When it comes to steamy love stories with sexy alpha heroes, I can always count on Marni to deliver and boy did she deliver! Mr. Wicked had everything that I’ve come to love about Marni’s steamy billionaire romances. There’s just something about a playboy who doesn’t do relationships changing his ways when he finally meets his match. Not to mention, the fake relationship thrown into the mix just made Grayson and Jovana’s even more enjoyable. I loved the chemistry and banter between these two. The moments between them were always my favorite especially when it came to the spicy moments. But one of favorite things about this book was seeing Grayson put his guard down and show his vulnerability with Jovana. It was so heartwarming to see how he would show those of himself with her in way that he hadn’t with anyone else. You couldn’t help in falling in love with him. Grayson and Jovana’s story had everything that I’ve come to love about Marni’s books…the instant connection, dirty talking alpha hero and all the spicy goodness. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it has become my newest favorite in the series. And I can’t wait to read the book in the series!

4.5/5 Stars 3/5 Spice

Tropes:
Billionaire
Age Gap
Grumpy × Sunshine
Bad Boy / Good Girl
Fake Marriage

okay y'all know i'm a sucker for a billionaire romance - then add age gap & grumpy × sunshine & obviously, i was all in. thennnnn i got to the fake marriage & y'all, that was it. i was hooked.
& grayson has a PR nightmare situation & needs a
way to improve his image STAT to avoid things getting worse for the dating app he helped create. enter jovana- the sexy af one night stand that he just can't get out of his head. these two & the tension had me in a complete chokehold. & the spice 🫠 😮‍💨 *so good* - i did the audio & these two had me sweating. 🥵 definitely recommend this one y'all!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinion are completely my own.

Mr.Wicked is indeed really wicked and extremely spicy. Is it weird I needed more story? I didn't used to need more story with my spice, now I'm older and want a more well rounded spicy novel.

Either way it preformed as promised and deserves ratings to show that.

Mr. Wicked is the 2nd book in the Hooked series and it's Jovana and Grayson's story. This is a fake marriage /age gap/ opposites attract tale that gives us great chemistry, witty banter, steamy scenes and so much more.

Grayson, the eternal bachelor, finds himself in a PR nightmare as his no-strings, no relationships way of life are a threat to how the public perceives his new online dating app, and he now has to do the one thing he never wanted and that's get into a committed relationship that leads to marriage.

Grayson has to find someone to settle down with fast and that someone just happens to be his last one night stand, Jovana, who he can't get off his mind.

While she accepts his proposition for a fake relationship, I enjoyed seeing their relationship genuinly blossom as these two become friends and get to know each other. They were perfect together. The attraction was evident from the beginning and they gave us the perfect blend of sweet and spice, grump and sunshine, humor and drama.

This was a great addition to the series and I can't wait to see what's next. I would definitely recommend this novel.

Marni Mann knows how to write spice and how to write it well! I like this book because it can be read standalone although it is part of a series. The main character Grayson and our female main character Jovana get together in a one night stand, only to be followed by the chaos that brings them back together. This book like many of Marni Mann's should be read if you enjoy chemistry, good banter, and spice. Quick, enjoyable read. Not much depth but that was good for this type of book.

this was unfortunately not my favorite by Marni Mann. while I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Hook-up, Mr. Wicked fell a bit flat. Grayson honestly felt so mean and I just didnt feel the connection. still enjoyed overall and will continue to read the series!

Mr. Wicked by Marni Mann is a billionaire romance with an alpha hero, grumpy/sunshine, age-gap romance with a fake relationship. Their romance is full of steamy chemistry and undeniable connection. Grayson loves his life as it is. His company is doing good and he loves the no commitment rule he follows. Until it hurts his company and becomes a PR nightmare. Now Grayson needs to get married and change the perception he created. Enter Jovana.

Jovana and Grayson were drawn to each other, but this was not real, right? Jovana is determined, savvy and witty. Grayson is grumpy, arrogant, and sexy as sin. He never intended to get married, however, now it is out of this hands. As they spend time together, they cannot deny the chemistry between them. I loved their journey so much and highly recommend this book.

Happy reading!

Grayson is a partner who created the hook-up/dating app Hooked. He's out with his friends at a bar when he meets Jovana, the waitress working at the bar. They flirt, and eventually, Grayson invites her back to his place for some fun. When he reiterates that it's just for the night, Jovana gets upset and leaves. Then, when a scandal about Grayson threatens to ruin Hooked, he must find a "wife" for damage control. Enter Jovana. She ends up signing a contract to help Grayson fix his mess.
At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to care for Jovana. I felt that she fell a bit too hard and fast. However, she grew on me. She has a fiery side and pushed Grayson's buttons and control on many occasions. She saw what I didn't in Grayson, which were the feelings he was so good at hiding. I loved seeing him fall!

Cruel, cold, and callous. Just a few of the words that could be used to describe Grayson, aka Mr. Wicked. While he might be the co-founder of the top new dating app Hooked, he doesn't believe in love or relationships, instead deciding only to do one-night stands. For most, that's not a problem, but for Jovana, who is young and naive, she thinks she's just met her Prince Charming, only for him to hit her with his usual spiel after they've slept together.
 
As Grayson continues with his flirty bachelor ways, a media storm brews, posting him in a bad light and causing damage to the Hooked brand. As damage control is needed, a PR agent is pulled in, and he's forced into a fake marriage with a woman he tried to forget, Jovana.
 
I quite enjoyed this story as we see Grayson begin to soften slowly, and it becomes evident that his reasoning for being anti-relationship is because of the relationship between his parents, and it's the damage caused by that relationship that makes him act out and be mean; it's a self-preservation method. His friends see the damage, and Jovana sees it too and slowly starts to crumble his walls until it's no longer a case of pretending anymore for them. I did feel sorry for him though, as his friends rail-roaded him into the situation with Jovana, even when he told them his reasons (and he had some valid ones).
 
Jovana is an interesting character; she is naive and believes in the romance of true love and that she could convince Grayson to love her if they just spent time together. While that turned out to be true, it was touch-and-go at times, and we got to see a real vulnerability in both characters.
 
When they worked, it was effortless, and the author made sure that the readers and everyone around the main couple could see there was something real there, even if a lot was being faked for the public too. They had some fantastic spicy moments and a bit of sweetness and angst too.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Marni’s men are something else!

Grayson doesn’t do feelings. His hookups are just that- hookups. Until his one night with Jovana. Even after telling her to not expect anything more than their one night together, he finds her still on his mind- months later. Surrounded by six other women! I loved his alphahole personality so so much. But I loved seeing him fall for her, despite his reservations on emotional relationships because of his mother. Jovana and Grayson’s chemistry was unlike any other. They could each dish it out and handle whatever the other threw back at them. I loved that Jovana, being the romantic that she is, didn’t give up while dealing with his broodiness. I’d say it was well worth the mood swings he seemed to have because their relationship blossomed into something beautiful!

Mr. Wicked, book two in the Hooked series is all about Grayson Tanner, one of the three owners of Hooked, the most successful dating app in the industry. He makes a big mistake and now in order to save the company he has to be in a fake relationship with the one woman he dumped earlier. They have a contract and a deadline but plans don’t go as he expected when feelings start to get involved.
This book was seriously entertaining as the big, grumpy Grayson is brought to his knees by the sassy, smart Jovana who is everything he is attracted to but doesn’t want. He absolutely hates wanting to want her and doesn’t know what to do with his feelings. He fought his feeling for a while but she slowly finds her way into his heart and what started out as fake becomes very real for them both.

Marni did it again! This is one of my favorites yet! Mr. Wicked was so good! I love a good fake marriage to a billionaire!

Another intriguing billionaire from Marni Mann! Grayson, the head of a dating app geared toward marriage gets himself in some hot water and needs an image makeover. Enter Jovana his former one night stand and social media influencer.

While Grayson has sworn off commitment of any kind, he can’t help feeling something special for Jovana. Jovana feels it too and, while she is definitely a strong woman, she puts up with a roller coaster ride of emotional whiplash from Grayson while he figures himself out.

They definitely have a strong connection and their relationship, while technically contrived, never feels fake at all. These two are fire together and even when they are faking it for the camera, they are not faking it in the bedroom!

This is a lower angst story with lots of spice and banter between these two as they figure out how to navigate whether their relationship is real or not. This story is a lot of fun!

I was disappointed by this book and had really high hopes since it's my first Marni Mann book but what can I say. I don't really think this book was for me even though I like an alpha-hole but this book was not it. Not only was Grayson a women hater but also someone who didn't have any character development. Like I get it he has mommy issues but he is wealthy enough to afford some therapy. And don't get me started on Jovana because I didn't quite like how naïve she was. This girl really needed to grow a backbone like honey he keeps saying he doesn't to relationships. Obviously it's a HEA so they do end up in a relationship but it felt rush towards the end.
I do hope to read more of Marni Mann's books and be open-minded after this one.

This was such a fun and quick read. This was the first book I read by this author and I absolutely loved it. Grayson and Jovena had such amazing chemistry and this was just such a great fake dating story. Grayson finds himself in hot water after toasting to his bachelorhood which wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t running part of a dating app for marriage minded people. In order to fix a PR nightmare he starts faking dating/ marrying a former one night stand Jovena. She’s eager to help him and they are so great together and I would just highly, highly recommend this story.

4⭐️ 3.5🌶️

Publisher: Montlake
Writing perspective: first person, dual POV
Length: 378p
Reading format: Kindle

Tropes: billionaire, one night stand, fake dating/marriage, forced proximity, opposites attract, grumpy x sunshine, alpha MMC, age gap

📖 This definitely had all the things I have come to enjoy about a Marni book — a fast burn, high heat romance with an alpha billionaire that has met his match! Like many of Marni’s MMC’s, Grayson is a sexy bachelor with no plans to settle down… oh baby, does the world have other plans. As a co-founder of a dating app he finds himself in a bit of a PR situation and must say goodbye, even if only publicly, to his playboy ways. Fake dating has entered the chat! And his most recent one night stand might be the ticket, especially since he can’t stop thinking about her. But Jovana believes in love and wants the real thing, not whatever fake relationship Grayson has cooked up, no matter how hot they burn together. Watching Grayson struggle and Jovana stick to her guns was fun, and I am ALWAYS here for Marni’s spice 🔥
If you are looking for a low-angst, fun and spicy read that is a fast burn, this is one I think you’ll enjoy! These books are always good pallet cleansers for me between really emotional reads or darker books.

This is the second book in the Hooked Series. You can read this book as a standalone but I loved the first book, Mr. Hook-up. This is the story of Grayson and Jovana. His the owner of Hooked which is a very popular dating site. The man sure does good with a business that he doesn't have all that much experience as far as dating goes. He doesn't believe in dating and relationships at all, ever. He is all alpha male and you are going to fall for him right off the bat. I really liked him. When he meets a influencer who works as a waitress too, he has an immediate attraction to Jovana. These two are beyond perfect for each other and I'm just not sure that Grayson sees it or he just does not want to. However trouble is on the horizon for Grayson in the form of a pic and it will hit his business hard. Hence the plan that they make to save his company will blow your mind once you know Grayson. But a man has to do what a man has to do. Look out Jovana he is coming for you. This book was really fun to read. I loved the story that these two had to tell. They have some absolutely amazing chemistry that is going to have you hooked from beginning to end and you will be rooting for them so hard. I really loved reading this book.

Mr. Wicked is book 2 in the Hooked Series by Marni Mann.
I was hooked the minute I started reading and couldn't put it down!
I devoured this fast-paced romance and can’t wait for the other books to release.
This sexy romance is one to remember!
The characters and their witty banter.
The engaging writing that just sucks you completely in.
The phenomenal story that is ridiculous to pull away from!
I loved it and can’t wait to read more.

Thank You NetGalley and Montlake for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my first book by Marni Mann and I absolutely loved it! The chemistry between Grayson and Jovana was exquisite, the story telling flowed effortlessly and I was captivated from the very start. I’ll definitely be diving into this author’s backlist!

“What the hell is she doing to me? How does she have so much power over me?”

I love this series! Each 3 of these guys although best friends each of them are different and I love the dynamic. Grayson is known as the type of man to hook em and then be done but one night with Jovana and now he can’t get her out of his head. Jovana is a sweetheart, independent, and not the girl do have a one night stand because she wants the fairy tale but something about Grayson had her hooked. But they are complete opposite and truly made the perfect match. I loved that even though she is sweet, she has a fiery side and gives it back to Grayson when she needs too! Of course Jovana stepped up for Grayson when he needed a fake wife to save his company regardless of feelings most likely to get hurt. She seen a side of Grayson that no one else does and she should him her love through her actions. I loved his growth through the story especially when it came to relationships. By the end he was so smitten with Jovana, they were so cute together. I love how his friends gave him the tough love he needed but were also so supportive! Overall was a great story and I enjoyed the way their story played out!