Unfortunately I share the opinion of the other reviewers. The book just lacked... well everything.

First, it's incredibly short. It's rare for a novella to truly capture the depth of the characters and have a decent plot which is why I rarely read them. Unfortunately I picked up this ARC from Netgalley without realizing just how short it was.

I wish there the author spent more time developing the story and showed us what the arranged marriage first looked liked. Instead, we come in more than a year after the forced marriage/mating has occurred. I would have loved to read how they got to where they are now, especially with the introduction of Thomas's sister.

The change in Helena seemed very unexpected and out of place. I didn't see how or why she would suddenly want to take on the new role. It felt very out of character for her.

I liked Owen's character and thought him and Thomas had potential but the author didn't spend enough time developing their relationship.

I'd love to see this story rewritten as a full length novel. With some added side characters this could be the start of an amazing series.