Anya
Five years ago I was sold. Used. Abused. Now, I’m broken. My loving family thinks a husband will fix me. I have no desire to get married, but I’ll give them what they want. Except it will be on my terms. And I know just the person to ask.
Paddy
Getting married is at the top of the list of things I swore I’d never do. So there’s no way I’ll agree to Anya’s ridiculous proposition. Yet, somehow, I find myself saying yes. She says we both can live our lives without interference from the other. It seems like the perfect plan.
Until it isn’t.
Anya has lived through hell and she’s doing surprisingly well considering everything she’s been through. She just wishes her sister would stop playing matchmaker because the last thing she wants is a man in her life. Paddy is a confirmed bachelor with a matchmaking-crazy mother so Anya proposes a solution: They should get married so she can be a happy introvert and he can do whatever he wants without his family constantly trying to set him up. It’s the perfect solution for both of them.
Paddy is appalled initially but quickly warms to the idea and shocks himself by agreeing. Even a fake marriage turns out to be hard work and they suffer various missteps in the beginning, but the more time they spend together, the easier it gets. Soon Paddy finds himself struggling with attraction for his wife and Anya realizes she wants to get to know him better. Her tragic past has affected every aspect of her life and Paddy knows exactly how to support her. But what we didn’t know about Paddy was the trauma in his childhood, which has shaped the man he is today. There’s so much more to both of these characters than I was expecting. Their story is beautiful and sweet. I received an ARC from Valentine PR in exchange for an honest review.
