2.99k reviews for:

The Wrong Bride

Catharina Maura

3.67 AVERAGE

veexl's review against another edition

4.0

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I was skeptical at first but I actually loved it. All my doubts and eyebrows raised facts were given answers so. It's the kind of romance that is kinda cliché at first but for me it's good and also it made me intrigue for the next ones.

the_joyful_book_club's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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 I wanted to love this story so much. And the parts I enjoyed were REALLY good. But the rest sort of fell apart on me. 

Grandma Anne is the matriarch of the Windsor family. It's a family tradition for arranged marriages, and while she initially chooses Raven for Ares, he ends up dating Hannah, Raven's older sister. Grandma Anne allows this, but when Hannah delays the marriage for the third time, she's had enough. Raven's family wants to be a part of the Windsor media conglomerate to save their own company. In Hannah's place, Raven must step in as Ares' wife. 

Understandably, this causes mayhem. 

This story reads a lot like a soap opera. The twists started to become a little silly to me, especially because some didn't go anywhere. At one point, secrets start being revealed but they come out of left field and are just a crutch for the characters to use them as insults later in the story. 

This is initially a slow burn until around the halfway point, but then the spiciness kicks in hard. Raven and Ares' love does shine through, and Ares has a way with words. I found myself swooning over him more than a few times. 

Oddly enough, there is decent character development for both Ares and Raven throughout this book. Ares sets boundaries and learns to be the husband that Raven deserves (although he wasn't off to a terrible start, all things considered). Raven learns to stand up for herself, and we see her become more confident and self-assured throughout. 

Overall, this story was a fun read. It's not life-changing but I don't think every story needs to be either. This book is available in a Special Edition at Barnes & Noble and is available on Kindle Unlimited too. 

kahaniseeker's review against another edition

3.5

medium-paced

fischers_reads's review against another edition

2.5

medium-paced

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Let me begin this review by saying the MMC is such an idiot!!! HOW are all these signs that she’s into you going over your freaking head? HOW?? I looked like this 🤦🏻‍♀️ for most of the beginning.

Anyways, now that I got that out. I enjoyed the beginning so much even though the MMC is an idiot. I got 20% in before bed and legit had dreams about this book and how I feel the rest of it will go. The MMC is an dumb*** BUT he’s sooooo sweet to the FMC it’s just unfortunate that he’s due to marry her sister. The FMC is a massive doormat but I still really loved her. I just couldn’t wait to see her get a backbone. The more I read the more whiplash I got from the MMC 😩 he’s so back and forth with his feelings and it was quite honestly exhausting. I was starting to hate when he was sweet because I felt like it was fake and that he would backpedal on it later. I haven’t been this mad over a book in a long long time. The only reason I kept reading was because I was waiting for Raven to find her backbone and tell everyone to F OFF. I love me a possessive MMC but Ares was over the top and not in a good way. You can’t be around this person but I can run to my ex anytime she is crying for me. HECK NO! The amount of times Ares goes back on what he said in the past 🙄I don’t know how he believes anything that comes out of his mouth. At one point he said he wanted Raven to draw him and my instant thought was that I would draw a clown. Point blank period. I’m angry that I didn’t love him. I’m angry that he was written this way to where I never wanted them to be together in the end. At 94% he won some points but not nearly enough for me to like the guy. Moment of honesty, I didn’t like this book as much as I hoped I would.

SPOILERS SCENES AS TO WHY ARES IS AN IDIOT!

It’s clear as day that Raven is in love with him but he doesn’t see it. She gets plastered drunk and he gets her home and she has him carry her to the couch. Then she proceeds to sit on his lap and strip and grind on him while saying there is this guy she can’t have. WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT IF IT WERE SOMEONE ELSE?? He starts asking if it’s her ex or one of his brothers and gets so mad. Alllllll that time he has so much restraint and tells her that she’s drunk and he doesn’t like her like that. BUT lets rewind to when he bought her an early birthday present and tells her he buys alllll of her presents himself but he needed Raven to go to buy his fiancé a gift because he didn’t know what to get. WHAT????  Ares also has dreams about her all the time and they are not dreams you should be having about your soon to be sister in law, just saying. What’s funny is way later in the book he brings up the night she was grinding on him and asks if she’s still in love with that guy 🤣🤣🤣 idiot. At one point in the book he tells Hannah he won’t ever love anyone else. Then shortly after that he tells Raven that nobody will never take his name ever again, just her. Hannah is under the impression that after 3 years he will divorce Raven and marry Hannah. Then we read his inner dialogue saying that he won’t leave Raven if she will continue to have him. But he never tells Hannah that.  BOY WHAT?!?! Stringing along 2 ladies isn’t cool. He does end things after meeting with Hannah for dinner the day after him and Raven’s wedding. He told her it’s over and if they find their way back to each other in 3 years then it’s meant to me. But also why is he meeting with his ex the day after his wedding??? Ugh. Hannah finds out she’s 5 months pregnant and she says it’s Ares baby.  Tell me why the grandma moves her into Ares and Raven’s home?? Then tells Raven she has an out if she wants to take it. Hannah is such a bitch and I hate the way she has treated Raven this whole time. The audacity of this woman completely blows my mind. Raven starts blaming herself for marrying Ares and completely pushes aside the fact that Hannah is the reason for it. This poor girl blames herself for any problems that arises and it breaks my heart.  Oh and it turns out Ares isn’t the father of Hannah’s baby. He knew she was cheating on him and he didn’t give a crap. Which I find hilarious being that a man looks at Raven and Ares loses his mind. It also comes out that one drunken night Raven goes to Ares room and confesses her love for him and she loses her virginity to him. The next day Ares and Hannah announce their engagement. I KNOW I KNOW I FREAKED OUT TOO! But the truth comes out that Raven left Ares bed early and Hannah snuck in and when Ares woke up next to Hannah he thought it was her that whole night. Remember those inappropriate dreams he was having about Raven? It was about that night he just didn’t realize it was real. Sooooo it should have been him and Raven all along. Shocker.

marisazaz's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 49%

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I decided to not finish this book because I wasn’t as invested in it as I thought I was going to be. 

vminae's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

laurinhaaa's review against another edition

0.5

challenging fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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chernobyl é menos radioativo do que esse livro

bookswithjenc's review against another edition

4.0

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I saw a video for this book on tiktok and immediately bought it! It was just as good as I hoped it would be. The Spice in this book was so good! I was rooting for Raven the whole time. Ares need to go running to Hannah drove me insane. I'd definitely read more books by this author.

chaptersincandice's review against another edition

3.75

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You want to know one of my favourite things? RICH PEOPLE BS lmao

I love books about crazy rich people and their crazy rich (fictional) lives 🤣 

I ate this up and finished it in a day and a half! 

She’s his finances younger sister. He’s the man she’s always loved. LIKE WHAT - sign me uppppp

Raven and Ares have been in each others lives forever. Their families are tight knit …. In the sense that Ares’ grandma has arranged all her grandkids marriagessss lol 

See? How could you not be intrigued. 

You need more? The sister doesn’t show up to the wedding and THEY HAVE TO GET MARRIED. This is my reality tv lol 

The will they, won’t they. The incredibly awful sister. The family dynamics. The drammaaaa. Fair warning - this book will frustrate you in the best way if that makes sense. You want to shakkeee and maybe even push them into traffic lmao 😂 but it’s so good. Grab the popcorn and wine and a friend kinda good lololol

I can’t wait to read the next one - I need to know more about the grandma’s arrangements of everyone else 🥹 

Thank you @raincoastbooks and @read_bloom for the copy- I love you forever 💋

aimee_elizabethk's review against another edition

3.5

tense