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Temporary Wife
Emily Lamb thought Luke Adams was attractive and powerful enough to arrange his own marriage--but when her friend Gina Harrick asked her to marry him for business reasons, Emily had her own reasons for agreeing.
It was, of course, to be a temporary marriage of convenience; only Emily hadn't counted on falling in love with Luke. Nor had she suspected that the secret behind the business reasons was the fact that Luke was in love with Gina, his boss's wife . . .
It was, of course, to be a temporary marriage of convenience; only Emily hadn't counted on falling in love with Luke. Nor had she suspected that the secret behind the business reasons was the fact that Luke was in love with Gina, his boss's wife . . .
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
20 people are currently reading
793 people want to read
About the author
Roberta Leigh
113 books66 followersaka Rachel Lindsay, Janey Scott, Rozella Lake
Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.
Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.
Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.
She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.
In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.
Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.
Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.
Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.
She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.
In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
July 11, 2017
What a foul, filthy piece of filth the other woman was. She may be the poster bitch for worst evil other woman EVER. EVERRRRRRRR!
The H and the evil OW have been having an affair for two years. Bad enough, yes, but it's compounded by the fact that cuckolded husband is the H’s boss and mentor and a really nice guy. The H asked her to leave her husband when they first started the affair, but she was such a precious flower she was afraid it would give her husband a heart attack and she was soooo worried about him.
In a brilliant and cunning move, the bitch asks her friend to marry the H in a MOC in exchange for some money. No one tells the h she is to be the beard for their sleazy, back street affair. Oh no, she finds out on her wedding day when she catches them in a clinch. That’s it for the h. She has no use for her ex friend who tries to play the sympathy card and smarm her way back in, and the h isn’t too crazy about her new husband either. Of course, this doesn’t prevent her from falling for him.
Anyhoo, the H, who apparently is the dumb blonde of the story, ends up falling for the h eventually. It takes him long enough, but he gets a conscience and feels bad about cuckolding his mentor, and realizes that the evil other bitch’s reason for NOT leaving her husband was more due to inheriting his wealth than keeping her husband happy in his declining, dying years.
The H confronts the evil one, and she doesn’t take it well. She slithers in with one more lie to wreck havoc and her toy back.
This pissed me off so much. The h was great, spine of steel, charming, ethical, and kind of funny. But the hero, eye roll, and the bitch from hell ruined it for me.
It's either a 1 star or a 4 star if you like major angst and want to murder major characters.
Angst with a HEA.
The H and the evil OW have been having an affair for two years. Bad enough, yes, but it's compounded by the fact that cuckolded husband is the H’s boss and mentor and a really nice guy. The H asked her to leave her husband when they first started the affair, but she was such a precious flower she was afraid it would give her husband a heart attack and she was soooo worried about him.
In a brilliant and cunning move, the bitch asks her friend to marry the H in a MOC in exchange for some money. No one tells the h she is to be the beard for their sleazy, back street affair. Oh no, she finds out on her wedding day when she catches them in a clinch. That’s it for the h. She has no use for her ex friend who tries to play the sympathy card and smarm her way back in, and the h isn’t too crazy about her new husband either. Of course, this doesn’t prevent her from falling for him.
Anyhoo, the H, who apparently is the dumb blonde of the story, ends up falling for the h eventually. It takes him long enough, but he gets a conscience and feels bad about cuckolding his mentor, and realizes that the evil other bitch’s reason for NOT leaving her husband was more due to inheriting his wealth than keeping her husband happy in his declining, dying years.
The H confronts the evil one, and she doesn’t take it well. She slithers in with one more lie to wreck havoc and her toy back.
This pissed me off so much. The h was great, spine of steel, charming, ethical, and kind of funny. But the hero, eye roll, and the bitch from hell ruined it for me.
It's either a 1 star or a 4 star if you like major angst and want to murder major characters.
Angst with a HEA.
December 2, 2020
In a twist on The Wings of the Dove, the evil Other Woman in Roberta Leigh's Temporary Wife is the rich married woman who pushes her lover to marry a poor ugly duckling acquaintance of hers as cover for their adulterous affair. Meanwhile, she plays the long game of waiting for her older, terminally ill husband to finally croak and leave her his millions.
Alas for this brilliant strategist, the duckling turns into a swan after a Paris make-over and what's more, she finally opens her mouth to reveal a mind as sharp as a tack and a tongue as eviscerating as a knife. The heroine not only has a spine of steel, she has an incredible gift for reading people, remaining cool, calm and collected on the surface while she tells her husband and his mistress to their face what they really are, beneath all their social niceties and lacquered masks.
The evil genius' lover is not only incredibly thick, he is weak and cowardly as well. So for a long time, he fights both the warm feelings he almost instantly develops for his fiery young bride and the realization that he has wasted two years of his life on loving a demonic succubus whose only loving feelings are reserved for cold, hard cash.
I thought I would hate this story because the heroine would be a quivering doormat Mary Sue type but she is not that at all. She was so kick-ass! Her set-downs of the OW and the zero-hero were epic. Her self-esteem and pride won over her mushy feelings for the helpless child who was her paper husband. You knew she was going to survive these slimy people once she got away and yes, eventually even get over their destructive machinations and find herself a new life and new love. This was no pining heroine. She was extremely logical, realistic, and pragmatic. She was ready to walk out and in fact nearly did twice and each time, she was begged on his knees by the groveling mess of a husband.
The only flaw in heroine's character was her soft spot for the village idiot husband but then again, she is a very compassionate person so I understood her protective instincts towards him. Without her, he is bound to walk into a jumbo spider web one day and just stay entangled there, slowly melting in the sun, that's about the extent of his abilities of self-preservation. I just hope they don't procreate because no one needs descendants from that gene pool.
Bonus: OW gets a proper comeuppance with mascara running down her face and hero looking at her distastefully as he dumps her (finally!) for a woman that OW looked down upon all her life as an insignificant, inferior creature. Though to be truly epic, she should have lost her millions too, oh well :(
And the level of writing is absolutely exquisite. No cheesiness, no purple prose. Just sharp, witty third person narrative and hilarious, short and to the point dialogues. The inclusion of the OW's POV was also HILARIOUS, as she casts herself in the role of victim in this whole mess, when all her dreams of having her cake and eat it too come crumbling down around her.
This is truly the best I have read from this author.
Alas for this brilliant strategist, the duckling turns into a swan after a Paris make-over and what's more, she finally opens her mouth to reveal a mind as sharp as a tack and a tongue as eviscerating as a knife. The heroine not only has a spine of steel, she has an incredible gift for reading people, remaining cool, calm and collected on the surface while she tells her husband and his mistress to their face what they really are, beneath all their social niceties and lacquered masks.
The evil genius' lover is not only incredibly thick, he is weak and cowardly as well. So for a long time, he fights both the warm feelings he almost instantly develops for his fiery young bride and the realization that he has wasted two years of his life on loving a demonic succubus whose only loving feelings are reserved for cold, hard cash.
I thought I would hate this story because the heroine would be a quivering doormat Mary Sue type but she is not that at all. She was so kick-ass! Her set-downs of the OW and the zero-hero were epic. Her self-esteem and pride won over her mushy feelings for the helpless child who was her paper husband. You knew she was going to survive these slimy people once she got away and yes, eventually even get over their destructive machinations and find herself a new life and new love. This was no pining heroine. She was extremely logical, realistic, and pragmatic. She was ready to walk out and in fact nearly did twice and each time, she was begged on his knees by the groveling mess of a husband.
The only flaw in heroine's character was her soft spot for the village idiot husband but then again, she is a very compassionate person so I understood her protective instincts towards him. Without her, he is bound to walk into a jumbo spider web one day and just stay entangled there, slowly melting in the sun, that's about the extent of his abilities of self-preservation. I just hope they don't procreate because no one needs descendants from that gene pool.
Bonus: OW gets a proper comeuppance with mascara running down her face and hero looking at her distastefully as he dumps her (finally!) for a woman that OW looked down upon all her life as an insignificant, inferior creature. Though to be truly epic, she should have lost her millions too, oh well :(
And the level of writing is absolutely exquisite. No cheesiness, no purple prose. Just sharp, witty third person narrative and hilarious, short and to the point dialogues. The inclusion of the OW's POV was also HILARIOUS, as she casts herself in the role of victim in this whole mess, when all her dreams of having her cake and eat it too come crumbling down around her.
This is truly the best I have read from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2023
London 1975. The opening scene takes place in a luxurious office on a high rise building of the Charles Harrick corporation. It is the office of Managing Director, 33 year old Luke.
He'd been with the company for two years. Before that he was an economics University professor.
During these two years he'd been having a secret love affair with his boss's and mentor's wife, 30 year old Gina who was very beautiful, statuesque and stylish.
Gina was married to wealthy Charles Harrick, owner of the company. He was 60 years old.
Luke and Gina fell in love and were lovers. Luke wanted her to get a divorce but Gina wouldn't hear of it. Charles was a sick man, having heart problems and the shock, she said, would kill him.
We have Gina's pov and the real reason she did not want to divorce Charles was her desire to inherit his vast estate.
That afternoon Luke told Gina that Charles's nephew, Roger, gave Luke an ultimatum. Either gave Gina up, or his uncle would learn about the affair. Roger wanted more than a promise from him.
Luke, he said, had to get married to someone else.
Gina, thinking that she might lose the inheritance, urged Luke to agree in marrying someone on a temporary basis and as Charles departed from this world, they could get an annulment.
A business arrangement.
Gina even thought of a candidate. A young girl, Emily, who needed the money. Gina considered Emily her inferior and quite insignificant. She would not have any fear of Luke falling in love with her.
Emily was never told of the real reason for the pretend marriage, only that it was going to last for a limited time.
Even though Emily had reluctantly agreed, she was thinking what on earth had she let herself in for?
At the moment she had no foresight of the anguish the answer would give her.
Emily was a petite, pretty girl who lived in a village and dressed conservative. She was bright, amusing and outspoken. She was a do-gooder and loved by everyone.
Luke and Emily had spent a lot of time together before the nuptials. Emily wished she could have met Luke under normal circumstances. A man of such good looks and personality.
Luke had warm feelings for her as well, she was a breath of fresh air.
They got married and during the wedding reception Charles and Gina gave for them, Emily came to the realisation that she was in love with Luke.
At some point, as Emily went upstairs, she caught Luke and Gina in a passionate embrace.
Luke told Emily that him being in love with Gina did not alter the situation. She'd already been paid and they should carry on with the pretence.
Emily told them that she would not have agreed to the fiasco had she known beforehand.
The newly-weds went on a short honeymoon to Paris. Emily did not expect to enjoy her stay, but to her surprise she loved it.
On their last night, Luke hugged and passionately kissed her and in the midst of it he whispered Gina's name.
They started their married life amicably. Luke continued with his love affair with Gina. About a month or two after the nuptials Charles had a heart attack and died.
Luke was to make the funeral arrangements. Gina, he said, was in shock as she was Charles's wife for years.
Emily pointed out that Gina was also involved with Luke for two of those years so he should spare her of platitudes about bereaved widows.
Gina, Emily said, should be commended for playing the waiting game. She married Charles for his money and that's the reason she remained with him and she had Luke as a lover into the bargain.
She told him that now he had his position in the company secured, and he could have Charles's wife as well.
Gina had Luke and Charles's money so they both must be feeling very pleased with themselves and they deserved each other.
After Charles's burial, Gina wanted to discuss the dissolvement of his marriage. He said this was not the right time with Charles just laid to rest but Gina did not much care about that. She was happy that she did not have to pretend any longer.
Luke felt disheartened by Gina's lack of consideration of the man who had been her devoted husband and whose money she now had. He, himself was feeling guilty and ashamed.
He felt like he was seeing Gina through a mist and she was blurred now as this image of her was out of focus with the one he always carried in his heart.
Luke always thought that Gina was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, yet there was something empty in the loveliness. The beauty was lacking warmth, a spoilt and selfish beauty who wanted to have her cake and eat it too.
As she put her arms around him, Luke was disconcerted by his lack of response and wondered what was wrong with him.
Back at his apartment he'd found Emily packing to leave. She said the reason they were married no longer existed.
Only a short while ago, Luke, had the feeling he was seeing Gina for the first time and now he was experiencing the same thing with Emily.
Their brief life together flashed through his mind. He had grown to like and regard Emily with affection, to appreciate her mind and personality long before love and passion came in the equation.
Too blinded by the past, to know when that past was dead. He knew now that unless he convince Emily that the past was dead, his future would be dead too, for he now realised that he loved her.
It was not the idolatrous passion he had known for Gina, but something richer, compounded of desire and laughter, of understanding and compassion.
He knew she would not believe him if he told her, so he had to keep her with him and show her without words.
So he told Emily that to avoid gossip about himself and Gina, they could not rush into each other's arms the second Charles was dead.
Luke and Emily had agreed for the marriage to go on for another six months.
Emily asked him to curtail his evenings with Gina and Luke promptly agreed.
Two months went by and Emily could not believe how happy she had been with Luke. It was almost as if they were genuinely a happy, normal couple.
Luke had arranged a meeting with Gina. He knew now he had mistaken desire for love and had allowed a woman's expertise at lovemaking to blind him to her true character and also to his own.
Gina told him they were blameless during Charles's lifetime, she felt no guilt whatever and they were entitled to take their happiness.
He told her he will not marry her. He did not love her, they were not right for each other.
Gina accused him of falling in love with Emily. She was astounded that he would fall for a pathetic nobody. She threatened him with his job. He said he'd already decided to resign.
That same day Gina visited Emily. She told her that Luke had sent her to let her know that he did not want to wait for another four months to end the marriage. He wanted to marry Gina now so Emily had to remove herself from his life. Typical other woman!
As Luke returned, he told Emily that he loved her and could not let her walk out of his life.
She told him she was not his type, she was no chocolate box beauty, nor rich and well connected.
He said she was beautiful in a way Gina can never be and she was rich in compassion and warmth.
She accused him of not been the faithful type, what confidence can she have in a future with him?
He said he'd made a mistake but just because he'd fallen in love with the wrong woman, didn't mean he couldn't fall in love with the right one.
She told him she would like him to take her to Paris again. They never did have a proper honeymoon there.
We have the point of view of all three main characters which is rare for the time.
How l love all these old school Harlequins!
He'd been with the company for two years. Before that he was an economics University professor.
During these two years he'd been having a secret love affair with his boss's and mentor's wife, 30 year old Gina who was very beautiful, statuesque and stylish.
Gina was married to wealthy Charles Harrick, owner of the company. He was 60 years old.
Luke and Gina fell in love and were lovers. Luke wanted her to get a divorce but Gina wouldn't hear of it. Charles was a sick man, having heart problems and the shock, she said, would kill him.
We have Gina's pov and the real reason she did not want to divorce Charles was her desire to inherit his vast estate.
That afternoon Luke told Gina that Charles's nephew, Roger, gave Luke an ultimatum. Either gave Gina up, or his uncle would learn about the affair. Roger wanted more than a promise from him.
Luke, he said, had to get married to someone else.
Gina, thinking that she might lose the inheritance, urged Luke to agree in marrying someone on a temporary basis and as Charles departed from this world, they could get an annulment.
A business arrangement.
Gina even thought of a candidate. A young girl, Emily, who needed the money. Gina considered Emily her inferior and quite insignificant. She would not have any fear of Luke falling in love with her.
Emily was never told of the real reason for the pretend marriage, only that it was going to last for a limited time.
Even though Emily had reluctantly agreed, she was thinking what on earth had she let herself in for?
At the moment she had no foresight of the anguish the answer would give her.
Emily was a petite, pretty girl who lived in a village and dressed conservative. She was bright, amusing and outspoken. She was a do-gooder and loved by everyone.
Luke and Emily had spent a lot of time together before the nuptials. Emily wished she could have met Luke under normal circumstances. A man of such good looks and personality.
Luke had warm feelings for her as well, she was a breath of fresh air.
They got married and during the wedding reception Charles and Gina gave for them, Emily came to the realisation that she was in love with Luke.
At some point, as Emily went upstairs, she caught Luke and Gina in a passionate embrace.
Luke told Emily that him being in love with Gina did not alter the situation. She'd already been paid and they should carry on with the pretence.
Emily told them that she would not have agreed to the fiasco had she known beforehand.
The newly-weds went on a short honeymoon to Paris. Emily did not expect to enjoy her stay, but to her surprise she loved it.
On their last night, Luke hugged and passionately kissed her and in the midst of it he whispered Gina's name.
They started their married life amicably. Luke continued with his love affair with Gina. About a month or two after the nuptials Charles had a heart attack and died.
Luke was to make the funeral arrangements. Gina, he said, was in shock as she was Charles's wife for years.
Emily pointed out that Gina was also involved with Luke for two of those years so he should spare her of platitudes about bereaved widows.
Gina, Emily said, should be commended for playing the waiting game. She married Charles for his money and that's the reason she remained with him and she had Luke as a lover into the bargain.
She told him that now he had his position in the company secured, and he could have Charles's wife as well.
Gina had Luke and Charles's money so they both must be feeling very pleased with themselves and they deserved each other.
After Charles's burial, Gina wanted to discuss the dissolvement of his marriage. He said this was not the right time with Charles just laid to rest but Gina did not much care about that. She was happy that she did not have to pretend any longer.
Luke felt disheartened by Gina's lack of consideration of the man who had been her devoted husband and whose money she now had. He, himself was feeling guilty and ashamed.
He felt like he was seeing Gina through a mist and she was blurred now as this image of her was out of focus with the one he always carried in his heart.
Luke always thought that Gina was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, yet there was something empty in the loveliness. The beauty was lacking warmth, a spoilt and selfish beauty who wanted to have her cake and eat it too.
As she put her arms around him, Luke was disconcerted by his lack of response and wondered what was wrong with him.
Back at his apartment he'd found Emily packing to leave. She said the reason they were married no longer existed.
Only a short while ago, Luke, had the feeling he was seeing Gina for the first time and now he was experiencing the same thing with Emily.
Their brief life together flashed through his mind. He had grown to like and regard Emily with affection, to appreciate her mind and personality long before love and passion came in the equation.
Too blinded by the past, to know when that past was dead. He knew now that unless he convince Emily that the past was dead, his future would be dead too, for he now realised that he loved her.
It was not the idolatrous passion he had known for Gina, but something richer, compounded of desire and laughter, of understanding and compassion.
He knew she would not believe him if he told her, so he had to keep her with him and show her without words.
So he told Emily that to avoid gossip about himself and Gina, they could not rush into each other's arms the second Charles was dead.
Luke and Emily had agreed for the marriage to go on for another six months.
Emily asked him to curtail his evenings with Gina and Luke promptly agreed.
Two months went by and Emily could not believe how happy she had been with Luke. It was almost as if they were genuinely a happy, normal couple.
Luke had arranged a meeting with Gina. He knew now he had mistaken desire for love and had allowed a woman's expertise at lovemaking to blind him to her true character and also to his own.
Gina told him they were blameless during Charles's lifetime, she felt no guilt whatever and they were entitled to take their happiness.
He told her he will not marry her. He did not love her, they were not right for each other.
Gina accused him of falling in love with Emily. She was astounded that he would fall for a pathetic nobody. She threatened him with his job. He said he'd already decided to resign.
That same day Gina visited Emily. She told her that Luke had sent her to let her know that he did not want to wait for another four months to end the marriage. He wanted to marry Gina now so Emily had to remove herself from his life. Typical other woman!
As Luke returned, he told Emily that he loved her and could not let her walk out of his life.
She told him she was not his type, she was no chocolate box beauty, nor rich and well connected.
He said she was beautiful in a way Gina can never be and she was rich in compassion and warmth.
She accused him of not been the faithful type, what confidence can she have in a future with him?
He said he'd made a mistake but just because he'd fallen in love with the wrong woman, didn't mean he couldn't fall in love with the right one.
She told him she would like him to take her to Paris again. They never did have a proper honeymoon there.
We have the point of view of all three main characters which is rare for the time.
How l love all these old school Harlequins!
October 22, 2019
Ok a 4.25 for me - 2 of those stars just for the h, Emily, one of my all time favorite hs.
The premise of the H loving an OW always promises a lot of angst as it happens in this one. I generally like this trope quite well but, of course, the H/h relationship has to be handled in a believable manner, so if anyone has a good book suggestion pls let me know..:)
*spoilers*The book starts with pov of the H, Luke and the OW Gina (his elderly boss's wife). So, no chances of misunderstanding their feelings or motivations. They concoct a plan for his mino with a gullible girl to fool the OW's husband as someone has caught them out and threatens to tell the boss. (They are real lowlifes!) So, the h, Emily Lamb who is a sort of a girl friday for the OW is roped in for an amount of money she desperately needs without telling her the whole truth.
For about 3/4th of the book, the H is actively pining for Gina/sex with Gina and is having dirty weekends (while poor boss is in a clinic for checkups) and Thursday afternoons rendezvous which so gross you out. The H is portrayed as a soft-spoken (never seen this adjective used for an H before), intelligent and successful corporate kinds and if you leave out the cheating part he can be called as sensitive and gentle. But the thing is, I just couldn't ignore the cheating and going behind the back of his boss who is a kindly older man and has been his mentor, guide and champion in business.The H's moral compass is totally and unforgivably skewed and even if he does have some rare guilty twinges, the solution for him is getting a job somewhere else and taking Gina away with him. His insensitivity includes making out with Gina even at the boss's house and calling out Gina's name while kissing Emily on their honeymoon.But the fact is he also comes across as an idiot for not seeing that Gina is only using him for sex and never had any intention of leaving her husband and rather has plans to be a rich widow.
Anyways, coming to Emily. What a sweet, refreshing and lively h. She carries the whole book on her delicate shoulders. Her witty and smart personality and some of her thoughts, words and actions just totally endear her. The author really excels at places and you realize why you keep digging out these oldies to read. She falls in love with Luke pretty quickly and deserved so much more. After shockingly finding the cheating duo in a cinch on her wedding day she still carries on quite gracefully and fulfills her part of the deal, while the H continues with his 'dinner a deux' with the OW.
And as the H's blind obsession for the OW continues for a long time in the book, so his developing feelings for Emily in the end seem contrived and somewhat hasty whereas as the reader you easily see Emily as the much more 'loveable' woman right from the start. So, adding up all these things, your grouse with the stupid and blind H keeps growing and growing till you want to shout 'dump the jerk please'.
So yes the last few chapters could have been done in a better way with the OW slowly but surely fading out in the H's life and thoughts but still I enjoyed reading about Emily and her straightforward and witty ways.
The premise of the H loving an OW always promises a lot of angst as it happens in this one. I generally like this trope quite well but, of course, the H/h relationship has to be handled in a believable manner, so if anyone has a good book suggestion pls let me know..:)
*spoilers*The book starts with pov of the H, Luke and the OW Gina (his elderly boss's wife). So, no chances of misunderstanding their feelings or motivations. They concoct a plan for his mino with a gullible girl to fool the OW's husband as someone has caught them out and threatens to tell the boss. (They are real lowlifes!) So, the h, Emily Lamb who is a sort of a girl friday for the OW is roped in for an amount of money she desperately needs without telling her the whole truth.
For about 3/4th of the book, the H is actively pining for Gina/sex with Gina and is having dirty weekends (while poor boss is in a clinic for checkups) and Thursday afternoons rendezvous which so gross you out. The H is portrayed as a soft-spoken (never seen this adjective used for an H before), intelligent and successful corporate kinds and if you leave out the cheating part he can be called as sensitive and gentle. But the thing is, I just couldn't ignore the cheating and going behind the back of his boss who is a kindly older man and has been his mentor, guide and champion in business.The H's moral compass is totally and unforgivably skewed and even if he does have some rare guilty twinges, the solution for him is getting a job somewhere else and taking Gina away with him. His insensitivity includes making out with Gina even at the boss's house and calling out Gina's name while kissing Emily on their honeymoon.But the fact is he also comes across as an idiot for not seeing that Gina is only using him for sex and never had any intention of leaving her husband and rather has plans to be a rich widow.
Anyways, coming to Emily. What a sweet, refreshing and lively h. She carries the whole book on her delicate shoulders. Her witty and smart personality and some of her thoughts, words and actions just totally endear her. The author really excels at places and you realize why you keep digging out these oldies to read. She falls in love with Luke pretty quickly and deserved so much more. After shockingly finding the cheating duo in a cinch on her wedding day she still carries on quite gracefully and fulfills her part of the deal, while the H continues with his 'dinner a deux' with the OW.
And as the H's blind obsession for the OW continues for a long time in the book, so his developing feelings for Emily in the end seem contrived and somewhat hasty whereas as the reader you easily see Emily as the much more 'loveable' woman right from the start. So, adding up all these things, your grouse with the stupid and blind H keeps growing and growing till you want to shout 'dump the jerk please'.
So yes the last few chapters could have been done in a better way with the OW slowly but surely fading out in the H's life and thoughts but still I enjoyed reading about Emily and her straightforward and witty ways.
April 14, 2021
2.5 stars
Heroine possessed so much alpha-hero swagger that it prohibited her from uttering the words “I love you” at the end. Oops. No worries though. The story concluded with the hero correctly deducing that the heroine possessed the same warm and fuzzy feelings he felt.
However, before this happy ending occurred I really feared the hero would perform a "Prince Charles" and happily transform himself into the MARRIED other woman's feminine-hygiene product! (Because to be that close would be divine.) Other woman had him so tightly wrapped around her sleazy, gold-digging finger for three-quarters of the book that this seemed the case. As a consequence, he hadn't realized he'd fallen in love with the heroine and had fallen subsequently out of lust with the OW. He'd mistaken desire and excitement for love because OW had bedazzled him with her bedroom skills. Hero finally reasoned OW was such a good actress, which is why he’d only seen the best of her.
Fair enough, but I needed the hero's realization to happen sooner and to witness more indications he'd fallen in love with the heroine. His obsession with the OW remained such a major fixture of the narrative for too long that it overshadowed the romance.
With this said, I was invested in seeing the narrative play out, but the writing didn't engage my emotions even though it was well-written in terms of dialogue and characterization. I just didn't feel the heroine's angst considering the plotline, and I also needed to feel more passion between the heroine and the hero to counterbalance his aforementioned obsession.
Heroine possessed so much alpha-hero swagger that it prohibited her from uttering the words “I love you” at the end. Oops. No worries though. The story concluded with the hero correctly deducing that the heroine possessed the same warm and fuzzy feelings he felt.
However, before this happy ending occurred I really feared the hero would perform a "Prince Charles" and happily transform himself into the MARRIED other woman's feminine-hygiene product! (Because to be that close would be divine.) Other woman had him so tightly wrapped around her sleazy, gold-digging finger for three-quarters of the book that this seemed the case. As a consequence, he hadn't realized he'd fallen in love with the heroine and had fallen subsequently out of lust with the OW. He'd mistaken desire and excitement for love because OW had bedazzled him with her bedroom skills. Hero finally reasoned OW was such a good actress, which is why he’d only seen the best of her.
Fair enough, but I needed the hero's realization to happen sooner and to witness more indications he'd fallen in love with the heroine. His obsession with the OW remained such a major fixture of the narrative for too long that it overshadowed the romance.
With this said, I was invested in seeing the narrative play out, but the writing didn't engage my emotions even though it was well-written in terms of dialogue and characterization. I just didn't feel the heroine's angst considering the plotline, and I also needed to feel more passion between the heroine and the hero to counterbalance his aforementioned obsession.
July 12, 2017
It was a good book and I liked the fact the heroine stayed quite strong until the end. The male lead had no integrity or morals to sleep with a friends wife which he did right up till died so I don't think his character can ever be redeemed but the book had angst which I enjoyed.
January 9, 2016
3 stars for the heroine and a half a star for Roberta Leigh pulling off this scenario.
Wonderfully compelling trainwreck of a book. Hero marries the heroine to cover up his affair with his boss's wife. If you can get past that premise you'll enjoy the book. Heroine is engaging and because she wants the hero, I'm glad she got her HEA. Hero is an in-love idiot and because the OW is really kind of smarmy, I found I was glad he was rescued from that doomed-to-go-nowhere relationship.
Wonderfully compelling trainwreck of a book. Hero marries the heroine to cover up his affair with his boss's wife. If you can get past that premise you'll enjoy the book. Heroine is engaging and because she wants the hero, I'm glad she got her HEA. Hero is an in-love idiot and because the OW is really kind of smarmy, I found I was glad he was rescued from that doomed-to-go-nowhere relationship.
February 15, 2010
Altho I try to avoid such books, I have read a handful of romances where the hero was actively in love with another woman before finally turning toward the heroine. I rarely believe in the HEA when a book starts this way and this one was no exception. The hero was in love with the Other Woman for 3/4 of the book and there is plenty of narrative shown from his POV so that there can be no mistaking where his heart lay.
And despite, continuing to carry on an affair with the Other Woman, he had shown a dog-in-the-manger in regards to the heroine, his wife in name only right from the start so that when he does decide he is in love with the heroine, I didnt find it at all believable. Because he's a dog, period.
The heroine was funny, lively, and upfront. I really liked her and thought she was wasted on the 'hero.'
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Makeover
And despite, continuing to carry on an affair with the Other Woman, he had shown a dog-in-the-manger in regards to the heroine, his wife in name only right from the start so that when he does decide he is in love with the heroine, I didnt find it at all believable. Because he's a dog, period.
The heroine was funny, lively, and upfront. I really liked her and thought she was wasted on the 'hero.'
Tropes: Marriage of Convenience, Makeover
April 7, 2016
I have no words for my love for this book.
It was perfect in every way, exactly what I was craving for after months (yes, months!) of not reading anything
It was also one of the most unique books I have ever read, dealing with the issue of the H having an affair with a married woman - which is such a despicable thing, but the way the author dealt with this, the way she portrays the hero and the rest of his character and personality is so powerful it makes my like for the hero overcome my disgust. (And let's not also forget my default inherent preference of Hs over hs in any given book - unless the book's extra special, when I like the h better than the H - which was the case in this book. And when that happens, the book instantly becomes a favourite - when I can sympathise with, feel for, understand, and cheer on the h - that is one of the best gifts a writer gives to her (or his - but I generally don't prefer romances written by males) readers.
The second unique thing was the heroine. SHE WAS SO PERFECT AND AWESOME AND KICKASS AND KIND AND WARM AND CHARMING AND DID I SAY KICKASS? BECAUSE SHE WAS. Emily is one of the absolute best perfect-combination-of-sweetheart-kickass heroines ever written!! I loved how she was so outright and honest, I loved her hilarious comments (applaud to the author for the witty dialogue - one of the most unique dialigue-wise books I've read too!) and I loved how she was so kind and true to herself, and I loved how she made lemonade out of lemons at any given time, and I loved how she refused to be bitter and wallow in self-pity and misery (even though she was more than justified), and I loved her practicality, and her loyalty, and how she didn't behave in the least bit inappropriately with the OW (who was not really much of an OW, just a friend who was in love with her) and her impeccable morals and how she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelins and basically JUST EVERYTHING, OKAY.
PERFECT BOOK, PERFECT HEROINE, LESS-THAN-PERFECT-HERO-BUT-WITH-THE-PERFECTEST-GROVEL-AND-THEREFORE-FORGIVEN-THEREFORE-ALSO-PERFECT-HERO.
Over and out. (I must go sleep, it's almost 4 am and I have to go the hospital at 7 and then to uni after that, and I have an exam next week AND I FREAKING GRADUATE IN TWO MONTHS INSHAA ALLAH AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO EAT, MUCH LESS SPEND 2 HOURS READING A NOVEL MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE AND NOW THE GUILT SINKS IN. G'BYE Y'ALL, I MISS YOU LOADS, I LOVE YOU, AND NO, I DON'T THINK I'LL BE BACK ANYTIME SOON.)
It was perfect in every way, exactly what I was craving for after months (yes, months!) of not reading anything
It was also one of the most unique books I have ever read, dealing with the issue of the H having an affair with a married woman - which is such a despicable thing, but the way the author dealt with this, the way she portrays the hero and the rest of his character and personality is so powerful it makes my like for the hero overcome my disgust. (And let's not also forget my default inherent preference of Hs over hs in any given book - unless the book's extra special, when I like the h better than the H - which was the case in this book. And when that happens, the book instantly becomes a favourite - when I can sympathise with, feel for, understand, and cheer on the h - that is one of the best gifts a writer gives to her (or his - but I generally don't prefer romances written by males) readers.
The second unique thing was the heroine. SHE WAS SO PERFECT AND AWESOME AND KICKASS AND KIND AND WARM AND CHARMING AND DID I SAY KICKASS? BECAUSE SHE WAS. Emily is one of the absolute best perfect-combination-of-sweetheart-kickass heroines ever written!! I loved how she was so outright and honest, I loved her hilarious comments (applaud to the author for the witty dialogue - one of the most unique dialigue-wise books I've read too!) and I loved how she was so kind and true to herself, and I loved how she made lemonade out of lemons at any given time, and I loved how she refused to be bitter and wallow in self-pity and misery (even though she was more than justified), and I loved her practicality, and her loyalty, and how she didn't behave in the least bit inappropriately with the OW (who was not really much of an OW, just a friend who was in love with her) and her impeccable morals and how she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelins and basically JUST EVERYTHING, OKAY.
PERFECT BOOK, PERFECT HEROINE, LESS-THAN-PERFECT-HERO-BUT-WITH-THE-PERFECTEST-GROVEL-AND-THEREFORE-FORGIVEN-THEREFORE-ALSO-PERFECT-HERO.
Over and out. (I must go sleep, it's almost 4 am and I have to go the hospital at 7 and then to uni after that, and I have an exam next week AND I FREAKING GRADUATE IN TWO MONTHS INSHAA ALLAH AND I DON'T HAVE TIME TO EAT, MUCH LESS SPEND 2 HOURS READING A NOVEL MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE AND NOW THE GUILT SINKS IN. G'BYE Y'ALL, I MISS YOU LOADS, I LOVE YOU, AND NO, I DON'T THINK I'LL BE BACK ANYTIME SOON.)
June 27, 2020
"Temporary Wife" is the story of Emily and Luke.
A fabulous tale of lies and deceit, this one has a kickass heroine and a *stupid* hero. Our heroine is a strong woman coming from a humble background. She spends her time doing odd jobs, and using that money to serve the elderly in her village. Her beloved cousin is in debt, and in eagerness to help him, she accepts odd jobs from her college acquaintance, the OW. One of such offers is to marry the hero, and later annul it in exchange for money, to which the heroine agrees. What she does not know- and eventually has to find out is that the hero and OW are having an affair, and both have been deceiving the OW's much elderly and kind husband, who is also the hero's boss.
I think the best part of this book was the very smart and likable heroine, who was not easy to fool. She did not cower to the OW, OM or the hero, and fought till the very end.
The hero was an idiot- easily manipulated by OW and blind in "love". I also did not like him cheating on his boss, with his wife. However, the book was enjoyable in the end.
Unsafe
3.5/5
A fabulous tale of lies and deceit, this one has a kickass heroine and a *stupid* hero. Our heroine is a strong woman coming from a humble background. She spends her time doing odd jobs, and using that money to serve the elderly in her village. Her beloved cousin is in debt, and in eagerness to help him, she accepts odd jobs from her college acquaintance, the OW. One of such offers is to marry the hero, and later annul it in exchange for money, to which the heroine agrees. What she does not know- and eventually has to find out is that the hero and OW are having an affair, and both have been deceiving the OW's much elderly and kind husband, who is also the hero's boss.
I think the best part of this book was the very smart and likable heroine, who was not easy to fool. She did not cower to the OW, OM or the hero, and fought till the very end.
The hero was an idiot- easily manipulated by OW and blind in "love". I also did not like him cheating on his boss, with his wife. However, the book was enjoyable in the end.
Unsafe
3.5/5
July 5, 2023
1 ⭐- Ugh! Didn't like it or triggers or pet peeve!
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Zero goes to the top 5 list of the most despicable of all time.
He and his mistress are worthless, disgusting and deserve the fire of hell. They betrayed (3 years) a sick person and on the verge of death. His mistress aimed at money, social status and sex. Zero betrayed not only his friendship with his lover's husband, but also a dying man who deserved more respect and consideration on his part.
Our heroine had her reasons for accepting this MOC, but she was totally deceived by her supposed friend and Zero, since she didn't realize they were lovers.
I was annoyed at the many times the name Gina was mentioned and Zero just thinking about her at all times and also comparing the heroine with Gina.
Argh!
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Zero goes to the top 5 list of the most despicable of all time.
He and his mistress are worthless, disgusting and deserve the fire of hell. They betrayed (3 years) a sick person and on the verge of death. His mistress aimed at money, social status and sex. Zero betrayed not only his friendship with his lover's husband, but also a dying man who deserved more respect and consideration on his part.
Our heroine had her reasons for accepting this MOC, but she was totally deceived by her supposed friend and Zero, since she didn't realize they were lovers.
I was annoyed at the many times the name Gina was mentioned and Zero just thinking about her at all times and also comparing the heroine with Gina.
Argh!
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But she had put her love into it, a love which he had believed only he knew about: until he had discovered today that Roger knew too.
'I was thinking how perfect you look.'
She came closer still, but did not kiss him. They had always been careful when they met in the Harrick building,
'We've slipped up somehow,' he said aloud. 'Our secret's out.'
Because he longed to take her in his arms, Luke put his desk between them.
'Your nephew by marriage has given me a choice,' Luke said heavily. 'Either I give you up or he will tell his uncle about us.'
'Then are you suggesting I give you up?' He tried to make his words light, but he knew his voice was heavy. He loved Gina more than he had ever loved any woman.
Even now he knew that given the chance, he would rather have Gina than this plum job that had been offered to him.
But he could not find another Gina. It had taken him thirty-three years to find this one.
'He knew we were together the weekend Charles went into the Clinic for a check-up, and he knows we meet on a Thursday afternoon.'
'I don't suppose you would care to get divorced from Charles and marry me?' 'You know I can't.'
'Never!' he said vehemently. 'I love you. I love you.'
'Are you free this weekend, darling? Charles is going into the Clinic again.' 'I'm always free,' Luke reminded her. You are the one who finds it difficult!'
As soon as Gina is free well get married, I'd marry her tomorrow if she'd say the word.'
He thought of the few women he had taken out in the past year; not because he had wanted their company but because being seen with them had helped to maintain, the camouflage that he was fancy-free.
'You're the only woman I could ever bear to touch!'
I've thought of you as my wife for so long that marrying anyone else—even as a temporary arrangement—is unthinkable.
Yes, Emily would do very well for Luke. She was not so dull that she would drive him to find other female company when she herself was not free, nor was she sufficiently attractive to impinge upon him as a woman. Yes, little Emily Lamb was the ideal choice.
'I haven't been a celibate,' he said abruptly. 'Don't let Gina kid you that I am.'
'Many talents,' he repeated, and before she could guess what he was going to do, he pulled her against him and pressed his mouth upon hers.
'Our marriage is a business commitment—something we entered into with our eyes wide open. My being in love with another woman doesn't alter the situation or the reason why you agreed to marry me.'
Bestowing her lover on Emily until such time as she was free to take him back.
'Learning that Gina and I love each other doesn't affect our bargain,' Luke continued. 'My marriage is still necessary.'
a man capable of living a lie, of being Charles's friend yet loving Charles's wife. It was this that horrified her more than anything, and though she tried to see it from Luke's point of view, she found it impossible. She appreciated that Charles's ill health prevented Gina from leaving him, but was nauseated by the way in which Gina and Luke were trying to get the best of both worlds.
'Indeed I can. In many companies, promotion only comes by stepping into a dead man's shoes, and it's exactly the same at Harrick Investments. Except that when you step into Charles's shoes you'll also be able to step into his bed!'
His understanding of loyalty differed totally from hers; his ability to simulate was so brilliant that she felt she could live with him for ever and never see beneath the charade to the man. It was an uneasy prospect.
Occasionally when he sat across from her in a restaurant, he would think of Gina and the time when she would be able to sit opposite him instead, openly declaring their love for all the world to see.
If only this were a real honeymoon and he was with Gina. The thought of her was suddenly so unbearable that he plunged into the nearest cafe to use their telephone. Within a few moments Gina's voice came over the wires, husky and soft in his ear and making him throb with desire for her.
Hearing Gina's voice in no way appeased his longing for her,
She was wearing a different shade of lipstick too: it made her mouth look soft and moist, and he was reminded of Gina's mouth, and the feel and taste of it.
'Of course; when Charles is dead. That will really be curtains for us then, won't it?' She smiled. 'Don't bother to deny it.'
Darn Luke and Gina! They had played her for a fool and now she was going to take advantage of the part they had created for her.
'Gina,' he whispered. With a gasp Emily wrenched free of him.
All she knew was that Luke had betrayed her. No, that wasn't true, she had betrayed herself.
'Forgive me,' he murmured. 'It was my fault. Next time I'll remember that men have a low threshold of excitement!'
Under cover of the conversation she studied Gina, bitterly acknowledging that her beauty alone was enough to make any man lose his senses.
'None of us have come out of this episode very well,' she agreed. 'But I don't think my reason for doing what I did was quite as despicable as yours and Luke's.'
'We have different ideas of what honesty means.'
'She was also involved with you for the last two of them! For heaven's sake spare me any platitudes about bereaved widows!'
'You're a fool, Luke! Gina didn't stay with Charles because he was ill. She married him for his money and that's the reason she remained with him. If she could have you as a lover into the bargain, that was so much the better!'"
You and Gina have finally got what you wanted. You have your position at Harrick's and now you can have Charles's wife. She has you and Charles's money. You should both be feeling very pleased with yourselves. At the risk of uttering a truism, I'd say you deserve each other!'
She put her arms around his neck again and pulled his head down until his mouth lay upon hers. Her body pressed close to his and her breasts moved and swelled against his chest. It had been several weeks since he had held Gina close, so that he was disconcerted by his lack of response and wondered if he could be ill, or if pressure of other work" had tired him. Certainly he could never remember a time when he had held Gina in his arms and not wanted to make love to her.
Her eyes did not have the softness of Gina's but gazed at him fearlessly and with contempt.
The evenings he had spent with Gina when Emily had been left here alone; the dinner parties where she had acted as his hostess and he had treated her as if she had been professionally paid to do it.
'You have no reason to feel guilty.' 'Haven't I? Do you think it was easy for me to work for Charles and at the same time make love to his wife?'
Tawdry. It was the right word to describe his shabby and deceitful love affair. Yet she still could not forget that it had filled his life for so long. An image of him holding Gina flashed into her mind, and an agony of jealousy made her want to hurt him.
July 17, 2011
Did'nt liked the book,the character Luke was too shallow,selfish,manipulative,hypocrit and back stabber had no morals/ethics
hero Luke was in love with his friend/boss Charles wife Gina and kept sleeping with her behind his Charles's back and when Charles's nephew catches them he and Gina both plan to save themselves and hide their affair,Luke marries Emily who is a warm lively good woman,Emily knows Luke loves Gina but she still marries him
After marriage Luke still keeps sleeping with Gina and leaves Emily alone in his flat and goes to dinner and spends nights with her then Charles falls more ill and just for show Luke takes Emily for honeymoon in Paris there he seems to enjoy himself with Emily and then goes in guilt as how can he betray Gina this way and he is back to cold self
Emily is really hurt and now has given up her hope of ever making her husband hers,she goes to dinner with Robert which angers Luke and makes him jealous and now he realises i love Emily but still fighting it,Charles dies and Gina is happy that now Luke and she can get married,but now Luke who has fallen in love with Emily does'nt sleeps with Gina which Gina thinks he is only paying respect to Charles soul(i laughed so hard at this line these two shameless people when he was alive did'nt cared about what if Charles finds out and now they are paying respect )but Luke tells her he does'nt loves her,what they had was excitement but he loves Emily
Gina is angry,says bitter things and even goes ahead and tells Emily Luke-she are getting married its better she moves out today and leaves,Luke comes tells her he loves her and cries and asks forgiveness,Emily says how can she trust him he says he is just a man not a saint he made a mistake of falling in love with wrong woman but does'nt mean he can't falls in love with right woman and that is Emily and now he wants to starts their marriage and we have HEA
I really wanted Emily to move out and divorce Luke,i have my doubts on his fidelity and their HEA
If they had shown Luke not sleeping with Gina and respecting his marriage vows it would still have made the story a little better but Luke not only betrayed his friend Charles but also destroyed Emily's life by marrying her and involving her in it,Gina the less said the better
hero Luke was in love with his friend/boss Charles wife Gina and kept sleeping with her behind his Charles's back and when Charles's nephew catches them he and Gina both plan to save themselves and hide their affair,Luke marries Emily who is a warm lively good woman,Emily knows Luke loves Gina but she still marries him
After marriage Luke still keeps sleeping with Gina and leaves Emily alone in his flat and goes to dinner and spends nights with her then Charles falls more ill and just for show Luke takes Emily for honeymoon in Paris there he seems to enjoy himself with Emily and then goes in guilt as how can he betray Gina this way and he is back to cold self
Emily is really hurt and now has given up her hope of ever making her husband hers,she goes to dinner with Robert which angers Luke and makes him jealous and now he realises i love Emily but still fighting it,Charles dies and Gina is happy that now Luke and she can get married,but now Luke who has fallen in love with Emily does'nt sleeps with Gina which Gina thinks he is only paying respect to Charles soul(i laughed so hard at this line these two shameless people when he was alive did'nt cared about what if Charles finds out and now they are paying respect )but Luke tells her he does'nt loves her,what they had was excitement but he loves Emily
Gina is angry,says bitter things and even goes ahead and tells Emily Luke-she are getting married its better she moves out today and leaves,Luke comes tells her he loves her and cries and asks forgiveness,Emily says how can she trust him he says he is just a man not a saint he made a mistake of falling in love with wrong woman but does'nt mean he can't falls in love with right woman and that is Emily and now he wants to starts their marriage and we have HEA
I really wanted Emily to move out and divorce Luke,i have my doubts on his fidelity and their HEA
If they had shown Luke not sleeping with Gina and respecting his marriage vows it would still have made the story a little better but Luke not only betrayed his friend Charles but also destroyed Emily's life by marrying her and involving her in it,Gina the less said the better
August 31, 2018
Why on earth did I give four stars to a book about a despicable, cheating, WEAK H?
Because he wasn't really the Hero -- he starts the book as very mediocre heroine. Think about it:
He's a ridiculously good-looking person in a career that supposedly requires decisiveness and brainpower, something that is impossible for the reader to believe since most of his observations are of the "I like pie" level of complexity. I can't count how many books where the h supposedly was a brilliant scientist or doctor or engineer yet was constantly getting trapped in closets or being conned by grifting relatives.
The author constantly emphasizes his very fair blondness -- his hair is almost silver, which is an attribute that Old Skool authors typically assign to only the most magical pixie h's who normally need someone to guide them through life because they are too ditzy and out of it to understand how the world works.
He's fixated on the OW despite the h's unsparing comments about how morally bankrupt they both are. He never has any sort of convincing response to what the h says. How many books have we read where the h loves an unworthy man and defends herself with a complete lack of logic, even as the H remains nearby, making disparaging comments and occasionally administering punishing kisses.
The h, on the other hand, loves him silently but never sacrifices her self-respect and is always seen with an admiring swain OM who makes the H (who isn't really an H, of course, but for the sake of clarity let's keep calling him that) insanely jealous even as the h refuses to clarify her relationship with the OM (sound familiar?). Further, this h has a strong sense of values and is admired by everyone. In other words, SHE'S the real H.
When he realizes that he loves the h, he agonizes over it for a while (h behavior again) until finally deciding to set things to rights...and that's when he turns into an H and wins the h. By the end, the H was completely changed due to the h's transformational love -- now he knows what love really is.
Notably, the h also remains an H, which makes this a rather groundbreaking book about a romance between two H's (not that there's anything wrong with that).
I admit, it's not a perfect theory because most Old Skool h's are virgins and the H was definitely NOT. Also, the h sometimes showed her vulnerability, which an Old Skool H would definitely not. She foolishly believed the OW at the end, which was surprising. However, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Because he wasn't really the Hero -- he starts the book as very mediocre heroine. Think about it:
He's a ridiculously good-looking person in a career that supposedly requires decisiveness and brainpower, something that is impossible for the reader to believe since most of his observations are of the "I like pie" level of complexity. I can't count how many books where the h supposedly was a brilliant scientist or doctor or engineer yet was constantly getting trapped in closets or being conned by grifting relatives.
The author constantly emphasizes his very fair blondness -- his hair is almost silver, which is an attribute that Old Skool authors typically assign to only the most magical pixie h's who normally need someone to guide them through life because they are too ditzy and out of it to understand how the world works.
He's fixated on the OW despite the h's unsparing comments about how morally bankrupt they both are. He never has any sort of convincing response to what the h says. How many books have we read where the h loves an unworthy man and defends herself with a complete lack of logic, even as the H remains nearby, making disparaging comments and occasionally administering punishing kisses.
The h, on the other hand, loves him silently but never sacrifices her self-respect and is always seen with an admiring swain OM who makes the H (who isn't really an H, of course, but for the sake of clarity let's keep calling him that) insanely jealous even as the h refuses to clarify her relationship with the OM (sound familiar?). Further, this h has a strong sense of values and is admired by everyone. In other words, SHE'S the real H.
When he realizes that he loves the h, he agonizes over it for a while (h behavior again) until finally deciding to set things to rights...and that's when he turns into an H and wins the h. By the end, the H was completely changed due to the h's transformational love -- now he knows what love really is.
Notably, the h also remains an H, which makes this a rather groundbreaking book about a romance between two H's (not that there's anything wrong with that).
I admit, it's not a perfect theory because most Old Skool h's are virgins and the H was definitely NOT. Also, the h sometimes showed her vulnerability, which an Old Skool H would definitely not. She foolishly believed the OW at the end, which was surprising. However, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2017
So glad I picked this up on a whim and went straight into it without reading any reviews so I could enjoy the ride without knowing what was coming.
H is in love with the boss's wife and having a full-fledged love affair behind his back. Yes, it's dispicable and I couldn't imagine how the H could turn around from this. But here's where Roberta Leigh shines. She introduces them first and makes them look like a highly misunderstood couple, deeply in love surrounded by circumstances they can't control. I almost rooted for them from the start. Yes, I'm well aware cheating is horrible. Not condoning it, merely giving credit to good writing.
The boss's nephew finds out and threatens to tell unless they break it off or the H quits. I don't want to give too much away because there's some fabulous angsty read on how they deal with this and I hope readers enjoy it like I did. Briefly I will just say the cheating wife comes up with the brilliant plan of asking her mousy, doormaty friend, our sweet h, who desperately needs money, to get into a marriage contract with the H to throw the nephew off their scent.
Of course the only spoke in the wheel is that her friend, the sweet h, is neither a doormat nor mousy (once she went for a make-over) so it was a joy watching their well-laid plans turn to smithereens as h and H gently and inevitably fall in love.
Love so many things about this novel. Firstly h is no martyr. Her reasons for going through the MOC are not above judgement, (no dying relative to save) so she was never self-righteous. She's devastated to discover H's duplicity but she reacts with dignified anger, no tantrums. She doesn't tell on them but neither does she let them off the hook. The evilness of the now OW is slowly revealed, H comes to his senses, tries to undo the damage and attempts to grovel for the h.
One of my best reads in recent weeks. There is almost no sex scenes at all. Yes, they manage to fall in love without the standard omg-she's-actually-a-virgin-wish-I-was-gentler discovery typical of more than a few vintage romances.
Having said that, when I discovered the husband they cheated on was not some evil, manipulative, old man preying on a much younger woman but a decent guy who spent a lot of time coaching the H to be the successful person he was, it left a bad taste in my mouth. He went straight into the needs-a-blow-job-from-a-shark category quickly. So that knocked off a star in an otherwise really good novel.
H is in love with the boss's wife and having a full-fledged love affair behind his back. Yes, it's dispicable and I couldn't imagine how the H could turn around from this. But here's where Roberta Leigh shines. She introduces them first and makes them look like a highly misunderstood couple, deeply in love surrounded by circumstances they can't control. I almost rooted for them from the start. Yes, I'm well aware cheating is horrible. Not condoning it, merely giving credit to good writing.
The boss's nephew finds out and threatens to tell unless they break it off or the H quits. I don't want to give too much away because there's some fabulous angsty read on how they deal with this and I hope readers enjoy it like I did. Briefly I will just say the cheating wife comes up with the brilliant plan of asking her mousy, doormaty friend, our sweet h, who desperately needs money, to get into a marriage contract with the H to throw the nephew off their scent.
Of course the only spoke in the wheel is that her friend, the sweet h, is neither a doormat nor mousy (once she went for a make-over) so it was a joy watching their well-laid plans turn to smithereens as h and H gently and inevitably fall in love.
Love so many things about this novel. Firstly h is no martyr. Her reasons for going through the MOC are not above judgement, (no dying relative to save) so she was never self-righteous. She's devastated to discover H's duplicity but she reacts with dignified anger, no tantrums. She doesn't tell on them but neither does she let them off the hook. The evilness of the now OW is slowly revealed, H comes to his senses, tries to undo the damage and attempts to grovel for the h.
One of my best reads in recent weeks. There is almost no sex scenes at all. Yes, they manage to fall in love without the standard omg-she's-actually-a-virgin-wish-I-was-gentler discovery typical of more than a few vintage romances.
Having said that, when I discovered the husband they cheated on was not some evil, manipulative, old man preying on a much younger woman but a decent guy who spent a lot of time coaching the H to be the successful person he was, it left a bad taste in my mouth. He went straight into the needs-a-blow-job-from-a-shark category quickly. So that knocked off a star in an otherwise really good novel.
July 26, 2014
I couldn't quite get emotionally invested in Luke and Emily. I liked the storyline> It might have been better if it was longer so that some of the emotional changes/realizations could have taken a little longer so the reader could become a little bit more invested. Well-written but missed a little something somewhere. 2.5 stars.
February 1, 2021
MINI REVIEW:
Luke Adams has everything: good looks, a plum job at an investment firm, and his boss/best friend's wife as his mistress. Unfortunately, his boss's nephew has caught wind of the affair and threatens to out the pair. Luke's mistress, Gina, wants to have her cake and eat it. Sure she's married to an old man, but he's rich, and in the meantime, she's got Luke as her lover. Luke desperately wants to be open about the affair, but she keeps claiming her husband's health is too weak to stand such a shock. So Gina comes up with the brilliant idea of arranging a marriage of inconvenience for her Luke--who truly does love her--with an old friend from school: plain, mousy Emily Lamb.
Emily is a magnificent heroine. One of the best I've read in an HP, no matter what decade. She's confident in who she is and accepting of the world as it is. She knows her marriage is one of convenience and understands why. Gina dismisses Emily as her "pet lamb", but Luke thinks: "Emily might be a lamb by name, but she was certainly not one by nature. A wolf cub was nearer the mark." Watching how Luke fell in love with her was wonderful. Normally, in contemporary romances, I can't stand adulterous heroes, but here, I understood Luke was genuinely in love with the wrong woman. Fortunately, Emily comes along to show him who the right woman is.
4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5
Luke Adams has everything: good looks, a plum job at an investment firm, and his boss/best friend's wife as his mistress. Unfortunately, his boss's nephew has caught wind of the affair and threatens to out the pair. Luke's mistress, Gina, wants to have her cake and eat it. Sure she's married to an old man, but he's rich, and in the meantime, she's got Luke as her lover. Luke desperately wants to be open about the affair, but she keeps claiming her husband's health is too weak to stand such a shock. So Gina comes up with the brilliant idea of arranging a marriage of inconvenience for her Luke--who truly does love her--with an old friend from school: plain, mousy Emily Lamb.
Emily is a magnificent heroine. One of the best I've read in an HP, no matter what decade. She's confident in who she is and accepting of the world as it is. She knows her marriage is one of convenience and understands why. Gina dismisses Emily as her "pet lamb", but Luke thinks: "Emily might be a lamb by name, but she was certainly not one by nature. A wolf cub was nearer the mark." Watching how Luke fell in love with her was wonderful. Normally, in contemporary romances, I can't stand adulterous heroes, but here, I understood Luke was genuinely in love with the wrong woman. Fortunately, Emily comes along to show him who the right woman is.
4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5
September 11, 2018
4 starts are entirely for the h, Emily! The H’s behaviour was outragious and he was dumb to be honest. Nobody who is intelligent enough to teach at a university and then go on to become a business tycoon is that stupid to not recognise a classic golddigger!
March 15, 2022
I looovvveee herrrrrrr. Emily is probably my favorite HP heroine ever.
I disliked the beginning of the book so much, but once I glanced at the synopsis again, I realized that the female POV in the beginning is the POV of the amoral other woman Gina (along with Luke’s POV), not the heroine’s. The two of them are having an affair behind her husband’s Charles’ back, complicated by Luke’s being Charles’ right hand man. They are blackmailed and maneuver themselves into a situation where Luke will marry Gina’s school friend Emily to cover up the affair, and will stay married until Charles dies.
Emily sweeps into this distasteful scenario like a breath of fresh air. She’s direct, kind, funny, and too smart for her own good, plus she has beautiful grey eyes and enjoys her food and creature comforts. (How nice it is to have a HP heroine actually relax and enjoy the expense account her husband can well afford, too. All the shopping in Paris and haircut talk was really fun.) She accepts the proposition because she needs to money to help her cousin, but as she gets to know Luke, she develops feelings for him and decides she’s going to try to see if he’d be interested in her for real. But on their wedding day, she finds out about his real relationship with Gina, and is devastated that he isn’t the man she thought he was. I felt such kinship and sympathy with her throughout the story.
Some spoilers:
This is one of the few HPs that truly shows a believable gradually falling in love scenario. You can’t help but adore Emily and despite Gina’s femme fatale appeal and history with Luke, it’s not hard to see why he starts to have feelings for Emily, too. This is a case where the hero isn’t a jerk—he deceived his employer and mentor for years, but he truly thought he loved Gina and had been willing to do things above board—and when the blinders are lifted, he’s filled with self-contempt and loathing for what he did to Charles, and to Emily. Luke’s POV is done so well. You never see this kind of self-reflection and acknowledgment of his own bad behavior in HP men, so to see it done so thoroughly—and because of a girl as amazing as Emily—is so satisfying to see.
I adore Emily. And I ended up loving this book. I’ve read this author a few times before and enjoyed her well enough, but didn’t know she had this in her. I’m looking forward to reading some more of her novels! Closing this one with a happy sigh.
I disliked the beginning of the book so much, but once I glanced at the synopsis again, I realized that the female POV in the beginning is the POV of the amoral other woman Gina (along with Luke’s POV), not the heroine’s. The two of them are having an affair behind her husband’s Charles’ back, complicated by Luke’s being Charles’ right hand man. They are blackmailed and maneuver themselves into a situation where Luke will marry Gina’s school friend Emily to cover up the affair, and will stay married until Charles dies.
Emily sweeps into this distasteful scenario like a breath of fresh air. She’s direct, kind, funny, and too smart for her own good, plus she has beautiful grey eyes and enjoys her food and creature comforts. (How nice it is to have a HP heroine actually relax and enjoy the expense account her husband can well afford, too. All the shopping in Paris and haircut talk was really fun.) She accepts the proposition because she needs to money to help her cousin, but as she gets to know Luke, she develops feelings for him and decides she’s going to try to see if he’d be interested in her for real. But on their wedding day, she finds out about his real relationship with Gina, and is devastated that he isn’t the man she thought he was. I felt such kinship and sympathy with her throughout the story.
Some spoilers:
This is one of the few HPs that truly shows a believable gradually falling in love scenario. You can’t help but adore Emily and despite Gina’s femme fatale appeal and history with Luke, it’s not hard to see why he starts to have feelings for Emily, too. This is a case where the hero isn’t a jerk—he deceived his employer and mentor for years, but he truly thought he loved Gina and had been willing to do things above board—and when the blinders are lifted, he’s filled with self-contempt and loathing for what he did to Charles, and to Emily. Luke’s POV is done so well. You never see this kind of self-reflection and acknowledgment of his own bad behavior in HP men, so to see it done so thoroughly—and because of a girl as amazing as Emily—is so satisfying to see.
I adore Emily. And I ended up loving this book. I’ve read this author a few times before and enjoyed her well enough, but didn’t know she had this in her. I’m looking forward to reading some more of her novels! Closing this one with a happy sigh.
August 8, 2012
Here we have a story about a guy who was having a secret affair with his boss's wife. When they were about to be exposed, the OW concocted a plan to have him marry someone in name only as a cover.
The heroine he married was the typical virginal, 20-something, dowdy duckling turned beautiful swan who had intelligence to compliment her new found looks. I found I actually really liked the h and enjoyed the little snippets of snarky wit she spouted.
Although I didn't hate the H, I couldn't help but think that he was way to comfortable with lying and was the type of person a woman should just plain avoid. To bring this home, we saw several scenes with him interacting with his boss who saw the H as a trusted friend worthy of filling his shoes at the company. During all these interactions, the H is all caring and attentive and shows no apparent signs of remorse that he was stabbing the guy in the back by having an affair with his wife. Of course there's some guilt in his internal dialogue but it doesn't stop him. On top of that, here the H was suppose to be so in love with the OW, but he still manages to have multiple passionate embraces with the h, and would've popped her cherry if H hadn't committed a big faux pas and sent the h running. So, basically, even though he's dressed up pretty, the guy is a scumbag who shows no loyalty to anyone and puts his little friend before anyone else in his life.
Seeing the guy's character for what it was, I couldn't help wishing the h would go for the nephew, because how could she ever trust someone who was so good at carrying out such a huge deception for so long without any outwardly sign? But you know how these pesky romances are with the hero and heroine always getting together in the end. However, If she wasn't going see the H for the big skeev that he was and show him the door, at least she made him wait before he earned a place in her life. Although her motives for waiting were off and it took him way too long to set things straight with the OW.
Basically, if you find morally bankrupt heros a hard limit, then avoid this book. If it's your cup of tea, well, enjoy!
The heroine he married was the typical virginal, 20-something, dowdy duckling turned beautiful swan who had intelligence to compliment her new found looks. I found I actually really liked the h and enjoyed the little snippets of snarky wit she spouted.
Although I didn't hate the H, I couldn't help but think that he was way to comfortable with lying and was the type of person a woman should just plain avoid. To bring this home, we saw several scenes with him interacting with his boss who saw the H as a trusted friend worthy of filling his shoes at the company. During all these interactions, the H is all caring and attentive and shows no apparent signs of remorse that he was stabbing the guy in the back by having an affair with his wife. Of course there's some guilt in his internal dialogue but it doesn't stop him. On top of that, here the H was suppose to be so in love with the OW, but he still manages to have multiple passionate embraces with the h, and would've popped her cherry if H hadn't committed a big faux pas and sent the h running. So, basically, even though he's dressed up pretty, the guy is a scumbag who shows no loyalty to anyone and puts his little friend before anyone else in his life.
Seeing the guy's character for what it was, I couldn't help wishing the h would go for the nephew, because how could she ever trust someone who was so good at carrying out such a huge deception for so long without any outwardly sign? But you know how these pesky romances are with the hero and heroine always getting together in the end. However, If she wasn't going see the H for the big skeev that he was and show him the door, at least she made him wait before he earned a place in her life. Although her motives for waiting were off and it took him way too long to set things straight with the OW.
Basically, if you find morally bankrupt heros a hard limit, then avoid this book. If it's your cup of tea, well, enjoy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2021
I usually like my H's with more morals than an alleycat. (My apology to all the tomcats in the world) But this guy took the prize. Sleeping with the wife of his boss, and continuing to do so even after marrying the heroine, was just gross.
I feel sorry for the heroine saddling herself with such a creep; but as my mother would say "love is blind". I give this marriage two years to work through all the sex/sizzle, and then she will dump his sorry a#$%.
I did love the story. It was engaging and the heroine was delightful - in spite of her blindspot.
I feel sorry for the heroine saddling herself with such a creep; but as my mother would say "love is blind". I give this marriage two years to work through all the sex/sizzle, and then she will dump his sorry a#$%.
I did love the story. It was engaging and the heroine was delightful - in spite of her blindspot.
January 3, 2013
Quite a few reviews echo my thoughts about the book So I quote briefly pertinent snippets from other reviews.
Booklover says "Luke was too shallow, selfish, manipulative, hypocrite and back stabber had no morals/ethics"
Julz04 says "The heroine was the typical virginal, 20-something, dowdy duckling turned beautiful swan. I found I actually really liked the heroine and enjoyed the little snippets of snarky wit she spouted."
Booklover says "Luke was too shallow, selfish, manipulative, hypocrite and back stabber had no morals/ethics"
Julz04 says "The heroine was the typical virginal, 20-something, dowdy duckling turned beautiful swan. I found I actually really liked the heroine and enjoyed the little snippets of snarky wit she spouted."
November 26, 2013
Angsty read. Really liked the educated, intelligent heroine and even though hero was clearly in denial I didn't hate him. He was just TSTL.
July 6, 2021
So..right off the bat the Hero Luke is talking about his married ow(Gina)as the only woman he has and could love. This doesn’t bode well for our future h. (Thinking to myself I wonder if 10 am is too early to drink? Does Baileys in coffee count as drinking? Unfortunately there is no Bailey’s present so I will have to hope the caffeine will have some sort of effect.)
Gina, 30ish, the evil ow(or should I say puppeteer extraordinaire)- She is married to the H’s boss who is 30 year’s older than her but very rich. She and H are biding their time, hoping the boss’s ticker will go soon so they can be together publicly. She definitely wears the pants in the relationship, and I actually have a sort of twisted, sickening respect for her ability to be the alpha ow she is.
Luke, 33, the Hero??🤦(or puppet)..Is so nauseatingly in love with the ow that I almost tossed my cookies before chapter 2.
“ I would like to shout it from the rooftops,” Luke said, and then gave an embarrassed laugh. “You make me talk like a schoolboy.” 🤢 (He definitely doesn’t sound very alpha to me.)
Roger 26, the nephew of the boss, threatens to expose their affair. The saucy OW confronts the nephew straight up. Basically, tells him his uncle hasn’t been able to fulfill husbandly duties since the first year of marriage. She is so good, she even is able to find out how the nephew found out about her and the H.
The nephew after going to the H’s flat to deliver papers one day: “I heard your voice behind the door.” He paused uncomfortably and then braced his shoulders. “You were calling something to Luke and it was pretty obvious that you were more than just friends.” ( now I’m not sure what she was yelling or I mean calling, but my imagination is a little rampant at this point and I still can’t believe this is chapter 1. Published 1975, excellent way to get around the censors there Roberta!)
Meanwhile the ow is spinning her story so well, and all the H can do is sit back and watch. However, the nephew insists either they stop seeing each other or the H needs to step down from the big promotion coming his way. The H all blustery is like I’m not going to stop, I love her, She is the stars, the moon, my heart my blood, blah blah blah(ok he didnt say all of that but seriously the man must be awesome in bed, because even the ow can do better than this!) The OW stops the H from making a bigger fool and asks how they can prove they have stopped seeing each other. The nephew and his infinite wisdom would believe they stopped if the H were to marry someone else. (Ok at this point I am inclined to believe that the H is correct. Maybe the nephew wants ow for himself when uncle kicks the bucket.) Phew chapter 2 coming up!(Maybe we will meet the future heroine! Poor girl!)
Chapter 2…I definitely threw up a little in my mouth. I should have made a drinking game over all the times they called each other darling. Anyhow, Gina has the perfect specimen for a made up marriage with “darling” Luke.
“ Darling Gina you have no reason to be jealous of me! If I did marry a woman other than you, there would be no problem about annulment.” He reached out and caught her hand. “You’re the only woman I could ever bear to touch!” (Oh yeah definitely vomit)`
Finally we meet Emily Lamb the heroine(lamb was that intentional?). She doesn’t seem to have any illusions about her friend Gina, in fact she kind of admires her for it(I totally concur). Yet she is unaware of the real reason she is agreeing to marry the H. In fact she thinks she is doing a good deed(🙈)
“I like honesty” he said. (Says the man sleeping with the boss’s wife roll 👀)
Oh I’m liking the heroine, she is forthright, honest, and outspoken. The story progresses with the two of them being seen as a couple everywhere. He thinks she is in love with her cousin and needs the money to buy the man(yes that is very complimentary, I know!)
They go to spend the weekend at a couple’s house. J0kingly he makes innuendos about their rooms being next door to each other. Then he makes a remark about her being small enough to put in his pocket(ok that’s not weird). Unfortunately, I am starting to see the telltale signs of an h who is going to become a victim of love. By chapter 6 they have had long walks and interesting talks. During their walk they run into a couple who are farmers. The lady sizes them up and basically says they will have a good marriage(especially since it looks like the h has child bearing hips). The H finds that his future wife is quite the do gooder. He doesn’t understand that, but I lover her even more for it! Unfortunately the asshole H flirts with the h and gives her a short hard kiss. Then he proceeds to lift her off the ground and tells her he could crush her(foreshadowing, I don’t like it!) On another note Gina would have not been pleased!!By chapter 7 we can see little snippets of the H enjoying a little bit of the homey atmosphere the h puts out. They are married. The nephew Roger introduces himself to the h and makes a few remarks that she isn’t quite sure how to take. She calls the nephew out on his rudeness. However, his last remark makes her realize that she is in love with the H(no, no, no!!!)So our little h (all 5 feet of her) decides that she will make it her mission for the H to fall in love with her.
Then the other shoe drops! So that spoiler was super long, and I actually had to leave things out. If you skipped the spoiler(good for you!) Basically what you need to know is there continues to be drama with the ow. We see glimmers of the H falling in love with the h but he is too stupidly enraptured with the ow to notice it. It isn’t until he is finally free to be with the ow that he realizes that desire and infatuation do not equal love or long term. Of course he comforts himself in knowing that HE didnt start the affair the ow did.(omg dude you were so in the wrong!) Even after he declares himself to the h, she’s like ok, but I am not sure you will stay committed. Crying helps to plead his case. I finally understand the shelf “be happy that the h is happy”
How did I arrive at a 5⭐️ for a book that is super messed up. Well first of all, the ow gets 2 stars. WE actually get to see her thoughts and evil machinations straight from her own head. She really needs to start a school for future Harlequin OW’s (I know she didn’t get her man in the end, but I am sure this crafty ow learns from her mistakes and will be able to revise some things). The h gets another 2 stars. She is so blazingly honest with everyone (she only hides her true feelings for the H, but she is probably a little ashamed for loving him). She cuts the h and ow down anytime they need it. The H constantly accuses her of “hitting below the belt” Well, sir that is where most of these problems got started. So who gets the last star…I hate to do it, but it goes to the H. He gets it for finally realizing what a terrible person he has been during this love affair with he ow. He actually grows a conscience. Plus, when he realizes he might have lost the h he really tries to do what he can to keep her, yep I am a sucker for the crying as well. Honorary mention goes to the nephew for realizing right away that the h was a gem!
When I reread this(oh and I will) I am going to turn it into the aforementioned drinking game. A shot every time darling is used in the book. Then I am going to write another review which I am sure will read much differently as it will be written by a very intoxicated reviewer.
For a different point of view check out Vintages review. She gave it 1 ⭐️ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stmargarets gives a shorter straight to the point review with 4 stars…
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sandra is a moody cow has a 4 star review which is much shorter than mine and well written; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Naksed’s review does a great job describing the characters to a tee and gave it 5 stars; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Gina, 30ish, the evil ow(or should I say puppeteer extraordinaire)- She is married to the H’s boss who is 30 year’s older than her but very rich. She and H are biding their time, hoping the boss’s ticker will go soon so they can be together publicly. She definitely wears the pants in the relationship, and I actually have a sort of twisted, sickening respect for her ability to be the alpha ow she is.
Luke, 33, the Hero??🤦(or puppet)..Is so nauseatingly in love with the ow that I almost tossed my cookies before chapter 2.
“ I would like to shout it from the rooftops,” Luke said, and then gave an embarrassed laugh. “You make me talk like a schoolboy.” 🤢 (He definitely doesn’t sound very alpha to me.)
Roger 26, the nephew of the boss, threatens to expose their affair. The saucy OW confronts the nephew straight up. Basically, tells him his uncle hasn’t been able to fulfill husbandly duties since the first year of marriage. She is so good, she even is able to find out how the nephew found out about her and the H.
The nephew after going to the H’s flat to deliver papers one day: “I heard your voice behind the door.” He paused uncomfortably and then braced his shoulders. “You were calling something to Luke and it was pretty obvious that you were more than just friends.” ( now I’m not sure what she was yelling or I mean calling, but my imagination is a little rampant at this point and I still can’t believe this is chapter 1. Published 1975, excellent way to get around the censors there Roberta!)
Meanwhile the ow is spinning her story so well, and all the H can do is sit back and watch. However, the nephew insists either they stop seeing each other or the H needs to step down from the big promotion coming his way. The H all blustery is like I’m not going to stop, I love her, She is the stars, the moon, my heart my blood, blah blah blah(ok he didnt say all of that but seriously the man must be awesome in bed, because even the ow can do better than this!) The OW stops the H from making a bigger fool and asks how they can prove they have stopped seeing each other. The nephew and his infinite wisdom would believe they stopped if the H were to marry someone else. (Ok at this point I am inclined to believe that the H is correct. Maybe the nephew wants ow for himself when uncle kicks the bucket.) Phew chapter 2 coming up!(Maybe we will meet the future heroine! Poor girl!)
Chapter 2…I definitely threw up a little in my mouth. I should have made a drinking game over all the times they called each other darling. Anyhow, Gina has the perfect specimen for a made up marriage with “darling” Luke.
“ Darling Gina you have no reason to be jealous of me! If I did marry a woman other than you, there would be no problem about annulment.” He reached out and caught her hand. “You’re the only woman I could ever bear to touch!” (Oh yeah definitely vomit)`
Finally we meet Emily Lamb the heroine(lamb was that intentional?). She doesn’t seem to have any illusions about her friend Gina, in fact she kind of admires her for it(I totally concur). Yet she is unaware of the real reason she is agreeing to marry the H. In fact she thinks she is doing a good deed(🙈)
“I like honesty” he said. (Says the man sleeping with the boss’s wife roll 👀)
Oh I’m liking the heroine, she is forthright, honest, and outspoken. The story progresses with the two of them being seen as a couple everywhere. He thinks she is in love with her cousin and needs the money to buy the man(yes that is very complimentary, I know!)
They go to spend the weekend at a couple’s house. J0kingly he makes innuendos about their rooms being next door to each other. Then he makes a remark about her being small enough to put in his pocket(ok that’s not weird). Unfortunately, I am starting to see the telltale signs of an h who is going to become a victim of love. By chapter 6 they have had long walks and interesting talks. During their walk they run into a couple who are farmers. The lady sizes them up and basically says they will have a good marriage(especially since it looks like the h has child bearing hips). The H finds that his future wife is quite the do gooder. He doesn’t understand that, but I lover her even more for it! Unfortunately the asshole H flirts with the h and gives her a short hard kiss. Then he proceeds to lift her off the ground and tells her he could crush her(foreshadowing, I don’t like it!) On another note Gina would have not been pleased!!By chapter 7 we can see little snippets of the H enjoying a little bit of the homey atmosphere the h puts out. They are married. The nephew Roger introduces himself to the h and makes a few remarks that she isn’t quite sure how to take. She calls the nephew out on his rudeness. However, his last remark makes her realize that she is in love with the H(no, no, no!!!)So our little h (all 5 feet of her) decides that she will make it her mission for the H to fall in love with her.
Then the other shoe drops! So that spoiler was super long, and I actually had to leave things out. If you skipped the spoiler(good for you!) Basically what you need to know is there continues to be drama with the ow. We see glimmers of the H falling in love with the h but he is too stupidly enraptured with the ow to notice it. It isn’t until he is finally free to be with the ow that he realizes that desire and infatuation do not equal love or long term. Of course he comforts himself in knowing that HE didnt start the affair the ow did.(omg dude you were so in the wrong!) Even after he declares himself to the h, she’s like ok, but I am not sure you will stay committed. Crying helps to plead his case. I finally understand the shelf “be happy that the h is happy”
How did I arrive at a 5⭐️ for a book that is super messed up. Well first of all, the ow gets 2 stars. WE actually get to see her thoughts and evil machinations straight from her own head. She really needs to start a school for future Harlequin OW’s (I know she didn’t get her man in the end, but I am sure this crafty ow learns from her mistakes and will be able to revise some things). The h gets another 2 stars. She is so blazingly honest with everyone (she only hides her true feelings for the H, but she is probably a little ashamed for loving him). She cuts the h and ow down anytime they need it. The H constantly accuses her of “hitting below the belt” Well, sir that is where most of these problems got started. So who gets the last star…I hate to do it, but it goes to the H. He gets it for finally realizing what a terrible person he has been during this love affair with he ow. He actually grows a conscience. Plus, when he realizes he might have lost the h he really tries to do what he can to keep her, yep I am a sucker for the crying as well. Honorary mention goes to the nephew for realizing right away that the h was a gem!
When I reread this(oh and I will) I am going to turn it into the aforementioned drinking game. A shot every time darling is used in the book. Then I am going to write another review which I am sure will read much differently as it will be written by a very intoxicated reviewer.
For a different point of view check out Vintages review. She gave it 1 ⭐️ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stmargarets gives a shorter straight to the point review with 4 stars…
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sandra is a moody cow has a 4 star review which is much shorter than mine and well written; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Naksed’s review does a great job describing the characters to a tee and gave it 5 stars; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 5, 2017
Ahhh how I hated this book. The hero was in love with OW almost to the end. Frustrating, painful and almost unreadable. But.... it makes for a great writer when the story engages you to the point where you want to scream and throw the book across the room. What a spineless cheating hero. The heroine thought so deserved better. Loved it hated it oh I don't know!
July 11, 2017
Just read this again and guess what? It still sucks. Hated this whole book. I still think the H was a scumbag and the OW was just pure evil. Worst OW ever.
December 14, 2023
Hero was dumb
July 31, 2015
Angst fest and one of those books that makes you want to kill one of the characters or two.
The 3 stars are for making me feel invested in Emily's character. I hated Luke with a passion even more than I hated the repulsive Gena.
I love books with OW but I want them to be evil geniuses and to hide their true character so I can have a reason as to why the hero was stupid enough to fall for their tricks. Gena's character was cheap, nauseating and immoral from the get go. She had a nice body and pretty face but that was it... she was one raunchy character.
Luke was just disgusting as a character. He had no nice quality, he wasn't someone I even wanted to see redeeming himself and my feelings about him were before he even met Emily. He went from 0 in likability to minus 100 in the rest of the book. For Luke to sleep for over two years with the wife of the guy who gave him his break in life and treated him like a son, for him to sit at the man's table and share his food while wanting him dead so he could make his wife his own, for him to continue seeing the bitch and sleeping with her until two weeks before the man was dead all while married and according to him falling in love with his own wife showed me he didn't deserve what he got. He deserved the bitch and few sexually transmitted disease since Gena loved bed hopping.
I would have given this book a 5 star if at the reading of the will, we found out Gena's husband knew about Gena and Luke making a fool of him behind his back and he left nothing to Gena and left everything to his nephew.
The 3 stars are for making me feel invested in Emily's character. I hated Luke with a passion even more than I hated the repulsive Gena.
I love books with OW but I want them to be evil geniuses and to hide their true character so I can have a reason as to why the hero was stupid enough to fall for their tricks. Gena's character was cheap, nauseating and immoral from the get go. She had a nice body and pretty face but that was it... she was one raunchy character.
Luke was just disgusting as a character. He had no nice quality, he wasn't someone I even wanted to see redeeming himself and my feelings about him were before he even met Emily. He went from 0 in likability to minus 100 in the rest of the book. For Luke to sleep for over two years with the wife of the guy who gave him his break in life and treated him like a son, for him to sit at the man's table and share his food while wanting him dead so he could make his wife his own, for him to continue seeing the bitch and sleeping with her until two weeks before the man was dead all while married and according to him falling in love with his own wife showed me he didn't deserve what he got. He deserved the bitch and few sexually transmitted disease since Gena loved bed hopping.
I would have given this book a 5 star if at the reading of the will, we found out Gena's husband knew about Gena and Luke making a fool of him behind his back and he left nothing to Gena and left everything to his nephew.
January 17, 2014
Awful. The hero spent most of the book in love with a married woman. The marriage of convenience was concocted to keep the old man (the hero's boss) from finding out the truth. Seriously? Yes. Seriously.
These two charming people continue to have their affair after hero's sham marriage to heroine.
The heroine was fine, she pointed out how horrible both were behaving and how morally bankrupt they both were. Why did she get involved in this mess? Same old stupid trope of the poor destitute heroine needing money. I am so sick of that trope. It's still being used today. Why can't we have more scientist, doctors, engineers, cops, etc, where the heroine meets the hero on equal ground? Oops! Went on a tangent there, sorry.
Where was I? The hero was terrible and we get his pov which makes it that much worse. He's so very selfish and weak that it's almost impossible to root for the couple.
Finally, I really don't like how the married woman was painted as this schemer when in fact the hero is as much to blame. I was nodding my head at most of what the married woman was yelling at the hero when hero finally decided he was in love with the heroine.
I found myself wondering if this wasn't supposed to be a parody of the worst behavior of what is now called HP.
I read this before years and years ago, I'd forgotten how unethical the hero was. Heroine should have bailed and gone off with the nephew of the poor deluded old cuckold boss.
These two charming people continue to have their affair after hero's sham marriage to heroine.
The heroine was fine, she pointed out how horrible both were behaving and how morally bankrupt they both were. Why did she get involved in this mess? Same old stupid trope of the poor destitute heroine needing money. I am so sick of that trope. It's still being used today. Why can't we have more scientist, doctors, engineers, cops, etc, where the heroine meets the hero on equal ground? Oops! Went on a tangent there, sorry.
Where was I? The hero was terrible and we get his pov which makes it that much worse. He's so very selfish and weak that it's almost impossible to root for the couple.
Finally, I really don't like how the married woman was painted as this schemer when in fact the hero is as much to blame. I was nodding my head at most of what the married woman was yelling at the hero when hero finally decided he was in love with the heroine.
I found myself wondering if this wasn't supposed to be a parody of the worst behavior of what is now called HP.
I read this before years and years ago, I'd forgotten how unethical the hero was. Heroine should have bailed and gone off with the nephew of the poor deluded old cuckold boss.
February 25, 2017
The premise is that the Hero is in love and having a hot sexy affair with his beloved boss/mentor's wife, and they need an innocent young girl for him to marry as a cover-up to their cheating.
I'm one of those people who couldn't get past that opening to settle into the story beyond it. Having the H head-over-heels and panting for the OW was bad enough, but couple that with his total lack of morals to be indulging in adultery with the wife of a man he actually is close with and respects? Meaning he's either got weak character or is just that out of his mind with lust/love for an equally immoral, grasping bitch? Urk.
I'm one of those people who couldn't get past that opening to settle into the story beyond it. Having the H head-over-heels and panting for the OW was bad enough, but couple that with his total lack of morals to be indulging in adultery with the wife of a man he actually is close with and respects? Meaning he's either got weak character or is just that out of his mind with lust/love for an equally immoral, grasping bitch? Urk.
December 15, 2018
“From now on her future lay with a cold, detached man: a man capable of living a lie, of being Charles's friend yet loving Charles's wife.
Heroine was really smart but she’d already fell in love with H before she learned his deceit.
“You and Gina have finally got what you wanted. You have your position at Harrick's and now you can have Charles's wife. She has you and Charles's money. You should both be feeling very pleased with yourselves. At the risk of uttering a truism, I'd say you deserve each other!”
She was great. Why did she has to love H? RL should write another H for her to be with after annulment.
All the stars are for the heroine. Hero was too weak for me.
Heroine was really smart but she’d already fell in love with H before she learned his deceit.
“You and Gina have finally got what you wanted. You have your position at Harrick's and now you can have Charles's wife. She has you and Charles's money. You should both be feeling very pleased with yourselves. At the risk of uttering a truism, I'd say you deserve each other!”
She was great. Why did she has to love H? RL should write another H for her to be with after annulment.
All the stars are for the heroine. Hero was too weak for me.
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