The Imperfect Marriage: Quentin & Vivian's Story

The Davenports, Book 2

De: L. Steele

Narrado por: Shane East, Stella Hunter

Quentin Davenport is my ex-boyfriend’s father ...

And my new marriage of convenience husband

When my boyfriend leaves me at the altar

Quentin offers to marry me!

No way can I accept it,

Especially since Quentin is much older than me

He's a tall, dark and tattooed former Marine,

Whose grumpy disposition leaves much to be desired.

But this way I can salvage my dignity...

Also, I can get back at my ex.

Besides, it’s a fake marriage.

So there’s no fear of developing feelings... right?

When he offers to put my younger sister through college....and pay for my father’s medical treatment.

I can’t refuse him.

Only he has conditions:

I must live with him, as his wife.

I must pretend to be his.

I must convince his family that I love him.

Living under the same roof as man and wife, I see a different side of my husband.

The pretend marriage begins to feel very realI begin to dream of a future with him.

I am going to get my Happily Ever After...

But what happens when I walk into his office and see him with the mother of his son...?

This is a marriage of convenience, ex-boyfriend's father, forced proximity, billionaire romance, with an HEA. There is no cheating, no OW/OM drama, and no third act breakup.

©2024 Laxmi Hariharan (P)2024 Laxmi Hariharan

Great narration!🙌🏼

💍𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
🩵𝐄𝐱’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐝
💍𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐩

✨Thoughts✨
𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧 and 𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐧 have a unique meeting after Vivian is left at the altar by Quentin's son. Quentin immediately decides that Vivian will be his wife. As their complicated relationship unfolds, Quentin struggles with his feelings and past mistakes while Vivian grapples with their undeniable connection. Despite their baggage, their chemistry ignites the story. The book includes spicy scenes with BDSM themes and explores their significant age gap.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 duet narration by Shane East and Stella Hunter brings the characters to life, adding depth and emotion to their story. Fans of age gap romance will definitely enjoy this audiobook.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒⭐️
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝟑/𝟓🔥

Imperfectly perfect

The imperfect marriage was anything but, imperfect. In fact, it was so good. Quentin offers Vivian an out when his son leaves her at the alter. Does Vivian take him up on the offer? Older man + younger woman, contemporary romance, fake relationship, beautiful and so worth the read.

Sweltering Steamy Age Gap Billionaire Marriage Of Convenience Romance!

"...from the moment I saw her, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Not even the fact she was going to marry my son stopped me from wanting her. And when I realized Felix had stood her up, I seized the opportunity. At my age, you don’t wait for the right moment. You know that these feelings come around but once in a lifetime; so when you feel this strongly about a woman, you don’t hesitate. You claim her, and keep her, and worship her, and take care of her, so she never wants for anything. It also means, you protect her with everything you have."

Quentin never stood a chance as he watched Vivian walk down the aisle to marry Felix...his son. He fell hard. He fell fast. When Felix doesn't show up, he grabs his chance and proposes to Vivian.

Only the up for anything, don't dare me, I'll do it, sweltering steamy romance author L. Steele would start her age gap billionaire marriage of convenience romance, The Imperfect Marriage, with this wild premise.

Vivian needs money for her family. Felix, her best friend, from a rich family, says he loves her. She's devastated when he stands her up at the altar but that doesn't mean she can marry his father...or can she?

I love a dual narration and voice actor Shane East delivers as the older, sexy, drool worthy, dirty talking Quentin. The sweet innocent performance of voice actress Stella Hunter enhances Vivian's strength to fight for Quentin when he believes he loves her too much to keep her in this unconventional relationship.

Switching between reading and listening to this angsty romance gave me better insight into Quentin's struggles with guilt as a former soldier, an absentee father, and his need to marry. A standalone, book 2, of The Davenports, is a perfectly imperfect romance.

I received a copy of this book/audiobook from Hambright_pr for a fair & honest review. All opinions are my own.

Bottom line: It's nicely enjoyable; great narration.

Vivian is a jilted bride who was going to marry her best friend for (as yet) unknown reasons. When the bridegroom doesn't show up, his father proposes marriage to Vivian and our story begins.
I had mixed feelings about the book. The writing is great with wonderful dialog and nicely steamy scenes.
The narration is great! I love the dual narration ❤️.
The storyline was good, but a bit too angsty for me. He was all "'I need to win her at all costs' but then 'I'm not good enough for her'" and she was "I'm desperate to get him back but once I do, I need space". Overall, I think if you like steamy contemporary romance with miscommunication, you'll like this one but I don't feel like it is a standout book that will stick with you for years.

Bottom line: It's nicely enjoyable; great narration.

Very damaged & traumatized MMC, virgin FMC, irresistible attraction.

Thanks to the author and Hambright PR for the #gifted reviewer copies of the ebook and audiobook. It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited.

The Imperfect Marriage
by L. Steele
Narrated by Shane East & Stella Hunter

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 3.5/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (0-5) I bump up for bdsm.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 The duet narration is fabulous and that first scene is so captivating.
🤩 Ex’s father.
🤩 Meatloaf as a safeword!! LOL funny—I need it in with the heavy.
🤩 The awkward love triangle, feeling annoyed, but also needing to keep reading.
🤩 The wedding, the finally, the mine.
🤩 I love the fated mates feels, like they could not resist each other.
🤩 Great friends.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 I didn’t expect such a slow burn with all the intense attraction and bdsm vibes.
💫 Not my favorite hot tub scene.
💫 I was wishing for some sneaking around.
💫 Just too much of the overwhelming feeling of sadness for me. I listened to the last 35% on 2.0 speed while on TikTok.
💫 I don’t like MCs who make my other MCs feel like they’re on an emotional yo-yo. My MCs should not have to earn love or snuggles.
💫 MMC is a bit too traumatized—needs some therapy.
💫 I’m intrigued by the future characters, but widow is my least favorite trope, so I think I’ll pass on Felix’s book. I’m not sure this author is meant for me.

10/10!!

Gosh I loved this story so much! These narrators really brung this story to life! I’m definitely going to read to listen to the first book! Stella hunter and Shane east are amazing together!
Tropes:
Ex-boyfriend's father
Marriage of Convenience
"my wife"
OTT possessive
Strong female lead
Fake relationship
Angsty Billionaire Romance
Forced proximity
One bed

“As soon as I saw you, I knew it had to be you."

The marriage of convenience between Quentin and Vivian in The Imperfect Marriage explodes with sparks from the very first time their eyes meet when Vivian is walking down the aisle to another man. The other man just so happens to be Quentin’s son and this emotional and angsty story just gets more complicated and heartwrenching from there.

Vivian had always put her family before herself and when she meets Quentin, he starts to encourage her to expand her horizons and to live for herself. I loved watching her blossom throughout the story from a naïve young woman to a self-assured and confident woman who knows what she wants.

Quentin was growly, possessive and so determined to make Vivian his. From the moment, he laid eyes on her, she spoke to his heart and she knew she was the one for him. Self-doubts and past pain create barriers in their relationship that they have to overcome, but these two truly understand each other and make each other better with their love for one another.

Shane East and Stella Hunter's duet narration of this title was superb. I loved how they played off of each other and brought extra spice to the flirty banter. They gave me all the feels as Quentin and Vivian and made me love this story even more.

While Quentin and Vivian’s journey is full of ups and downs, their chemistry is pure FIRE and the banter between them is so much fun. Full of heartbreaking events, angst galore, and so much love, The Imperfect Marriage was an addicting read that had me captivated with Quentin and Vivian’s evolving relationship. Now I’m on pins and needles waiting for the next book in this series.

Quentin & Vivian

The Davenports, book 2 gives us Quentin & Vivian!

A marriage of convenience that gives them both something they want.

Tropes:
• Billionaire
• Marriage of Convenience
• Former Military

Chemistry is great and the book is filled with humor! A great read and keeps you hanging on to see what happens next!

Fascinating story!

Vivian has been unceremoniously dumped at the altar, in a text message sent to the best man, so Quentin, the father or the groom, offers to marry her. He has an ulterior motive since his father is handing the company over to one of his heirs upon the contingency that he's married. Quentin is 26 years older than Vivian, but it often becomes an impediment in Quentin's inner thoughts. The author has used this basic template for many of the books in this series. It makes sense, because it's a series with an ongoing arc contributing to the depth of the story. The women are mostly insecure at the start and the men have the power, but as the story continues, there's a unique exchange in which the men aren't alpha, they become alphaholes! The conflict is almost always a push and a pull with the alphahole saying this is not going to work or I'm not good enough for her. And the women almost always go bada$$ on their men, but it's still a while before they make up and profess true love. This story was heavy on the sex to the extent that there was little plot. It might sound like I didn't like the book, but that would be a wrong assumption. With only a few things that were annoying, I truly liked Vivian and Q. Shane East and Stella Hunter are a wonderful team of narrators. Their 5* dynamic voices fit the characters so perfectly and put heart and personality into their work. 

BDSM

This author writes mainly BDSM. Anyone who has been in a controlling or abusive relationship should avoid this author. Otherwise her books are good examples of the genre at an attractive price. She has several anthologies available at present. For light fantasies they prove an excellent escape from everyday life, but you must be prepared to enjoy dom/submissive relationships.