My Darling Bride by Ilsa Madden-Mills Published by Montlake on December 5, 2023
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Sebastian York, Savannah Peachwood
Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
Genres: Romance
Amazon Audible
In a sizzling romance that sparkles with wit and depth, two wounded souls meet by chance in the desert and agree to get married, and their lives will never be the same.
On a normal day, Emmaline Darling isn’t a car thief. She’s just a simple girl who runs a bookstore and adores cats. But when she’s stranded in the desert and needs to get away from her dangerous ex-boyfriend, she picks her only option: swiping the keys to a famous football player’s Lamborghini and speeding away.
Football star Graham Harlan is in chaos. First he took a hit on the field that left him with a near-death experience, and now he’s promised his brother he’ll get married to secure the family inheritance. Trouble is he isn’t even seeing anyone.
Then a mystery woman steals his car. With his usual stubbornness, he tracks her all the way to Manhattan and gives her an ultimatum: marry me or I’ll press charges.
Her choice is obvious, only neither of them expect the sparks that ignite between them.
As the end of their arrangement looms, will Graham take a chance on love or let his darling walk away forever?
I typically like Ilsa Madden-Mills’s writing, but My Darling Bride is not her best work. It feels like the author rushed to put out this book, and it’s missing her usual charm and humor.
Graham is a professional football player who needs a bride so that his brother can inherit the money that he would otherwise be denied (a long story that is still fuzzy to me). Emmy is on the run from her abusive boyfriend, and she steals Graham’s car to get away. When he tracks her down, he forces her to become his fake bride or press charges. Of all the reasons for a fake marriage trope, this book has one of the flimsiest.
The beginning of the book drags and the rest feels hurried. Days and weeks are glossed over so you don’t get a sense of a bond forming between the couple. When Emmy throws out an, “I love you,” I couldn’t help but wonder why. What does she see in him exactly? Honestly, I was more interested in Graham’s bromance with his quarterback teammate than I was with his relationship with Emmy.
The sources of conflict—Emmy’s ex, Graham’s dad, and his evil step-brother—are brushed aside with little difficulty. There’s also very little tension or chemistry between Graham and Emmy, so I was not invested in whether or not they stayed together. I even skipped the bedroom scenes.
All in all, this was a rather mediocre read for me.
My Darling Bride is available to read and listen for free in Kindle Unlimited.
About Ilsa Madden-Mills
Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills is best known for her angsty new adult romances and romantic comedies.
Eight of her eleven novels have placed in the Amazon Top 10 Best-seller List: Dirty English #1; Fake Fiancée and I Dare You #2; I Bet You, Filthy English, and Very Bad Things #6; Boyfriend Bargain #8; The Last Guy, her collaboration with Tia Louise, #4.
A former high school English teacher, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.
She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.
Oh no! I’m sad this book didn’t work out for you. I can guess they can’t all be winners for us all. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.