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The Paid Wife
What happens when a fake marriage between the two polar opposites turns into a real thing?
Contrary to her family expectations, Emily Radcliffe isn't lawyer material and she won't stay in the closet just to help her dad's political ambitions.
To shake her button-up parents out of their mistaken ideas of who she is Emily needs a bombshell.
A fake marriage to a tattooed, raven-haired beauty with strong opinions and a rebellious spirit might be exactly the explosive she needs.
Danica Davis is Emily's complete opposite. A formerly homeless foster kid, Dani's clawed her way into a decent living.
But now her shop is at risk and she's got six months to sort it before she's back on the streets – again.
The solution comes in the form of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed ray of sunshine who wears irritating yellow dresses and never stops smiling.
Emily needs a fake wife. Dani needs money. It's a perfect match. The catch? This convenient arrangement soon turns into a real thing.
As the sparks fly, Emily must learn to fight for her choices. And Dani has to figure out if, for the first time ever, she's willing to put her heart on the line.
This is a standalone steamy fake marriage opposites attract F/F romance novel with a HEA.
Contrary to her family expectations, Emily Radcliffe isn't lawyer material and she won't stay in the closet just to help her dad's political ambitions.
To shake her button-up parents out of their mistaken ideas of who she is Emily needs a bombshell.
A fake marriage to a tattooed, raven-haired beauty with strong opinions and a rebellious spirit might be exactly the explosive she needs.
Danica Davis is Emily's complete opposite. A formerly homeless foster kid, Dani's clawed her way into a decent living.
But now her shop is at risk and she's got six months to sort it before she's back on the streets – again.
The solution comes in the form of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed ray of sunshine who wears irritating yellow dresses and never stops smiling.
Emily needs a fake wife. Dani needs money. It's a perfect match. The catch? This convenient arrangement soon turns into a real thing.
As the sparks fly, Emily must learn to fight for her choices. And Dani has to figure out if, for the first time ever, she's willing to put her heart on the line.
This is a standalone steamy fake marriage opposites attract F/F romance novel with a HEA.
227 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 18, 2021
147 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
Alexa Woods
28 books103 followersAlexa Woods is a romance author living a quaint life in Massachusetts. After a lifetime of creating stories in her head, Alexa decided to write them down and share them with her readers. Her novels are about strong and fascinating women finding their happily ever afters.
When she's not writing, she is an avid reader of romance books or spending time with her family, her troublemaking dog, and her sphinx cat that surely thinks he's a dog, too
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When she's not writing, she is an avid reader of romance books or spending time with her family, her troublemaking dog, and her sphinx cat that surely thinks he's a dog, too
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 26, 2021
There was a lot of friction against staying engaged with this story. Some of it was the characters, some the plot, and some simply the (lack of) editing.
Emily is sweet and coming to a fuller sense of the advantages of her upbringing; and I found that engaging. She's fighting the strictures of her parents and I find it easy to root for someone seeking their independence. Her parents are kind of monsters, though it's not clear how committed they are to being boorish snotweasels, at least for a while. Her father, in particular, was a brute in dealing with her and .
Dani was harder to engage with as there was so much that felt, well, stock; like she was ordered up from central casting. "I'd like one brooding loner with a foster care background that makes it hard for her to build relationships, thanks." It doesn't help that she's all "no strings" for reasons that would have made sense if you got the feeling she meant it. I mean, it has all the friction you'd expect for a negative motivation*, but I never got the feeling she was doing more than paying lip-service to it, even in the beginning.
I was going along well-enough through the story, but the ending kind of crashed me out, though not in a huge way. The characterization just fell apart. I mean, we go from Dani being barely coherent verbally to making these huge speeches where she's articulate and insightful and heartfelt. Indeed, they both end up sounding kind of the same whereas they had been distinct until that point, I thought.
And I've been negative enough I want to pull out one big thing Woods does right. Emily's father is a politician hoping to join the Senate race. Woods never mentions his party affiliation and that remains believably ambiguous (and I mean that in a good way). She mentions that he's conservative, but in context, that's about lifestyle more than politics and every politician is "conservative" in their lifestyle (if only to look like solid, trustworthy citizens). But I was beyond relieved when Woods didn't devolve into the pat "hide my lesbian daughter so I can win elections" trope. That's just not a thing, even if you assume that her dad is a Republican (which he'd probably be if we're talking Louisiana senators), so I was glad that
Anyway, overall I'm going to go with a generous three stars despite this book fighting itself all along the way. And if the author wants a quick boost in quality, a decent editor would have done wonders.
A note about Steamy: Another really strong aspect of the book was the two or three explicit sex scenes. It put this (just barely) in the middle of my steam tolerance, but it also did a good job at mapping their growing intimacy and relationship.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
Emily is sweet and coming to a fuller sense of the advantages of her upbringing; and I found that engaging. She's fighting the strictures of her parents and I find it easy to root for someone seeking their independence. Her parents are kind of monsters, though it's not clear how committed they are to being boorish snotweasels, at least for a while. Her father, in particular, was a brute in dealing with her and .
Dani was harder to engage with as there was so much that felt, well, stock; like she was ordered up from central casting. "I'd like one brooding loner with a foster care background that makes it hard for her to build relationships, thanks." It doesn't help that she's all "no strings" for reasons that would have made sense if you got the feeling she meant it. I mean, it has all the friction you'd expect for a negative motivation*, but I never got the feeling she was doing more than paying lip-service to it, even in the beginning.
I was going along well-enough through the story, but the ending kind of crashed me out, though not in a huge way. The characterization just fell apart. I mean, we go from Dani being barely coherent verbally to making these huge speeches where she's articulate and insightful and heartfelt. Indeed, they both end up sounding kind of the same whereas they had been distinct until that point, I thought.
And I've been negative enough I want to pull out one big thing Woods does right. Emily's father is a politician hoping to join the Senate race. Woods never mentions his party affiliation and that remains believably ambiguous (and I mean that in a good way). She mentions that he's conservative, but in context, that's about lifestyle more than politics and every politician is "conservative" in their lifestyle (if only to look like solid, trustworthy citizens). But I was beyond relieved when Woods didn't devolve into the pat "hide my lesbian daughter so I can win elections" trope. That's just not a thing, even if you assume that her dad is a Republican (which he'd probably be if we're talking Louisiana senators), so I was glad that
Anyway, overall I'm going to go with a generous three stars despite this book fighting itself all along the way. And if the author wants a quick boost in quality, a decent editor would have done wonders.
A note about Steamy: Another really strong aspect of the book was the two or three explicit sex scenes. It put this (just barely) in the middle of my steam tolerance, but it also did a good job at mapping their growing intimacy and relationship.
* Negative Motivations: I kind of hate that the term "negative motivation" isn't widespread, yet. Since it isn't, I'm going to save off this little jag to append to my reviews that feature the term. Jennifer Crusie blogged about it a bit back (or, if that link doesn't work, here's a cache of the original) and it changed how I understand story. The problem with the term is that if you've never heard it before, you'd assume it meant motivations that are harmful or immoral. Not so. What it refers to is motivations not to do something. The thing is that many of us are motivated to not do things for a lot of different, perfectly valid and reasonable, reasons. The problem is that in a story motivations to not do things are a huge drag on the plot—particularly considering the fact that most negative motivations are overcome by the character simply deciding they don't care any more (or, rather, that they do care and are now motivated to do the thing). So not only do you have a counter to action but you also have a situation where to overcome it, all a character has to do is change their mind. Which means eventually, the reader is rooting for the character to get over him/herself already and do the thing we want them to do. Conflict drives story. Conflict between a reader and a main character drives readers away from story.
August 2, 2021
2.6 stars
Bought this book because of the fake marriage trope. That could have been worked out better. Even though you don’t expect a fake marriage story to be realistic, this story was not believable enough for me. One character was too young, the other want fleshed out enough and the drama with the parents who were very difficult on me hand and loving on the other hand were too contradictory. Reading about them gave me virtual whiplash. Even if they loved her and did want a financially secure future for Emily why couldn’t her mom, a well known painter, help Emily with her art and teach her things? The writing in itself was okay, but the story could have been better.
Bought this book because of the fake marriage trope. That could have been worked out better. Even though you don’t expect a fake marriage story to be realistic, this story was not believable enough for me. One character was too young, the other want fleshed out enough and the drama with the parents who were very difficult on me hand and loving on the other hand were too contradictory. Reading about them gave me virtual whiplash. Even if they loved her and did want a financially secure future for Emily why couldn’t her mom, a well known painter, help Emily with her art and teach her things? The writing in itself was okay, but the story could have been better.
April 4, 2022
This was a cute and spicy read with a decent enemies to lovers story.
The spice in this is like pretty damn good folks, and yes there’s a strap scene 🌶
My main gripe was Emily was kind of annoying, and as an Emily I know we’re irritating af but she was seriously ✨next level✨. That was my only reason for marking this down a little.
The writing itself is pretty solid, and whilst the story is far from original (I mean it’s smut like we’re not here for their background anyhow so the story is a moot point) it’s fairly gripping the whole way through.
Tw// vaguely homophobic parents.
The spice in this is like pretty damn good folks, and yes there’s a strap scene 🌶
My main gripe was Emily was kind of annoying, and as an Emily I know we’re irritating af but she was seriously ✨next level✨. That was my only reason for marking this down a little.
The writing itself is pretty solid, and whilst the story is far from original (I mean it’s smut like we’re not here for their background anyhow so the story is a moot point) it’s fairly gripping the whole way through.
Tw// vaguely homophobic parents.
January 1, 2024
4 ★ | Not Woods best work ever but an enjoyable read nevertheless. Fast paced. Rich girl, poor girl romance. Grumpy x sunshine. Nothing overly special or standout-ish with this one. In conclusion, a lighthearted read with a HEA.
July 25, 2021
What did I just read?!?!
She doesn’t the entire time whining in the book about how she isn’t taken seriously and how she wants to be independent. However, she complains that she doesn’t want to be cut off, she wants her parents to still pay for college, and she wants her mom to help her get established in the art world. How dumb?! She can’t have it both ways. This was an awful story. I hate that I paid for this. That’s the only reason I read it to the end😩🤨
She doesn’t the entire time whining in the book about how she isn’t taken seriously and how she wants to be independent. However, she complains that she doesn’t want to be cut off, she wants her parents to still pay for college, and she wants her mom to help her get established in the art world. How dumb?! She can’t have it both ways. This was an awful story. I hate that I paid for this. That’s the only reason I read it to the end😩🤨
July 20, 2021
Jae's SRC
grumpy and sunshine
age gap romance
character was adopted or grew up in foster care
character who isn't Hollywood beautiful
January 24, 2022
This was ok. It had a decent overall plot, but how it went from Emily walking in for a reading to getting a paid wife seemed a little disjointed. Why did Emily go in that shop in the first place? She wanted a reading but it never went any further than that and all of a sudden we have these two women together. Emily was a bit naive, and Dani was a lot more realistic with a lot of past hurt. I appreciated how the story finally ended and liked, in general, the journey to happiness. It was a bit emotionally disjointed at times for me.
July 16, 2021
This book is written without any experience....means it's a okay to feel like u r down even being rich but ...like one chicken could make u happy seriously like see never had chicken...man when u r rich u have seen more life done more things than ever .....this book out of context and total middle school imaginary kid author
April 10, 2022
Not your ordinary tale
Hope. Love. Joy. Incredulity, because sometimes she still couldn’t believe in.
Life has up and downs, sometimes downs outnumber the up, but to survive means that you have a heart.
Hope. Love. Joy. Incredulity, because sometimes she still couldn’t believe in.
Life has up and downs, sometimes downs outnumber the up, but to survive means that you have a heart.
March 13, 2024
Woods can write quite well. I enjoyed the flow of the words and story.
May 2, 2022
Good book
I like how you have Crystal always complaining to her parents about her life, just like a real teenager or college student. She thinks her parents aren't listening to her and what she wants. After making another bad decision to get married then maybe her parents will listen, but things change for Crystal after see meets and marries Dani. Dani is older a has been on her own since she was ten. Crystal learns how to be on her own and things work in life. A beautiful story of growing up.
I like how you have Crystal always complaining to her parents about her life, just like a real teenager or college student. She thinks her parents aren't listening to her and what she wants. After making another bad decision to get married then maybe her parents will listen, but things change for Crystal after see meets and marries Dani. Dani is older a has been on her own since she was ten. Crystal learns how to be on her own and things work in life. A beautiful story of growing up.
April 18, 2022
Cute but it gets better
This was a cute story but a little messy, it felt almost uncooked. I didn't mind so much because I've read something else by this author that I thought was so much better than this, like a fully cooked version of this. This reads like somebody's first thing they published because they needed to get something out there, and now they can put out their real work. It's a fun quick little read but don't let it set your expectations for what this author has to offer which is so much more.
This was a cute story but a little messy, it felt almost uncooked. I didn't mind so much because I've read something else by this author that I thought was so much better than this, like a fully cooked version of this. This reads like somebody's first thing they published because they needed to get something out there, and now they can put out their real work. It's a fun quick little read but don't let it set your expectations for what this author has to offer which is so much more.
May 3, 2023
Look, I read this as a palate cleanser from TOG and ACOTAR. Because who doesn't like some just gay, easy smut? This was better than I expected. I think people are probably going to have issues with Emily and her 1st world problem-ness, but meh - there are people out there that exist like that. And being 21 and sounding like a whiny bitch baby because you don't know how to communicate to the best of your abilities is a very real thing. Overall I felt this was probably the best Alexa Woods book I've read.
September 17, 2023
Excellent, but...
I very much enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, and I liked the exploration of their backgrounds, their insecurities, and the reasons for those insecurities. The one reservation I had is that eventual resolution of the conflict with the parents seemed to happen too quickly, without enough back-and-forth among all the parties. Aside from that, I found this book to be outstanding; it's very well-written, very engaging, and very believable.
I very much enjoyed this book. I liked the characters, and I liked the exploration of their backgrounds, their insecurities, and the reasons for those insecurities. The one reservation I had is that eventual resolution of the conflict with the parents seemed to happen too quickly, without enough back-and-forth among all the parties. Aside from that, I found this book to be outstanding; it's very well-written, very engaging, and very believable.
November 19, 2021
Enjoyed this
Love the two worlds colliding. Young love that seems so mature. Love the characters and the ways they bought the best out of each other. A little qorsy at times for descriptions early on but it could be me. I get a little speed read-ie when there's too much fluff.
Great read overall thanks.
Love the two worlds colliding. Young love that seems so mature. Love the characters and the ways they bought the best out of each other. A little qorsy at times for descriptions early on but it could be me. I get a little speed read-ie when there's too much fluff.
Great read overall thanks.
July 20, 2021
Fantastic storyline
Fantastic storyline I loved the main characters their story was incredible written the twist and turns were perfectly balanced with the storyline top five must read congratulations.
Fantastic storyline I loved the main characters their story was incredible written the twist and turns were perfectly balanced with the storyline top five must read congratulations.
August 15, 2021
Love is the answer
Sometimes the best laid plans don’t work. Love gets in the way.
That is what happens here. What a wonderful story of a spoilt rich girl meets poor girl and marry, not for love but for money.
You are going to love this story. Highly recommend it.
Sometimes the best laid plans don’t work. Love gets in the way.
That is what happens here. What a wonderful story of a spoilt rich girl meets poor girl and marry, not for love but for money.
You are going to love this story. Highly recommend it.
September 7, 2021
Stranger, here we do wed. Superb
The story is about a young woman, named Emily who wants to be an artist at any price. She found Dani a who agreed to marry for five thousand dollars.
After continuous arguments, a happy medium was made and all lived HEA.
The story is about a young woman, named Emily who wants to be an artist at any price. She found Dani a who agreed to marry for five thousand dollars.
After continuous arguments, a happy medium was made and all lived HEA.
September 19, 2021
beautiful story
No spoilers. A wonderful romance with engaging characters, living diametrically opposed challenges and life lessons. Those challenges help them grow individually and together… the things that make a great romance. Too bad we can’t do the same in life. Enjoy
No spoilers. A wonderful romance with engaging characters, living diametrically opposed challenges and life lessons. Those challenges help them grow individually and together… the things that make a great romance. Too bad we can’t do the same in life. Enjoy
October 7, 2021
A hot introduction
Enjoyed your sizzling sexy conquest to love from marriage first with the mixture of good girl meets vixon & soften her edges with love & hot 🔥sex, look fwd to reading you again.
Enjoyed your sizzling sexy conquest to love from marriage first with the mixture of good girl meets vixon & soften her edges with love & hot 🔥sex, look fwd to reading you again.
October 26, 2021
Beautiful and sexy
Where do I start. First off, I am obsessed with Dani. She sounds like a raven haired goddess. Me being the hopeless romantic I am, the story captivated ne. I loved Dani's and Emily's journey. This story is proof positive that love truly does conquer all...
Where do I start. First off, I am obsessed with Dani. She sounds like a raven haired goddess. Me being the hopeless romantic I am, the story captivated ne. I loved Dani's and Emily's journey. This story is proof positive that love truly does conquer all...
March 23, 2022
Good
The front cover images don't imho reflect the characters in this story. I liked the story and the development of Emily and Dani as they both grow. A believable story and a page turner long enough to get into but also to finish in day.
The front cover images don't imho reflect the characters in this story. I liked the story and the development of Emily and Dani as they both grow. A believable story and a page turner long enough to get into but also to finish in day.
January 28, 2023
Quería que me gustase, de verdad que quería, pero Emily es INSOPORTABLE😭 Actúa como una niña pequeña a la que no le dan lo que quiere, qué personalidad tan irritante. ¿Y el problema qué tiene con su familia? De niña rica🙄
July 23, 2021
Very good book
A spoiled young woman meets a woman who grew up in foster homes. How could this work out? Surprisingly well. HEA.
A spoiled young woman meets a woman who grew up in foster homes. How could this work out? Surprisingly well. HEA.
July 30, 2021
Wonderful
A sweet and wonderful story filled with passion. Knowing your worth is important to be able to open up to love.
A sweet and wonderful story filled with passion. Knowing your worth is important to be able to open up to love.
August 6, 2021
This was a quick, nice read. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two mains so much. The battle with the parents was insufferable but it was the plot driver so it's important. Wish it was longer!
August 7, 2021
A fun read
I will admit the premise looked overly dramatic but I fell in love with story. It is a fun read and will get you going. Try reading it to someone special.
I will admit the premise looked overly dramatic but I fell in love with story. It is a fun read and will get you going. Try reading it to someone special.
August 15, 2021
Good Story
I really enjoyed this story. The author does a good job of letting you get to know Dani and Emily in a deeper sense. I recommend this highly.
I really enjoyed this story. The author does a good job of letting you get to know Dani and Emily in a deeper sense. I recommend this highly.
October 20, 2021
Hot and steamy fun!
A fun and quick read. I really enjoyed Emily's growth as she worked to gain independence from her over-protective parents.
A fun and quick read. I really enjoyed Emily's growth as she worked to gain independence from her over-protective parents.
January 9, 2022
The writing bored me so I found myself skimming it. I continued reading the book for the sex scenes and they didn’t disappoint but I was not all that interested in the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews