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HIS 1-800 WIFE Shirley Hailstock BET/Arabesque March 2001 (4+) Jeanette Cogdell |
Contemporary Romance |
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PLOT SYNOPSIS: |
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REVIEW: |
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HIS 1-800-WIFE really caught me off guard. I was expecting classic Shirley Hailstock with mystery, action and adventure, which by all means is great, but I was pleasantly surprised by the direction of her latest venture. This book was such a delight to read. Imagine constantly being hounded by your mom and sister about getting married, when happily ever after is the last thing on your mind. They are always introducing you to man after eligible man. As if you couldn’t find a husband on your own. Not that you wanted one, but what if you did have one? That would surely get them off your back. Wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t have to be a real marriage, just one in name only. And it wouldn’t have to last for very long either. Just long enough, so that you can say that you’ve been married. Six months should do it. Then you could divorce him and be on your merry way. Never to be harassed by those two again. Now all you have to do is find a husband. This is the gist of HIS 1-800-WIFE. Catherine Carson has devised a scheme to find herself a husband by installing a 1-800-WIFE line in her home and advertising in the paper for a husband. She would screen the calls and decide which one she would marry. Imagine her surprise when a caller actually knows her identity. His voice sounds familiar, but she can’t quite make out whom it is. She’s on her way to one of her sister’s countless parties and doesn’t have time to worry about it. Once again her sister has decided to set her up with someone. Only this time, she finds that it’s an old childhood friend, her archenemy and tormentor Jarrod Greene. When he speaks, she realizes whom the voice on her answering machine belongs to. Jarrod has recently returned from England after being away for 5 years. He was not prepared for the physical changes he perceived in Catherine. While they were growing up, she had always been like a kid sister to him. Even though he was her mortal enemy, always playing jokes on her, teasing, harassing and embarrassing her, he was also her best friend. Now she was all grown up and upon seeing her again, his feelings toward her were anything but sisterly. After confiding in him her plan to get her sister and mom off her back, Catherine found that Jarrod had the same problem. His mom wanted grandchildren and as soon as he returned home, she was parading women in front of him. Catherine came up with the perfect solution. She asked Jarrod to marry her. He was hesitant at first, because he knew he had feelings for her, but Catherine talked him into it. It would be perfect. They were already friends and could part amicably. Sooner than expected, their deception was to be tested. Catherine’s sister came upon them and Jarrod drew Catherine into his arms for their first kiss. WOW! That kiss made him realize that all the jokes he had played on her were a mask for his real feelings. After that kiss, there was no way he could deny them now. Catherine wasn’t prepared for the flood of emotions created by that kiss as Jarrod tried to convince her sister that they were in love. She wanted to call the whole thing off, but the wheels had been put in motion. I loved this story. It was about two people already in love, pretending to be in love. It was light, easy reading which kept you enthralled and longing to read more. The relationship between the hero and heroine was credible and reminded me of the some my childhood crushes where I was either pushed down or my hair was pulled. It still brings a smile to my face. Instead of the majority of the book building up to the marriage, they get married right away and the rest of the book is about the relationship until the six-month deadline. I found this approach to be much more exciting. Of course I do love a good marriage of convenience. Ms. Hailstock has a knack for developing the most desirable men. She succeeds again with Jarrod Greene. He is every woman’s dream. From his dashing good looks to the constant attention he bestows on his wife. He leaves little love notes, gifts and poetry for her to find. He is the perfect husband. I fell in love with him from the beginning. Catherine’s fear of marriage is a valid one. A lot of ambitious women feel that they have to give something up when going into a marriage. Your goals seem to get put on the back burner when the babies start to come. I understood and could relate to her feeling that way. Especially since all the married women around her had given up something or so she thought. The secondary characters, Elisabeth Westfield and Robert Wells, their best friends, have their own love hate relationship that is comparable to Jarrod’s and Catherine’s. There are definite sexual undercurrents when those two are in the same room. Do I smell spin off? There were a couple of conflicting statements in the “uncorrected proof” that I reviewed but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Do check out HIS 1-800-WIFE. Ms. Hailstock has done it again. |
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jeanette@romanceincolor.net (19th March 2001) |
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