Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: First person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: Almost immediately, chapter 1
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes
Format: listened to audiobook from the library (hoopla)

Should I read in order?
I picked this one up alone and it was fine! I am actually not sure on series order here. Because I only read 1 other Rebekah Weatherspoon (Sanctuary) which is in a difference series and those characters were in this novel. So I’m guessing her series are in the same world?? If someone knows her perfect reading order, let me know!

Basic plot:
Xeni finds out a whole bunch of family secrets after her aunt’s passing – and she now must marry to gain her inheritance

Give this a try if you want:
- contemporary romance
- Black heroine and Scottish hero
- LGBT positive – both mains are bisexual
- arranged marriage-ish (it’s called a marriage of inconvenience 😆
- light fake relationship vibes
- kindergarten teacher heroine
- thick hero – heroine notices that he doesn’t skip leg day OR a meal
- mains in their 30s
- bearded hero
- well-endowed hero
- childfree HEA
- celibate heroine – she hasn’t been with anyone in 5 years
- Wiccan heroine
- flexitarian heroine – she avoids red meat, and only eats chicken if there’s no other option (focuses on fish and plants)
- size difference – taller hero
- higher steam – 5 scenes with toy usage and pegging

Ages:
- Heroine is 35, hero is 36

First line:
The steam behind Saint Micheal’s episcopal church was a lovely place for a memorial service.

My thoughts:
The kiss wasn’t necessary. All they had to do was agree to be husband and wife. A friendly handshake would probably be the best move. Too bad another louder, hornier due to lack of physical contact with a man for almost 5 whole years voice screamed, ‘Kiss him! Hell, fuck him! You like his hands.’

This book was really sweet, surprising and beautiful! This is my second Rebekah Weatherspoon, and my favorite so far. I loved the arranged marriage vibes of this one. I loved the heroine and her finding out so much about her family history here, and the Scottish hero was just lovely.

Both Xeni and Mason have such a backstory that just endears them to you so much. I feel like they really are perfect for each other. I loved the character focus and getting to know these 2! I am a bit confused as to how Weatherspoon’s books are woven together, as I have read 2 books from the middle of 2 different series and they seemed to flow right together haha.

Definitely more eager to read more Weatherspoon now.

Content warnings: These should be taken as a minimum of what to expect. It’s very possible I have missed some.

- death of aunt/friend is a plot point
- family secrets [including finding out you were adopted basically and another family member is actually your mom (hide spoiler)]
- mention of racism
- miscarriages remembered

Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:

Safe sex: 

condoms used 

Hows the consent? 

it’s good! 

31% - wedding kiss
36% - 🔥cock touches, oral/fingering for her, hero comes in his pants

“What kind of husband are you?”
“Cruel. Impatient. Very demanding. If I want you to come, darling, you’re gonna come.”

51% - 🔥 breast play, then a bit of a break, missionary

“Come here.” Mason held out his hand.
Usually Xeni didn’t like to be told what to do, but she found herself walking right to him. He lightly took her fingers when she was within arms reach and pulled her closer to she was standing between his legs. Slowly he parted the halves of her draping sweater, exposing her body to his heated gaze.

57% - kiss
65% - 🔥 fingering/oral for her, sex against the desk

“Does that feel good, baby?” she asked and for the first time, possibly ever, she realized what it meant to want to own a man, have him craving you in ways neither of you understood.
“You know it does,” Mason replied as he pulled out inch by inch.

81% - 🔥 anal for hero (pegging)

“The moon is telling me that this is about to be the best sex of your life.”
“That’s the spirit. Lie down on the bed, gorgeous Moon Goddess. On your back.”

98% - 🔥sex that fades then epilogue picks up at the start of a scene of him doing her against the bathroom sink
“Babe! Fuck, fuck fuck. We have to stop.”
“Not until you come,” Mason groaned.