If You Were Mine (Circle of Vows #2) by Inaara Sheikh - rivals to lovers second chance romance / Books Teacup and Reviews

If You Were Mine is a interesting rivals to lovers, second chance romance layered with resentment, abandonment issues, desire, and ultimately, love.

If You Were Mine

If You Were Mine (Circle of Vows #2) by Inaara Sheikh

Publication Date : December 16, 2025

Read Date : February 20, 2026

Genre : Romance

Pages : 265

Source : Kindle Unlimited

Previous Book in Series-

Promise Me This (Book 1)

Synopsis

One glance. One lie. One wedding that was never meant to happen.

Iyrah Ali never thought her wedding day would feel like punishment; standing beside Ziyaan Haroon, the man who once made her believe in forever… and then shattered it without a word.

Three years ago, he was her everything, her senior in college, her secret, her undoing. One look from him and she forgot how to breathe. One heartbreak later, she learned how to live without him. Or so she thought.

Now he’s back, richer, colder, and every bit as devastating. The owner of Anardana, Bangalore’s most exclusive restaurant, Ziyaan is a man who thrives on control. But fate has a twisted sense of humor. It’s bound them together in a marriage neither of them saw coming, and neither can seem to escape.

Between the walls of resentment and the ghosts of who they once were, something dangerous begins to stir again. Because when two people with a past this combustible are forced to share a life, every secret becomes a spark… and some sparks are meant to burn.

Review

If You Were Mine follows the youngest Ali sister, Iyrah Ali, and her chaotic love story with Ziyaan Haroon. We first met them in the previous book, where their petty social media war was highlighted. Here, that rivalry spirals so far out of control that they end up married. The story opens on their wedding day, with both Iyrah and Ziyaan furious about how things unfolded and unwilling to admit they still care.

It was obvious earlier that they shared a past. Three years ago, Iyrah was a college fresher who fell hard for final year student Ziyaan. Their bond deepened quickly, only to fall apart on the day of his graduation when he ghosted her. Iyrah never forgave him. His disappearance only intensified the abandonment issues rooted in her father leaving her family the day she was born. Now married to the same man who once walked away, she is determined not to give him another chance. Ziyaan regrets leaving her, but his ego refuses to let him say the words that matter.

The writing is noticeably stronger than in the first book. I enjoyed the alternating dual timeline. The past chapters show how they fell in love and where it all went wrong, while the present reveals how they slowly thaw, confront their pain, and begin healing.

Iyrah is bold, brash, and unapologetic. At times, though, that confidence slips into childish stubbornness. It fits her role as the youngest sibling, but it can be frustrating. Her insecurities are understandable considering her father’s rejection and the cruel things she was made to believe growing up. No one deserves to feel unwanted. Still, she often acts before thinking, and her misplaced anger toward her sisters annoyed me. She struggles to communicate her real feelings, yet it is clear she loves her family deeply. Ironically, the only person she ever feels truly comfortable with is Ziyaan.

Ziyaan is not all that different from Iyrah, which explains their explosive chemistry. He is slightly more mature at times, though not by a huge margin. While he does not carry the same abandonment wounds, his sister’s death shaped him profoundly and left him wary of love and the control it can have over his life. It takes him a long time to realize Iyrah is worth the risk. I appreciated how instinctively he understood her in certain moments, but I was also surprised at how little he seemed to know about her despite their history.

They are both stubborn to the point of absurdity but the chemistry is strong, and watching them finally drop their pride and choose each other is satisfying.

The climax caught me off guard. I expected closure for Iyrah, but not in that way. The scene was tense and disturbing, and it left me questioning how her mother endured so much. The ending feels slightly rushed, yet it still delivers an emotionally satisfying resolution.

Overall, If You Were Mine is a engaging rivals to lovers, second chance romance layered with resentment, abandonment issues, desire, and ultimately, love. Messy characters, sharp chemistry, and just enough emotional angst to keep you hooked.