I definitely wasn’t expecting that last POV! He’s in the music and she’s a counselor or something like that cause she works with kids. Employment aside, can we talk about their chemistry!? Mariah and Dakota have my heart and money cause if C Monet wants to write forevermore about these two imma put my card on tab.

The Arranged Hearts series just keeps getting better and better. I loved Dakota & Mariah's relationship. Their relationship most definitely resembled real life-- no fairytale fluff relationship. They faced real life problems with real life experiences that couple's face-- critical family's, rough upbringings, fear of being hurt, painful interpersonal relationships, and the need for control.
I would reread and recommend this book to any of my friends that love to read.

Enjoyed this installment in the Arranged Hearts series by C. Monet. In Tension, the next lucky people to sign up and get paired through Arranged Hearts matchmaking, is Mariah Stanfill and Dakota Buck. Dakota is a music exec ready to commit but past betrayal has him leery with opening his heart. Mariah is a counselor is also dealing with past issues that she is hesitant to reveal her whole self. As these two enter into holy matrimony, the bliss they expected met with challenges. Will distrust and fear overpower the budding love Mariah and Dakota feel for each other?

I enjoyed Dakota and Mariah’s story. Each had their issues to face and needed to communicate and show transparency. Ms. Monet does a good job fleshing out the issues and displaying the couple’s determination to work through the issues. I initially received an advance audio copy but needed to also download the electronic version as the male narrator was not very engaging. Overall good read.

Note: I received an advance audio copy from Netgalley

This novel offers a fascinating take on the idea of entering a committed relationship without prior knowledge of one another. The story explores how two individuals, both strangers, navigate the complexities of a marriage formed through a unique matchmaking process. The characters’ contrasting views on family, traditions, and personal beliefs are depicted thoughtfully, adding depth to their journey together.

There are moments where the blend of religious and secular elements felt somewhat jarring, creating a mix of emotions for the reader. However, this contrast also highlighted the characters’ growth and evolution throughout the book. Watching them transform from guarded individuals into a rare connection was compelling.

Overall, I found it to be an engaging listen that challenges conventional notions of love and marriage. It’s particularly recommended for those who enjoy stories that are honest and grounded in reality, capturing the raw essence of human relationships. This would make an excellent choice for a black romance book club discussion, as it offers plenty of material to reflect on and debate. These are new narrators for me, and I think the female narrator in particular has a nice voice.

This novel presented with an interesting concept - that of going into a sacred union, sight unseen. It was unreal and yet the experiences the couple faced were very much realistic. The opposing perspectives on family structure, expectations, and values was nicely written. The back and forth between religious talk/actions and non religious talk/actions threw me for a loop quite a few times; it seemed odd. In a way, I suppose that shows growth. Both characters went from raw to rare over time. At the end of the day, it was a good read.

Other: Readers who prefer down home, in your face, keeping it real ships, this one is for you.

* Tension would be a fantastic book club read. There is so much food for thought.

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley for sharing an ALC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars! Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC! I am really enjoying this series! Mariah is a high school counselor and she is ready to take a chance on love. Dakota is a music executive who is ready to settle down with one woman.

They both decide to try Arranged Hearts in hopes of finding the love of their life. With the Arranged Hearts program, you are matched up with your perfect mate by meeting with the matchmaker who asks a series of questions, and she will match you with your person based off of your responses, and you marry each other sight unseen.

We follow Dakota and Mariah’s relationship and see if they will live happily ever after. They encounter some bumps in the road along with their own personal issues that they have to work through, and see how they work through these issues in hopes of them working it out. I really enjoyed their story and look forward to reading the other books in the Arranged Hearts series.

Thank you for this Arc, I really enjoyed this story. Dakota and Mariahs' love story was very cute and just love arranged marriages.

This is a fast paced, arranged marriage romance featuring two people looking for love and romance,. Dakota is a music producer. He didn’t have the best role models as parents. He built himself from nothing and has the lifestyle he wants but not the love. His last relationship broke him. He puts it all on the line for Mariah.

Mariah is a school counselor. She has a big heart. She is looking to settle down with a good man. She is not one to face her issues, while Dakota is pretty open, she keeps things close until things explode. Her secrets could cause her the love and always wanted.

Good story, good character development and plenty is steam.

In the beginning I was not feeling Mariah but eventually I started to understand her. Dakota was instantly lovable. I liked going through the journey of their relationship. They both had trust issues and it was interesting to see how each of them dealt with it. Simone Rothschild did a great job with the narration. Dylan Ford was ok but didn't wow me.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this story and appreciated that it was in first person. The narrators were enjoyable to listen to and made this story come to life.

Dakota, Dakota, Dakota!! Whew he is just that dude!! This series so far is amazing. Mariah is a high school counselor and Dakota is a successful music executive who both are looking to settle down and decide to go through Arranged Hearts.

This story was very relatable in the sense of each character’s background and dynamics with others in their life. Being vulnerable and putting your trust wholeheartedly into another can be hard when you’ve been constantly let down. But these 2 truly overcame and gave the marriage their all.

I would recommend this book, this series, every chance I get!

This is my first book from C. Monet..
I really enjoyed the Married at First Sight theme..I also enjoyed the realistic dialog with this book. Dakota and Mariah's marriage wasn't easy but with communication and understanding it grew into something beautiful. I received a complementary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This Arranged Marriage book was so great. I enjoyed this so much. I liked how quickly they connected and listened/made time for each other. This series is people that really want to make relationship work and communication is key. I enjoyed this so much. SOSO MUCH.

I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Absolutely loved Dakota and Mariah!!

This story I thought had way more depth with the marriage hiccups and really symbolized how marriage is a union of two broken people coming together with their own baggage to become one. Loved these two and the journey they went on.

I am loving this series so much. I love that so far the characters are in their 30’s and mature for the most part. Each person knows what they want and they stand up for themselves. This story had a hiccup in the Mariah’s and Dakotas bond built i love that they loved each other to want to see their marriage through this issue. I am excited to continue through the other books in the series and I’m loving that the black love is positive.

This is the second book I’ve read in this series, and I still like the theme of black love meets married at first sight. It’s a fun premise and I like the story in general. However, the execution of this particular book fell a little short for me. The female narrator was great, but the male narrator didn’t sell it for me. I also didn’t love the main characters. The male main character was arrogant and heavy-handed, and the female main character was too much of a doormat. I didn’t feel like she stood her ground. The spice was good, and overall it was a cute story, but I really wish I liked the characters more.

I received this audio arc from NetGalley. It was ok for me. It wasn’t my favorite at all and I really didn’t like the MMC very much. 3 stars.

Sweet story. Loved the back and forth between the couple. Also loved them having real life issues as well as wonderful resolution.

While the premise is fantastic and the FMC is a well developed character. This leaves a lot to be desired.

Repetitive and exasperating, this is almost a tit for tat story where the same situations are repeated over and over, yet there is SOOOOO much communication about how this instalove, arranged marriage is so strong and they will weather any storm but two seconds later someone for their past shows up and they need time to process it. Even though the other person reassured them that they want to be with them. Once or twice is fine but at 68% it’s all this story is and I’m not compelled enough to finish.

However, this is a great premise with a promising start but it just didn’t pan out for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio arc. Right away we find out this is a marriage at first sight of Dakota and Mariah due to a matchmaking service that is called Arranged Hearts. It’s first person which I love more than third and right off the bat the writing is really fun and the banter between Mariah and her friend is funny and witty. I love that this follows a little older more mature woman at age 37 which is kinda refreshing to me. There is some insta love but I really like the uniqueness for me because of the multicultural romance aspect to it. I haven’t read much of those. This book has been giving me so much giddy feels ever since the beginning, I love the female narrator more than the male, Mariah’s narrator just fits the character so much! I feel like she comes to life. To me this explores deep connection between two people and getting to know one another and it’s a heartfelt story for both characters and we get to know them very well and both of them go through internal conflict and there’s deep connections with family ties too. I had tears throughout and I loved it! Highly recommend.

While Tension is admittedly insta-love, a trope I detest, I chose request to read Tension because it took elements from reality TV that the masses really seem to enjoy and made something that is taboo in the same society—arranged marriages—seem cool, fun, safe, and exciting. C. Monet is a great storyteller and created characters who not only had their own lives and goals, they also acted their age and had normal processing and conflict resolution skills. While I didn't like the ending very much, I overall enjoyed the first book in this series and look forward to the next.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing an ALC!

4 ⭐️s
3 🌶️s
🚨 audiobook pub date: 8/6/24