Hired Bride by Noelle Adams is one of those reads that starts with promise; marriage of convenience, opposites attract, and a hint of emotional tension, but somehow does not quite reach the depth that usually defines her stories. While Adams is known for her subtle emotional resonance and slow-building intimacy, this one felt uneven, its heroine frustratingly inconsistent, and its resolution a little too neat for the angst it tries to evoke.

Deanna Beaufort Graves agrees to a six-month marriage to save her family’s crumbling Savannah home, entering into a deal that’s as transactional as it is necessary. Her husband, Mitchell Graves, needs a wife to secure a business contract, and Deanna, practical, reserved, and with a good heart, is the ideal candidate. What he does not anticipate is that beneath her quiet demeanor lies a strong will and a sharp tongue. He expects a compliant partner and instead finds someone who challenges him at every turn. Their marriage becomes a battle of expectations, attraction, and vulnerability neither of them are prepared for.

Mitchell is one of Adams’ more unpolished heroes (and I loved that); cocky, self-assured, and far less introspective than the usual restrained men she writes. But that confidence hides a man who is far more perceptive and emotionally grounded than Deanna gives him credit for.

Deanna, however, is more complicated. She is damaged by loss, weighed down by responsibility, and fiercely independent, but her judgments of Mitchell often border on hypocrisy. She wants emotional honesty but hides behind assumptions; she wants love but refuses to risk herself to earn it.

That contradiction is what makes her a difficult heroine to root for. The story hints at her trauma and fears but never dives deep enough to make her actions truly resonate. While Mitchell grows, Deanna stagnates, and her eventual change of heart feels more like surrender than revelation. Even her final declaration that she loves him as he is comes off hollow after spending most of the book berating him for the very traits she now claims to accept.

Still, Adams’ writing is as clean and engaging as ever. Her pacing is tight, and the sensual scenes though fewer here, carry her signature blend of intimacy and emotion. The Savannah setting lends the story a quiet charm, and Deanna’s eccentric grandmother adds levity to an otherwise emotionally restrained romance.

Recommended for: readers who enjoy quick, low-angst contemporary marriages of convenience and opposites-attract setups with a touch of southern charm.

Final Verdict: A promising marriage-of-convenience premise let down by an inconsistent heroine—Hired Bride is pleasant but lacks the spark Noelle Adams usually delivers.

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