In Name Only (2 Novels in 1)

Rating:
Summary: Accidental Wife is Tops!
Review: The first novel in this collection, The Bachelor's Bed, is your basic romance novel. Studly bachelor scientist Colin needs a fiancee to keep his mother off his back while he is working on a project. Lani, his paid housekeeper, happens to be there when he thinks of the bright idea of having someone pose as his fake fiancee.

This story was pleasant enough, but there was no spark or pizzazz in it for me.

However, Accidental Wife is another story. Although the setup is quite contrived, the skillful writing and character development makes this novel a pleasure to read.

In order to keep her lovestruck boss Eric at bay, Nikki tells him she is happily married. This doesn't seem to work, so Nikki decides she needs to get a real husband, however temporary. So she goes to the Cinderella Ball to find a husband. She is followed there (unknown to her) by Eric, and (unknown to both Nikki and Eric) by his brother Jonah. Jonah (under the impression that Nikki is there to marry Eric) marries Nikki (who doesn't know that Jonah is related to her boss) instead.

After this unnecessarily complex setup, Leclaire shows her skill at writing believable characters, and scenes that quickly carry the plot along. The heroine, Nikki, is smart and beautiful and a skilled financier, but has past sorrows that cause her to be reserved about her personal life. After a bit of a rough start (in which Jonah comes across as a domineering prig), he is shown as an aggressive businessman who develops into a concerned and caring husband. When the two characters finally come together, it is not him conquering her, or her seducing him. It is two adults admitting that they feel strong emotions for each other, and enjoying their feelings. I enjoyed this one a lot for the fully developed relationship depicted in the book.

Rating:
Summary: Accidental Wife is Tops!
Review: The first novel in this collection, The Bachelor's Bed, is your basic romance novel. Studly bachelor scientist Colin needs a fiancee to keep his mother off his back while he is working on a project. Lani, his paid housekeeper, happens to be there when he thinks of the bright idea of having someone pose as his fake fiancee.

This story was pleasant enough, but there was no spark or pizazz in it for me.

However, Accidental Wife is another story. Although the setup is quite contrived, the skillful writing and character development makes this novel a pleasure to read.

In order to keep her lovestruck boss Eric at bay, Nikki tells him she is happily married. This doesn't seem to work, so Nikki decides she needs to get a real husband, however temporary. So she goes to the Cinderella Ball to find a husband. She is followed there (unknown to her) by Eric, and (unknown to both Nikki and Eric) by his brother Jonah. Jonah (under the impression that Nikki is there to marry Eric) marries Nikki (who doesn't know that Jonah is related to her boss) instead.

After this unnecessarily complex setup, Leclaire shows her skill at writing believable characters, and scenes that quickly carry the plot along. The heroine, Nikki, is smart and beautiful and a skilled financier, but has past sorrows that cause her to be reserved about her personal life. After a bit of a rough start (in which Jonah comes across as a domineering prig), he is shown as an aggressive businessman who develops into a concerned and caring husband. When the two characters finally come together, it is not him conquering her, or her seducing him. It is two adults admitting that they feel strong emotions for each other, and enjoying their feelings. I enjoyed this one a lot for the fully developed relationship depicted in the book.

Rating:
Summary: A fun romance- 2 in 1
Review: This was a great "summer read" type book. The first book was good- though the premise was a bit thin. The characters had been through such hard times and found each other when they most needed to be healed finally. It was a romantic story about the power of love to heal and to comfort. The second story was my favorite because the characters complimented one another so nicely. It really felt like they were completing the other. It was lovely- full of misunderstanding but it doesn't drag it out for too long. I recommend this book to all the romantics at heart.