"Received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review" 

Marriage of Conveniece plus MM = a great read.

This book was everything I love in a fantastic read - angsty, intense, powerful chemistry and hot hot hot.

The heroes - Victor and Isaiah - have amazing chemistry and a wonderful friendship that develops throughout the book. Isaiah is worried that falling in love again (after his husband's death) will not only cause problems for him, but his son, Evan if it doesn't work out. Evan is his main priority.  Victor is a Russian ballet dancer whose career and life is the ballet. Victor hopes for asylum is denied so marrying Isaiah is the only way to keep him in the country.

Evan's a great character and I loved to see his interaction with his dad and Victor.

This book is angsty and intense but each side of the argument was made in a clear and clever enough way that I was able to see both sides of the argument. I didn't know who I was rooting for when they both lashed out. All I know is that Victor and Isaiah's chemistry is off the charts.

Now one of the issues I had with the book is Victor's gender fluidity. I liked that the book attempted to tackle the issue. Even with Evan who wrestles with his identity as a bisexual teen as well. But I am not an expert on the subject and it's not as integral a part of the book as I had first expected based on the blurb. 

The book has a clear HEA. And tugs at every emotion as you read through it. 

Robin Covington is a new favorite author and I will be checking into her other books. If you want an angsty, emotional read with a HEA then this is the book for you.

This was a bit more substantive story than I’d originally pictured.  First, Isaiah is still pining for his dead husband, so that colors his “now” quite a bit.  Second, Victor’s stance against Russia is a bit more political than just a story hurdle.  Third, Victor’s “outness” is mirrored by Isaiah’s son’s own desires and it becomes something between father and son as well as between the two husbands.

On the one hand I wish Victor had been more Russian – besides his name there wasn’t a lot about him that felt like he was in fact from another country.

It sounds silly, but Isaiah and Evan and Ian – these names were all so easy to get confused over.  I’d have chosen differently.

Victor and Isaiah’s chemistry was good and the difficulties facing their marriage was handled well.  I did get tired of Isaiah’s reluctance after awhile, but I was glad when he finally does acknowledge that risk is part of loving.

Evan was awesome and Ian bugged me a lot – but maybe that’s just his job?  I never warmed up to either MC as much as I wanted to and as a result I wasn’t that enthralled with the book.  It was pretty good, but not great.

I’d recommend this to fans of bi-racial couples, “must get married” trope, opposites attract and single parent romances.   

3.5 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.  Over all I did like the premise of this book but what I didn't like was how Isaiah treated Viktor at times, especially the scene at the school which really pissed me off.  Yes I understand that Isaiah didn't want to allow himself to fall in love again because he didn't want to lose that love again (his husband had died 3 years previously whom he loved with all his being).  Another part that really made me mad was Isaiah telling Viktor that he could have a relationship with someone else as long as he was discrete.  Really??  The speech at the end more than made up for the way he treated him.  The last issue is I didn't really care how it ended.  Instead of the re-marriage I would have liked to have seen them settled in their life a year or so in the future.  This was a new author for me & I look forward to reading more by her.

This 5+* story explodes stereotypes while celebrating love in the tale of a quiet and somewhat reserved African American NFL player, widower and father of one, who is paralyzed by his stunning, immediate attraction to a Russian ballet dancer.  The fabulous and gender fluid Victor, with his black eyeliner and lip gloss was every bit as drawn to quiet Isaiah and to his artistic young son.  Although Isaiah is grieving the loss of his husband Stephen, and paralyzed by the fear of further loss, he can't resist the charismatic Victor, renown dancer and Russian human rights activist.  This story draws every emotion from your soul as we participate in the attraction and fears of these two men.  The author definitely paints a picture that surrounds the reader, "sensation crept along his skin and lit up his nerve endings". .. "when it comes to loving.., being scared is never the acceptable answer"

A marriage of convenience involving a quiet black masculine NFL player and a loud and out genderfluid Russian ballet dancer whose asylum was denied and this story could have been pulled from the pages of the L.A. Times.  The setup provides so much opportunity for opinion, controversy, and emotion.  I LOVED this story and although the author is new to me, I am going to check out the backlist!

First of all: there is no genderfluid character in this book.

I’m pretty sure the author didn’t write the blurb/didn’t have control over it, but whoever is at fault for this should sit in the corner to think really hard about they did. I had never heard of this book or this author before and only got to know about it because I saw people being excited about the supposedly genderfluid character on Twittter. When I saw that it involved sports and ballet and had black main character as well, I was thrilled. It seemed the kind of romance made just for me.

But Victor isn’t genderfluid. He never, ever, thinks about his gender during the story. He refers to himself as man all the time and doesn’t even hint at being genderfluid. If it weren’t for the blurb, I wouldn’t never have thought him to be anything but a cis man. Because that’s what he is. But since he’s a more or less androgynous gay man who likes makeup someone thought it’d be good idea to say he’s genderfluid in the blurb? I guess?

This is false advertisement, this is a mess and this is frankly dishonest. I hope the blurb is changed at some time so genderfluid/non-binary readers don’t get their (our) hopes up just to be disappointed.

But speaking about the book itself… I didn’t like it.

His Convenient Husband unfortunately reads like a first draft. The writing is cliché and not that engaging and the characters make no sense at all. The conflicts are forced and come out of nowhere, which then forces the characters to act out of character. An example: one minute Isaiah is reluctant to even go talk to Victor (who is at a bar drinking because his asylum request was denied) but then when he gets there he takes two drinks and proposes to marry him to keep him safe. Like, what? And it didn’t even seem like he did because of the drinks, since not once he considers this or regrets proposing. The book is full of moments like this: the characters make choices or speak things only to create conflict and make the plot move. It’s one of the biggest Because the Plot Said So I’ve read recently.

And that (if we ignore the whole genderfluid thing) was what ruined the book for me. The characters are so inconsistent it was impossible to like or relate to them, and that along with the poor writing made His Convenient Husband almost painful to read. Which is a pity because I did like some of its themes (like speaking out when you have the platform and things like that).

In conclusion, His Convenient Husband had an awesome premise, but the execution failed to make it a good book. 2 stars.

This was my first M/M read.   I was interested for the blurb, and the book did not disappoint.   Looking forward to reading more from this author.   Roamce is romance and this one is exceptionally done.

Well. This book was pretty much Clash of Expectations vs. Reality for me. 

I primarily picked this up for two reasons. A) genderfluid Russian dancer and a black football player fall in love. B) Sports romance with possible great amounts of hurt/comfort and grief. Hello, that's for me. 

But. Reality didn't sit right with me. After mulling it over for a day or two, I've come to two conclusions. If you're looking for a book with tangible, on-page genderfluid rep? This is probably not the book for you. I'm not sure if the pertain who wrote the blurb  put the genderfluid in there for Reasons, or the author wants the book to be read that way. In the end though, what remains is that I wouldn't have known Victor is genderfluid from the book. There are very vague hints, mentioning of androgynous clothing and make-up. But he was mostly described as an effeminate gay man, and his gender identity was never mentioned, discussed or even coded otherwise. It left me wondering if the distinction between gender and gender roles, gender non-confirming presenting, gender identity and appearances just... wasn't made? Isn't clear to author or copy editor? I truly don't know. For me it was confusing, especially because another character was coded as pan and gender non-confirming, different gender and gender identities were mentioned, but *nothing* about Victor is ever on page. 

I do realize that not everything has to be about gender identity – incidental queer rep is amazing – but I do think that especially in the context of Victor’s work as an activist and the teenage stepson's struggle with bullies, the complete lack of mentioning it in the story felt like invisible rep at best, erasure at worst and it confused and disappointed me. 
The story in and on itself was okay, I liked the two MCs together, and the beginning had me hooked. Unfortunately the book list me a couple of times when I just didn't understand the characters' reasoning. Plus, some conflicts came a bit out of nowhere and weren't explained sufficiently for my taste, nor were the resolutions satisfying for me. Several sex scenes didn't help with that. 

Talking about sex, I know some readers will get upset by one particular line that basically amounts to “There's only do much nakedness a mortal man can take before he wants sex desperately.” It's ‘only’ tyre personal thought of one of the MCs, but it comes of as a very generalized statement, equating humanity with sexual attraction&desire. And I know I – and quite some other readers, especially on the ace spectrum – can really do without these unnecessary references. 

I liked parts of the ending, but it was really a bit rushed and fast for me. Ater so much time of Victor and Isaiah distancing themselves, fighting each other, hiring each other? I needed more than a big gesture, *especially* from Isaiah who (in my world) crossed to many lines and threw cutting words at Victor too much to be redeemed after one conversation with his kid and a last- minute save of the relationship. And the very last bit? No. Didn't work for me at all. Too rushed and sudden after way to much fight and struggle (internal and with each other).

I think this book could've been a solid 3 or 4 star read for me under different circumstances? As it was, I had very different expectations for this book, I was hoping for on-page genderfluid rep and more depth towards the end.

I liked this book.  The writing was good and so was the story.  The main characters Isaiah and Victor were interesting in that they were from two totally different backgrounds yet still connected in a beautiful way.  I did not realize that Isaiah was black until at least halfway (if not further) into the book.  Not that it matters that much,  but I like to picture the characters in my mind while I am reading so a good description earlier on is kinda nice.  I loved Ryan because he seemed really smart and fearless and had obviously been raised well by his dads.  All in all definitely a good book, quick read too, as I read it in a few hours.  Thanks Netgalley!!!

I’m a fan of books from Entangled and I first came across the author through her book ‘Playing the Part’ in 2013, which I really enjoyed and Mick and Piper from that book appear here too.  I’d read the blurb for this book, about NFL football player Isaiah and a gender fluid Russian ballet dancer Victor and honestly, I couldn’t wait to read it, it ticked every one of my boxes. The MCs have a one night stand, both agreeing that once it’s over, it’s over, but then feelings come into play and when Victor is denied asylum Isaiah steps in and suggests a marriage of convenience, because if Victor goes back to Russia, his life will be in danger due to his outspokenness on gay rights and the calling out of the regime back in his home country. Isaiah can’t offer anything more than safe harbor with himself and his son Evan for fear of what happened with is only other true love, Stephen, and he won’t be able to survive that happening again. Then there’s the fact that Victor could end up leaving to play with a ballet anywhere in the country. They tentatively settle into a comfortable routine and Victor is so supportive of his son who’s also creative and a lover of the arts; he worships the ground Victor walks on. But there’s such a red hot chemistry between Victor and Isaiah, something has got to give... It broke my heart to see them fighting this attraction; Victor feeling unwanted and Isaiah trying to protect himself from more possible hurt and loss while they were both quietly falling in love. I can’t say much more as I don’t want to spoil this beautiful story for you but I can’t recommend it highly enough, it’s stuffed full of feels and is the quintessential love story. You know how you usually favour one MC in a book? Well in this one I was utterly besotted with both, totally understanding their POV’s and rooting and cheering for them both to find their happy ever after. Do they get it? You have to read this book, really, you HAVE to, it’s that good.

Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMG Reads.

His Convenient Husband contained my favorite types of romances- MM and a marriage of convenience.    The author does a great job bringing Victor and Isaiah together.   The book held so many emotions I was overwhelmed at reading their story.   

These men were hot and stubborn.   I wand sure if they were going to find their happy ending.    They both had  issues that needed to be resolved before they could accept the other and be surrounded by their love

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

It's a good book. Wonderful story, important topics. The mix of these two characters is awesome. 
So, why the low rating? 
While I greatly enjoyed the story, I had a hard time picturing the main characters. It wasn't until VERY late in the book that it actually says that Isaiah is black. It does get mentioned that his son is biracial a bit earlier but even that comes too late for my liking. That gives them the possibility for a much deeper connection than I thought they had.
While this might not be important to others, I feel like a person's cultural background does change how they perceive the world and how they act. And above all, which problems they face in the world. While these problems don't necessarily need to be addressed if they are irrelevant to the story, knowing more about a person helps me understand them better. Imagining how they live and why they do certain things. I would have loved to get that extra bit more: more about the people, what they do, how they are, their thoughts, just more.
I'm still glad this book exists and that I have read it. I hope you'll enjoy it.

This book was stunning. It had everything I look for in a romance story. The writing was smooth and natural. I was captivated from the first page till the last. I couldn’t put the book down. The plot was great and the characters were rich with development. 
Isaiah is an NHL player, widower, and father of a fourteen-year-old queer son, Evan. After the death of his husband, Steven, he is afraid to fall in love again. He is out but quiet about it. When he meets ballet dancer, Victor, he is immediately smitten. The feeling is mutual and they have a hot night together. Victor is out, proud and loud. He doesn’t shy away from speaking about gay rights in his home country. Nevertheless, his petition for asylum is denied. Isaiah offers to marry him so he can stay in the US.
The author has done a wonderful job capturing the characters of Isaiah and Victor. They came alive on the pages and I was thoroughly invested in their lives. Although being polar opposites, I could feel the connection. The chemistry was palpable. I loved their interactions. Hot, sexy and sweet. 
Evan is a great addition to the story and makes it that bit extra special. Totally acting his age, he is a mixture of innocent self-confidence and teenage wisdom. He voices what the adults think. It is a clever way to get the message across that you have to be who you are, stand up for your beliefs and don’t let fear stand in the way of happiness.
I loved that recent developments in the world were woven masterfully into the story. It gave the story “body” without it being a soap box novel. It made me aware that there are still many regions in the world where LGBTQ rights are nonexistent and that it is important to speak for them.

Isaiah was not impulsive, until he married Victor. 

Being a Robin Covington fan, I couldn't resist trying her intriguing tale of a NFL football player and a gender fluid dancer. While Isaiah is quiet and reserved, Victor is loud and opinionated. They are opposites that find themselves drawn to each other. Their one night together was mind blowing, but something that Isaiah warns will not be repeated. He tried love, and he lost him. That's not something he's willing to risk happening again. So he's closed off his heart. If only Victor wasn't so damned tempting. If only their one encounter wasn't so amazing. If only Victor wasn't denied asylum, ending his only chance of avoiding the temptation.

Victor understands why Isaiah has chosen to keep it casual. But that doesn't mean he feels the same way. He's tried to turn down the volume of his extravagance, but it just doesn't work. That's not who he is. You get what you see and he's not something you forget anytime soon. He's tried to turn off his heart too, but that didn't work any better. His temporary relationship is only on paper as far as his husband is concerned, but tell that to his heart.

His Convenient Husband is a sweet, heart-breaking story that opened my eyes to some situations that I might not have been aware of previously. It incited my anger, and threatened my emotions. I got attached to the new family that fought to survive in spite of it's rough beginnings. Will Isaiahs fear ruin Victor's hope? Will Victor's give up and move on, or stay and dance?

Quick and easy read for those who just want to read for the fun of it. They storyline flows well and the characters are well developed. However, the story switches back and forth between the 2 main characters point of view and I had a few times where I became confused to whose perspective I was reading from.

I.LOVED.IT!! The cover drew me in and the characters made me stick around and fall in love. I had slightly mixed feelings going into this one. Marriages of convenience are kind of my guilty pleasure, and it's interracial with a black football player and a Russian ballet dancer so umm YEAH, but I'm not really into male characters who wear makeup, or androgynous male characters. I always end up enjoying the characters, because they are so much more than what they wear, but I never set out looking for them. Add to that my fear that manties would make an appearance, and I was a little apprehensive. But OMG I loved Isaiah and Victor, and Isaiah's son Evan! And yay, no manties lol....though they were mentioned, and come to think of it, there wasn't really anything that could make this couple NOT be hot. The writing is stellar. Draws you in right from the start. There was never a moment where I had to skim, or was in doubt. Pure love from start to tend. This author just has a way with words that evokes so much emotion, and is so vivid. The sexual tension is delicious. 

Isaiah has been widowed for 3 years to a man he loved with everything he had, yet there is this attraction to Victor at their first meeting that cannot be denied, and it is mutual, and it is HAWT!! Evan is a great kid, talented, and independent and full of sage advice without being over the top. LOVED the scene where he pretty much schools Isaiah.  Secondary characters - Ian (best friend), Esther (Isaiah's mom) and his cousins are great additions to the storyline. The situations were realistic, and even though Isaiah was bit of a jerk at times, I understood why he did the things he did and where he was coming from...mostly. The scene where Isaiah finally lays it all on the line made me cry. An amazing speech without being cringe worthy and hokey. I will say that I wish it hadn't gone on as long as it did. It should have ended at the kiss; the audience didn't need to be all in their business and know there was strife between them. That took away from my happy fuzzy.

In terms of what I would have liked to see:

I always feel a bit out of sorts when I'm done reading a book and I have no idea how tall the characters are. It's strange. I need to 'see' the character in my head. Isaiah was a 'big man', and so was Victor... which was already weird for me to picture a linebacker and a ballet dancer being the same size, but what size was that exactly? 

The actual proposal came out of nowhere. I would have liked a little more lead up to it. Even 5mins of internal debate for Isaiah would have helped.

Victor had no Russian accent. You could literally forget he was Russian until he reminded us of the persecution in his country, or until the author mentioned he was supposedly speaking with one. I have mixed feelings here. I think the author felt she would rather not attempt to include Russian/write a Russian accent if she couldn't do it well, and I appreciate that. But a few words here and there, especially during sex, would have ramped the hotness factor up a lot!

I already mentioned the award speech that went on too long. I'm hoping that they had turned away from the microphone and only Victor could hear what Isaiah was saying. But it's a small price. Literally everything else about that moment made me damn near ugly cry.

This was definitely a book I thoroughly enjoyed, and one I will absolutely read again. Inquiring minds want to know. Will Matt and the Latino MMA fighter get a book? I would love to read that. And Ian has to find someone! He talks so much trash I would love to see him fall in love, or have a past love return. This needs to be a series.

Kudos on a job well done, author!  4.5*

I am floored, stunned and Alain by this beautiful book. The feelings and tension between Viktor and Isaiah were palpable and so so very real. I love how the author took things that are happening in our world and wove them into the story. The relationship that these two build, along with Isaiah's son is a true thing of beauty. This book hit every point for me. Good writing, steamy smexy times and an important message