Blog Tour + Excerpt + Review: "My One-Week Husband" by Lauren Blakely

Congratulations to Lauren Blakely on her latest release, "My One-Week Husband." It is a standalone novel, but readers familiar with The Extravagant series may recognize the male lead, Daniel Stewart, who played a significant role in "One Exquisite Touch."

"My One-Week Husband" was a super steamy fake relationship romance between friends and business partners Scarlett Slade and Daniel Stewart. Their flirty, teasing banter had me laughing out loud from the very first chapter, and the sparks between them practically flew off the page. I also loved the book's setting in France; Blakely described the locations they visited so well that at times I felt like I was standing right there beside them.

 

Even though they had secretly been attracted to each other for years, both Scarlett and Daniel resisted acting on their feelings for fear of ruining their business relationship, as well as the emotional baggage they each carried. When they decided to pose as newlyweds on a week-long business trip to investigate a chain of hotels they were considering purchasing, it was almost too easy for them to slip into the game of pretend. Daniel and Scarlett agreed to end their affair at the conclusion of the trip, but as they shared more about themselves and their pasts, it became harder for them to imagine walking away. To make a real relationship work, they would each have to let go of the trauma of their pasts, but that proved to be challenging for them both. Both Daniel and Scarlett had been through more than their fair share of heartache, and it was easy for me to root for them to work things out so that they could finally be happy together.  

Overall, while "My One-Week Husband" wasn't my favorite of Blakely's books, I did enjoy it and would recommend it for fans of spicy contemporary romance. I look forward to whatever Blakely writes next.

 

*Review copy provided by the author via Candi Kane PR. All opinions expressed are my own.

 

 

About "My One-Week Husband"

A week-long trip. A fake marriage. And seven delicious nights with only one bed in the hotel room.

He's my business partner, my good friend, and the man I've craved for years.

But I've resisted the sexy Brit, and I plan to keep up my walls because I've been there, done that, and I know how much it hurts when you let someone into your heart.

Then an opportunity comes along for us to snag the business deal of a lifetime.

The catch?

We need to pretend we're married to pull off this high-stakes deal.

So the clever, charming man with secrets a mile deep becomes my temporary husband, as we travel around Europe. Soon, we fall into bed, tangled together like newlyweds who can't keep their hands off each other.

One week to explore our fantasies, then we return to who we were.

But when I learn the dark secrets he's been keeping, I doubt we can go back.

Because they change everything.

My One-Week Husband is a standalone romance! 

 

 

Read an Excerpt from "My One-Week Husband"

“Are you a doctor?” she counters, but she lets me inspect her injury.

“I’m the doctor in the room,” I tease.

I ask where it hurts, and she points to her wrist, frowning. I run a thumb gently along that tender spot, that tantalizing place that can drive a woman wild.

If you touch her just right.

Which it seems I am doing, since Scarlett’s breath hitches.

“Daniel,” she whispers, her voice perhaps betraying her. “I’m fine. I swear I’m fine.”

I tuck my finger under her chin, lift it, and meet her gaze. “Are you sure?”

She nods, her eyes a little glossy. “I swear I am.”

“Let’s be certain.”

I lift her wrist to my face, my eyes on hers. Waiting for a sign. Waiting for more.

“Yes, please.”

So I bring her wrist to my lips and press a kiss to my business partner’s skin.

She lets out a low moan.

A groan works its way up my chest, and I swallow it down as I dust my lips over her pulse point.

I close my eyes, inhaling her, savoring the scent of her skin, of her lotion, of her Scarlett-ness.

I should move away. But she’s right here.

Images of last night’s fantasies flicker before me, along with the moment just now in front of the mirror, and how she looked at the reflection of her and me.

I open my eyes.

She nibbles on the corner of her lips, gazing down a me as I look up at her.

Is she thinking the same thing I am?

One kiss.

One taste.

That’s all.

I tamp down the groan in my throat as I breathe in.

Then, I take the next step.

I stand, gently take her uninjured hand, and carefully tug her up.

I reach toward her hair, tucking an errant strand behind her ear, testing to see if she’ll make that sound again.

That gasp. That hitch of her breath.

She does. It’s sensual and erotic, and it goes straight to my cock.

I do the one thing I’ve thought about doing for the last few years. The thing I’ve prided myself on resisting. I move closer, lean in, and press a kiss to her cheek.

It’s the same type of kiss I’ve given her every time we greet each other. But this time, I linger. I don’t back away. I simply brush my lips across her cheek and whisper, “All better now?”