4.25/5

Ilsa's books always hit the spot for me and My Darling Bride was no stranger to that. It was the cute read that I needed and all the circumstances worked for me. Lots of small world moments that I didn't mind at all. Definitely a book I would read over and over.

My Darling Bride is a marriage of convenience, sports romance that will keep a smile on your face.
This is a sweet story that made me swoon a little over Graham and Emmy' love.

Emmy works at a bookstore during the day and helps keep her family afloat by night.
Graham, as an NFL player, needs a wife to get his family inheritance.

When Emmy steals Graham's car, they have no idea what the future holds, but with the sparks flying around these two. It would be hard to deny the attraction.

This story was really good, I love a good sports romance, and Ilsa really did an amazing job with this one.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥

The first meet-cute. The banter. The second meet-cute. The tension. All of that makes the heart of this fake marriage trope lover full.

A sketchy motel in the middle of the desert was not exactly the travel destination that Emmaline Darling and the mysterious "G" had in mind. Yet here they are, escaping from their respective lives and having their fates intertwined by a motel with an iguana mascot and an even shadier cowboy-wannabe trying to get in Emmy's pants. When the reason Emmy needed some reprieve at Motel Iguana shows up, she -- temporarily -- steals "G"'s Lamborghini as a getaway car.

It turns out that "G" happens to be Graham Harlan, the Super Bowl-winning tight end who almost lost his life on the football field. He also happens to live in Manhattan, where Emmy is also based. He eventually tracks her down, and while she is regretful and ready to hold up her wrists for police bracelets, Graham offers her jewelry of a different kind: an engagement ring. Graham needs a fake bride to secure the family inheritance so he can split it with his brother, and Emmy happens to be the perfect fit.

I love their chemistry. Ilsa Madden-Mills creates such a great connection between these two from the get-go. Graham checks off the boxes for a fantastic book boyfriend: his caring and gentle approach when it comes to Emmy and her family balances well with his broody overprotectiveness.

And their families? They are so adorable. Emmy's dynamics with her siblings and friends are so endearing. Graham's brother Brody and football teammates are also the best. Well, except Holden -- he is evil personified. (You will find out why.)

There are aspects of the plot that seem rushed, but they don't take away from the overall story. Madden-Mills provides a great build-up for Book 2 in the series, and I cannot wait for that to come out.

Once again I'm reminded why Ilsa Madden-Mills is one of my go-to must read contemporary romance authors. My Darling Bride was such a lovely story. Emmy and Graham have incredible charisma and individual quirks that make them lovable. Their worries and frustrations make them human and endearing. Their chemistry adds fabulous spice to the story that also has the perfect blend of comedy and emotion. And I loved all of the secondary characters and settings!! The bookstore, the 70s apartment, the motel! Perfect. What a treat! Definite 5 stars for My Darling Bride. ❤️

This was a great romance book. Always enjoy ilsa madden mills. I will definitely be recommending this going forward.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Ilsa Madden-Mills always delivers the best romances. This was such an enjoyable read!

I always love a good Ilsa romp!

This book gave everything I know to expect from her - hilarious meet cute, great chemistry between two opposite characters, some outrageous banter, maybe a few suspend-your-belief situations and sweet and spicy romance. Add a dash of sports, some bookseller love, and you have this fun read! A great new addition to my Ilsa bookshelf.

This is the best way to end my 2023.
I was looking for a heart-wrenching but at the same time light-hearted book to curl up on this very cold winter weather. I have a lot of choices but this book really caught my attention.

I've been a big fan of Ilsa Madden-Mills since I read her very first book in 2014 (very bad things) and I became a fan ever since.
She is one of my go-to romance authors.

This book is such a beautiful love story.
Grahan and Emmy are perfect. These two just capture my heart.
It's not that heavy on the emotional part which I love because I don't think I candle to be emotional wreck right now.
The spicyness was okay but it was S.P.I.C.Y!!!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Emmy and Graham. Emmy works two jobs at a bookstore and a bar. Graham is a football player. They meet in Arizona when she is trying to get away because some guy won’t let her. Graham happens to walk by right when Emmy is telling the guy that her boyfriend is with her. She grabs Graham and says he is her boyfriend. A month later Graham finds her and offers her a deal to marry him and he will help with her bills. She does marry him and falls in love with him.

I'm a huge fan of this author and her writing style and this was no exception. There is an adorable meet cute that starts off their story with a smile. I found myself smiling throughout the story and just loving how it all played out!

Oh my gosh, I don’t even know where to start with how phenomenal this book is you have got a bad boy motocross die meets a good girl you’ve got a girl doing gymnastics. You’ve got a bad boy motocross guys who makes you wanna think he’s bad boy but he’s actually a sexy hot There for you boy who does anything and everything for his family and then you have Avery who is just so wonderful she’s so fun to be around her and Knox were just like perfect perfection of opposites attract, which I absolutely love reading. This book was just so awesome this is one of my favorites from this author.

Emmaline “Emmy” and Graham meet when she’s on the run from her abusive ex-boyfriend. When her ex tracks her down, she borrows Graham’s car to run away, but he thinks she stole it. So he finds her and gives her an ultimatum: marry him or he’ll go to the cops.

Emmy definitely didn’t have it easy, especially with her dangerous and toxic ex constantly coming after her. But she was still so sweet and had such a big heart.

Graham was angry when she stole his car, but he never actually intended to call the cops on her. He was a little grumpy, but he was also very kind and caring. And he was so protective of Emmy. He fought against his feelings for Emmy because he believed he was meant for someone else, but it was obvious he was gone for her from the start.

This was a quick and easy read. I loved seeing the two of them get to know each other and open up to each other. They also had great banter and a strong connection. The storyline wasn’t all that shocking, but it still kept my attention and I didn’t want to put this down.

My Darling Bride is another wonderful story from Ilsa Madden-Mills. It was a fast-paced story that was witty, charming and full of humor, romance, friendship, family and love.

3.5 stars

this was super cute. i really liked emmy as a main character! she was strong and chaotic at times - always a trait i love. i will say that i was less fond of graham - he was quite hot and cold - i would have liked a bit more depth to his character i think.

i was also a fan of all the side characters in this story! both emmy and graham’s families were full of interesting characters and i loved seeing them all interact together (particularly the darling siblings).

however, i did think the whole storyline with holden trying to stop graham from getting his inheritance was resolved really quickly and too easily. especially considering how big a deal that felt in the earlier part of the book, so i found it sort of anti-climactic in the end. and then we just never heard from holden again. in a similar way, divina was made to seem like a really big issue for graham, and then she was basically just forgotten. these are only little things that didn’t really affect my enjoyment of my darling bride, but when i’m thinking over the book as a whole it just felt a bit weird and pointless. i just would have liked a bit more drama to come from it when those things essentially make up the book’s entire premise.

overall though i had fun reading this and i’m crossing my fingers for a jane and jasper book on the way!

The meet cute was so good and funny

I loved all the characters in this book and the life they brought to the story

I loved that you could see how much the mmc cared about the fmc even when he was in the denial stage/this is just a marriage of convenience and I won't get feelings for her

I wish we got more time with the characters after the third act conflict, it didn't feel rushed but I was just left wanting more

- sports romance (American football)
- marriage of convenience
- he buys her the bookstore she works at and hopes to one day own

Ilsa Madden-Mills has delivered once again, a great love story between two people faith had in mind for each other.

Graham and Emmy have both been hurt in the past. They have given up on love and are not looking. But what happens when Graham needs her so he could help his brother? She says yes even though they agree not to fall for each other. But spending time together and getting to know each other better proves that to be hard thing to do. But being close off for so long almost destroys the love that just started to bloom.

I have a few soft spots for Ilsa's heroes. But I think Graham just made it to the top and if you've read her books you know the competition he had for the top spot. I absolutely loved this story and I'm hoping we get her sister’s spry next because that girl is a firecracker.

***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***

Emmaline by chance steals a car from football star Graham to get away from a dangerous ex. Graham is recovering from a near death hit on field. He needs to get married to secure the family inheritance. When Graham tracks down Emmaline he tells her she can marry him and avoid him pressing charges. Of course sparks begin to fly as they get to know one another.

My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden-Mills is a contemporary sports romance with a fake relationship that can be read as a standalone. With some humorous moments, a quirky grump meets sunshine meet-cute and a marriage of convenience, what more could you want?
While I feel like Ilsa doesn't publish as often as she once did, when she does produce a book, she always has something to say and I am always brought back to why she has always been a one-click buy author for me. She excels at writing sports romance and while there is always a loveable and relatable character, there is also always a realistic reference to her stories, such as angst, real life struggles etc which is what I admire about this author. I also enjoy how she incorporates secondary characters into her books and it always makes me wonder if these characters will get their own stories.
Overall, another fantastic book by Ilsa. I can't wait to see what she will publish in 2024.

I was a bit iffy about the book at first but in the end I enjoyed it. Graham was just such a stubborn character

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.