The Wrong Wife

A Best Friend's Brother Marriage of Convenience Romance

By: L. Steele

Narrated by: Shane East, Aure Nash

Length: 13 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Number seven in the entire Amazon store

He’s my best friend’s brother.

My new boss.

And now my fake husband.

Knight Warren. The country’s most sought-after heartthrob, and retired military vet, is my complete opposite. He's grumpy where I’m sunshine. Surly where I’m...happy-go-lucky. He’s the hardened ex-soldier. I’m still trying to find my calling. The only thing we have in common is that we both love his sister...who’s also my best friend. So when she asks me to help Knight find a wife, I can’t say no. Turns out he'll inherit his father’s empire as long as...he gets married within the next month.

I agree to work as his assistant and interview the women who apply for the position. But Knight hates every one of them. With the deadline drawing close, he proposes I marry him. In return, he’ll pay off my debts and take care of my mother’s medical treatment.

Only he has conditions—I need to pretend I belong to him, be in a fake marriage with him...for an entire year! But what happens when the chemistry between us ignites? Forced to live under his roof, I know I’m falling for him. As the days pass, I begin to think he reciprocates my feelings. Until he introduces me to his real wife....

This is a billionaire, forced-proximity, one-bed, boss-employee, fake-relationship, and a best-friend’s-brother novel. It is a complete stand-alone.

©2023 Laxmi Hariharan (P)2023 Laxmi Hariharan

Loved listening to Penny and Knights book

Man this audio was exciting and spicy to listen to. I loved the book alone but listening to Shane East and Aure Nash bring it to life was even better!!! I loved Penny’s bubbly personality and Aure brought that to life perfectly. Shane Easy is always delicious to listen to when he narrates. He did an amazing job bringing the Dom in Knight to life, it was face-fanning. I can’t wait to register to this book again and again. I loved their ability to bring other characters to life. The characters had such explosive chemistry I couldn’t stop listening until it was over.

Smoking Hot

Shane East and Aure Nash hit it out if the park with Knight and Penny's story. She is so bubbly and pleasant while he is a true alphahole. His Dom is evident with his demands and words with her. She is definitely too good for him and he knows it. Penny may need his money for her mother's care, but she has standards and principles which she is able to convey with telling him off when need be.

My heart is full

I loved everything about this book. Penny and night are fire. The obsession is so real and raw and made my heart flutter.

Intense Listen

Knight was a POW for six months who just returned home and is taking over his father's media company. Penny is in a bind financially, when her bestie (Knight's sister) suggests Penny work for her brother. Knight basically doesn't leave Penny any choice but to do that. Once Penny is in Knight's life, she realizes how extreme things really are with Knight, and finds herself shocked with some of the things he does. Penny somehow agrees to marry Knight due to a requirement of Knight's job and inheritance, even though she knows what he's been through and isn't sure if she could handle him.

It's hard to get into my thoughts about this book without revealing spoilers, but here it goes. I found Penny strong in some situations, but very inconsiderate and disrespectful in others. Penny knew Knight had been held captive for six months and she still said some things she shouldn't have. Even though she caught herself afterwards and apologized, it just kept happening and it seemed like she didn't learn anything from the first couple times she did it. Knight was a little too alpha and power-hungry for me at times with his comments about how he was running the business, but I understand it takes some of those traits to run a huge company like that. He just seemed over the top at times. The marriage ceremony was awkward. Almost like Knight wasn't even trying. And then after was just horrible. I don't know why Penny would have even stayed. There was also a life-changing event Knight was voluntarily getting into that Penny should have known about, but she didn't. I'm not sure why he kept that a secret from her.

Shane East and Aure Nash were amazing together. I'm already a fan of Shane's, but this is my first book narrated by Aure and I really enjoyed her narration.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU IF: You like heavy spice and dirty talk with lots of twists and turns in the story.

Fabulous!

Let me preface this by saying that L. Steele can really write a solid story with romance, angst, but always with a healthy dose of respect and love. The Wrong Wife doesn't follow this pattern, starting with Knight's abominable behavior from almost the beginning toward Penny. It's apparent that he has taken an immediate dislike to her word vomit and babbling, but what we don't know is how much she turned him on and he's conflicted. Penny has had a crush on him forever, since she's best friends with his sister, Abby. His backstory is heartbreaking, it bleeds out bit by bit, and his years spent in captivity and the torture he endured have resulted in PTSD. He knows he's broken, but he makes no attempt to get help, other than to go to a BDSM club for his necessary release, and this is where it all went south. He's literally drooling as he's waiting for his submissive to walk through the door. Without a word, without even seeing her face, it's all about the orifice, and not the body attached. He has every intention of having sex with this sub, and it bothered me that he was so cold and unfeeling. He's immediately obsessed with the act, but once he sees that it's Penny, his attitude is even worse. He manipulates and plays with her physically and makes her suffer by edging her and stopping before she's fulfilled. As a dominant, in need of a release, he's an unmitigated failure. Let's not beat around the bush, he's a bully who manipulates and hurts the woman he's so attracted to, he has to bolt. Nobody is going to know any of the facts about his captivity and torture, until he has his own word vomit and confesses all to Penny. There are breakthroughs for him, but he does another runner. I lost patience with Knight and, even though he came around, it was such a journey to get to their happy ending that I was exhausted. As always, this author's writing is done very well and her characters, albeit frightful, are written with emotion and depth. I recommend this story for readers who love an extra dose of angst! Shane East and Aure Nash do a marvelous job with the narration. They have recognizable, dynamic voices and are two of my very favorite voice artists. 

A Gripping Journey of Loss, Love and Redemption

"The Wrong Wife" by L. Steele, narrated by Shane East and Aure Nash, takes readers on a gripping journey filled with heart, complexity, and unexpected twists. From the very beginning, I was intrigued by the main character, Penny, who tends to speak without thinking when she gets nervous. Aure Nash's narration truly brought Penny's quirks and idiosyncrasies to life, making her an endearing and relatable protagonist. The periodic reading of Penny's Bucketlist, accompanied by Nash's pun-intended narration, added a delightful touch to the story.

Shane East, on the other hand, flawlessly portrayed Knight, a deeply damaged individual who had endured unimaginable torture as a prisoner of war. East masterfully depicted Knight's complexities, showcasing his big heart while highlighting his guarded nature in letting others into his inner circle. It was indeed an exceptional performance that brought Knight's character to life.

L. Steele's storytelling in "The Wrong Wife" is commendable, as she skillfully peels away the layers of the narrative to reveal the heart of the matter. Despite the serious nature of the storyline, Steele injects enduring details, such as Tiny the Dog, which proves to be not so tiny, to lighten the tension and add charm to the story.

One of the highlights of the audiobook is when the band of friends comes together at a pivotal moment, bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. However, I must mention that while the plot twist was intriguing, I wished for more details and elaboration in certain areas. Some crucial information seemed to be missing, which could have enhanced the overall experience. Nevertheless, I highly recommend listening to the bonus epilogue, as it provides a delightful extension to the story.

In conclusion, "The Wrong Wife" is a mesmerizing audiobook that will keep you engaged from start to finish. With the superb narration by Shane East and Aure Nash, coupled with L. Steele's skillful storytelling, this audiobook is a must-listen for fans of complex and heartwarming stories. Get ready to embark on a journey filled with emotions, surprises, and a touch of humor.

Well done audio!

3.5 ⭐️

I listened to this one - and will say that the audio was well done and kept me going. I enjoyed the story, but wouldn’t say I absolutely loved it.

Penny is looking for a job that will allow her to keep her mom in a dementia facility that she loves, but bills are high and she can’t seem to find anything she enjoys. Knight has just returned from war where he was held captive for months, and is now working to take over his father’s company. Knight’s sister is Penny’s friend and gets her a job as his assistant - but they find their attraction strong and can’t seem to stay away from each other no matter how frustrating they find the other. Knight’s dad says he must be married to take over the business- and when they find themselves in a situation he decides Penny would be the perfect woman to fill the position. Feelings might be becoming real, but secrets and torments of Knight’s past threaten to break it all.

- Best friend’s brother
- Billionaire
- Grumpy/ sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Marriage of convenience
- Workplace romance
- Curvy FMC/ British MMC

A Must Listen!

The Wrong Wife - A Best Friend's Brother Marriage of Convenience Romance
This book is everything. L. Steele has outdone herself and completely surpassed my expectations. Besides getting to see some of the characters from the previous books, humor, and Laxmi's signature writing style, we get so much more that I don't want to spoil it. Knight & Penny's romance will surprise you. I won't give anything away, but just get ready for an emotional roller-coaster ride of highs and lows. I cried, I laughed, and then I cried some more. An unforgettable listen.

Shane East, Aure Nash - dual narration

Marriage of Convenience? Say no more!

I love marriage of convenience stories, especially when one is grumpy and seems extremely disinterested in the marriage while secretly harboring feelings for the person they’re marrying, which is exactly what happens here. Lots of angst, lots of possessive alphahole behavior. Struggles with survivor&/ guilt and is tormented by his time as a POW, which has rightfully hardened his heart.

It felt a little long at times, but the dirty talk was not only a major turn on for the heroine, it was very good dirty talk.

The narrators did a great job. My only complaint, and I think this was more with the manuscript and then in turn how it sounded on audio, is that the FMC kept saying “eh?” and it just got annoying/sounded weird.

Love it!

These characters definitely brought a smile to my face . I loved their story Penny so innocent in her ways a total sweetheart but girl does get an attitude and sassy at times and I loved it! Especially when knight was just a pain in the rear and just hard to figure out. When these two get in a marriage of connivence everything they knew gets thrown out the window. The steamy scenes were freaking awesome and the narrators did a spectacular job protesting both characters. There were times I got misty eyed because penny loved knight hard but he’s such a clod . I loved it all!