Publisher: self-pubbedRelease Date: May 9, 2019
Source of my copy: Candi Kane PR
Series: standalone
My rating:
Synopsis
Jack and I, we did everything backward. The day he lured me into his office-which was also the first day we met-he proposed. You'd think a guy who looked like him-a bit cold maybe, but still striking and very unattainable-would only ask the love of his life to marry him, right? You'd think he must be madly in love.
Nope. It was me he asked. A complete stranger who had never even heard of him. A stranger who had been dumped by her fiancé only weeks before. You'd think I'd laugh in his face, call him insane-and a few other names-then walk away as quickly as possible. Well…I did all those things except the walking away part.
It took him only minutes to talk me into a business deal…erm, I mean marriage, and only days for us to officially tie the knot. Happiest day of my life. Magical. Pop the champagne… Not. It was the worst day. Jack Hawthorne was nothing like what I'd imagined for myself.
I blamed him for my lapse in judgment. I blamed his eyes, the ocean blue eyes that looked straight into mine unapologetically, and that frown on his face I had no idea I would become so fascinated with in time.
It wasn't long after he said I was the biggest mistake of his life that things started to change. No, he still didn't talk much, but anyone can string a few words together. His actions spoke the loudest to me. And day after day my heart started to get a mind of its own.
One second he was no one. The next he became everything.
One second he was unattainable. The next he seemed to be completely mine.
One second I thought we were in love. The next it was still nothing but a lie.
After all, I was Rose and he was Jack. We were doomed from the very beginning with those names. Did you expect anything else?
There were three reasons why I picked up Marriage for One by Ella Maise: I can't get enough of the marriage of convenience trope, the model on the cover reminds me of Jaime Dornan and I'm weak for that man (and it's not because of the Fifty Shades movies), and I've been wanting to read a book by Ella Maise.
Ultimately, I enjoyed Marriage for One and I got really attached to the characters so by the end I was sad to leave them. But, to be honest, for the first 25% of the books I had to force myself to keep reading. First of all, this book is long--I was reading an e-ARC so I don't know how long the book is in terms of pages but it took a lot of "turns" for it to move even 1% on my Kindle Paperwhite and I have the text set in the standard size 5. The book opened with Jack's marriage proposition and then immediately to their wedding and then, for the longest time, to Rose setting up her coffee shop for the with Jack was there helping her but being his closed-up, standoffish, frowny self. It was really slow going the first quarter of the book with much of the same and nothing really happening to move the story along.
When I showed my excitement in getting the e-ARC on Instagram, Ella did emphasize that it is a slow burn romance, so with that in mind I kept going and after the first quarter, we get more action and I grew to love Jack and Rose and I swooned watching them s-l-o-w-l-y--but in the best way--fall for each other.
I especially have a soft spot for Jack, because he's kind of awkward and beneath that aloof and arrogant veneer and non-smiling mouth is a guy who just needs love. I just felt for him and I wanted to give him a huge hug, but then started to fall for him along with Rose. In the beginning, even though it's a dual perspective, when we're in Jack's chapters we don't really get much from him so he remained a closed-off mystery, but as the story progressed we see him slowing opening up (to us the readers and to Rose) and it was so wonderful. As for Rose, I want to be her best friend. She hasn't had the best life growing up, but she's pursuing her dreams and is still a glass half-full kind of person and so full of love.
I don't want to give anything away, but I will say there's more than meets the eye when it comes to Jack's business [marriage] proposal, and it takes a while for us to see the full picture on Jack's side, but just keep reading and like Ella says, it gets better and you'll find yourself falling for Jack and Rose hard and not wanting to leave them.
If you're a fan of slow burns, the marriage of convenience and opposites attract trope, definitely pick up Marriage for One. This book was my first read by Ella Maise and it certainly won't be my last.
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2LxkGQQ
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2J6SCSo
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2vQ7USR
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2HagzGb
“I need to leave,” I repeated. Then, thinking it would simply be a good distraction, a good show for her employee and even sort of a practice for the charity event we’d be attending, I slid my arm around her waist. Her eyes were slightly widened in alarm, her entire body stiff, but at least she wasn’t jumpy like she had been at our first outing. Slowly her body relaxed, and she arched her back so she could look up at me with those big eyes.
A simple and meaningless touch would have to be acted out more naturally at one point in our fake marriage, almost as if touching her or kissing her in front of other people would become second nature. Practice was good.
“Thank you for the coffee. It’s always the best,” I murmured, having trouble looking away. Then I leaned down and hesitated for a heartbeat before I pressed a lingering kiss on her forehead as she was still looking up at me in confusion. That spot felt like it was the most harmless one and I took my time, breathing in her sweet and fresh scent. When I pulled back, one of her hands was resting against my chest, the other one clutching my arm. Her chest rising and falling, she blinked up at me.
Taking her hand that had ended up on my chest, I opened her fingers, my fingertip catching on her wedding ring. Why did such a simple and, in our situation, meaningless thing give me so much pleasure to see? She wasn’t mine, but the idea of it…the possibility… I placed the money on her still red palm before gently closing her fingers around the bill. Surprisingly, she didn’t say a word, just kept staring up at me as if she was lost. Was she just as affected as Iwas by our pretending?
“Don’t take it off, okay? I like seeing it on your finger,” I whispered.
I had already forgotten about the people around us. This wasn’t so much for them but more for me, I thought, just so I could see that soft look on her face. I cupped her cheek and leaned down enough so I could whisper in her ear. “Was that the right amount of PDA for our fake marriage? A small intimate kiss, you said, right? Arm around the waist? Bodies close, but not touching?” I lifted my head up enough so I could meet her eyes and, in a louder voice, said, “Don’t stay on your feet for too long—you’re still limping.”
She didn’t look like she was going to say anything, so I pushed a little more.
“Can you at least say goodbye to your husband?”
“Uh…I should, shouldn’t I? Goodbye?”
After wishing a good day to everyone who didn’t have the decency to mind their own business, I left.
Yes, practice was good.
About the Author
Writing became my world and I can’t imagine myself doing anything other than creating new characters and telling their stories. You know how some things simply make your heart burst with happiness? A really good book, a puppy, hugging someone you’ve been missing like crazy? That’s what writing does to me. And all the hard work, all the sleepless nights, all the anxiety that comes with publishing…everything is worth it at the end.
Connect with Ella:
Website: https://ellamaise.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EllaMaise
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorellamaise/
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