anabelsbrother's review against another edition
4.0
CW: attempted assault
What a ride!
One Night Wife has a different vibe to it than Ainslie's Stubborn Hearts books, and I am here for this. I've always loved con stories (one of my favourite series is Ally Carter's Heist Society), so this one was pretty easy to get into.
I really liked Cal and the Sherwoods, especially Katrice, the Sherwood matriarch, professional badass. Would definitely welcome a prequel novella about her and Cal's dad in their youth, conning the rich and navigating their forbidden romance. Finley reminds me a bit of Flick from The Love Coupon. She's adorable and I would protect her with my life.
Cal and Finley's relationship gave me the feels; he needed her for a long con so they faked a relationship, and you know how angsty fake relationships could be. I can definitely relate with Cal; Finley was hard not to love. The 90% mark stressed me out so much, and I was even more stressed when we got to the end and there was no epilogue. Why did you deprive me of an epilogue, Ainslie?????
Overall, One Night Wife was a great start to a new series and I'm very much looking forward to Book 2. I'm lowkey hoping we get to see the Sherwoods' other alliance families as well later in series.
E-ARC is received thanks to the publisher via Netgalley.
What a ride!
One Night Wife has a different vibe to it than Ainslie's Stubborn Hearts books, and I am here for this. I've always loved con stories (one of my favourite series is Ally Carter's Heist Society), so this one was pretty easy to get into.
I really liked Cal and the Sherwoods, especially Katrice, the Sherwood matriarch, professional badass. Would definitely welcome a prequel novella about her and Cal's dad in their youth, conning the rich and navigating their forbidden romance. Finley reminds me a bit of Flick from The Love Coupon. She's adorable and I would protect her with my life.
Cal and Finley's relationship gave me the feels; he needed her for a long con so they faked a relationship, and you know how angsty fake relationships could be. I can definitely relate with Cal; Finley was hard not to love. The 90% mark stressed me out so much, and I was even more stressed when we got to the end and there was no epilogue. Why did you deprive me of an epilogue, Ainslie?????
Overall, One Night Wife was a great start to a new series and I'm very much looking forward to Book 2. I'm lowkey hoping we get to see the Sherwoods' other alliance families as well later in series.
E-ARC is received thanks to the publisher via Netgalley.
storieswithsoul's review against another edition
3.0
This book started really well. I was quite interested in the story but it progressed it became boring to me. I couldn't connect with either character, I think there were a lot of emotional repetitions. Overall the book was focused way too much on the professional side than on the romantic side. However, the ending was interesting. So it has a good start and a good ending, with some boring parts in the middle.
Finley is desperately trying to find donors for her charity. That's how she meets Cal. He offers to help her in finding said donors. In return she has to help him in his business dealings. It all sounded pretty simple and straightforward to her. They pretend to be dating in front of bunch of rich people and talk them into giving them money. And well, it works too. Soon she has enough donations to start her charity work. Would could possibly go wrong?
Cal is a workaholic. His job is his life and Finley is a complication he doesn't need. It becomes more and more difficult for him to stay away from her. In the end he decides to go for it. After all they both love each other so they will make it work. Or so he thinks, but he is in for a surprise...
A good read, I'd recommend it to those who enjoy contemporary romance and don't mind workaholics. It has some really good moments and some cringe worthy scenes, all in all, it's an little above average read.
Finley is desperately trying to find donors for her charity. That's how she meets Cal. He offers to help her in finding said donors. In return she has to help him in his business dealings. It all sounded pretty simple and straightforward to her. They pretend to be dating in front of bunch of rich people and talk them into giving them money. And well, it works too. Soon she has enough donations to start her charity work. Would could possibly go wrong?
Cal is a workaholic. His job is his life and Finley is a complication he doesn't need. It becomes more and more difficult for him to stay away from her. In the end he decides to go for it. After all they both love each other so they will make it work. Or so he thinks, but he is in for a surprise...
A good read, I'd recommend it to those who enjoy contemporary romance and don't mind workaholics. It has some really good moments and some cringe worthy scenes, all in all, it's an little above average read.
paddlefoot55's review against another edition
ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review
I have said it before and I will say it again, an Ainslie Paton book is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
One Night Wife starts with a meet-cute that will have you smiling from ear to ear, and then the games begin.
Finley and Caleb's story isn't the usual strangers-meet-in-a-bar story. I adore Finley, and Caleb is all kinds of gorgeous.
I love the grifter storyline, it is smart and witty and not something I have read a lot of. I love the player getting played - or do they?
A modern day play on Robin Hood, One Night Wife played me, had me hooked and lead me on for the long con. And I adored it.
I can't wait to see what Ms Paton brings us next.
I have said it before and I will say it again, an Ainslie Paton book is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.
One Night Wife starts with a meet-cute that will have you smiling from ear to ear, and then the games begin.
Finley and Caleb's story isn't the usual strangers-meet-in-a-bar story. I adore Finley, and Caleb is all kinds of gorgeous.
I love the grifter storyline, it is smart and witty and not something I have read a lot of. I love the player getting played - or do they?
A modern day play on Robin Hood, One Night Wife played me, had me hooked and lead me on for the long con. And I adored it.
I can't wait to see what Ms Paton brings us next.
the_discworldian's review against another edition
4.0
Popsugar 2022 Reading Challenge: A book with a misleading title
So, this book is basically: Leverage, but make it romance.
Me reacting to this idea
There's a lot of very satisfying material here. I have never wanted a romance hero to be real before, but I wanted Cal Sherwood (or more accurately, his entire family and their mission) to enter the real world IMMEDIATELY. A family of con artists fleecing wealthy and horrible people and using the money to fight climate change and fund community health clinics?
I didn't get quite as much of the con artistry as I would have liked, but that's because this is, at heart, a romance novel and so the focus has to be on that central relationship. By and large, it works. Finley is a slightly impulsive young woman who has a tendency to run when things get tough. Cal is a dedicated CEO of a family business empire that just happens to be legally shady (and his parents - Mom especially - are marvelous). The details are what make the story good: the "she's sick and he takes care of her" trope is taken to a different level when instead of having a cold or flu the heroine is suffering from horrible period symptoms; the heroine loves Marilyn Monroe but instead of just thinking about the image she's an encyclopedia of Marilyn Monroe quotations; the hero considerately offers to have the heroine text his photo and details to a friend before they enter a hotel to (not, it turns out) hook up. Every rich person they encounter is revoltingly believable, which makes it all the more satisfying that Finley uses her skills to get them to fund her charity.
My one complaint came in the third act, with the Moment of Truth.
So basically, don't come in expecting Leverage, but if you like the theme of the show you might very well enjoy One Night Wife. You figure it out.
So, this book is basically: Leverage, but make it romance.
Me reacting to this idea
There's a lot of very satisfying material here. I have never wanted a romance hero to be real before, but I wanted Cal Sherwood (or more accurately, his entire family and their mission) to enter the real world IMMEDIATELY. A family of con artists fleecing wealthy and horrible people and using the money to fight climate change and fund community health clinics?
I didn't get quite as much of the con artistry as I would have liked, but that's because this is, at heart, a romance novel and so the focus has to be on that central relationship. By and large, it works. Finley is a slightly impulsive young woman who has a tendency to run when things get tough. Cal is a dedicated CEO of a family business empire that just happens to be legally shady (and his parents - Mom especially - are marvelous). The details are what make the story good: the "she's sick and he takes care of her" trope is taken to a different level when instead of having a cold or flu the heroine is suffering from horrible period symptoms; the heroine loves Marilyn Monroe but instead of just thinking about the image she's an encyclopedia of Marilyn Monroe quotations; the hero considerately offers to have the heroine text his photo and details to a friend before they enter a hotel to (not, it turns out) hook up. Every rich person they encounter is revoltingly believable, which makes it all the more satisfying that Finley uses her skills to get them to fund her charity.
My one complaint came in the third act, with the Moment of Truth.
Spoiler
I was really hoping that, especially with so little left of the book, Fin would surprise Cal by accepting the revelation of his familiar criminal empire with a big "so what?" The moment when she takes all of his money for her charity is great and consistent, but the "by the way, here's the truth about me" and "oh no I've been lied to and betrayed" story beats were just so. Expected.So basically, don't come in expecting Leverage, but if you like the theme of the show you might very well enjoy One Night Wife. You figure it out.
loveinpanels's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure whether it's me or the book this time around, but One Night Wife didn't give me the happy feeling I need from romance these days. If I'm honest? It made me more depressed about the state of the world. The premise is that of a Robin Hood hero, working within the upper echelons of NYC's social scene to fleece rich a$$holes of their billions, then redirect that money to charity. The heroine is one of two young women running an awkwardly named non-profit that facilitates micro-loans to disadvantaged women around the world, helping them to lift their families out of poverty.
There were a lot of things in the book that worked for me, like Paton's usual banter and sexual tension. There were also a lot of things that didn't work for me, however. For starters, the book is overwhelmingly populated by white, rich, and privileged jerks. Now, there's an argument to be made that the book is about a family, so it makes sense for them to be racially matched, that the distribution of the super-wealthy in the US is almost exclusively white, and that the whole point is that the rich are a$$holes and don't deserve to hoard their un-earned wealth. Yes to all of that - but that doesn't make it fun to read about.
I did enjoy the exploration of grifting lingo and the art of the con, but overall the book focuses more on Cal and his family (rightfully so?) and we lose the value of Finley's nonprofit work. It gets funding, yay! She explains over and over why they deserve funding, yay! But then the nonprofit is overshadowed by the Big Con, and it made me sad. I've worked for a number of nonprofits over the years and I know well that it's poor people who donate. Poor people who work there. Poor people who actually give a damn. It's just... I guess I wanted Cal's HEA to be working as a white hat, using his powers for legal good and maybe even to influence the political system rather than essentially giving up on humanity.
Here's the thing - I know that this is a fiction. I know that the entire premise is supposed to be wish-fulfillment. That's why I wanted the wish-fulfillment to be a little less... realistic and depressing. Paton maybe did too good a job of making me see the underbelly of the super-rich, the way they treat women and the legal system and don't care about anything. I kind of wanted a win, even if it was fake. I wanted someone to go to jail, I wanted to see Alex Astor's fall, not just read about it in a throwaway sentence.
Anyway, the book didn't work for me as well as Paton's books usually do. I think that if you're here for Paton's usual sexy fluff, you might be disappointed. If you're here for glitz and crime and something of an antihero who's not that antiheroic, you may be satisfied. Just don't expect it to make you feel better about the current state of wealth distribution and misogyny.
There were a lot of things in the book that worked for me, like Paton's usual banter and sexual tension. There were also a lot of things that didn't work for me, however. For starters, the book is overwhelmingly populated by white, rich, and privileged jerks. Now, there's an argument to be made that the book is about a family, so it makes sense for them to be racially matched, that the distribution of the super-wealthy in the US is almost exclusively white, and that the whole point is that the rich are a$$holes and don't deserve to hoard their un-earned wealth. Yes to all of that - but that doesn't make it fun to read about.
I did enjoy the exploration of grifting lingo and the art of the con, but overall the book focuses more on Cal and his family (rightfully so?) and we lose the value of Finley's nonprofit work. It gets funding, yay! She explains over and over why they deserve funding, yay! But then the nonprofit is overshadowed by the Big Con, and it made me sad. I've worked for a number of nonprofits over the years and I know well that it's poor people who donate. Poor people who work there. Poor people who actually give a damn. It's just... I guess I wanted Cal's HEA to be working as a white hat, using his powers for legal good and maybe even to influence the political system rather than essentially giving up on humanity.
Here's the thing - I know that this is a fiction. I know that the entire premise is supposed to be wish-fulfillment. That's why I wanted the wish-fulfillment to be a little less... realistic and depressing. Paton maybe did too good a job of making me see the underbelly of the super-rich, the way they treat women and the legal system and don't care about anything. I kind of wanted a win, even if it was fake. I wanted someone to go to jail, I wanted to see Alex Astor's fall, not just read about it in a throwaway sentence.
Anyway, the book didn't work for me as well as Paton's books usually do. I think that if you're here for Paton's usual sexy fluff, you might be disappointed. If you're here for glitz and crime and something of an antihero who's not that antiheroic, you may be satisfied. Just don't expect it to make you feel better about the current state of wealth distribution and misogyny.
tanellenash's review against another edition
4.0
I was given an advanced copy through Net gallery in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a stay-up-all-night-reading kind of story; I couldn’t put it down. The plot moves pretty well, it does get a little clunky at times, but overall is flow nicely. The character development is there but let’s be honest: for a romance book you don’t expect a ton of character development. You want chemistry between the leads and this book has it in spades.
This book is a stay-up-all-night-reading kind of story; I couldn’t put it down. The plot moves pretty well, it does get a little clunky at times, but overall is flow nicely. The character development is there but let’s be honest: for a romance book you don’t expect a ton of character development. You want chemistry between the leads and this book has it in spades.
afoolsingenuity's review against another edition
4.0
Who doesn't love Robin Hood? A man who steals.from the rich and gives to the poor sounds perfect. Such an idealist. And as someone who has spent time struggling to make ends meet while others live lavish lifestyles and live to excess I think we can all say the current world feels like it needs a couple of Robin Hoods about.
Turns out Cal was my kind of mine and I loved seeing him and Fin dance around one another as he took residence in the land of Denial. Man was denying so hard about his feelings it was obvious he had them. He doth protest too much. Way too much. It was fun seeing him slowly give in though. Great read.
Turns out Cal was my kind of mine and I loved seeing him and Fin dance around one another as he took residence in the land of Denial. Man was denying so hard about his feelings it was obvious he had them. He doth protest too much. Way too much. It was fun seeing him slowly give in though. Great read.
jenreadsromance's review
3.0
So. This is a total slow burn and I think works for a lot of reasons. The set up is pretty great. I loved Cal and his whole family's long con. Finley is a great character, and her being pulled into his con in order to help her legitimate non-profit is a great touch. The best part of this book kept reminding me of Jenny Crusie's Welcome to Temptation and Faking It...which is a super high compliment.
The development of the Art of the Con overtook some of the romance for me, but ultimately I did buy it as a slow burn romance. Cal has a reason for trying to stay away from her and she's so heartbroken when she finds out that he's a con artist. For the most part, I liked and believed the development of their emotional connection.
I have super mixed feelings about some things that happen in the end and that whole chapter sort of spiked the book for me, to be honest.
The development of the Art of the Con overtook some of the romance for me, but ultimately I did buy it as a slow burn romance. Cal has a reason for trying to stay away from her and she's so heartbroken when she finds out that he's a con artist. For the most part, I liked and believed the development of their emotional connection.
I have super mixed feelings about some things that happen in the end
Spoiler
like was it really necessary for Finley to head to Africa to have her epiphany there? I mean, I get it because of her NGO, but it's really never a good look for a white lady to get woke to the ways of the world in a foreign land,fatemahmorozova's review
I liked the concept and I really wanted to finish and enjoy this but there was no suspense or high stakes in terms of the relationship because they both blatantly fancied each other and I didn't really care about the conning so much so nothing really to make me want to read on.
samnreader's review
3.0
I loved what I saw as the premise of this book. It's MOC meets fake relationship....It's a con man who pulls someone in just enough to not know she's part of a major game. And ultimately, it's a sweet story.
There's good stuff here--the Sherwood family, of which Cal, the hero, belongs gets rich off scamming heartless oppressor mega rich. Lots of things here that make Americans angry in everyday life (tax loopholes, rich don't donate much etc etc) and there's discussion of it too. Artful? Nah. But that it's there get it credit. And yes, Robin Hood.
I've read Ainslie Paton before. I think her books end up being a tale of 3 stories. Not sure what to say but that the beginning, middle, and end have a weirdly disjointed feel-and where I really enjoyed the beginning: The chemistry between the lovable main characters, Fin, and Cal. Cal's slow realization of why and how he was coming to love Fin. The torture of putting off a physical relationship for a purely business one--it sagged. It sagged so much by the time they kissed and slept together I didn't find it hot, I just did not care. And by the end. I was skimming.
As it stands I'm at 85%. Paton's pacing is weird. I'm coming to the realization that she's not the author for me, sad as that is. The big secret still isn't revealed, and with so little page count left, I'm not really curious how it goes or how it's resolved. It's a bummer, some really nice writing (some melodramatic) and a promising, clever, and low angst book have me technically DNFing, but you know...85% counts for me. Low drama should not necessarily mean low tension--and somehow, that's just what happens here.
There's good stuff here--the Sherwood family, of which Cal, the hero, belongs gets rich off scamming heartless oppressor mega rich. Lots of things here that make Americans angry in everyday life (tax loopholes, rich don't donate much etc etc) and there's discussion of it too. Artful? Nah. But that it's there get it credit. And yes, Robin Hood.
I've read Ainslie Paton before. I think her books end up being a tale of 3 stories. Not sure what to say but that the beginning, middle, and end have a weirdly disjointed feel-and where I really enjoyed the beginning: The chemistry between the lovable main characters, Fin, and Cal. Cal's slow realization of why and how he was coming to love Fin. The torture of putting off a physical relationship for a purely business one--it sagged. It sagged so much by the time they kissed and slept together I didn't find it hot, I just did not care. And by the end. I was skimming.
As it stands I'm at 85%. Paton's pacing is weird. I'm coming to the realization that she's not the author for me, sad as that is. The big secret still isn't revealed, and with so little page count left, I'm not really curious how it goes or how it's resolved. It's a bummer, some really nice writing (some melodramatic) and a promising, clever, and low angst book have me technically DNFing, but you know...85% counts for me. Low drama should not necessarily mean low tension--and somehow, that's just what happens here.
More...