First Comes Marriage

Zafar and Reshma might be husband and wife.
But now it’s time to fall in love...

Zafar is the perfect son. After all, he does spend his head buried in the family business and sets the right example for his younger brothers. But being the perfect husband doesn’t come so easily to him...

Reshma didn’t expect romance when she agreed to marry Zafar. And definitely not love. But there’s something just about Zafar Saeed that makes her long for the romance she reads in her books, so falling for him was easy. The only issue is that he barely acknowledges her!

And when Zafar and Reshma are reluctantly swept away to beautiful Mombasa for a family wedding, avoiding each other becomes even trickier. Forced to be in close proximity, Zafar and Reshma are about to discover that sometimes falling in love comes after saying ’I do’.

*Heartwarming and achingly romantic, First Comes Marriage is just the slow-burn, grumpy-sunshine romance you need to read in 2023. Perfect for fans of Sara Desai, Sonali Dev and Talia Hibbert!*

Laila Rafi has a degree in Criminology, which is gathering dust because she would rather spend her days dreaming of her characters falling in love. She has dabbled in Finance and Education, but realised her real calling was putting pen to paper, or more accurately fingers to keyboard and getting lost in a world of happily ever afters.

She lives in the heart of London with her boisterous family and when she’s not writing or reading romance, she can be found watching almost any sport - though her preference is Formula 1.

Her first novel, From Fake to Forever, was shortlisted for the 2023 Katie Fforde Debut prize. First Comes Marriage is her second novel.