I spent my morning tucked away with a cuppa and some bourbons reading Hired Bride by Noelle Adams and she didn’t disappoint!

Noelle Adams has written many books that have gone down a treat with readers and when I saw this book in the ITunes Charts, I knew I had to give it a read. Both the cover and title drew me in, especially because I’m on a marriage hype at the moment! I have not previously read any work from this writer but after finishing this book, I am definitely considering purchasing a few more.

✳ Lets start with the bits I loved about this book;

• The predictability. Now I know most people enjoy reading a book and not knowing the outcome but with romance novels, they’re almost always predictable and that’s what I love about them. However, when you read romance novels back to back like me, they all start to have very similar plots which can sometimes get boring. The title of this book essentially sums up the plot but there were a couple unique details and curve balls thrown in which I really enjoyed and haven’t found in another book I’ve read to date.

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• The presentation. Presentation is quite important for me because if the author has spent time making the book look professional and neat then hopefully the plot will reflect the same care and attention. I have read my fair share of books with no chapter headings and four lines per paragraph or in some cases no sign of paragraphing! With this book, the chapter headings were beautiful and the organisation of text was neat and cohesive. It felt professional and definitely added to my experience.

✳ Things I didn’t love about this book;

• The Characters. Something I’ve learnt over my years of reading is that I struggle to connect and relate to characters who don’t go through a difficult time, either apart or together, before the happy ending. I feel much more satisfied at the end if I feel like the destination has been well earned and I didn’t feel this way with this book. I felt as if the L word was too soon and too easy.

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• The Context. As well as the above, I find that context behind the characters is really important as it immerses the reader and adds layers. With this book, I found that when I finished reading I didn’t really know much about any of the characters, even the main ones. However, If like me you feel like you need more depth, there are spin-off books available. 

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• Sugar and Spice. I have found that most books either have the sugar (warm heart and butterflies) or the spice (edge of your seat, heart pumping) but rarely can they capture both. In romance novels, characters tend to fall in love quickly and I truly believe it is an art getting the reader to fall in love at the same time and feel that spark. For me, I couldn’t quite connect with them. The spice on the other hand was there but definitely more mild than I’m used to and didn’t quite hit the spot for me. This of course is personal preference so if you like to err on the side of PG then this book is for you.

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• Spelling. With all iBooks, there are usually a few typo’s dotted throughout the book and this book is no exception but they were definitely minimal in comparison to some other books I’ve read!

✳ Who would I recommend this book to?

Overall, this book is a feel good romance with a happy ending that has equal parts sugar and spice! I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is new to romance novels and wants a quick read with a happy ending. In spite of the aspects I didn’t love with this book, I still really enjoyed reading it and adored writing this review.

If you haven’t already, check out Hired Bride on iBooks now for free!