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「私たち……離婚したほうがいいと思うの」リアは震える声で、夫のリースに提案した。結婚してから、まだ十一カ月しか経っていない。リースの亡き妻レイチェルはリアの親友だった。残された男の子ボビーの面倒をみるだけでいいと言われ、リアは彼との結婚に同意してしまった。だが、愛のない夫婦生活がどんなに辛く寂しいかを痛感し、思わず別れを口にしたのだった。ところがリアの提案を聞くや、リースは真摯な目で彼女を見つめ、この関係を本物にしてもいいと言い放った。
Paperback Bunko
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Susan Fox
132 books44 followersThere is more than one author with this name. When entering books for this particular Susan Fox. The name needs to be entered with only one space between the first and last name.
Susan grew up with her sister, Janet, and her brother, Steven, on an acreage near Des Moines, Iowa, where, besides a jillion stray cats and dogs, two horses, and a pony, her favorite pet and confidant was Rex, her brown-and-white pinto gelding.
Susan has raised two sons, Jeffrey and Patrick, and currently lives in a house that she laughingly refers to as the Landfill and Book Repository. She writes with the help and hindrance of five mischievous shorthaired felines: Gabby, a talkative tortoiseshell calico; Buster, a solid lion-yellow with white legs and facial markings; his sister, Pixie, a tri-color calico; Toonses, a plump black-and-white; and the cheerily diabolical, naughty black tiger Eddie, aka Eduardo de Lover.
Susan is a bookaholic and movie fan who loves cowboys, rodeos, and the American West, past and present. She has an intense interest in storytelling of all kinds and in politics, and she claims the two are often interchangeable.
Susan loves writing complex characters in emotionally intense situations, and hopes her readers enjoy her ranch stories and are uplifted by their happy endings.
Susan grew up with her sister, Janet, and her brother, Steven, on an acreage near Des Moines, Iowa, where, besides a jillion stray cats and dogs, two horses, and a pony, her favorite pet and confidant was Rex, her brown-and-white pinto gelding.
Susan has raised two sons, Jeffrey and Patrick, and currently lives in a house that she laughingly refers to as the Landfill and Book Repository. She writes with the help and hindrance of five mischievous shorthaired felines: Gabby, a talkative tortoiseshell calico; Buster, a solid lion-yellow with white legs and facial markings; his sister, Pixie, a tri-color calico; Toonses, a plump black-and-white; and the cheerily diabolical, naughty black tiger Eddie, aka Eduardo de Lover.
Susan is a bookaholic and movie fan who loves cowboys, rodeos, and the American West, past and present. She has an intense interest in storytelling of all kinds and in politics, and she claims the two are often interchangeable.
Susan loves writing complex characters in emotionally intense situations, and hopes her readers enjoy her ranch stories and are uplifted by their happy endings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 19, 2019
Heroine marries her bff’s husband and adopts their infant son after bff dies in an accident. Hero wanted the heroine to adopt his son to keep his in-laws from gaining custody if anything ever happened to him.
They married within a week of the accident, maintained separate bedrooms, and have barely interacted for the past eleven months. Heroine had had a crush on the hero since she was 17. Now she realizes he’s never going to care for her, so she offers the hero a divorce with shared custody. Hero is shocked and gruffly tells her he doesn’t want a divorce.
From that moment the hero changes his ways. This is all about the hero realizing that his grief is over and that he has to make a new life with the heroine. I thought the author did a great job showing how his indifference turned to ardent lover.
He starts to notice her hair and her eyes. He spends time with her and the baby. He puts away all the photos of his first wife. They buy new bedroom furniture and wedding rings. (He never wore a ring for his first wife, but he did for the heroine). The virgin heroine finally has sex and can’t put off telling the H her feelings. Hero reciprocates for an HEA.
The bff was barely present in the story – and her parents were horrible. I don’t know if the hero’s first marriage would have lasted based on how the bff was raised and how young she was to be tied down to a ranch. Hero had to admit that the bff had hired help and wasn’t interested in the house/cooking at all. Heroine had been a foster child and a secure home was the pinnacle of her dreams.
I just thought they were great together.
This is a very quiet book. No drama. No cruelty. No Ows. No judgey neighbors. So not a typical Susan Fox.
They married within a week of the accident, maintained separate bedrooms, and have barely interacted for the past eleven months. Heroine had had a crush on the hero since she was 17. Now she realizes he’s never going to care for her, so she offers the hero a divorce with shared custody. Hero is shocked and gruffly tells her he doesn’t want a divorce.
From that moment the hero changes his ways. This is all about the hero realizing that his grief is over and that he has to make a new life with the heroine. I thought the author did a great job showing how his indifference turned to ardent lover.
He starts to notice her hair and her eyes. He spends time with her and the baby. He puts away all the photos of his first wife. They buy new bedroom furniture and wedding rings. (He never wore a ring for his first wife, but he did for the heroine). The virgin heroine finally has sex and can’t put off telling the H her feelings. Hero reciprocates for an HEA.
The bff was barely present in the story – and her parents were horrible. I don’t know if the hero’s first marriage would have lasted based on how the bff was raised and how young she was to be tied down to a ranch. Hero had to admit that the bff had hired help and wasn’t interested in the house/cooking at all. Heroine had been a foster child and a secure home was the pinnacle of her dreams.
I just thought they were great together.
This is a very quiet book. No drama. No cruelty. No Ows. No judgey neighbors. So not a typical Susan Fox.
June 10, 2020
A re-read
I don't whether it's the corona virus or this is such a sharp contrast to much of the unedited drivel on Kindle Unlimited, but I bought this slow, sweet romance this time around. Very s-l-o-w-b-u-r-n second chance romance.
The heroine has been in love with the gruff rancher who was married to her more lighthearted best friend, now dead. MOC to take care of the baby left behind.
The widowed H is rough, tough and gruff but wakes up to what a treasure his new wife is. The heroine is likable but dwells a little too much on her guilt over ... nothing really. Neither the hero nor her best friend had the slightest idea she was in love with him so unneeded conflict there.
StMargarets has a more comprehensive review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
DNF.
If the town isn't shunning the heroine, the father twisting the knife, or the hero isn't peeling strips of her hide with the side of his tongue what's the point?
I don't whether it's the corona virus or this is such a sharp contrast to much of the unedited drivel on Kindle Unlimited, but I bought this slow, sweet romance this time around. Very s-l-o-w-b-u-r-n second chance romance.
The heroine has been in love with the gruff rancher who was married to her more lighthearted best friend, now dead. MOC to take care of the baby left behind.
The widowed H is rough, tough and gruff but wakes up to what a treasure his new wife is. The heroine is likable but dwells a little too much on her guilt over ... nothing really. Neither the hero nor her best friend had the slightest idea she was in love with him so unneeded conflict there.
StMargarets has a more comprehensive review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
DNF.
If the town isn't shunning the heroine, the father twisting the knife, or the hero isn't peeling strips of her hide with the side of his tongue what's the point?
February 15, 2025
Marrying your dead best friend's husband? Naahh... Poor girlie is ROLLING in her grave.
Leah has been in love with Reece since freshman year of highschool. She was in love while her best friend Rachel was dating Reece and marrying him. Yes.
Rachel dies a few days after giving birth to Reece's child and because Reece does not want his son to grow up without a mother, he marries Leah.
Now, Reece is still in love with Rachel, in a way. I think Leah and him have been married for a year and they don't even live as friends since Reece sees it as cheating in some way.
See? He is not even giving Leah a chance.
One day, Leah finally snaps and says divorce me. Instead of thinking for himself, Reece waits for his friend to give him the brilliant advice of “woo her bro, give her good sex” So Reece, the deep thinker, takes this to heart and decides that, sure, he might as well sleep with Leah.
After some effort on both sides, Reece comes to this conclusion that he does love Leah and he had never loved Rachel this intensely. 💀
The writing was solid, and I genuinely liked Leah, but the story? Meh. It was too short to be compelling and too tame to be a messy soap opera, despite the taboo subject it is built on. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything I’ll be thinking about tomorrow. Just a plain read at 3 AM.
The judge had heard gossip about the couple before him. The groom had been widowed nearly four months ago when his wife had suddenly died a handful of days after the baby’s birth. The bride had been his dead wife’s best friend.
Leah has been in love with Reece since freshman year of highschool. She was in love while her best friend Rachel was dating Reece and marrying him. Yes.
Rachel dies a few days after giving birth to Reece's child and because Reece does not want his son to grow up without a mother, he marries Leah.
Now, Reece is still in love with Rachel, in a way. I think Leah and him have been married for a year and they don't even live as friends since Reece sees it as cheating in some way.
Losing Rachel had left him empty. Any woman who wasn’t her was merely female. No one to wonder about, and certainly no one to get excited about. His hormones had come back to life, his lust still fired over the usual sights and thoughts, he still had powerful male urges that craved satisfaction, but the mysterious allure of tenderness and sweet feelings were gone as completely as Rachel. In his mind and heart, love and sex were associated exclusively with luxurious red hair, freckle- flecked satin skin and exotic emerald eyes that sparkled with passion and a zest for life.
See? He is not even giving Leah a chance.
One day, Leah finally snaps and says divorce me. Instead of thinking for himself, Reece waits for his friend to give him the brilliant advice of “woo her bro, give her good sex” So Reece, the deep thinker, takes this to heart and decides that, sure, he might as well sleep with Leah.
After some effort on both sides, Reece comes to this conclusion that he does love Leah and he had never loved Rachel this intensely. 💀
The writing was solid, and I genuinely liked Leah, but the story? Meh. It was too short to be compelling and too tame to be a messy soap opera, despite the taboo subject it is built on. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything I’ll be thinking about tomorrow. Just a plain read at 3 AM.
December 4, 2020
"Contract Bride" is the story of Rachel and Reese.
The heroine has always loved the hero, even when he married her best friend and had a child with her. When the latter passes away during childbirth, they enter a marriage of convenience for the sake of his son, and the heroine adopts the boy. A year passes, in which they live like virtual strangers who share a child. When the heroine asks for a divorce, the hero finally wakes up and starts realizing that he needs to get over his dead ex wife and learn to care for the mother of his son. Minimal drama ensues, he finally mans up, they have sex and eventually the heroine confesses her buried feelings.
This has the plot of one of my favorite books "Sarah's Child", but the execution was average. OK one time read, minimal angst.
Unsafe
3/5
The heroine has always loved the hero, even when he married her best friend and had a child with her. When the latter passes away during childbirth, they enter a marriage of convenience for the sake of his son, and the heroine adopts the boy. A year passes, in which they live like virtual strangers who share a child. When the heroine asks for a divorce, the hero finally wakes up and starts realizing that he needs to get over his dead ex wife and learn to care for the mother of his son. Minimal drama ensues, he finally mans up, they have sex and eventually the heroine confesses her buried feelings.
This has the plot of one of my favorite books "Sarah's Child", but the execution was average. OK one time read, minimal angst.
Unsafe
3/5
August 18, 2018
This one just broke my heart. I certainly believe in love the second time around, but the h is ALWAYS second best. I just didn't accept that the H was heartwhole or the h was anything accepting what was left of him.
January 21, 2021
Sweet and slow from Susan Fox, with a lovelorn heroine who has entered into an MoC with the man she's secretly been in love with since she was 17 after his wife, her best friend, dies. She's the loving mother to her adopted son and an ideal wife for a hard-working rancher, but after 11 months of a sexless and emotionless marriage, she decides she'll offer him a divorce--mainly because she's guilt stricken that she took advantage of him at a weak moment in marrying him and has come to believe that he will never feel anything for her. She has had the typical SF shitty past (abandonment, foster homes) and as much as her love for the hero, she is driven by an abiding wish for a home and family of her own. It's very angsty in a quiet way. He's the typical Susan Fox dominating, strong/silent type hero (but her heroes do a pretty good job of reining in their more chauvinistic bossy impulses and respecting the opinions and viewpoints of the heroines--they are pretty dommy in the sack though, which is all fade-to-black but still pretty hot).
At that point, the hero decides he will try to make his marriage work, and sets about putting the past behind him and getting to know his overlooked bride. SF does a good job of waking up both these Sleeping Beauties, and the heat and feelings grow between them slowly but surely. In many ways, it reminded me of Linda Howard's love-it-or-hate-it Sarah's Child, with a similar plot (secretly loving heroine marries grieving widower who was married to her best friend and has to continue to hide her love--second chance/second best story).
St Margarets has all the details. I like Susan Fox's angsty westerns, and this one was good --the mean-spirited townspeople and punishing hero so typical of SF's books are nowhere in sight but it has her signature character types (long-suffering deliciously angsty Mary Sue-ish heroine and tough-but-tender ranchers), angst, strong focus on the MCs, and good ramping up of the tension and the romance.
At that point, the hero decides he will try to make his marriage work, and sets about putting the past behind him and getting to know his overlooked bride. SF does a good job of waking up both these Sleeping Beauties, and the heat and feelings grow between them slowly but surely. In many ways, it reminded me of Linda Howard's love-it-or-hate-it Sarah's Child, with a similar plot (secretly loving heroine marries grieving widower who was married to her best friend and has to continue to hide her love--second chance/second best story).
St Margarets has all the details. I like Susan Fox's angsty westerns, and this one was good --the mean-spirited townspeople and punishing hero so typical of SF's books are nowhere in sight but it has her signature character types (long-suffering deliciously angsty Mary Sue-ish heroine and tough-but-tender ranchers), angst, strong focus on the MCs, and good ramping up of the tension and the romance.
September 19, 2014
Marriage of Convenience based on the tragic death of the hero's wife. He wants to protect his child from the grasping viper in-laws, while the heroine accepts the marriage because she has always loved him.
For me, this story just never came together as a romance. In fact, it was actually quite sad. The author failed to convince me that he truly loved her and the heroine was written with such poor self esteem that I felt she would always settle for second best.
Not recommended for lovers of romance.
For me, this story just never came together as a romance. In fact, it was actually quite sad. The author failed to convince me that he truly loved her and the heroine was written with such poor self esteem that I felt she would always settle for second best.
Not recommended for lovers of romance.
February 22, 2012
4 Stars! ~ When Reece Waverly’s wife died tragically leaving him with an infant son, his own mortality stared him in the face. It became urgent for him to protect his son from his in-laws, so he proposed to his wife’s best friend. Leah Gray had loved Reece from the time she was a shy and unloved seventeen year-old. Watching him fall in love and then marry her best friend had been almost unbearable. But it was her love for them both that allowed her to keep her feelings hidden. She’d jumped at Reece’s proposal, to be a part of him, to be a mother to his child, to finally belong to someone. Only after a tension filled year, she’d come to the conclusion that Reece would never be able to love her and that he probably regretted their hasty marriage. So when she offered Reece a divorce she was stunned when he refused and announced that they would have a real marriage.
You’ll need a hanky for this one. Leah is tormented with guilt; she’d betrayed her best friend by being in love with her husband. And she feels that her pain now for the lack of any personal caring from Reece is her just punishment. Reece realizes that the shy gentle woman, who has cared for his son and his home, has gotten absolutely nothing from their loveless marriage and he hopes it’s not too late to fix that. These are two tortured souls who finally reach out and take some happiness for themselves. This is an emotional story that will stay with me for some time.
You’ll need a hanky for this one. Leah is tormented with guilt; she’d betrayed her best friend by being in love with her husband. And she feels that her pain now for the lack of any personal caring from Reece is her just punishment. Reece realizes that the shy gentle woman, who has cared for his son and his home, has gotten absolutely nothing from their loveless marriage and he hopes it’s not too late to fix that. These are two tortured souls who finally reach out and take some happiness for themselves. This is an emotional story that will stay with me for some time.
June 30, 2019
Loved it.
Marriage of convenience romance between a sweet and caring heroine and a widowed/single parent rancher.
His dead wife was the h's best friend - her death left everybody stunned with pain; marriage was set up in a hurry for the little baby's sake.
The story begins after more than one year of marriage: the h asks (more or less) for a divorce and from this request all the deepest emotions/fears of the protagonists start to reveal.
The plot is very simple and definitely nothing new: I will not waste time in describing the events.
What I appreciated the most is the ability to let us enter the protagonists' thoughts and feelings.
Heroine's insecurities and painful past, vulnerability/social awkwardness and unrequited love are depicted with emotion and good writing ability.
The same with the H: he is not perfect and seems to be living in constant regret for his lost wife but little by little he discovers his hidden feelings and passion and becomes an "everyday" man of my dreams.
There is no explicit sex but I really felt the sexual tension between the protagonists and their moments together were really heartwarming.
Marriage of convenience romance between a sweet and caring heroine and a widowed/single parent rancher.
His dead wife was the h's best friend - her death left everybody stunned with pain; marriage was set up in a hurry for the little baby's sake.
The story begins after more than one year of marriage: the h asks (more or less) for a divorce and from this request all the deepest emotions/fears of the protagonists start to reveal.
The plot is very simple and definitely nothing new: I will not waste time in describing the events.
What I appreciated the most is the ability to let us enter the protagonists' thoughts and feelings.
Heroine's insecurities and painful past, vulnerability/social awkwardness and unrequited love are depicted with emotion and good writing ability.
The same with the H: he is not perfect and seems to be living in constant regret for his lost wife but little by little he discovers his hidden feelings and passion and becomes an "everyday" man of my dreams.
There is no explicit sex but I really felt the sexual tension between the protagonists and their moments together were really heartwarming.
August 23, 2013
Reading this made my heart hurt. Leah's, the h, love for her husband Reece (the H), and his feelings for her at the start dragged me right into the hopelessness of it so effectively that I could do nothing but continue to read this in one sitting.
This is a category romance that I'm sure I shall be re-visiting time and time again.
This is a category romance that I'm sure I shall be re-visiting time and time again.
March 15, 2025
I wish I'd written this review closer to when I finished the book. But I'll try to sum it up.
3.5 stars rounded up because I quite enjoyed it.
Leah is married to Reece who was her best friend's husband. The best friend Rachel died in a car accident. I didn't feel like the dead spouse was the 3rd main character as you do in some books about widowers.
I was convinced of Reece's love for Leah by the end, without vilifying the first wife Rachel. I agree with St. Margaret's take, that Rachel and Reece's marriage wasn't as good a fit. She was a shallower person and her parent's were vile.
In fact it was because of the vile in-laws that Reece felt compelled to marry Leah so soon after Rachel's death. To keep them out of Reece and Rachel's son's life.
Leah and Reece's wedding is the prologue and then the book opens to a year later when Leah asks Reece for a divorce.
I think Reece had already started to subconsciously come out of his grief and see Leah as a person. But her asking for a divorce is the real wake up call.
At this point, they have separate bedrooms and it's really only a paper marriage with the little boy, Bobby (who is now almost 2) being the glue between them. Leah is 24 and never even been kissed. She's had a hard life growing up in Foster homes and longs for a family.
The painful side of the story for me is that she had a crush on Reece before he ever met Rachel. But he never saw her that way. This doesn't come up till almost the end of the book and then I really liked that way the author chose to handle it.
This would have been a 4 star read easily for me, but the whole falling in love stuff was only a handful of days, even though they'd been living together for a year. If I didn't think about that, the romance felt real and deep.
Wish there had been an epilogue.
Safety is good.
3.5 stars rounded up because I quite enjoyed it.
Leah is married to Reece who was her best friend's husband. The best friend Rachel died in a car accident. I didn't feel like the dead spouse was the 3rd main character as you do in some books about widowers.
I was convinced of Reece's love for Leah by the end, without vilifying the first wife Rachel. I agree with St. Margaret's take, that Rachel and Reece's marriage wasn't as good a fit. She was a shallower person and her parent's were vile.
In fact it was because of the vile in-laws that Reece felt compelled to marry Leah so soon after Rachel's death. To keep them out of Reece and Rachel's son's life.
Leah and Reece's wedding is the prologue and then the book opens to a year later when Leah asks Reece for a divorce.
I think Reece had already started to subconsciously come out of his grief and see Leah as a person. But her asking for a divorce is the real wake up call.
At this point, they have separate bedrooms and it's really only a paper marriage with the little boy, Bobby (who is now almost 2) being the glue between them. Leah is 24 and never even been kissed. She's had a hard life growing up in Foster homes and longs for a family.
The painful side of the story for me is that she had a crush on Reece before he ever met Rachel. But he never saw her that way. This doesn't come up till almost the end of the book and then I really liked that way the author chose to handle it.
This would have been a 4 star read easily for me, but the whole falling in love stuff was only a handful of days, even though they'd been living together for a year. If I didn't think about that, the romance felt real and deep.
Wish there had been an epilogue.
Safety is good.
March 7, 2020
She is, without a doubt, second best. Yet somehow I still managed to enjoy the story.
I just have to shut my brain off when I start to feel sorry for her...
I just have to shut my brain off when I start to feel sorry for her...
February 9, 2022
We have a marriage of convenience story where it is once again very convenient for the hero but pure torture for the heroine, who has been secretly in love with the hero since she was 17.
Our heroine Leah is the typical SF heroine. Basically, it means that her life has and currently sucks! She was abandoned by her parents and raised in foster care(her foster care was decent so that is a switch) She is pretty but not the kind of pretty that strikes you in the face or makes you do a double take. Her dubious beginnings and the fact that she is “just a foster kid” makes it hard for her to fit in. Two people in her life have been kind, her best friend Rachel and the 7 year older hero Reece. She told Rachel once that she had a crush on the hero, but then she quickly squashed that and silently loved him from afar.
When Rachel is 20, she and the hero start a romantic relationship and get married. The h’s heart breaks, but she has forced herself to be happy for the two people she loves the most. As far as I can tell (based on ages), the hero and Bff could only have been married a couple of years. Shortly after they had their son Bobby she dies in an accident. Leaving the H widowed and fair game for the greedy, snobby in laws who want to get their hands on “Robby”. Therefore, he proposes a MOC to the h, who snaps up the opportunity as she loves Bobby and she still loves the H. She hopes he can see her in a different light. She legally adopts Bobby which means the greedy in-laws will have no hold on the son.
Our book opens 11 months after the courtroom wedding without rings. The h(24 year old virgin) and H are basically strangers. She does all the cooking, cleaning, and baby rearing. Even though the H is wealthy she doesn’t spend his money except as it pertains to the household. The h has decided to let the H go, by offering him a divorce. He may still have a chance to find love elsewhere, and since it doesn’t appear to be her, then she needs to get out now before he realizes that she loves him and he takes pity on her.
The H has been acting differently as well, so she knows he must be having 2nd thoughts. When she brings up the idea of divorce to the hero, he is stunned. He starts to take a closer look at the heroine, all the sacrifices she has made, her quiet beauty, and absolutely doesn’t want a divorce. He is further driven to make their marriage work when he catches her dancing and laughing with Hoyt, best friend, next door rancher, and world renowned womanizer. (Hoyt, is team Leah. He wants to light a fire under his friend’s butt and get him to see the woman he is married to. Hoyt, is great for a woman’s self esteem.) Hoyt is also frank with the H and tells him he better change things, or he is going to lose that woman.
So, the rest of the story is all about the H making necessary changes to secure the h. Within 48 hours of her divorce suggestion, he is boxing up his dead wife’s pictures and items, buying new bedroom furniture and moving the h into the master bedroom.
Now it is SF’s job to convince us that Leah can take over the bigger chunk of the H’s heart and relegate the Bff to the part reserved for fond memories. I do think she was able to pull this off especially when the H agreed to wear a wedding ring and his first wife could never convince him to. In my opinion, the H is probably going to be more happier with the h over time than he would have been for his first wife(maybe he will even come to that realization as well). Why do I think this?
*The first wife came from an uppity snobby family. They would have been a big part of Reece and Rachel’s married life. In fact, I am pretty sure there would have been lots of overstepping on their part. Now, I believe Rachel loved Reece, (most of us are those first couple of years) but would that love had stood the test of time being married to a rancher that really wasn’t much for socializing or material things? She was already a lady of leisure at the ranch. She had live in help to take care of all the household chores etc…Was she going to employ childcare as well? Would she have had more children? At one point would she let her mother’s venom infiltrate her marriage and cause problems. I realize this is all conjecture on my part, but I just think the Hero is a much better fit with the heroine.
Now, I will give the hero this. He jumped into the marriage with the h within months of his wife’s death. When our story opens it has been less than a year and 1/2 since she died. I would like to think that if you truly loved someone, and they were taken from you, that you wouldn’t be like…NEXT!!! He just needed to handle the situation with the h and better and talk to her more.
Lots of heart and angst in this one. Now I need to read Hoyt’s story and it doesn’t look like it will pack the same kind of punch!
Our heroine Leah is the typical SF heroine. Basically, it means that her life has and currently sucks! She was abandoned by her parents and raised in foster care(her foster care was decent so that is a switch) She is pretty but not the kind of pretty that strikes you in the face or makes you do a double take. Her dubious beginnings and the fact that she is “just a foster kid” makes it hard for her to fit in. Two people in her life have been kind, her best friend Rachel and the 7 year older hero Reece. She told Rachel once that she had a crush on the hero, but then she quickly squashed that and silently loved him from afar.
When Rachel is 20, she and the hero start a romantic relationship and get married. The h’s heart breaks, but she has forced herself to be happy for the two people she loves the most. As far as I can tell (based on ages), the hero and Bff could only have been married a couple of years. Shortly after they had their son Bobby she dies in an accident. Leaving the H widowed and fair game for the greedy, snobby in laws who want to get their hands on “Robby”. Therefore, he proposes a MOC to the h, who snaps up the opportunity as she loves Bobby and she still loves the H. She hopes he can see her in a different light. She legally adopts Bobby which means the greedy in-laws will have no hold on the son.
Our book opens 11 months after the courtroom wedding without rings. The h(24 year old virgin) and H are basically strangers. She does all the cooking, cleaning, and baby rearing. Even though the H is wealthy she doesn’t spend his money except as it pertains to the household. The h has decided to let the H go, by offering him a divorce. He may still have a chance to find love elsewhere, and since it doesn’t appear to be her, then she needs to get out now before he realizes that she loves him and he takes pity on her.
The H has been acting differently as well, so she knows he must be having 2nd thoughts. When she brings up the idea of divorce to the hero, he is stunned. He starts to take a closer look at the heroine, all the sacrifices she has made, her quiet beauty, and absolutely doesn’t want a divorce. He is further driven to make their marriage work when he catches her dancing and laughing with Hoyt, best friend, next door rancher, and world renowned womanizer. (Hoyt, is team Leah. He wants to light a fire under his friend’s butt and get him to see the woman he is married to. Hoyt, is great for a woman’s self esteem.) Hoyt is also frank with the H and tells him he better change things, or he is going to lose that woman.
So, the rest of the story is all about the H making necessary changes to secure the h. Within 48 hours of her divorce suggestion, he is boxing up his dead wife’s pictures and items, buying new bedroom furniture and moving the h into the master bedroom.
Now it is SF’s job to convince us that Leah can take over the bigger chunk of the H’s heart and relegate the Bff to the part reserved for fond memories. I do think she was able to pull this off especially when the H agreed to wear a wedding ring and his first wife could never convince him to. In my opinion, the H is probably going to be more happier with the h over time than he would have been for his first wife(maybe he will even come to that realization as well). Why do I think this?
*The first wife came from an uppity snobby family. They would have been a big part of Reece and Rachel’s married life. In fact, I am pretty sure there would have been lots of overstepping on their part. Now, I believe Rachel loved Reece, (most of us are those first couple of years) but would that love had stood the test of time being married to a rancher that really wasn’t much for socializing or material things? She was already a lady of leisure at the ranch. She had live in help to take care of all the household chores etc…Was she going to employ childcare as well? Would she have had more children? At one point would she let her mother’s venom infiltrate her marriage and cause problems. I realize this is all conjecture on my part, but I just think the Hero is a much better fit with the heroine.
Now, I will give the hero this. He jumped into the marriage with the h within months of his wife’s death. When our story opens it has been less than a year and 1/2 since she died. I would like to think that if you truly loved someone, and they were taken from you, that you wouldn’t be like…NEXT!!! He just needed to handle the situation with the h and better and talk to her more.
Lots of heart and angst in this one. Now I need to read Hoyt’s story and it doesn’t look like it will pack the same kind of punch!
May 6, 2021
2.5 Stars
I like my Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup (CCNS) straight out of the can. Of course, I heat it up, but I don’t add the recommended can of water. My all male, following instructions to the letter, family thinks I’m crazy… but I just prefer the more flavorful option. Contract Bride is like the watered-down CCNS version of the dead ex/second best trope romance. (It’s a smidge similar to Unbreak My Heart with the dead ex being the BF, her loving him first, and h coming around to take care of the dead BF kid while the H wallows in grief.- without the drama)
In a nutshell, the ingredients have the potential for an angsty emotional read, but someone added the extra can of water, and now it’s just noodley water. (I like to make up words) We have a grief-stricken H, who marries the besotted h to adopt and ensure his nasty in-laws can’t ever get his son…BUT… We get a SLOW BURN romance, an absentee not cruel H, furniture shopping, lining shelves, laundry, country dancing, a super advanced baby, a lot of talk about hair, and virtually zero feels.
Bottom Line- This is neither soapy or smutty, and I just needed more. I’m rounding up because it is written well, just not for me. (but I recommend it for fans that like low drama slow burns) The progression of the relation felt authentic, but it all takes place during one week. One REALLY long week.
I like my Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup (CCNS) straight out of the can. Of course, I heat it up, but I don’t add the recommended can of water. My all male, following instructions to the letter, family thinks I’m crazy… but I just prefer the more flavorful option. Contract Bride is like the watered-down CCNS version of the dead ex/second best trope romance. (It’s a smidge similar to Unbreak My Heart with the dead ex being the BF, her loving him first, and h coming around to take care of the dead BF kid while the H wallows in grief.- without the drama)
In a nutshell, the ingredients have the potential for an angsty emotional read, but someone added the extra can of water, and now it’s just noodley water. (I like to make up words) We have a grief-stricken H, who marries the besotted h to adopt and ensure his nasty in-laws can’t ever get his son…BUT… We get a SLOW BURN romance, an absentee not cruel H, furniture shopping, lining shelves, laundry, country dancing, a super advanced baby, a lot of talk about hair, and virtually zero feels.
Bottom Line- This is neither soapy or smutty, and I just needed more. I’m rounding up because it is written well, just not for me. (but I recommend it for fans that like low drama slow burns) The progression of the relation felt authentic, but it all takes place during one week. One REALLY long week.
April 23, 2021
Looking back after a second reading, 4 stars :)
The best character in this book is little Bobby: "No bash. No ni-night, mommy!" ❤️ I love him. I liked the story and I don't think that the h is a second choice as I have read in other reviews (I believe in the possibility of truly loving more people in the course of life), but Reece's passage to an inconsolable widower, who barely thinks of Leah as a woman, to husband in love, is actually too sudden for me. Within a few pages we see him thinking of her hair first as trivial and then as wonderful. I already knew that Reece is not a smart man, but here it almost seems that they gave him a blow on the head to wake up like a new man 🤣
The best character in this book is little Bobby: "No bash. No ni-night, mommy!" ❤️ I love him. I liked the story and I don't think that the h is a second choice as I have read in other reviews (I believe in the possibility of truly loving more people in the course of life), but Reece's passage to an inconsolable widower, who barely thinks of Leah as a woman, to husband in love, is actually too sudden for me. Within a few pages we see him thinking of her hair first as trivial and then as wonderful. I already knew that Reece is not a smart man, but here it almost seems that they gave him a blow on the head to wake up like a new man 🤣
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2015
This book was really hard to get in to. Starts off with Hero and Heroine getting married b/c the Hero's wife has died. He was in love with his wife and the h was her best friend. The h had seen the H first but never showed the H that she cared for him. So for many years she was in love w/ the H and never told him or her best friend.
Ok i am going to start off by saying?? what teenager does not confide in her best friend that she likes some one????? and if she had and her said best friend still went out and got married to the H then was she really the h's bff?? Any whoo that is my soap box on that.......
but over all the story is ok. Honestly certain chapters got boring for me so I skipped through them fairly fast. the ending came fast, I mean the last three or four pages was h confessing her love for him and he for her and that was it HEA! Very fast ending and very hard for me to believe in there HEA. I mean he has a built in nanny, maid, cook and ranch manager. and Sex on tap what more could a guy want??
Ok i am going to start off by saying?? what teenager does not confide in her best friend that she likes some one????? and if she had and her said best friend still went out and got married to the H then was she really the h's bff?? Any whoo that is my soap box on that.......
but over all the story is ok. Honestly certain chapters got boring for me so I skipped through them fairly fast. the ending came fast, I mean the last three or four pages was h confessing her love for him and he for her and that was it HEA! Very fast ending and very hard for me to believe in there HEA. I mean he has a built in nanny, maid, cook and ranch manager. and Sex on tap what more could a guy want??
June 21, 2023
I don’t think I’ve read such a sad and depressing book lately.
If there’s a second best medal she won it.
The heroine has been in love with the hero since she was 17 and he was much older, sadly he never even saw her and as soon as he met her bff he fell madly in love with her and got married.
The idiot heroine stayed celibate for years and when her bff died after her son’s birth and left the hero bereft and alone with a child, she proposed a moc to raise her bff son.
One year later she decides that the hero might be unhappy with her since she’s basically his free nanny cum housekeeper and nothing else, and asks him if he wants a divorce.
He doesn’t. Too messy. So in a couple of days he decides that since he can’t have the hot piece and love of his life dead wife, the heroine could do.
After all he’s a young male with needs and she’s been soooo good at all the rest so of course sex will have to do.
And eventually she reveals her love to him, with some guilt too, but he reassures her he didn’t ever notice, her or her being in love, so no harm done.
Honestly. Why does this book have been written? It’s obvious that the hero never considered the heroine and his wife was his first choice.
And it’s obvious that he is making the best he can do with what he has now, a very good, fine, caring and hardworking woman who loves both him and his son.
But of course his wife is the love of his life.
And the heroine, an orphan without any real ability, she teaches on Sunday school, really, nor self respect, is the epitome of doormat. She hasn’t a thought for herself, she’s always thinking of him and his well-being. How sad, again.
And how sad she couldn’t stop salivating after her bff husband! Ow seems to have been a good woman, beautiful and sweet too, very lively and also loyal to the heroine since her parents didn’t want her to see the poor and destitute heroine, but she remained her bff all the same, so I can’t not mourn the poor woman and regret that she died leaving the hero and her child to the heroine…
No big revelation in the end, the hero never admits to I don’t know, maybe having a secret crush for the heroine or being in lust with her, or being less than satisfied with his perfect first wife so the heroine is only a filler for something he can’t have.
I want to cry now, or maybe drink. I only know that for me there’s no hea here.
If there’s a second best medal she won it.
The heroine has been in love with the hero since she was 17 and he was much older, sadly he never even saw her and as soon as he met her bff he fell madly in love with her and got married.
The idiot heroine stayed celibate for years and when her bff died after her son’s birth and left the hero bereft and alone with a child, she proposed a moc to raise her bff son.
One year later she decides that the hero might be unhappy with her since she’s basically his free nanny cum housekeeper and nothing else, and asks him if he wants a divorce.
He doesn’t. Too messy. So in a couple of days he decides that since he can’t have the hot piece and love of his life dead wife, the heroine could do.
After all he’s a young male with needs and she’s been soooo good at all the rest so of course sex will have to do.
And eventually she reveals her love to him, with some guilt too, but he reassures her he didn’t ever notice, her or her being in love, so no harm done.
Honestly. Why does this book have been written? It’s obvious that the hero never considered the heroine and his wife was his first choice.
And it’s obvious that he is making the best he can do with what he has now, a very good, fine, caring and hardworking woman who loves both him and his son.
But of course his wife is the love of his life.
And the heroine, an orphan without any real ability, she teaches on Sunday school, really, nor self respect, is the epitome of doormat. She hasn’t a thought for herself, she’s always thinking of him and his well-being. How sad, again.
And how sad she couldn’t stop salivating after her bff husband! Ow seems to have been a good woman, beautiful and sweet too, very lively and also loyal to the heroine since her parents didn’t want her to see the poor and destitute heroine, but she remained her bff all the same, so I can’t not mourn the poor woman and regret that she died leaving the hero and her child to the heroine…
No big revelation in the end, the hero never admits to I don’t know, maybe having a secret crush for the heroine or being in lust with her, or being less than satisfied with his perfect first wife so the heroine is only a filler for something he can’t have.
I want to cry now, or maybe drink. I only know that for me there’s no hea here.
July 5, 2019
Description:
She was a convenient bride…
When Reece Waverly became a widower with an infant son to care for, he turned to Leah Gray. They had a strong friendship and he knew she’d make the perfect wife and mother. It was a convenient marriage—only Reece had no idea Leah had been secretly in love with him for years.…
Could she become a wife for real
Leah convinced herself she could live with this arrangement, for the baby’s sake. But after a year she’s forced to admit that she’d hoped to become Reece’s wife in more than name only. On the verge of leaving, Leah is stunned when Reece declares it’s time he claimed her as his bride for real!
She was a convenient bride…
When Reece Waverly became a widower with an infant son to care for, he turned to Leah Gray. They had a strong friendship and he knew she’d make the perfect wife and mother. It was a convenient marriage—only Reece had no idea Leah had been secretly in love with him for years.…
Could she become a wife for real
Leah convinced herself she could live with this arrangement, for the baby’s sake. But after a year she’s forced to admit that she’d hoped to become Reece’s wife in more than name only. On the verge of leaving, Leah is stunned when Reece declares it’s time he claimed her as his bride for real!
October 12, 2020
You get both the H and the h's perspective in alternate chapters. The story line is very maudlin with the H and h marrying within months of H becoming a widower. The h has always been in love with H even when he was married to her best friend. Despite how the story begins it does redeem itself in the way it was written.
August 28, 2020
Grief-stricken pair marries for the sake of his son. She's his dead wife's best friend who has been hopelessly in love with him for years and this is the story of how she forces them both to choose to make a lasting marriage.
March 5, 2025
A really endearing unrequited love story. Dead wife, heroine marries hero for the sake of his kid, she has crushed on him since before he married her best friend. Written in a rather soft, yet angsty way that pulled on your heartstrings. And really good POV from the hero.
December 5, 2017
Good
This was a good story and a quick read. I was happy to see that all of the characters got a happy ending.
This was a good story and a quick read. I was happy to see that all of the characters got a happy ending.
February 24, 2018
4.25 stars!!!
January 23, 2019
Good. Would've liked a longer ending but know they have to keep it short in the allotted number of pages.
April 24, 2021
I think he had the right to mourn his first wife and a year is not such a long time so it was hard to sympathize with the heroine. She expected too much too soon. I like to read about an unrequited love that turns to a fairy tale. It’s less heartbreaking if the first wife was not a nice person. Here like in “Sarah’s child “ is not the case. The heroine needs to accept to be the second best until a miracle happens. She really seemed to be a decent person and I felt sorry for her. She got her HEA though. I expected more drama or twist in the end. At least some relapse of grief and guilt on his part but not hers.
The writing was good.
The writing was good.
January 26, 2023
Contract Bride
I really love this book of a loyal best friend who loved this man that married her best friend and kept her feelings to herself.
That is a true friend.
I really love this book of a loyal best friend who loved this man that married her best friend and kept her feelings to herself.
That is a true friend.
June 11, 2024
"Leah" and "Rachel"
Really? 🙄
Really? 🙄
September 20, 2025
The kind of hero who thinks and feels like a woman - in other words, artificial.
May 20, 2020
Her best friend has died, leaving a grieving husband & a baby behind. Leah agrees to marry Reece to provide the child with a mother, but doesn't dare reveal that she's in love with him.
I know some think that his change of opinion of her was too abrupt, but it was very logical to me. I did like that the reader was able to see what Reece was thinking as the process unfolds. I thought this was a very sweet, low-angst story .
I know some think that his change of opinion of her was too abrupt, but it was very logical to me. I did like that the reader was able to see what Reece was thinking as the process unfolds. I thought this was a very sweet, low-angst story .
February 19, 2014
Me gusto mucho la dinámica de la trama, una pareja unida en una necesidad, Unidos por un fin común y en el borde del abismo descubren el amor.. Bien entretenida y enternecedora.
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