Note: Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee was published by Harlequin Desire in 2020. In 2022, Harlequin repackaged the story, slapped it with a cartoon cover I want to set on fire and retitled it The "I Do" Dilemma. You can still purchase the digital version, but only under the new cover and title, hence the link in this review directing to that edition. I'm posting the original cover to this review because it's a million times prettier and more fitting to what's inside the tin but I'll post the new cover below so we can all be outraged together. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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One of my local libraries recently had a romance author program of which Lee took part. Wanting to support the program, and the library staff who put it together, I attended and ended up purchasing one of Lee's single titles while there. I knew I had several of her Desires languishing in my TBR, and decided this first book in her Heirs of Hansol series was the place to start.

This book features the kind of preposterous plot that I tend to gobble up in category romance - the modern day marriage of convenience. Garrett Song is very close to being named the new CEO of his family's fashion empire, that is until his very traditional (and domineering) grandmother lowers the boom on him - she's arranged a marriage for him. To a woman he's never met. The selling point for Granny being that the family is the equivalent of "old money" in Korean society and her grandson needs a wife. Garrett has been bristling against tradition and family expectations his entire life and is not about to go quietly. He immediately tells Granny he can't marry her chosen bride because, well, he's already engaged to the love his life. One minor problem with that - Garrett isn't engaged, let alone believes in love or wants to get married. He needs a temporary wife and fast - but where will he find a woman desperate (and crazy) enough to accept this proposal?

Turns out he doesn't have to look far. Natalie Sobol works in Hansol's HR department. She worked with Garrett briefly on an interim basis while he was stationed in New York and she's been in Los Angeles - but now Garrett is in LA and she gets an up close and personal view of how desperately good-looking he is. But she's determined to swallow her hormones as she's gunning for a promotion that would take her to the New York office. She needs the bump in salary and the New York home base to secure the adoption of her orphaned niece. The child's grandparents live in New York and Natalie thinks if she's also in New York they'll stop contesting the adoption. Besides the fact she has to be offered that promotion is that a husband would help her cause tremendously - showing the courts she could provide her niece with a loving, stable, two-parent home.

We all know where this is going. Garrett proposes a temporary marriage to solve both of their problems. Of course it doesn't take long for the feelings to become all too real given the scorching chemistry pinging off both of them from the jump. These two are desperately attracted to each other, and as they pretend their way through a fake engagement, walk down the aisle, and create a happy home, they both fall hard and fast. Of course getting Garrett to admit his feelings, out loud, when he's emotionally adverse is ultimately what propels the reader to the Black Moment.

A few things I really liked about this story was the setting (the author writes about Southern California well in a compact word count) and the portrayal of both sides of the coin of the Korean American experience. Garrett's family is very traditional. Natalie is the product of a biracial marriage (her mother now gone, her father always aloof, her sister killed in a car accident) and knows little about Korean traditions. Garrett is a prototypical romance hero - the one who was done wrong by a former fiancé and therefore doesn't believe in "love," and Natalie is the soft-hearted romance heroine who recognizes her growing feelings well before he does. I also really enjoyed that the author included the relationships the couple was building with Garrett's family and the niece's grandparents. It really rounds out the romance and helped me buy-in that these two crazy kids would make it.
That said, the hero being closed off emotionally is what leads us to the Black Moment and Third Act Break-Up. He's one of those guys that instead of just saying "I love you, let's stay married" buys the heroine a pair of earrings and thinks she'll infer what he means 🙄. That said, it does make for a decent grovel and declaration of twu wuv at the end. I also felt the pacing was a little off at times - like the author didn't fully stick the landing on some of the story's beats. Desires are short (around 200 pages) and sometimes that necessitates shortcuts, like a jump in the timeline. These weren't horribly executed here, but they could have been better blended at times.

All that said, this was an enjoyable read that I started and finished before my bedtime. Desire as a line is dead (RIP) but I'll read more Lee.

Jayci Lee is one of my favorite authors. Her novels are romantic,.perfectly paced, with complex and dimensional romantic pairings. I love her books.

Ohhhhh this was one I didn't have on my radar. But I'm glad I picked it up. It wasn't ehat I would call one of my normal reads. But it was still so good. And spicy spicy. I'm a suckered for romance. And it's hard to miss the mark on that. And this book definitely hit the mark

Temporary Wife Temptation is about a soon to be COE, Garrett Song, an Korean-American, who wants to have some independence and freedom from his controlling and very powerful grandmother.

And a strict by the book smart independent woman, Natalie working as (the youngest) HR Director who is fighting for custody of her niece due to the recent death of her sister.

Eager to land a new more prominent position of the New York branch of the company Natalie sets out to approach Garrett at a nightclub in the hopes of redoing her interview for the position. What she doesn’t know is that Garrett, who has just proclaimed his love for an imaginary wife to his grandmother. In the hopes of getting out of an arranged marriage she has set up, Garrett is seeking a woman to pose as his temporary wife—-and fast.

What the two do not lack is chemistry and lust for one another but as we read the book we realize that the two need to over, their emotional differences and trauma emotional trauma of their past.


We read a lot or see a lot of books that have been backwards forward relationship. Where the couple goes backwards through the steps or the natural steps a relationship and Temporary Wife is no different. Natalie and Garrett play these roles for show for everyone else but the dynamic between them was match so well it was it’s hard,for me to read as the reader, for them not to see just how well they clipped together.

There is a lot of fighting each other and resisting that pull towards each other that that made reading this book entertaining. I mean they stumbled over each other, were overly polite and geekish at times. And then other times it was if they were so submerged in their roles within the marriage and banter that it the lines of real and fake just blurred.

But with a couple as comparable as these two were, it doesn’t come as a surprise. They have a lot of the same values and mentality and drive when it came to business and life in general.

Natalie and Garrett kind of came from broken families in each of their circumstances. Natalie more than Garrett, in terms of support and love. But they both yearned for that syncrisity/simplicity and stability that came with the family unit. One that they could shape/mold into whatever they wanted. It was that support and happiness that they found in each other playing this “perfect couple” without even realizing it that really keeps you connected and invested in their story.

The ending was satisfying to read but I did feel that it was rushed. The development of how Garrett’s thought process versus Natalie’s worked in the end but I also feel it was a little abrupt.

But a character arc is a character arc and I think that I will always feel that way about any book that is shorter than 450 pages. 🤷🏾‍♀️😂

Again, that’s just a personal thing for me when it comes to stories but this was a really enjoyable book. Once you sit down to start this book, you’re immediately sucked into the character’s lives as the temporary “arrangement” morphs into something else on its own.


The type of reader I would recommend this book to is someone who likes character development,slow building/burning of a relationship,romance and intimacy other than the just physical attraction and a subtle trace of a sense and humor throughout the story. There’s a lot of humorous moments between Garrett and Natalie and the outside world that were fun to read as well.

I wrote these notes for this book well over a year ago. When Romance genre was still a new thing for me. But it is still a book I would go back to you just because I liked both characters in the end.

Moreover, I enjoyed the way that they start off with the attraction being there between them in addition to the other elements of story.

Fighting the temptation wasn’t so in my face that all other elements are over shadowed so I felt I couldn’t still connect to them outside of that which I really liked.

Usually with books like this one or both of them (the characters) gets a little annoying.
I am interested in reading more books by Jayci Lee soon.🙂

Thank you so much to the publisher for approving me. This was a DNF for now. I’ve bought the paperback and will read it one day.

I tried reading this book but couldn't connect with the writing style, the characters, and what was going on. I quit the book about 30% into the story. I'll try something else for her since it may have been a mood thing but yeah, I can't review this one properly because it was a DNF read for me. Sorry!

This book was good, but not great. I enjoyed the fake relationship because it's a classic for a reason. I SUPER love this cover but wanted the insides to match the outsides and have more steaminess.

4.25 Stars / 3 Steam Fans

I enjoyed this introduction to the Hansol family and Jayci Lee's style of writing. There is a strong family thread for both main characters, and the introduction of side characters was not heavy-handed but intriguing. Both Garrett and Natalie had their flaws and had a reliability that kept me engaged in the journey.

Video review available in Week 43: Oct 18 – Oct 24 weekly book reviews and the Week of Netgalley Vlog, Episode 6 (coming soon).

For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

From the cover to the actual story, this book drew me in! It was fantastic and kept my attention the whole time! I always love a "fake" story (engagement, dating, etc) and enjoy reading how they take their turns and turn into the real thing. A+

3.5

This was a great foundation to start this series. The Trope worked wonderfully but I think it was lacking the extra needed pages to fully develop the story.

Harlequin Desire is giving me everything I want and more from their covers lately, and the one for Temporary Wife Temptation instantly drew me in. Jayci Lee's debut follows Garrett Song and Natalie Sobol, who strike a deal to pose as a married couple, and end up growing closer than they ever could’ve imagined. This was a fun and fast read. Marriage of convenience stories are always my jam, and I like seeing how authors tackle that trope in a contemporary setting. Natalie's passion for her job was something I really connected with and admired. She's so proud of her work and isn't afraid to own her successes and talents. Garrett is charmed by her from the start, and goes out of his way to support her in both work and in her journey to getting custody of her niece. Lee's story kept me hooked, and I particularly loved the humor she wove in throughout. I wouldn't have minded if it were a little longer to better flesh some things out, but overall an enjoyable read and looking forward to more from Lee!

Jayci Lee is a new face in the romance scene, and her first novel is one that falls under one of my favorite tropes: fake dating. Garrett's grandmother expects him to marry a woman he's never met to seal an alliance with another successful company in order for him to fully take his place as the owner of Hansol, a fashion corporation. His only way out in the spur of the moment is to tell his grandmother he's already secretly engaged... Natalie is an H.R. powerhouse at Hansol herself, while also finding herself in more than a predicament: after the death of her sister and brother-in-law, Natalie wants to honor their wishes by raising their baby, Sophie. Unfortunately, she's not likely to win custody over Sophie's grandparents unless she somehow finds a husband. Garrett and Natalie strike a deal: a temporary marriage between them, for about a year, until they both secure their biggest desires... a foolproof plan, until a different kind of desire, one of the more intimate variety, begins to grow between them. Surely this is all just for business... right? Temporary Wife Temptation is the first in Lee's series, and it's very quick paced, no needless details. I enjoyed their story, as well as the side characters, and I'm certainly interested in reading further to The Heirs of Hansol.

Jayci Lee is a new author to me, and I read book 2 (Secret Crush Seduction) before book 1. However, each title is a good standalone.

Again, I was not disappointed. The story was believable and moved along at a reasonable pace. I think it helped that while each of the lovebirds were new to each other, they were both upfront about their expectations. Of course reality set in, and their love isn't without its complications. It all added intrigue to the story and ultimately, a great deal of believability.

If you enjoy believable romances with spice, this is a great choice!

Initial thoughts:

📌 Mutual lust at first sight
📌 A marriage of convenience where the stakes are high and real for both parties - and I totally rooted for them both!
📌 Garrett is your typical alpha male billionaire with a soft heart and trust issues, while Natalie is an ambitious go-getter who just wants to find love and be loved.
📌 Both Garrett and Natalie are incredibly family-oriented, and it's fascinating to see how their sense of love and duty for their family drives their ambitions and their actions.
📌 Natalie grew up disconnected from her family and from her Korean heritage, and it was really beautiful for her to slowly rekindle her connection to Korean roots by forging relationships with Garrett's family.
📌 There are a lot of time jumps in this story, which was quite disorienting at first.
📌 Much of the romantic development happened off-page and readers need to fill in the gaps themselves. While I would have LOVED to see more development on-page, I don't think that it took much away from the romance.
📌 THE SEXUAL TENSION BETWEEN THEM WAS SO GOOD!
📌 My only point of criticism is that the build-up of sexual tension between Garrett and Natalie was wasted on mediocre sex scenes that are focused on the act of penetration. Not once did he ever go down on her, and it is a damn shame because Natalie is a snack who deserves to be devoured accordingly. I WAS DUPED! I WAS ROBBED!

Recommended
* Disclosure: I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Temporary Wife Temptation is the first book in Jayci Lee’s The Heirs of Hansol series. The series focuses on the Song family who are Korean American and own and operate Hansol, a top fashion retailer in the U.S. The cover for this book is what caught my attention. I loved seeing an Asian couple on the cover. The blurb had me reaching for the book.

Garrett Song is the oldest grandson of the Song family. Since he was a child, he’s been groomed to take over the company and become CEO. He’s even recently moved from New York to California to be closer to his family and the company’s headquarters. Everything is going according to plan until his grandmother informs him that she’s arranged for him to marry a proper Korean woman. Not wanting to be married, Garrett turns to Hansol’s interim VP of Human Resources, Natalie Sobol. Natalie wants her current job to be permanent, and she needs to be married in order to fight for custody of her infant niece. The two agree to a marriage of convenience that becomes all too real.

From the beginning, I loved Natalie. Garrett had some hard edges that took me time to work around. But he did eventually win me over. The other characters in the book are equally as likable. You get to meet Garrett’s younger sister, Adelaide, and his best friend Michael. They also happen to star in the next book in the series, Secret Crush Seduction. I can’t wait to read it.

In addition to romance, Temporary Wife Temptation has the added benefit of a little mystery. Someone is trying to take down Hansol with a little corporate espionage. The who and why remains to be seen. I think the story ended too abruptly. There was something, in my opinion, that wasn’t wrapped up. An epilogue would have been good. Overall, Jayci Lee did a really good job with her debut book.

This books confirmed that I'm a sucker for a marriage of convenience! Both characters had depth, despite it being a shorter novel. I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

This was a modern-day marriage-of-convenience story that was a beautiful combination of tradition, romance and family values. I love how the author has given an Eastern twist to it – since most of the stories that follow this trope are set in the western world. I feel that when it comes to the Eastern side of the world, it just gets a lot more complicated. We have a family to deal with, we have extended family to deal with and so on.
I loved how these characters were well rounded. Apart from the budding romance, there are also the subplots – mostly the hurdles the two characters are trying to overcome. Garrett and Natalie are two people who are goal-oriented and know what they want. Garrett was the perfect alpha male – he was so encouraging and applauded Natalie’s business acumen. I also loved that he was not the obsessive possessive lover that seems to be the equation nowadays. The way they blossomed was great – both as a couple as well as individually.
The power imbalance, however, surprisingly was not much of a deterrent in their relationship and I huffed in satisfaction at that. Also, the sexual build-up was great although they did seem to have instant chemistry. However, one thing that I did not particularly like was how each chapter would begin suddenly. There was no thread of continuity there and I would have appreciated it if there were. However, it was a quick and interesting love story! I rated it 4/5 stars!

Jayci Lee really gave me my favourite tropes in one book: marriage of convenience, close proximity, single parent <3

I love the chemistry between Garrett and Natalie. Despite them agreeing that they will be married on paper only, they turned domestic very fast LOL. I did think the story could use more groveling but overall I really enjoyed this one.

A fun, steamy, surprisingly emotional modern-day marriage of convenience story, with plenty of the entertaining trappings of any good category romance. It starts out as a business arrangement, but of course Garrett and Natalie have had an underlying attraction for a long time, so it doesn't end up that way, and I'm always a fan of a celibacy pact that you know is going to end up getting broken because they just can't resist each other enough.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars