Red-Haired Ash Reads

After Jessi’s dad passed away she found herself drowning in medical debt. Her estranged grandmother is offering to pay off the debt providing she shows she is respectable and settled, i.e. married. With a nonexistent love life this seems impossible until she stumbles across an unusual solution: a bride wanted to add in a dating app. She applies and is instantly matched with an orc cowboy named Greel. They agree to the marriage but also agree it will be a fake one so they can both get what they want. But will she be able to leave after one year is up? 

Greel and Jessi’s romance was adorable and sweet. These two had instant chemistry and the sparks fly from the very beginning. Greel realizes as soon as he touches Jessi that she is his mate and he is determined to convince her to stay after that. Greel spends the majority of this book showing Jessi she can trust him and that he is the perfect partner for her. I really just loved all the wooing and how supportive he was while dealing with her grandmother. 

Jessi was a strong and independent woman. She is grieving her fathers death but at the same time her grief is on hold because she has to focus on paying her bills and surviving. We see her finally get a chance to grieve and also reconnect with the only family she has left. I really enjoyed all the character growth we get in this, especially for such a short book. 

Overall, this was a fantastic fake marriage/fated mates story. I really enjoyed this world and will be reading the next book, especially since I liked the brief glimpse we got of Greel’s brothers and want to know more about them, and their frontier town they are building. 

TW: grief; recent death of father;

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