A Captivating Tale of Forced Marriage and Fiery Chemistry

Marni Mann's "Mr. Wicked" captivated me from the very first page, delivering a five-star experience that blends just the right amount of spice with a compelling forced marriage trope. The dynamic between Grayson, the grumpy male lead, and Jovana, the spunky, independent female protagonist is electrifying, sparking with tension and chemistry throughout.

Readers who enjoy stories with reluctant romance will find themselves drawn into the world of "Mr. Wicked," where every page crackles with intensity and passion. Mann expertly weaved a narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages to uncover the next twist and turn in the characters' journey.

From its engaging characters to its gripping plot, "Mr. Wicked" is a must-read for fans of romance novels that pack a punch. Mann's ability to balance heart-wrenching emotion with sizzling romance ensures that this book will stay with readers long after they've turned the final page.

I was Hooked (iykyk😂)

You know when you read a book that hits so close to home you’re like WOW?! Well this book does that for me. Not only does it take place in my home state of Massachusetts, I can relate to Grayson + Jovana’s relationship in so many ways - especially the twist I didn’t expect coming (well one of them 🤫😉). I instantly messaged Marni to let her know this story blew my mind! Add this one to your TBR friends - trust me!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is the 2nd in a series, but reads well as a stand alone. I have not read the 1st. This is a super cute, fun book. I really liked the characters. Jovana is a fireball waitress!! 4 stars Very enjoyable read

This one had all my favorite tropes in a smutty romance novel. Grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, forced proximity. I just loved it! Grayson is an owner of a dating app called Hooked. Although he’s head of the marriage sector of the app, he doesn’t believe in relationships at all. After a weekend aboard a yacht, his actions hurt his company’s credibility, plummeting their subscriptions. Jovana agrees to date and eventually marry Grayson in order to help fix his and Hooked’s image in exchange for a payout. That’s all I’ll say. Just read it! So so cute!

Grayson Tanner is one of the founders of a dating app called Hooked. Recently, the founders decided to venture into other aspects of relationships, specifically marriage. Leading the development of the marriage arm is Grayson. The catch is, he doesn't believe in long term relationships and has no desire to settle down in a marriage of his own.

After he gets himself into a PR nightmare, Grayson is forced to rethink his view on marriage.

Enter Jovanna. A one night stand that he had sizzling chemistry with.

I loved Jovanna and her sass. Grayson definitely needed someone to help him be a bit more grounded. They were a few times that I wanted Jovanna to put Grayson in his place due to his callous remarks but overall I enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Tropes:
- one night stand
- fake marriage/relationship
- forced proximity
- billionaire

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating
4.5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This was a fun read, which I devoured it in one sitting. This is book 2 in the Hooked series (can be read as a stand alone) which focuses on Grayson and Jovana. Grayson was a character that I loved to hate, he's an egotistical, aphlahole who didn't believe in love but found the dating app Hooked. Jovana is a social media influencer who believes in love. Opposites attract and lead to a one night stand now Grayson can't get her off his mind and now needs to get married to save his company so Jovana is the perfect option for a fake marriage. Their chemistry is off the charts and the book is filled with witty banter and steamy scenes. They definitely challenge each other which allows them to heal and grow as characters.

I can't wait to read Holden's story next. Would highly recommend Mr. Wicked but would suggest your read book 1 - Mr Hook Up so you can see the friendships betweens the guys better.

3⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Hooked #2
Others in the series ~ Mr. Hook-up
Setting ~ Boston, Massachusetts
Publication date ~ April 23, 2024
Page Count ~ 378 (p+ 31 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 11 hours 50 minutes
Narrator ~ Andi Arndt, Ryan West
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ billionaire, influencer/waitress, fake marriage, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, some steamage

I didn't read the blurb because this author is an automatic read for me. Plus I quite enjoyed book 1, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway if I did because I would have read this one anyway. Unfortunately I didn't like this one as much as I anticipated.

Grayson (30) & Jovana (22) meet at a bar and have a one night stand, he immediately gives her the boot after and she's super pissed, rightfully so. Flash forward 2 months and a scandal has his company, Hooked, needing her help and so they enter into a contract for a fake relationship.

Normally I don't mind the fake relationship trope, but I much prefer both parties to fully be on board with the plan and that was not the case here. I wasn't feeling the reason, or the big push, for it. I am, however, happy with how it played out in the end.

Playboy, anti-relationship, Grayson, is a big time a-hole and I wasn’t feeling him at all. Once he figures out his feelings for her he's all in, though, even if it takes an awfully long time.

I gotta hand it to Jovana, she stuck it out and in the end gets what she wants, but man oh man, he was difficult to deal with. I really enjoyed her relationship with her parents and her bff, Sloane, which showed more of her sunshiny character.

Overall, this was well written and certainly what I've come to except from this author, but I just couldn't get behind the content or the actions of the characters. Although this one didn't fully work for me I'll for sure read the next book (and anything else she writes), which is will follow single dad, Holden. Edit - just found out there will not be a book 3 anytime soon, poor Holden 😭

Series notes:
Book 1 characters are of course involved here because they all work for the same company, but I think this one would work fine as a standalone.

Marni has done it again and I don’t think she has written a book I don’t fall head over heels for the hero and I completely devoured the read. Grayson owed me.

Marni treated us to some steam early on in the prologue, when Grayson makes it clear he wants to take Jovana home after meeting her at a bar (she was his waitress). They had chemistry from the beginning and I was sucked into their love affair.

It would take a special woman to tame Grayson and Jovana was that woman. She had class, a heart of gold and knew what she wanted. From that first night with Grayson, she felt a connection and wanted to see where things would go, but Grayson only does one night and leaves her with a night of regrets. So when he goes to her with a proposition to be his fiancée/wife she holds all the cards, and even though there is a little hate between them, they certainly heat up the pages. Grayson and his dirty mouth were fire. I just loved the way he needed her, he was going insane to be around her, but she kept him on his toes to prove her point, that he wanted her.

Grayson, there aren’t enough words to say how much I loved his character. I loved the way he respected Jovana, would do anything for her, the way he fell in love with her slowly, but fell head over heels, the way he denied it, his grumpiness, just everything, even after finishing this book a few days later I’m still thinking of him and how perfect they were together.

Marni is one of my go-to’s and has not disappointed me yet. I loved every second of this read and I can’t wait for more!

Mr. Wicked arc review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📸 Influencer
📸 Age gap
📸 Fake marriage
📸 Billionaire Romance

A women who’s determined to change his wicked mind.

Grayson Tanner has had better days. Coming off the successful international launch of Hooked, the hook-up app he cofounded with his two best friends, and a night with one of the sexiest women he’s ever met, he’s now in a PR nightmare. A video of him has gone viral—a toast to the indulgence of bachelorhood. It’s a bad look for the creator of the app’s marriage arm. As memberships plummet amid a media firestorm, his PR firm has a new narrative to quell the flames: Grayson has to get married. Fast.Hello, Jovana Winters—social media influencer and Grayson’s former one-night stand. The one-night stand he has yet to move on from mentally. Their immediate connection is undeniable. In front of the camera, they’re charismatic and passionate, and social media is calling them the It couple. But off camera, Grayson doesn’t trust women or believe in commitment.

Jovana is the opposite, a believer in love who knows what she wants. Now she’s on a mission to turn this fake marriage into the real deal, even though she’s hiding the biggest secret of them all.
But with a man like Mr. Wicked, it won’t come easy.

Grayson is a player who does not do commitment. He’s a one-and-done kind of man so you can understand his shock when he can’t get Javona out of his mind. He finds his mind even more messed up when a video of him goes viral and the only solution to save his reputation and his community’s reputation is to marry. Luckily for his PR crisis manager he has chemistry with a sassy bar tender.

Javona doesn’t do one-night stands. She wants earth-shattering love. She knows what she wants and that just happens to be her fake husband.

This book has tension. A hot, rich alpha-hole. (who doesn’t love one of those) Don’t worry, even if you don’t like him at some points he has some character growth!

Grayson is rather vocal and upfront about how he feels when it comes love and relationships….he doesn’t do them. Jovana is the exact opposite, love, relationships, commitment is what she wants in her future. Until his one night with Jovana, everything changes. Even after telling her to not expect anything more than their one night together, he finds her still on his mind- months later. The consummate bachelor finds himself in a bit of a PR snafu- and now his well-loved no-strings, no relationships ways are a threat to public perception of his new app. And it seems the only way to fix it is to do the very thing he loathes...and that his app peddles...get in a serious, on the path to marriage relationship, at least in the public eye. I love a fake relationship trope because the way the characters grow together is always spectacular.

Playboy extraordinaire! That's Grayson. He'll never marry! He doesn't do more than ONCE!

Jovana knows what love looks like from her parents. She felt the pull when their eyes met!

Will she be able to break down the walls Grayson has had up for a long time, or is this just to…

Okay, you know I can't say.

You need to get the enjoyment just like I did! And, enjoy I did!

Great banter.

Sexy times.

Emotional.

Just the way I love them!

I listened to the audio version & Ryan West & Andi Arndt killed it as Grayson & Jovana!!! Perfect matches!

There’s nothing I love more than watching the confirmed bachelor player fall hard for his sassy, independent fake fiancé.

Grayson, after growing up with mommy issues, was dead set on never falling in love until Jovana walked into his life. The very popular lifestyle influencer always knew she wanted the happily ever after marriage like her parents but after one special night & a very rude morning after she figured that it would NOT be with Grayson. That is until a PR scandal broke & their shared chemistry leads them into a marriage of convenience to save Grayson’s dating app, Hooked.

The banter between these two characters was great & their chemistry was off the charts!! Great supporting characters too. The way Grayson’s friends are always the voice of reason!!!

I relatively new to Marni Mann but so far I’ve enjoyed every thing I’ve read or listened to. Also I haven’t read the first book in this series, so this can most definitely be read as a standalone.

𝘔𝘳.𝘞𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘯 ⁣⁣⁣⁣
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Overall: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣💫⁣⁣
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⁣⁣~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⁣⁣⁣
🔎𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒🔎⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣
Leads: Grayson and Jovana ⁣⁣
Release Date: April 23, 2024 ⁣⁣
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
📖 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎 📖 ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Kindle Unlimited: ✅⁣⁣⁣
Audible: ✅⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Series: Hooked ⁣⁣⁣
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
📝𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪📝⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Loved this book! Grayson is the definition of a bachelor. He does not want to settle down and that would be fine for everyone else however he is the founder of one of the biggest online dating app. When he is thrust into the spotlight from a video that is very damaging to the company he knows he has to do something to fix this PR nightmare.⁣⁣
 🔹⁣⁣
Grayson and Jovana had a one-night stand and neither one thought they would be seeing each other anytime soon. To fix his PR problem Grayson and Jovana agree to fake date and get married. Little does he know that Jovana will be breaking down all the walls that he has built over the years. It doesn't hurt that they have electric chemistry and Jovanna doesn't let him push her away.⁣⁣
🔹⁣⁣
Marni Mann is one of my go to authors and this book did not disappoint. It really gives you all the emotions throughout the book and keeps you wanting more!

We could totally swoon over Grayson, the grumpy billionaire that doesn't believe in love as he slowly turns into a softie. But I want to focus on Jovana. She is a great heroine. Strong, Confident and will not settle for less than what she thinks she deserves. I was enamored with her character. She knew just how to handle Grayson. I thought the whole story was really interesting. One night stand turned fake relationship. I was hooked by the moment that they met. As with most MM stories, the spice and chemistry was sizzling.

Mr. Wicked is the second in the Hooked series by Marni Mann. Reading book one (Mr. Hook-Up) is recommended, while Wicked can be read alone, Grayson is part of a trio and is introduced in book one. Wicked is an alpha, billionaire romance filled with funny characters, spicy moments and a he falls first vibe.


Grayson is living the high life. The dating app he and his close friends have designed has exploded all over the internet, now it’s time to celebrate. When Grayson sees the waitress at the bar, he knows two things. 1. She is the hottest thing he has ever seen and 2.She is unlike anyone he has ever met before. When these two meet, the room is on fire with their chemistry, think of it as lust at first sight. Jovana isn’t one for hook-ups, she believes in love, but with Grayson, their lust is potent. She throws caution to the wind and puts her trust in the chemistry they have for one another, too bad that it comes to bite her in the bum. An empty bed in the morning.


Days later Grayson’s face is plastered all over the tabloids with half a dozen different women, all stating how amazing he thinks being single is. The company takes a hit, new enrollers are at a standstill, and their company's PR is under fire to contain the issues. Their solution? Grayson must get married, and fast. Grayson isn’t one to take things lying down so you best believe the farce of a marriage the PR people are trying to peddle to him is a no go. Finally, after much conversation, Grayson is on board with the plan. Now they must find a woman willing to marry Grayson with the current situation. And of course, who is their first choice? Jovana.


What else is there to say about Mr. Wicked other than how fantastic a read it was. Grayson and Jovana were engaging and fun to read with the perfect amount of spice and character development. Grayson’s story as to why he had his issues is addressed and Jovana really does come into herself. I’m excited to see what our last bachelor has in store for us.

4 ⭐
3 🌶️

This was my first book by this author and it was a fun read! I can honestly say I haven’t read many books with the tropes in this one! Also Grayson is completely swoon worthy and I’d definitely volunteer as tribute to date him. I can’t wait to pick up more titles by this author and see what else they have in store for readers!

Mr. Wicked was SO FUN! This book follows Grayson, one of the partners of the Hooked app, and Jovana, an influencer, with whom he had a hot and combustible night. (Except Jovanna doesn't do one-night-stands, and she's rather ticked off to find out that's all he wanted, despite the sizzling chemistry between them.)

A while later, Grayson ends up going viral when he's on video talking about being the ultimate bachelor.... Which would not at all be a big deal if he wasn't one-third partner of a dating app. The solution for the PR mess is to have Grayson "fall in love" -- and Jovana ends up being his fake wife.


I love Jovanna. She was fiery, and not afraid to speak her mind. She definitely kept Grayson on his toes, and gets him to open up in a way that he never has with another woman. I have a soft spot for playboys who fall hard for the right woman, and it was a trip to see Grayson fall for her. He was so adamant that he did not want to get attached, and he tried so hard to stay aloof... but Jovanna made him feel all sorts of things, and it was wonderful seeing him come to terms with how much he hated that she made him feel all these big emotions. And then ultimately give in, of course!

Mr. Wicked is the second book in the Hooked series, and while there is crossover from other characters, it stands on its own.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Jovana and Grayson are Hot Together. Grayson doesn't do relationships. After launching Hooked, the hook-up app with his two best friends he becomes a PR nightmare. But Jovana is fully committed to changing his wicked mind and when they come together sparks ignite and their are fireworks everywhere.

I Love this Series and Mr. Wicked. I Cannot recommend enough to all readers. Amazing Read.

4.5/ 5 ⭐️ 3/5 🌶️

This is book 2 in the Hooked series. This follows Grayson a CEO of the Hooked App and Jovanna a server and social media influencer. This all starts with Grayson a playboy who doesn’t believe in love only doing one night stands. He meets Jovanna at the Club when he was with his coworkers. He instantly wanted her. He took her home and then sent her home. Jovanna was not happy because she thought this could have been start of something good. Grayson decided to go off the bender and go on the yacht with 6 other girls and made a whole disaster with his company. Hoover had to hire a PR agent (Laura) to rebuild the company. She told Grayson he needed to date and marry to fix everything.
Jovanna and Grayson started to go on dates and he was so grumpy and the banter between them was amazing, I loved it. I loved watching the character growth between the two, especially Grayson. He turned when he realized he didn’t want her to be involved with any other than man. It was like a switch, he became an amazing man and Jovanna feel for him. I truly enjoyed this book, I even cried a few times. (Happy and Sad).



Tropes:
Fake dating
Grumpy x sunshine
Playboy