This is a fast paced MM romance with force proximity and a slight arrangement. This was very cute and sweet and makes you wish you had a man that would treat you the way Colby treats Elijah.

This book was surprisingly touching, I really enjoyed the romance between Colby and Elijah, they felt like real people. The romance didn't feel rushed even though the story is short. I really recommend this book if you're looking for a light and fun romance.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Sweet, sexy, and unexpectedly emotional 💘 I went in for the spicy fake-relationship vibes and ended up catching feelings myself. It’s got charm, heart, and just the right amount of steam.

The audiobook narration? So good. The chemistry between the characters popped, and the emotional beats really landed. If you’re in the mood for romance with feels and flair, this one's a win.

I loved this book with all my heart. I received an arc via netgalley for the audiobook. The narrator did a wonderfull time job, it was easy to tell who’s perspective we were in. Everything about this book was perfect, Colbey’s grif and Elijah’s hesitation all felt so real, i’m so glad the two of them found each other.

Really fun! With a novella of this length you kinda can't avoid the insta-love which would otherwise bother me. But it really works well in this setting. I really liked the vacation vibes, the glimpses of backstory and the spice was pretty good. The narration was truly excellent! I will be watching out for Harley Chase in the future.

Update: Reread via Audio

This book is even better when my eyes don't have to do the reading. This was my first time listening to a book that Harley Chase narrates and he was sooo good.

All of my feel for this book are the same as when I first read it, but I would say having the characters come to life in someone else's voice really improved the book for me.


MCs are 28/39
#MiddleLifeRomance
Past loss of a husband
Pretty Woman like
SW rep

Two dudes who shouldn’t be falling in love spend a week playing happy family and falling for each other. Toss together two characters that obviously shouldn’t catch feels but do, then they both assume the other doesn’t feel the same way, and you’ve got a book I’m feral over. I LOVE when two MCs fall for each other and don’t communicate it.

Uggh this was so good, I will 100% be reading book 2

Footnote: I cried…

Red flag 🚩: Eli keeps saying Colby is in great shape for his age…COLBY IS 39! 🤦‍♀️

This was cured, albeit way too short to get the story across. Because of the length the weight kn the relationship between the two men felt a bit rushed but otherwise a sweet and satisfying story

I tried to find if the author is straight bc I feel weird about straight women writing gay male romance, I couldn’t find anything, but to be fair, I didn’t dig very hard.

Knowing Maya Jean wrote fanfiction really makes sense with how the story progresses and the way the characters think (respectfully). the pacing is a little weird. It’s hard for me to believe that Eli is the sweetest boyfriend at the agency just based on how he acts w this ONE client.

The spicy parts aren’t the WORST?? The primal play stuff was…a little underwhelming.

I’m also not a gay man so my review definitely doesn’t reeeaally matter

Thank you Tantor Media and NetGalley for audiobook ARC.

A tender, swoony novella that blends fake dating with real emotional stakes.

Jean’s writing shines in the chemistry between Elijah and Colby. Their dynamic is sweet yet charged, with Colby’s quiet strength and Elijah’s playful charm creating a compelling contrast. The age gap and “fake husband” trope are handled with warmth and nuance, and the emotional steam is balanced with just the right amount of kink to keep things spicy without overshadowing the romance.

Readers have praised the novella for its authentic emotional beats, snappy pacing, and genuine character arcs. While some wished for a longer format to explore the relationship more deeply, most agree that Jean delivers a satisfying and complete story within the novella’s scope.

If you’re looking for a short, emotionally rich LGBTQ+ romance with a beachy backdrop and a lot of heart, The Husband Experience is a great pick.

ALC Review
The Husband Experience by Maya Jean
Narrated by Harley Chase

Yes please. This was a smutty AF book about Colby who hires Eli from the Boyfriend Experience to act as his husband for the week. He is grieving from the loss of his husband multiple years ago, but wanting to experience the intimacy he misses.
This was absolutely an insta-lust spice fest, but that's what the author promised.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* MM novella
* Fake dating/fake husband
* Escort MMC

Loved these characters and loved this book. Great setup and characters 👌 I have read many partner for hire leading to more books but really enjoyed how this book got spicy so fast and kept it up!! Thank you too the author for that.

I unfortunately didn't like this book because it was too love for me. There was just not enough yearning or getting to know you sections in this, and I could not create any kind of connection to our characters.

I got the audiobook, and it was amazing.
You could understand both POV and, even like that, I didn't see the final chapter happening like that. It was a good twist for me.
I hope the author and the narrator to work together again. They make a great team.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet romance. I loved Colby and Elijah as they were so perfect together. Even with this being a short book, the romance was just on point. These characters were great together and the story was short and sweet. I am interested to see what happens in the next book with the next couple.

this was such a fun little summery novella. i mean who doesn’t love fake relationships leading into real ones? i’m a sucker for them. the narrators also did a splendid job at bringing this book and the characters to life

This was a sweet M/M fake dating romance between a sex worker and widower. The vulnerability between the two characters was precious. I loved the narrator.

4.5⭐️

This is a review of the audiobook.

I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was a fairly short/quick read, it had everything I wanted to get out of this story.

You have Elijah who is a part-time fake boyfriend for hire who ends of giving the "husband experience" to his client, Colby. I loved watching these 2 fall in love in such a short time and would love more about them in the future books for this series. I will most definitely be reading the other books!

The narrator did such an amazing job and I had no problems differentiating between the 2 characters. Sometimes that's hard to do even when there are 2 narrators when you have a MM or FF book.

The Husband Experience by Maya Jean is a quick, spicy, and emotionally satisfying listen, elevated by Harley Chase’s fantastic narration. This was my first time hearing him, and I was thoroughly impressed—his voice work added warmth and clarity, making the story even more engaging.

Though a novella, the book handles grief and new love with surprising depth. I appreciated how Colby’s past relationship was honored without overshadowing his growing bond with Eli. Their chemistry felt natural, even with the fast pacing. It’s more a believable strong crush than insta-love, which works well given the short timeline.

While the “boyfriend for hire” angle could’ve been explored more, and a couple steamy scenes might’ve been better spent on character development, the story still delivers a sweet and sexy romance with low drama and genuine heart. A great start to the Sweet Southern series and a strong recommendation for fans of light, feel-good audiobooks.

Colby is a sweet southern gentleman who is grieving the loss of his husband and in an attempt to move forward with his life he hires a fake “husband” to spend a week together. Eli, who is eager to fulfill his “hired for duties”, is thrown by Colby’s romantic efforts.
There was not much plot here, but I was rooting for these characters. I really loved this narrator! Harley Chase’s southern accent was just enough and so adorable. This novella is short, smutty and gives all the “Pretty Woman” vibes (along with a HEA).
Thank you so much NetGalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC copy of this book.

The Husband Experience by Maya Jean
5/5 ✨🌟

𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵? 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭. 𝘌𝘭𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘦 “𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴,” 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘭𝘪.

* * SPOILERS * *

Maya Jean is a new author that I’ve never read and I absolutely love the way she writes. It makes you see there watching the scene unfold in front of you.

Colby and Eli were everything. I knew the moment when they met this was going to be such an adorable story. I wished it was longer because it was just that good.

I was in my feels for this story. Poor Colby was just trying to get out there and Eli never expected to feel anything for this handsome man. Colby truly showed him what loved was really like.

I about cried when Colby went after Eli because he couldn’t let him go. They were both stubborn when it came to their feelings because neither one of them wanted to say anything. I loved the little dates that they went on. The spicy scenes were so good and I only wanted more. That primal play scene was super hot.

Now I need to read Beau and Trevor’s story because that scene at the end makes you wonder…

Edit on 5/28: Loved this audiobook so much!

I received a copy of this book and this is my honest review.