I'm reviewing Callie Hutton's The Elusive Wife at Smexybooks

The Elusive Wife by Callie Hutton
Historical Romance
May 20, 2013
Entangled: Scandalous

Favorite Quote: Jason stood mesmerized as her breasts moved up and down. All that creamy skin covering those enticing globes had reduced him to a randy youth. He placed her hand on his arm. Just before they reached the others, he murmured. “Do not take any more deep breathes tonight.”

When Jason Coventry, The Earl of Coventry, discovers his father is still trying to ruin his life from the grave by arranging his marriage and demanding he either go through with it or he loses his title; Jason rebels and arrives at his ceremony foxed and incoherent. After the ceremony, where he manages to make a complete arse of himself and humiliate his bride, he passes out and wakes up only to take the coward’s way out by running back to London without ever speaking a word to his bride. He knows he behaved terribly but he consoles himself that it wasn’t what he wanted and he will give his bride time to calm down, then head back to their country estate to talk to her.

Lady Olivia Jane Grant was also blindsided by the arranged marriage but managed to hold herself to a higher standard than Jason. She is devastated by his treatment of her and decides to travel to London to visit a friend. Once Lady Olivia arrives in London, she is dismayed that no one knows she and Jason are married and he is carrying on as though he is still a single man. Olivia decides enough is enough and proceeds, with the help of her best friend, to have the season she was denied by this marriage. Getting to send all the bills to Jason is just an added bonus.

Jason isn’t quite done with his humiliation of Olivia though. When she and Jason finally come upon each other at an event, she realizes he has no idea who she is. He doesn’t even remember what she looks like and now he is flirting with her, trying to arrange an annulment. Olivia decides to repay him for his treatment of her and spends her nights flirting with him, leading him on with no intention of ever letting him know who she really is. When fate intervenes and Jason discovers Olivia is actually his wife, he floored by how much he actually likes her. He tries to entice her into accepting the marriage and him, however, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  Olivia has no intentions of ever accepting Jason…no matter how much her heart wants him.

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