| Title | : | An Unsuitable Husband |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781622663255 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 180 |
| Publication | : | First published April 21, 2014 |
Theresa’s outrageous proposal is the answer to Emile’s problem. They’re complete opposites living in different worlds, but a fake marriage will let him ditch his clingy ex once and for all. Then he’ll be free of commitment and free to live his life the way he wants to.
A contract. Twelve months. And they walk away Scott free. But a year of marriage tests them both in unimaginable ways. Maybe Emile isn’t unsuitable after all, but how can Theresa let herself love him when she signed a contract to let him go?
An Unsuitable Husband Reviews
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Reasons you should read An Unsuitable Husband:
1) It's set in London (always nice to read a book set on our little island)
2) It has a very sexy Frenchman
3) It has a feisty strong lady
4) It's sexy, passionate and intimate
5) It's laugh-out-loud funny
Theresa Chartley, corporate lawyer, singleton and commitment-phobe meets a sexy stranger in a nightclub. Emile Renaud is that stranger and after rapidly swapping actual dancing to that of the horizontal variety, she discovers he's French, wealthy and a footballer with the playboy reputation to go with it. Throw in a nagging mother, a stalker of an ex-girlfriend and a proposition, and we get a romantic journey that is fun, sexy, frustrating, touching and sweet in every way.
I absolutely loved it. I don't believe that I have ever laughed so hard when reading an Indulgence book and I sincerely hope that this is what Ros Clarke intended (if not I am clearly just warped), as from very early on in the book I was having a major fit of the giggle-snorts. It was perfect British dry humour, but balanced with equally perfect passion and Theresa and Emile had an amazing chemistry on all levels. I loved Theresa and her wit, confidence and down-to-earth nature and Emile, oh I adored him. I fell in love with the Frenchman who puts the mmm in Monsieur…
Yes ok maybe a touch too old but my Emile was David Ginola. He had it all; he said and did the right things and was cocky, confident, witty, cheeky and thoughtful. I even read all his dialogue with a French accent!
So yes, I sighed and swooned, laughed and smiled. If a light, low-angst, fun, passionate romance with a real couple is what you're after, this is the book.
I received a copy of this courtesy of Entangled Publishing for an honest and unbiased opinion -
The marriage of convenience plot is one I particularly like in historicals and I'm always on the lookout for a good contemporary one, where the setup actually makes sense. The description of this one didn't sound particularly promising, but since it had football in it (the soccer kind, rather than American football), I decided to give it a shot.
Theresa Chartley is out clubbing and starts dancing with a really sexy guy. The dancing heats up, and they end up at his. Theresa is really not into sports or celebrities at all, so she only realises her one-night-stand partner is famous French footballer Emile Renaud the next morning, when he actually has to tell her who he is (and what he is when that happens, is very amused).
Turns out both are in a situation where they need to get married. Theresa's mother is driving her crazy trying to set her up with elegible (read: boring) men, and what better way to get her off Theresa's back permanently than actually getting married to someone her mum will be utterly shocked by? As for Emile, after getting involved in a fight with a teammate (one that was not his fault but was partly fueled by his reputation), he has just been informed by his club that his reputation is bringing the club into disrepute and they might not renew his contract at the end of the year. His manager suggests getting engaged would help. One marriage of convenience coming right up!
There were actually things I liked in the first half, which is how far I got. Theresa is competely unapologetic about her sex life, loves her career and has no intention to let her marriage to Emile affect it, and is no pushover. She tells Emile straight out that he doesn't ever get to dictate what she wears, and doesn't go all silly and weak at every opportunity. She's a bit (well, a lot) of a commitmentphobe, and I didn't get the feeling she was going to be portrayed as wrong, wrong, wrong and how dare a woman not want marriage.
The problem was that I did not believe for one second anything about the marriage of convenience setup. The justification was just utter rubbish. Let's start with Theresa. This is supposed to be a strong woman who knows what she wants. Everything else about the book, including her relationship with Emile tells us and shows us so. And yet she can't stand up to her ridiculous mother? She'll go to the extreme of actually getting married to stop the matchmaking (which, as a plan, doesn't even make sense)?
As for Emile's situation, my reaction was along the lines of: hahahahhahahahhahhahahah! I think this might have worked a bit better if he'd had another occupation, something where being a bit of a player and womaniser might actually have an impact on his employers' revenues (although these days, I'm not quite sure what that would be). Sorry, but that just does not happen in football. If you're as great a player as Emile's supposed to be, you have to do a lot worse for the supporters and the club to care in the slightest (and we're talking "doing an antisemitic gesture on the pitch" worse here, not, say, "being caught with prostitutes" worse). At the same time, there were things about his behaviour that would have enraged me as a supporter, but they're completely glossed over and portrayed as fine and unremarkable. Sorry, but if I ever see a Liverpool player out clubbing 'til the wee hours the night before a match, I'll personally march him straight home (and not in a sexy kind of way).
In general, I got the definite feeling that the author doesn't knows much about football, and that was a problem. Emile's supposed to play in the Premier League, in a big club (Woolwich sounds a bit like Arsenal, with their red kits and long rivalry with Spurs). And yet the scenes where he's actually playing and interacting with his teammates feel more like a pub team kicking a ball around in the park on a Sunday morning.
And then... I can tell you exactly where I stopped reading. It was the scene where Theresa takes Emile to meet her parents. Her mum asks how they met, and he says:"She was dancing", Emile added, "and it was as though she was making love. I watched her and I wanted her." He leaned across to kiss her on the lips, then sat back. "So I took her home and made love to her as though we were still dancing."
And he then adds a couple of paragraphs later (still to her parents) that he wasn't in love with her then, but the next morning "[his] heart caught up with [his] cock".
I get it that the point of the marriage for Theresa is to shock her mother, but seriously. There's outrageous and provocative, and then there's crass, and that was crass.
MY GRADE: A DNF. -
Theresa Chartley has no time for marriage, and no room for disappointment--especially with French soccer player Emile Renaud. Sure, he’s gorgeous, but he’s wrong for a career woman like Theresa. If only her mother would stop pressuring her to get married and let her live her own life. Finding a very unsuitable husband to shock her parents into silence and put an end to the marriage campaign is the only answer. Emile will do just fine.
Theresa’s outrageous proposal is the answer to Emile’s problem. They’re complete opposites living in different worlds, but a fake marriage will let him ditch his clingy ex once and for all. Then he’ll be free of commitment and free to live his life the way he wants to.
A contract. Twelve months. And they walk away Scott free. But a year of marriage tests them both in unimaginable ways. Maybe Emile isn’t unsuitable after all, but how can Theresa let herself love him when she signed a contract to let him go?
Review:
Sexy, French Soccer Star anyone???
Well, let me say...Me! Me! Me!
Maybe I just have not found them, but I say there should be more stories about soccer players, especially ones like Emile in this story.
I liked the premise of the two different people, who seem only to have a connection of convenience. But what starts two people attracted to each other and need each other for issues in their lives, turns into friendship and eventually love. Even though they seem total opposites, they are a lot a like. They are both driven to succeed in their fields, are smart, sexy and really caring people. I liked that the author showed different sides to the characters and made me really care about what was going to happen to Theresa and Emile. And holy crap, they are sexy together!
Other things I liked about the story, was the setting; England and a trip to Brazil. Being from the United States, so many Authors I read are from here and I like the different setting. I also liked that it was about Football (soccer) and American football, which is so much more widely played around the world that I thought it was a great change from more typical stories, we see here.
This was a great story, funny, smart, super sexy. I kept me entertained and reading until it was finished.
4 Stars -
I am a good fan of the marriage of convenience plot, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I liked that they met in a club - however I couldn't get over the fact the author had the heroine leave her drink unattended in a club - who in their right mind does that in these days of date rape drugs? So that made me start to think the heroine was a little stupid. It was all downhill from there and the heroine never recovered for me.
The hero on the other hand seemed to be the one doing all the work - he was funny, sexy, charming, gorgeous - I could go on. The heroine never really gave me the impression she was worthy of all this attention.
I believed in the lust but not the romance, the story really was lacking in conflict. The conflict could have been resolved very easily if they just sat down and talked. Instead of sitting down and thrashing things out with the hero the heroine ran away, more than once.
I can understand being commitment phobic but even taking that into account the heroine is supposed to be a strong, successful lawyer - she's supposed ot thrive on conflict - no avoid it at all costs.
Overall I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. It was well written but the football sections didn't seem to be entirely accurate. -
An Unsuitable Husband was a light hearted and humorous story. Theresa and Emile get married for the strangest of reasons - and an agreement to divorce in one year, no strings. The only problem with their arrangement is that they seem to be having too much fun. Theresa and Emile have a connection - even though they don't seem to have much in common - they make each other laugh and stop to enjoy life for awhile.
Emile was the shining star in this one. He was everything I imagine a playboy frenchman to be. He was teasing and had innuendo coming out everywhere. Theresa was a little more flighty. She didn't seem to know what she wanted, other than to annoy her mother - which while it may be fun to annoy your mother, it shouldn't be the motivating event in your life. *This book was received in exchange for an honest review* - See more at:
http://www.bittenbyromance.com/2014/0... -
Amusing, passionate, fast moving romance about a corporate lawyer having to get married to get her mother off her back and French footballer who cannot get rid of his ex-girlfriend and is willing to anything to appease his coach and re-establish his reputation.
Although with a story line a bit improbable, this romance story will keep you glued to this book until you are finished. After all this is fiction, right? By the end of this book , you will agree with me you want to switch places with Theresa and have a go at Emile. He is the hunkiest book boyfriend you ever dreamed of.
The story does make you think about people who treat marriage as a contract and do not place much emphasis on feelings and consequences. Fortunate for us, our two main characters are what dreams are made of. Fall in love with pair, just like I did. Enjoy! -
An Unsuitable Husband, Ros Clarke
Review from Jeannie Zelos Book reviews.
An Entangled book, so although Ros is new to me I know that I'll almost certainly enjoy the read. Ros has written several books so well worth a look if well written, gentle, easy to read romance is what you want.
This has the elements I love, people with opposite ideals, a bit of jealousy and lots of drama. Its not a long read but packs a lot in, and everything contained is relevant to the story. I read one recently where pages were devoted to people and plots that actually added nothing to the book, and were never resolved. I find that frustrating but luckily Entangled seem to be quite tight in editing, so that although these novels are (to me ) short, they are on the point all the while. No trailing lose ends here :)
Theresa, I felt for her problems with her rather steamroller type mum. She loved her dearly, but mum was determined one of her daughters would have the big white wedding she could tell everyone at their club about...Now Theresa has reached thirty her mum is pressing all sorts of men on her as possible husbands, and though she means well enough is enough. Theresa was incredibly uptight as a person though, very determined to make partner at work, and didn't need the aggravation disappointing her mum caused. I found her to be a bit cold at times, she was so work focussed she lost sight of what else was important in life.
Emile ( swoon) he's gorgeous, playboy, flirt, and stuck with a clinging ex girlfriend, who values his wallet more than him. She's not letting go of her dreams to be a rich wife..and alongside that there's all the notoriety he seems to attract in the tabloids. The club feels its time for him to present a more stable front – or they may not renew his contract. Marriage – of the temporary sort – suits both of them, and sexually they're off the charts so that’s a big bonus. A real friends with benefits relationship, with a short, easy end date, quickie divorce, that will get them both through a rough patch.
I loved Emile's introduction to Theresa's parents. She's told him to dress down, and he did the bad boy bit perfectly –jeans, leather jacket, shirt to show of his tattoos, stubble, even played it down to what he said....poor mum, she certainly wasn't expecting that! Made me snigger.
Of course neither Emile nor Theresa were expecting to find they were developing feelings for each other. Emile was OK with it, but Theresa was horrified – terrified maybe is more accurate. It seemed to me she had such a rigid hold on her life and control, she was afraid to let go and let real feelings in. We know though, that emotions just can't be controlled. She tried hard, insisting on her own way all the while, keeping her name, refusing to wear clothes Emile bought – even though there were no sinister intentions, just genuine kindness, staying at her own home, at times she was so intransigent it was irritating. I could have shook her, she was throwing Emile's kind intentions back in his face. She just saw his presents as him trying to control her, never bothered looking behind for another motive. Then the drama...that was played out really well, hung out over time, and let lots of emotion in. I loved the Prada angle too – what a name, but perfect for a would be WAG, and suited the leeching person Emile's ex was. She wasn't giving in, and I just love those kinds of people in a book. Overall a fun read, not a keeper but a great one off. Its priced at £1.98, and though I don't have length info I’d guess around 130-150 pages.
Stars: Four, enjoyable read but not one I’d re read.
ARC supplied by Netgalley -
Reviewed for Confessions From Romaholics
I liked the concept of this book immensely and I been meaning to try this author for a while so I was excited to dive in to this book and see if it would live up to my expectations. It a fun trope here that reminds me of the old harlequin style marriage of convinces with a very modern twist. Match made heaven for this old school harlequin lover as I love modern updates to tropes.
Usually the bride is dragged along for the ride but in this case, it is the groom and it’s a mutual decision. Theresa our heroine is going for the shock factor. She has no time for marriage and wants her mother off her back. She is a career minded woman who loves to have nights of fun. So when she met footballer Emile Renuad on one of these nights . It’s a match made in heaven physically and mentally. They are burning up the pages between them and we are in for an entertaining time.
He perfect for her plans to get her mother off her back and he is willing to go along with it. Since he got his own little problems and this marriage proposal solves them for him and allows him to concentrate on his career. Theresa is a refreshing person in his life as she totally from a different world and is career minded like him and has no clue about his career .
If you want a very different sport hero Emile is for you . He wants to play football and not deal with the problems his ex-girlfriend is causing with his personal life and threatening to take over his professional life. He a simple guy and not complicated at all. You can’t help laugh at his antics as tries to be witty and puts a smile on your face
If you are looking for a fun sweet read , I highly recommend this book and I give it 4 stars . I look forward to reading this author's next contemporary book. She got a new fan here. Her work is enchanting and hooked me from the first page
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3 stars.
This review also is posted on
Pretty Sassy Cool.
When I see a book that has a sexy soccer playing Frenchman as on of the main characters, well, I get a little excited. That's exactly how I felt when I saw Ros Clarke's An Unsuitable Husband up for grabs. Add in a marriage of convenience, some humor, and super steamy times and you have yourself a fun, easy to read book.
Soccer player Emile Renauld is sexy, charming, and in desperate need to get away from a very clingy ex-girlfriend. Enter the feisty, independent Theresa Charltey. Not only is she beautiful and successful, she's looking for a way to get her overbearing mother off her back. And what better way to do that than to marry someone totally wrong for her? Sure, this plot line has been done to death, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining to read! These two had lots of chemistry, and some laugh out loud moments between them, too. I found Emile to be quite endearing and though Theresa took a bit for me to really like, she grew on me. I guess. :P
The writing in this one is good, the pace keeps the story moving along, and even with the somewhat contrived and unrealistic insta-love, the book was really good. Be sure to check it out. -
I bought this on a whim in 2014 because it was ticked off a few boxes for me:
Marriage of Convenience
European Soccer/ World Football
Cheap
I finally got around to reading it and that will teach me to read a book while I can still return it. Emile was a nice hero. Hot, funny, kind, and flirty. He had a few silly moments but overall he took this book from awful to mediocre. Theresa, on the other hand, was so incredibly self important and such a know it all (which seemed to be ok because she was a lawyer... who should have been called a barrister as this all took place in England) that I found myself wanting her POV sections to end as soon as they began. They didn't work together for me.
Maybe the plot could save the couple? No such luck. This read like Helen Fielding fan fiction. I like chick lit well enough but Indulgence is not the imprint I go to get it. Their reasoning for the MoC is very Harlequin-esque, the friends with benefits angle is all tell, very little show on the friends end, and I still don't see how they fell in love. The external conflict was so easy to see coming and so easy to dismiss that the big "confrontation" read like a soap opera scene. The ILY moment was just eye roll inducing.
I really hate that this was a bad read. -
ARC given by netgalley for an honest review
This is the first time I received the opportunity to review this author and I must say it is a delight. 4 stars review given
The story start with Therese Chartley, a hotshot lawyer on the path to partnership is pressure to marry by her conventional mother. What a girl to do? Married for convenience her one night stand of course. The lucky groom, Emille a French football(or soccer depends on the country) player with past scandals that threaten his career an World Cup trophy. A contract for one year is made, and avoid further temptation from both sides. Can they really made one year scoff free of emotional stress or will the sparks that ignite from the first time they met be more potent than their so called contract?
I love the characters, both hero and heroine are so adorable and their chemistry is HOT. However I don't like the plot or rather the circumstances of their marriage. I mean the heroine is a confident, ambitious women, would you really married for the sake of your nagging mother? Maybe, but an athlete groom? It is a recipe for disaster. But overall I give 4 stars coz I like the characters and that is it. I could give less, but I'm generous today.. Hope for a better plotline from the author. -
An Unsuitable Husband is a sweet contemporary romance with some incredible passion and heart. A story that defiantly touched off my awe meter.
Emile Renaud is one of my top favorite hero’s of 2014. Who knew the ruff football player {soccer} could process such a sweet pushy side. *grins* His love for his mother and anyone who mattered touch me, deeply it is a huge part of his character building. *bravo* Ms. Clarke.
Theresa Chartley is a woman with her own mind, who quite frankly, I wanted to bop her on the head a few times. Her character is strong, independent and even if she did not realize it in herself I did. What she needed is love. What is a girl to do when she was in over her head. Sink or Swim.
Theresa and Emile had me in stitches! Even in serious mode they were a true delight. Both needing something from the other, never for sure if it was enough or too much. Could these two move past all the uncertainties of find what both of them truly want? Ms. Clarke created two strong characters that supported the plot line without much help from any secondary characters.
Want to read more? Go here :
http://www.romanceswithalittlekick.co... -
3.5 stars
Quick and well-written version of a tired trope. As with all marriage-of-convenience stories, the reason for the marriage may or may not work for you. I didn't care for it, but the characters made me, anyway. Theresa was a refreshing heroine in that she was the more practical and no-nonsense (read: stubborn and brusque) of the couple—and she was actually written that way. Emile was similarly potent: he was very endearing and not afraid to be vulnerable. Uncomplicated guy, really.
Despite everything, I liked the foundation of their "relationship" at the beginning—they got married, but they didn't do married things (except sex, of course). No domesticity here, folks. Theresa stood up to Emile in a lot of ways, asserted her independence, and that's awesome.
I had a little difficulty following the narrative, though. Short—some 150 pages?—so the pacing suffered a lot. Still, it had hot sex and great characters. -
An Unsuitable Husband was such sweet, witty, and sexy read. It was a fast read, with a great amount of steam and swoon. I loved that it was set in London and and that Emile was a French Football (soccer) player. He was cocky and self-assured, yet sweet and determined. Every moment between them made me smile! I honestly only have one criticism, and that was with Theresa's character. She was hung-up on/jealous over Prada, but her character is such a strong lawyer, and I didn't think that suited her. Other than that, their arrangement was silly in the beginning. They had lust at first sight, but the romance between them slowly increased to love.
Overall, it was a quick swoony read that will leave you smiling at the end! -
An Unsuitable Husband by Ros Clarke is the story of Theresa Chartley who is not look for marriage but her mother keeps pressuring her to find a husband. Emile Renaud is a soccer player with a reputation for being bad. When she needs to stop her mother from setting her up and he needs to clean up his act they decide to get married.
This was a great story. Two people who don't think marriage and happily every after is in store for them.
I love that Theresa is strong independent character, I love Emile he is the charming and sweet. I love how Ros Clarke tell the story of both these characters. You find the fights and friendship which is building toward the love.
This a great fast read. I love the way Ros Clarke wrote the story leading to a wonderful ending. -
This wasn't your typical book. It started out as a one night stand where she didn't even know his name. And it was HOT. But then her mom annoyed her yet again about setting her up with some widower with kids and she proposed. Literally. Emile and Theresa were great together. I loved that they were so opposite and how they bickered and fought but still managed to set my iPad on fire. What chemistry they had! What I didn't like was that she kept running away when things got too intense. What did she expect? They're married and they have intensely hot sex. Feelings are bound to get tangled up in there somewhere. Overall, it was a good book and I highly recommend it.
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Theresa Chartley is a corporate lawyer with no time for love or romance. Her mother is on her back about getting married and settling down, not just for love, but to impress her country club friends. Enter Emile Renaud, a a sexy French football star playing in England. Emile needs a reputation make over and needs to rid himself of a clingy ex girlfriend.
Their two lives could not be any more different, except in the bedroom, so why not just get married?
A cute story that moved very quickly. Theresa's character was strong and independent and made us want to throw our kindle a couple of times. Emile was smooth and sexy and made us swoon. 4 Stars -
3 Stars
I liked the blurb of this book and I often find marriage of convenience books a great escape read for me.
Theresa is an attorney with sights on making partner. Emile is a professional "footballer". They meet in a nightclub and sparks fly. I could truly believe the attraction, but the anything more than lust did not jump off the page at me. Emile was a wonderful character, he was warm, sexy and very loving at times; unfortunately Theresa never warmed up to me.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. -
No nos engañemos, nada nuevo bajo el sol, pero es entretenido la mayor parte del tiempo.
No me gustó que se insinuara que ella no quería un compromiso por un tema personal anterior y casi preferí que luego quedase en nada. Eso sí, era una inestable de cuidado para ser tan "racional" la mayor parte del tiempo.
Él incomprensiblemente encantador (para la fama de playboy que tenía) y el mejor personaje (para lo poco que salía) la madre de ella, sin duda alguna: tenía las cosas claras y fue fiel a ellas hasta el final. -
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single footballer in possession of a damn fine set of abs plus lots of money and a sexy French accent, must be in want of a wife, who will keep her high-powered career after the wedding because this is a 21st century fantasy.
Sample Figure of Speech: "But then, the men she normally went out with didn't have sexual magnetism like they were the North Pole."
Sample swear words: "Putain de Dieu." Whore of God! -
I had only one problem with the book. I felt that Emile did all the work in the relationship. Theresa was the one who was running away and was trying to set the rules and if her point of view didn't exist, someone would think that she didn't want Emile at all. That was the only off part of the book.
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LOVE IT !!
Although I wish it were longer!
Either way it is a must read I LOVED EMILE AND THERESA!!!:D -
3.5 stars
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I liked the story over all. I loved Emile, but I just couldn't relate that well to Theresa. I never really liked her. She was too set in her ways and not willing to compromise.
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This book was kinda silly...and fluffy...and...
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Quick & enjoyable.
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This is a very sweet story. Review to post in conjunction with blog tour.
