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annareadsalotforfun's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Wow! This is a true hate-to-love story and while not a slow burn, the pace of their romance is so satisfying and very believable. I guess you could say it is a slow burn on the emotional side, but with great spice along the way. I was hooked from the very first line and flew through this. My only critique is the ending felt rushed. The groveling is drawn out but she forgives him in a couple sentences and then it jumps into an epilogue.
kellyyoungbl's review
4.0
5 stars
I really liked this book. The characters were well-developed and I enjoyed the storyline. The only thing I didn’t love was the relationship building. I didn’t totally believe the changes and evolution.
I really liked this book. The characters were well-developed and I enjoyed the storyline. The only thing I didn’t love was the relationship building. I didn’t totally believe the changes and evolution.
anasatticbookblog's review against another edition
4.0
Arranged by RK Lilley
Erotic Romance. Standalone.
3.75 Stars
RK Lilley has been a favorite author of mine since 2012. She has been to every Wicked Book Weekend, and full disclosure: I consider her a friend. It had been about two years since her last release, and when Arranged came out, I set aside what I was reading and bought it and consumed it on release day.
Right off the bat, it had that RK Lilley feel of yesteryear. I haven’t read an alpha-hole erotic romance like this in a few years and I forgot how much I enjoyed that sexual tension, angst, and suspense that RK creates. Her hate-to-love romances are my favorite and I was sucked into a reading marathon with Arranged. For the first 80-85%, I was sure this would be my third 5+++ star read in a row (and for the year). Sadly, for me, the end didn’t live up to the beginning. It almost felt like it was meant to be a duet but it was taking so long that she rushed to finish. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved most of Arranged, I just wish the end gave me the same feelings as the beginning.
“I was his now. I belonged to Calder Banks Castelo. He owned me but he didn’t love me. He never would.”
Warning going in: Calder is a f*cking asshole. He’s the kind of guy that I enjoy reading about sometimes, but would tell any friend I have to run as far away as possible. Noura is an 18-year-old model who wants financial security, so she enters into an arranged marriage with Calder Banks Castelo. Calder has no desire to marry, but it’s the only way he will inherit his father’s business. And he resents the hell out of the beautiful model who sold herself to his family and trained for months to be his wife.
“He hated me on principle, and he fascinated me in spite of myself.”
OMG, he was such an ass! But I couldn’t put this book down, it was like potato chips! Once you start, you can’t stop.
“Hell, maybe I’d bought myself a slutty little virgin.”
My reading tastes have changed, and I didn’t think assholes and weak virgins were really in my wheelhouse anymore, but I was wrong because RK’s writing was still amazing and grabbed me in and didn’t let me go.
“I picked you out of that catalogue because your face made my dick hard. Aside from that, I didn’t really care enough to learn more.”
Despite the hatred between the two of them, once he stopped hiding from her, they couldn’t keep their hands (and other body parts) off each other.
“I could still taste her, still feel her on the bed of my tongue. I hated her guts, but she tasted like paradise.”
Though I thought Noura took a little too much abuse, despite what her contract said, I still loved her. The fact that she sold herself seems so incongruent with her sweet and likable personality. Everyone loved her, including him if he would let himself.
"The way he touched me. Kissed me. Held me. Savored me. Breathed me. Like I was necessary for his next breath. It was such a lie, but I needed it."
Just when you think maybe he isn’t an asshole, he proves yet again that he is.
“She’s a piece of art that my father bought for me to fuck on the regular. An expensive blow up doll. A gorgeous fucking cum dumpster. She’s my own private whore.”
I don’t know how RK Lilley made you root for this couple, but she did!
The book was going along great. I had been sucked in and reading all day and then….it jumped the shark. This needed to be a duet. I don’t say that easily because I prefer standalones, but the last 20% was so rushed that it felt like she worked on a duet for 2 years but never wrote the second book, so she decided to rush and finish it in one book so she can release something. I felt a little cheated in the end because it was so amazing for the first 80%.
“We make a strange pair, Goldigger.” His tone was rich with affection. I smirked. “Indeed we do, Spoiled Rich Boy.”
Likes:
- •It sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down.
- •Had a bit of a retro feel to me, because it’s been a few years since I read a book like this.
- •Lots of hot sex :)
- •Despite her marrying for money, I loved Noura.
- •So much angst!
- •Great side characters.
- •Only RK Lilley can make me root for an asshole.
Dislikes:
- •The end was way too rushed.
- •He was a little too much of an asshole, some stuff he said is hard to come back from.
- •I know it’s a book, but I don’t think things like this really happen nowadays, so it was totally unrealistic but still fun.
The Down & Dirty:
I am thrilled to have RK Lilley back and writing. Arranged sucked me in faster than a book has in a long time and made me drop my plans to keep reading. However, I think it needed to be a duet. For the first 80%, I was sure this was a 5 star read and a new favorite, then it all just wrapped up so quickly! The end was so rushed and really disappointed me after the fabulous majority of the book. Still, I am so glad to see RK Lilley still has it. I hope this is the beginning of her coming back and writing more because I am looking forward to more of that RK Lilley brand of angst.
Rating: 3.75 Stars, 4.5 Heat
Purchase Arranged by RK Lilley
anzhelikali's review against another edition
5.0
R.K.Lilley delivered an angsty world of deception and superficialities where money rules over everything, even the matters of the heart, while raw emotions and pure feelings struggle but fight back with all they have. The starting point of the whole story was the purchase of a lonely girl’s virginity, not without her willingness and legal consent though (which questions and undermines existing societal norms and principles), by a privileged family with an unbelievable fortune but fucked-up ties within. And this is how the mechanism was set to motion. The story might not be the most unique and mind-blowing one out there, but it was an entertaining read, nonetheless.
Read more at: Anzhelika.online
Read more at: Anzhelika.online
stumpfed's review against another edition
4.0
It felt so rushed in the end. I wasn’t ready, I needed more of these two!
whatjennareads's review against another edition
2.0
What in the world??
I hate to compare but...ugh! Tristan and Danika have ruined me for all other R.K. Lilley books. I did not like this book. I hated how mean Calder was...I didn’t even like his name because I kept reading Caleb. The only moment I really enjoyed was when she actually filed for divorce and stood up for herself! I thought the book may go another direction after that but nope...just made one big circle. It was just a hot mess to me. I only finished it because I hate having half read books in my library but this one is definitely not a re-read book. Way too many grammatical issues, way too much italics, and just not the strongest storyline. Oh well...
I hate to compare but...ugh! Tristan and Danika have ruined me for all other R.K. Lilley books. I did not like this book. I hated how mean Calder was...I didn’t even like his name because I kept reading Caleb. The only moment I really enjoyed was when she actually filed for divorce and stood up for herself! I thought the book may go another direction after that but nope...just made one big circle. It was just a hot mess to me. I only finished it because I hate having half read books in my library but this one is definitely not a re-read book. Way too many grammatical issues, way too much italics, and just not the strongest storyline. Oh well...
desiree_mcl's review against another edition
4.0
Started and finished in one day. Listened to the audiobook, which was great. The story left some things to be desired but overall I did enjoy it.
This has been on my TBR for a couple of years now. Finally decided to read it.
It wasn't as angsty as I was led to believe, there wasn't as much groveling as I was led to believe.
Calder and Nora enter into a marriage of convenience. From the beginning he makes it clear that he does not want this marriage and treats Nora like crap for 80% of the book. However Nora, while hurt, is also not wallowing (which I liked!), she's still living her life, still being the person that she always has been.
I loved how jealous and possessive Calder got over the various aspects of Nora's job. She's a model and there are times she has to be nude in front of more than him. And he freaks at that stuff. There was an incident with a male model that Nora used to get Calder attention and boy did it work. All that stuff I really enjoyed, but if your someone who doesn't like that behavior maybe pass this one by because there is a decent amount of it.
I also loved Nora's relationship with her bodyguards and the young models she took in. She loved them and they loved her. And it was a really sweet.
What bothered me was how much of a hypocrite Calder was. He'd accuse Nora of being a gold-digger but he only married her to get his father's money. He accused Nora of being a whore but he was the one who was banging his ex-fiance for the first month of his marriage to Nora.
I noticed a lot of reviews being very upset over that month long cheating with the ex. And while I wasn't thrilled to know he did that and that there were consequences that came about because of that, at the same time I wasn't hugely bothered by it. Neither one wanted to make this a real marriage at first, there was no love feelings at that time. Calder stayed away for a full month barely acknowledging Nora's existence. It didn't bother me as much as I see it bugged other readers. We never actually see it, we're just told about it, it was something I could easily work passed.
However something that did bother me that is linked to the cheating was that I felt the groveling wasn't there enough. When the breakup happened and the groveling started there was only 35-40 minutes left of the audiobook. So I was skeptical that that would be enough time to believe the HEA that was coming. And unfortunately I was right. I needed more on page groveling, they don't actually get married again until Nora is in her mid-twenties (she's 18 at the start of this book), so I wished we saw some more groveling and part of their post-groveling relationship. Everything was wrapped up too quickly for it to be completely satisfying.
Overall, I liked this. I won't be adding it to my physical bookshelves but it was a good way to spend a few hours.
This has been on my TBR for a couple of years now. Finally decided to read it.
It wasn't as angsty as I was led to believe, there wasn't as much groveling as I was led to believe.
Calder and Nora enter into a marriage of convenience. From the beginning he makes it clear that he does not want this marriage and treats Nora like crap for 80% of the book. However Nora, while hurt, is also not wallowing (which I liked!), she's still living her life, still being the person that she always has been.
I loved how jealous and possessive Calder got over the various aspects of Nora's job. She's a model and there are times she has to be nude in front of more than him. And he freaks at that stuff. There was an incident with a male model that Nora used to get Calder attention and boy did it work. All that stuff I really enjoyed, but if your someone who doesn't like that behavior maybe pass this one by because there is a decent amount of it.
I also loved Nora's relationship with her bodyguards and the young models she took in. She loved them and they loved her. And it was a really sweet.
What bothered me was how much of a hypocrite Calder was. He'd accuse Nora of being a gold-digger but he only married her to get his father's money. He accused Nora of being a whore but he was the one who was banging his ex-fiance for the first month of his marriage to Nora.
I noticed a lot of reviews being very upset over that month long cheating with the ex. And while I wasn't thrilled to know he did that and that there were consequences that came about because of that, at the same time I wasn't hugely bothered by it. Neither one wanted to make this a real marriage at first, there was no love feelings at that time. Calder stayed away for a full month barely acknowledging Nora's existence. It didn't bother me as much as I see it bugged other readers. We never actually see it, we're just told about it, it was something I could easily work passed.
However something that did bother me that is linked to the cheating was that I felt the groveling wasn't there enough. When the breakup happened and the groveling started there was only 35-40 minutes left of the audiobook. So I was skeptical that that would be enough time to believe the HEA that was coming. And unfortunately I was right. I needed more on page groveling, they don't actually get married again until Nora is in her mid-twenties (she's 18 at the start of this book), so I wished we saw some more groveling and part of their post-groveling relationship. Everything was wrapped up too quickly for it to be completely satisfying.
Overall, I liked this. I won't be adding it to my physical bookshelves but it was a good way to spend a few hours.
malreads86's review
4.0
Banks and Noura. It was entertaining. Not my favorite TK Lilley book but still good. Marriage of convenience trope may not be my fav but it was well done.
Overall rating: 4/5
Steam: 4/5
Angst: 3/5
Overall rating: 4/5
Steam: 4/5
Angst: 3/5
sofsm's review against another edition
5.0
"We looked so right together. It was hard to look at the image, and remember just why we were so wrong."
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I read it for the groveling, I wasn't expecting such asshole as protagonist but anyway. I can see myself rereading for the angst. I wished there was even more groveling on the page because he really was nasty. And this was spicy, people. And once he got into her, he's really OBSESSED and really JEALOUS and POSSESSIVE which I loved. And I also liked how she provoked him.
And spoiler:
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At the ending, he spends months after her and I just loved how she would give in but then kick him out of her house and bed seconds later. She used him just like he was with her and served him right to feel what she felt.
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I read it for the groveling, I wasn't expecting such asshole as protagonist but anyway. I can see myself rereading for the angst. I wished there was even more groveling on the page because he really was nasty. And this was spicy, people. And once he got into her, he's really OBSESSED and really JEALOUS and POSSESSIVE which I loved. And I also liked how she provoked him.
And spoiler:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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.
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At the ending, he spends months after her and I just loved how she would give in but then kick him out of her house and bed seconds later. She used him just like he was with her and served him right to feel what she felt.