The Wall of Winnipeg and Me
Vanessa Mazur refuses to feel bad for quitting. Two years as personal assistant to Aiden Graves — the top defensive end in professional football, beloved by thousands as the "Wall of Winnipeg" for his stone-faced reserve — was always meant to be temporary, and she's done washing his extra-large underwear for a man who's never once told her good morning.
Then Aiden turns up at her door asking her to come back, and the job description has changed: he needs a wife for immigration purposes, and he's offering to erase her student debt and buy her a house in exchange for five years of marriage. Vanessa says yes for the money. She doesn't expect the guarded, walled-off man she thought she knew to start letting her in — or for a marriage of convenience to become the real thing.
A slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine romance from Mariana Zapata, first published in 2016 and reissued by Avon/HarperCollins in 2023 with new bonus content.
Aiden Graves's former personal assistant, an aspiring graphic designer who agrees to a marriage of convenience with him.
Nicknamed "the Wall of Winnipeg," a top defensive end in professional football known for his stoic, guarded demeanor.
This book is a standalone romance and does not require reading any other books by Mariana Zapata to understand the plot or characters. While some characters from her other works might make brief appearances, their roles are minor and do not impact the main story.
Readers often describe Mariana Zapata's books, including this one, as 'slow burn' romances, meaning the romantic relationship develops gradually over a significant portion of the story. The focus is often on the emotional connection and character development before the physical aspects of the relationship.