Wife for a Week

Bennett Family #1

by Kelly Hunter

Nicholas Cooper must produce a wife for his business deal, and Hallie Bennett is beautiful and intelligent enough to pull it off. She needs the money, and Nicholas has determined some strict rules for their week together. Rule No. 1: Displays of affection in public only. Keeping their hands on each other in public turns out to be surprisingly easy. It's keeping them off in private that's the problem. Hallie is falling for Nicholas, but will Nicholas make his contract wife his real-life bride?

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin Presents, Humor, Hqn

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published August 7, 2007

About the author

Australian born Kelly Hunter is a three time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist, a USA Today Bestselling author and loves writing to the demands of the short category romance form.

Reviews

[Ridley · Rating 4 out of 5]

While totally implausible, this was just a hoot to read. Funny, snappy dialog and amusing situations combined with some hot scenes to make a wicked fun read.

The book opens with the heroine chatting up a shoe in the store she works in. Midway through her conversation, an older woman and her adult son walk in the door. Before she knows what the hell happened, she's kissing him and agreeing to act as his wife for an upcoming trip to Hong Kong in exchange for an easy £10k. Along the way they banter hilariously, they have scorching hot makeouts, she accidentally takes out a contract on his life and they totally fall head-over-heels in love.

True to life? Good god, no. Grinning ear-to-ear from start to finish? Absolutely.

[boogenhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So it is extremely funny, but I need angst and drama in my HP outings and it just wasn't here. Srsly, if there isn't any blackmail or forced seduction then how on earth am I supposed to believe they are in love? There wasn't even a little tart shaming just to keep the HP vibes up.

This wasn't even worth a Captain or a chocolate/Tim Tam consult and I feel a bit deprived. :)

I know, I am whining and I want some Gouda with that too

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, frothy romance of a pretend marriage between a graduate student in Asian antiquities and a software/video game developer. The virgin heroine is to earn ten thousand pounds to impersonate the hero's wife in order to thwart the flirtations of his client's 19 year-old daughter.

The two travel from London to Hong Kong for a week of negotiations, sight seeing and several inadvertent assassination attempts. (Seems that funeral vase the heroine bought from a shady store also provides an unwitting victim as contents for the vase.)

There is a lot of fun banter. The H/h are well suited. The 19 year-old daughter and her dad turn out to be lovely people. And the travelogue is fascinating.

Just a nice romance all around, however it doesn't fit in the Presents style book. So if you're looking for angst - look elsewhere.

[Vintage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was adorable and very funny. I don't know what Harlequin was thinking with this one as there was no bitter, acrimonious hero throwing insults at a mealy-mouth inevitably blonde doormat.

The dialogue was actually witty and believable, and there is quite the twist. Definitely will be back for more of Ms. Hunter. Steamy scenes weren't so bad either.

Read this!

[Verity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like 1 of those fortune cookies’ feel-good phrases : U discover treasures where others see nuffink unusual. WFAW has certainly turned out to be a priceless gem. KH is my NTMA (New-To-Me-Author). This was her debut & I hope this wasn’t a fluke ‘cuz I can’t wait to get my grubby paws on her entire backlist. Fake-marriage is 1 of my fav themes. Coupled w/ an exotic locale, it’s a must-try. This heelarious book is more like a 4*-read that got upgraded ‘cuz it’s a blast & I luved the sassy, whip-smart, resourceful heroine. They always say it’s much harder to write comedy than dwama. This li’l charmer is a boatload of fun, filled w/ fab characters, memorable moments, witty byplay, a non-slapstick comedy of errors, a mild suspense, a surprising 2ndary romance (1 in a million in HPlandia) & just what my shrink ordered.

The opening chapter sets the tone. Hallie has a dead-end job @ an exclusive London shoe store. While having a 1-sided convo w/ the merchandise, Clea & her gorgeous son, Nick, walk in. Clea is charmed by the spunky Aussie gal & swiftly concludes that Hallie is the purrfect solution to Nick’s dilemma. He’s about to seal a lucrative deal w/ a Hong Kong distributor for his latest videogame software (a Lara Croft-rip off, equipped w/ ginormous cans). Nick is willing to pay Hallie 10,000 pounds to be his 1-week wife, ‘cuz Jasmine, the distributor’s 18 y/o daughter, tried to seduce Nick during his last trip. Since he already fibbed that he had a wife, he gotta produce 1. Hallie weighs the pros & cons, then accepts his offer ‘cuz she needs the dough to pay for her diploma in East Asian Art. Hallie is a tough cookie, having raised by 4 over-protective older bros, she values 3 things above all : freedom, equality & respect. Nick & Hallie try to outwit 1 another & as they cross the professional boundaries, hilarity ensues. There’s a sweet & subtle 2ndary romance between Jasmine & Kai, the stand-off-ish, Jet Li look-a-like, long-time chauffeur cum chef + bodyguard. Despite the firmly-set sleeping arrangement, Hallie’s hands still end up on Nick’s family jewels. During a wicked shopping excursion, Hallie inadvertently signs Nick’s death warrant, literally. A business dinner featuring chilli crabs turns into an unexpected calamity. Another customer almost keels over after being the recipient of the poisoned dish in error. After a series of failed assassination attempts, their hosts finally deduce what Hallie’s unique gift for Nick entails. Whoops ! Nick has to let Hallie rectify her own boo-boo, tho’ he simmers helplessly on the sideline & realizes that she’s the 1. Read it & weep =^2

[Floripiquita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una historia cortita, de lo más inverosímil y repletita de tópicos, pero entretenida y muy fácil de leer.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hillarious RomCom. Will have you laughing from start to finish. Of course, you need to suspend belief and just go with the fun. Hallie was one wacko and fun heroine. Wherever she was, one could expect 'Trouble' nearby. I couldn't help chuckle at Nick's "God help us," whenever she said "I have a plan." And, the guy already has one wacko woman in his life -- his mother, Clea. When the two women meet, they hit it off like a house on fire. The dialogue between the three at the start of the book was hilarious. Putting it under spoiler for those who does not want to read.
‘How do you feel about travel?’ he asked her while his mother preened.
‘Travel is my middle name.’
‘And your first name?’
‘Hallie. Hallie Bennett.’
‘Nicholas Cooper,’ he said and gestured towards the woman. ‘My mother, Clea.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Clea, her handshake warm and surprisingly firm. ‘Nicky, she’s darling! She’s perfect! You need a wife; you said so this morning. I think we’ve just found her.’
‘Wife?’ said Hallie. Wife? That’d teach her to shake hands with strangers. Nicholas Cooper’s smile was lazy. His mother’s was hopeful. Probably they were both mad.
‘He’s loaded,’ said Clea encouragingly.
‘Well, yes.’ She could see that from the way he dressed. He was also far too amused for his own good. ‘But is he creative?’
‘You should see his tax return.’
‘I don’t know, Clea. I think I prefer my men a little less…’ What? She slid Nicholas Cooper another quick glance. Sexy? Wild? Gorgeous? ‘Dark,’ she came up with finally. ‘I prefer blonds.’
‘Well, he’s not a blond,’ conceded Clea, ‘but look at his feet.’
Everyone looked.
He wore hand-stitched Italian leather lace-ups. Size twelve. Wide.
‘Of course, as his mother I can’t let you marry him unless you’re
compatible, so maybe you should just kiss him and find out.’
‘What? Now? Ah, Clea, I really don’t think—’
‘Don’t argue with your future mother-in-law, dear. It’s bad form.’
‘No, really, I can’t. It’s not that, er, Nicky doesn’t have a lot going for him—’
‘Thanks,’ he said dryly. ‘You can call me Nick.’
‘Because clearly he does. It’s just that, well…’ She cast about for a reason to resist. Any reason. Yes, that would do. It wasn’t quite the truth, but little white lies were allowed in sticky situations, right? ‘I wouldn’t be very good wife material right now. I have a broken heart.’
‘Oh, Hallie, I’m so sorry,’ said Clea in a hushed voice. ‘What happened?’
‘It was terrible,’ she murmured. ‘I try not to think of it.’
Clea waited expectantly. Obviously she was going to have to think of something. Hallie leaned forward and tried to look suitably woebegone. ‘He was secretly in love with his football coach the whole time we were together!’
‘The cad!’ said Clea.
‘Was he blond?’ said Nick. ‘I’m betting he was blond.

I loved the banter between Nick and Hallie. Their conversation over Hallie's great plan when they have to share a bed at his distributor's house in Hong Kong had me in splits.

‘I’ll take the floor,’ he said.
‘You can’t take the floor. The floor is too hard. Anyway, I have a plan.’
Hallie strode over to the bed and began stacking cushions straight down the middle of it.
‘This is your plan?’ he asked, somewhat sceptically.
‘This,’ she said, busily stacking cushions, ‘is the Great Wall of China. You are the Mongol horde and I am the Emperor’s finest troops.’
He looked as if he wanted to laugh, caught her glare, and must have decided against it.
‘Well, that hardly seems fair,’ he said finally. ‘Why can’t I be the Emperor’s finest and you be the barbarians?’
‘Fine. Just stay on your side of the wall, okay?’
‘I will defend this wall with my very life.’
‘Whatever.’ That’d teach her to mix metaphors with a computer games
master. She slipped beneath the covers and lay down. Moments later Nick approached the bed and the mattress dipped as he lay down. Her plan was working. And then Nick’s head and torso appeared above the cushions, his elbow skewing them haphazardly.
‘The Emperor’s troops are allowed on the wall, right? I feel like I should be patrolling it.’
‘Trust me, you don’t have to patrol the wall. There is nothing happening on your northern border tonight. Get some sleep.’
He disappeared behind the wall of pillows only to return again almost
immediately.
‘No raiding party?’
‘No. There is nothing on your side of the wall that the barbarians want.’ This was a lie. She knew for a fact that there were enormous treasures to be found just a cushion’s length away.
‘Here’s the problem,’ said Nick. ‘I’ve never slept in the same bed with a woman and not slept with her, if you get my meaning. I feel like I should be doing something.’
‘Go to sleep. Think of the wall.’ She, however, would be spending the rest of the night fantasizing about what it was he thought he should be doing.
‘Have you ever slept with a man and not slept with him?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ Did sharing tent space on a camping trip with a nine-year-old brother
count? ‘It’s not hard.’
‘Wrong,’ he said. ‘It’s extremely hard. A raiding party would know this
already.’
Hallie’s stomach clenched and her toes curled as she tried not to picture in vivid detail exactly which part of Nick was hard. ‘Sending a raiding party over that wall would be suicide,’ she countered.
‘What if I invited you over for peace negotiations?’
‘Hah! I’m not falling for that old trap.’
‘I can’t believe you ever thought this plan was going to work,’ he said as them bottom-most pillow tumbled from the bed.
‘Fine then. I’ll sleep on the floor.’
‘You can’t sleep on the floor. The floor is too hard.’
‘Then go to sleep before I strangle you,’ she yelled. And after a moment’s reflection, ‘You’re deliberately inciting the Mongol horde, aren’t you?’
‘Is it working?’
‘No.’ She punched the pillow at her head until it was shaped to her liking
and deliberately turned her back to him. ‘The Mongol horde is wise to your tricks.’

And, despite all that she ended up invading his territory in her sleep. Not only that, she took possession of a certain hard part of his anatomy setting them both on fire. Then, thinking he was paying her for the sex when he gave her shopping money soon after their lovemaking --which is not why he gave her the money-- she ends up purchasing a Chinese funeral vase for him using the money not realizing by doing so she'd ordered his execution. Poor Nick had no clue that somebody was out to kill him. Once, he got saved due to an error on the hitman's part, and twice, Hallie saved his life. Boy was he mad at her when they eventually realize the reason behind those near-death misses! Then, to his frustration, she comes up with another plan and when he couldn't go along with her to carry out that plan, fear joined frustration. I liked the Hong Kong characters in the book -- Nick's distributor, John Tey, his daughter Jasmine and the bodyguard, Kai, who's interested in Jasmine. Liked the fun interaction between them and Nick and Hallie, how well they all got along. I liked Kai's commiserating eye-exchange with Nick every time Hallie overruled Nick and also liked Nick's reaction when John Tey makes him realize he's in love with Hallie.

What?’ spluttered Nick. ‘You can’t think…I’m not…’ Oh, hell! He was.
He was foolishly, undeniably in love with Hallie Bennett. She of the Titian hair, golden brown eyes, and God-given talent for finding trouble.
‘I think you’re going to have your hands full there, son.’
Nick groaned. He could see it all so clearly. Hallie in his bed, sharing his life, and him never wanting, never even looking at another woman because this one filled him so completely. He could see it now. A house brimful with ancient wonders and rambunctious sons, and a tiny daughter with fly-away black hair and golden eyes and the ability to wrap her daddy, uncles and all of her brothers around her dainty little fingers. He’d be buying shotguns by the dozen. Valium by the caseful. What if—and here was a truly terrifying thought—what if they had two daughters? ‘Shoot me now,’ he told John. ‘It’ll be quicker and far less painful.’

I laughed imagining Nick muttering the mantra "God help me' all the time in the future surrounded by women who constantly drove him crazy, Hallie, his mother, and his daughter/s possessing the genes of the two women. I'm sure he'll happily welcome the company of Hallie's four brothers even if she runs away from them. The only thing I didn't like was Hallie's feelings and attitude toward her father and her brothers. I get that she felt smothered by their over-protection and that her independence was curbed by it, but it was obvious they loved her and wanted the best for her like Nick tells her at the end to which she replies "that would be you." Didn't like her reply even if it was to prove she was certain of Nick.

The end scene at the airport although abrupt was also fun. Nick's mother and Tristian, Hallie's brother, are there to receive them and Clea telling Tristian that the two are going to give her 'gorgeous, adorable grand-babies soon,' that has Nick rolling his eyes and making it clear that will come later.

I also didn't like that book ended so abruptly. Nevertheless, it was a laugh riot. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading Tristian's story. He intrigued me.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★½ Such a fun book! LOL! Thanks for the recommendation, Verity! (Go here to read her review.)

[Jacqueline J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm working through Kelly Hunter's backlist after falling in love with the first one I read. She has a series going of four brothers and one sister. This is the sister's book. While not quite as incandescent as Pete's story this one was really good. It was humorous but not in a trying too hard brittle edged way. The heroine is light hearted and charming and the hero falls hard for her. Think old Cary Grant movies. The dialog and action are snappy, the locale exotic. There was a twist that I totally didn't see coming. Be careful reading reviews of this until after you've read it as some of them give away the delicious twist without warning of a spoiler. I would have been disappointed if I'd already known it.

I'm already on to Tristan's book.

[Fanniny Moreno Zavaleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not HP. But who cares, it worked, it was way too funny. You only need to suspend disbelief the whole book and have in hand something for the laugh. Have to confess I read a chick-lit disguised as HP before and it didn't work for me (I don't like chick-lit), but this was something else.

Brenda has the details.

[*CJ* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hallie strode over to the bed and began stacking cushions straight down the middle of it.

‘This is your plan?’ he asked, somewhat sceptically.

‘This,’ she said, busily stacking cushions, ‘is the Great Wall of China. You are the Mongol horde and I am the Emperor’s finest troops.’

LMAO!

"Wife for a Week" is the story of Hallie and Nick.

What a great way to end my good reading day!

Our heroine Hallie is currently working as a shoe salesman and having the worst second month job ever. This is when a beautiful old lady and her male companion show up in her shop, and change her life!
Suddenly, she is propositioned to be Nick's pretend wife for a weekend in Tokyo, and desperately needing to finance her new business venture, Hallie agrees. She has always strived for independence, having lived with four older brothers, and takes this to be a golden opportunity for the future. Oh how right she is..

Sounds like a typical, boring HQN novel plot right?

WRONG!

This was SO FUNNY! Witty, flighty and eccentric heroine, beta, nerdy and exasperated hero, loads of awkward situations and unintentional comedy of errors mixed with hot, hot lovemaking filled this book- with likable secondary characters and too many LOL one liners.

I think my three favorite situations in this book were
-The uber hilarious and now one of my favorite hymen breaking sex scenes ever
-The vase /mafia fiasco
-The crazy sweet epilogue

Read it just to make yourself smile with this light and hilarious read.

Safe

4.5/5

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. 4.5 stars.

The relationship between h/h is 5 stars. I loved both Nick & Hallie and the fact that they are equals (most of HP heroines are, well I won't say weak, but definitely less everything than the hero). The way the banter is really amusing (the conversation about the Chinese Wall & a few others). The secondary romance about Kai&Jasmine is good and I would have liked to read a book about them (there's something about that bodyguard heroes, *sigh*).

The half-star deduction is for the suspense part of the book, it took me maybe 10 seconds to figure out where the plot was going, but since the focus of the book isn't on that part, it didn't bother me that much.

And one more thing, I would have liked to see some more interaction between Hallie & her brothers, she mentioned them a couple of times, but we met only one of them Travis. And yes, I know that they have their own books, but still... I'm a sucker for series about siblings...

All in all, I truly enjoyable read, on to the next book in the series Bedded for Diamonds.

[Sruthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hell . Give me books more like this .

[Nickole Naihaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Para aquellas personas que están buscando una novela trascendental, donde los protagonistas tienen conflictos internos profundos, con diálogos que les hagan reflexionar, esta novela no es para ellos.
Pero si buscan una novela divertida, fluida, donde los malos entendidos generan situciones hilarantes y a la par románticas, con un poco de cultura general, les recomiendo esta novela.
Perfecta para un domingo en la tarde.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and silly!

[Angela James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book SO much. It was recommended to me on Twitter, when I asked for recs for light contemporary romance. I would never have expected the story I read, because it's a Harlequin Presents, and while I like HPs, I never tend to think of them like THIS.

The story was light and fun, the heroine was sassy, the dialogue sharp and witty, the hero wasn't an asshole or even domineering or dominating. This was really an amazing contemporary story and even if you've never liked Harlequin Presents, if you like contemporary romance at all, I highly recommend this book!

[LLC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I read it a month or so ago so some details are fuzzy (poor memeory)but I remember it was lol funny from page one to the end. The h seemed to have a knack for getting into jams but she was smart, funny and competent. The H/h definitely had some hot chemistry and there was alot of fun,snappy dialogue.

[Kiki]

Virgin h - pass.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ½ stars. This is a cute little book – pleasant, light, and nice. They meet. They like each other. They get along well.

STORY BRIEF:
Hallie is working in a shoe store to earn money to finish her Sotheby’s diploma in East Asian Art. Wealthy handsome bachelor Nick meets her when he comes to the store to buy shoes. He is willing to pay Hallie ten thousand pounds if she will pretend to be his wife for a week. He is flying to Hong Kong to negotiate a business deal with John. On a recent trip John’s 18-year-old daughter Jasmine tried to seduce Nick. To avoid offending Jasmine or John, Nick told them he was married. John insisted Nick bring his wife on the next trip. Hallie agrees to the deal. Nick and Hallie spend a day shopping for corporate wife clothing, rings, etc. and then fly to Hong Kong. About 2/3 of the book is their time together in Hong Kong. They enjoy being with each other and with John and his daughter. A side story is someone trying to harm someone.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
I like the way Hallie talks to Nick. There was one conversation causing me to chuckle. They had to sleep in the same bed, so she built a wall of pillows down the middle, calling it the Great Wall of China. A few of their comments: he wanted to be the Emperor’s finest troops, so she was the Mongol horde. He wondered whether the troops needed to patrol the wall. She said nothing was happening on the northern border tonight. There were more comments about raiding parties, peace negotiations, and traps. It was cute.

There was not much relationship development. He offered the trip immediately upon meeting her. From the first day they got along well and enjoyed being together. They were sexually attracted to each other early on, and that happened soon. Both were likeable characters. There was nothing unusual or odd about their personalities. There were no conflicts between them. There were no typical-romance-novel problems such as vague communication conflicts and stupidity, which I appreciated. The few sex scenes were mild and pleasant. To get 4 stars I would have liked it to be longer and a little more depth or interest to the plot.

DATA:
Story length: 180 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 3. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 9. Setting: current day London and Hong Kong. Copyright: 2006. Genre: contemporary romance.

[Saly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 4.5 stars
Loved the book. It had right amount of humor and sexual tension. The hero and heroine meet when his mother walks in a store where she is selling shoes while trying to put herself through school. I loved the arrangment these two had, he had a big business deal coming up and the guy's daughter seemed to have a thing for him, so he made up a wife and offered heroine money for her education which she isn't sure she wants to accept since she already rejected the help offered by her father and four brothers.

From the start sparks fly between them and it is difficult for them to keep their hands of each other but they try. The hero sees how utterly charming the heroine is and lovable but he isn't looking for marriage and kids now but she is making him think all of that which is terrifying for him. I also loved the assassin subplot where she hired a hit man without knowing and how she acts as a matchmaker was fun as well. The book was perfect!

[romancejunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to read.
Nick and Hallie need to pretend they are married so he can make a business deal, and as they spend the week together they start to fall crazy in love with each other. Their story was just so adorable,cute, sweet and light hearted that it made me smile throughout the book.

[Mareli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I feel so lucky! This book is a gem and I'm happy because I got the chance to enjoy it! A very very well-written, funny, sweet and romantic book. I'm already onto 2nd one of the series.

[Chachic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book hilarious. Yes, I do think the plot is a bit ridiculous at times but it still made me laugh. I also really enjoyed the dialogue between the two main characters. It's an added bonus that the book is partially set in Asia! And in a country that I've visited before (Hong Kong). Will definitely try the rest of the books in this series. I'm already looking forward to the ones set in Singapore.

[Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book appealed to my sense of the ridiculous. When passages make you laugh or reread, you know you're on to a keeper. Hallie and Nick kept me up late - I loved the banter and chemistry between them, and couldn't put the book down. One of my favourites and made me want to read the next Bennett family book immediately.

[Anyta Sunday · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Fun.
Not enough time to really let the MC's love develop, but still a cute, quick read. And I really heard Hallie's Australian accent!

[Gaufre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly improbable but seriously fun. I liked the banter.

[Nulaniah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sensasi baca Harlequin emang menyenangkan, ringan dan bisa dibaca secara cepat, tanpa mikir.

Lumayan suka ceritanya juga.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Debating giving this a 2.5 bc it was so funny

[Shannon Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most fun openings I've read in a long time, and it only got better from there. I've used the phrase "fresh and fun" a thousand times in talking about this book but that really just sums it up for me.

Wife For A Week has all the elements of a good Harlequin Presents: rich hero, pretend marriage, emotion and sex. But he's never THAT Presents hero (you know the one I mean) and she's no doormat.

The most surprising thing for me was the humor. The way some of the dialogue (verbal and internal) lines were delivered was absolutely brilliant. I flat-out loved not only the hero and heroine, but the secondary characters, as well. And there were plenty of surprises along the way.

If I do get around to making a "Best Books I Read in 2011" list, Wife For A Week will be on it even though it's a 2007 release. I highly recommend this to anybody who likes contemporary romance, Presents fans or not.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute, interesting read... and I didn't even see the twist coming! It is so very different from your typical HP's. It lacks the traditional anxiety and painful accusations that are so typical of the genre. But you will fall in love with the chemistry, the witty dialogue, and the wonderful exotic location. The supporting characters are great. I understand this is part of a series by Kelly Hunter and will look to catch up on the four brothers!