Jack and I, we did everything backward. The day he lured me into his office-which was also the first day we met-he proposed. You’d think a guy who looked like him-a bit cold maybe, but still striking and very unattainable-would only ask the love of his life to marry him, right? You’d think he must be madly in love.Nope. It was me he asked. A complete stranger who had never even heard of him. A … of him. A stranger who had been dumped by her fiancé only weeks before. You’d think I’d laugh in his face, call him insane-and a few other names-then walk away as quickly as possible. Well…I did all those things except the walking away part.
It took him only minutes to talk me into a business deal…erm, I mean marriage, and only days for us to officially tie the knot. Happiest day of my life. Magical. Pop the champagne… Not. It was the worst day. Jack Hawthorne was nothing like what I’d imagined for myself.
I blamed him for my lapse in judgment. I blamed his eyes, the ocean blue eyes that looked straight into mine unapologetically, and that frown on his face I had no idea I would become so fascinated with in time.
It wasn’t long after he said I was the biggest mistake of his life that things started to change. No, he still didn’t talk much, but anyone can string a few words together. His actions spoke the loudest to me. And day after day my heart started to get a mind of its own.
One second he was no one. The next he became everything.
One second he was unattainable. The next he seemed to be completely mine.
One second I thought we were in love. The next it was still nothing but a lie.
After all, I was Rose and he was Jack. We were doomed from the very beginning with those names. Did you expect anything else?
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First off, I’m a sucker for a “marriage of convenience” to “true love” story. Both Jack and Rose were fully fleshed out characters, and their relationship developed organically. In the end, I enjoyed this story,
First of your books I’ve read. It was a wonderful story. Will be sure to read more of your books.
Looking around for a read worthy of my 200th book of the year, I started out with just the sample of this book before I actually committed myself to Jack and Rose. I didn’t even need to finish the sample before I bought.
Jack and Rose have such a fantastic dynamic from the beginning. You know that there is something in play behind the scenes but you don’t know what it is until it drops. The banter, frowning and the counting is perfect for these two. Undeniably one of my favorite books of the year with a slow burn and low angst/drama factor that made it perfect for me.
Can I just start this off by saying that this book—this stunning, heart-stealing and swoon-worthy book—is simply UNPUTDOWNABLE. It’s angsty. It’s emotional. It’s a marriage of convenience and slow burn romance at its absolute finest! Ella Maise has definitely left her mark in me the moment I devoured The Hardest Fall. But this one… it just spoke to me and owned me in ways I didn’t expect at all.
“I want to be that person to you, Rose. I want to be the person you lean on. You and I, we’re the same. We have no one but each other. You’ll lean on me and I’ll do the same. We’ll learn how. We’re in this together.”
Jack Hawthorne was ultimately to die for—there’s no denying that. He was cold and prickly and so brooding in the beginning that when he finally melted all the way for Rose Coleson, it was satisfying and gratifying. You’ll truly feel that stark relief deep in your gut, like you’re able to breathe for the first time. I just loved seeing all the walls he put up around his heart crumble and get stripped away in the process. By the end, this guy won’t only charm the pants off of you with his oh so adorable frowns or his porn-worthy sleeve-rolling abilities, but he will also knock you on your ass the minute he grants you those sweet smiles and opens up his tender heart.
“I completely fell for him on our first date. It was the most perfect first date I’d ever had in my life. My husband was perfect. With all his arrogance and prickliness, Jack Hawthorne was perfect for me.”
Jack and Rose together were absolutely compelling and intoxicating. They’ll make you feel for them every step of the way, while falling hard and getting more and more wrapped up in them with every page you read. My heart was just filled to the brim with all the feels and love and adoration these two had for each other. I mean, breathing their story in was such a breeze—it was easily consuming and potent and just… EVERYTHING.
“Somewhere in between all the pretending, I completely fell for you, and I can’t even think of my life without you in it.”
Marriage for One is lengthy—maybe lengthier than some are used to. But don’t let that, for even one second, discourage you from diving in and devouring this book. Because given the slow burn factor of Jack and Rose’s story, every page and every moment between them only added to the sweet and potent build up of their relationship. Trust me, you won’t get enough of them. Even when you reach that last page, you’ll find yourself just wanting so much more.
Jack and Roses love story is just so beautiful. I loved how Jacks character evolved throughout the story. Rose’s dream was about to crumble until Jack propositioned her to marriage. I loved watching these two strangers fall in love. I loved reading how drawn Jack was to Rose. I loved the banter and dry humor these two shared throughout the story. This story is a slow burn romance that will give you all the feels. I’m hoping Sally and Owen will get their story.
I love me some marriages of convenience.
Rose Coleson had been burned by love. After getting her heart broken, she is determined to atleast succeed in her dream of opening her own cafe.
But for a broke girl navigating the big bad world that also seems like a stretch.
Enter Jack Hawthorne. Successful, attractive, way way out of her league Jack Hawthorne. He can help her dreams come true. All she has to do is marry him.
Record scratch.
Marriage for One was shows us what happens when two people who are extremely different from one another enter into a marriage of convenience. Jack is a shark, and Rose is a lamb. He’s cunning, ruthless, and knows what he wants. She’s sweet, naive, unsure of herself.
But together they make sense. Now if only the two of them could see it too.
I really enjoyed the slow burn. The characters didn’t jump into a relationship, both a bit wary of each other. Jack has an agenda and I was waiting for it to blow up in his face. While some of the twists and turns are a bit predictable, it is an enjoyable read nevertheless.
I loved Jack and I even could deal with his grumpy demeanor and seeming inability to smile. He was just sexy and sweet and they so belonged together. I loved Rose’s kindness and you could see with her pretty early on that she cared for Jack more than just friendship. This one was definitely a slow build up to get where it was going, but it fit with this story. There was also some drama, ex boyfriends who just won’t stay away and an unexpected illness. I really enjoyed this book and was rooting for all Rose and Jack’s pretending for the sake of their arrangement to turn into something more.
Rose and Jack are quite the story!! What an unconventional way to happily ever after but it was wonderful! As much as I wanted to not like Jack- I feel in love with him as Rose did!
Ella Maise takes readers to a place of loneliness and compassion and caring and wanting to take care of those people in your life!
I loved watching the growth of Rose and Jack together. How they developed feelings in unexpected ways but when they are finally honest with one another and truly open up their hearts- it’s beautiful.
There are so many little swoony details throughout the book as their relationship develops. I loved all the characters in the book and how they too affected Rose and Jack! This is a great slow burn book that is so worth reading!!
Jack Hawthorne proposes to Rose Coleson after meeting her and pretty much corners her into saying yes. It’s a critical moment because Rose has a lot to lose, but with Jack at her side and as her husband, she can breathe a bit easier, never mind that this guy she’s now married to never smiles and hardly says anything. They really don’t have anything in common so Rose focuses her energy on her coffee shop. I liked both Rose and Jack, their conversations and interactions were priceless. Rose is very bubbly and optimistic, but she’s also grounded and doesn’t delude herself into thinking things that don’t exist. She works hard and is used to taking care of herself, but she’s friendly and generous, too. As for Jack, he’s a bit broody, but most definitely cynical and reserved. He frowns and clenches his jaw more than anything. He’s more of a man of action than words and no one around him really knows who he is and now he’s sharing space with a wife for a roommate. Not to mention all the things that he doesn’t say, but should say or wants to say. The relationship development between them was a slow burn. Rose has a wit about her that she uses to engage with Jack, which he seems to find amusing but never says so for his own self-preservation. Jack is very hard to read, but he’s not a true jerk even if sometimes he says things that come off that way. It makes him all the more lovable. If anything, he’s stoic and reliable. Jack seems devoid of emotion, but watching Rose crack through that veneer was rewarding. The best part of this book was that there were two people who found something in one another that they didn’t know they were looking for, but wanted to keep after all. The story kept me turning the pages, eager for more and when they would finally hit that turning point where the emotions would overflow and I wasn’t disappointed.
I don’t have words to properly explain how much I love this story.
Jack and Rose stole my heart from the beginning. Even though the slow burn between these two raised my blood pressure and at times I felt like my heart wouldn’t be able to take all the delicious angst this book had to offer, I coudn’t stop myself from turning the pages as quick as I could because, I wanted to devour their story. These two took me on an emotional and heartbreaking journey. Their story reached into my soul and moved me deeply.
I fell in love with Jack since moment one. He captivated me in a way only a few book boyfriends have. He is sweet even if he doesn’t seem like it, and caring, SO caring. My heart and Rose’s heart never stood a chance. And Rose? She’s someone I’d love to be friends with. Such a fun, hardworking and kind woman! Jack and Rose are perfect for each other in each and every sense. I love the build up in their relaionship. How with each turn of the pages, they allow themselves to get a little bit closer and comfy with each other. I couldn’t get enough of them and their conversations, their yearning for each other slayed me throughout the story. The passion and intensity of their connection pours out of the pages and all you want to do is get into the story and help them realize how much they care for the other one, and how they truly belong together.
There isn’t an emotion I didn’t feel while reading the story. It completely owned me.
A one of a kind, beautiful and emotional story.
5 stars does not do Marriage For One justice!!! I literally would give this book 10 stars or 1 million stars if I could. This is the sweetest, funniest and cutest book I’ve read this year. I have read a bunch of great books too. Jack has got to be the best male character possibly ever in my opinion and I have a few that I didn’t think would ever be topped. Jack totally did it!!! You’ll just have to read to see what I mean because it would give away too much but just seeing Jack so in control but yet so lost at the same time and so caring but yet so guarded that you just can’t help but love him. I love how Rose was just waiting to see Jack’s first smile and was counting the whole time. When he finally does, my goodness. Not only was Rose’s day & life made but so was mine. *SWOON* Then it starts heating up and boy does it get HOT!!!! I’m not even sure how many pages this book is (I know it’s a longer book) but it’s totally worth every page and I could have totally read double that with Jack & Rose!! Just get ready for an amazing beginning, middle, end – wait there’s not an amazing page!!! I loved it and can I please have a Jack???
Please note that I did feel an ARC of this book and this is my truthful review. I have already bought this book once it became available on Amazon.
A fantastic read you won’t want to put down! It’s definitely a slow burn and oh so worth the wait. Jack and Rose’s chemistry sizzles and their fun, flirty banter will keep you hooked until the end. I highly recommend this must read!
Jack! My God, this man made me love him. He was sooooo brash at the beginning, and to a typical reader he might have been unlikeable, but I’m not the typical reader. See that scowl on the cover? It personifies him for about 75% of the book, but OMG he was a scowling, grunting mess of a man that I just loved. I like that the author took her time with this story, so yes, it’s a slow burn, but it was done right! It’s one of those stories where something is slowly simmering, just ready to boil over at any moment. Jack and Rose are in a marriage of convenience and the drama that accompanies them is perfection. It gives them time to learn each other in an otherwise awkward situation, and the hard times that they have to deal with as an awkward couple prove just the right things to bring them together. When sexy times finally happen, they are so hot. Kindle-melting hot.
Marriage for One is a slow burn that will have you wanting more and pulling at your hairs at the very same time. There were moments where I wanted to toss my kindle across the room because of the way that jack would handle himself. He was an arrogant man who I kept silently screaming “what are you doing”.
Then of course we have Rose who is this wonderful person that everyone loves. She is opening her own coffee shop so she puts in all the hard work that is needed. Of course through it all they both got married cause they both needed one an another financially and also because he needed to keep his property. Little by little they realized they were falling in love with one an another and no longer had to pretend to be this happily married couple.
I have always loved Ella Maise books and this another that I fell in love with
The Story of Jack & Rose from titanic lol jk
I really enjoyed this book even if a very slow burn is not my to go read but the author has done an excellent job in developing a love story that wasn’t meant to be.
Two great characters that even if they are forced to live a marriage of convenience, they get to know each other step by step and the sexual tension is so well done that at times I started to shout at Jake for his grumpiness.
Let’s be serious, Jake is hot and cold, that type of man when you can’t see any emotion on his face because he’s keeping everything locked inside but when he lets go, oh boy does he became someone else
There are many things going on between them, their intimate moments are very hot and also some twist that I didn’t see them coming left me speechless but I loved every single page in their story.
The best slow burn of the year for sure.
5 star review of Marriage For One by Ella Maise
I really am not sure how to word this review. I will start by saying that Ella Maise is a new author to me and I will need to rectify that when I can.
The premise of the story really intrigued me and I just had to read and I am so very glad I did. Talk about doing things backwards, Jack and Rose most certainly did.
I really enjoyed this book, it was interesting and the writing was strong. I had no issues relating to either Jack or Rose and found myself captivated by the story that Ms. Maise wove.
What starts off as a marriage of convenience, morphs in to so much more slowly but surely. Jack stole my heart, he burrowed in before I even realized it. Jack and Rose are two halves of a whole, they really are meant to be together. I loved how caring Jack was and how he went above and beyond for Rose, it was swoon worthy.
I loved Rose’s personality and could easily see her as a friend, she was the perfect counter to the dour, broody handsome Jack.
Marriage for One is an unusual story that I couldn’t put down. It may be my first book from this author, but it won’t be my last.
Marriage for One is a sweet, slow burn romance. Jack and Rose are mere strangers when they get married. They get married to help each other out. Her for financial reasons and he because he wants some property. It took me a while to warm up to Jack, but it did happen. I adored Rose from the beginning. She was sweet, funny, and witty. Jack is a tough lawyer who comes off as a gruff jerk. Rose is preparing to open her own coffee shop. She puts in a lot of hard work and determination to get things going. While the two of them pretend to be a happily married couple in front of other people, they slowly fall for each other. I ended up loving Jack. I think him starting out so gruff then slowly becoming a romantic, really made me and Rose fall for him.
5 All I Want Is You Stars!
Rose Coleson lives in New York, and all her dreams are about to come true when everything she had planned for her future suddenly falls apart. Her fiance broke up with her a few weeks ago, and the career she’s wanted since she was eighteen is slowly slipping through her fingers. Then she meets a man named Jack Hawthorne who proposes to her out of the blue and completely changes her life. He offers to help her with a crazy plan that is to benefit them both. Two strangers marrying for all the wrong reasons was insane, but this charade had nothing to do with love. Love for her had only ended in heartbreak, so why not have a marriage that was strictly a business deal. On the outside he was truly striking. Male perfection in every way, but he wasn’t her type. Even though he was some serious eye candy, he was grumpy, cold and distant. Standoffish with a prickly personality. They were opposites, and he was the kind of guy she usually steered clear of. She didn’t generally date the fancy, rich types, so her heart was safe.
Jack planned to keep Rose at arm’s length to not get emotions involved. He’d keep her at a distance while they were pretending to be a happily married couple. Soon he found himself actually looking forward to seeing her. They’d fallen into a routine and are enjoying spending time together. His self control starts slipping, and he couldn’t stay away from her. He suddenly found himself deeply affected by her in every way.
Rose knew nothing about Jack except he was always so broody and serious. Then he starts to grow on her and show her who he really is through his actions. When he gifts her with one of his smiles she realizes she could maybe even fall for him. She tried her best to ignore what she was feeling, but somewhere along the way something had changed between them. She’s getting butterflies every time he’s near, and her fake husband is starting to feel very real, like he’s hers. The unattainable man who was to only be temporary is becoming her everything.
Ella Maise’s words are my new obsession, and I’m the idoit that waited so long to read this amazing author. I’m kicking myself for not getting to her books sooner. Marriage For One is an addictive slow burn romance that completely consumed me. It’s an emotional, beautiful story that kept me wanting more. I couldn’t put it down, and look forward to devouring more books by Ella!
I loved the cover instantly. It is gorgeous. The protagonists are brilliant. Rose is a chatty and bubbly kind hearted woman. She is the complete opposite to Jack who is the silent brooding type who comes off cold and calculated. And yet despite his grumpy nature, he is utterly adorable and I loved him instantly. The little gestures he performs like painting and moving bookshelves had my heart pitter patting and his insistence of Rose wearing her ring made me think that maybe he wasn’t so cold.
Their beginning is unconventional and yet it still didn’t go according to plan. I couldn’t believe how cold Jack was towards Rose in the beginning. But when the chips were down, Jack really stepped up. Even though he was a bit like a fish out of water, he did the best he could to be there for Rose. And your heart melts when he see how hard he tried. But there was still something he was hiding. Something happened before the two of them met. I had a few theories about this and damn I knew they would be confirmed!
This was an engaging and captivating story that showed how love can be rocky but it blooms in the most unlikely of places. I loved reading this story and the interactions between Rose and Jack were hilarious! I also loved seeing the two of them change because of their feelings for one another.
I loved this book from the moment I started until the moment I finished it. It was intriguing and fascinating and warmhearted and humorous. It was also a wonderful slow burn with a mystery that kept me guessing for most of the book.
When the book starts, we see Rose and Jack getting married. Cue the song from Titanic, except there’s no drowning here, unless you count Rose drowning in Jack’s intense blue eyes. This is a fake marriage, concocted by Jack, who convinced Rose, to save her coffee house dream.
For years, Rose has been saving and dreaming of her own coffee house. Her uncle had promised to help her with a building in Madison Avenue, New York City. Yet, he died before she could finalize their contract, and instead he left the building to her future husband, if she were to be married at the time of his death. Since she had recently been dumped by her fiancee, she had no hopes until Jack approaches her with this plan of a fake marriage. He will honor the contract her uncle had promised and in return he would get a wife to accompany him to social events. Jack is a partner in the same law firm as her uncle’s lawyer.
So, they marry and Rose enters into a strange life with a total stranger whose typical facial expression is an eternal frown, he’s relentlessly serious all the time, and at times he seems very complacent but at others he seems exasperated. Rose very soon took his measure, realized that although he’s a grumpy man, his bark was worse than his bite. Although he was very aloof, he picked her up from her coffee shop every afternoon, helped with physical chores that were too heavy for Rose, and was very attentive to her wishes and dreams. I immediately realized there were hidden depths to this guy and things were not as they seem.
I loved how Rose kept sassing Jack, and how she domesticated him. With Rose, Jack learned to greet the doorman of his building and to chat with their driver and to say thank you to servers. When she scolded him, he took her instructions to heart and behaved better next time. He seems grouchy and yet, he was quiet, intense and attentive. She kept counting smiles every day and it took a long time of sassing and sarcasm and endless chatter until she started to see her coveted smiles. All this meant that they were falling hard for each other, and that was inevitable. Rose was irresistible, she was all heart and enthusiasm and caring. I also fell in love with Jack because his demeanor was taught by breeding but he saw the light and changed his game. They were delightful together, a power couple.
Of course, not everything was paradise, and soon the problems started and the mystery started to unravel and this book changed from a slow burn to an impending implosion. Fantastic reading!