Wife for Hire

I prefer Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series to this earlier book, but after reading other reviewer's comments I now see some parallels between her Plum characters and this book. Elsie and Grandma Mazur do have some similarities: both don't always have verbal filters and both have a tendency to carry large, loaded guns in their purses. Maggie is a bit like Stephanie in that she doesn't conform to the norm for women--Stephanie doesn't want to get married and be a housewife--instead she's a bounty hunter; Maggie isn't so sure about marriage herself but mostly she wants to fulfill her promise to write a book based on her Aunt Kitty's diary--and to get away from her mother, aunt, and the other ladies of Riverside who want to put her into a show more mold.

Evanovich claimed this to be a "screwball romance"--I didn't see it as particularly screwball. Even the romance part of the story relies on a tried and true plot formula for the genre.

The way Hank gets the loan makes me wonder why he didn't ask his mom to apply pressure to his dad without having to go through the sham of hiring someone to be his wife to show his stability. (Since it seems she is the one who ends up pushing his dad into providing the loan--of course, that is based on his father's remarks that caused a misunderstanding, but still . . .)

What I liked: There are a few funny moments within the writing

What I disliked: The lie of pretending they are married when they are not; that they decided to have sex within the "fake" marriage (they weren't really married legally); how many times Maggie changed her mind about really getting married to Hank and the excuses she gave for it; Maggie's pride in that when she realized how lonely she was and wondered if she'd made a wrong decision to push Hank away, she doesn't find a way to go to him to apologize or see if there's still a chance--it also seems she was free to travel once she had her car--something she'd said she wanted to do (as in going shopping)--and she doesn't do it, so that wasn't really her excuse for not wanting to stay in Skogen; Hank seems to have days filled with things to do and doesn't alter them to spend time with his "sham" wife. He doesn't stand up to Bubba and say no, today I'm taking my wife on a drive and I'll get to so-and-so's car after that etc. I could see it maybe for the first time it came up since they'd only been "married" for 3 days at the time but after that, he certainly should have been able to shift some of his commitments to other days to have time to spend with his "wife"

So--given the above--I couldn't honestly rate this more than average. show less

This is an early Evanovich romance, and fans of the author will recognize her tropes: quirky leads with engaging personalities, surrounded by straight-laced parents, the fat friend/sidekick, the crazy old lady with a gun in her purse, the sexy and newly responsible heartthrob who used to be the town womanizer.

Her writing is humorous, and the leads are engaging, but I've soured on these types of romances where people fall in love impossibly fast and women are considered old maids if they aren't married by 27.

I'm not a huge fan of romances, so I'm probably not the best person to judge this. I don't think it was a "good" book, per se, and it seems especially flawed when compared to the Stephanie Plum series, but Evanovich certainly scores points for keeping me entertained. While the premise is a little shaky and the characters start out pretty flat, the second half of the book really picks up, and parts of it are very funny. I liked the little mini-mystery; it's enough to keep the book from just being "romance," yet it's not serious enough to change the book's overall tone. (I don't tend to read many mysteries either, as I find them stressful. Yes, I know. I'm hard to please.) It's strange that a book that combines these two genres would show more appeal to me, but it does. Between the polite but inept (sorta) bad guys, the gun-wielding Grandma-Mazure-type old lady, and the refreshing way that the book doesn't make the mistake of taking itself seriously, I rather enjoyed it. show less

Fun read to listen to when walking. Usual chick-lit story of two people entering into a business arrangement and then falling in love with each other. Set against a Vermont background with the woman looking for a quiet place to write a book and the man needing a pretend wife so he could secure the loans from the bank and respect from his father to start a business.

Living in the small town of Skogen Vermont, Hank Mallone’s youthful antics were part of town legends - as entertainment. Needing a loan from the bank to expand his business, Hank found that those past mistakes really can impact his future. Coming up with a scheme to convince the whole town that he had become a responsible and stable member of the community led him to New Jersey to find a wife. The only person to respond to his request was Maggie Toone, she was tired of living under her mother and Aunt’s judgments. Maggie had decided she needed someplace quiet to write her book and the offer of a fake marriage might just be exactly what she needed.

Each of the characters have such a sense of humor and wit that, when put together makes show more for a laugh out loud story. The mystery of who is breaking into house and why may be a serious concern but how each of the situations turn out is just one more thing to laugh at. From the dinner party with the ex’s showing up and the flaming table to being kidnapped with the housekeeper and her handy-dandy pocketbook this is a loaded with lots of fun and misunderstandings. There is also a love-at-first-sight romance that has a few highs and quickly turns the fake marriage into a real proposition. I have read several of Janet Evanovich’s re-releases and this, so far is my favorite, it has such a great mix of emotions and out right comedy to keep the pages turning. I can actually say I couldn’t put it down till it was done. show less

I know this is a rewrite from Evanovich's early days as a romance writer, and I know I'm destined to be disappointed because its not up to my Plum standards, but dangit! when you're jonesin for Plum book and know one won't be out for another 9 months or so, you get desperate....Of course it had the typical Evanovich details, heroine with curly out of control red hair, fiesty older woman caretaker, a big dog, a hunky irresistable guy....but it wasn't the complete rip off some of her step-children books have been (the non Plum series) so that was nice. Yes I know these came before the Plum series, but facts don't alter my perception that these plots are rip offs of the venerable Stephanie Plum.It wasn't horrible, a couple of funny/cutesy show more parts, so all in all, not upset I spent the 5 dollars for my Janet fix. show less

A cute, wacky romance story filled with zany characters and a crazy plot. I love the Stephanie Plum series and this gave me the same warm feelings. A fast, enjoyable read.