Wow! This was incredible!!
Not sure I’ve read the authors before, but I will definitely be looking for them now!!

Elle is on vacation…it’s one she’s longed for, for quite some time! And, on her last day there…she’s literally swept away… and… drugged? She’s not sure. But when she awakes, absolutely everything about her life has changed… including her appearance! 😮😮😮

She’s not sure WHERE she is, or WHO she is! But one thing’s for sure…she’s NOT Elle. And she suspiciously looks just like the woman she’d been talking to just before she was taken.

And then, the most handsome guy comes in…and calls her wife!! But…she’s not married. And, he’s not happy! As a matter of fact, he seems angry! At her!! And she’s never met him before!

This one was CRAZY! But also, touching, heart-melting, and yet terrifying and utterly breath-taking (holding) at times!!

A little bit of magical realism, a little bit of romantasy, a little bit of fate…as well as a bit of faith!!

And, this one brought out so many emotions too!!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!

#TheWrongBride by #GenaShowalter and #JillMonroe. Narrated beautifully by #MhairiMorrison.

**** Release date is coming soon!! So, 👀 for it on 2/25/25!! ****

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook!!

Of Note: This is Book # 1 of a new series…so, stay tuned!

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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

A lot of books boast about being similar to ACOTAR, but this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to the feeling I had when reading that series. The plot is SIMILAR but definitely not the same. Imagine if Feyre switched bodies with Tamlins wife, who he hates because he blames her for the death of his brother. Also, imagine that Tamlin is half Tamlin, half Rhysand. And that is this book.

I had a blast reading this, but I’m nervous there’s no details on future books. This can’t be the end of their story!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A mixed review, I really enjoyed this book, but I was confused at times. The whole soul shifting, especially explained in the end, was a little too much. Also, our hero can not understand him. So he was betrothed to Isobel since she is his fated and has a live-in mistress, Sorcha. They soul switch, mistress is alive in Isobel body, but Callen still thinks she is his fated? Very confusing.

Ellie seemed more normal to me, but again, she had her moments of crazy, with her back and forth. Overall, though, I liked the story and want to read more in the series. The connection between Ellie and Callen is all sizzle and steam, palpable and hot.

Mhairi Morrison is one of my favorite narrators, so I did enjoy listening to this book.

#netgalley #TheWrongBride

4 Stars – A Unique Twist on Fated Mates

The Wrong Wife by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe delivers an intriguing mix of body swap, paranormal romance, and Scottish mythology. The premise is fresh and engaging—Elle, a schoolteacher on vacation, suddenly finds herself in the body of a billionaire’s wife, only to discover he’s not just rich but also a berserker locked in an ancient war.

Callen is the perfect brooding hero, and the tension between him and Elle crackles. Their banter and slow-burning chemistry kept me hooked, but the pacing dragged a bit in places. I also would have loved duet narration to bring both perspectives to life more dynamically.

Overall, this was a fun, unique romance with a supernatural twist. If you love fated mates, reluctant attraction, and a bit of Scottish magic, it’s worth the listen!

I hate to DNF'ing anything, and it's a rarity for me, but this was one where I felt like it was time to hit pause and never resume on several occasions. The plot line was intriguing, I love a good historical fantasy, body-switching plot, however, I just could not gel with the narration. I knew from the first chapter, and the narrator's pronunciation of 'Edinburgh' that I was going to maybe prefer the physical copy of this story over the audio. This is a shame because the overall story was so whimsical and fun it was difficult not to love, the narrator aced some of the accents, but unfortunately, the pacing of the narration let it down for me. But I do look forward to seeing how the series plays out in future books!

✨ Book Review: The Wrong Bride (Kings of Fury, #1) by Gena Showalter ✨

Elle’s dream vacation to the Highlands takes a shocking turn when a single drink in a pub changes everything—she wakes up in the body of a queen! Now married to Callen, a man who believes she’s his fated mate, Elle must stay quiet and unravel the mystery before it’s too late.

The problem? The more she gets to know Callen, the harder it becomes to ignore the attraction. But he isn’t hers—he belongs to the woman whose body she now inhabits. With danger lurking and secrets unfolding, will Elle find her way back to her real life, or will fate have other plans?

This book is a must-read! A perfect mix of mystery, sizzling chemistry, and a strong-willed heroine. If you love an intriguing romance with a twist, add this to your TBR ASAP!

💜The Audiobook is excellent and the accent and flow are perfect!

Freaky Friday vibes
The story starts out with Elle, a teacher from Oklahoma, currently on vacation alone in Scotland. In the last days of her trip she gets drugged. When she wakes up she’s in someone else’s body and married to the billionaire king of the Scottish berserkers. Despite the fantasy elements the MFC’s inner monologue is more like a rom com. Elle is a positive sunshine and King Callan is a grumpy warrior. I really liked that Elle utilizes her tools she uses to talk to young children as a teacher to navigate her way around broody men. 😂 Surprisingly there is zero spice in this book.

This was my first Gena Showalter story and it won't be my last! I loved this fun foray into berserkers and shifters! I loved El's heart and grit as she accepted the crazy world she'd been thrust into and fell for her Berserker husband. I am SO looking forward to book two!

Thank you Netgalley!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📚✨Will the real fated mate please stand up!✨📚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I received this ALC through NetGalley (thank you!)

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The narrators voice sounded like she was constantly reciting poetry. She did a good job with the different accents and kept me engaged through the whole story.

And the story was great! It was fast paced and interesting. The world of berserkers and body swapping constantly kept me on my toes. I adore Scotland and love reading books set here. I did think it strange that Callen didn’t catch on to some things a lot sooner than he did, but I suppose willful ignorance may have played a part.

I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, which was exciting. I loved the characters and their interactions. And I enjoyed the slow burn of the main romance.

Overall, this was a great book and I’m glad that I don’t have long to wait until the sequel is released!

Ever give much thought to where the phrase “going berserk” comes from? Yeah, neither had I. As it turns out, if comes from Norse and Germanic folklore about savage men whose rage led to a trance like state in which they fought battles, often becoming the violent villains of the legends.

This story follows Elle, a charming school teacher from Oklahoma, upon waking up on her last day of her Scottish vacation to find herself in someone else’s body, and married to a sentinel, Callan, one of the immortal berserkers, who cannot stand her. Despite his hatred, Callan refuses to let her go, believing the woman she now embodies is his fated firebrand, the one person able to calm the berserker and keep them from entering their trace-like state of fury, that often leads to more death and destruction than intended. Once a berserker succumbed to their fury enough, their inner beast was released, and the men became shifters, the creatures Callan is trying to protect his people from.

The story started out a bit silly, but it developed into an interesting romantasy, inspired by the legend of a lore I have not seen written about before. While a lot of the tropes and storylines are well known and often used in other romance and fantasy novels, I felt the story was still able to retain a uniqueness that kept me interested in seeing where the author took me.

The characters are dynamic and the tension between Elle and Callan is well developed. A few twists and surprises were sprinkled throughout the story to keep the reader on their toes. This appears to be the first in a standalone series, and I am curious to see where this world takes some of the secondary characters.
—
🐺Romantasy
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Slow burn
🐺Enemies to lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Soul switching
🐺Fated mates
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Berserkers
🐺Shifters
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Folklore
🐺Grumpy x sunshine
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Closed door
🐺Single POV
📍Scotland, UK
—
Story by Gena Showalter & Jill Monroe:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration by Mhairi Morrison: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
—
Thank you Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for this complimentary ALC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 2/25/2025

First time reading anything from these authors and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t normally read books with humorous writing but I enjoyed it in this book. The plot was interesting and kept you on your toes. The narrator did a great job with the voices as well. I did feel that a lot was jammed at the last few chapters. I’d rather a longer book or a cliff hanger than feeling rushed. I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series!

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
2 ☆
I liked the premise of this story, Scotland Lore. Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy, vacationing in Scotland, anticipates picturesque landscapes, castles, and kilt-wearing charmers, not awakening in someone else’s body. Worse, that someone just married the enigmatic billionaire Callen Bruce. Determined to reclaim her normal life, Elle will do anything necessary to switch back with Callen’s real wife.

I like the idea of body switching, but for some reason, this book didn’t deliver that for me. It had a slow pace and was confusing. The narrator was okay, but made it somewhat hard to listen to. I even listened at 2.5x speed, and it just felt like she was talking down to me and not reading the story.

Thank you, Netgellay, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, any feelings of adoration I had towards this book diminished because of how little I liked the narrator.

Okay this was a heard one for me. That was mainly because of the narrators voice. This is the first audio book that I have ever listened to that made me feel like I was talked down to the whole time. Aside from that the story was a good one. I am a fan of body swapping and crazy ex's! The background was beautiful( at least in my mind and made me want to be there sometimes, and sometimes not. Both of the MC were relatable on some level for me and which is why I finished this book. The pace was steady and that was nice. Will I continue this series? Yes but only on the kindle or paperback, audio is not recommended, but the book is!

*This audio book was provided as an ARC for an honest review*

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I enjoyed the take on this story and the timeline. The narrator did a great job at the Scottish accents. However, there were many times that the lead kept secrets that was just totally unnecessary. So many of the disastrous events could’ve been avoided, if the heroine had just made different decisions. All and all, I enjoyed this book, but felt annoyed occasionally by the heroine and was really looking for more spice!

I REALLY wanted to love this one. The concept is so unique (to me, anyway). And it’s set in Scottish lore, something I’m not familiar with, so I was excited to dive into something different than my standard fae romantasies.

Unfortunately, The Wrong Bride fell flat for me. The plot was too thin and the characters were too one-dimensional. A plucky heroine just wasn’t enough to carry it for me.

Let’s start with the plot. Elizabeth is an American tourist in Scotland who gets drugged by Isobel so Isobel can swap bodies with her (referred to as soul switching). Elizabeth wakes up in Isobel’s body, married to Callan, king of the Scottish berserkers. Callan - and all of his court & subjects - clearly dislikes and distrusts Isobel, but he believes Isobel/Elizabeth is his fated mate (called a fire brand). It turns out soul switching is super taboo and carries a death sentence for all involved, so she can’t tell Callan the truth. So poor body-swapped Elizabeth - who has a big crush on her hubby - has to pretend to be Isobel and figure out how to gain his trust. She ALSO has to deal with the real Isobel upending her life back in the US and blackmailing her for money. Not to mention a shape shifter who’s out to destroy Callan.

Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, the way it plays out was not…at least, not for me.
• The only expectation of a fire brand is to keep her fated berserker calm. That’s it. So she has to…be his peace?
• Also, almost every rule is broken. The risks we were told exist? Dismissed without repercussions. The danger of certain things happening? Don’t worry about it. It’s cool. The stakes just didn’t matter after a while.
• And by the end, the soul-switching just felt like a convenient plot device.

Despite all of this, I do plan to read book 2. I just really hope things tighten up in The Stolen Bride.

Overall this was a good and interesting book. I found the character development worked, the story while totally in a fantasy realm in modern day time was unique for me. Not a normal genre that I read.

Narration was good, few spots it was hard for me to stay in the story.

Overall good book, would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC.

I am definitely in the minority, but I hated the breathy narration. I almost DNF because of this but stayed for the story. I think I would have liked it better if I had read the book.

A cute paranormal romance set in Scotland.
Ell is on vacation in Scotland, hoping to live out her Scottish Highland romance fantasy, when she suddenly wakes up in the wrong body. She finds herself married to a Berserker King who hates her guts, and she has to navigate a whole new magical world filled with dangers-especially her husband.
Surprisingly, this book had a lot of plot and tension without relying on any spice.
Ell was a totally relatable book girl with a lot of personality.
The narration of the audiobook gave the book a lot of character and even made some of the cringeworthy scenes enjoyable. I especially loved the use of accents, which made it feel like a more visual Scottish romance adventure.
Overall, I had a lot of fun listening to The Wrong Bride.

⭐⭐⭐.5
What an unexpectedly delightful paranormal romance. At it's core a basic fantasy of many married to a rich sexy man with a thick accent, and he leaves you alone to read all day, and yet it was still an interesting ride. This book doesn't have spice and it really didn't need it. The world building wasn't extensive but enough to paint the picture and keep the story flowing through it. It does say book one so maybe we will continue the world building in book two? Side characters were hit and miss and only really started to have any meaning on the main plot at the end.

What lost stars for me was the ending. <spoiler>I will just break my own laws and everyone else is seemingly going to look the other way???? Not a fan of that and would actually read book two to see if that comes up again. Also, just letting the ex get away made my eyes roll while wondering if that will be apart of some minor future plot line as well. Regardless of what he says about how he feels towards her.</spoiler> I guess all over the lack of consequences and deeper questioning in this book was just not my vibe.

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator, Mhairi Morrison was fantastic. Her perfect accents made this a joy to listen to, and you really felt like you were actually in Elle's head and living this story as her. If she narrates book two I will definitely be listening if nothing else, to hear her lovely voice again.

💙Body swap
🤍Fated Mates
💙Immortals
🤍Enemies to lovers

ALC provided by Dreamscape media via Netgalley, so I could write this honest review. All opinions are my own.