Marni Mann always comes through when you're looking for that alpha-hole you love to hate. Grayson fits the bill perfectly.
LOL that should be enough said right there, however getting him to "redeem" himself and settle down is what the story is all about. If that's your jam then this book is 100% for. you.
For me? It was a 4 star read. The chemistry and sexy times were fantastic but I"m kind of over the whole "I can change him to be what I see in him".
Mr. Wicked was an entertaining read for sure, but Grayson was just a lot.. LOL
I'll continue on with the series because I love the authors writing...and not every book is always gonna do it for you.
That said, Mr Wicked is definitly a lot of people's 5 star read, you should see if it's yours!

Thought this was a good book, good story. I thought there was a bit of a disconnect between the 2 characters and they were very much on different ends of her being in it and him being so against relationships. I’ve enjoyed a lot of books from Marni though and will continue to read more

😈Mr. Wicked😈

As always Marni’s books are guaranteed to be HOT, and this doesn’t disappoint. I love a grumpy man that absolutely melts for his woman and Grayson is exactly that.

Grayson is ready to celebrate the success of the dating app he created with his friends. He spent an amazing night with a beautiful woman, Jovanna Winters. Even though they both felt a deep connection Grayson could only commit to the night. He then went on to celebrate on a yacht with a handful of women. But when a video of the yacht is leaked his company is put in danger - especially since Grayson created the marriage strand of their app and was videotaped toasting to bachelor life. When his friends tell him he has to get married to save face for the company there is only one woman who comes to mind - the one he shared that night with, Jovanna.

😈Grumpy/sunshine
😈One night stand
😈Age gap
😈Billionaire
😈Fake marriage

Overall, this was well written, but I just couldn't get behind the content or the actions of the characters. The conflict in this story seems very exaggerated as do characters reaction.

This was just okay. I am not usually a fan of dark romances, so this was a different read for me. The MMC was definitely a typical DR character and reminded me a lot of Mr. Grey. I feel like if someone was a DR reader, they might enjoy this!

Marni Mann is a great author so I was excited to read this and it did not disappoint! As always, the author delivered an outstanding story that held my attention from page one right through till the very end.

What to expect:
🔥 Age Gap (M: 30/ F: 22)
🔥 Fake Relationship/Marriage
🔥 Grumpy/Sunshine
🔥 Billionaire MMC
🔥 Reformed Playboy
🔥 Spicy Scenes
🔥 Forced Proximity
🔥 Dual POV
🔥 Sassy & Strong FMC
🔥 Enemies-to-Lovers
🔥 Second Chance
🔥 Good Girl / Bad Boy
🔥 Alpha Hero
Mr. Wicked is book two in the Hooked Series and this book is Grayson and Jovana’s steamy love story and it most certainly is steamy and packs a punch.

⭐️ 2.5 ⭐️ I think I enjoyed this more than the first book but not by much. I could not stand the MMC and his attitude about everything. More than anything, the spicy scenes in this series have to be some of the cringiest one I have ever read.

This book has the grumpy/sunshine, fake dating tropes. Grayson is a party boy bachelor who does not want to settle down, ever. He has a one night stand with a waitress named Jovana. She catches feelings for him but he's not having it. A few months go by and Grayson's company is jeopardy and he needs to have a "fake" marriage happen soon and he chooses Jovana to be his bride. She hopes that he will change his bachelor ways and fall for her like she has him. I really liked Grayson's strong character. He does do some things that make you not like him too but he is redeemable in the end. And the chemistry between them is on fire. I really enjoyed this book. For me it was a one day read.

Includes some of my favorite tropes:
grumpy/sunshine
Alphahole
fake relationship + fake marriage
Age gap

Grayson + Jovana were swoon worthy, and I was really rooting for their relationship the entire time!

A few complaints…

The synopsis describes Grayson as a billionaire, but how…? From the Hooked app? I don’t believe that. I did not read ‘Mr. Hook-up’ so maybe I missed something that explained the financial situation.

Grayson was a huge jerk and his asshole behavior started to turn me off, but he lightened up just in time and reeled me back in again. :-)

SIDENOTE: I really wished that the cover model of this book had a beard like the MMC in the book.

I love Marni her work and the way she describes her men.
Every book by her hits when you are in the mood for something easy and spicy, this was no exception.

Mr. Wicked is certainly what Grayson is. He is wicked in all the ways that count. 😉
I liked Grayson. He’s honest with himself and with the women he spends his time with.
He doesn’t date, he doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t want all the goes with it.
Grayson is loud and clear on his aversion when it comes to this topic.
Can he be nicer about it? Absolutely. But then it wouldn’t be Grayson.
I adored Jovana. That is such a pretty name. She’s sweet and kind. Big hearted and generous.
But she is also determined and strong willed. She is someone who I’d love to be friends with.
After her and Grayson spend an incredible night with, well actually a few hours.
She has stars in her eyes. But Mr. Wicked quickly has those stars crashing down.
From here starts their business deal. lol.
Their “relationship” was fun and sexy. But there was also sadness and pain.
While love and commitment is easy for Jovana. Because her parents are the definition of those two words. It is not easy at all for Grayson. He doesn’t mean to be ugly or mean. But his circumstances have made and formed him. Which was quite sad.
I loved that Jovana never gave up on love. And that hope was always in her heart and soul.
It takes a strong woman not to give up on a confirmed bachelor.
And I adorned seeing Grayson’s softer side when he wasn’t being grumpy and wicked.
The side only for Jovana. A side even his best friends didn’t know was there.
Their story is cute and entertaining. And I have to mention I absolutely loved the coke cola story! ❤️
**3.5 stars**

You aren’t going to get warm fuzzy feelings for Grayson Tanner. At least for a while. . .

𝓜𝓻. 𝓦𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓮𝓭 is book 2 in the HOOKED series, each book a stand alone, this one centering on Grayson Tanner - the playboy bachelor with a sad childhood that has him avoiding emotions and relationships and not believing in marriage. The problem with this? Grayson is the inventor of the marriage arm of the HOOKED software application.

Jovana Winters is a romantic, looking for “the one”. After a one night stand with Grayson she quickly falls for him but he walks away, telling her he doesn’t do relationships. She’s hurt and angry. Yea. Grayson is an alphahole for sure.

When a publicity nightmare for HOOKED rocks the company, Grayson is forced into a fake relationship with Jovana to bring some authenticity to HOOKED. She’s in debt and wants to help her parents financially (and is secretly harboring a crush on Grayson) so she agrees to this “one year contract” but deep down hopes she can make Grayson actually care for her.

There’s quick witted banter between the two from the start and Jovana holds her own under Grayson’s snarky, sometimes mean comments. But as they continue to “fake date”, Grayson finds himself completely enthralled with Jovana and wildly attracted to her. Grayson’s internal struggles to not fall for Jovana are definitely entertaining. As their “fake relationship” progresses, Grayson’s emotional turmoil begins to show more clearly, especially to his best friends and business partners, Holden and Easton (𝘔𝘳. 𝘏𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘶𝘱, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 1 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘴 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.) The more Grayson fights his feelings for Jovana, the more it’s clear that he won’t be successful.

“𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒? 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝐼 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓅?”

Jovana struggles with Grayson’s kindness one minute and horrid coldness the next and you can’t help but root for her because Jovana doesn’t come across weak or innocent, but rather determined in her quest for love, and that makes her very likeable. She really sees Grayson - beyond his wickedness.

“𝒩𝒾𝒸𝑒 𝒢𝓊𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝑒. 𝑀𝓇. 𝒲𝒾𝒸𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝒹.”

Grayson will definitely win you over. But. Slowly. One of my favorite parts of this story are when Holden and Easton make him realize he has real feelings for Jovana and in a big twist toward the end that I frankly never saw coming (no surprise really because this is Marni’s amazing writing after all) they are the reasonable voices when he goes off the deep end after discovering a secret about Jovana.

This is an opposites attract, age gap, billionaire grumpy-sunshine romance with lots of spice (I mean whew!) and a beautiful HEA.

ARC REVIEW - thank you to the author for this ARC.

A great story. This is Grayson and Jovana’s story in the Hooked series. I loved the characters, the banter and the sizzling chemistry. It will suck you in from the beginning. It’s an entertaining and enjoyable read.

MR. WICKED is an elite grumpy/sunshine, fake relationship (PR nightmare), reformed playboy and heroine that doesn’t take shit from anyone. I ATE THIS UPPP!

The thing is, I love a fake relationship because the way the characters grow together is always chefs kiss and Marni does not disappoint

This book was a fun, quick read! Marni Mann’s books are always so much fun and characters are lovable!

This is the second book in the Hooked series. It’s Grayson’s and Jovana’s captivating story. It’s a one-night stand that turns into a marriage of convenience. I loved how Grayson finally succumbed to his true feelings for Jovana after denying it and fighting it for so long. It’s a passionate, emotional love story that had me grabbing my tissues toward the end. I absolutely loved it!

Just when I think Marni can't give me a better book than her last one, she hits me with another 5 star banger! I absolutely loved Mr. Hook-Up and didn't think she could top that one but Mr. Wicked was so amazing and you NEED to add this one to your TBR!

Grayson Tanner, co-founder of the dating app Hooked has found himself in a PR nightmare. The billionaire Boston bachelor, has found himself in hot water after a video when viral of him toasting to his love of his bachelorhood. The problem with this viral video is he was the creator of the marriage arm for the app, which is a bad look for the company. As memberships begin to plummet, his PR team steps in to change his image to help save the company. And in order to change his image, he needs to get married! And he is set to marry a one-night stand that he hasn't been to stop thinking about. But the question is, can she help him change his image and feelings about marriage?

📚 Book Tropes:
- Billionaire Romance
- Alphahole MMC
- One Night Stand
- Fake Dating/Marriage
- Opposites Attract
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Age Gap
- Forced Proximity

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶.5

💭 My Thoughts: I absolutely LOVE Marni Mann. I think she writes the perfectly balanced book with plot and spice. So it is of no surprise that I absolutely DEVOURED Mr. Wicked and fell completely in love with my alpha hole Grayson Tanner 🖤 When I met Grayson in Mr. Hook-Up I knew that I was going to love this man who claims he will never settle down. Because let's face it, those are the ones who fall the hardest and this man fell so hard he didn't know what to do with himself. Now I'm not going to lie, at first I thought Jovana was a little bit of a pathetic pick me girl. Like she was dead set on getting this man to settle down and he was a complete asshole to her. Like boy bye, but she went after what she wanted and she was not going to settle for less. At the end of the day, she was exactly what he needed and knew the reason why he didn't want to settle down and proved to him she would never leave. And this man became such a puddle of mush for her and I live for every moment of their love story!

You know what else I love about Marni? She always puts in a little plot twist that you never really expect or see coming and this book was no different. At about 80% I was like this story is going to swimmingly well for it have 20% left and I was right. The little plot twist is one I should have expected but I didn't and I loved it!

So should you read Mr. Wicked? Yes, yes should! Why? Because Marni never misses! So please do yourself a favor and add this one to your TBR. And you can thank me fucking later 😘

Meh. I didn’t connect with these characters. The MMC was an arrogant billionaire playboy and the FMC was an influencer with a huge following who still spelled at a bar. I love a fake marriage trope but I couldn’t get behind this one. Well written, easy read!

Mr. Wicked is the second story in the Hooked series. I have not yet read any of the other books in the series. I enjoyed Grayson and Jovana’s story. They are interesting characters and the story had a unique take on the ‘marriage of convenience’ trope.

Absolutely loved it... Fake marriage, drama, grump/sunshine couple... Great book to snuggle up with..