When I started to read “The Trouble with Valentine’s” by Kelly Hunter, it sounded really familiar. I got further into the book, and I started to remember things that were coming up. So I did a little investigating, and I found out that this is actually an expanded version of “Wife for a Week” from Hunter’s ‘Bennett’ series.
Good news on all fronts though – I loved it then, and I love it now. The book has been revised, but the story remains the same. We start out at a London shoe shop, where a wealthy woman sees the salesgirl chatting with an expensive shoe. She’s immediately taken with Hallie, and introduces her to her son, Nick.
Nick happens to have a dilemma – a client’s daughter fancies herself in love with him, so he invented a wife to diffuse the situation. Now, he needs to produce said wife on a subsequent trip to Hong Kong, and Clea (his mother) proposes Hallie. Hallie also has a dilemma – she requires funds to continue her studies, and since Nick offers five-thousand pounds to play the part of his wife, she thinks it’s quite an offer. Of course, Hallie being Hallie – quirky & sharp – she counters with a higher figure. She needs about ten-thousand pounds to meet her goal, so Nick agrees.
The story once they get to Hong Kong is intense. Both in romance and suspense. At least for a non-Intrigue Harlequin title. Hallie and Nick have an intense attraction, but it’s accompanied by mutual respect and genuine like for each other.
His client’s daughter – Jasmine, becomes fast friends with Hallie. She’s lived a sheltered life since her mother was killed, and is in constant company with her personal bodyguard, Kai. Her relationship with Kai is complicated at best, and she leans on Hallie for advice. Upon the women’s first meeting, Hallie realizes that Jasmine didn’t throw herself at Nick for any purpose other than attention, and she’s no threat to him on any front. But perhaps they’re meeting for a reason, because she overwhelmingly needs a friend.
I loved seeing all of the interpersonal relationships blossom throughout this book. The epilogue is set three years after the last chapter, and is a nice bow on the box that is this romance novel.
The dialogue is snappy, quick, and smart. Kelly Hunter’s books usually are. I enjoyed reading it through a second time, and I’m keeping it to read again. Five enthusiastic hearts. 🙂
“The Trouble with Valentine’s” was previously published in 2007 as “Wife for a Week”. The book has been revised, but it can still be read as part of the Bennett series. (http://www.goodreads.com/series/55653-bennett-family)
This Valentine’s, falling in love could be murder…Hallie Bennett loves flirting with danger. So when a man with trouble written all over him walks into her shoe shop, she finds him impossible to refuse. Nick needs a ‘wife’ for a week to seal a Hong Kong business deal, Hallie needs GBP 5,000. It might not be the most traditional Valentine’s Day proposal, but she’s hardly a traditional girl…Two beautiful (and borrowed) Tiffany rings later, and Hallie’s on her way to live the high life. But the trip comes with a deadly twist. Will Hallie survive the week with her body – and her heart – intact?
Good news on all fronts though – I loved it then, and I love it now. The book has been revised, but the story remains the same. We start out at a London shoe shop, where a wealthy woman sees the salesgirl chatting with an expensive shoe. She’s immediately taken with Hallie, and introduces her to her son, Nick.
Publisher: Mills & Boon (January 4, 2013)