Review: Marry Me by Mia Monroe
SYNOPSIS:
A fake fiancé never felt so real.
The idea of facing my cheating ex at a friend’s upcoming wedding sends me right back to the chubby, insecure guy I was when I met my very straight best friend. Since then Jude has been the most supportive person in my life. So when I ask him for a favor, he steps up and becomes the best fake fiancé a guy could ask for.
With three months before the big day, my friends rally to make sure we come across as authentic as possible. Jude takes to the lessons better than any of us anticipated. Especially the kissing.
Now the fake engagement is starting to feel kind of real.
This wedding should be really interesting…
Marry Me is a steamy, best friends to lovers, fake fiancé, gay awakening, low angst story. It is book one in the Tattoos and Temptation series featuring hot Miami nights, Latin desserts, and guys with ink.
It can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
One of my reading goals this year is to branch out into new-to-me authors. I stumbled upon Mia Monroe on Goodreads and decided to give this book a try, I am weak the fake dating troupe and the synopsis drew me in. And after finishing the book, I am left with a whole lot of what the heck did I just read?!
This story had so much potential but played horrendously on every gay stereotype there is. I don’t know if this was the authors intention or just a lack of research on Mia’s part but it was offensive at parts. To have the fake fiancé be believable, Jude must ‘immerse’ himself in the world of everything gay. Jude has to know what are gays favorite shows, can he name drag queens, can he dance, does he know the best gay nightclubs, does he know if he is a top or bottom, etc. Mia Monroe must of had a list of horrid gay stereotypes and just worked her way through it to incorporate it into the story.
Which is ironic because she tries to portray acceptance and inclusion but the story felt very much like gays are only friends with gays and other LGBTQ+ people. Jude was the only “straight” character in the book. At times it felt like the book wasn’t about a fake date but a giant lecture on the LGBTQ+ community. I am not sure what exactly Mia was trying to accomplish with this book. Honestly, the longer I sit and reflect on the story, the more annoyed I am that I even wasted time finishing it.
When the author was able to focus on the romance budding between Jude and Briar, it was enjoyable. There is definitely chemistry and comfort between these two. But the romance was just overshadowed by the author preaching what she believes in gay culture. Which honestly sounds like she just watched a bunch of RuPaul and decided to write a book. A giant miss on the mark here and now I know not to read this author.
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