ABOUT THE BOOK
Ten years of raising my daughter alone taught me exactly what matters. Her. So a paper marriage that secures her inheritance? Easy call. The stranger I married was supposed to be a line item: $350,000, six weeks, one signature, done.
My new wife is an actuary. She calculates everything: the odds of a storm, the risk of a road, the exact probability that a charming widower could ever want the woman her family swore no one would marry.
She’s never been more wrong.
Because now she’s at my breakfast table, talking my daughter off the ledge of her worst day, in my head every hour I’m supposed to be counting down until she leaves. The contract says convincing in public, strangers in private, divorce papers when the money clears.
My wife is very good at reading fine print. So she should have known better than to leave my heart out of the deal.
The six weeks are almost up. Time to show her the one variable she never priced: me.
MY REVIEW
Grandma Etta is at it again! Her town needs new people, and this time she’s matchmaking her grandson, Jack, with Ember, the actuary with her own six-week deal.Â
Ember is smart, uptight, and she often comes across as quirky and awkward. In fact, she doesn’t just work as an actuary; she’s the one who uncovers a potential threat to Jack’s company. Still, for all her brilliance, she struggles with self-acceptance and avoids interacting with Jack’s daughter, Darby, because her deal with Jack limits their time together.Â
What really bothered me was Ember opening the tea shop. Why would the math-loving actuary want to open a shop like that? It feels like a step backward. She’s moving away from a career that challenges her intellect, which she seems to enjoy, to settle into a role that doesn’t fit her personality. It’s frustrating for me as a reader. Wouldn’t a business that supports her actuarial skills make more sense? In addition, she states she is not the motherly type, but she caves to Jack’s wishes again and goes against her character.
Then there’s Jack. He’s charming, pushy, and a protector of sorts, but he relies on his looks way too much. Seriously, many women in town have had a fling with him, which I found inappropriate for a single dad of a 13-year-old girl. You’d think he’d be more aware of how this might make Ember feel, especially when she’s fighting her own insecurities, but he shrugs it off like it’s nothing. Yet when the tables turn and men approach Ember, he gets angry. I felt he needed to dial back the charm a bit and act like a grown-up.
Overall, I liked book 1 in the series better. The chemistry between Ember and Jack didn’t work for me, and the plot was meh. But if you like the opposites-attract trope with a quirky nerd and a hot single dad, this book may be right up your alley.
Thank you to Ms. Monroe for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lilian Monroe is a contemporary romance author. She loves to add elements of suspense and mystery into her novels while making sure to deliver that oh-so-satisfying happily ever after (as well as lots of oh-so-satisfying moments along the way).
Initially writing in her free time, she developed a love for storytelling and romance and slowly started sharing her stories with her friends. Making the leap to novels was exciting and challenging, and she immediately fell in love with the entire process. She thoroughly enjoys every aspect of writing from conception to editing to publication.
Lilian has lived all over the world: Canada, Australia and Thailand, to name a few. She spends her days writing and teaching English, and daydreaming about the next male lead to star in her books.
Follow Lilian on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Bookbub.
