Blurb:

Pretty rings can’t always fix broken things.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop powerful men from trying. Which is why instead of getting the wedding I’d always dreamed of, I was forced to marry the heir to our rival company and join a family that we’ve hated for generations.

An arranged marriage to make our problem disappear.

Then again, I’m the one that snuck around behind my father’s back and ended up at the center of a scandal that could ruin my family’s reputation.

Now the only person who can protect me is the cold and calculated billionaire, Archer Moore.

The marriage was only supposed to be for show, but Archer can be very convincing. He’s demanded we move in together. That we kiss. That we make it look—and feel—real. He’s a man who is obsessed with getting what he wants—and I’m starting to think what he wants is me.

But the closer we get, and the less we pretend, the more I question if the grudges between our families are too much to overcome for a marriage that was built on pretty rings and broken things.

My 4* Review:

Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton is a modern take on Romeo and Juliet as neither character should want the other due to their feuding families. It is an age-gap romance and the second in a series of interconnected standalones set in the Black Ties Billionaires Series. The story is about an arranged marriage between Archer Moore and Winifred ‘Winnie’ Bishop that was meant to be a business transaction but turns into so much more for the couple. 

The rivalry between the families started years ago when the Bishop family split the Bishop-Moore Hotel empire into two. The Moore family has been waiting for their revenge and a horrible mistake by Winnie leads her father to ask for their help. The families decide the solution to her problem is for Archer and her to marry. Both have grown up trying to make their fathers proud and always doing the right thing. They were raised believing the other their enemy and never to trust them. Archer wants to impress his dad and earn the right to take over Moore Hotels so he agrees to the deal. She always wanted to marry for love but now has no choice and to make matters worse, the wedding will be the next day! 

After the wedding Archer demands they live together to keep up the impression of being happily married but he is so good at playing the loving husband that she can’t work out if his actions are real or fake. She is so confused because she made the mistake of trusting a man who betrayed her so won’t be doing that again. They are both intrigued by the other because they are different from what they expected and they start to enjoy the other’s company. She sees another side to him and realises she could enjoy pretending to be his loving wife. 

“When you’re my wife, no one will touch what’s mine. I’d dare him – or anyone – to try.”

Archer finds her so tempting as she so kind and thoughtful, unlike anyone he has been around before but he never mixes business with pleasure. He is shocked by how much she affects him and finds it hard to process all his emotions as it starts to feel real to him. It was amusing as he becomes possessive and very protective over her, he loves control but she makes him lose it so easily. It becomes obvious that they are meant to be together but he needs her to trust him. 

I enjoyed the banter between the couple and laughed at the come backs from both of them. Her reaction to the engagement ring and his little gestures of love were so sweet. I loved how she grows in confidence with him by her side. Gone is the quiet, reserved woman who has never spoken up or given her opinion so it surprises Archer when she stands up to him. It’s funny how he becomes obsessed with this version of her and how much he learns from her. Good steamy scenes when he discards his businessman persona and his passionate and loving side appears.

There is a good selection of secondary characters, some you will recognise from her other books. Margo and Beck from Black Ties and White Lies, Pippa and Camden from Tempt Our Fate and the next book in this series is about Winnie’s other best friend Emma. It was lovely how they give Archer a group of friends he never expected and show him you can have a career and love.  

What will happen when they realise they have fallen in love with the one person they shouldn’t due to the rivalry. Will it change things between them? Can they right all the wrongs of the past so they can be each other’s forever. An enjoyable story about family drama, betrayal and loyalty, friendship and understanding. Keep an eye out for Norbert !!