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..

Another great read by Marni Mann! Loved this steamy romance!

Grayson Tanner, is a total alpha billionaire and is the CEO and one of the co-founders of the Hooked dating app. He is not one for relationships and doesn’t want to ever settle down.

Jovana Williams is a sassy and sweet social media influencer based in Boston. Grayson, a bit of a celebrity in Boston, crosses paths with Jovana and they have a one-night stand. Grayson is honest with her and tells her their night together is a one-and-done type of deal. He doesn’t expect to see her again.

After the successful international rollout of the app, Grayson finds himself caught up in a PR nightmare; a video of him and six beautiful women partying it up on a luxury yacht goes viral. This ends up negatively impacting the company as sales and profitability go down.

Grayson and his bff, Laura, come up with a plan to fix the negative publicity: he needs to get married to show that even a lifelong bachelor such as himself can find true lasting love via the app. And who better to enlist in this plan than, the romantic-at-heart, Jovana.

Once Grayson and Jovana get together, it’s like the tables have turned. Jovana is the one calling all the shots and she’s determined to make their fake relationship real! Will they find true love after their contract is up?

It’s so obvious that there’s a strong attraction between Grayson and Jovana and loved seeing their chemistry deepen with time. I know it’s kind of cliche, but Jovana truly made Grayson a better person - I was rooting for them big time!

I adored their witty banter and of course the spice was on point! I would expect no less from Marni! I loved this book and highly recommend it! 4.5⭐️

Thanks so much, Marni and @valentine_pr_, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!💕

“The way he’d looked at me when our eyes first connected. The way my body had reacted, the swish of tingles that started at my feet and whipped across my legs and stomach and landed in my chest where it simmered the rest of the night.”

As usual Marni knocked another Alpha on his knees…in more than one way.

“You’re like a golden retriever. You’re always happy and something is always wagging on your body. But today, you just seem the happiest...”

Chemistry, steaminess, stubbornness, ultimatums, heartbreak, compassion, lust, humor, friendship, loyalty, guilt, angst and so much more are thread through the pages.

“..that man was gone. Vanished. And in his place was the side of him I despised. He used a nasty attitude so no one could penetrate his exterior; he spit venom so no one would even get close enough to try.”

I am in love with this series. I love the bond of the men and the women that get brought into the fold. The banter, sassiness, brotherhood, razzing and the authentic love between them.

“He hadn’t promised me a single thing, but for some reason, what he had given me was enough.”

MR. WICKED by Marnie Mann Hooked Book #2
Grayson and Jovana's Story
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Marriage of convenience, Grumpy/Sunshine
This was a great read. I was instantly drawn in and loved the characters. I needed to know more about them. We met Grayson in book #1. He and his friends co-found a billion dollar dating app Hooked. Grayson develops a marriage app as part of Hooked even though he has no interest in relationships himself. He has a one night stand with a server at his local bar (Jovana)and they have an instant connection but he makes it clear to her there won't be another date. Then he makes some really poor social decisions causing the subscriptions in their app drop quickly. Now he has to make a choice, settle down with a girl or continue to ruin their company. So he decides to contact Jovana and convince her to be his temporary bride. Boy it's fun as Jovana makes his life miserable and falls for her more each day. Great book, great chemistry, I really loved the characters!

This is my first experience reading something by this author and it won't be my last. It's a sizzling, enemies-to-lovers romance with plenty of twists, passion, and emotional depth. The novel follows Grayson Tanner, an alpha billionaire whose life is thrown into chaos after a viral PR disaster. A toast to bachelorhood has his company’s reputation on the line, and now he’s under pressure to appear like a family man, fast. Enter Jovana Winters, a savvy social media influencer and Grayson’s former one-night stand, who becomes part of his PR “solution”—the solution being a fake marriage that will restore his image.
The chemistry between Grayson and Jovana is undeniable and absolutely crackles in each scene. But while Grayson has a distrust of women and commitment, Jovana believes in love. She is a refreshing, determined, and headstrong heroine, not willing to settle for anything less than the truth.
The story is well-paced, with whip-smart dialogue, and the romance steamy. The tension builds perfectly between the two characters, and the twists and turns in the plot will keep you guessing till the end.
If you're looking for a compelling novel with steamy, slow-burn romance and complex characters who are forced to confront their own emotional walls, then this is surely a book you will want to pick up.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Mr Wicked was my first read from Marni Mann, a good book - will be going back to read the first book in the hooked series.