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.

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.

Quinton and Vivian

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s the second book in the Davenport series and tells Quentin and Vivian’s story.

The characters are well drawn and likable and brought to life by Shane East and Stella Hunter who do an incredible job of bringing every emotion to the fore. The side characters are interesting too and it was fun meeting again the characters from the first book in the series.

I’m looking forward to listening to the next story in this very enjoyable series

It’s an age gap marriage of convenience love story the chemistry shared between Quentin and Vivian is off the charts as Quinton a.k.a. Q introduces Vivian to the BDSM lifestyle once they are married.

Another great addition to the series!

The Imperfect Marriage is book #2 in the Davenports series. The sons must marry to receive their trust funds and gain control of the company. When Vivian is left at the altar, her ex-fiance's father proposes. Quentin is 26 yrs older than Vivian, but that doesn't stop their chemistry from setting every place they go on fire! I love a story that has two faulted main characters that heal from the other and Ms. Steele certainly delivered. There is heartbreak for some side characters that we know from past books, witty humor from the brothers, a greedy baby mama, and plenty of smexy spice that drifts towards BDSM (Dom/Sub). And the teaser at the end has me looking forward to Knox's story! *rubs hands together)

The duet narration with Shane East and Stella Hunter was perfection. These two know how to drag all the emotions from you, twist your heart around, then piece it back together. They are truly a dynamic duo. 5/5 stars!

Amazing Audio

Quentin and Vivian were written in the stars. The way they loved each other was so beautiful but also scary for both of them. The chemistry was amazing. Vivian was fierce and was not going to give up on them, and I loved that. Q was protective and possessive and was everything Vivian needed and craved. The Imperfect Marriage was full of drama, emotion, and lots of spice.

AUDIO: This was a duet narration by Shane East and Stella Hunter. Shane is quickly becoming a favorite narrator of mine! He was absolutely perfect for Quentin! He brought the rough, possessive, alpha energy that was needed for Quentin. Stella was amazing as well. I love these two together. Their voices complimented each other so well, and I really enjoyed listening.