2.5 ⭐
I felt like there was a plot but not really. And the FMC was immature. The blurb was misleading, I was expecting something entirely different tbh 😂
Definitely not my favorite Mia Sheridan book.

you literally cannot go wrong with mia sheridan

id read her grocery list, and this is no different. SUCH a beautiful, compelling story of newfound love and sorrow WITH A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE????? obsessed. in utter awe. never in my days did i think i’d get this from miss sheridan.

and the cast of characters were oh so precious. almost developed more than the romance if i dare to say so, but nonetheless an excellent, lighthearted quick read!

I loved this book in 2015 and I love it even more in 2023. I think this might be my most favourite Mia Sheridan book ever.

Once upon a time, because that is how all good fairy tales should begin, a fierce bad dragon lived alone and sad in his crumbling castle.

The more it crumbled, the fiercer and sadder the dragon became. The fiercer and sadder the dragon became the more his castle crumbled. It was a sad and sorry circle. The dragon hated the world and all who inhabited it, save for an English gent and his wife that the dragon kept in his lair because they were useful.

One fine day, a beautiful witch happened upon the crumbling castle and the ferocious dragon. This witch was not the "give me your ruby slippers" kind of witch. Oh no, on the contrary, she was the Glenda good witch kind of witch. The "tap your heels together and say, there's no place like home" kind of witch. A kind witch indeed. A green eyed, auburn haired witch who had Very Bad Ideas, and who conquered fierce bad dragons. She was also brave and excellent at climbing trees. I want to be Kira Dallaire.

The witch so wanted to save the dragon from his misery and restore the crumbling castle that a Very Bad Idea formed in her head as she was beguiled by the shimmer of the dragon's scales. She offered the dragon untold riches, gold and a dog in exchange for his smiles, his laughter, his happiness and his magnificent and reptilian body.

And oh that dragon smiled.

And oh that dragon laughed.

Any oh that dragon was happy with his little dog.

And oh - the magic spell was broken by the big bad ogre, who stamped his feet and made the dragon fierce and bad again.

A little star in the sky looked down on the dragon and the witch and loved them dearly. She loved them as much as she loved the porn star with a heart and the mute who was shunned and the poor who had no food and the unfortunate souls who dwelled in the village of the damned.

Ok so you might not understand this review, but it might pique your interest enough to make you want to read this book because, believe this little star, it was perfect. The romance between Grayson and Kira is off the charts spectacular. It will warm the most frozen heart and make you gasp with delight.

Dragonish gems:

"Today may be a very bad day, but tomorrow may be the best day of your life. You just have to hang on until you get there."

"For just a moment in time, we were just a boy and a girl, running and laughing in the rain."

"There's nothing on earth like the feeling of someone who loves you grasping your hand in the dark when you're lost and afraid."

"True love is not only the flower, true love is also the thorns."

"I suddenly understood that sometimes it's right to meet in the middle, but sometimes, the simplest act of grace is to meet the other person where they are. That, that is love."

"She was everything to me: my dreams, my weakness, and the person who made me want to be strong. She was the one woman who showed me I mattered, that I was wanted. That I was enough."

5 utterly perfect witchy dragon stars.

Call me crazy, but I thought the little witch/dragon thing was cute. Maybe because I’m in my ACOTAR/fantasy era? Admittedly it got a little bit cheesy by the end, but it was a certainly a unique choice for theme/metaphor/pet names.

Charlotte’s concoction…male ardor…I was roaring!! Charlotte really was a fairy godmother, I loved hers and Walter’s characters. Same with Kimberley, Harley, Vanessa, Shane - all fabulous supporting characters on the good guy’s side. Don’t get me started on Cooper or Kira’s dad though.

We love a guarded heroine, and Kira was very likable for me too. Her plots and plans were funny as anything, and really showed her free spirit and loyalty at the same time. I didn’t exactly love how toxic Grayson got in the third act, even if that’s the “fire breathing” that is to be expected from him. He said some mean things, and I hold a grudge!

Lots of action happened in the last part of the book, and I really enjoyed it. Not only did the action keep me on the edge of my seat for the last couple of chapters, but at the end I felt the closure that I need after a good book.

This was my second Mia Sheridan read, and I can confidently say that I am a stan! Now to read Archer’s voice…

Time to work my way through Mia Sheridan’s backlist!

This is the second book I have read by Mia Sheridan (the first being the cult classic Archer’s Voice) and I have not been disappointed!

This book had everything I love in a romance. It had marriage of convenience, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine and more!

The banter and tension between the two main characters was phenomenal and don’t even get me started on how happy I was when I realised this book was dual POV!

The flow and pacing of the book as well as the character development in this book was done phenomenally!

I highly recommend this book!

It follows Kira who has seen better days financially, so when she overhears a conversation with Grayson, she knows what to do! Grayson needs a loan from the bank for his vineyard and Kira needs a husband in order to receive her inheritance. You can see where this is going. They end up forming an arrangement that will benefit the both of them.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Mia Sheridan and Sourcebooks for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review! It is much appreciated!

I have read two books in the past month about vineyards and this one was outstanding! It was everything I was hoping for and more. The character depth and development was on point, the pacing worked, and the side characters where a kick. I loved Archer's Voice and now Grayson's Vow, which means I need to head over to the back list and start reading them all.

Rating: ♾️ stars ✨

Tropes:
marriage of convenience 💍
grumpy x sunshine ☀️
enemies to lovers ❤️
forced proximity 🍷

Stinger is my absolute favorite book from 2023 so far and I was really grateful to receive this arc!

I absolutely fell in love with Mia Sheridan’s writing style. This story made me feel so much, she incorporates heavy topics to bring more awareness and that’s a really strong message. 💫

Give this book or any book from this author a try. I hope you will be as invested in the story as I was.

The story starts with Kira that goes to the bank to withdraw the last money she had left in her account to survive. When she overhears a conversation with Grayson Hawthorn, this felt like destiny. He needs a loan for his vineyard that he can’t get from the bank and Kira needs a husband so she would get her inheritance. Not long after, they start an arrangement that would benefit both of them.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mia Sheridan and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

Mia Sheridan you have never done me wrong and Grayson's Vow is another example!

Kira needs a husband. And fast. After escaping from her abusive father out a window and stumbles in Grayson Hawthorne - a down on his luck ex-con trying to revive his family's vineyard. She needs to be married to access funds left by her grandmother and he needs a loan to keep the vineyard afloat. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Grayson accepts Kira's proposition to fake marry. Despite their initial dislike for each other, sparks begin to fly. But family secrets and past traumas threaten to keep these two apart.

This is a true enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine in my mind. These two could not have been more different despite similar life backgrounds. The banter and tension was top-tier. I am glad we got dual POV so we could get inside Grayson's head or else he may have stumbled too far into asshole territory. Kira was just lovely. I adored her fiery spirit and spitfire personality. She was the perfect match for a grump like Grayson. She challenged him and made his reflect on his outlook on life. The drama and twists kept coming (I always know more is afoot when the characters are suspiciously too happy together early in book lol). I enjoyed the action and angst even though I wanted to shake Grayson at times. The side characters were a lot of fun! I think they helped the reader learn more about the characters and add some humour and heart to the story.

Thank you NetGalley!

Wow wow and wow! I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down, brought my kindle with me everywhere to finish it!

Graysons vow is a beautifully written book by an author I enjoy immensely.
Kira is in a desperate situation, cut off from any finances by her cruel and controlling rich powerful father she manages to find some money left in an old savings account, whilst at the bank withdrawing this small sum she hears Grayson being told he cannot be given a loan to save his vineyard from foreclosure as he has a prison record. Kira remembers the case, her father has something to do with Graysons unfair sentence.
Having being left money in her beloved Grandmother’s will with the proviso she must be married to obtain the inheritance she goes to see Grayson and offers him a deal that if he marries her he can have half the money to save his vineyard.
Both of these characters are well written with great depth and character. Grayson distrusting and moody, Kira always looking ahead and helping others.
This story is of their developing relationship, and for me it found it breathtaking, it had depth, pathos, humour and love. Their strengths and struggles were well described and other characters added so much more to this story. Throughly enjoyable, certainly a book I would read again and again.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the ARC.

This is my first book by Mia Sheridan! This book has some of my favorite tropes: fake marriage/marriage of convenience and forced proximity. I always appreciate a dual perspective and a light romance read.

However, I’m sad to say I never felt the love between Grayson and Kira. I think because the pacing was off for me, the build up and development of their relationship felt rushed. I do like Kira as a character and I felt neutral towards Grayson as a love interest around the 30% mark. At first. After that point, I truly despised him. He was infuriating most of the time and especially, once the third act conflict came around. His behavior made him unredeemable in my eyes and I was really let down that Kira was kind of a doormat to simply take him back. I also wasn’t personally vibing with the s*x scenes as I didn’t even get why the couple should be together in the first place.

Lastly, I can't say that I loved this one but I’m interested in reading more of Mia Sheridan’s other work. I really thought the story had potential but it just was a decent read for me. Grayson isn’t my new book boyfriend…and I’m okay with that. The epilogue was pretty cute though.

An ex-con, marriage of convenience, rescue puppy & a Napa winery. What's not to love? This is a standalone romance novel following Kira and Grayson.

Kira is the FMC and her infection and endearing personality jumps off the pages. She is a strong and feminine FMC! Then comes Grayson...the broody and misunderstood MMC. Mia has mastered a character arc and this book just shows her talent at weaving together past traumas with present realities that makes for an impactful storyline.

The connection between Kira and Grayson was organic and magnetic. It is impossible not to become obsessed with their story!

The novel masters the art of a slow-burn, which is difficult to do. There was never a part where I got bored or disinterested; the plots and subplots always kept me wanting more.

If you loved Archer's Voice pick up this book! Mia is an auto-buy author for me and I was delighted to be able to read this ARC through net galley.

Sidenote: Everything with the Gram and the book dedication tugged at my heart strings - reminding me of my own Nana who I miss everyday.
And the part about rats with the name starting with O....I died. So good. If you have read the book you will know!

This was the first title from the author that I had read, and I quite enjoyed it. It is quite trope based, with marriage of convenience, grumpy x sunshine and some found family vibes thrown in. It follows Kira and Grayson, who get married to access her inheritance and ease both their financial worries and I found it to be a 3.5 star read

The writing is emotive and we get a really good sense of how Kira and Grayson are feeling and how they have been similarly impacted by strained and abusive parenting. Additionally, it is quite descriptive, it is really easy to build a mental picture of what Graysons family vineyard looks like. I was able to picture a beautiful house inspired by a French wine country chateau and picture Kira’s little cottage, it was lovely, like reading a Pinterest board. Overall, I found that I was entertained by the plot and wanted to keep reading.

There were a few things scattered throughout the novel that I wasn’t the biggest fan of; there was the white girl goes to Africa to build a hospital trope. The relationship between Kira and Grayson read like it was a bit all over the place to me. I am sure a lot of readers will love the dragon/witch nickname and theme, but for me, I felt it was laid on pretty thick. These are things that didn’t agree with me, I am sure they won’t bother a lot of other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own

This is my first book from Mia Sheridan and it took me by surprise. She is able to write so beautifully and paints such a wonderful story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I really felt for Kira and Grayson. They are such layered and multi dimensional characters. I was rooting for their happy ending. There were a lot of beautiful quotes that I really like but one in particular is “Today may be a very bad day, but tomorrow may be the best day of your life. You just have to hang on until you get there.” That might be my new motto. Overall it was a good. There were something that I didn’t love but it was mostly an enjoyable read.

A marriage of convenience with a whole slew of secrets, plot twists and spicy scenes to keep you wanting more!

This book kept me on my toes throughout the whole 416 pages. Kira was such a fun character, full of heart, wit and surprises. You go into the book not knowing the exact circumstances of why she’s doing what she’s doing and slowly you discover all the missing pieces and everything starts to make sense. I was amazed at how she continued to be so vibrant and happy despite all the things she had endured in her past.

Grayson, that sexy dragon, who because of one accident ended up going to jail and becoming a convicted felon. But that wasn’t the worst of it for poor Grayson. His life before that was heartbreaking and made me understand just why he was the way he was.

It was as much a love story as it was a story about two people who had painful upbringings and had to learn to overcome that pain. Both of their fathers mistreated them, making them think that they weren’t worthy of love until they found each other that is.

I loved watching these two go from marriage of convenience to head over heels in love with one another. It wasn’t an easy journey and I wasn’t convinced they’d end up together at the end, especially after the way Grayson treated her after he discovered the secret she’d been keeping from him.

The way they called each other little witch and dragon had me swooning and the vineyard setting for the book had me wishing I was there to witness its beauty.

I loved Charlotte’s character. She was funny, mothering and plotted just as much as Kira did. Her herbal concoction had me dying 😂 and I loved how her and Walter had been there for Grayson throughout everything.

This was my first Mia Sheridan book, yes I know, I know, how have I not read Archer’s Voice yet? Well, it’s definitely on my list now! I loved the way Sheridan took these characters with so much baggage, heartache and history and made you relate to them. I cried, laughed and swooned and can’t wait to read more of what she’s wrriten!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I've been looking for a good "marriage of convenience" for quite a while, but every time something was off; finally I've found a good one!
I've nothing to say but good things about this book, the story is like a fairytale, perfectly written and narrated; the characters are adorable, not only the main one, but even the side ones, you just love all of them.

I'm defenetly going to read all Mia's other books, if they are as good as this one I might have found a new favorite author!

So good.

Kira is in dire straits. But she has a plan. Find a husband. Even with a man she's never even spoken to before. But she's heard of Grayson Hawthorn. He's a handsome ex-con who's in as bad a situation as she is.

Here comes the marriage of two people who don't know each other, don't like each other, but need each other. Both have come from terrible pasts where the parents who should love them...

Kira's plan though is going to get both of them out of their situations. If only they can make it work.

Lots of misunderstandings, plenty of sweetness and a lot of a man being a pighead.

There were times I wanted to strangle old Grayson. He was blinded by how he was raised.

Talk about a slooooooow burn 🥵
The main characters Grayson + Kira, both who have been hurt in the past from family and gf/bf closest to them, are guarded towards one another. The story is based off of forced proximity sprinkled with lies, twists + turns, and (🙄) miscommunication. The constant miscommunication + hot/cold was a real drag for me. When a story revolves around miscommunication tropes I want to literally scream. It’s a cute little love story, but a little far fetched (but what love story isn’t? I don’t know, I’m a hopeless romantic so whatever I’ll keep reading them).
Although other books by Mia Sheridan had a good level of spice, this one just wasn’t doing it for me. Not that it was bad but just less than I expected!

I was fooled again and didn’t realize this was another rerelease, but this has officially made me a Mia Sheridan fan. A well-written marriage of convenience where the MMC and FMC obviously start off as completely strangers and then fall for each other. Definitely some spicy scenes and some serious topics, but it was a relatively lighthearted book and I enjoyed watching Kira and Gray’s relationship grow.

Not really sure how I feel about this book. I had to make it sure it wasn't a reissue of some 80s or 90s book because there were some problematic parts of it and Grayson just seemed like some 80s or 90s wounded jerk (using a polite word there) who somehow magically changes when he realizes he's in love. Kira was a good character though.