Mr. Blackwell's Bride: A Dark Billionaire Romance (A Good Wife Book 1)

“Welcome to Blackwell Manor...”MR. BLACKWELL’S BRIDE by Sienna Blake is PURE SPELLBINDING PERFECTION!!!!The Story:After a health related wakeup call Drake Blackwell wants to produce an heir to carry on the family legacy. The broody billionaire CEO is cursed by his past and not looking to fall in love so he decides his best recourse is to “purchase” a wife. For the hefty price he paid to the premier GW agency, he expects a sweet, subservient and docile woman who will happily do his bidding . But to his consternation, the raven-haired, porcelain skinned bride he has flown in from Japan on his ultra luxurious private jet is anything BUT!!!The stunningly beautiful Noriko may look like the epitome of sophistication and grace, but beneath the gorgeously polished veneer is a scrappy spitfire with a saucy mouth and a defiant streak that makes Drake’s blood boil!An aspiring artist, 19 year old Noriko is a free-spirit with grandiose dreams, but with her mother gone and as the eldest daughter, she is responsible for caring for her family.“Work. Marriage. Children. Death. It was what was expected.”When her father fell gravely ill, her dreams of someday marrying for love burst into flames. She was desperate to save him and had no choice but to accept Drake’s lucrative offer of marriage because in exchange he agreed to foot the bill for her father’s experimented cancer treatments. But there's a catch: The business deal stipulates she’s expected to produce an heir!It's pretty much animosity at first sight for this headstrong duo. Noriko may have to play the part of Mr. Blackwell’s “good little wife” but she has no intention of bearing this rude, boorish, overbearing CEO’s children and secretly schemes to stay married for just a year. But as much as she loathes Drake, her attraction to this man’s potent animal magnetism cannot be denied!“He was mesmerizing, dark power rolling off him. This was a man who knew what he wanted and would not take no for an answer.”As time goes on, she begins to see glimmers of humanity beneath the macho, arrogant bluster and yearns to unravel this enigma of a man who is both kind and generous AND savage and cruel. And so profoundly broken inside he slays her soul! Meanwhile he finds himself awestruck by Noriko’s intelligence and beauty, fiercely aroused by her combative tongue, and consumed with possessing EVERY SINGLE INCH of her!“She was a siren cloaked in innocence, that perfect blend of girl and woman, built to lure men to their doom.”Over time, true abiding feelings begin to blossom between this duo who cannot resist the hypnotic pull between them! But can Beauty truly ever tame this darkly commanding Beast?My Thoughts:Sighhhhhh!!!! I just can’t get enough of the timeless Beauty and the Beast trope and when it involves a surly, ferociously sexy alpha and his firecracker bride, it's even more intoxicating!!!Sienna Blake’s lushly romantic writing style lends itself perfectly to this classic fairytale theme, and I love how she puts her own unique dramatic flair to this story! I was COMPLETELY swept up in this rapturous romance from start to finish—the emotions ran deep, the sexual interludes were breathtakingly sensual and sweetly satisfying, and there was melodrama and angst galore!!Omggggg Drake was a dream come true in all his BIG, BAD, WOLFISH GLORY!!! He made my heart go pitter patter, my toes curl and my princes parts tingle! I effing loved every single thing about this growly beast of a man who wore an aura of broody melancholy about him like a suit of armor. And the sparks he generated with his beautiful, defiant wife were explosive enough to light up the sky on the Fourth of July!!And….squee…I absolutely adored Noriko! At first my heart hurt so mightily for this strong, feisty virgin bride who felt so lost and alone, aching with homesickness, living in a huge, opulent mansion in a foreign land. She is a woman who shoulders heavy burdens, has forfeited her dreams and now finds herself tethered to a cold, heartless brute who made her feel strange, unfamiliar things that throws her life into complete chaos. But she is NOT a heroine to be pitied. She may be endearingly innocent and unused to the greed and corruption that runs rampant in the Western world, but she has a spine of steel!!!!!I relished the delicious slow build between these tempestuous lovers who just can't get enough of each other even when they proclaim to hate each other guts!! As they begin to see another side to each other that they never realized existed, a passionate, soul-burning love ignites. But YIKES! Will Beauty feel the full force of the Beast’s wrath when their sham of a marriage is exposed? Ummmm.. better brace yourself for some powder keg explosions!Final Thoughts:MR. BLACKWELL’S BRIDE is a book to be treasured!!! It will make you Gush. Sigh. Swoon. Rant. Rage. And FEEL SO MUCH! I was truly dazzled by this enchanting tale and am still basking in the sweet afterglow!!!!! Now I will wait with bated breath for the gloriously talented Ms. Blake’s next majestic romance!

Once again, Sienna Blake delivers an enthralling, demanding love story with Mr. Blackwell’s Bride. I found myself utterly wrapped-up in Drake and Noriko’s story from the second I opened the book until I read the final word. I never knew how much I loved arranged marriage books, but after reading this one and a handful of others over the last several months, I’m finding them to be a favorite literary theme.Mr. Blackwell’s Bride is the second book in Sienna Blake’s Good Wife series. It is a complete stand-alone, with the exception of one essential but minor character, there is no crossover to the previous title in the series. These books are all predicated on the idea of mail order brides and the potential fallout of such an arrangement. They’re well done and fascinating.I found Drake’s past to be fascinating, compelling. The inclusion of the story of his parents and their relationship served as such a cogent explanation of Drake’s behaviors when trying to love and protect Noriko. The very core of his being was so broken, neglected as it had been for his entire life, he truly had no understanding of what love meant or how to express it. His poor, broken heart and soul called to me, much as they appealed to Noriko. It was easy to see how she fell for him, as he just needed someone to know him, to love him, to accept him for who he was and not what he had.I loved the mirroring Sienna Blake used in Mr. Blackwell’s Bride, in relation to Drake and Noriko’s relationship and his parents’. The comparison of Pierson Blackwell’s inattention and obsessive love for his wife and Drake Blackwell’s overwhelming need to protect and prove his love to his wife was well done. Both men, while taking different tacks to do it, succeeding at taking the love they were trying to show and pervert it into something beastly. It was how they dealt with the fallout of those actions that demonstrated just how starkly different Drake was from his father.I have a few wishes for Mr. Blackwell’s Bride. The first is that there be more of an explanation as to why Drake decided to buy a wife. There is a little bit there, but I don’t feel like the few small details leading up to his decision felt like enough to explain his motivations. The second was a scene that seemed to be leading to an interesting storyline but then never followed up. Noriko goes into Drake’s suite and finds a locked door; the scene added nothing else to the book, and the locked door is never mentioned again. There is some indication as to the room being his study, but the scene made it feel like this room was as much of a conundrum for Noriko as the west wing, so I’d have liked to have seen her find out about it.Sienna Blake consistently writes books that fall right into my wheelhouse. They’re dark and heavy, have powerful statements to make about love and relationships, and they’re well-written. Every book I’ve of hers I’ve read has drawn me in from the first page and taken me on journeys both difficult and engaging. I love her character development and how she makes each of them multi-faceted and unique. I’ve especially found this Good Wife series intriguing and hope to see more stories in this world.

I absolutely loved Drake and understood him emotionally. He was so inexperienced emotionally outside of pain. He was tormented by his youth, lack of love, parental bond & death. I completely understood his raw emotions when it came to Noriko. He didn’t know what a relationship was or how to love & when she gave him that glimmer of love he began to destroy it. He wanted to control their love by alienating her from the world. He thought his wealth could keep her happy. I honestly felt bad for him because all he knew was pain, fear & control. Drake was so easy to like and love. Noriko is the reason for the 4 star rating. I understand she is young but that is no excuse for stupidity. She came from a loving family but was not so naive to being poor & that people exploit you. There was no excuse for her betrayal...none! Her failing to tell Drake the truth of her feelings was juvenile. She knew what love was, had experienced it & lived around it all her life. I get being torn between family but so much could have been avoided with talking. Being an adult and having crucial conversations with Drake. Loretta was loving & completely on top of both of their mess. The end felt rushed but it wrapped up the lose ends. The book was humor, heartbreak, betrayal, growth, love & so much more.

On the edge of your seat tension throughout the entire book.Amazing love scenes and tense ending.Thank you for a nice escape.

Come on, who doesn’t love a beauty and a beast story! And although you know the story and the ending it is so worth the read! Laugh, cry and feel deeply for Drake and Noriko through out this whole book! I read this in one sitting!

Absolutely phenomenal, Sienna has done it again… an edge of your seat romance, that makes you want to cry, laugh and scream at both Drake and Noriko.

This book is hard to rate. It could be hood but sets a dangerous standard for relationships. I get it’s a book, but still setting an example of mental and emotional abuse and the occasional light physical abuse and then the female being ok with it and understanding it and loving him for it isn’t ok. If a young girl reads this it’s setting her up to think it’s ok when she’s older and to stay on a potentially dangerous and deadly situation.I did like this book but I couldn’t overlook the above to rate it higher.

What a beastly man indeed! A great beauty & the beast story not everyone gets the balance right. I loved the mixed race relationship not to mention learning about some Japanese culture along the way. 😊 Norika was the shining star for me in this book I loved her character. Innocent, strong, resilient, compassionate & loving. Innovative story but held the main parts of the beauty & the beast story.Story ends @ 70% though, there is an epilogue but it was sad to see the end of Norika & Drake! Great read.