & Antiquities managing the Asian operations so he is always traveling. He is bisexual (this is mentioned 80 percent into the book and I feel like this is a plot hole which I will discuss further in the section “What I Didn’t Like.�)
What the heroine overhears the hero says about her to his friend is crushing and portrays the hero as a rich and intellectual snob asshole. The irony is that he believes he is one of the good rich people since his family is down to earth, has genuine love towards each other, and doesn’t look down on other people. He is completely blind to his privilege as a wealthy, educated white person, but he thinks he is aware of it.
Since the start of the book, the moment he sees the heroine again, he can’t stop thinking of her and gradually becomes conflicted with his engagement to his fiance/heroine’s half-cousin. It becomes worse when the facade he had of his fiance and his future in-laws start unraveling with every interaction they have with the heroine (they are super snobby). He believed they were good people in the beginning. Through his point of view, the readers see how he is flip flopping in his mind and making justifications for why he should be with his fiance, which sounds more like a business deal than a marriage, even though he says he wants a loving marriage like his parents and brothers� marriages.
Hero Description: He is described as gorgeous with dark hair, blue eyes, and olive skin.
Hero Likability Rating: 1 out of 5 stars. I don’t hate him, but I do not like him, because of 1) what the heroine overheard him say and the money he left on the table like their time together was a transaction, 2) his snobbery, and 3) his conflict of whether he wanted to be with his fiance or the heroine took too long, even though it wasn't. While he did grovel and I liked how he made amends to the heroine, somehow I thought the grovel should be more, or maybe not more, but sooner. When they do get together, the heroine asked him if he ever thought of her and he said “way too much� and that when he proposed to the fiance, he thought of her too, but that he never came for her because he thought she already moved on. I don’t believe his explanation. The reason he left was because he was a snob and she wasn’t good enough for him since she was a maid. Overall, I was convinced he loves the heroine in the end, but I don't believe he would have come looking for her if the situation didn't happen as they did.
Book Boyfriend Material/OTT Alpha: I would not say he is book boyfriend material and not OTT.
Heroine:: Heroine is Elika “Elikapeka� Leina Hamlet. She is native Hawaiian on her mother's side and half native Hawaiian on her father’s side. Like this author’s other book, Best Kept Secret, this heroine is another heroine with a tragic and painful past and present. When her mother was alive, she had a happy childhood with modest means. Her mother was a school teacher and her father worked at the bank. She has an older sister, who she is not particularly close to. Her father has a chip on his shoulder. He was the product of an affair between a native Hawaiian woman and a wealthy, old east coast money man. The man was pretty much a coward and had his over controlling wife browbeat him to not acknowledge his son. When he died, the fortunate went to his legitimate son, Samuel Thatcher. The heroine’s parents and Sam were close friends, but when Sam met his wife Ginny, they no longer became friends. Sam is a coward like his father and has an overbearing wife like his mother.
When the heroine’s mother dies of breast cancer, her father becomes bitter about not inheriting any of his father’s wealth. He became an alcoholic and since he was closer to his eldest daughter, his bitterness about not being rich also transferred to her. She would egg him on. He eventually lost his job. He mortgaged their home to pay for a smarmy lawyer to contest the will and lost. The heroine’s father was able to pay for his eldest daughter to go to hospitality school and she made good money working at a salon. By the time they lost the lawsuit, they had no money left. At no point did Sam, his half-brother, help him financially, not even when his wife had cancer.
It was soon after the hero left the heroine four years ago, that the life changing accident happened. Her father was driving drunk with her sister in the car resulting in his death and her sister paralyzed. Since then, the heroine has had to pause her study at the university to take on more hours and more jobs to pay for her sister to attend a top quality rehab living facility. She works 6 out of 7 days a week at the hotel and surrounding restaurants. The one day she doesn't work, she visits her sister who takes out her depression and anger on the heroine. She lives in a small cabin in the hotel grounds for the hotel employees. The author really drives the point that every minute and every dollar is literally precious and essential to the heroine and she is stretched thin.
The heroine overhears the hero saying he enjoyed her company, but because she is a hotel maid, he doesn’t see a future with her. He doesn’t think she is intellectually on par with him and even though she shared she is a university student, he believes she is either lying to save face or doesn’t believe she will continue her studies. He tells his friend that he took her out, but his friend correctly surmises that he took her to places where no one would recognize him. He said she was the best sex of his life and when his friend asks if he will miss her, he responds, “I’ll miss the awesome head she gives�, when the heroine overhears this, she realizes he reduced her to “what was between her legs�.
Heroine Description: she was described as stunning with dark hair, smooth caramel skin, full lips, and deep brown eyes that held a quiet intensity. She had a natural grace when she moved, and carried a quiet strength and beauty, but had an edge of weariness.
Heroine Likability Rating: I love Elika! I would shower her with thousands of stars out of 5. She is a fighter. Her description embodies her character. As a maid for a luxury hotel, I imagine she has been demeaned and looked down a lot by snobby guests. But while it does wear her down, she doesn't show it, she carries that dignified, quiet strength. I think we can all relate to having felt insignificant.
I like how she carries herself when she sees the hero again. She is heartbroken and taken aback, but quickly recovers. She wasn't pining away for him and she doesn't show him how he affects her. Unlike the hero who is in upheaval over seeing her again, she is focused on her life/struggle to make sure she always makes ends meet.
Important Secondary Characters:
Brief Summary of the Storyline: The story starts with the hero and heroine meeting again after four years in a hotel room in Hawaii. She knows he is here with his fiance who is her half-cousin. He is surprised to see her and her still being a maid reinforce the stereotypes he had of her. Immediately, he can't stop thinking about the heroine and later finds out she is related to his fiance. Meanwhile, she acts like he is like any other guest.
The first half of the book focus on their meeting again after four years, the hero finding out more about the heroine and getting his assumptions of her wrong (which was really satisfying), really good angsty OW drama in form of the hero’s fiance (the fiance, also her half-cousin and her friends and family continuously try to put her down and report her to her employer), the confrontation of the past between the hero and the heroine, and the hero’s conflicting feelings regarding the fiance and the heroine. Seeing the heroine again, he can’t stop thinking of her and tries to convince himself that he isn’t making a mistake being engaged to his fiance. The safety gang might not like this because in order to convince himself he does love the fiance, there are kissing scenes with the fiance and one intimate scene that the heroine walks in on, but during all those times, the hero is thinking of the heroine (lol). The author does a great job in describing and showing just how hard the heroine works. She works from sunup to more than sundown and the one day she doesn't work, she bikes miles away to the expensive rehab living facility to visit her ungrateful sister.
The second half of the book focuses on the grovel and healing for the heroine. The heroine does not take him back immediately and there is no body betrayal syndrome. There is still lingering drama and OW drama going on that keeps you entertained.
This ends in a satisfying HEA with satisfying comeuppance for the OW and her family.
Pros/What I Liked:
1.The angst and OW drama in this story is sooooo good. Her angst in the other books in this series are great too. I did not like that the hero was with the fiance, but I enjoyed the OW drama. My favorite scene was when the heroine confronted the hero about what she overheard him say and another favorite scene was when he wanted to give her money and she explained she couldn’t accept it because she didn’t want to rely on him or anyone else. This was when he was still engaged to the OW. She said that one day, his fiance would make him stop giving her money and then she would need to learn how to fend for herself again.
2. There was a comeuppance for the heroine's evil half-cousin and her parents. After a scene where the OW frames the heroine with a crime, the hero cut ties to their family business. The cowardly uncle asks the heroine to take pity on them, which the heroine agrees, but one of the hero’s brothers, who is the CEO of their family business, is ruthless, and decides to ruin their business anyway. In the epilogue, with her family business not doing so well, the OW asks the heroine to help them, to no avail.
3. I cannot wait for Dante’s story!
Cons/What I Didn't Liked:
1. The hero being bisexual did not seem authentic. It came out 80 percent into the book when the book was ending. In his inner monologue throughout the book, he mentions sleeping with other women, but never mentions men. In his talks with his family and friends about his pending marriage and finding love, there was no mention of whether he would be happy with a man. One of the main plots of the book is that the hero is conflicted about who he loves. It wasn’t just the fiance or the heroine he was conflicted about. He wanted a marriage that his parents and brothers have with the right person. Why didn’t he ever wonder if the right person could have been a man? Additionally, his fiance was the judgmental and conservative type. It was never mentioned if she knew if he was bisexual, but it’s not something she would have accepted about him.
Angst/Sadness level: The heroine led a sad life, but no tears.
Push/Pull: Pushing from both heroine and hero and then pulling from the hero.
Heat level: I think there were only a few intimate scenes, but I didn’t mind because I was more focused on the plot and it wouldn’t make sense to have too many intimate scenes because then the heroine would have folded easily and the hero would not have groveled so much.
Descriptive sex: Yes between hero and heroine.
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes, OW drama.
Did OW/OM/Ex Ruin the Book For You: No, it made the angst better. I loved it! I love how the OW and friends tried to put down the heroine, but failed. I lived for those scenes.
Sex scene with OW or OM: Yes, there are some kissing scenes and a quick scene where the heroine walks into the hotel room when the fiance is straddling the hero having sex.
M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F
Birth Control/Condoms: Hero always wore protection, even with his fiance, but not with the heroine. They discussed this.
Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h relationship: No.
Grovel Rating: 3 out of 5. I was convinced of the hero’s grovel and that he loved the heroine, but I am conflicted about the hero. If I was in the heroine’s shoes, I am not sure I would have taken him back. Some moments I think I would because the ending was satisfying, but I don’t know if I can get over what the hero said and him not ever showing up in the four years since they hooked up. If he did not get engaged and went back to Hawaii, would he have even come back for her (he said he thought of her all the time)?
Love Triangle: No.
Separation: Yes, off-page they hooked up for two weeks (the heroine expected it to turn into more), they were not together for four years. The book starts four years later, with the hero engaged unknowingly to the heroine's half-cousin.
Virgin/Celibate/Manwhore: No virgins and they were not celibate during their four years apart. The hero said he had slept with other women, and it's not clear how many other people the heroine slept with, but it was clear she slept with someone. It was difficult for her to date or even have time for sex since she works almost 24/7.
Contains Children: No.
Contains Flashback: No.
Possible Pet Peeves/Triggers: No pet peeves.
Plot Holes: Explained above, but the mention of the hero being bisexual 80 percent in the book was weird, it contradicted the hero’s inner monologues and overall story.
HEA/HFN/etc Ending: HEA.
Closure/Epilogue: Yes with extra epilogue with email sign up.
Safety: I don’t think the hero was a manho, but he did have sex with other women after he left the heroine. He is also engaged to ow in the beginning of the book and they are intimate. There are some kissing scenes and a quick scene where the heroine walks into the hotel room when the fiance is straddling the hero having sex. In his inner monologue, even when he kisses fiance, he can’t stop thinking of the heroine. He gets hard just thinking of her and the fiance assumes it’s because of her. After the intimate scene, he does avoid sex with the fiance
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2025
Raffaella’s review explains everything.
Shelved as 'not-in-a-million-years'
January 19, 2025Note to self: avoid at all costs. Hero has sex with fiancee to try to stop thinking about the heroine. The heroine is a maid, walks in to clean their room and catches them in the act. 🤮
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2024
This ended up being a sweet second chance story, don’t get me wrong there is drama (ow) and family ties that comes with a problematic history. The writing gave me the itch to travel with the lovely place descriptions, I liked the characters. Thank you for the arc.
March 18, 2025
I wanted to strange Dean. He started out as a complete snob, but his growth through the book was amazing to read Elika is a character you are going to fall in love with.
This is a sweet second chance romance. Fair warning you are going to want to pack your bags and head to
Hawaii after reading this book.
This is a sweet second chance romance. Fair warning you are going to want to pack your bags and head to
Hawaii after reading this book.
March 24, 2025
It was ok
Felt as if the last quarter of the book was just filler.
What annoyed me - in the second book of this series, it was brought up that Dean is bisexual, only once.
Then, like an afterthought, it was brought up at the very end of this 3rd book. Like an oops! 😅 forgot it was mentioned in the last book so I’ll squeeze it in here. Ermm, no. It ruined the flow.
Felt as if the last quarter of the book was just filler.
What annoyed me - in the second book of this series, it was brought up that Dean is bisexual, only once.
Then, like an afterthought, it was brought up at the very end of this 3rd book. Like an oops! 😅 forgot it was mentioned in the last book so I’ll squeeze it in here. Ermm, no. It ruined the flow.
January 18, 2025
I’m going to start by saying I usually love Maya’s books. I own a lot of them and have reread a bunch. So I was expecting no less from this book but the truth is I did not love it. I’m rating 3.5 stars rounded up. Here is why:
The H and h have a passionate affair of sorts for a couple of weeks. He was a guest at the hotel she works at as a maid.
The H is a snob but he keeps delaying leaving because of the h. They both feel this connection. So on the last night he is supposed to be there once again the h gets off work early to spend more time with him before he leaves. She goes to meet him and overhears him talking to his friend her boss about her but not in a flattering way. He basically reduces their time together to nothing more than an extended one night stand. He tells his friend she is a good lay but just a maid but he will miss the fact that she gives great head. It was so degrading and to say it to her boss. She leaves and he is disappointed she does not show up and leaves the next day with a note basically thanking her and a 1000.00 tip. Insult on top of injury here.
The next time they meet he is there with his fiancée who is the h’s nasty cousin and the cousins mother. They both treat the h like crap. The H thinks how the h was still a maid and how she obviously was not smart enough or did not want to get out of that job to do anything about it. He still is super attracted to her and drawn to her and thinks she is not appropriate he wants someone on his intelligence level. So he can’t stop thinking about her but he is like I love my fiancée right I need to stop thinking about h so he fucks the fiancée to try and forget the h and prove he loves her. So I HATE it when the so called H uses another woman to try and get over the h. That woman was nasty but still that was just wrong. To add insult to injury the h walks in on them to clean the room. So not only did the h have to hear the H saying awful things about her when she thought they had a real connection the H is now engaged to the woman who has always been awful to her and has to see them in the act. For me to truly believe the H was in love with the h it would have been him trying to go there with the OW but not able to follow through after seeing the h again.
It took way too long for the H to pull his head out of his ass and breakup with the OW. In the meantime the h has to see them being all couple around the hotel. The H at one point goes to the h before breaking up with the OW and he does apologize for him comments from before but it felt flat. It did not feel fully remorseful. His thoughts throughout did not make him very likeable. After he breaks up with OW he has to go on a trip for business during this time the OW and her mother frame the h as a thief. She is arrested and the H’s father gets her out. He was a great character and loved the scenes of them together. The H flies back and works to try and win the h. His whole family shows up as well. I really was disappointed with the lack of grovel given his comments and how long it took him to break up with the OW. I felt like the h gave in too soon.
The OW sorta of gets what is coming to her and her mother. The h gets a job with island art and goes back to school. The h’s sister who was in a accident and in a home who was horrible to the h and also the reason she never went back to college because she was paying for her sisters care has a about face and starts living and builds a relationship with the h. I liked seeing the H’s brothers. I liked Dante. The island location and culture descriptions were excellent. She always does a great job of that which I really appreciate.
I do recommend this book because the writing was good the plot was good just not laid out like I like. That is a me thing. Technically no cheating but in my mind there was, regardless if he loved the OW or not he asked her to marry him and he was lusting after the h and had sex with the OW to try and prove he loved her while not being able to get the h off his mind. So most would not see this as cheating or not care because the OW was nasty. I thought it was in really bad taste. I think it says a-lot about the character of someone who does that and it’s not a good trait. I did not see a huge change in the H either with very little effort he got the girl and the life he wanted. The other good thing was the h was not celibate when they were parted before meeting again. I would have liked it better if she had an actual relationship with feelings involved do the H could have felt a little of what she felt seeing him engaged and having sex with OW.
The H and h have a passionate affair of sorts for a couple of weeks. He was a guest at the hotel she works at as a maid.
The H is a snob but he keeps delaying leaving because of the h. They both feel this connection. So on the last night he is supposed to be there once again the h gets off work early to spend more time with him before he leaves. She goes to meet him and overhears him talking to his friend her boss about her but not in a flattering way. He basically reduces their time together to nothing more than an extended one night stand. He tells his friend she is a good lay but just a maid but he will miss the fact that she gives great head. It was so degrading and to say it to her boss. She leaves and he is disappointed she does not show up and leaves the next day with a note basically thanking her and a 1000.00 tip. Insult on top of injury here.
The next time they meet he is there with his fiancée who is the h’s nasty cousin and the cousins mother. They both treat the h like crap. The H thinks how the h was still a maid and how she obviously was not smart enough or did not want to get out of that job to do anything about it. He still is super attracted to her and drawn to her and thinks she is not appropriate he wants someone on his intelligence level. So he can’t stop thinking about her but he is like I love my fiancée right I need to stop thinking about h so he fucks the fiancée to try and forget the h and prove he loves her. So I HATE it when the so called H uses another woman to try and get over the h. That woman was nasty but still that was just wrong. To add insult to injury the h walks in on them to clean the room. So not only did the h have to hear the H saying awful things about her when she thought they had a real connection the H is now engaged to the woman who has always been awful to her and has to see them in the act. For me to truly believe the H was in love with the h it would have been him trying to go there with the OW but not able to follow through after seeing the h again.
It took way too long for the H to pull his head out of his ass and breakup with the OW. In the meantime the h has to see them being all couple around the hotel. The H at one point goes to the h before breaking up with the OW and he does apologize for him comments from before but it felt flat. It did not feel fully remorseful. His thoughts throughout did not make him very likeable. After he breaks up with OW he has to go on a trip for business during this time the OW and her mother frame the h as a thief. She is arrested and the H’s father gets her out. He was a great character and loved the scenes of them together. The H flies back and works to try and win the h. His whole family shows up as well. I really was disappointed with the lack of grovel given his comments and how long it took him to break up with the OW. I felt like the h gave in too soon.
The OW sorta of gets what is coming to her and her mother. The h gets a job with island art and goes back to school. The h’s sister who was in a accident and in a home who was horrible to the h and also the reason she never went back to college because she was paying for her sisters care has a about face and starts living and builds a relationship with the h. I liked seeing the H’s brothers. I liked Dante. The island location and culture descriptions were excellent. She always does a great job of that which I really appreciate.
I do recommend this book because the writing was good the plot was good just not laid out like I like. That is a me thing. Technically no cheating but in my mind there was, regardless if he loved the OW or not he asked her to marry him and he was lusting after the h and had sex with the OW to try and prove he loved her while not being able to get the h off his mind. So most would not see this as cheating or not care because the OW was nasty. I thought it was in really bad taste. I think it says a-lot about the character of someone who does that and it’s not a good trait. I did not see a huge change in the H either with very little effort he got the girl and the life he wanted. The other good thing was the h was not celibate when they were parted before meeting again. I would have liked it better if she had an actual relationship with feelings involved do the H could have felt a little of what she felt seeing him engaged and having sex with OW.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2025
I received this arc for an honest review.
I have also pre-ordered this book as well.
Maya Alden knows how to deliver the angst gut-punch to perfection.
This story is an overheard situation.
Elika, the heroine, is an incredible character. Maya Alden knows how to create the perfect, strong, selfless heroine.
Elika and Dean (H) had a brief, explosive, sexual affair a few years back. She was working as a maid, (while in college) in a luxury hotel. He comes from a very successful, very affluent family.
She overhears Dean telling her boss ( his good friend) that he’s just having fun with Elika and it’s nothing serious because she’s not his intellectual equal.
I loved Elika but it took me a long while to warm up to Dean. I’m still not sure I’ve completely forgive him. He was a snob, an elitist and completely clueless.
He really is/was a misguided, oblivious lunkhead.
When Elika and Dean meet again.. she’s cleaning his hotel room and he’s there .. engaged to her cousin.
Her cousin Felicity and the family are awful people. Felicity’s dad Sam is a wuss with no backbone .. He just does whatever makes his shrew wife and daughter happy. There are not enough words to describe how loathsome Felicity and her family are.
Elika’s father was the half-brother to Sam ( Felicity’s father). Elika’s mother passed when Elika was young from breast cancer. Elika’s family have struggled financially.
After Dean and Elika parted .. her father and sister were in a car accident .. Her father was killed.. Her sister was left a paraplegic.
Elika gave up her dreams of getting an art history degree and working in a gallery. She quit school and brought her sister to a very expensive rehabilitation center in Kauai .
Her sister is incredibly bitter and hateful to Elika.
I felt so sad for Elika. She works multiple jobs to pay for her sister’s care and she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Although the uncle should have helped Elika financially, he has never offered any financial assistance to Elika and Elika was always too prideful to ask.
Felicity and her mother paint Elika as a gold digger� and for a while Dean buys their lies. Oh Dean you really are such an idiot !!!
When Dean finally realizes the truth he does set things into motion to make Elika’s life better. So it helped me to accept him back into Elika’s life � sort of� There was also a lot of bulldozering in my opinion.
And he still is incredibly dumb and immature.. also my humble opinion
�
His parents/brothers/sisters-in-law, friend didn’t care for his fiancée Felicity and yet he kept making excuses for her .. because she was educated and wealthy and so well put together. Dean was fooled by Felicity’s exterior package.
Felicity’s mother is horrid ( as is the whole family ) and yet initially Dean blindly overlooked their obvious flaws.
I loved Dean’s family. His parents are more grounded. And I love the vengeance meted out by Dean’s brother. I guess I was able to somewhat forgive Dean because of his family and their actions.
They were 100000% behind Elika and I loved that because she really deserved to have a strong loving family supporting her.
The comeuppance to Elika’s cousin/ cousin’s family was sweet and really added to my enjoyment of this story.
I loved seeing Elika getting the happiness she deserved. My annoyance for Dean mellowed when Dean made Elika’s sister realize how much Elika had sacrificed for her.
In the end Elika, Dean, and even Elika’s sister got their HEA. …And the cousin and her family didn’t !!!
Yay!!!!
I have also pre-ordered this book as well.
Maya Alden knows how to deliver the angst gut-punch to perfection.
This story is an overheard situation.
Elika, the heroine, is an incredible character. Maya Alden knows how to create the perfect, strong, selfless heroine.
Elika and Dean (H) had a brief, explosive, sexual affair a few years back. She was working as a maid, (while in college) in a luxury hotel. He comes from a very successful, very affluent family.
She overhears Dean telling her boss ( his good friend) that he’s just having fun with Elika and it’s nothing serious because she’s not his intellectual equal.
I loved Elika but it took me a long while to warm up to Dean. I’m still not sure I’ve completely forgive him. He was a snob, an elitist and completely clueless.
He really is/was a misguided, oblivious lunkhead.
When Elika and Dean meet again.. she’s cleaning his hotel room and he’s there .. engaged to her cousin.
Her cousin Felicity and the family are awful people. Felicity’s dad Sam is a wuss with no backbone .. He just does whatever makes his shrew wife and daughter happy. There are not enough words to describe how loathsome Felicity and her family are.
Elika’s father was the half-brother to Sam ( Felicity’s father). Elika’s mother passed when Elika was young from breast cancer. Elika’s family have struggled financially.
After Dean and Elika parted .. her father and sister were in a car accident .. Her father was killed.. Her sister was left a paraplegic.
Elika gave up her dreams of getting an art history degree and working in a gallery. She quit school and brought her sister to a very expensive rehabilitation center in Kauai .
Her sister is incredibly bitter and hateful to Elika.
I felt so sad for Elika. She works multiple jobs to pay for her sister’s care and she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Although the uncle should have helped Elika financially, he has never offered any financial assistance to Elika and Elika was always too prideful to ask.
Felicity and her mother paint Elika as a gold digger� and for a while Dean buys their lies. Oh Dean you really are such an idiot !!!
When Dean finally realizes the truth he does set things into motion to make Elika’s life better. So it helped me to accept him back into Elika’s life � sort of� There was also a lot of bulldozering in my opinion.
And he still is incredibly dumb and immature.. also my humble opinion
�
His parents/brothers/sisters-in-law, friend didn’t care for his fiancée Felicity and yet he kept making excuses for her .. because she was educated and wealthy and so well put together. Dean was fooled by Felicity’s exterior package.
Felicity’s mother is horrid ( as is the whole family ) and yet initially Dean blindly overlooked their obvious flaws.
I loved Dean’s family. His parents are more grounded. And I love the vengeance meted out by Dean’s brother. I guess I was able to somewhat forgive Dean because of his family and their actions.
They were 100000% behind Elika and I loved that because she really deserved to have a strong loving family supporting her.
The comeuppance to Elika’s cousin/ cousin’s family was sweet and really added to my enjoyment of this story.
I loved seeing Elika getting the happiness she deserved. My annoyance for Dean mellowed when Dean made Elika’s sister realize how much Elika had sacrificed for her.
In the end Elika, Dean, and even Elika’s sister got their HEA. …And the cousin and her family didn’t !!!
Yay!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2025
Okay, como decir esto…no me gustó.
Entiendo por qué para Elika fue fácil perdonarlo, el problema es que como lectora me aventé el 47% del libro leyendo a Dean seguir repitiendo su tontería de que Elika no es su igual a nivel intelectual, comparándola con Fee y enalteciendo a Fee solo para no admitir que se equivocó 🙄
Lo que menos entiendo aún es que desde el principio Fee y su familia mostraron súper claro la clase de basura que son, pero no, unas pocas lágrimas de Fee y Dean ya le cree que ella es buena y que no es posible que sea como su mamá, a pesar de que incluso desde antes de las vacaciones a nadie de su alrededor le agradaba esa mujer 😡
Pasaron tantas cosas en este libro que NO HUBO manera de que yo sintiera ni el más mínimo de atracción hacia Dean, yo deseaba, anhelaba que no terminaran juntos y no saben la rabia que me daba leer el POV de Elika y leerla a ella toda enamorada de él y poniéndolo en un pedestal, naturalmente ella dejó pasar lo que dijo y lo que hizo Dean como si nada.
Me encanta cuando los personajes son nobles, amables y de buen corazón, pero que saben defenderse, Elika se dejó pisotear por medio mundo y ya al final como que quiso agarrar fuerza y eso fue lo único bueno del libro, todos fueron personajes insoportables, menos Dante, te amo Dante, era el único que le decía sus verdades a Dean 🫶🏻
Entiendo por qué para Elika fue fácil perdonarlo, el problema es que como lectora me aventé el 47% del libro leyendo a Dean seguir repitiendo su tontería de que Elika no es su igual a nivel intelectual, comparándola con Fee y enalteciendo a Fee solo para no admitir que se equivocó 🙄
Lo que menos entiendo aún es que desde el principio Fee y su familia mostraron súper claro la clase de basura que son, pero no, unas pocas lágrimas de Fee y Dean ya le cree que ella es buena y que no es posible que sea como su mamá, a pesar de que incluso desde antes de las vacaciones a nadie de su alrededor le agradaba esa mujer 😡
Pasaron tantas cosas en este libro que NO HUBO manera de que yo sintiera ni el más mínimo de atracción hacia Dean, yo deseaba, anhelaba que no terminaran juntos y no saben la rabia que me daba leer el POV de Elika y leerla a ella toda enamorada de él y poniéndolo en un pedestal, naturalmente ella dejó pasar lo que dijo y lo que hizo Dean como si nada.
Me encanta cuando los personajes son nobles, amables y de buen corazón, pero que saben defenderse, Elika se dejó pisotear por medio mundo y ya al final como que quiso agarrar fuerza y eso fue lo único bueno del libro, todos fueron personajes insoportables, menos Dante, te amo Dante, era el único que le decía sus verdades a Dean 🫶🏻
January 18, 2025
Not my favorite�
Big positive - the details of Kauai. Loved being able to see it in my mind as I was reading.
However, this story was too much/too little. After everything Dean did to her (too much) he didn’t have to do anything to get Elika back (way too little). Dean’s dad was the one to put in the work. Dean is such a weak character. Elika is so much better than he is. She deserved someone else - so much more than him. Also, everything about him being bisexual seemed to come out of nowhere (over half way into the story) and was so jarring. Weaving it in throughout the story, from the beginning, would’ve been better. It was a pleasant surprise to read that Elika had sexual partners after him, instead of remaining chaste, as so many authors like to insist on. Honestly, I just skimmed the rest of the story because I like to read how the bad guys get their “just rewards� (although that comes in a bonus chapter and was very anticlimactic) and kept with it to take notes on all the mentioned places in Kauai that are real - for my bucket list vacation - lol.
Big positive - the details of Kauai. Loved being able to see it in my mind as I was reading.
However, this story was too much/too little. After everything Dean did to her (too much) he didn’t have to do anything to get Elika back (way too little). Dean’s dad was the one to put in the work. Dean is such a weak character. Elika is so much better than he is. She deserved someone else - so much more than him. Also, everything about him being bisexual seemed to come out of nowhere (over half way into the story) and was so jarring. Weaving it in throughout the story, from the beginning, would’ve been better. It was a pleasant surprise to read that Elika had sexual partners after him, instead of remaining chaste, as so many authors like to insist on. Honestly, I just skimmed the rest of the story because I like to read how the bad guys get their “just rewards� (although that comes in a bonus chapter and was very anticlimactic) and kept with it to take notes on all the mentioned places in Kauai that are real - for my bucket list vacation - lol.
January 20, 2025
What to say about The Wrong Fiancée�.
Absolutely loved it! 👌
I was on the fence about Dean. I mean, he just felt� icky�. And I wasn’t sure if he could be redeemed.
But as usual, Ms Alden works her magic and manages to yet again deliver.
A nice wrap up for the Archers, but I saw that sneaky little teaser in there! 👀 I can’t wait!!!
It’s an ARC, so I don’t nitpick too much, but generally, the editing was ok. A few little bits here and there there that I struggled to get my head around and actually believe, but hey, it’s fiction. Anything goes.
Onto the characters�
Dean - he was completely different to the other books, but he only had bit parts there. Super shallow, but glad he finally had his brain transplant 🤣. Took a little longer to come around than I hoped, but he clearly had a LOT of growing up to do.
Elika (I love that name!) - an absolute sweetheart. ❤️ what she went through over the years� I would be a bitter mess. She’s almost too sweet, but I was glad to see her toughen up. And her support network was Ah-mazing!
Felicity - can I just say that she deserved what she got? What a nasty piece of work! And who does that to their cousin??!! Author� you write a solid OW nasty biatch! 🤣
Overall, worth a read. I didn’t manage to read in one sitting, and it was one that took me a few attempts to really get into it. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I didn’t want to read about Dean and Felicity.
Once I just parked my butt down and knuckled down, I powered through it and it was an extremely enjoyable read.
As previously said, a few unbelievable moments, but they didn’t really detract from the story, just made me stretch the imagination a little further.
A solid read again from Maya Alden.
Absolutely loved it! 👌
I was on the fence about Dean. I mean, he just felt� icky�. And I wasn’t sure if he could be redeemed.
But as usual, Ms Alden works her magic and manages to yet again deliver.
A nice wrap up for the Archers, but I saw that sneaky little teaser in there! 👀 I can’t wait!!!
It’s an ARC, so I don’t nitpick too much, but generally, the editing was ok. A few little bits here and there there that I struggled to get my head around and actually believe, but hey, it’s fiction. Anything goes.
Onto the characters�
Dean - he was completely different to the other books, but he only had bit parts there. Super shallow, but glad he finally had his brain transplant 🤣. Took a little longer to come around than I hoped, but he clearly had a LOT of growing up to do.
Elika (I love that name!) - an absolute sweetheart. ❤️ what she went through over the years� I would be a bitter mess. She’s almost too sweet, but I was glad to see her toughen up. And her support network was Ah-mazing!
Felicity - can I just say that she deserved what she got? What a nasty piece of work! And who does that to their cousin??!! Author� you write a solid OW nasty biatch! 🤣
Overall, worth a read. I didn’t manage to read in one sitting, and it was one that took me a few attempts to really get into it. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because I didn’t want to read about Dean and Felicity.
Once I just parked my butt down and knuckled down, I powered through it and it was an extremely enjoyable read.
As previously said, a few unbelievable moments, but they didn’t really detract from the story, just made me stretch the imagination a little further.
A solid read again from Maya Alden.
January 19, 2025
So if you have read any of the previous books in the series you might have been curious about the slightly mysterious Dean. His brother’s roads to happiness have been bumpy and Dean, like the rest of the family, weighed in at times in both previous books. Now we catch up with Dean, now engaged and ready to settle down, and he is celebrating his engagement in Hawaii with is soon to be in laws. He gets a shock when he runs into a blast from his past, cleaning his room. Elika and Dean shared a passionate affair when she was a maid a different hotel. It ended when Elika overheard Dean saying disparaging things about her to a friend. Making matters worse, Elika is still a maid because she was dealt blow after blow and her dreams were put on hold. Making matters worse she is the cousin to Dean’s current fiancee.
I LOVE everything about this story. Elika is a strong heroine and she is fiercely loyal even when people don’t deserved it. Above all, she stays true to herself despite her circumstances. Dean needed a lot of work. I really did not like him much at the beginning but when he finally gets it together it’s epic and a fun read. Elika and Dean’s story was worth the wait and its has a super satisfying ending. Be sure you get the bonus epilogue too. If you haven’t read the Wrong Husband and The Wrong Bride (You should because they are awesome) it’s totally fine because this book is fine as a standalone. Another home run by Maya Alden.
I LOVE everything about this story. Elika is a strong heroine and she is fiercely loyal even when people don’t deserved it. Above all, she stays true to herself despite her circumstances. Dean needed a lot of work. I really did not like him much at the beginning but when he finally gets it together it’s epic and a fun read. Elika and Dean’s story was worth the wait and its has a super satisfying ending. Be sure you get the bonus epilogue too. If you haven’t read the Wrong Husband and The Wrong Bride (You should because they are awesome) it’s totally fine because this book is fine as a standalone. Another home run by Maya Alden.
January 18, 2025
Didn’t hate it didn’t love it.
I’ll be honest, I’m finding the flow of Mayas book all too similar of late. It’s not a bad thing as such it just makes them a little predictable is all. The ow drama was good, the overheard component was a decent gut punch, when Elika confronted Dean about what she had overheard that was the true gut punch moment. All in all I’d say you should read it if you’re a betrayal, ow drama redemption junkie. It’s just not love for me.
I’ll be honest, I’m finding the flow of Mayas book all too similar of late. It’s not a bad thing as such it just makes them a little predictable is all. The ow drama was good, the overheard component was a decent gut punch, when Elika confronted Dean about what she had overheard that was the true gut punch moment. All in all I’d say you should read it if you’re a betrayal, ow drama redemption junkie. It’s just not love for me.
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