Blog Tour: My One Week Husband: Lauren Blakely
My One Week Husband
Lauren Blakely
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Release Date February 19, 2021
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.
Scarlett Slade is an analytical, witty, financial wiz and work-a-holic. She has partnered with Cole and Daniel in their hotel business for three years. Daniel Stewart is a sexy, rich, sarcastic, handsome Brit with a good head for business. They are partners and friends but have been solely focused on work and have not shared their past pain or history. They know that despite an attraction that they should keep each other off-limits.
And for years they have managed that. Their differences complement each other and they have fun rapport and share similar senses of humor. But one little fabrication starts a week of being pretend husband and wife while touring a group of possible investment hotels. Their usual mild flirting and teasing ramps up to be absolutely filthy. Touches are not so innocent anymore. And eventually, they figure it is not a bad idea to get it all out of their systems. But rules will have to be followed...take on the roles of a married couple and it ends once the trip is over.
A little make-believe and exploring the sights, tastes, and each other lead to hot nights in various European hotels. Flirting. F******. Fantasies. Secrets shared. Bodies bared. They push each other out of their comfort zones. They are scorching hot and balance each other perfectly in the boudoir. Both hate lies and demand honesty due to their pasts.
But are they just lying to themselves that after the week is done they can go right back to being friends and business partners?
Daniel is a broken man that has held his deep dark secrets and shame inside and internalized it for years. His past is gradually revealed adding a bit of mystery throughout. It affects how he sees himself and makes him think he will eventually destroy anything he cares about. Scarlett has had her trust destroyed and is scared of being hurt again. Everything they are doing is about risk and rewards. It could ruin everything but also has unknown potential. In order to move forward from their pasts and issues, they will have to trust, be vulnerable, provide acceptance, and believe in themselves and the other.
They are willing to wheel and deal in business, but will they be willing to gamble with their hearts?
But are they just lying to themselves that after the week is done they can go right back to being friends and business partners?
Daniel is a broken man that has held his deep dark secrets and shame inside and internalized it for years. His past is gradually revealed adding a bit of mystery throughout. It affects how he sees himself and makes him think he will eventually destroy anything he cares about. Scarlett has had her trust destroyed and is scared of being hurt again. Everything they are doing is about risk and rewards. It could ruin everything but also has unknown potential. In order to move forward from their pasts and issues, they will have to trust, be vulnerable, provide acceptance, and believe in themselves and the other.
They are willing to wheel and deal in business, but will they be willing to gamble with their hearts?
It is about taking a chance and hoping the other person is there to catch you if you stumble...and living a full life and not just business as usual.
This is a hot, fun, emotional, friends-to-lovers, fake-marriage romance with all the steam and feels. It brings back their business partner, Cole, and her friend, Nadia from One Exquisite Touch but is a complete stand-alone story. I love the relationship of the three friends and partners and how they look out for each other.
This is a hot, fun, emotional, friends-to-lovers, fake-marriage romance with all the steam and feels. It brings back their business partner, Cole, and her friend, Nadia from One Exquisite Touch but is a complete stand-alone story. I love the relationship of the three friends and partners and how they look out for each other.
Scarlett and Daniel have been business partners along with their mutual friend, Cole, for several years now. A chance to investigate a possible hotel chain purchase gives them the opportunity to pretend for a week: to pretend they are not business partners, but newlyweds on a honeymoon staying at each of the hotels on their radar. The week of play is just what they think they need to take care of the simmering attraction between them. Neither is looking for a relationship, but they know they can’t ignore the sparks any longer.
Scarlett is a straight arrow - a sharp mind for business, she runs on lists and plans. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to voice her needs. This trip is everything she loves about their business as well as a chance to let loose while away from her home in Paris. Daniel is a little more free spirited, but has put up walls because of a painful past. He doesn’t want to put himself in the place of being hurt again.
I loved the vacation/getaway feel of this entire story. Even as Scarlett and Daniel are pretending to be madly in love, the truth behind their feelings is clear.The feelings have been building in secret during their time working together, but neither has given voice to the attraction between them. Flirting and banter is nothing new to them, but admitting there might be more than just business between them is new. Flitting from place to place was the permission they needed to let go and test the waters. But when they return to their real lives, will they be able to put their one week together behind them?
This whole story was so much fun. The characters were already favorites from previous stories and I was looking forward to seeing what kinds of strings would need to be pulled for them to let down their guard. Once again, Lauren has put readers into this world of rich characters, characters we get to see in the background of other books, but made them front and center in a standalone story of their own. While Scarlett and Daniel spend their week together, it was almost like the rest of that world didn’t exist. But then when they returned home, all the tiny ways their world was still involved become clear to themselves and to readers.
Audible ➜ Shane East and Vanessa Edwin lead a full cast!
“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?”
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's sweet, sexy and witty. She also writes red-hot, escapist love stories. She'd love to give you a free book today!
Check out her web site to grab your free read: https://laurenblakely.com/one-free-book
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