4 stars

I keep going back and forth on this. Greyson and Jovana were for sure sweet, but in the beginning I was really frustrated with Jovana. She for sure went all in with Greyson and I really couldn't figure out why. Like, any man that treats you that way, regardless of the glimpses you get is really showing their true selves to you. I just kept thinking, "Girl, he's just not that into you." However, since this was a dual POV I knew that wasn't the case. IRL this is a situation where for sure it's better to cut and run for your mental and emotional well-being, but that's not how romance novels work.

Once I was able to suspend reality and get firmly into the romance novel world I really enjoyed this story. Jovana really is perfect for Greyson, and the growth that Greyson made was worth it in the end. They're freaking hot together and the book was steamy!

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This is a book I had been waiting to read. Getting to read another of the Hooked creators fall in love was exciting to read. Grayson’s story was exciting and passionate through out the whole book. From his blatant flirting to his heart felt ending. This book was what falling in love is supposed to be, All at Once and with an explosion you didn’t see coming.
Jovana was th perfect person to tame our stubborn, permanent bachelor with a heart of gold. This book was an incredible read giving our Marni Mann another knotch in her amazing collection of books!

rating: 4⭐️
spice: 3🌶️

tropes:
- billionaire romance
- grumpy/sunshine
- fake relationship
- forced proximity
- age gap

thoughts:
book two in the hooked series! this follows “hooked” co-founder, grayson and his not so traditional relationship with jovana.

what i love about marni’s stories is we immediately get immersed in the chemistry and want that the characters have for one another in the first few pages (like immediate steam… yes please) and then BAM… something silly happens where they don’t get their immediate HEA 😝 but marni sure gives us an enjoyable ride to get these characters back on track. aka what happens with grayson and jovana! they are forced into a contractual relationship and with all forced proximity situations… we know how thats going to end 🤭😜

grayson and jovana are the definition of grumpy/sunshine. grayson is jaded by is past and puts up with no one. jovana has created a name for herself and enjoys connecting with her peers. sounds like a terrible pairing right?? WELL YOU’RE WRONG because mr wicked is perfection and jovana is exactly what he needs in his life. (yes, he shows us lots of ways he earns his “wicked” name)

if you enjoy a quick and steamy billionaire romance with an extra grumpy alpha-hole… this book is for you! It can be read as a standalone but i find it more enjoyable reading marni’s books in order!

thank you marni and montlake for providing me with this ARC!

The Hooked series has been my favorite Marni series I’ve read so far and has the perfect plot to spice ratio [always top tier spicy 🌶️]! I was so wrapped up in these characters and their developing feelings I didn’t see their conflict coming and got to experience the shock with them.

The billionaire playboy responsible for the marriage arm of their wildly successful dating app publicly declaring it wasn’t something he saw in his future? Not a good look for their company, so this was a perfect set up for a marriage of convenience PR stunt. I loved that Jovana was able to recognize Grayson’s hang ups and support him through it. Definitely recommend picking up Mr. Wicked!

You’ll Find —
Grumpy x Sunshine
Alpha Hero
Marriage of Convenience
Age Gap
Billionaire

Thankful for the opportunity to read early!

Marni Mann has done it again and Mr. Wicked kept me up all night laughing, sighing, and fanning myself. With a style that has a driving beat with just enough pauses to to build that subtle tension and offer a great point they of rest, Mann has again written a book I could not put it down.

Greyson and Jovana owned my heart and this book, which might just have edged out The Hook Up as my favorite. From their first meeting to the last page, this is a book that just consumed me because the banter, the connection, and romance are perfectly blended with misunderstanding, spice, and that frission of a connection that are the hallmarks of Mann's style. I have been waiting to see how Greyson's story would play out since I first met him in Book One, Mr. Hook-Up, where he stole every scene he was in. I knew this would be a fun read...and I knew Easton would return the favor because Mann does such a great job of creating a world for her characters to live in that it feels comfortable returning to these friends and the company.

This is a duet of interconnected standalones, so if you are new to this author or this series no worries. You can jump right in with this fun, spicy and totally relaxing romantic escape!

Rating: 4 stars ⭐️

Tropes:
forced proximity 🏠
fake dating ❤️
age gap 🔥
bad boy x good girl ✨
billionaire 💵

I really enjoyed this series so far and absolutely love the friend group! 🪝

Please give this author’s books a try because they are AMAZING! ⭐️

In the second book you follow Grayson Tanner, he and his friends have developed a dating app called 'Hooked' which has turned out to be a tremendous success.

Tanner has something to prove as he has gotten a bad reputation because of an article published about a supposedly wild trip. 🛥️

When his team searches for solutions they come up with nothing better than him entering a fake relationship with Jovana Winters, a server at his local diner with whom he has had a one-night stand.

Thank you to Valentine PR, Netgalley, and Marni Mann and the publisher for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

Grayson definitely held up the title of Mr Wicked! He was wicked in both senses of the word; in the personality and bedroom department! Goddammnnn!!

Jovana may have seen a little inkling spark from their first meet, and seemed like she put him on a pedestal and was knocked off in quite a sharp manner! (Tut tut Grayson!!) But after a wild moment leading to their reunion, she definitely brought out her feistiness and sharpened her claws.

From first meeting Grayson in Mr Hook-up, I knew there was more to meets the eye with him, and there certainly was. He was such an attentive sweetie under his wicked ways.

With Grayson’s relationship beliefs, I could sense a third-act break-up trope, but in true Marni fashion, I was shocked at how it unravelled!

I really enjoyed seeing how they grew together and became such a sweet pair.

I tend to love all of the characters Marni creates and love to see them fall in love with each other. However for the majority of this book I HATED Grayson. I understand he had a lot of childhood trauma from his mother leaving him and his father, and finding out she cheated on his father throughout their entire relationship. That helped to give insight as to why he did not want a relationship, but it did not give me a good sense of why he was so mean to Jovana when she was a literal saint. My heart melted as soon as his did, and I fell for his charm and love for her. I wish it had not taken him so long to admit his feelings for Jovana, I kept wanting to shake him and tell him he could lose her if he did not open up. Jovana is one of my favorite characters. She is strong and has a ton of self worth. She knows what she wants from life and is not willing to take anything less. She is what I want to be when it comes to love and how she views herself. I am glad she did not take Grayson's crap and told him what he needed to hear. I normally don't like fake marriages and relationships made for social media, but when there is a instant connection between the main characters, I can see how the theme can work.

Mr. Wicked is the second in Marni Mann's hooked series and I enjoyed this one so much more than the first!

This is pure grumpy sunshine gold. I normally am not a fan of fake relationships but I think this was done right since the two of them met in the beginning and immediately had a mutual attraction.

Just like every other Marni book, this did not disappoint. The spice was GREAT and Jovana and Grayson had the best back and forth banter. Jovana is one of those sassy and strong FMC that I love to read about.

“𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙.”
“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙚.”
“𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙤.”

If there’s one thing in a book that’ll have me kicking my feet, giggling & having the best time, it’ll be when an mmc is ADAMANT about never settling down… and then settling down 🤭

I loved the way Grayson had to rely on Jovana’s help, especially after he had dismissed her the way he did in the beginning.

Every “outing” they had showed another side of Grayson that had you swoon.. and then he’d go and make you mad 😂

I was pleasantly surprised by the plot & had so much fun reading it.

𝙈𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙖𝙡, 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Loved it!!! Such a grumpy/sunshine story with an epic plot twist that I must admit I didn’t see coming. The characters were fantastic and the plot was so fun! Grayson was such a grumpy Alphahole and his character arc from perpetual bachelor to married man was fantastic to read. And Jovana was such a strong, independent woman, especially for her age. She knew what she wanted and she went after it.

Great tie-ins with book 1 and setup for book 3!

Grayson and Jovana meet at (*you guessed it*) a bar. Classic Marni Mann meet cute. Jovana actually works there so you can cry about it another time. They flirt and hit it off. Grayson waits for her shift to be down to take her with him to his place (she lives further away). But once their smexy time is over he shuts down her invitations to breakfast AND dinner telling her that what they did was only a one time thing. Miss girl walked her broken heart out of there. As she should.

When Grayson is involved in a PR nightmare for Hooked and their users are leaving, his team comes up with a plan. Get married. While they consult at that same bar, their PR managment throws Jovana into the pool of potential candidates. Grayson is sure she'll turn them down and probably curse him out. Since Jovana is also a social media influencer, she can help in showing the world that Grayson does believe in the app and his company.

I loved the banter this book had and how their relationship continued to blossom. They did like each other from the beginning so there wasn't much change to that. Jovana was exactly the person he needed by his side. They grew a bit of a friendship before falling straight into love.

✨️𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬+𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔✨️
- billionaire/celebrity romance, man obsessed, broody mmc, dating app owner, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, forced marriage, forced proximity, frenemies to lovers, hate to love, mutual pining, one night stand, pr stunt/management

Mr. Wicked is just that- wicked. Grayson is such a grumpy gus, but we love a grumpy MMC. Jovana and the spark she feels instantaneously and doesn't give up on Mr. I don't do feelings or relationships? Love her. Such a good read although I expect nothing less from Marni Mann. Super excited for the next book as it has one of my favorite tropes- Single dad. Swoon!

Thank you for the ARC for my honest review

“Mr. Wicked” is the second book Marni Mann released from the series “Hooked”. This book was so good. I loved everything.
Since the beginning I love Grayson. He was a little cold heart with all the women, but when he met Jovana everything changed.
Jovana is a nice girl and she is always working her ass to give her parents the best life she can. She has the kindest heart.
The chemistry and the passion Jovana and Grayson have is soooo hot. You can feel the sexual tension between Jovana and Grayson in every page you read.
This book was definitely a good book for this month.

Readers if you love a hot romance you will enjoy this new book from the series “Hooked”

4 ⭐️
2.5 🔥
Billionaire Romance
Bad Boy/Good Girl
He Doesn’t Do Commitment
She Is A Romantic
One Night Stand
Fake Dating/Marriage
Age Gap
Grumpy/Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Great on Audio! 🎧
This is book 2 in the Hooked Series, but my first from Marni! This is an interconnected standalone series, and can be read out of order. If you like The Miles High Club from T.L. Swan, I think you’ll like this series and many of Marni’s books. This book is about bad boy billionaire, Alphahole Grayson, who has a deep seated fear of all things commitment and marriage that stems from his past. He doesn’t even sleep with women more than once, in hopes to not complicate things. But he is immediately drawn to the waitress, Jovana, at his regular bar. They flirt, banter and end up going home together. But he fails to mention to the total romantic, good girl Jovana, that it would be a one time thing and nothing else, even though they both feel the passion and connection. Things end badly, and get even worse when two months later, news breaks that he is on a yacht with 6 women, living up his bachelorhood. Unfortunately, this doesn’t look good for Grayson who has become a billionaire from being a co-owner of a recent, nation sensation app dating app called Hooked. This news coverage has some detrimental consequences on their business, so they form a plan for the bachelor bad boy to settle down and get married, with thanks to the app. Of course Jovana is the woman they choose for this fake marriage, and even goes into it with hopes to change this bad boy and make him fall in love with her. But it won’t be without a fight, for Grayson is nicknamed “Mr. Wicked” for a reason.

Thank you Marni Mann & Valentine PR for the ARC!

Thank you @valentine_pr_ & Marni Mann for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

LERRRRVED! ❤️
It had all of the tropes that I love! Enemies to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity…all the angst. The banter between Grayson and Jovanna was 💯👌🏻. Two very strong characters come together to create the perfect “couple”. What more could I ask for?

What happens when millionaire playboy Grayson Tanner, owner of Hooked, a hook-up app loses the company millions of dollars? The company owners comes up with a plan that he hates. Insert Jovanna Winters, a social media influencer and waitress at a local bar. HR decides she is the perfect fit to become Grayson’s fake girlfriend turned fiancé so the world sees how Grayson is not the playboy he really is. Under a year contract, Jovanna needs to play the game in public with him, but behind closed doors, all bets are off. Is there an option of just hooking up without feelings?

Grayson doesn’t trust women or commitment. Jovanna is the opposite. Now she is on a mission to make this the real deal even though Jovanna has the biggest secret of them all. Mr. Wicked is the hardest one to crack.

Monica is such an amazing writer! 𝘔𝘳. 𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 “hooked” 😉 me from the beginning! I was all in. I will always recommend her books. This is number two in a series, but I didn’t read the first one. It can definitely be read as a standalone.

Read if you like:
» alpha male
» millionaire
» witty banter
» forced proximity
» fake dating/marriage

5 He Definitely Fits the Title Stars!!

Well, well, well, Grayson Tanner is in trouble and who better to help him out than the woman he can’t stop thinking about?

Grayson meets Jovana at the local club he and his two best friends like to frequent and there’s an immediate connection between the two of them. But this girl makes Grayson work for it and I LOVED that about her. She clearly wanted him as much as he wanted her, but the cat and mouse of their interactions had a huge smile on my face. And holy wowza when they do get together, hold onto your fans everyone because you’re going to need them!

After an unfortunate incident in St. Tropez, Grayson needs to do damage control and who better than the girl he spent one incredible night with? And so begins a journey that links Grayson and Jovana and a fake marriage to save the business he’s built so successfully with his best friends. But these two get more than they bargained for as they spend more and more time together.

Their chemistry is off the charts hot, but we get to see a change in a man that doesn’t believe in love and commitment and I was there for each and every moment. This woman is the best thing that’s ever happened to this man, he just needs to get out of his own way to let her into his heart. Their journey is fabulous in all the ways I love the way Ms. Mann builds a story.

I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us with Holden’s book!

𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍, 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕-𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 & 𝑺𝑬𝑿𝒀 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 💗

𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 𝑯𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑳𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑺 :📑

💌 Grumpy-Sunshine
💌 Age Gap
💌 He's a Billionaire owner of a dating app
💌 She's a Influencer/ Waitress
💌 Fake Relationship
💌 €rot!© Romance 💋

💕𝑩𝑶𝑶𝑲 𝑸𝑼𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑺 💕

𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙨𝙤𝙣:
“𝑰’𝒎 𝑴𝒓. 𝑾𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅. 𝑴𝒓. 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑴𝒓. 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝑶𝒖𝒕.
𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆.
𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒓𝒚, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.”

𝙅𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙖:
𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒕—𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆.

𝑴𝒀 𝑹𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑬𝑾: 📝

I have to warn you though before starting this one that it is a really spicy book (mf only) and will have your temperatures rising, so definitely grab a drink to cool you down, in advance. 😉

Marni Mann, is definitely one of my absolute favourite authors and books like these are the ones that keep me coming back for more and more. 😍
I know I never have to even read the description before blindly grabbing her book.

THIS SERIES HAS MADE ME FALL SO HARD FOR IT. Hooked which was Easton and Drake's story was insanely AMAZING and definitely a Must Must read if you love spicy, hot and swoony feels romance with a bit of drama.
Then this one comes out and I'm an insta fan of Grayson and Jovana now.

You know what makes me absolutely crazy, when a book can make me sigh so many times over it while also wringing out all the emotions from me while at the same time driving me so crazy that I'm still thinking about it long after I've finished it and this one was one of those.

I feel it's written perfectly and in typical Ms.Mann style loaded up with hot spiciness that it makes up for a delicious and unputdownable read.

Grayson is someone that had me on the fence about him because of how cold he was and so rigid about not wanting to catch any kind of feelings.

Jovana on the other hand, felt so relatable to me because of her sunshine personality and how even when she was emotional and feeling deeply over one of Grayson's verbal barbs, yet she showed him how he couldn't overpower her nor hurt her and I loved how she stands up strongly against such a man and compels him to feel the things she feels and so much more.

The whole process of them coming together for the fake relationship was crazy awesome and I have to say I had so much fun reading about how the planning takes place in terms of Social Media Campaigns and photoshoots etc etc ....and also them fighting their attraction while at the same time them blurring the lines between them not even realising it.

Oohhh.... The chemistry is there... Loud and Sizzling hot and more than that the way Jovana makes a Stone hearted man like Grayson into a melted mess was absolutely delightful to witness.

Ahhhh.... This series has me in its clutches completely and I sure can't get enough of it. Loved loved this one.❤️❤️❤️❤️

If you live for the slow build up to burn when the 'I don't Do Relationships' MMC realizes he cares for/loves his fake fiancée you need Mr. Wicked in your life. Grayson is used to everyone doing what he says when he says only Jovana has no intention of following his demands. And when his life turns into viral nightmare he has no choice but to ask the stubborn, independent woman for her help to rehab his image. Witty, tension fueled, and heartwarming Mr. Wicked is an absolute page turner.

Dual POV, Spicy, Fake Marriage, Reformed Playboy, Billionaire, Grumpy x Sunshine

One of the leading mans of the most popular dating apps for finding happily ever afters, but doesn’t believe in love and commitment himself. She has seen great love growing up between her parents and thats all she ever wanted. What happens when one passionate night brings them together, but he does not want more?

Grayson and Jovana meet at the bar she is working at. He takes one look and knows that he wants to take her home, to have his wicked way with her. That’s all he is got to offer though. Its though when the girl gets her hopes up and heart broken after one night. Fate had different plan, his mistakes or “choices” cause him to come banging on her door begging for her to help him. Is he happy about it, NO. However, is he going to do it YES because his career is on the line and that of his business partners.

Marni Mann has a way of writing stories that have so much spice but also an amazing story line. The way she portrayed Grayson’s turmoil, but also Joanna’s hope. She was so relatable in a sense that she was just a girl next door. I think Marni does an amazing job of writing women that are empowering and of course men that are to swoon for.

I command her for writing Grayson’s story, part of me wishes there was more to his character’s conclusion. I think I connected to his questioning of his moral compass a lot. I am a person that values integrity heavily and what his friends/business partners asked him to do was difficult no matter the purpose. To me this felt triggering cause I kept questioning if I would do this. I think I was looking for more of a clear conclusion of him accepting that love wasn’t wrong and not everyone what going to abandon him the way he had been in the past. However, this was just me.

Jovana was the girl next door. The relatable influencer that you follow and a women that wanted to make a difference in the world. She was also a hopeless romantic through and through and I loved that about her. She pushed and pushed and didn’t give up on Grayson and I really liked that about her.

Overall, this was an enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, billionaire romance that has so many sweet, fun, and sizzling moments. Mr. Wicked is a second book in The Hooked Series and can be read on its own. Give it a read, it won’t disappoint.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=3EWUX9XMFO3LG&K=2TKFGBHBVOPS6&M=urn:rtn:msg:202404240241522e711cd13c884342bb70adb22a70p0na&R=ORIRSIGBWCPR&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Freview%2FR383DB4BJJU578%2Fref%3Dpe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv&H=9QXZQHNSUYYAYKKWQYD5PPOFO70A&ref_=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6400495043