I enjoyed the book more than I thought I would in the first few chapters. But felt instalovey to me and the dynamic was just kinda off? But the further I got into the plot the more I enjoyed it.

3 stars
Audiobook review

I enjoyed the premise and intro to this story but towards the middle and ending I didn't feel like I was into the story anymore and just wanted to reach the finish line asap. I felt that the world building and plot was there but it was just not successfully achieved to success. It was either chapter after chapter fmc makes plans but then postpones plans to distract the mmc or is distracted.

Also two preferences of mine is dual pov and some spice to the story where fated mates is involved. This was not here and I felt for me it could have helped here.

Tha narrator was good. New to me narrator that I plan to check out additional work in the future.

Arc Review! 5 ⭐️

I loved this! It’s a romance/fantasy with a twist of supernatural freaky Friday it’s the best way to describe this. The narration is done perfectly, especially with a Scottish accent it went perfectly together.

It’s Enemies to lovers It feels like it’s more than just a romance story. It’s full of unknown adventures with enemies to lovers with banter.

The story is fast-paced it doesn’t keep you waiting for things to pick up. The events and the world-building went well together it was easy for me to keep up with it. I liked the fact that we get to experience everything with the MFC such as we’re seeing and feeling everything from her pov/eyes

The MMC does grow on you there’s times he had me kicking my feet overall I honestly enjoyed the ending had me wanting so much more i went back to make sure I didn’t miss any chapters that’s how invested I was with this story and ending. I can’t wait for book two!

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley, and the publishers for allowing me to be an Arc listener for this.

👩🏻‍💻 ᗰY TᕼOᑌGᕼTS: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Wow this was a pretty darn good Romantasy!!! And I love how it’s not like 5 books and it’s a standalone. Even with all the rules the way the story played out, it was fun to find things out as the FMC discovered it, so there didn’t have to be a TON of world building. BUT, it did sort of leave some unanswered questions for me…. This the 4.5…

The Narrator was AMAZING! Loved Mhairi as the narrator! She has a great tone and loved her accents and voices too. She made this audiobook listen super enjoyable!!

And Oooo did Elle and Callen have a SLOW BURN 😅! But thats ok under the circumstances of the story and plot, and honestly it all worked in REALLY WELL because I wouldn’t want an open door scene because of… well and…. I CANT TELL YOU! 😅😂 and WOW was there a fun PLOT TWIST TOO!!!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
👑Contemporary Romantasy
👑Slow Burn
👑Hidden Identity
👑So many secrets
👑Single POV
👑Just Kissing

Elizabeth Darcy is about to leave Scotland after her dream vacation but she doesn't want to leave. Wish granted. Things get a little weird and turns out, Elle is sticking around for a bit while she figures out how she ended up in someone else's body with someone else's husband. Except things are a lot more complicated than they seem.

This book was sort of silly and a little bit rough around the edges but I totally enjoyed it. It's an easy fun read and I would wholeheartedly read a second in this series. Elle is sort of adorable but sometimes kind of clueless. She's no master planner or schemer, but she's a great teacher and she uses that skill to save herself more than a few times. Callen Bruce hates his wife, with good reason. She's awful and she sort of is the reason his brother is dead. He's stuck with her though and he's not letting her out of his sight. Or is he...

I couldn't give spoilers if I tried. The plot meanders, the characters are not super deep, there's some plot holes, and the ending was so topsy turvy it's a little ridiculous. But I didn't hate a second of it. Don't go into this book thinking it's going to be anything but a fun read and you'll enjoy it.

A solid 4 stars when taken as a comfy read. I received this Audio book from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was incredible!!
Not sure I’ve read the authors before, but I will definitely be looking for them now!!

Elle is on vacation…it’s one she’s longed for, for quite some time! And, on her last day there…she’s literally swept away… and… drugged? She’s not sure. But when she awakes, absolutely everything about her life has changed… including her appearance! 😮😮😮

She’s not sure WHERE she is, or WHO she is! But one thing’s for sure…she’s NOT Elle. And she suspiciously looks just like the woman she’d been talking to just before she was taken.

And then, the most handsome guy comes in…and calls her wife!! But…she’s not married. And, he’s not happy! As a matter of fact, he seems angry! At her!! And she’s never met him before!

This one was CRAZY! But also, touching, heart-melting, and yet terrifying and utterly breath-taking (holding) at times!!

A little bit of magical realism, a little bit of romantasy, a little bit of fate…as well as a bit of faith!!

And, this one brought out so many emotions too!!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!

#TheWrongBride by #GenaShowalter and #JillMonroe. Narrated beautifully by #MhairiMorrison.

**** Release date is coming soon!! So, 👀 for it on 2/25/25!! ****

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook!!

Of Note: This is Book # 1 of a new series…so, stay tuned!

You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

A lot of books boast about being similar to ACOTAR, but this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to the feeling I had when reading that series. The plot is SIMILAR but definitely not the same. Imagine if Feyre switched bodies with Tamlins wife, who he hates because he blames her for the death of his brother. Also, imagine that Tamlin is half Tamlin, half Rhysand. And that is this book.

I had a blast reading this, but I’m nervous there’s no details on future books. This can’t be the end of their story!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A mixed review, I really enjoyed this book, but I was confused at times. The whole soul shifting, especially explained in the end, was a little too much. Also, our hero can not understand him. So he was betrothed to Isobel since she is his fated and has a live-in mistress, Sorcha. They soul switch, mistress is alive in Isobel body, but Callen still thinks she is his fated? Very confusing.

Ellie seemed more normal to me, but again, she had her moments of crazy, with her back and forth. Overall, though, I liked the story and want to read more in the series. The connection between Ellie and Callen is all sizzle and steam, palpable and hot.

Mhairi Morrison is one of my favorite narrators, so I did enjoy listening to this book.

#netgalley #TheWrongBride

4 Stars – A Unique Twist on Fated Mates

The Wrong Wife by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe delivers an intriguing mix of body swap, paranormal romance, and Scottish mythology. The premise is fresh and engaging—Elle, a schoolteacher on vacation, suddenly finds herself in the body of a billionaire’s wife, only to discover he’s not just rich but also a berserker locked in an ancient war.

Callen is the perfect brooding hero, and the tension between him and Elle crackles. Their banter and slow-burning chemistry kept me hooked, but the pacing dragged a bit in places. I also would have loved duet narration to bring both perspectives to life more dynamically.

Overall, this was a fun, unique romance with a supernatural twist. If you love fated mates, reluctant attraction, and a bit of Scottish magic, it’s worth the listen!

I hate to DNF'ing anything, and it's a rarity for me, but this was one where I felt like it was time to hit pause and never resume on several occasions. The plot line was intriguing, I love a good historical fantasy, body-switching plot, however, I just could not gel with the narration. I knew from the first chapter, and the narrator's pronunciation of 'Edinburgh' that I was going to maybe prefer the physical copy of this story over the audio. This is a shame because the overall story was so whimsical and fun it was difficult not to love, the narrator aced some of the accents, but unfortunately, the pacing of the narration let it down for me. But I do look forward to seeing how the series plays out in future books!

✨ Book Review: The Wrong Bride (Kings of Fury, #1) by Gena Showalter ✨

Elle’s dream vacation to the Highlands takes a shocking turn when a single drink in a pub changes everything—she wakes up in the body of a queen! Now married to Callen, a man who believes she’s his fated mate, Elle must stay quiet and unravel the mystery before it’s too late.

The problem? The more she gets to know Callen, the harder it becomes to ignore the attraction. But he isn’t hers—he belongs to the woman whose body she now inhabits. With danger lurking and secrets unfolding, will Elle find her way back to her real life, or will fate have other plans?

This book is a must-read! A perfect mix of mystery, sizzling chemistry, and a strong-willed heroine. If you love an intriguing romance with a twist, add this to your TBR ASAP!

💜The Audiobook is excellent and the accent and flow are perfect!

Freaky Friday vibes
The story starts out with Elle, a teacher from Oklahoma, currently on vacation alone in Scotland. In the last days of her trip she gets drugged. When she wakes up she’s in someone else’s body and married to the billionaire king of the Scottish berserkers. Despite the fantasy elements the MFC’s inner monologue is more like a rom com. Elle is a positive sunshine and King Callan is a grumpy warrior. I really liked that Elle utilizes her tools she uses to talk to young children as a teacher to navigate her way around broody men. 😂 Surprisingly there is zero spice in this book.

This was my first Gena Showalter story and it won't be my last! I loved this fun foray into berserkers and shifters! I loved El's heart and grit as she accepted the crazy world she'd been thrust into and fell for her Berserker husband. I am SO looking forward to book two!

Thank you Netgalley!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿📚✨Will the real fated mate please stand up!✨📚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I received this ALC through NetGalley (thank you!)

I really enjoyed this audiobook! The narrators voice sounded like she was constantly reciting poetry. She did a good job with the different accents and kept me engaged through the whole story.

And the story was great! It was fast paced and interesting. The world of berserkers and body swapping constantly kept me on my toes. I adore Scotland and love reading books set here. I did think it strange that Callen didn’t catch on to some things a lot sooner than he did, but I suppose willful ignorance may have played a part.

I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, which was exciting. I loved the characters and their interactions. And I enjoyed the slow burn of the main romance.

Overall, this was a great book and I’m glad that I don’t have long to wait until the sequel is released!

Ever give much thought to where the phrase “going berserk” comes from? Yeah, neither had I. As it turns out, if comes from Norse and Germanic folklore about savage men whose rage led to a trance like state in which they fought battles, often becoming the violent villains of the legends.

This story follows Elle, a charming school teacher from Oklahoma, upon waking up on her last day of her Scottish vacation to find herself in someone else’s body, and married to a sentinel, Callan, one of the immortal berserkers, who cannot stand her. Despite his hatred, Callan refuses to let her go, believing the woman she now embodies is his fated firebrand, the one person able to calm the berserker and keep them from entering their trace-like state of fury, that often leads to more death and destruction than intended. Once a berserker succumbed to their fury enough, their inner beast was released, and the men became shifters, the creatures Callan is trying to protect his people from.

The story started out a bit silly, but it developed into an interesting romantasy, inspired by the legend of a lore I have not seen written about before. While a lot of the tropes and storylines are well known and often used in other romance and fantasy novels, I felt the story was still able to retain a uniqueness that kept me interested in seeing where the author took me.

The characters are dynamic and the tension between Elle and Callan is well developed. A few twists and surprises were sprinkled throughout the story to keep the reader on their toes. This appears to be the first in a standalone series, and I am curious to see where this world takes some of the secondary characters.
—
🐺Romantasy
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Slow burn
🐺Enemies to lovers
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Soul switching
🐺Fated mates
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Berserkers
🐺Shifters
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Folklore
🐺Grumpy x sunshine
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Closed door
🐺Single POV
📍Scotland, UK
—
Story by Gena Showalter & Jill Monroe:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration by Mhairi Morrison: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
—
Thank you Dreamscape Media & NetGalley for this complimentary ALC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 2/25/2025

First time reading anything from these authors and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t normally read books with humorous writing but I enjoyed it in this book. The plot was interesting and kept you on your toes. The narrator did a great job with the voices as well. I did feel that a lot was jammed at the last few chapters. I’d rather a longer book or a cliff hanger than feeling rushed. I will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series!

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
2 ☆
I liked the premise of this story, Scotland Lore. Elizabeth “Elle” Darcy, vacationing in Scotland, anticipates picturesque landscapes, castles, and kilt-wearing charmers, not awakening in someone else’s body. Worse, that someone just married the enigmatic billionaire Callen Bruce. Determined to reclaim her normal life, Elle will do anything necessary to switch back with Callen’s real wife.

I like the idea of body switching, but for some reason, this book didn’t deliver that for me. It had a slow pace and was confusing. The narrator was okay, but made it somewhat hard to listen to. I even listened at 2.5x speed, and it just felt like she was talking down to me and not reading the story.

Thank you, Netgellay, and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, any feelings of adoration I had towards this book diminished because of how little I liked the narrator.

Okay this was a heard one for me. That was mainly because of the narrators voice. This is the first audio book that I have ever listened to that made me feel like I was talked down to the whole time. Aside from that the story was a good one. I am a fan of body swapping and crazy ex's! The background was beautiful( at least in my mind and made me want to be there sometimes, and sometimes not. Both of the MC were relatable on some level for me and which is why I finished this book. The pace was steady and that was nice. Will I continue this series? Yes but only on the kindle or paperback, audio is not recommended, but the book is!

*This audio book was provided as an ARC for an honest review*

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

I enjoyed the take on this story and the timeline. The narrator did a great job at the Scottish accents. However, there were many times that the lead kept secrets that was just totally unnecessary. So many of the disastrous events could’ve been avoided, if the heroine had just made different decisions. All and all, I enjoyed this book, but felt annoyed occasionally by the heroine and was really looking for more spice!