I devoured this book! I will admit I was a tad skeptical because I’m not always into contemporary romances and I don’t often enjoy books about “rich people problems”. I was happily wrong about Lee’s book. Both the hero and heroine are extremely hard workers even though Garrett, in particular, lives and opulent life. Moreover, both are dedicated to their families in different ways and even though their family’s are not perfect. These two traits really helped me identify with the characters quickly and buy into the story.

The only drawback in this book for me was the pacing. There are tropes galore and the shortness of the novel didn’t allow for a lot of character development in terms of their baggage, which is alluded to but not fully explored. However the conflict or twist at the end of the book as well as the resolution of said event seemed too quick and didn’t completely satisfy me. I think this is mostly due to the shortness of the novel and as I read more Harlequin romances I may find that this is the norm. That being said we get our happy ending, which delighted me! I enjoyed the slow burn as their feelings intensify.

Despite some minor qualms with the pacing, I loved this romance! The hero is completely swoon worthy (sexy Asian man, yes please) and a half Korean heroine who helps heal family ties in a traditional Korean family had me head over heels. I’m already shipping James Song, Garrett’s father, and Mrs. Kim as well as Adelaide, Garrett’s sister, and Michael, Garrett’s best friend. I will definitely being reading the rest of this series!

A highly-charged debut that sparkles with passion, sensuality and emotion, Jayci Lee’s Temporary Wife Temptation is a captivating contemporary romance you will not want to put down.

Family means everything to Natalie Sobol. After the tragic death of her sister in an accident, Natalie is desperate to fulfil the promise she made to her sister on her deathbed and raise her little niece like her own. But with her sister’s in-laws determined to win full custody, Natalie doesn’t stand a chance. While her niece lives in New York, Natalie lives in LA, is unmarried and does not have the financial security which her sister’s in-laws take for granted. With all this on her plate, an inconvenient attraction to the powerful Garrett Song is the last thing she needs – so why can’t she stop thinking about him? A workplace relationship is absolutely anathema to HR manager Natalie, however, protocol flies out of the window when passion takes over and the professional gives way to the personal when Natalie and Garrett find themselves thrust into close proximity together in the most unexpected of ways…

Garrett Song has always felt the weight of duty and responsibility on his broad shoulders. Well aware of the sacrifices his grandparents had made to make the House of Hansol one of the leading fashion business in LA, Garrett is poised to take over the company as chief executive officer. Used to his grandmother micro-managing his life, Garret had thought that there was no stunt his sharp as a tack grandmother could pull that would shock and surprise him – until he announces that she has picked the perfect wife for him! Garrett is absolutely incensed at this shocking turn of events and while he loves and respects his grandmother, this is the absolute final straw! Adamant that he will not submit to his grandparent’s latest decree, Garrett announces that he is already engaged – even though he is the kind of man who likes to keep his relationships as short and sweet as possible!

Where on earth is Garrett going to find a suitable bride who understands that theirs would be a marriage in name only? Just when all hope is lost, Garrett realizes that there is one woman who would be an absolutely perfect candidate for his role: Natalie Sobol. Just like Garrett, Natalie is absolutely desperate to secure a husband in order to increase her chances of getting custody of her beloved niece, so accepting his proposal seems like the most sensible of options. But there is certainly nothing sensible about their attraction to one another!

As their feelings for one another intensify with each passing day, will Garrett and Natalie find the courage to admit the truth about the depths of their feelings for one another? Or will they let this unexpected chance of happiness slip through their fingers?

A terrific debut written with plenty of flair, sass and heart, Temporary Wife Temptation is a tale of big business, family loyalty, incendiary passion and everlasting love with a strong, resilient and determined heroine, a sexy and charismatic hero and plenty of high-stakes drama and steamy romance to keep you absolutely glued to the book’s pages.

Jayci Lee has knocked it out of the park with her brilliant debut novel and contemporary romance readers will not want to miss Temporary Wife Temptation.

Natalie Sobol and Garrett Song are both wildly attracted to each other, despite Natalie laying the HR hammer on Garrett not realizing he's the CEO of her company (for not filling out paperwork). Both aren't looking for love, but both soon find they could benefit from being married, so they agree to a marriage of convenience. Garrett wants his matchmaking grandmother off his back AND an edge in striking a business deal; Natalie wants to convince the state to give her full custody of her niece.

Over the months of living together and acting married, their lust turns in to love.

A promising debut from an author to watch! I found some of the time jumps a bit choppy, but overall this was delicious fun and pulled off a modern, contemporary marriage of convenience with heat and charm.

Thank you to the publisher for the free review copy (from Netgalley).

CW for death (siblings, parents, off page), child custody stuff

From the beginning, you feel the chemistry between the two main characters, Natalie and Garrett. There is a proposition of fake marriage between the two because they both need it. It was a very realistic and passionate read!

My favorite thing about this book was how you could see that Natalie and Garrett were perfect for each other right from the start, but it was funny to see them move towards this moment together. It was awkward and I laughed a few times just from them fumbling around this "aha!" moment. 

I am a huge fan of the fake marriage trope and this story does it so well. It was amazing to see how they both needed a fake marriage and how hard they were fighting their feelings throughout the novel. I wanted them to just figure it out so bad, but the burn that Jayci Lee wrote was phenomenal. 

I think the only issue that I had with this book was that I felt almost... unfulfilled. This book had me wanting and wanting and I wanted more at the end. I waited the entire book for the obviously predictable ending, but I felt that there could've definitely had an epilogue. I understand that the next installment will be out this year, but I wish it was wrapped up a little better.

This definitely won't be the last Jayci Lee novel for me.

I’m not a big category reader, but the cover was so gorgeous and I’m such a sucker for contemporary arranged marriage stories that I just had to try this one. I’m glad I did – it’s funny with strong characters and a lovely romance.

“It didn’t matter that he made her blood rush; he was an executive of Hansol and she was its HR director. It would be unprofessional of her to so much as smile too warmly at him.”


Garrett’s grandparents built the Hansol fashion empire from the ground up, and he’s the heir apparent for the CEO position. Garrett’s parents’ marriage had been arranged, but they fell in love and his mother’s death of cancer when he was a teen devastated the family. His grandma decides the best way to secure a new partnership is to arrange a marriage for Garrett, and the only way out is to tell his grandma he’s already engaged. The only problem is, he doesn’t even have a girlfriend, though he does have a thing for the acting HR director. Crazy idea or not, Natalie needs the marriage to bolster her attempt to adopt her niece – it looks better if she’s well-off, married, plus Garrett’s said he’ll give her application the additional bump to get the HR director position in NY, where her niece’s paternal grandparents live. What could possibly go wrong?

“Are you sure about waiting?”
“No.” Garrett shrugged and pinned her with his gaze. “That’s why I need you to ruin me for the Korean heiress.”
“Ruin you?” Natalie was horrified at how far his grandmother would go to control his life. It had to be suffocating to bear so much pressure. Yet, he was risking so much to protect her reputation. “I don’t know… I’ve never ruined a hotshot billionaire before.”


Contemporary arranged marriage, especially one where it’s also a workplace romance, can go wrong in so many ways, but this book navigated the pitfalls expertly, managing to poke fun at the trope while still reveling in it. Natalie’s no shy secretary – she’s bold, smart, excellent at her job, and has very little time for catering to some executive who can’t seem to be bothered to fill out simple paperwork. She’s also still reeling from the death of her sister, and it’s caused her to reevaluate some aspects of her life. Garrett, for his part, is content enough with work, and having been burned by love before, coupled with his mom’s death and watching his father’s grief, thinks he’s immune to love, even if having his grandma arrange a marriage for him is a step too far. Garrett’s family is Korean-American and still follows a lot of Korean traditions, but while Natalie is half-Korean, she admits that all she really knows about the culture comes from K-dramas. It’s not my cultural background, but I enjoyed watching Natalie learn to navigate those traditions.

“A chunk of her heart had been torn from her and buried with her sister. If the pain of losing her sister didn’t kill her, then she could survive anything. Like the end of a fake marriage. Everyone left one way or another. In this case, at least she’d see it coming. She could prepare herself.”


The themes of loss and grief play a role in this book, both Natalie’s for her sister and Garrett for his mom. Garrett’s grief drives him towards logic and reason and away from emotional responses, while Natalie feels compelled to be there for her niece. There’s a particular moment in the book that really struck home for me, when Natalie and Garrett’s phones begin ringing continuously, and Natalie’s transported back to the moment when she got the news that her sister and brother-in-law had been killed in a car crash. It was incredibly well done and rang very true to my own experiences.

As for cons, I definitely felt the length constraints of a category romance – the two weeks between their engagement and the wedding are skipped over, for instance. And given that gaining custody of her niece was the big driver behind Natalie agreeing to the marriage, there wasn’t much about her relationship with Sophie.

Overall, this was a delightful surprise, and I’ll definitely be looking for more books by Ms. Lee in the future. Recommended for anyone who’s a fan of the arranged marriage trope!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

So, as part of my aim to read more romance, I’m taking part in the blog tour for Temporary Wife Temptation today, thanks to Harlequin. I really enjoyed the last Harlequin romance I read, but that was from the Harlequin Intrigue line, whilst this is from the Harlequin Desire line, something I’ve not yet ventured into.

The premise for Temporary Wife Temptation is simple – for their own reasons, Natalie and Garrett enter into a fake marriage, agreeing to stay publically married until both their goals are met. Temporary Wife Temptation takes that trope and spins it out well, drawing you in to a story that you can’t help but fly through.

Natalie Sobol is a feisty, take-no-nonsense career woman, and our story begins with her going to chase up Garrett Song, who may well be grandson to the founders of the company, but who has to sign HR paperwork just like everyone else, thank you very much. Of course, the two have instant chemistry, which is a bit awkward given the power imbalance between the two, and the fact that as Natalie works for HR, she’d be the first to point out how badly mixing business and pleasure can go.

If you’ve read the blurb for Temporary Wife Temptation, you know exactly what you’re going to get – an arranged marriage that starts off as business only, but rapidly descends into a will-they-won’t-they where you want to shake them both and tell them to just communicate already. Despite that, Lee adds enough depth to the characters to keep it interesting. From Natalie’s desire to adopt her niece, to Garrett’s traditional Korean grandmother, to their various friends and family members who get entangled in all the drama, there’s plenty here to add to the story and keep you wanting more. I loved Garrett’s Korean family, as well as Natalie’s self-confessed ignorance about her own Korean side of the family. While I can’t comment on the accuracy of the representation, I know this is an own voices Korean-American novel, and I really love that.

I really liked Natalie, and although I didn’t particularly like Garrett at first, he grew on me throughout the story, and I felt like he grew and developed more than Natalie did. I liked both their motivations behind the marriage. Their chemistry is quick, but the feelings develop more slowly, and I thought both the tender and steamy moments were done well. The plot is a little predictable, but that’s no bad thing – I know how every Disney movie I’ve ever seen ends, but I still love watching them again, living through the adventure and seeing all the details and twists and turns before the climax. Temporary Wife Temptation is the same; the predictable parts are balanced out by twists and turns, by steamy sexy scenes and touching tender moments. It’s a comfort read; you know what to expect, and it delivers well on that promise. My only real complaint was that the pacing felt a little off at time – I think because it’s so short? That meant we occasionally had time jumps where I’d have liked to see more about how things played out, or conflicts/resolutions that seemed to come a little out of the blue. Despite that, it was an enjoyable read, and I’m definitely intrigued about book 2, which follows new characters in the same circles.

Natalie Sobol has worked very hard to rise to her position of HR director at Hansol, Inc. The recent death of her sister has put her in the position of battling for guardianship of her niece, Sophie, with the child’s paternal grandparents. The odds aren’t in her favor because she’s single, but if she can win the promotion she’s longed for, it would mean a salary increase and relocation to New York, where the grandparents reside. Natalie believes they would be more receptive to her having custody if she lived close enough for them to be part of Sophie’s life. When an emergency crops up at the same time as Natalie’s interview for the new position, she is removed from consideration for the job, no matter what the circumstances. A determined Natalie decides to confront the VP directly, and ask for his assistance in gaining the interview and her shot at the job.

Garrett Song is the VP of Hansol, Inc., his family business, which is in fashion retailing. He’s in line to become CEO as soon as he closes the current deal he’s working on. To his shock, his grandmother announces that she plans to announce his engagement at the same time he becomes CEO – to a woman he’s never met. Grandmother believes she has the right to arrange a marriage for Garrett, while he is furious. In order to thwart her plans, Garrett announces that he’s already engaged, and will not break up with his fiancée just to please his grandmother and her outdated ideas. Now he just has to find someone to marry, and quickly.

When Natalie approaches Garrett to request he intervene on her behalf, he immediately comes up with a counter proposal. He’ll assure that she gets the promotion she deserves if she’ll agree to enter a temporary marriage of convenience with him. Garrett argues that she’ll be in a much better position in her custody battle if she’s married. Natalie agrees, but with the stipulation that they have no intimate contact during their brief marriage. Garrett, not wanting any complications, is only too happy to agree. And so, they marry.

Natalie and Garrett felt a strong attraction from their very first meeting, and they both realize that a “hands off” policy for the duration of their marriage is going to be difficult, to say the least. Natalie tries her best to focus on her young niece, while Garrett tries to focus on his job. He also still carries the scars from a bitter failed relationship years ago, and has never quite gotten to the point where he’s ready to trust a woman again. Garrett’s high profile position requires that they attend many social functions together, and they have to put on a good front to make the world believe their marriage is genuine.

I liked both these characters. Natalie is hard working and dedicated to her niece, even willing to move across the country if need be. Garrett is generous and kind, and very loving to young Sophie. It actually hurt him to challenge his grandmother, as he didn’t want to disrespect her. Of course, they are bound to feel their mutual attraction deepen as they spend more time together in close proximity. TEMPORARY WIFE TEMPTATION is a passionate story of a modern day marriage of convenience with a couple of surprises. The story moves along at a fast pace, with a tearful moment or two, as this couple struggles to overcome the odds and build a genuine future together.

Such a good story. Well written, well defined characters, great background data. I absolutely loved all the cultural references and the importance is plays. It was refreshing to read about the family dynamics, friendships, and the quest to be CEO. I recommend this author, and will definitely read books by her again. Can’t wait to read the 2nd book in the series.

I already mentioned that this cover is so incredibly hot but the story was a lukewarm read for me. It felt like there was too much crammed into the story. It is 224 pages and in those pages we get fake relationship, familial adoption that is sort of contested, deceased parents & sister, grandmother who is mad at the hero, and some work issues. Because there were so many themes/tropes it felt like none of them were fully developed.

Garrett is on the verge of taking over his family’s company. His grandmother tries to force him into an arranged marriage, but he claims to already have a fiance. He needs a wide fast. He knows Natalie from work and she needs to create a stable family so she can adopt her niece. Natalie was so committed to being Sophie’s mom that we don’t even get to meet Sophie until the book is well past 30%. It made it hard for me to be invested in that part.

Lack of development on several of the plot lines did not impact the chemistry between Garrett and Natalie and my investment on them as a couple. I did want more though. But I am a greedy reader and I know this.

Overall the book felt a little scattered with too many things happening but it was still an enjoyable read. The author sets up the story of another couple and I am probably going to read that. I think I need to remember this this story is part of the Harlequin Desire category line and the many plot lines are a feature and not a bug.

Grade: C

Début author Jayci Lee has burst on the romance scene with six books scheduled between now and the summer of 2022. Temporary Wife Temptation is her first book and the first in her Heirs of Hansol series featuring the Song family.

Temporary Wife Temptation is one of few modern stories I have read where a marriage-of-convenience plot works successfully. They both want something out of the bargain, and they both are invested in helping the other person achieve their goals. There is no immature bickering over who is getting the better deal in the bargain. They are in it together and they solve their problems together.

The hero and his extended family have retained their roots, including their language, so it was wonderful to see how the heroine embraces the Korean side of her heritage through her marriage. As a child, she had always felt disappointed that her mother had adamantly denied her Korean heritage, and now finally, she has this opportunity to learn more and experience more about her culture, and she seizes it with both hands.

Temporary Wife Temptation is a solid début book, and I am looking forward to reading Lee’s July book next, which is a rom-com. The second Heirs of Hansol book comes out in September.

My review:: https://frolic.media/book-of-the-week-temporary-wife-temptation-by-jayci-lee/

This was such a cute book! Readers know right off the bat that Natalie and Garrett are perfect for each other, but the fun is watching them fumble towards this realization. It also helped that both of them were such likable characters. Indeed, I liked everyone - with perhaps the exception of Natalie's niece's grandparents, who are fighting Natalie for custody.



The real struggle for Garrett and Natalie happens after the wedding, when they constantly fight against their attraction to one another. But the best part is that they also genuinely like each other as well. As they pretend to be the perfect family for relatives, co-workers, and Natalie's niece's social worker, the couple figure out that they are actually are a great for one another.



I really like the fake dating/fake marriage trope, and Temporary Wife Temptation does it so well! I can't wait for the second book (about Garrett's sister) to come out in the fall.

Romance is not a genre I read, but I am very happy I gave Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee a go. Although the overall plot became predictable early on, I still ended up enjoying this novel and that’s a lot coming from a non-romance lover. I would read more for this author.

Many thanks to Harlequin Desire for this gifted copy via NetGally, in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Harlequin romance and clearly I should have been reading their Desire line instead of their Presents line. Temporary Wife Temptation was a fully-fleshed out story and I want more! Garrett and Natalie have different reasons for needing a temporary marriage but they both stem around the importance of family relationships. What I especially liked was the bonds between Natalie and her niece and Garrett and his family. They both know love even if they are a little afraid to take a risk on it themselves. The relationship between Garrett and Natalie quickly grew from one of convenience to one of friendship and support and from there into love. Their support for each other and the lack of drama until the end made for an even more enjoyable book. I would definitely recommend it!

Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee
Heirs of Hansol Series #1

Arranged marriages...would YOU want one? I wouldn’t…
Marriages of Convenience...would You want one? I don’t think so

So…

Why would two attractive people in this modern age opt to move into a situation that would put them together 24/7 and create havoc with their hormones KNOWING that they should not succumb to one another even though both feel the chemistry?

AND then…

Throw in a bit of
*cultural information
* a hunky and wealthy Korean American super-handsome male thinking he has life his life all planned out only to find out that his grandmother has another plan in place for him...one he is not willing to go along with
* a woman working in the family business that might help him out while he helps her out by providing a partner that will increase her likelihood of adopting the daughter of her deceased sister
* a hanbok (that REALLY caught my attention because my sister told me all about wearing one to her son’s marriage and how it fit and felt and all the rest)
* how one deals with the person one wants but can’t have...according to the contract for the marriage of convenience
* information on how to deal with in laws in a culture you did not grow up with
* a baby that more than one couple wants
* avoiding falling in love...or not

This book was not what I thought it would be but am glad that I read it and in reading it learned a bit, laughed a bit and enjoyed the reading while wanting to find out what will happen next in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Desire for the ARC ~ This is my honest review

3-4 Stars

Garrett Song is the VP at Hansol Inc, soon hoping to be the next CEO. Everything is falling into place when Garrett is summoned to the home of his grandmother who informs him he is to be married. Garrett is not going to have an arranged marriage, so he tells his grandmother that he is already engaged. Now all he has to do is find himself a wife.

Natalie is a up and coming executive at Hansol Inc. and nothing will stand in her way. She is also trying to adopt her niece after the sudden passing of her sister, but is in a custody battle with the babies grandparents. If only Natalie was married and could show she had a stable home for the baby.
After a chance meeting, Garrett approaches Natalie with an arrangement that would benefit them both. Now all they have to do is pretend they are married until Garrett becomes CEO and Natalie gets fully custody of baby Sophie. That shouldn’t be too hard right?

This was such a sweet story of loss, love and family. I really enjoyed learning about different cultures and ethnicities as well. This was such a feel good story and I loved the relationship between the two main characters. I found myself routing for them right from the start. Thank you so much to Jayci Lee, Harlequin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

As per usual since this book is a Harlequin Desire book this book was a quick and easy read that I was able to read in one afternoon.

I did enjoy this fake relationship story. I found it is well written and kept me reading.

I give this 4 out of 5.

I do recommend.

Where do I start? Ok, maybe start by turning the A/C on when you read this book because the chemistry between the two characters is completely off the chart. The concept of the book where two characters marry for quid pro quo and then fall in love isn’t new. I actually like this trope, but what I particularly enjoyed is the Korean culture mixed to the story and the characters’ personality and moral. Both of the characters have high level positions but remain somehow down to earth. They value family, traditions (to a certain extent) and have a strong sense of responsibility.

Though they start the fake relationship only to help each other’s predicaments, the mutual attraction is already palpable from the start. The author does a wonderful job at building it up to the point that you can see steam coming out of the pages. This book guarantees swooning, hot, and heartbreaking moments. The ending isn’t what I expected, which is a good thing even if I would have given one of the characters a harder time for what happened. That’s a personal opinion. In the end, if you’re looking for a quick read and steamy romance, do yourself a favor and go read this one. 😊

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked "Temporary Wife Temptation." I always enjoy a good marriage of convenience story, and while I have found that it can be a difficult trope to pull off in contemporary romance, this one had an interesting angle that I thought just might work. (Spoiler alert: IMO, it did!) The main characters, Garrett Song and Natalie Sobol, were likeable and sympathetic, and their motivations for entering into the marriage were completely understandable.

Given the book's relatively short length and the marriage of convenience plot, I was initially concerned that Natalie and Garrett's relationship development would feel rushed to me. However, the author addressed this rather cleverly through the use of time jumps, usually of a few weeks at a time. These time jumps gave Garrett and Natalie more time to get to know each other, and the attraction between them only grew stronger as they grew closer. In the end, instead of the insta-lust I was expecting from this story, it ended up as kind of a slow burn, which IMO was infinitely more satisfying.

Overall, "Temporary Wife Temptation" was a short, steamy, and satisfying read, and I would recommend it.

First, I have to say that Temporary Wife Temptation has an absolutely gorgeous cover. I'm not crazy about the title, although it is appropriate for the story, but that's one hard to pass up cover. The fake romance trope is a hit or miss for me, mostly boiling down to how well I like the couple. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure about that at first. I liked Natalie well enough, but Garrett rubbed me the wrong way. I usually like the arrogant playboy who gets blindsided and swept away by the right woman, but Garrett was just a little over the top with the arrogance. So much so that I didn't like him at first. Nevertheless, he did win me over and I found myself rooting for this couple. The angst is relatively low for this type of romance, which is always a good thing in a quick read like this one. The story held my interest, and after a semi-rough start, I liked this couple together. All in all, I enjoyed the romance, and will certainly be checking out more by Jayci Lee.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Garett Song is SO close to taking over as the CEO of his family fashion empire in LA until his grandmother insists he agrees to her arranged marriage first. Determined to find his own wife, Garett strikes a deal with Natalie Sobol, the interim VP of HR at his company, who has her own agenda for agreeing to this fake marriage. What starts off as an act soon turns into real feelings ...

Anyone a fan of Korean dramas? I felt like this was a Korean drama in book form minus the usual antagonist. This book is a fun, sexy, and quick paced romance. I made the mistake of starting it at 9pm and then staying up way too late to finish it. I haven't read too many romance novels with asian characters so I was really excited to read this one and it definitely did not disappoint. The characters are likable and you get a glimpse into the Korean culture. Looking forward to the next book in the series!