4 Snow White Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

This was delightfully unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable. It also delivered exactly on the promises I was made to believe going into the story!

This is a Dual POV following Liam and Everlee. Liam has a problem, in order for him to say CEO of his mother’s cosmetic company, there is a codicil in her will saying he has to be married for at least 5 years. The problem - Liam has sworn off love and relationships after witnessing the disaster of his parent's relationship. Everlee has just lost her job as an event coordinator to a junior employee who is sleeping with the boss at the cosmetic company they were planning the year-end function for. She has also just walked in on her boyfriend being “entertained” by two escorts. The worst part is her father is in hospital and her parents can’t afford the bills so Everlee needs money. She is approached by Raph (Liam's best friend) with an offer she cannot refuse. Agree to Marry Liam for 5 years and receive a good financial payout… because marrying the man who got you fired is totally a good idea.

Everlee is feisty and stubborn and is such a fantastic and beautiful character! She has been through so much, yet remains gentle and passionate about her family even when her mother is a Grade-A Bitch. I loved that she stood up for her morals and had some teeth and pushback towards Liam at that start and didn’t bend over backwards like she used to with her Ex.
Liam is a ruthless businessman who has let his traumatic past define who he is today by closing of his heart to any form of love that could see him get hurt. However, there is something about Everlee that has sparks of instalust as she’s the first woman who is able to get a different reaction out of him. Maybe because she’s the first woman to be a challenge, whatever it is, he is determined to make her his.

I really love the fact that whilst on the surface he can appear crude and ruthless he is actually a disguised cinnamon role taking care of Everlee’s Father, caring for her, standing up for her and just supporting her and her decisions. It was everything she has always lacked in a relationship and it was adorable seeing it found in Liam who had the reputation of the exact opposite!
This sells itself as a low angst book and it really does deliver on that because while there is the one traumatic experience that Liam is struggling with, that’s really the only major conflict besides some family drama. I kept thinking this was basically a hallmark movie in book form with a little bit of spice. Two people find love in one another and one just happens to be a billionaire and whilst their initial circumstances of coming together were unconventional it proves that love can blossom from anything and that an arranged marriage can actually work. It doesn’t matter how you find your person, but once you do you can actually fall deeply in love with your partner even if the relationship started as a contract.

The only real thing that kept this from being a full 5 stars is I wanted the resistance of the relationship to last longer, it felt as if they were very quickly falling into lust with one another and I wanted a slower progression.

Trope Summary:
▶️ Billionaire Romance
▶️ Marriage of Convenience
▶️ Forced Proximity
▶️ Hidden Cinnamon Roll
▶️ Low Angst
▶️ Kinda Medium Burn but instalust vibes
▶️ Plus Size Rep
▶️ New York Setting

Overall I really enjoyed this and if you want a comfort read based on these tropes, I highly recommend you pick this up and just enjoy it for the cute romance it delivers. This was the first A.K. Macbride I have read but it will not be my last!

Thank you to A.K. Macbride for my gifted ARC copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.