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Wife by Agreement
When Ethan Kemp proposed to Hannah, the whole world was shocked – including Hannah! She was out of his league, everyone said so. Ethan was a man of the world, and she was his unsophisticated nanny? But Ethan knew that the practical Hannah would be a most convenient wife – until he discovered that his shy bride had hidden passions. Intrigued, he wanted their wedding agreement to be on far more intimate terms. He planned to be a real husband!
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
32 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Kim Lawrence
814 books212 followersThough lacking much authentic Welsh blood, Kim Lawrence comes from English-Irish stock. She was born and brought up in North Wales. She returned there when she married, and her sons were both born on Anglesey, an island off the coast. Though not isolated, Anglesey is a little off the beaten track, but lively Dublin, which Kim loves, is only a short ferry ride away. Today they live on the farm her husband was brought up on. Welsh is the first language of many people in this area and Kim's husband and sons are all bilingual she is having a lot of fun, not to mention a few headaches, trying to learn the language! She is a keen gardener and cook and enjoys running often on the beach, as living on an island the sea is never very far away. She is usually accompanied by her Jack Russell, Sprout don't ask, it's long story!
With small children, the unsocial hours of nursing didn't look attractive so encouraged by a husband who thinks she can do anything she sets her mind to, Kim tried her hand at writing. Always a keen Mills & Boon reader, it seemed natural for her to write a romance novel. In 1995, she published her first novels and now she can't imagine doing anything else.
With small children, the unsocial hours of nursing didn't look attractive so encouraged by a husband who thinks she can do anything she sets her mind to, Kim tried her hand at writing. Always a keen Mills & Boon reader, it seemed natural for her to write a romance novel. In 1995, she published her first novels and now she can't imagine doing anything else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 23, 2021
Re-read and re-review:
I have to upgrade this to 4 stars as so rarely happens in HP's the heroine lays it on the line to the hero about what a complete and total jackass he's been. He's unbearably cruel due to a misunderstanding so the horror and guilt he experiences is quite enjoyable. It's an incredibly satisfying moment even if it doesn't last as long as it should. Like forever.
Best quote ever in a Harley...
FIRST REVIEW:
Ethan is so mean!
More to come...
A four star heroine with a 2.5 star idjit of a hero....3 stars.
I love Hannah. Another heroine who failed to read the HarleyLand trope book. I suspect she may have held a book burning with like minded heroines: Sadie from Rock Chick Regret, Christina of Rafael's Suitable Bride, Faith from Valentino's Love-Child, and just one more for kicks, Clare from Tainted Love.
Hannah was the nanny when the H, BIG ASS-HAT alert, marries her in a MOC because he really doesn't care for the interview process. No, that's only part of it, he wants his adorable plot moppets to have some stability. Too bad the grandmother from hell (GFH) mother to the paragon of a dead wife and all his cronies don't see the appeal of Hannah. A bad makeover keeps her still incomprehensible to the others.
The MOC s-l-o-w-l-y starts to change when her French lessons improve to the point she is given an offer to go the university. Sooner rather than later, the couple end in bed which works for both of them. He hasn't been with anyone in three years, and not only has she not been with anyone EVER, but she is secretly in love with him. How does this differ from the other TSTL doormats rolling in unrequited love? Yeah, she loves him, but she knows his flaws and still loves him. She gives herself her own makeover which works much better, and wakes up a few people's eyes as well the jackass' as well. Oh yeah, Ethan is his name.
The relationship is going along swimmingly when Hannah goes for an interview at the uni. Aforementioned GFH offers to help out and pick up the kids. Oh, that's so sweet. When Hannah comes home she gets the smackdown of all smackdown fromjackass Ethan who is so cruel, I am surprised she doesn't get her own 2' by 4' and smack him. Brutal! Mean! Terrible! Awful! Go to hell! He's furious she abandoned the kids for her own selfish reasons. Hannah tries to explain, but he gets even nastier. She simply retires back to her nanny room and goes into a decline.
An accident brings things to a head.
This is the point that it goes epic. Once Hannah gets home, she throws some home truths about how she feels about Ethan. She's not happy with him. At all.
E
p
I
C
After this epic rant, things go a little downhill and it reverts back to a 3 star novel.
I still heartily recommend this book as it has a lot going for it: a self-reliant (okay she's in a MOC, big deal) heroine with a wry sense of humor that delivers an awesome if temporary smackdown, and a hero who learns how to grovel a tiny bit.
I have to upgrade this to 4 stars as so rarely happens in HP's the heroine lays it on the line to the hero about what a complete and total jackass he's been. He's unbearably cruel due to a misunderstanding so the horror and guilt he experiences is quite enjoyable. It's an incredibly satisfying moment even if it doesn't last as long as it should. Like forever.
Best quote ever in a Harley...
But don't worry, mistrust and suspicion did what complete neglect couldn't.
FIRST REVIEW:
Ethan is so mean!
More to come...
A four star heroine with a 2.5 star idjit of a hero....3 stars.
I love Hannah. Another heroine who failed to read the HarleyLand trope book. I suspect she may have held a book burning with like minded heroines: Sadie from Rock Chick Regret, Christina of Rafael's Suitable Bride, Faith from Valentino's Love-Child, and just one more for kicks, Clare from Tainted Love.
Hannah was the nanny when the H, BIG ASS-HAT alert, marries her in a MOC because he really doesn't care for the interview process. No, that's only part of it, he wants his adorable plot moppets to have some stability. Too bad the grandmother from hell (GFH) mother to the paragon of a dead wife and all his cronies don't see the appeal of Hannah. A bad makeover keeps her still incomprehensible to the others.
The MOC s-l-o-w-l-y starts to change when her French lessons improve to the point she is given an offer to go the university. Sooner rather than later, the couple end in bed which works for both of them. He hasn't been with anyone in three years, and not only has she not been with anyone EVER, but she is secretly in love with him. How does this differ from the other TSTL doormats rolling in unrequited love? Yeah, she loves him, but she knows his flaws and still loves him. She gives herself her own makeover which works much better, and wakes up a few people's eyes as well the jackass' as well. Oh yeah, Ethan is his name.
The relationship is going along swimmingly when Hannah goes for an interview at the uni. Aforementioned GFH offers to help out and pick up the kids. Oh, that's so sweet. When Hannah comes home she gets the smackdown of all smackdown from
An accident brings things to a head.
This is the point that it goes epic. Once Hannah gets home, she throws some home truths about how she feels about Ethan. She's not happy with him. At all.
E
p
I
C
After this epic rant, things go a little downhill and it reverts back to a 3 star novel.
I still heartily recommend this book as it has a lot going for it: a self-reliant (okay she's in a MOC, big deal) heroine with a wry sense of humor that delivers an awesome if temporary smackdown, and a hero who learns how to grovel a tiny bit.
October 26, 2017
What books I've read from this author have been sort of bland - but this one was intense and angsty with some great love scenes that actually advanced the story. The lawyer hero marries his nanny and it's been working out great for a year - or so he thinks. When the heroine comes in all bruised and scratched after jumping out of a car to avoid sexual assault, the hero is forced to see her in a new light. She is an individual who wants to improve herself and he doesn't want anyone to hurt her.
Watching the hero come out of his guilty haze of his first wife's death and then learn to appreciate the heroine was fun to watch. Then he messes up (of course - this is an HP alpha) because he believes his first wife's mother over the heroine. They both say horrible things to each other at different points in the story - so be warned.
Lots of drama and a heroine with a backbone and a healthy sex drive. Hero is pretty dense and egotistical, but I think this heroine can keep him in line.
Watching the hero come out of his guilty haze of his first wife's death and then learn to appreciate the heroine was fun to watch. Then he messes up (of course - this is an HP alpha) because he believes his first wife's mother over the heroine. They both say horrible things to each other at different points in the story - so be warned.
Lots of drama and a heroine with a backbone and a healthy sex drive. Hero is pretty dense and egotistical, but I think this heroine can keep him in line.
November 11, 2016
SPOILERS AHEAD PLEASE PROCEED WITH CARE
This book was amazing and emotional.
I cried when she lost the baby like that and he just had no clue how to handle his feeling as they are all over the place.
The whole fight scene was gross and disturbing.
I had a hard time getting over that. However, I could hear the pain and how she wanted some distance from what had happened.
As someone who has had that horrible nightmare experience, I could understand at first how she had to make out like it was just bunch of cells and not a human.
Come on, how could she go on if she made her baby a human being at this point?
Her pain was too great and her lost was too overwhelming!
She needs time to heal, to deal, and she needs some understanding!
When she goes to his office and makes the grand gesture it was good.
When at the end he tell her, he wanted to fill her and heal her.
Poor confused guy he was really clueless about her feelings!
Although, I thought they were obvious.
Re read in future for sure glad I accidentally downloaded it.
This book was amazing and emotional.
I cried when she lost the baby like that and he just had no clue how to handle his feeling as they are all over the place.
The whole fight scene was gross and disturbing.
I had a hard time getting over that. However, I could hear the pain and how she wanted some distance from what had happened.
As someone who has had that horrible nightmare experience, I could understand at first how she had to make out like it was just bunch of cells and not a human.
Come on, how could she go on if she made her baby a human being at this point?
Her pain was too great and her lost was too overwhelming!
She needs time to heal, to deal, and she needs some understanding!
When she goes to his office and makes the grand gesture it was good.
When at the end he tell her, he wanted to fill her and heal her.
Poor confused guy he was really clueless about her feelings!
Although, I thought they were obvious.
Re read in future for sure glad I accidentally downloaded it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2019
Re Wife By Agreement - Kim Lawrence does a really well done marriage of convenience story in this one.
The H is a high powered, widower barrister and the h is the nanny he hires to care for his kids.
As this is HPlandia, the H decides that the nanny wages are too much and marries her for 24/7 indentured servitude instead, with a little boudoir bouncing thrown in.
The h was raised in care homes, so she is pretty happy to finally have what she thinks is a safe, secure position - there is also the teensy little tidbit that she is in love with the H.
She soon comes to regret her wayward heart when the H's former mother in law sets the h up to look like she is neglecting the children.
The big kicker comes in when the h, after a self-makeover and some assertive words, decides to enroll in university. The former mother in law pretends that the h essentially abandoned the kids and deliberately left the youngest little girl to find her own way home from school.
The h, in true former unicorn grooming HP h fashion, tries to tell the H the true state of affairs. The H, in typical HP AlphaMeany style, accuses the h of all sorts of nefarious and evil deeds and starts shunning her.
That all changes in the big climactic scene, when the h throws herself in front of a speeding car to save the little girl.
The H is finally shocked out of his uber Alpha Ugliness and even more chastened when the h's doctor reveals that the h was pregnant and now she has sadly lost the baby.
His disgust for himself grows even wider when he overhears the former mother in law admitting her nasty little alienation plans - the former mother in law was jealous of the h taking her dead daughter's place.
The H rushes to confess he is sorry and admit his love for the h. However this h finally uses her Spine of Steel and gives the H a very, very thorough drubbing.
She points out his arrogance, indifference, neglect and finally just how nasty his words and actions really are. She confesses she did love him, but his actions and his behavior have pretty much drowned the flame of her love out.
The H slinks off to have a mopey moment with his tail between his legs. The h eventually recovers from the loss of her baby and learns that the H has been doing a lot of pro bono work to help homeless teens and young adults get needed skills and shelters.
The h realizes that the loss of the only thing that was ever truly hers had blinded her heart and she rushes off to find the H and confess that she still loves him - even tho he is an donkey butt and should have a few skillet smacks to set him straight.
We learn that the H's first marriage was no bed of roses either, his 'perfect' wife - that the h was jealous of- never wanted kids and neglected them all the time.
The H felt that he had to stay married, but he was always trying to compensate for his wife's indifference to the kids and that was why he overreacted with the h.
He also thought that if he hadn't convinced his first wife to have children, she wouldn't have died in a tragic riding accident. Since the h is totally devoted to both him and the kids, he can put all that behind him and devote himself to loving the h.
We leave the two of them lurving up and setting off the fire sprinklers in the H's office as he burns his and the h's prenuptial agreement for the big HPlandia HEA.
The H is a high powered, widower barrister and the h is the nanny he hires to care for his kids.
As this is HPlandia, the H decides that the nanny wages are too much and marries her for 24/7 indentured servitude instead, with a little boudoir bouncing thrown in.
The h was raised in care homes, so she is pretty happy to finally have what she thinks is a safe, secure position - there is also the teensy little tidbit that she is in love with the H.
She soon comes to regret her wayward heart when the H's former mother in law sets the h up to look like she is neglecting the children.
The big kicker comes in when the h, after a self-makeover and some assertive words, decides to enroll in university. The former mother in law pretends that the h essentially abandoned the kids and deliberately left the youngest little girl to find her own way home from school.
The h, in true former unicorn grooming HP h fashion, tries to tell the H the true state of affairs. The H, in typical HP AlphaMeany style, accuses the h of all sorts of nefarious and evil deeds and starts shunning her.
That all changes in the big climactic scene, when the h throws herself in front of a speeding car to save the little girl.
The H is finally shocked out of his uber Alpha Ugliness and even more chastened when the h's doctor reveals that the h was pregnant and now she has sadly lost the baby.
His disgust for himself grows even wider when he overhears the former mother in law admitting her nasty little alienation plans - the former mother in law was jealous of the h taking her dead daughter's place.
The H rushes to confess he is sorry and admit his love for the h. However this h finally uses her Spine of Steel and gives the H a very, very thorough drubbing.
She points out his arrogance, indifference, neglect and finally just how nasty his words and actions really are. She confesses she did love him, but his actions and his behavior have pretty much drowned the flame of her love out.
The H slinks off to have a mopey moment with his tail between his legs. The h eventually recovers from the loss of her baby and learns that the H has been doing a lot of pro bono work to help homeless teens and young adults get needed skills and shelters.
The h realizes that the loss of the only thing that was ever truly hers had blinded her heart and she rushes off to find the H and confess that she still loves him - even tho he is an donkey butt and should have a few skillet smacks to set him straight.
We learn that the H's first marriage was no bed of roses either, his 'perfect' wife - that the h was jealous of- never wanted kids and neglected them all the time.
The H felt that he had to stay married, but he was always trying to compensate for his wife's indifference to the kids and that was why he overreacted with the h.
He also thought that if he hadn't convinced his first wife to have children, she wouldn't have died in a tragic riding accident. Since the h is totally devoted to both him and the kids, he can put all that behind him and devote himself to loving the h.
We leave the two of them lurving up and setting off the fire sprinklers in the H's office as he burns his and the h's prenuptial agreement for the big HPlandia HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2017
First, I've always hated harlequin books title !! Second, I saw no reason why Hannah should say sorry to Ethan (Hero) at the end of the book.... And I think the hero's redemption wasn't enough. After the accident, he suddenly realized he can't lose her and is in love with her. I think, sometimes just saying sorry and I love you isn't enough. Though, at the end, their reconciliation scene was really sweet. So, overall it was an ok read.
February 26, 2017
Chantal pretty much has it in nutshell!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am a lot less forgiving than her.
I'd have preferred if he came to her for peacemaking!
To be fair he DID tell her that he needed sex and she was available. His words, not mine. He also called her a selfish bitch because she took ONE night off, if she WAS indeed the hired help he accused her of she'd have been entitled of that time off. So it'd appear he married her for a free slave. So I basically had no compassion left for him. He deserved EVERY single hurtful thing she threw at him and more. Actually I think he had it way easy. She even went to him. So no, I'm not glad.
As the heroine has pointed out, it is REALLY easy to be generous when you know the truth, so she was within rights not to believe him just because he apologised AFTER finding out the truth.
For a lawyer, he's immensely dense!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am a lot less forgiving than her.
I'd have preferred if he came to her for peacemaking!
To be fair he DID tell her that he needed sex and she was available. His words, not mine. He also called her a selfish bitch because she took ONE night off, if she WAS indeed the hired help he accused her of she'd have been entitled of that time off. So it'd appear he married her for a free slave. So I basically had no compassion left for him. He deserved EVERY single hurtful thing she threw at him and more. Actually I think he had it way easy. She even went to him. So no, I'm not glad.
As the heroine has pointed out, it is REALLY easy to be generous when you know the truth, so she was within rights not to believe him just because he apologised AFTER finding out the truth.
For a lawyer, he's immensely dense!
April 29, 2022
Wow.
This was really unexpected.
What began as a lukewarm story turned out to be a very angsty avalanche that really kept me awake for many hours last night.
It must have been too much adrenaline in my system after the choc that was this book.
The heroine is hired as the hero's nanny.
He is a widow with two children and he decides that, after changing too many nannies, his children deserve a stable family so he offers a very convenient solution to the heroine who's alone (she's an orphan) and pennyless. Of course she's secretly in love with him, but she knows he loved his wife and cannot love her.
They have a MOC for one year, until one evening the heroine is attacked by a man and comes back home hurt and shocked.
Their relationship begins to change and the heroine lets him know she's not so satisfied as he thought she was.
She resents being scorned by all his friends and his ex MIL, she doesn't feel able to perform the society wife role the hero expect her to, and when he suggests she gave up her night classes because she could be attacked again she rebels for the first time.
The hero starts feeling attracted to her as she changes both her behaviour and her meek and plain looks, so eventually they have sex.
It seems they could have a real marriage until evil ex MIL plays a nasty trick and the hero believes her when she tells him the heroine forgot his daughter at school.
The hero then is cruel and mean and tells the heroine she's only the hired help and they won't be having sex again.
Then, some weeks later, there's the big twist, with the heroine almost dying to save the hero's daughter and losing the child he didn't know anything about.
The evil MIL is sorry, the hero hears her telling the truth of her evil machinations and he's sorry, he tells her he's sorry but the heroine is shattered and doesn't want to have anything to do with him.
Of course in the end she will forgive him and she will have him back, and he will reveal the truth of his marriage, his wife was selfish and didn't want a family and she didn't want children. Their marriage was dead and the hero feels guilty because he forced her to have children.
I only gave three stars because I felt that anyway the heroine was second best, not to his late wife, but to his children.
The hero wanted her for his children and because she wasn't a high mantenance wife.
I didn't like that he only believed her when he had proofs of his MIL's wicked plans, and he didn't even tried to get near her for weeks.
I think that if she hadn't lost her child and almost died trying to save his daughter he wouldn't have forgiven her, he was weeks without even talking to her, and this because his MIL told him she forgot his daughter at school.
The things he said to her were unforgivable and upsetting, the man was unpleasant, a passive aggressive who wasn't man enough to cope with the first issue he had in his marriage.
A stronger man would have had a different and more controlled reaction.
He behaved like a crazy bitch (yes, a bitch).
This was what left me not completely satisfied with the book.
And I don't feel he loved her so much. It seems to me that after experimenting a great passion with his first wife, the heroine was the safest choice.
But I loved the angst, so strong and unexepected.
This was really unexpected.
What began as a lukewarm story turned out to be a very angsty avalanche that really kept me awake for many hours last night.
It must have been too much adrenaline in my system after the choc that was this book.
The heroine is hired as the hero's nanny.
He is a widow with two children and he decides that, after changing too many nannies, his children deserve a stable family so he offers a very convenient solution to the heroine who's alone (she's an orphan) and pennyless. Of course she's secretly in love with him, but she knows he loved his wife and cannot love her.
They have a MOC for one year, until one evening the heroine is attacked by a man and comes back home hurt and shocked.
Their relationship begins to change and the heroine lets him know she's not so satisfied as he thought she was.
She resents being scorned by all his friends and his ex MIL, she doesn't feel able to perform the society wife role the hero expect her to, and when he suggests she gave up her night classes because she could be attacked again she rebels for the first time.
The hero starts feeling attracted to her as she changes both her behaviour and her meek and plain looks, so eventually they have sex.
It seems they could have a real marriage until evil ex MIL plays a nasty trick and the hero believes her when she tells him the heroine forgot his daughter at school.
The hero then is cruel and mean and tells the heroine she's only the hired help and they won't be having sex again.
Then, some weeks later, there's the big twist, with the heroine almost dying to save the hero's daughter and losing the child he didn't know anything about.
The evil MIL is sorry, the hero hears her telling the truth of her evil machinations and he's sorry, he tells her he's sorry but the heroine is shattered and doesn't want to have anything to do with him.
Of course in the end she will forgive him and she will have him back, and he will reveal the truth of his marriage, his wife was selfish and didn't want a family and she didn't want children. Their marriage was dead and the hero feels guilty because he forced her to have children.
I only gave three stars because I felt that anyway the heroine was second best, not to his late wife, but to his children.
The hero wanted her for his children and because she wasn't a high mantenance wife.
I didn't like that he only believed her when he had proofs of his MIL's wicked plans, and he didn't even tried to get near her for weeks.
I think that if she hadn't lost her child and almost died trying to save his daughter he wouldn't have forgiven her, he was weeks without even talking to her, and this because his MIL told him she forgot his daughter at school.
The things he said to her were unforgivable and upsetting, the man was unpleasant, a passive aggressive who wasn't man enough to cope with the first issue he had in his marriage.
A stronger man would have had a different and more controlled reaction.
He behaved like a crazy bitch (yes, a bitch).
This was what left me not completely satisfied with the book.
And I don't feel he loved her so much. It seems to me that after experimenting a great passion with his first wife, the heroine was the safest choice.
But I loved the angst, so strong and unexepected.
August 13, 2015
First half of the book was great. Sweet, lovable characters, funny and interesting. Then it all went downhill. When heroine lost her baby she was so cold about it. She even called her dead child a collection of cells. The fight scene ruined everything. They hurt each other so much and heroine was so cruel and mean! The assassination of a good heroine.
April 7, 2011
I loved this book. This is a marriage of convenience story and I don't normally love that theme but this one was so well done. Hannah was the nanny to Ethan's two kids and to make sure she didn't leave them to get married, he married her. They have been married for one year and things are comfortable, Hannah looks after the kids while Ethan goes to work(he's a barrister), they don't have much interaction. Hannah thinks that Ethan is still in love with his deceased wife because of many things but especially due to his wife's mother. When the book opens Hannah is sneaking into the house at night after an incident in her french class. She runs into Ethan and Ethan's impression of Hannah starts changing from there. He thought the she was a quiet, unassuming thing but it turns out Hannah can be sassy and challenging. The verbal sparring in this book is HOT. We see 23 year old Hannah come into her own. She married Ethan because of security(she was a foster kid) and also the feelings she had for him(though she was content being the mommy to the kids). When Ethan's mother comes to visit things become hilarious, we see a possessive and jealous Ethan who realizes there is more to his wife and he is very uncomfortable and vexed with the changes and Hannah calls him on it. The conversations these two have are so funny. I really loved the book. In the end when Hannah is hurting and pushes Ethan away, so well done. An excellent book.
October 20, 2019
4.5 stars ⭐️.
An exciting read.
Loved the hero heroine and how they saved their marriage. They were a passionate, possessive bunch! Secondary characters added the much needed spice and angst.
Recommended.
An exciting read.
Loved the hero heroine and how they saved their marriage. They were a passionate, possessive bunch! Secondary characters added the much needed spice and angst.
Recommended.
March 20, 2017
really good one by this author.I adored the heroine.the hero was also very good and considerate towards the heroine.the reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because their fight really left a sour taste in my mouth.I things the hero said to the heroine were unforgivable,particularly when he call her the hired help even after what they shared was disgusting!that part spoiled the romance for me and was something I couldn't forget till the end.also he should have made a little effort to clear the air about his first wife a little early as he knew how insecure the heroine was.however I liked his declaration of love at the end and somehow redeemed himself.
April 16, 2012
This one worked real well for me. I love a good marriage of convenience story. I liked the way that once the hero noticed the heroine he pretty much fell completely under her spell. She had been all quiet and unassuming but when she got tired of that and started showing her real self, he fell in love with her. The characterizations were lovely and the dialog was bright and fresh. There was some angst and a bit of groveling. The sex scenes were sweet and emotional. Just an all around good story. Recommended.
February 17, 2018
I'm on a rolllll!!!!!!!
i loved this one!! is really good. Angsty and emotional. I love this couple- Hplandia give me all the Ethan and Hannah!!!. In the end they really are a believable HEA but until then we have all the goodness.
Ethan is so oblivioussometimes almost all the time and Hannah is a cutiepie:). Their fights are worth mentioning OOOHH they get ugly. Ethan is a jerk but Hannah gives as good as she gets.
i loved this one!! is really good. Angsty and emotional. I love this couple- Hplandia give me all the Ethan and Hannah!!!. In the end they really are a believable HEA but until then we have all the goodness.
Ethan is so oblivious
January 7, 2018
Good but kind of dragged
It might have been me but I was really loving this story and then about 60% through it kind of dragged. I was glad they fell in love but really didn't like the ex Mother in Law. She was just
Evil and so we're his friends. He was oblivious that first year. I liked when he started noticing her but I wish he hadn't been so jealous and stupid. He knew she adored his kids. I can't believe he took that old bags word over his wifes. In the immortal words of Sir Bugs Bunny; What a 'maroon'! What an 'oxy-MORON'!!
It might have been me but I was really loving this story and then about 60% through it kind of dragged. I was glad they fell in love but really didn't like the ex Mother in Law. She was just
Evil and so we're his friends. He was oblivious that first year. I liked when he started noticing her but I wish he hadn't been so jealous and stupid. He knew she adored his kids. I can't believe he took that old bags word over his wifes. In the immortal words of Sir Bugs Bunny; What a 'maroon'! What an 'oxy-MORON'!!
February 2, 2018
I’ve had this sitting on my TBR pike for ages and kept passing it over, stupid me.
The book starts off with Hannah arriving at home in a complete mess; her face is scratched, her clothes torn, she’s freezing cold; and Ethan sitting in the darkened kitchen waiting for her. This is just the first page of the book and I had no idea what the hell was going on or what their relationship was, but I was hooked!
Hannah was initially hired as Ethan’s nanny and they now have a MOC for Ethan’s kids. Up until this point things were going along swimmingly, then Hannah started showing Ethan her true personality and shook his very calm, very organized world up. :)
Watching then navigate the minefield that is their changing relationship was so much fun. Quiet, calm, fade in the background Hannah was suddenly Miss Opinionated and had no qualms in sharing with Ethan.
I can’t blame her. She married to a man whose house is covered in pictures and trophies of his “perfect” deceased wife. They were the “perfect” couple, had the “perfect” relationship. It was just too “perfect”.
Also, for an intelligent, astute, barrister, Ethan was a dummy. How could he not see what was so obvious to everyone else? And his ex-mother-in-law ... that bitch would have died for the crap she pulled.
My favorite part was the very end when all the groveling was done and they set the place on fire. Literally!
I am glad I finally got around to reading this book. It was more than I expected, and that’s always a wonder thing!
The book starts off with Hannah arriving at home in a complete mess; her face is scratched, her clothes torn, she’s freezing cold; and Ethan sitting in the darkened kitchen waiting for her. This is just the first page of the book and I had no idea what the hell was going on or what their relationship was, but I was hooked!
Hannah was initially hired as Ethan’s nanny and they now have a MOC for Ethan’s kids. Up until this point things were going along swimmingly, then Hannah started showing Ethan her true personality and shook his very calm, very organized world up. :)
Watching then navigate the minefield that is their changing relationship was so much fun. Quiet, calm, fade in the background Hannah was suddenly Miss Opinionated and had no qualms in sharing with Ethan.
I can’t blame her. She married to a man whose house is covered in pictures and trophies of his “perfect” deceased wife. They were the “perfect” couple, had the “perfect” relationship. It was just too “perfect”.
Also, for an intelligent, astute, barrister, Ethan was a dummy. How could he not see what was so obvious to everyone else? And his ex-mother-in-law ... that bitch would have died for the crap she pulled.
My favorite part was the very end when all the groveling was done and they set the place on fire. Literally!
I am glad I finally got around to reading this book. It was more than I expected, and that’s always a wonder thing!
July 7, 2025
I've read this several times, it's one I reach for when I want a story that I know I will enjoy. The firsts time I read it it was good, not great, but each time I read it I like it even better.
Please see my longer review here for why I believe it hits my sweet spot and for plot spoilers: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/wif...
This story actually was about people, not just paper dolls to people the bedroom scenes. Some rather graphic scenes but story was good.
The last chapter was weak.
Please see my longer review here for why I believe it hits my sweet spot and for plot spoilers: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/wif...
This story actually was about people, not just paper dolls to people the bedroom scenes. Some rather graphic scenes but story was good.
The last chapter was weak.
March 24, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book but Hannah should have gotten fed up with Ethan's crap with in six months of being married to him but where would the that leave this story line.
August 16, 2020
I wasn’t convinced he loved her. He was awful to her then she was the one grovelling at the end.
November 1, 2017
Conversation between them sounded silly most of the time especially the last one dragged on and on...
May 11, 2017
I actually quite likes this book in a funny kind of way. Our h acted pretty spineless for a couple of years with her unrequited love/marriage of convenience but I really liked the H as he had been celibate since his first wife died and it's unusual to see this usually they are womanising man ho's
I dropped a star as the H didn't believe the h when the evil mother in law was causing trouble and that caused all the angst at the end of the story
I dropped a star as the H didn't believe the h when the evil mother in law was causing trouble and that caused all the angst at the end of the story
August 2, 2024
3.5 stars!!!
October 22, 2024
Excellent MOC from Kim Lawrence( the first of hers I've read) but it's a little bit different from the norm.
Yes we have the usual tropes - wealthy widower hero marries heroine from much poor background (in this case his Nanny) to look after his kids in MOC with no sex but she is in love with him from the get-go. Instead of the usual wicked OW we have a very nasty former MiL who has never forgiven the nanny taking the place of her allegedly perfect daughter. Hero's so called friends are also pretty horrible to our heroine and can't believe he married her. Fortunately when the hero's mother turn eventually turns up she's fantastic and really likes our girl. There's some funny side play with his mother and the young man who arrives at the house with her much to the Hero's chagrin and jumping to conclusions. Unfortunately he does that in a massive way when he believes his wicked MIL over our heroine. This of course is the plot device required to cause a massive conflict which will lead to huge angst for them both and him eventually realising just how much he loves her.
The one major difference between this book and most others with similar plot lines is that our heroine is really spunky and fights back. She tells the hero exactly what she thinks of him and how wrong he is instead of being a wet lettuce and putting up with it. She also loves him despite all his many faults.
I really loved the heroine and despite his one major failure I was keen on hero too I love their interplay and all the repartee between them.
Yes we have the usual tropes - wealthy widower hero marries heroine from much poor background (in this case his Nanny) to look after his kids in MOC with no sex but she is in love with him from the get-go. Instead of the usual wicked OW we have a very nasty former MiL who has never forgiven the nanny taking the place of her allegedly perfect daughter. Hero's so called friends are also pretty horrible to our heroine and can't believe he married her. Fortunately when the hero's mother turn eventually turns up she's fantastic and really likes our girl. There's some funny side play with his mother and the young man who arrives at the house with her much to the Hero's chagrin and jumping to conclusions. Unfortunately he does that in a massive way when he believes his wicked MIL over our heroine. This of course is the plot device required to cause a massive conflict which will lead to huge angst for them both and him eventually realising just how much he loves her.
The one major difference between this book and most others with similar plot lines is that our heroine is really spunky and fights back. She tells the hero exactly what she thinks of him and how wrong he is instead of being a wet lettuce and putting up with it. She also loves him despite all his many faults.
I really loved the heroine and despite his one major failure I was keen on hero too I love their interplay and all the repartee between them.
September 27, 2024
If you’re craving wacky, over the top angst, and sometimes I do, then this would hit the spot, except that the end lets you down since the hero’s grovel just isn’t what it should be. It’s sort of the heroine who having been humiliated, lied about, used, denigrated, and painfully humiliated even more, grovels to the hero after actually risking her own life to save the hero’s daughter and thereby losing her own child. So it was going to be a five plus rating until the last chapter.
Also, the fact that the hero knowing how crazy his former MIL was, took her word over the heroine’s and hardly allowed her to explain, he got so mad that he relegated her to the nanny’s room and called her « hired help » not only didn’t he once apologise for this, but he wouldn’t have seen the error of his ways had he not overheard the crazy MIL apologising to the heroine. Now this is off my chest I feel much better.
Also, the fact that the hero knowing how crazy his former MIL was, took her word over the heroine’s and hardly allowed her to explain, he got so mad that he relegated her to the nanny’s room and called her « hired help » not only didn’t he once apologise for this, but he wouldn’t have seen the error of his ways had he not overheard the crazy MIL apologising to the heroine. Now this is off my chest I feel much better.
March 17, 2024
Awe this was so cute! I liked it. The heroine had two outbursts that were out of character. We had two grandmas, one evil and one good, but the good doesn’t add much, but she did accidentally drug the heroine! The hero was very aloof and I believed this made the heroine be very insecure. This insecurity comes from EVERY SINGLE FEMALE character(except for the hero’s daughter) said that the hero shouldn’t have married the heroine…most of these convo the heroine overheard herself!!! The book start very odd as if we missed 3 prior chapters. And the hero flips a jealousy switch and every other male who breathes next to the heroine he’s upset over. Read it!!
July 3, 2023
"Wife by Agreement" is the story of Hannah and Ethan.
The heroine is the hero's nanny, and a quiet docile waif.. and his convenient wife.
An almost assault makes the hero realize she IS a woman, and then after years of them behaving like roommates, sparks fly. There's lots of romance between the two, but drama is brought on by plenty of relatives, one of which ends in heartbreak and a tragedy. Will their relationship survive?
Very angsty in parts, but otherwise a predictable one time read. You will get a jealous hero, a loving heroine and lots of on page love.
Safe??
3.5/5
The heroine is the hero's nanny, and a quiet docile waif.. and his convenient wife.
An almost assault makes the hero realize she IS a woman, and then after years of them behaving like roommates, sparks fly. There's lots of romance between the two, but drama is brought on by plenty of relatives, one of which ends in heartbreak and a tragedy. Will their relationship survive?
Very angsty in parts, but otherwise a predictable one time read. You will get a jealous hero, a loving heroine and lots of on page love.
Safe??
3.5/5
October 23, 2021
Started skimming about midway through - i thought the book was dragged out way too much. The heroine seemed a little bit shrewish to me and the H seemed pretty dull. First read by this author and it was not my cup of tea.
July 16, 2019
I really liked this one!
April 20, 2020
I’m not usually a fan of nanny books, but this one worked for me.
May 21, 2023
Might read later. Hero was boring
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