Today is my tour stop for Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee. This book was released on February 4, 2020. This book is part of the Harlequin Desire series. I was given a copy from NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Garrett Song is this close to taking the reins of his family’s LA fashion empire…until the Song matriarch insists he marry her handpicked bride first. To block her matchmaking, he recruits Natalie Sobol to pose as his wife. She needs a fake spouse as badly as he does. But when passion burns down their chaste agreement, the flames could destroy them all…

This book was a super quick read, which I really appreciated. The story wasn't drawn out longer than necessary. Some parts were really cute...and some were just really cheesy. I'm not a long time reader of Harlequin books, so I can't adequately say if all of their books make me feel this way. I had a really hard time believing their attraction to each other when Garrett comes out and says that Natalie is not his type. I had a really hard time believing Natalie would actually fall for him as dedicated as she was to her job and her niece. The transition from scene to scene was also rough for me too. Some of them felt super abrupt.

Overall, this is a cute story. If you're into romance books and are looking for quick reads to pass your time, I would definitely advise picking this up. It wasn't my perfect book, but that doesn't mean it won't be yours.

🌟🌟🌟

With each person having something to gain from the old “fake marriage for a year” plot, they enter into the arraignment. The usual slow increase in feelings of how hawt the other person is but “no, we can’t because this is only for a set amount of time” occur. I continued to be happy because Garrett is all about helping Natalie make a good impression for the social worker, his family adores her niece and even though smoldering glances and near kisses are there everyone manages to control themselves. Until of course they decide, “why not?” and then the sheets get scorched. Yet the plan remains in place – this is only for a short time. Everyone acts nicely, there’s no revenge plot, Natalie and Garrett are getting to know each other and, of course, feelings are developing. Plus some of Garrett’s and Natalie’s internal monologues are funny.

The final grade gets knocked down a little because with the page count running out, a final “where did that come from” conflict gets shoved into the story. What?? Why? I didn’t think it was needed but there it is. Sigh. The make up scene when both finally confess their true feelings is sweet and heartfelt. I really enjoyed the Korean culture that was excellently included and hope for (much!) more in the next story about Garrett’s younger sister who, I feel, is going to surprise the family when she’s let loose. Until then, this one gets a B.

I can always be enticed by a fake engagement ala arranged marriage scenario. But add other elements such as traditional Korean family, office romance, and new to me debut author…I had to snag it.
Review

Temporary Wife Temptation is the first of the Heirs of Hansol series about a traditional Korean American family in the fashion industry. The first to get his story is promising businessman Garrett Song who honors his family right up to the point his grandmother announces she has arranged a match between the heir of her company and the heiress of an old money Korean family in the same industry. Garrett got burned early by love when his mother passed away leaving their family destitute and then the one woman he gave his heart to crushed it. He has no plans to marry, but he does want the CEO position in the family company and a contract with another business who values a married family man over a swinging bachelor. Time to find a temporary wife…

Natalie Sobol, daughter of an American GI falling for her Korean mother and then not wanting a thing to do with his two daughters, a mother and sister passed away, and now a legal fight to adopt her sister’s daughter, knows a thing or two about not wanting to chance the pain of a permanent marriage. Yet, her chances of adopting her niece grow exponentially if she has the powerful Song name and a husband to lend a certain cachet before the social worker, paternal grandparents, and the judge so a temporary husband is just the thing.

Only, Garrett and Natalie discover that pulling off the deception for others is simple compared to the deception going on in their own hearts once they are together.

All the things I was anticipating when I picked up this book took place. I liked both Garrett and Natalie and bought into their personal reasons to come together and it was fun seeing them fight the spark of attraction that grew deeper as they were together as a couple, partners in reaching their goals, and even as parents. The illusion became fact and, of course, that was the conflict of the story since both had reasons to fear something permanent, too. I loved learning more about Korean traditions which were there as background and even motivations at times without feeling cliche or dabbed in.

The romance went from sensual to steamy even while this pair were fighting attraction. The big moment was there and just as painful as I imagined, but it was a wake-up call to them both particularly Garrett who resisted love most of all. He blew it, but he did have a little help. He was stubborn and I wanted to kick him in the pants, but his sister and bestfriend lit a fire under him. Incidentally, looking forward to their story.

I really only had one niggle. The transitions were abrupt. The story would leap from one scene into the next in abrupt breaks in time where the old scene ended without resolution and the new scene showed it resolved in the interim and moved onto something new. I still got a sense of the romance development and how things came to be with the business and family stuff, but it was in summary after the fact at times. Some I didn’t mind, but others I felt needed to play out before my eyes so I could connect better with the story. Not a huge issue, but it was there.

In the end, this was a quick read full of spicy romance, engaging characters, and a fun fake engagement-marriage that hit the spot. I would recommend this for those who enjoy contemporary romance with a spicy Asian flavor in the sophisticated business world.

Heat Factor: Once they finally give in to their temptation, it gets pretty steamy
Character Chemistry: They are hot, driven, and living together. What else do you need?
Plot: Exactly what you would expect from the title
Overall: Now I understand why people read category romances

This book is deliciously trope-tastic. Here are all of the tropey things, where the only response is BECAUSE OF COURSE. I cannot type these sentences without ridiculous capitalization. Apologies in advance.

The characters:

- Garrett, our hero, is an Emotionally Closed Off alpha hero who must Remain a Bachelor for the rest of his days because of some Other Woman who Done Him Wrong.
- Garrett is Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking. Also, when he breathes, his pulsating pectorals strain the seams of his shirts. (Maybe he should look into a new tailor?)
- Natalie is the hottest woman but she Doesn’t Know She’s Beautiful.
- While technically not a virgin, Natalie is Extremely Virginal but also Intrinsically Seductive.
- There’s a Cute Baby who never does things like scream for two hours in the middle of the night or spit up all over Natalie’s silk blouse. While the baby is not a Secret Baby, the baby is part of the reason for the whole fake marriage, so there’s the whole Get Married to Make a Family thing going on. (Sidenote: If you have kids, please please please make a will so your wishes about who should care for them if you die is in writing.)

And of course, the plot:

- They have a Fake Marriage of Convenience for Reasons but are sooooooooo tempted by each other.
- They can’t actually Talk to Each Other about their relationship, but must Assume the Worst.

And the pièce de résistance:

- The Grovel. Which, I must say, is excellently executed.

All of this might sound ridiculous, but it was also extremely soothing. There were no surprises. I knew exactly what was going to happen, and every beat was familiar. Even some of the turns of phrase were familiar, particularly when Lee describes the intimate moments between Garrett and Natalie (not just the sex, but the way their eyes meet or the electricity when their fingers touch). However, Lee executes this familiar landscape deftly; nothing felt stale. So reading this book was like putting on my coziest sweater and curling up in a reading nook.


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

With its absolutely stunning cover, Temporary Wife Temptation is a book that just begs romance readers to pick it up. Jayci Lee's debut novel does not disappoint and delivers on the marriage-of-convenience trope beautifully.

To get his meddling grandmother off his back, Garrett enters a deal with the woman in the running for the VP of HR at his company - in exchange for temporarily marrying him, he will ensure that she gets the job. Garrett Song is not a man of many words. He is somewhat stoic and you just know that underneath that hard exterior is a man capable of intense passion. Watching Garrett slowly unravel around Natalie was a treat, and I may have hollered once or twice when he let his more sexy side emerge. Personality-wise, Natalie was pretty much the opposite of Garrett. She was much more open about her emotions. She recently lost her sister and brother-in-law to a car accident and was trying to raise her baby niece. Unfortunately, she is also in a custody battle with her niece's grandparents. Knowing that being married will make her look better in court, she agrees to marry Garrett. I liked Natalie a lot. She was dealing with all these upheavals in her life, but she handled like a champ - there was no bitterness or complaints from her, only love for her niece. Her outpouring of love balanced out Garrett's more unflappable nature

While the two are determined to view this marriage as a transaction, feelings do develop as readers anticipate. The progression of their relationship felt natural to me and the steamy scenes are very rewarding. As much as I love the sexy times in this book, what I enjoyed reading the most about was Garrett and Natalie's conversations on their shared or different views. I especially enjoyed all the insight into both of their Korean backgrounds and what that meant to them. The Korean traditions, in particular, were seamlessly incorporated into the storyline. We also have an interesting secondary cast in Temporary Wife Temptation. Garrett's grandmother delighted me with her headstrong, but sometimes soft personality. My only minor quibble is that I would have perhaps liked to see a bit more of Garrett interacting with baby Sophie because truly, who can resist a seemingly apathetic hero coddle over a cute baby?

All in all, Temporary Wife Temptation wasn't just a book with a great cover - the interior is as excellent as the exterior. I'll certainly be picking up the subsequent companion novels in this series as well as whatever Jayci Lee decides to write. I'm a fan.

Included in SBTB's monthly New Releases post, which highlights upcoming books for the next month: https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2020/02/februarys-new-releases-part-one/

TEMPORARY WIFE TEMPTATION by Jayci Lee is the story of Natalie Sobol and Garrett Song.
Garrett family owns a fashion empire that he wants to take over but he is from a somewhat traditional Korean family where his Grandmother wants him to marry to before taking over the company. But Garrett tells her he already has a fiancée hoping to buy time to find someone of his choosing. Natalie's sister and her husband has died in a car wreck leaving a daughter Sophie behind. To ensure that has no issue having custody of her niece she thinks marriage would help but she needs a promotion too from her job. So when Garrett and her meet a plan is formed to have a marriage of convenience until they both get what they want then go their separate ways. But nothing every goes as plan with marriages of convenience with the attraction is to strong to ignore.
I am always a fan of Harlequin books and love this author's take on the marriage of convenience story line.

I’m not a huge Harlequin Romance reader so I didn’t realize how much I wanted one with two Asian leads until Jayci Lee’s Temporary Wife Temptation. I loved that the heroine was such a badass career woman who worked in HR but who also had a soft side which is obvious with her interactions with her neighbour, Mrs. Kim and when it comes to sister and adopting her niece. The chemistry between Garrett and Natalie was so intense that I was dying for them to hook up and when they finally did it really was satisfying. I also loved their domestic scenes as well. That being said, there were times where the transitions felt off, which lead to things like the ending felt a bit abrupt. Still this was an enjoyable read and I love the complicated family dynamics and could relate to the familial pressure and expectations thrust upon Garnett. Without spoiling too much I found the reveal to be refreshing and that no one in the family was pure evil. Speaking of family, I am excited for the next book as it will be Garnett’s sister, Adelaide’s story and judging from the hints in Temporary Wife Temptation it looks like she and his best friend/business partner Michael may have some UST.

Garret Song is so close to becoming the CEO of his family's famous LA fashion empire. The only thing standing in his way? His grandmother refuses to let him take over the company until he marries, and she's handpicked just the woman. Not wanting to marry a woman he doesn't know, Garret enlists the help of Natalie Sobol to pose as his fake wife.

With Natalie needing a spouse almost as badly as Garret, she agrees. As the pair dives headlong into this fake relationship, they discover it's not so hard to fake the passion burning between them.

I'll be the first to admit I love a good fake dating trope, but this one unfortunately was not for me. I didn't love the characters, and just couldn't really get into Lee's writing. I found Garret and Natalie together to be meh, and the romance to be ok, but nothing really stood out for me. The book isn't that long, so you're sort of thrown right into everything and the story develops very fast. I think if it was longer and had more room to breathe and grow, maybe I would've liked it more, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Garrett and Natalie's fake marriage story was very entertaining. I love marriage of convenience stories and this one didn't disappoint me, it's the first one by this author that I read and having this great characters in a story you will keep reading until the end is one I would recommend. It's fast paced but I love the characters. The emotions and everything about how the story plot unveils is great. I will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

This was a wonderful story about how marriage could be convent for two parties but how tables can turn that to love. I loved every second of this story and I can not wait to grab a copy in print. I would love to check out another book by this author. The characters and story were just what I was looking for.

If you are looking for a modern day fairy tale for adults, both sweet and sexy, with a smart, hardworking, strong “princess” and a handsome, devoted, powerful “prince”, both of whom happen to be absolutely gorgeous Korean-Americans, Temporary Wife Temptation is your book. The cover to this book stopped me in my tracks. Such beautiful, glamorous people! For them, I was willing to overlook that this book stars more rich and powerful people–a pet peeve of mine–especially since that is sort of Harlequin’s stock in trade. I have many fond memories of gorging on Harlequin romances throughout my teen years, so I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into.

I was not disappointed. Temporary Wife Temptation is an enjoyable if not very complex story. Garrett is a big, gorgeous, muscular, sexy wealthy business tycoon. Natalie is a smart, beautiful, driven, if somewhat buttoned up HR executive in his company. Natalie needs something to give her the advantage over her sister’s in-laws in adopting her orphaned baby niece. Garrett needs someone to keep him out of a family-arranged business merger marriage of convenience. Together they have a chemistry that they can’t ignore, much less deny, which can be a pesky complication for their temporary marriage agreement. As is Natalie’s growing closeness with Garrett’s circle of friends and family, and both of their growing feelings for each other.

That’s not to say that either Natalie or Garrett are cardboard-cut-out one-dimensional characters. Garrett is dealing with some major trust and attachment issues, due to previous loss and betrayal, and is grappling with what his devotion to family needs to look like, in order to still work for him. Natalie is grieving the recent loss of her sister, and fighting to be able to adopt her only remaining family member, her infant niece Lily. As a result, she has a great fear of additional loss, and a desire to avoid attachment to avoid any additional loss and grief. Natalie also struggles with self-confidence in matters of love, thanks to childhood trauma and previous bad relationships. These two characters may have smoking hot chemistry, but they have A LOT of baggage too.

Natalie starts off the book pretty isolated. In addition to the loss of her older sister, she doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends. The primary friendship in her life seems to be with her elderly Korean neighbor Mrs. Kim. So part of this romance is enjoying the growing closeness of Natalie to Garrett’s friends and family–his sister Adelaide, his father and grandmother, even his friend Mike–and the tension of realizing that when the temporary marriage arrangement ends, Natalie will lose her new family and friends, and they will lose not only her but little Lily from their tight-knit circle.

I love the diversity in this book. Garrett and Natalie are both Korean-Americans. Natalie, thanks to the early death of her mother, who didn’t want to discuss her past in Korea anyway, is mostly isolated from her Korean heritage, and her strained relationship with her father left her without a strong connection to the other side of her heritage either. So when she encounters Garrett and his family, she is able to begin to get in touch more with the traditions of her heritage, from how to properly address Garrett’s grandmother to the traditional Korean bridal attire to be worn and more. I love the casual inclusion of Korean phrases and traditions throughout the book. It’s not presented as a big deal, it’s just who they are, and that is lovely.

The last thing I’ll mention that I loved about this book is the writing. This is “just” a Harlequin romance. It follows the template of Harlequins and romantic fairy tales. Main characters are beautiful, and at least one of them is wealthy and powerful. There’s beautiful clothing and swanky events. And yet….and yet…I have never highlighted so many items in a romance novel (don’t worry–my copy is digital.). So many thoughts and statements from Natalie that I could completely relate to, such as the stress she felt at large social events, her appreciation for romance novels, and her migraines and tense shoulders.

So many little lines that made me swoon too. There’s a scene at one of the many parties Natalie attends with Garrett where he goes looking for her and finds her surrounded by people, having a smart and spirited discussion about something, and he mentions not only how beautiful she is, but also how smart, with “a mind quicker than lightening,” and how much he liked that. He also affirms more than once that she is a grown woman who doesn’t need him to save her–as much as he might want to. Definitely swoon-worthy. While many romances written in this era pay at least lip-service to having strong, intelligent female leads, they don’t always follow through in the little details that affirm the value of that intelligence. This book does. And it is one of the many things I loved about this seemingly simple, sweet little story. (I could keep adding more favorite quotations, but then we’d be here all day.)

I thoroughly enjoyed my time back with Harlequin, reading Temporary Wife Temptation. I’ll be looking out for more books by Jayci Lee. I am grateful to #NetGalley and Harlequin for giving me a free digital advanced copy of #TemporaryWifeTemptation to read and share on my blog as part of their promotional blog tour. This is my honest opinion.

**3.5 Stars**

Thank you to Harlequin Desire and NetGalley for a chance to be on this blog tour and providing me a copy of this eARC to read.

Temporary Wife Temptation is a fake marriage romance as an employee, Natalie, ends up married to her boss, Garrett, to help him out. The situation also helps Natalie who is trying to adopt her late sister’s daughter. What starts off fake becomes something real as Natalie and Garrett learn to navigate their agreement and their feelings before things come to an end for good.

What I Liked:
*This is a korean drama in the form of a book, but k-drama lite! My mom loves k-dramas and I used to watch them when I had more time on my hands but this book has all the drama on a light romance level, but heavy on the seduction!

*I love the explanation about Korean family hierarchies and how grandparents are regarded. Garrett tries to buck convention when his grandma and the woman who helped start the family empire wants to arrange his marriage. Garrett and Natalie both have strong ties to their families, though Natalie has sadly lost her sister and now is trying to adopt her niece. It’s a sad situation but I love how family is important in this story.

*Garrett and Natalie’s attraction grows right away, so fast actually, but this is a VERY short book, at 224 pages! So I can see why the sparks were happening so quick, though the actual sex in the story only happens after they get married and near the end of the book.

*It’s a happily ever after, with not too many obstacles in the way. If there were any, the solutions were easily implemented.

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*It’s a quick story and everything seemed to fall into place when they should but at times it felt rushed.

*The story focused on the attraction growing between Garrett and Natalie, so though there was some underhanded corporate espionage happening in the background, it was never a focus. When the fake couple who is turning into a real one becomes…FEELINGS are growing between them, the mini break-up they have didn’t seem major to me at all. It’s predictable – he will apologize and they will get back together. So there are no surprises in this book.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I enjoyed this fake marriage story. It was a fast read, with some sizzle and there was a focus on family which I loved. This is the first book I’ve read from this author but I would definitely read more

3.5 stars

Fake marriage. You have to love the trope or you don't.
Now, if you do. I totally recommend <i>Temporary Wife Temptation</i> by Jayci Lee.

The book is told with double narration. The reader follows both Garret Song and Natalie Sobol as they marry to meet their objectives. Garret wants to 1) not marry the woman his grandma arranged for, and 2) secure his CEO position in the family company. Natalie wants to adopt her niece after Natalie's sister and her husband died. They don't seem to mind to marry the other since they are obviously attracted to each other, however, they make the deal and promise to keep their hands off each other and others. (Which totally works of course ;))

The book is a fun romantic comedy type of book. It has some serious points especially regarding Natalie wanted to adopt her niece, Sophie. Therefore, I recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a nice steamy, romantic book.

The was a great marriage of a convenience romance/ office romance is this authors debut book. it was entertaining and the author's style of writing was easy to read and follow throughout the read.

Garrett Song comes from a traditional Korean family that has made a large company in the fashion world. His Grandmother is the matriarch of the family and when she arranges a marriage with a Korean girl with business advantage Garrett knows he must do something to stop his grandmothers plan. Garret is anti-marriage with no plans to marry for love but to be told who to marry is the bottom line.

Natalie Sobol is a Korean American who needs to win custody of her niece and needs the get the new HR job offered in New York with her current employee. But when things go wrong she must find another way to keep her niece with her.

We get to learn a bit about the Korean cultural during this book to which is all new to me and I found interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the chance to read this book that I have given my honest and voluntary review.

Temporary Wife Temptation by Jayci Lee is a very sexy modern marriage of a convenience and debut by a new author to the genre. Garrett Song knows what’s expected of him , and Natalie Sobol's sister and husband have recently died in a car accident, leaving her as guardian to her niece Sophie. Despite their mutual attraction he keeps himself at an emotional distance for a few weeks after their wedding day. Natalie is disappointed as she knows Garrett isn’t interested in love and tries to keep herself from developing feelings for him.

I liked this, but didnt like it all at the same time. I hought the author did a fine job at the overal execution. 3/5 stars.

4.5 Star Rating
I really enjoyed this book, the characters Garrett and Natalie had me cracking up as well as swooning. I had a few moments of wanting to pull out my hair with frustration because they could have resolved a lot with just communicating but what fun would that be right?!?

The story was very interesting, we are able to see how important tradition was to this family. I really enjoyed the characters sass with each other but also the dedication they held for their family and their job. It was interesting to see they figure out that family should always come first.

When I first started reading Temporary Wife Temptation I worried that the pacing wasn't going to work for me. But in the end, like resplendently echoing piano chords this book hit ALL my favorite Marriage of Convenience notes... including a truly glorious grovel at the end.

Having said that, again, sometimes the pacing in this book took me out to the story a bit. Particularly in the very beginning. But Garrett and Natalie do develop some good chemistry. There's a sexy slow-burny buildup between the two of them and it is pretty darn satisfying. So, indeed, I enjoyed Temporary Wife Temptation and I'm looking forward to reading more from Jayci Lee.

Thank you harlequin for the chance to read an advanced copy and for the chance to participate in the blog tour for this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Temporary Wife Temptation is a steamy and fast paced romance book I devoured in one night. Bringing together career driven Garrett and hard working Natalie, their chemistry is electric from the beginning. Garrett needs a wife to take the CEO mantel and Natalie needs a husband for the illusion of stability in order for her to adopt her niece. I loved how driven our main characters are. Garrett has spent his whole life molded into being the perfect heir and still emotionally reeling from a past relationship. Natalie is a cooking challenged and driven character.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, but this arranged marriage is right up that alley. This mix between business and casual, workplace romance and something more. I enjoyed how Natalie feels disconnected from her culture and seeks help from her neighbor - these interactions were the sweetest! At the same time, Garrett is deeply connected to his family, which is part of his problems.

The "fake relationship" trope is one of my absolute favourites, and the reason I signed up to read this book. Both characters have legitimate reasons for needing a fake spouse - Garret to avoid an arranged marriage, Natalie to successfully adopt her recently orphaned baby niece, Sophie. The chemistry between the lead characters was intense, and the story had a decent plot. Both leads were likeable, Natalie especially. She was a strong, independent woman who knew exactly what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to get it. The story was clever, the sex was safe, consentual & fun, and the side characters were also really good (I loved the Grandmother and I can't wait to hear more from Adelaide!).

Temporary Wife Temptation was the perfect book to sit down with after a stressful day and just escape for a few hours into the world of this really likeable couple.