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Too Many Husbands
Naughty and Nice...All Casey Croyden wanted for Christmas was a husband. Not a permanent one - just a man to play the part and help her impress the traditional Japanese businessman she was entertaining over the holidays. Sounded simple enough. Hire one from Actor's Equity.When John Gallagher arrived on her doorstep, the attraction between them was no act. And the debonair Mr Gallagher was no actor! Casey didn't have the faintest idea who he was, but she had no time to trifle over details. Especially over the other minor glitch in her plan...what to do with him when the lights went out!
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1989
4 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Elise Title
115 books17 followersaka Alison Tyler
Romance author Elise Title started writing romances as an escape from her job as a psychotherapist in men's and women's prisons. Though her romances are largely lighthearted and funny, she also writes dark thrillers as a way of dealing with her past job. She also published under the pseudonym Alison Tyler.
Romance author Elise Title started writing romances as an escape from her job as a psychotherapist in men's and women's prisons. Though her romances are largely lighthearted and funny, she also writes dark thrillers as a way of dealing with her past job. She also published under the pseudonym Alison Tyler.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 19, 2021
A Christmas Romance Filled With Merriment
There are Christmas tales that inspire, ones that make us cry, and others that make us laugh with the joy of being alive. Too Many Husbands by Elise Title falls into the latter category. It’s a zany romp of a romance that could have been an old-fashioned screwball comedy on the live screen.
What does a woman do when she has not one, nor even two, but three husbands coming over for Christmas?
No, this Harlequin Temptation is not a remake of the 1940 romantic comedy of the same name starring Fred MacMurray and Jean Arthur. Nor is it related to the similarly-styled film “My Favorite Wife,” which starred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Even so, you can see the influences as Too Many Husbands is as silly and enjoyable as those films.
At only 28, Casey Croyden’s a hotshot in the commercial real estate market. Due to her laser-beam focus on business, she has one failed marriage behind her. When the largest Japanese hotel chain owner decides to set his sights on the US market, Casey is just the one to make the deal.
The only impediment is that Toho, the owner of the hotel chains, is a “traditional” man. This means he might not accept entering into a deal spearheaded by a single woman whose focus is solely on her career. So Casey concocts a plan to have Toho and his wife Akiko stay with her in a huge rented house in a cozy New England setting with Casey and her husband. That is, an actor hired to play her husband.
Enter John Gallagher. He’s Casey’s new next-door neighbor. His unexpected arrival on her doorstep has Casey mistaking him for the actor she hired. She plants a big kiss on him, to John’s bewilderment, and acts as if they’re madly in love. John, to his benefit, plays along.
Things take a wacky turn when David, the real actor, shows up. Caught in a trap of her own making, what’s Casey to do? What would any good actor do? Improvise! David is relegated to Casey’s brother, who’s also spending Christmas with them.
Remember, though, this is called Too Many Husbands, not One Husband Too Many. Who else turns up? Casey’s ex-husband, Wes. Casey and her ex aren’t on bad terms, but his appearance is bound to confuse. As a result, he’s given the role of a family friend. To make the situation even more insane, John’s ex-wife, Brenda, appears. An ex-wife would muddy the waters more, so she’s presented as Casey’s best friend.
If you’re counting, that’s three husbands and two wives, not including Toho & Akiko. That makes for a winning combination as a full house beats out a three-of-a-kind hand!
It’s a full house indeed when Casey’s PA drops by to check on how the merriment is progressing. She’s shocked to find her normally cool-headed boss all distressed. What’s with this Christmas tomfoolery?
Somehow Casey should be out of her mind trying to broker a deal with Toho, all while trying to keep up appearances. John is her solid rock, and she can’t help but rely upon and be attracted to him. The pair are forced to share rooms and matching robes. “The Walls of Jericho” (a reference to the famous 1930’s comedic romance “It Happened One Night”) are raised to keep things platonic.
John is even described as looking like Clark Gable. (Although he looks nothing like him on the cover!) John remains a man of mystery, as we never learn much about him. We do know that he has no feelings for Brenda, their divorce was amicable, and he only has eyes for Casey.
Too Many Husbands is a hilarious romance. Nothing is meant to be taken seriously except the love story. As said, this book is a screwball comedy in the style of films from the 1930s and 1940s.
Have you ever seen the “Frasier” episode “The Two Mrs. Cranes,” where Daphne, wanting to fend off an old boyfriend, pretends to be married to Niles? Then Roz shows up and pretends to be Nile’s wife, “Maris,” who is “married” to Frasier? And the cop father pretends to be an astronaut? That was one of the funniest moments on television, and that’s what this book is like. One slapstick bit of silliness followed by another!
An epilogue wrapping up this story would have been the perfect bow to add to this gift of a Christmas romance. There are some loose ends, so it’s not perfection. But whether it’s Christmas or any time of year, Too Many Husbands is an exceptional, sidesplitting tale that will keep you smiling for a long time.
4.26 stars (rounded up to 4 1/2)
There are Christmas tales that inspire, ones that make us cry, and others that make us laugh with the joy of being alive. Too Many Husbands by Elise Title falls into the latter category. It’s a zany romp of a romance that could have been an old-fashioned screwball comedy on the live screen.
What does a woman do when she has not one, nor even two, but three husbands coming over for Christmas?
No, this Harlequin Temptation is not a remake of the 1940 romantic comedy of the same name starring Fred MacMurray and Jean Arthur. Nor is it related to the similarly-styled film “My Favorite Wife,” which starred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Even so, you can see the influences as Too Many Husbands is as silly and enjoyable as those films.
At only 28, Casey Croyden’s a hotshot in the commercial real estate market. Due to her laser-beam focus on business, she has one failed marriage behind her. When the largest Japanese hotel chain owner decides to set his sights on the US market, Casey is just the one to make the deal.
The only impediment is that Toho, the owner of the hotel chains, is a “traditional” man. This means he might not accept entering into a deal spearheaded by a single woman whose focus is solely on her career. So Casey concocts a plan to have Toho and his wife Akiko stay with her in a huge rented house in a cozy New England setting with Casey and her husband. That is, an actor hired to play her husband.
Enter John Gallagher. He’s Casey’s new next-door neighbor. His unexpected arrival on her doorstep has Casey mistaking him for the actor she hired. She plants a big kiss on him, to John’s bewilderment, and acts as if they’re madly in love. John, to his benefit, plays along.
Things take a wacky turn when David, the real actor, shows up. Caught in a trap of her own making, what’s Casey to do? What would any good actor do? Improvise! David is relegated to Casey’s brother, who’s also spending Christmas with them.
Remember, though, this is called Too Many Husbands, not One Husband Too Many. Who else turns up? Casey’s ex-husband, Wes. Casey and her ex aren’t on bad terms, but his appearance is bound to confuse. As a result, he’s given the role of a family friend. To make the situation even more insane, John’s ex-wife, Brenda, appears. An ex-wife would muddy the waters more, so she’s presented as Casey’s best friend.
If you’re counting, that’s three husbands and two wives, not including Toho & Akiko. That makes for a winning combination as a full house beats out a three-of-a-kind hand!
It’s a full house indeed when Casey’s PA drops by to check on how the merriment is progressing. She’s shocked to find her normally cool-headed boss all distressed. What’s with this Christmas tomfoolery?
Somehow Casey should be out of her mind trying to broker a deal with Toho, all while trying to keep up appearances. John is her solid rock, and she can’t help but rely upon and be attracted to him. The pair are forced to share rooms and matching robes. “The Walls of Jericho” (a reference to the famous 1930’s comedic romance “It Happened One Night”) are raised to keep things platonic.
John is even described as looking like Clark Gable. (Although he looks nothing like him on the cover!) John remains a man of mystery, as we never learn much about him. We do know that he has no feelings for Brenda, their divorce was amicable, and he only has eyes for Casey.
Too Many Husbands is a hilarious romance. Nothing is meant to be taken seriously except the love story. As said, this book is a screwball comedy in the style of films from the 1930s and 1940s.
Have you ever seen the “Frasier” episode “The Two Mrs. Cranes,” where Daphne, wanting to fend off an old boyfriend, pretends to be married to Niles? Then Roz shows up and pretends to be Nile’s wife, “Maris,” who is “married” to Frasier? And the cop father pretends to be an astronaut? That was one of the funniest moments on television, and that’s what this book is like. One slapstick bit of silliness followed by another!
An epilogue wrapping up this story would have been the perfect bow to add to this gift of a Christmas romance. There are some loose ends, so it’s not perfection. But whether it’s Christmas or any time of year, Too Many Husbands is an exceptional, sidesplitting tale that will keep you smiling for a long time.
4.26 stars (rounded up to 4 1/2)
April 29, 2018
3.25 stars
This one was hilarious, the career-minded heroine needs a fake husband for an important deal with a Japanese hotelier and his wife who are about to visit her and mistakes the hero for the actor she hired. Then of course the fake actor becomes her fake brother, the hero's ex also arrives and becomes her "childhood friend" and her ex also arrives is given the role of the hero's ex bf. Hilarious comedy ensues as the heroine tries to keep the charade going. The hero/heroine of course have an insta-luv/lust but the connection works. The reason I docked my rating is the ending, it was abrupt and I felt many issues were left unresolved - we never learn the hero's job, how the heroine is gonna balance work and romance? It needed another chapter.
This one was hilarious, the career-minded heroine needs a fake husband for an important deal with a Japanese hotelier and his wife who are about to visit her and mistakes the hero for the actor she hired. Then of course the fake actor becomes her fake brother, the hero's ex also arrives and becomes her "childhood friend" and her ex also arrives is given the role of the hero's ex bf. Hilarious comedy ensues as the heroine tries to keep the charade going. The hero/heroine of course have an insta-luv/lust but the connection works. The reason I docked my rating is the ending, it was abrupt and I felt many issues were left unresolved - we never learn the hero's job, how the heroine is gonna balance work and romance? It needed another chapter.
September 30, 2024
This was funny: a woman hires a fake husband from Actors Equity (lol) to impress the businessman she wants to make a Very Important Business Deal™️ with. What can go wrong? Well, a few things such as the first man to show up at Casey's door, John, is assumed to be the hired husband only wait, it's not it's her neighbor. The man from Actors Equity shows up and now has to pretend to be a brother and John's ex-wife and Casey's ex-husband shows up, too. I read this in one sitting.
Favorite quote:
“We heard her ordering up a husband,” Marsha said.
“Yeah, kind of the same way she ordered a hot pastrami for lunch,” Sue observed.
content note: multiple times the author writes "Oriental" when referring to a Japanese character. So heads up!
Favorite quote:
“We heard her ordering up a husband,” Marsha said.
“Yeah, kind of the same way she ordered a hot pastrami for lunch,” Sue observed.
content note: multiple times the author writes "Oriental" when referring to a Japanese character. So heads up!
October 15, 2017
Една история изпълнена с весели и неочаквани моменти на връх коледните празници. Определено тази история ще Ви накара да се смеете и да плачите от щастие, заслужава си да я прочетете, защото "На Коледа стават чудеса".
November 14, 2017
3.5 stars
Clever, engaging and with characters who are good people (even the exes!). With a less skilled writer, it could've been a mess. As it is, it stands out from other nice but forgettable category romance novels.
Clever, engaging and with characters who are good people (even the exes!). With a less skilled writer, it could've been a mess. As it is, it stands out from other nice but forgettable category romance novels.
June 1, 2025
Too Many Husbands reads like a screwball comedy. A light, fluffy bundle of fun that doesn't try to be realistic or deep. Pure escapism. Found at a yard sale and the book had already been nearly loved to death.
October 8, 2016
A charming romantic comedy of errors. Casey Croyden had her assistant hire an actor to play her husband as she entertained an important Japanese couple over Christmas in Vermont. When John Gallagher arrives on her doorstep, she kisses him and introduces him to Toho and Akiko as her husband. Then the actor arrives. Then her real ex-husband arrives, as well as John's ex-wife. The hilarity snowballs. I'm glad a Listopia list of favorite Harlequin romances brought this to mind, because just thinking of it makes me smile.
June 5, 2023
This is basically a farce and there were plenty of funny moments (and also ones where I had to set the book aside because I couldn't handle the secondhand embarrassment). I really liked that there were two sets of amicably divorced exes getting together, and I enjoyed the interactions between the heroine and hero -- until the big reveal near the end. The resolution after that seemed way too rushed.
The portrayal of the Japanese hotel magnate and his wife isn't terribly offensive, but it's definitely dated.
The portrayal of the Japanese hotel magnate and his wife isn't terribly offensive, but it's definitely dated.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews