Unfortunately I couldn't get past the MC's objectifying someone at work in the first few pages so DNF

This was a really enjoyable story!

It had a spicy storyline with some great characters and interaction.

Could he love a woman… any woman??? Read on and you will find out

It is a romantic and sexy story that is really well written

Loved the flow to book and the writing style was addictive.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, highly recommended!

Mr. Wicked is the second book in the Hooked series written by Marni Mann.

Grayson, one of the three founders of Hooked, the dating app (focused on hooking up) is dedicated to no-strings pleasure.

During a drunken moment, he forgets that he is the one credited with the new part of the app - the opportunity to look for marriage rather than one-off hook-ups - and the subscriptions for the app immediately start falling. A PR specialist is called in to change the narrative and turn Grayson back into a marriage loving person.

In the fantasy world of billionaires, contracts are drawn up and money thrown at the problem to ensure that Grayson gets married promptly.

They find a suitable woman, the only 'problem' is that she wants more than a contract...

Mr. Wicked is the second book in the Hooked series by Marni Mann but can be read as a standalone book.

Grayson Tanner doesn’t do relationships, he doesn’t even do repeat hook-ups. So when he meets the gorgeous Jovana, I almost expected / hoped he would change. But I was seriously mistaken. Grayson is the founder of the billion dollar dating app, Hooked. But when his playboy life style starts to become bad for business. His team steps in with a plan. They want him to get married to get numbers back up. If he just shows the world that Hooked helped the infamous playboy settle down, more people will sign up for the app.

So of course, he goes to Jovana for help. And I don’t want to spoil too much more! I normally love a bad boy type of romance but I really think that Grayson was a HUGE jerk so it was a little hard to buy in. However, their back and forth banter was very entertaining. And the story was good overall.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Marni Mann for sending me an advanced copy of Mr. Wicked.

I live for the fake dating trope, and I will eat it up every single time!
And this book was no different! I loved Grayson and Jovana so much. I loved seeing them go from fake to real and more than that loved seeing them go from one night to forever!

This book was not for me. The male hero was too much of a jerk and superficial more interested in hooking up that I couldn’t connect or root for him. I could not relate to the heroine either as she fell for him when he hadn’t earned it.

Marni Mann is hit or miss for me, but Mr Wicked had me hooked from beginning to end! From the cover to the writing to the characters and steam, I had a great time.

My first time coming across Marni Mann but absolutely not my last. I loved this super steamy read and watching the relationship between Grayson and Jovana develop. Will be going to read the prequel to this now and look forward to her future work as I can see this would be a trilogy series.

I couldn’t wait to read Mr. Wicked by Marni Mann after reading Mr. Hook-Up! Mr. Hook-Up was one of my favorite reads from 2023, so I will admit my expectations were high here. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with this book like I did the first in the Hooked series. Each book is a standalone, and honestly the feel of this book was completely different to the first. While there were things I liked here, I just didn’t enjoy this story as much as Mr. Hook-Up.

I struggled to get into this story and that continued for the entire first half of the book. I felt like Grayson was just too much of an asshole. Usually I am able to find some redeeming qualities when a hero starts off this way, but honestly Grayson was just that bad. I didn’t understand why Jovanna felt the way she did. Her insta-love feelings didn’t make sense to me. She gave him so much leeway and he frankly didn’t deserve it. When he finally did make the switch, that didn’t make sense to me either. His reasoning for it didn’t seem believable to me.

Once things changed for these two, it was like a switch had flipped and all of a sudden things went into overdrive. The whole second half of the book things felt rushed. I just really couldn’t get on board with the flip to their relationship and things didn’t feel genuine. While these two had chemistry and it was clear the attraction was there from the start, I just really felt like the relationship didn’t feel authentic to me. The big secret fell a bit flat for me, with things exploding when the truth was learned to quickly be swept under the rug because of circumstances that felt a bit manufactured just to clear things up and put them into perspective. Usually Marni’s stories are some of my favorites, but this one just felt forced and as though each thing that happened was manufactured to drive something else. There wasn’t the natural flow I am used to from Marni and I had to keep picking this one back up. I wasn’t anxious to keep reading, but it was more of a mission to finish. I still love Marni’s books and am looking forward to the next one. Unfortunately Grayson and Jovanna’s story was a miss for me.

i love marni's books because you always know what you're going to get with them. a lot of spice, a little bit of drama, dreamy mmc, and a whole lot of fun. this was a very quick read that I ate up in 1 sitting. my go-to author for quick but still entertaining spicy reads

Grayson doesn't believe in marriage and it's ironic because him and his friends are founder of Hooked and app for dating and marriage. He has a one night stand with Jovana. He felt a connection with her but instead he ignore those feelings and he goes to vacation and he has a Pr scandal and now he has to fix it and that suggestion is he should get marry because they are losing clients.
Jovana want a love her parents have she is loving caring and when she meet Grayson she want everything with him.
Grayson break her heart. Now he asking her to marry and she want to changed his mind in love.
There a lot of laughter banter and discussion of childhood trauma.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Chapter one of this book was 12% of the whole book. First it should have been more than one chapter…second I absolutely cannot stand the MMC or the FMC. I mean maybe they had more character development but I couldn’t even get through the first couple chapters because he was an annoying frat boy and she doesn’t comprehend what a one night stand is without getting her feelings hurt? She took him home from a bar and expects a relationship? I couldn’t do it! This one wasn’t for me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Grayson and Jovana have instant chemistry leading to a steamy night together. Grayson makes it very clear to Jovana that it's a one time thing. he doesn't date or do emotional relationships. A few months later. Grayson needs Jovana's help - to marry him. He's gotten into some trouble at work with his reputation and needs to be in a seemingly successful relationship to help build his brand back up. As they fake date. move in together. and "fake" build their relationship, Graysons walls start to come down and he starts to fully open up to Jovana about his past and why he doesn't date. Maybe this fake relationship could be the real deal afterall!

Once Grayson started opening up, I loved his character and saw how perfect he was for Jovana. Their chemistry was always off the charts but once he started being emotional with her it solidified their compatibility.

Definitely recommend - keep in mind that it is open door and very steamy!
Tropes: marriage of convenience

Want a spicy and funny book that deals with some bigger issues? Check out MR. WICKED by Marni Mann!

Greyson is a lifelong bachelor who loathes the idea of marriage. Jovana is a hard working influencer who is a romantic at heart. Our boy Greyson fell hard and fast for Jovana and turned into a simp so quickly!

Though parts of the book grated on me, this was a well paced and spicy book. I liked the growth of Greyson and his friendship group - and loved the 3rd act conflict!

READ FOR:
Marriage for convenience
Grumpy x sunshine
Spicy
3 stars

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC! Opinions are my own

#rochellereadsit

This was pretty good, but I found that the plot and sex scenes got repetitive. The writing was solid, though I did notice myself getting lost within scenes. (ie: where in the room are they? I thought his drink was empty and now he’s sipping it—did he get another somewhere?) There were a few times I had to reread because I felt like I missed some context in the scene/conversation. Overall I was entertained, but I don’t think I’d go running to find other books in this series. The character development/relationship growth felt like it happened at the flip of a switch and I think the MMC's self-reflection could be improved.

I really enjoyed this book from cover to cover. I felt like the blend of sweet and spicy was perfect, it could not have been done any better. I was left guessing if they would find true love or if it would be over at the end of the contract. I really enjoyed the banter and good humor. I felt like the TW ib the book were handled very delicately well.

Grayson and Jovana’s story was such a great story. Grayson is such a growls grump who doesn’t believe in marriage despite the fact that he created the marriage arm of Hooked. When his wicked says catch up to him, he’ll have to undergo a transformation to save the company he and his 2 best friends started in college. Can Jovana change his view on marriage or will his wicked ways stick around. The will he or won’t he in this story drive me batty. All I wanted to do was smack Grayson upside the head.

What more could you ask for in a novel? Romance, mystery, and sex all bottled up into one great read! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The writing style has a serious snap, and I really enjoyed it. I loved how we were just thrown in and expected to swim. I stopped after chapter 1 (9%), but I imagine it will be a solid three to four for the target audience, and five stars for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC.

The perfect steamy romance! You coudn't help but fall in love with both characters as you peeled back the layers on who they are.