Cruel, cold, and callous. Just a few of the words that could be used to describe Grayson, aka Mr. Wicked. While he might be the co-founder of the top new dating app Hooked, he doesn't believe in love or relationships, instead deciding only to do one-night stands. For most, that's not a problem, but for Jovana, who is young and naive, she thinks she's just met her Prince Charming, only for him to hit her with his usual spiel after they've slept together.
 
As Grayson continues with his flirty bachelor ways, a media storm brews, posting him in a bad light and causing damage to the Hooked brand. As damage control is needed, a PR agent is pulled in, and he's forced into a fake marriage with a woman he tried to forget, Jovana.
 
I quite enjoyed this story as we see Grayson begin to soften slowly, and it becomes evident that his reasoning for being anti-relationship is because of the relationship between his parents, and it's the damage caused by that relationship that makes him act out and be mean; it's a self-preservation method. His friends see the damage, and Jovana sees it too and slowly starts to crumble his walls until it's no longer a case of pretending anymore for them. I did feel sorry for him though, as his friends rail-roaded him into the situation with Jovana, even when he told them his reasons (and he had some valid ones).
 
Jovana is an interesting character; she is naive and believes in the romance of true love and that she could convince Grayson to love her if they just spent time together. While that turned out to be true, it was touch-and-go at times, and we got to see a real vulnerability in both characters.
 
When they worked, it was effortless, and the author made sure that the readers and everyone around the main couple could see there was something real there, even if a lot was being faked for the public too. They had some fantastic spicy moments and a bit of sweetness and angst too.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Marni’s men are something else!

Grayson doesn’t do feelings. His hookups are just that- hookups. Until his one night with Jovana. Even after telling her to not expect anything more than their one night together, he finds her still on his mind- months later. Surrounded by six other women! I loved his alphahole personality so so much. But I loved seeing him fall for her, despite his reservations on emotional relationships because of his mother. Jovana and Grayson’s chemistry was unlike any other. They could each dish it out and handle whatever the other threw back at them. I loved that Jovana, being the romantic that she is, didn’t give up while dealing with his broodiness. I’d say it was well worth the mood swings he seemed to have because their relationship blossomed into something beautiful!

Mr. Wicked, book two in the Hooked series is all about Grayson Tanner, one of the three owners of Hooked, the most successful dating app in the industry. He makes a big mistake and now in order to save the company he has to be in a fake relationship with the one woman he dumped earlier. They have a contract and a deadline but plans don’t go as he expected when feelings start to get involved.
This book was seriously entertaining as the big, grumpy Grayson is brought to his knees by the sassy, smart Jovana who is everything he is attracted to but doesn’t want. He absolutely hates wanting to want her and doesn’t know what to do with his feelings. He fought his feeling for a while but she slowly finds her way into his heart and what started out as fake becomes very real for them both.

Marni did it again! This is one of my favorites yet! Mr. Wicked was so good! I love a good fake marriage to a billionaire!

Another intriguing billionaire from Marni Mann! Grayson, the head of a dating app geared toward marriage gets himself in some hot water and needs an image makeover. Enter Jovana his former one night stand and social media influencer.

While Grayson has sworn off commitment of any kind, he can’t help feeling something special for Jovana. Jovana feels it too and, while she is definitely a strong woman, she puts up with a roller coaster ride of emotional whiplash from Grayson while he figures himself out.

They definitely have a strong connection and their relationship, while technically contrived, never feels fake at all. These two are fire together and even when they are faking it for the camera, they are not faking it in the bedroom!

This is a lower angst story with lots of spice and banter between these two as they figure out how to navigate whether their relationship is real or not. This story is a lot of fun!

I was disappointed by this book and had really high hopes since it's my first Marni Mann book but what can I say. I don't really think this book was for me even though I like an alpha-hole but this book was not it. Not only was Grayson a women hater but also someone who didn't have any character development. Like I get it he has mommy issues but he is wealthy enough to afford some therapy. And don't get me started on Jovana because I didn't quite like how naïve she was. This girl really needed to grow a backbone like honey he keeps saying he doesn't to relationships. Obviously it's a HEA so they do end up in a relationship but it felt rush towards the end.
I do hope to read more of Marni Mann's books and be open-minded after this one.

This was such a fun and quick read. This was the first book I read by this author and I absolutely loved it. Grayson and Jovena had such amazing chemistry and this was just such a great fake dating story. Grayson finds himself in hot water after toasting to his bachelorhood which wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t running part of a dating app for marriage minded people. In order to fix a PR nightmare he starts faking dating/ marrying a former one night stand Jovena. She’s eager to help him and they are so great together and I would just highly, highly recommend this story.

4⭐️ 3.5🌶️

Publisher: Montlake
Writing perspective: first person, dual POV
Length: 378p
Reading format: Kindle

Tropes: billionaire, one night stand, fake dating/marriage, forced proximity, opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, alpha MMC, age gap

📖 This definitely had all the things I have come to enjoy about a Marni book — a fast burn, high heat romance with an alpha billionaire that has met his match! Like many of Marni’s MMC’s, Grayson is a sexy bachelor with no plans to settle down… oh baby, does the world have other plans. As a co-founder of a dating app he finds himself in a bit of a PR situation and must say goodbye, even if only publicly, to his playboy ways. Fake dating has entered the chat! And his most recent one night stand might be the ticket, especially since he can’t stop thinking about her. But Jovana believes in love and wants the real thing, not whatever fake relationship Grayson has cooked up, no matter how hot they burn together. Watching Grayson struggle and Jovana stick to her guns was fun, and I am ALWAYS here for Marni’s spice 🔥
If you are looking for a low-angst, fun and spicy read that is a fast burn, this is one I think you’ll enjoy! These books are always good pallet cleansers for me between really emotional reads or darker books.

This is the second book in the Hooked Series. You can read this book as a standalone but I loved the first book, Mr. Hook-up. This is the story of Grayson and Jovana. His the owner of Hooked which is a very popular dating site. The man sure does good with a business that he doesn't have all that much experience as far as dating goes. He doesn't believe in dating and relationships at all, ever. He is all alpha male and you are going to fall for him right off the bat. I really liked him. When he meets a influencer who works as a waitress too, he has an immediate attraction to Jovana. These two are beyond perfect for each other and I'm just not sure that Grayson sees it or he just does not want to. However trouble is on the horizon for Grayson in the form of a pic and it will hit his business hard. Hence the plan that they make to save his company will blow your mind once you know Grayson. But a man has to do what a man has to do. Look out Jovana he is coming for you. This book was really fun to read. I loved the story that these two had to tell. They have some absolutely amazing chemistry that is going to have you hooked from beginning to end and you will be rooting for them so hard. I really loved reading this book.

Mr. Wicked is book 2 in the Hooked Series by Marni Mann.
I was hooked the minute I started reading and couldn't put it down!
I devoured this fast-paced romance and can’t wait for the other books to release.
This sexy romance is one to remember!
The characters and their witty banter.
The engaging writing that just sucks you completely in.
The phenomenal story that is ridiculous to pull away from!
I loved it and can’t wait to read more.

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my first book by Marni Mann and I absolutely loved it! The chemistry between Grayson and Jovana was exquisite, the story telling flowed effortlessly and I was captivated from the very start. I’ll definitely be diving into this author’s backlist!

“What the hell is she doing to me? How does she have so much power over me?”

I love this series! Each 3 of these guys although best friends each of them are different and I love the dynamic. Grayson is known as the type of man to hook em and then be done but one night with Jovana and now he can’t get her out of his head. Jovana is a sweetheart, independent, and not the girl do have a one night stand because she wants the fairy tale but something about Grayson had her hooked. But they are complete opposite and truly made the perfect match. I loved that even though she is sweet, she has a fiery side and gives it back to Grayson when she needs too! Of course Jovana stepped up for Grayson when he needed a fake wife to save his company regardless of feelings most likely to get hurt. She seen a side of Grayson that no one else does and she should him her love through her actions. I loved his growth through the story especially when it came to relationships. By the end he was so smitten with Jovana, they were so cute together. I love how his friends gave him the tough love he needed but were also so supportive! Overall was a great story and I enjoyed the way their story played out!

A wicked mouth on Mr. Wicked. This book was HOT to the 10th degree. I loved how much Grayson just wanted one thing... Jovana. If only he could put away his pride, right?

This book will grab you from the start and you will never want to leave Mr. Wicked‘s world.

Can a womanizer change his ways to get the one thing that he craves the most? Only one way to find out.

We are back with the online dating app Hooked and this time have Grayson Tanner in our midst. When a candle surrounds him no one believes in his app because if he isn’t willing to settle down why can they think he can build this app to be successful too. In comes Jovana - that on night stand he just hasn’t been able to move on from. She is a social media influencer and the perfect fake relationship.

I LOVE. A fake dating story — and one with a dirty talker — hello! He makes it extra worth while. Their chemistry if off the charts and there is no way this “fake” relationship will last on the fake side long for them at all. You just know early on they are going to cross the lines so early on.

I love the connection we get with the series from Marni. You build a story with others knowing a world where you have these side characters that add to the background but don’t have to read the stories in order and can go back and pick them up and not be terribly spoiled.

Mr. Wicked gave us extra sass, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, second chance, and as always such good SPICE! Marni is always a go to author for me.

Grayson Tanner is your typical bachelor, loving the single life and dating as many women as he can. Co founder of the dating app hooked, Grayson finds himself in the middle of a PR nightmare. A video of him has gone viral, toasting the joys of being a bachelor, not a good look for the creator of the marriage arm of the app Hooked.
Jovana spent one amazing night with Grayson and once it was over he made it clear there would not be a repeat, her parting shot was to give Grayson the middle finger.
But two months later she still can't get Grayson out of her head, she thought they had something special. When she is approached by Grayson's PR team to help clean up his single boy image, she agrees, after-all what is 12 months of her life if she can finally find the love of her life.
I really enjoyed this book, the banter and chemistry between Grayson and Jovana was off the charts. I loved how Jovana never took any of Grayson's crap and gave as good as she got.
I also found the spice level to be perfect for me, about a 1 out of 5.
Great read and I will definitely be reading this author again.

What can I say but once again Marni Mann has delivered another 5 star read! Grayson & Jovana are everything you could want in a couple. They are full of chemistry, banter, lust and love all in one. Grayson, the eternal bachelor, didn't know what hit him when it came to Jovana. She was only ever supposed to be one night and nothing more until he ruins his reputation, jeopardizing his company as well. A little plan to change his public persona, leads him to the one thing he never wanted......love. Marni Mann once again has done an incredible job with this couple. I am rather disappointed this is the last book in this series. I will miss these guys.

Wow, I loved this book! It took marriage of convenience and turned it on its head, I couldn’t see the plot coming at all, and I was Hooked on Jovana and Grayson’s story! I couldn’t wait to continue this book each time I had to put it down. Jovana held her own the whole story but also never strayed from who she is, while pushing against Grayson and falling in love with him. Grayson’s fall made the story that much better, as he really fought his feelings, but man when he changed he really changed.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to continue to the series!

How much I loved this book ! Author always delivers ultimate alphas but I didn’t expect that Grayson will challenge my sanity so much !

I was surprised in very positive way how much different this book is than other books by this author - obviously I loved it with all my heart.
Grayson is very hard to handle but I loved that Jovanna made him pay in every way possible lol . He needed to do tons of work to win her heart and love… I’m more than glad seeing that this way wasn’t easy for him. From one side he’s stealing heart but from the other I just knew he need to take his lessons in love.

I absolutely adore how author made this story perfect - definitely one of the best books I’ve read lately.

Mr. Wicked by Marni Mann, is the second book in the Hooked Series, we meet again with our creators of the Hooked application, whom we met in the previous book, now we will get to know Grayson Tanner better, he is in the bar that he hangs out with his friends when he can't take his eyes off the new waitress, and although normally he wouldn't go after someone who works at a place they frequent, he can't help but feel completely attracted to this girl, he is determined to let her know his interest and seduces her. Although they end up leaving together, she is nothing like the type of girl he is used to, she doesn't even know who he is, and when he later tells her that he is not interested in a relationship, just having a good time, she leaves upset something that he didn't expect. After a few days he is in the middle of a trip and makes some statements that are recorded and go viral, when upon returning from said vacation he finds that for what he has worked so hard, along with his best friends, is suffering losses from dissatisfied users, that because of his statements they do not believe in the product he represents, added to this a very unfavorable article in the Boston University newspaper, makes his friends hire a Public Relations Specialist to find a solution, but the solution will put Grayson in a position that he swears never to get involved, and although he fights and opposes it, it's something he must do to solve his mistake and the person they chose may hate him, but for him it ends up being the best and the incentive he needed. Jovana Winters is a working girl, she strives to pay off the debts she acquired in order to graduate from college, she is a content creator who little by little has built a fan base that supports her and thus has obtained advertisers who have made It's a little easier to pay her debts, but she still works as a waitress in a bar to have more liquidity. It was in the latter that she met a guy who intrigued her and to whom she felt immediately attracted, and being a romantic at heart, she believed that meeting could have been the beginning of a love story, but it was not like that at all, the guy ended up being an idiot and when a story about this man ends up exploding on the social media, she feels disappointed and somewhat hurt for having misread the whole situation.
Weeks later she sees him again and it's undeniable that there is an energy between them that seems to attract them, but she is not willing to make the same mistake, only that the temptation will become greater when a marriage of convenience is proposed to her to help him to regain credibility, for this she will be rewarded monetarily. He lets her know that, even if they get married, it's all on paper, this won't change the way he sees relationships and to never expect more from him, but she with her romantic heart will be willing to risk everything to change him, even if that puts her in a position where she may ended up breaking her own heart.
I LOVED this story! If I was a fan of the author before, this story won me over even more. These are super special characters, you are going to laugh, cry and fall madly in love with them. Grayson turned out to be the book boyfriend that I didn't know I needed and with whom I didn't expect to enjoy so much, and with Jovana it was incredible how identified I felt with her. A story that captivated me from its first pages and of which I lived each of the stages of these two, who together with the other characters made this a wonderful read. Totally, and Absolutely Highly Recommended!

3.5 ⭐️

I was so excited to read Mr. Wicked, which is book 2 in the Hooked series. I loved book 1. Unfortunately, this is not my favorite.

I struggled reading the first half of the book but felt it did get better in the last half. I did not like Grayson the MMC for at least the first half. He was not only the playboy asshole which can be typical, but I struggled to find anything I liked about him. I did feel for him a few times, though, when it seemed like neither his best friends nor pr person truly listened or helped with the main situation. Also, in the first half Jovana, the FFM jumped right to insta live, and even though Grayson was very honest and up front about his intentions of nothing serious, she seemed to not listen or care. She always felt she could change him.

I liked some of the growth Grayson had in the end and the banter him and Jovana had at times.

I am still very much excited about book 3, but this one fell short for me.

I am thankful to have received an ARC from Valentine PR and Net Galley for an honest review.