Born Out of Wedlock by Lyn Gardner is an enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience thawing of the iciest of ice queens.
Having grown up with a father who openly hates her from the moment of her birth, workaholic billionaire Addison Kane is well known as possibly the worst boss in the world because of her temper. How much worse is it to become her wife as a means of saving the company that has been in the Kane family for three hundred years? Despite hating everything about the situation and determined to make her new wife’s life as awful as possible, Addison bows stiffly to her lawyer’s wishes and gets married.
Joanna Sheppard knows all about putting up with the hardships life throws at you. She gave up university to care for her stricken father, working three jobs to not quite make ends meet. After getting the chance of a lifetime she discovers putting up with Addison is nearly as hard as the idea of marrying a woman. The two snap and spar until suddenly noticing how much they like each other.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
As with all of Lyn Gardner’s books, the characters all go through quite a lot of harsh, super emotional times before the end of the story. I always have a lot of heavy, varied feels while reading her works. There is suspense, angst, harsh treatment of the characters, always leavened by at least a little humor. The happy ending feels nearly blissful after all the hard work put in by the reader.
All of the characters go through quite a large learning process that doesn’t happen overnight. I really like the pacing of the book, and even though it’s rather long the length makes the story feel very realistic. The author is a master of wrenching emotions. Joanna doesn’t melt Addison so much as take a jackhammer to a solid, toxic pillar of ice. More than half the book is narrated by Joanna, but Addison’s backstory is well covered and makes a lot of actions more understandable.
Though not my favorite aspect, I expect a lot of readers would very much enjoy the detailed descriptions of super rich cars, estate and clothing. I felt as hard hit over the head by the life of the inconceivably rich as Joanna did. There are a lot of great supporting characters that will by turns break your heart, make you cheer, and sometimes laugh.
Cons And Heads Up
There is a drug overdose. Heads up for an infidelity, and Addison is really horrible to Joanna for more than a little while. Heck, Addison is horrible to everyone.
The Conclusion
Bringing all the angst and a titan of ice, this book will give you all the feels from anguish to bliss. Considering the massive amount of work Joanna has to go through on both Addison and learning to live in the world of the super rich, it makes sense that the book is rather long. Addison has a very good reason to live mired in her hate and fear, and while Joanna is not perfect it is fun to root for her.
Excerpt from Born Out of Wedlock by Lyn Gardner
Knowing that Addison’s lunch on the weekends was always served at one o’clock sharp, Joanna delivered her father his tray at noon and then went about getting the dining room ready. Deciding silverware wasn’t necessary, she filled the water goblets, placed the linen napkins where they belonged and then returned to the kitchen to make one of her favorite meals.
When the clock chimed one, Joanna pushed open the kitchen door with her foot and carried two plates into the dining room. Placing one in front of Addison, Joanna walked the length of the table and took her seat, but before she could open her napkin, a voice boomed from across the room.
“What the hell is this?”
Joanna looked toward the heavens and prayed for strength. “It’s lunch. Grilled ham and cheese on farmhouse with crisps.”
“It’s a sandwich.”
“Why, yes it is.”
“There’s crust on it.”
Joanna fell back in her chair, and cupping her chin, she rubbed it slowly. Feeling her tension continuing to build, she rose to her feet and went to the kitchen, only to return seconds later carrying the largest, sharpest, weapon of singular destruction in the shape of a knife. She paused when she noticed the blood starting to drain from Addison’s face, but refusing to allow her amusement to show, Joanna went over and gingerly placed the knife alongside Addison’s plate. “Then cut it off, sweetheart. That is…if you know how to use a knife.”
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781542327183
Publisher: Indie Author
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