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A review by talknerdybookblog
The King's Horrible Bride by Kati Wilde
5.0
No strong representations of diverse characters or minority identities.
I was shocked by how well-paced and captivating the storyline was for The King’s Horrible Bride. With books that emphasize the *erotica* in my HEA Erotica genre, I always start the story fully aware the plot and characters won’t do things realistically (hence the terms insta-lust and insta-love). *But* The King’s Horrible Bride Heroine, Victoria more than made up for the more unrealistic plot lines.
I really enjoyed reading a romance that started as a marriage of convenience/arranged marriage but evolved into so much more. The fact that Victoria was all for the marriage also helped. The fact that she spent 12 years of her life preparing to be Queen—getting a university degree, serving in the military, founding and funding non-profit organizations was freaking delightful to read. While she’s been in love with her betrothed for 12 years—so she says—she most certainly hasn’t been sitting on her ass pining!
I also loved how The King’s Horrible Bride touched up Victoria’s difficulty reconciling the reality of her arranged marriage: while she was falling for her fiancé, he was being King and not sparing her a second thought. Which is a hard pill to swallow when she’s made her whole life about being she’s perfect for him as to-be-Queen. I loved how Victoria slowly came to terms with her feelings *and* how she confronted Max before sleeping with him. (I’ve noticed in other HEA Erotica books that instead of communicating, the Heroine sleeps with the Hero to avoid the misunderstanding, which is incredibly frustrating.)
Also, the romance between Victoria and the Hero, Max, was super freaking cute. Max was SO into Victoria, and she was definitely fated to be Queen.
While The King’s Horrible Bride is categorized as a HEA Erotica (a book with a happily ever after that has more sexy times than plot), I seriously recommend it for anyone who likes arranged marriages/marriage of convenience books. The fact that it’s a royal marriage is the cherry on top (and that it’s less than 150 pages)!
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Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
— Hero and Heroine have been engaged for 12 years and have both been celibate for all that time (the Heroine is a virgin).
• No pushing away
• Does have a separation
— Hero and Heroine were betrothed at 20 and 16, respectively but didn’t see each other for the first time until the Heroine ~20. So they’ve been “separated” for 8 years.
Possible Triggers:
• Death of parent
• Parental abandonment as a child
• Allusions to physical and emotional abuse
Ending:HEA with Epilogue
I was shocked by how well-paced and captivating the storyline was for The King’s Horrible Bride. With books that emphasize the *erotica* in my HEA Erotica genre, I always start the story fully aware the plot and characters won’t do things realistically (hence the terms insta-lust and insta-love). *But* The King’s Horrible Bride Heroine, Victoria more than made up for the more unrealistic plot lines.
I really enjoyed reading a romance that started as a marriage of convenience/arranged marriage but evolved into so much more. The fact that Victoria was all for the marriage also helped. The fact that she spent 12 years of her life preparing to be Queen—getting a university degree, serving in the military, founding and funding non-profit organizations was freaking delightful to read. While she’s been in love with her betrothed for 12 years—so she says—she most certainly hasn’t been sitting on her ass pining!
I also loved how The King’s Horrible Bride touched up Victoria’s difficulty reconciling the reality of her arranged marriage: while she was falling for her fiancé, he was being King and not sparing her a second thought. Which is a hard pill to swallow when she’s made her whole life about being she’s perfect for him as to-be-Queen. I loved how Victoria slowly came to terms with her feelings *and* how she confronted Max before sleeping with him. (I’ve noticed in other HEA Erotica books that instead of communicating, the Heroine sleeps with the Hero to avoid the misunderstanding, which is incredibly frustrating.)
Also, the romance between Victoria and the Hero, Max, was super freaking cute. Max was SO into Victoria, and she was definitely fated to be Queen.
While The King’s Horrible Bride is categorized as a HEA Erotica (a book with a happily ever after that has more sexy times than plot), I seriously recommend it for anyone who likes arranged marriages/marriage of convenience books. The fact that it’s a royal marriage is the cherry on top (and that it’s less than 150 pages)!
Follow Me
Blog • Instagram • Goodreads • Facebook • BlogLovin'
Safety Rating: Safe with Exceptions
• No cheating
• No OW/OM drama
— Hero and Heroine have been engaged for 12 years and have both been celibate for all that time (the Heroine is a virgin).
• No pushing away
• Does have a separation
— Hero and Heroine were betrothed at 20 and 16, respectively but didn’t see each other for the first time until the Heroine ~20. So they’ve been “separated” for 8 years.
Possible Triggers:
• Death of parent
• Parental abandonment as a child
• Allusions to physical and emotional abuse
Ending: