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

If you love enemies to lovers, forced proximity and fake relationships then you should definitely read this one.
I loved Grayson and Jovana together, the forced proximity and fake relationship always go so well together and this one was no different. I love when the man falls in love without realising and that's exactly what Grayson does. There's always the perfect amount of spice, love and fun in Marni Mann books and this was no different.
I loved how their relationship developed slowly throughout the story. And I'm loving these Hooked men and their love stories.

Another good snuggle up on the sofa or tucked up in bed easy read. You have Grayson, confirmed bachelor, one night stand man, be gone before morning, I don't do 2nd dates but then I don't do relationships either. Then there's Jovana, upcoming influencer, independent, dreams of true love. Grayson and Jovana had a sizzling hot chemistry right from the moment their eyes met that first time in the bar. Yes they had their sizzling hot one night stand, but with Grayson in complete denial that Jovana sets off something inside which is more than a one night stand, Jovana leaves Grayson hurt by his outright rejection of what they both feel.

When Grayson's womanizing ways are made public, in a way that harms his company by people unsubscribing from the dating app, Hooked, he and his partners have built. Grayson is responsible for the marriage arm of app, but his latest escapade, which included him stating he didn't want any long term relationships let sooner and to get married, has caused a mass unsubscribe from the app.

The solution is for Grayson to get married, which of course is the exact opposite of what Grayson wants. I'm the bar that night Grayson's friends and partners, see the obvious attraction between Grayson and Jovana and set up a marriage of convenience, between them for a period of 12 months.

To me Grayson falls into the stubborn, can't see his nose in front of his face, to scared to "change his mind" and admit his feelings. Whilst Jovana is full of hope that she can make him see they have something very special between them. Aside from the steamy hot scenes, it was fun watching Jovana dig in and gently push Grayson to see what they had. But it was even more fun watching Grayson squirm and try to wiggle his way out all the time. Great fun read I enjoyed it

This is Book 2 in the Hooked series. The e-book and audio are both available NOW with Kindle Unlimited!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭:
Billionaire
Alpha hero
Age gap
Grumpy/sunshine
Fake relationship

When Grayson finds himself in hot water after a video of him praising bachelorhood is leaked, Hooked is forced to hire a PR firm to cleanup the mess. Enter Jovana - Grayson’s one night stand and social media influencer. The deal - Grayson and Jovana have to enter a fake relationship to clean up his image and resolve Hooked’s PR crisis.

Grayson is an alpha hole to the extreme. Definitely grumpy and grisly compared to Easton in Book 1. He is NOT HAPPY in the slightest about this arrangement. Jovana has feelings for him since their one night stand and hopes that she can change his mind about love. I cracked up several times over Grayson and his grumpiness. I was also impressed with how Jovana put her foot down to get what she wanted. Of course, they have incredible chemistry and have no problem in the bedroom. A fun, new addition to the Hooked series!

Audios are my life right now, so I highly recommend that format. I think Andi Arndt and Ryan West did a wonderful job as Jovana and Grayson.

If you’re looking for a romance with a man that has a filthy mouth, then Mr. Wicked will be one to check out.

At first it seemed like we were going to have more angry feelings between the two of them, but then Grayson would play this game of hot and cold of being sweet then being a bit of an ass. Slowly it did start to lean one way until he came clean about his true feelings. It also did seem silly that Jovana would take her true love believing self into a false relationship, but it worked out in the end.

I did think that the end jumped into some random moments and seemed to wrap up quickly, but it was a good story overall with a man who learns that sometimes a woman that loves you can help you learn what love is.

Thank you to the author and Valentine PR for the advanced readers copy, all thoughts are my own.

A grumpy/sunshine billionaire romance as Mr Wicked aka Grayson Tanner meets his match in more ways than one when his latest one night with waitress/influencer Jovana triggers a series of events that cascade to the extent that, in order to save the company he and his friends have sweated blood over, Mr ‘I’m never going to tie myself down with one woman’ finds himself in the position of having to eat his words beginning with dating Jovana.

I love Marni Mann’s heroes. They’re generally arrogant playboys with filthy mouths and wicked tongues and phobias when it comes to commitment which just makes their eventual falls all the more delicious and Grayson was no exception although he didn’t go down easy, kicking and screaming his way to domesticity. Set against a topical storyline involving dating apps and the power of social media, he had so much in common with Jovana and I loved the gradual development of their relationship as they got to know each other especially once Grayson realised he wasn’t headed towards the gallows and that love wasn’t necessarily the weakness he thought it was. The attraction they felt for each other was instant, their chemistry palpable and their passion combustible and best of all another alpha male was brought to his knees.