Tag Archives: heroine businesswoman

too many husbands

Category Romance Review: Too Many Husbands by Elise Title

category romance
Too Many Husbands by Elise Title
Rating: four-half-stars
Published: 1990
Illustrator: Cinille
Imprint or Line: Harlequin Temptation #282
Published by: Harlequin
Genres: Category Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 212
Format: eBook, Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Category Romance Review: Too Many Husbands by Elise Title

MILD SPOILERS 😉

A Christmas Romance Filled With Merriment

There are Christmas tales that inspire, ones that make us cry, and others that make us laugh with the joy of being alive. The Harlequin Temptation romance, Too Many Husbands by Elise Title, falls into the latter category. It’s a zany romp of a romance that could have been an old-fashioned screwball comedy on the live screen.

What does a woman do when she has not one, nor even two, but three husbands coming over for Christmas?

No, this is not a remake of the 1940 romantic comedy of the same name starring Fred MacMurray and Jean Arthur. Nor is it related to the similarly-styled film My Favorite Wife, which starred Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. Even so, you can see their influences, as Too Many Husbands is as silly and enjoyable as those films.

The Wacky Plot

At only 28, Casey Croyden’s a hotshot in the commercial real estate market. Due to her laser-beam focus on business, she has one failed marriage behind her. When the largest Japanese hotel chain owner decides to set his sights on the US market, Casey is just the one to make the deal.

The only impediment is that Toho, the owner of the hotel chains, is a “traditional” man. This means he might not accept entering into a deal spearheaded by a single woman whose focus is solely on her career. So Casey concocts a plan to have Toho and his wife Akiko stay with her in a huge rented house in a cozy New England setting with Casey and her husband. That is, an actor hired to play her husband.

Enter John Gallagher. He’s Casey’s new next-door neighbor. His unexpected arrival on her doorstep has Casey mistaking him for the actor she hired. She plants a big kiss on him, to John’s bewilderment, and acts as if they’re madly in love. John, to his benefit, plays along.

It Gets Even Wackier

Things take a wacky turn when David, the real actor, shows up. Caught in a trap of her own making, what’s Casey to do? What would any good actor do? Improvise! David is relegated to Casey’s brother, who’s also spending Christmas with them.

Remember, though, this is called Too Many Husbands, not One Husband Too Many. Who else turns up? Casey’s ex-husband, Wes. Casey and her ex aren’t on bad terms, but his appearance is bound to cause confusion. As a result, he’s given the role of a family friend.

To make the situation even more insane, John’s ex-wife, Brenda, appears. An ex-wife would muddy the waters more, so she’s presented as Casey’s best friend.

If you’re counting, that’s three husbands and two wives, not including Toho & Akiko. That makes for a winning combination as a full house beats out a three-of-a-kind hand!

It’s a full house indeed when Casey’s PA drops by to check on how the merriment is progressing. She’s shocked to find her normally cool-headed boss all distressed. What’s with this Christmas tomfoolery?

Somehow Casey should be out of her mind trying to broker a deal with Toho, all while trying to keep up appearances. John is her solid rock, and she can’t help but rely upon and be attracted to him. The pair are forced to share rooms and matching robes. “The Walls of Jericho” (a reference to the famous 1930’s comedic romance It Happened One Night) are raised to keep things platonic.

John is even described as looking like Clark Gable. (Although he looks nothing like him on the cover!) John remains a man of mystery, as we never learn much about him. We do know that he has no feelings for Brenda, their divorce was amicable, and he only has eyes for Casey.

Final Analysis of Too Many Husbands

Too Many Husbands is a hilarious romance. Nothing is meant to be taken seriously except the love story. As said, this book is a screwball comedy in the style of films from the 1930s and 1940s.

Have you ever seen the Frasier episode “The Two Mrs. Cranes,” where Daphne, wanting to fend off an old boyfriend, pretends to be married to Niles? Then Roz shows up and pretends to be Nile’s wife, “Maris,” who is “married” to Frasier. And the cop father pretends to be an astronaut? That was one of the funniest moments on television, and that’s what this book is like. One bit of slapstick silliness followed by another!

An epilogue wrapping up this story would have been the perfect bow to add to this gift of a Christmas romance. There are some loose ends, so it’s not perfection. But whether it’s Christmas or any time of year, Too Many Husbands is an exceptional, sidesplitting tale that will keep you smiling for a long time.

Rating Report Card
Plot
5
Characters
4.5
Writing
5
Chemistry
4.5
Fun Factor
5
Cover
5
Overall: 4.8

Synopsis

Naughty and Nice…

All Casey Croyden wanted for Christmas was a husband. Not a permanent one – just a man to play the part and help her impress the traditional Japanese businessman she was entertaining over the holidays. Sounded simple enough. Hire one from Actor’s Equity.

When John Gallagher arrived on her doorstep, the attraction between them was no act. And the debonair Mr Gallagher was no actor! Casey didn’t have the faintest idea who he was, but she had no time to trifle over details. Especially over the other minor glitch in her plan…what to do with him when the lights went out!

Too Many Husbands by ELISE TITLE
Cheap Thrills

Category Romance Review: Cheap Thrills by Tiffany White

category romance

SPOILER FREE REVIEW 😊

The Book

Tiffany White (aka Anna Eberhart) created a cheeky, modern romance for the Harlequin Temptation line with her book, Cheap Thrills.

The Plot

At the beginning of Cheap Thrills, the hero Crew Harper works at a side gig as a window washer when he accidentally becomes a peeping Tom. Transfixed, can only stare as sees a beautiful woman enter an office. She undresses, and he’s shocked at what’s revealed: yes, her gorgeous body, and with a delightful secret butterfly tattoo on her pert, peachy derriere. (That’s right, I do read “The Daily Mail” on occasion!)

After the woman changes her clothes and leaves, Crew sees a man come into her office and rifle through her desk.

How outrageous! How dare this man invade a woman’s privacy?

I think it’s kind of funny how rapidly times have moved. Alexa, the heroine, has a small butterfly tattoo on her butt, and the hero acts as if it’s the naughtiest little secret a woman can keep. It’s amazing how quickly social norms change, this came out in 1990.

Anyhow, Crew makes his way into Alexa’s life–to help her out, of course. He has to let her know that there’s a weirdo on the prowl after her.

To Crew’s surprise, Alexa is not the free-spirited woman he thought she would be. The tattoo was a one-off “naughty” deed. That was alright, as Crew had plenty of charm to carry this book. He was full of wit and humor.

And sexiness, did I mention his sexiness? Lots of that here.

Final Analysis of Cheap Thrills

Harlequin Temptation #218, aka Cheap Thrills by Tiffany White, is a sexy little read. While the plot is meant to be suspenseful, not much happens. This is mostly a character-driven romance and the characters are amusing enough to keep me engaged.

I liked this just about the same as the other Tiffany White book I”ve read, Forbidden Fantasy.

This is a short romance that’s sure to charm.

Extra points to the original cover art, which appropriately shows how this story ends: happily ever after, as it should.

3.95 Stars

Rating Report Card
Plot
3.5
Characters
4
Writing
4
Chemistry
4
Fun Factor
4
Cover
4.5
Overall: 4

Synopsis:

He was no Peeping Tom!

Crew Harper was just doing his job – washing windows outside the fourth story of a downtown office tower. But a movement behind the glass caught his eye. And what he saw was something no red-blooded male could resist–Alexia Grant undressing!

Thank goodness he was transfixed by the caramel-haired beauty before him. Because the moment she left, Crew saw a man enter Alexia’s office and rifle through her desk. The intruder was clearly up to no good. Crew had to warn the lovely Alexia, but how could he without telling her everything he saw! 

CHEAP THRILLS by TIFFANY WHITE