C
Catharina MauraFiction · Romance
The Wrong Bride
Synopsis
Raven has always secretly loved Ares Windsor, the man destined to marry her older sister, Hannah, as part of their family's high-society marriage arrangements. When Hannah vanishes on her wedding day, Raven is forced to step in and marry Ares herself. Now bound to the man she adores, Raven must navigate a life where her feelings are unreciprocated, all while hoping to finally win his heart.
How it reads
Prose complexity 4/10
- I hated this book. Nothing made sense and everything was messed up. That’s all you need to know. Everything below this point is a rant full of spoilers with no order or structure.<br><br>-<br><details><summary>Spoiler</summary><br>The dude was in love with Raven’s sister for 5 years, they had a long term relationship, loved each other, and planned a life together, then Hanna left him to prioritize her career and one month later he was confessing his love for Raven.<br><br>I don’t know if I missed something but why is the Grandma telling her grandkids who they are supposed to get married to? I was expecting the story of the tradition. Why is it so important? What if Grandma is wrong? What if they don’t even want to get married?<br><br>I didn’t buy the “you were always the one” plot. Ares never made up his mind about how he felt for Raven before the marriage. He had sexual dreams of Raven while being engaged to her sister (disgusting) but simultaneously he was thinking of her as a “little sister” when he suspects his brother is into her.<br><br>One chapter he loved Raven so much and would do absolutely everything for her, but then he didn’t want to hurt Hanna even though she started the whole thing and didn’t care that his actions would hurt Raven. 80% into the book he allowed the pregnant sister to move into their house knowing his wife would be miserable and was willing to make Raven watch him and Hanna have a kid. I hated Grandma when she forced the ex to stay with them, what is the reasoning behind that? How is making a tense, toxic and awful situation better for them and the high-risk pregnancy? And they trust her to make decisions on who they will be spending their future with? NO.<br><br>In the end Ares confessing he knew Hanna cheated on him with multiple men but didn’t care made absolutely no sense. He was going to marry her knowing this? The guy that values marriage, fidelity and doesn’t believe in divorce was going to marry the cheater? There was a rule that said they couldn’t cheat or he would lose his inheritance and that was the point of the marriage in the first place.<br><br>Maybe it is because I’m very close to my sister but, even knowing how s••••• and selfish Hannah was, I don’t know how Raven thought of Ares as “mine” one day after getting married to him, being aware how much Hannah still loved him.<br><br>I hated everyone. They all made terrible decisions. Raven was a doormat, she just allowed everyone to step on her. Ares was an idiot. Raven’s parents were awful. I can’t even put into words how much I hate Hanna. But will I read the next book? Absolutely.<br></details>
- <div>This book reminded me of another I read in 2023, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐟𝐞 by 𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧, and I couldn't help but notice the striking similarities between the two. While I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, there were certain aspects that left me feeling somewhat perturbed, particularly the bride's treatment by her own family, especially her mother, and the intense public scrutiny she faced on social media and beyond - it honestly irked me.<br>Nevertheless, I was deeply invested in the Female Main Character's(𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧)journey of self-discovery and growth. I adored how the family she married into showered her with love and acceptance. Despite the challenges portrayed in the novel, my biggest takeaway would be the importance of 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 with 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 and 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, regardless of their social standing. We're all human, navigating our own struggles, and deserving of grace. I absolutely loved 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐬' character - his maturity, gentleness, and open-mindedness towards his wife were truly endearing. He undoubtedly stole the show as my favorite character in this book.</div>
- 3.25 stars Male Lead: Ares Windsor Female Lead: Raven Du Pont First of all, f••• Hannah! F••• her mom! Why would mom acted like that? Actually, the favoritism is driving me insane. F••• Hannah for even existing! The way she acted, I really thought she was the youngest but our Raven is. Shout out to Raven by being the strongest female lead that is straightforward and can stand on her own. I understand how insecure she can be towards Hannah. I mean, who wouldn't? Again, f••• Hannah. And Ares!? Sometimes, he was good and then, he being a jerk. He was so sweet with Hannah tho but he slightly boring, like nothing special about him. 3 stars actually but 0.75 points for my strongest girl, Raven!
- <div>There was a particular scene in this book that made be scratch my head, it was almost cringyy, but overall a cute book</div>