The Pretend Christmas Bride

A Marriage of Convenience Christmas Romance. Edward & Mira's story

By: L. Steele

Narrated by: Shane East, Aure Nash

He’s my new boss

My sworn enemy

And now my arranged husband...

Edward Chase. Ex-priest. Now, General Manager of the London Ice Kings hockey team and the new CEO of the Davenport empire. The first time we met I spilt coffee all over his $10,000 suit. He looked at me like I was an inconvenience. I despised him at once. So, imagine my shock when he turns out to be my new boss?

He’s stern, forbidding and determined never to love again. I’m a curvy romantic, who believes in happily ever afters. He’s heartless...and will stop at nothing to make his inherited company a success. Including agreeing to a marriage of convenience... But when his bride doesn’t turn up for the wedding, He insists I stand in. With conditions...

We will not share a bed. There will be no feelings involved. We will be strangers bound only by duty. I want to refuse. We’re opposites after all...but this is my chance to escape my hateful step-mother and step-sisters.

Staying under his roof, the chemistry between us escalates. When my new husband calls me ‘my wife’ in front of our families and friends, I hope he has feelings for me. And when we’re trapped in a lighthouse with only one bed, over Christmas... I know he does. But what happens when he reveals his secret...?

Filled with forbidden longing where every stolen moment counts, this stand alone forced proximity, billionaire holiday romance is an emotional rollercoaster, where she falls first, but he falls harder. A journey from enemies to lovers, this is a multilayered winter romance of how opposites attract, the power of vulnerability, and the triumph of true love. There is no cheating, no other woman drama and no third act break up. There is however breathtaking angst, heartfelt groveling and an unforgettable HEA. Also a champagne swigging Great Dane who plays matchmaker.

©2023, 2024 Laxmi Hariharan (P)2024 Laxmi Hariharan

“I saw you and my world rightened.”

The Pretend Christmas Bride was an all-consuming, emotional story that captivated me from the first page to the last. Edward and Mira were absolute perfection together and I was completely obsessed with their heartwrenching and angsty journey.

Mira was pure sunshine. I loved her selflessness and how she gave of herself to others. She was such an empathetic character that was full of love and light. She even showed kindness to those who had beaten her down and stolen her confidence. Her goodness and light was just the sort of soul that Edward needed to heal the pain of his past while he was able to give her the self-confidence to find peace within herself.

How my heart hurt for the torment that Edward felt. He had been through so much trauma in his life, but when he set eyes on Mira, she brought him a sense of peace. Sure, he was stalkerish and possessive and way over the top in how he won over Mira, but somehow, it worked for him. His complicated past and morally gray character just made him that more attractive and his dark soul needed someone like Mira to bring him into the light. She helped him begin to face his past and to let go of his demons.

Shane East and Aure Nash narrate the audio of this title. I LOVED that it was in duet narration and it allowed me to lose myself in this complicated story. Shane East is great as the stern Edward and Aure brings a naivety and youthfulness to the character of Mira. Both gave a wonderful performance and made the audio worth a listen.

The banter as well as the heat and electricity between these two was off the charts HOT! Add in their undeniable emotional connection and these two were absolutely soulmates. Their journey was angsty and full of secrets and betrayals, but the pain and heartbreak they went through lead to such an emotionally compelling and fulfilling story that it was so worth it. Once I started Edward and Mira’s story, I could not put it down and I’m so excited for the next book in this series.

Finally Edward!!!

I knew going in that his story would be heartbreaking and even knew most of it. I hadn’t realized the lengths he would go to “control” his life. Mira was his perfect match and could see through his facade to the awesome man he was and wanted to be. This book had me cursing, laughing, crying in both anger and laughter. This book delivered on all fronts!! Can’t wait to venture into the lives of the Davenport’s and of course to keep up with Tiny!!❤️

The story how it was told oh my god

The characters, the story the love everything about the story was amazing The peoples voices is everything beautiful.

Wonderful

I loved this series ended with Edward. He was such a tortured soul throughout both series. I loved that he found his saving women like all the other men. Although, his story is the most unconventional! L Steele does it again, such amazing, erotic writing. Love!!

A mighty fall that tugs at the heartstrings .....

A mighty fall that tugs at the heartstrings and awakens the senses. Edward is book boyfriend gold. From his grumpy attitude to his heartbreaking past, he screams off limits. A tormented soul that craves a hint of light. Light comes when he least expects and this haunted bad boy will never be the same. Steele pushes the boundaries of heartache. The Pretend Christmas Bride dares to bring the heat without holding back on the heart. Can't put down romance.

Character development at its best

I loved this book. The little twists and turns helped the characters develop and I could feel their struggles. The narration was spot on and I could see Edward and Mira in my mind. Well worth the read.

My Favourite Book

I can't say enough about this book! Edward was affected the hardest by the childhood event that affected the seven. He had yet to heal and forgive himself. Mira was his beacon to facilitate the healing. Their connection was transcendent. This is my favourite book. In my mind, Shane East is Edward. The description fits this narrator lol. Aure Nash was wonderful. I especially love the duet narration. I even listened to the bonus epilogue available on the author's website.

HEA for Edward and Mira!

I am torn as to how to review this but not because it isn't well-written. In fact, it is some of the author's best work, but I had a hard time connecting with Edward and Mira. It has everything to do with the Edward I came to know from Billionaire's Sin and what I hoped for his HEA. I'm in the minority because I had hoped for Edward to find his soulmate in Ava and felt slightly sad that she ended up with Baron. With that said, Edward is now a shrewd businessman who has just resigned as the Manager of the London Ice Kings and his grandfather has requested (more like ordered) that he attend a family meeting. When he walks into the office, he's surrounded by five men whom he's never met, but are all his half-brothers. As the eldest grandson, Edward has been chosen by his grandfather to be the next CEO with the requirement that he take a wife. Mirabelle Young comes from a dysfunctional home, emotionally bereft of feeling since her mother's death. Her father remarried, but the stepmother and two stepsisters are beyond evil. Her father isn't home enough to see what she's been enduring because he's still grieving, but he also has to keep the business floating. He has arranged a marriage for Mira but, until then, she can live life the way she wants. Looking for a new job, she lands in Edward's crosshairs and after mutual insults are thrown, he hires her to start tomorrow. She doesn't know much about him, other than what her girlfriends have said about him, but she gets an interesting introduction that shows him at his growly best. This is the woman he's going to ask (again, order) to be his "fake" wife. They are an odd pair, let's make that Edward is an odd husband, to say the very least, since he has declared their marriage a sex-free zone. It's only been 18 hours since they've met, but Edward has his ways of convincing her. It's after they're married that the story slows down and there's quite a bit of repetition of words and subject. Mira is a curvy woman which was made perfectly clear by the numerous descriptions of her body, especially her thick, lucious, fleshy, plump thighs. In this case, less would have been better. As for the "secret" of the incident, that was a frequent argument between them and sometimes it felt like Mira was badgering him. The separation near the ending didn't feel quite believable because Mira lost the ability to understand why Edward did what he did. All in all, I really enjoyed the story, especially that there was minimal angst and very little bad behavior by Edward.
As always, the narration was perfectly done by the duo of Shane East and Aura Ash. They do an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life and humanizing them with their emotions, attitude and personality. They do more than give their characters their voices, they fall into the roles and become the character.

♥️ Excellent Romance and Narration!

The Pretend Christmas Bride cover is stunning to view and is just the beginning of this beautiful Christmas read. Edward ‘ Priest’ Chase and Mirabelle (Mira) Young were written in the cards. I’m so happy how the story turned out. I adore Mira and her personality is perfect for Edward. I loved Edward since way back when I first met him in the beginning of The Big Bad Billionaires series and I am thrilled he is getting his hea with Mira.
Edward’s character is compelling and very complex. This book digs deep into his character and shows him remodeling himself. Oh, and the angst & spicy is perfect. Mira is sweet yet, not a pushover and I love how she stands up for herself and what she wants.
The writing style is addictive and brings the characters together passionately.
I have read every single book by L. Steele and this one is one of my favourite's. Although, I love every single book by this author this one will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️. I highly recommend listening to this Christmas book, it’s the perfect fireside story.

Shane East and Aure Nash dual narration was phenomenal. Shane East is my favourite British narrator. I love a English accent and his tone is intoxicating to listen to. Aure Nash is a talented narrator who brought Mira's character to life.

Love the story and narration

Outstanding!!

L.Steele you out did your self on this one!!! You had me laughing out loud, crying feeling sad for “Eddie” and breaking my heart all in the same chapter!!! And the sex scenes were off the charts! Edward was worth the wait. Plus I can’t wait for his half siblings stories. Of course I have to mention my favorite narrator Mr. East who never disappoints. 💕😂