It’s only pretend… stake, the only way to get them to back off is to make them think he’s truly, madly, deeply in love … with me—his third personal assistant this year.
But I can hardly stand working for him as it is.
Hudson is crazy hot and well-aware. He’s arrogant, spoiled, and silver-spooned. He checks me out when he thinks I’m not looking, and his life is a revolving door of beautiful women. Plus, he can’t even pronounce my name correctly—how’s he going to convince his family he’s in love with me?!
I’m seconds from giving him a resounding “no” when he flashes his signature dimpled smirk and gives me a number that happens to contain a whole mess of zeroes …
On second thought, I think I can swallow my pride.
But, oh baby, there’s one thing I haven’t told him, one teensy-tiny thing that could make this just a hair complicated …
Here’s hoping this entire thing doesn’t explode in our faces.
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Mari despises Hudson. She’s his PA and he’s an arrogant, self-centered jerk but, he needs a favor. Mari accepts his proposal and their fake engagement begins. It should be easy enough to manage for a few months without divulging secrets.
It is fun watching Mari and Hudson navigate the waters of being a couple without letting themselves feel any emotion. Their story sucks you in and you can’t put the book down. The realization that they really do like each other and enjoy spending time together is so sweet. But, that is before the secrets are revealed and the hurt crushes them. There’s also an element of surprise I didn’t see coming that enhances the story to another level.
This is a really good book and I recommend it.
Hudson & Mari’s Fake Marriage Arrangement Is Threatened By The Secrets They Keep, And A Pregnancy Forces Some Hard Choices For Both. Their Story Is About Family Values.
Maribel Collins, twenty-five, is giving her two weeks’ notice. Effective May twenty-sixth, she will walk away from Rutherford Architectural with a big sigh of relief. She may be patient, but working as the personal assistant for Mr. Rutherford is akin to signing up to be an indentured servant. The man is the devil. The timing couldn’t be worse, however, as she just realized days ago that she is pregnant. She hadn’t been with a man is ages, and had finally given in a month ago and arranged a single hookup to scratch an itch and move one. Luck would have that her one hookup resulted in pregnancy despite taking precautions, and worse, the man’s number is no longer in service. She might need to ask her parents for help and move back home to Nebraska if she cannot find a good job fast. But one thing is for certain: anything is better than working for Mr. Rutherford.
Hudson Rutherford, twenty-nine, is on this third PA since January. He heads Rutherford Architectural and works like a horse, expecting his employees to do the same without complaint. That might explain the high turnover rate. Many words describe him: demanding, rude, arrogant, insufferable, unforgiving, micromanager, and control freak to name a few. He knows full well that he is difficult to work for but doesn’t mind. He likes to ensure his employees don’t’ get too comfortable around him. He particularly enjoys riling up his PA’s by messing up their names. He keeps a secret Rolodex handy for when he has the urge for a no-strings liaison, which is the only thing he has to offer a woman. He had one relationship in college, but has no interest in another. He spent his youth away from home at boarding school, so his relationship with his family is a little different.
Every summer without fail, Hudson is expected to spend four weeks at the family home in Montauk. But as he is about to turn thirty, it is a custom he would rather avoid this year. Summer is the wedding season, and an understanding exists between his family and the Sheffield family that he and their daughter would marry if still single by age thirty. He happens to have a plan, and when Mari turns in her resignation he jumps at the opportunity to implement it.
Hudson and Mari enter into a fake marriage arrangement in order to get his family off his back. Mari hates him, which makes her the perfect wife. She won’t want anything from him but the five million he agrees to pay her, and he doesn’t mind being generous. There is also the matter of her driving him crazy, but her ability to talk back to him without cowering makes her uniquely qualified for the job of his wife. Mari has misgivings, but Hudson always gets what he wants. He doesn’t know about her pregnancy, which is a serious complication, but she should be able to hide it until after the wedding at the end of the summer, after which time they go their separate ways. It seems like a win-win.
Hudson and Mari get to know one another in earnest as they prepare to spend time in Montauk. Feelings gets confusing as reality blurs with their ruse. They each have a story to tell, and it is surprising to see how well they get along. But it is all fake, as evidenced by the secrets they both continue to keep. They each have a past that threatens to surface and unravel whatever happiness they might have found.
Hudson and Mari’s story is a sweet enemies to lovers, fake marriage story. There are some angsty moments as the story moves to Montauk, testing the couple. The story shifts and becomes much more serious in tone later, and there are a few teary moments. It is about issues of family and raising children. There are also issues of self-esteem and revenge. The story relies heavily on coincidence, but it works. The HEA is not typical. It is, however, a modern and realistic happy ending.
Hudson and Mari’s fake marriage arrangement is threatened by the secrets they keep, and a pregnancy forces some hard choices for both. Their story is about family values. It is nicely written and plot-driven. The characters are nicely developed. It is written in first person. The POV alternates between Hudson and Mari. I rate this book four stars.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for enemies to lovers book with lots of drama this book is well worth the read.
This book was not was I thought it would be, and that is not a bad thing. This was a beautifully unexpected delightful story. I enjoyed it.
Does a fake date/engagement/marriage ever really turn out as expected? Someone always gets screwed over. Someone always catches a case of the feels. Things change and it’s not always for the better.
Things couldn’t go much worse for Mari & Hudson. She hates him for being such a horrible boss so she’s not sure how to act like she’s so in love with him and wants to marry him. Lying to his snooty family and to her small town sweet parents becomes increasingly difficult. This story gets more and more twisted and complicated each day.
It’s a fun easy read that I liked a lot.
This was my first Winter Renshaw book, even though I have a lot of her books on my Amazon wish list. Initially, I was disappointed to find two “bonus” stories as well. I’m not a fan of extra stories included. I have no real basis for my feelings, I just have them. Now, onto the story line. I love a good “a-hole redeems himself and turns into better person” story. Hudson definitely is an a-hole and while he redeems himself, it just wasn’t believable for me. Hudson and Mari’s love just didn’t do it for me. It felt like it came out of nowhere, especially considering the way they treated each other at the beginning.
Nonetheless, great writing and I look forward to trying more from Winter Renshaw.
SWEET, SENSUAL, SLOW BURN ROMANCE!!!
Title: The Perfect Illusion
Author: Winter Renshaw
Designation: Full-Length, Standalone, No Cliffhanger #slowburn #office #wealthyboss/assistant #enemiestolovers #oppositesattract #fakefiancee #contemporaryromance
My Rating: Four Delightfully Entertaining Stars
What a lovely read! This was my first time reading the work of Winter Renshaw, and it certainly won’t be my last! I love finding talented new-to-me authors, and Winter Renshaw is most definitely super talented. There were so many things I truly enjoyed about The Perfect Illusion, but allow me to list just a few. The narrative was beautifully written in the first person with clearly discernible his and her perspectives. My favorite for contemporary romance! The dialogue was smart, natural, well executed, at times hilarious, and flowed effortlessly. I liked the premise for the story, though it would be difficult to describe as only one trope. It’s more a mashup of several – adversaries to lovers, who originally meet in an office environment as boss and personal assistant, combined with fake fiance, plus opposites attract since they have extremely different backgrounds and upbringing. I think what I liked most was the way Renshaw wove all the different elements together with a surprising and special twist. It sure as heck surprised me! The book was well crafted with only a few minor typos, but nothing that distracted me from the story. The story was fast paced and easy to follow, but the romance was more of a sweet, slow, yet sensual build up which I also enjoyed. But, without a doubt, my favorite component was the cast of easily relatable characters, especially the two protagonists, handsome architect Hudson Rutherford and beautiful personal assistant Maribel Collins. They were so darn cute! Hudson was wealthy, egotistical, self entitled, always rude, very difficult to work for, and a real player with the ladies. His life was a revolving door of beautiful women – no strings, no commitments, and no relationships. Mari was intelligent, hardworking, efficient, gracious under fire, underpaid, woefully underappreciated, and had no time for a personal life because of her demanding work schedule. And Hudson didn’t help matters by always pronouncing Mari’s name incorrectly, which we discover he did on purpose. Yeah, I wanted to strangle him! lol… It was so entertaining watching these two lock horns which is how the story begins, but it even more fun watching Mari bring Hudson down a few pegs! I was instantly engaged and fell head over heels for both Hudson and Mari. I snickered, snorted, chuckled, sniffled, and fumed through the entire book but by the end, I was happy, satisfied, and well entertained.
Did I like this book! Yes, very much! Will I read this author again? Absolutely! Would so recommend it? You bet, and I am.But only for adult readers since it does contain explicit language and dreamy sex. The Perfect Illusion is definitely sexy but more of a slow burn romance. Although both Hudson and Mari are attracted to each other, it takes a little while for these two to act on their feelings, and it takes even longer for them to realize and finally admit that what they feel is love. But when is love ever easy? That would be no fun at all. Lol… There’s no violence, though I did want to slap Hudson’s snobby ex-girlfriend, Audrina, a few times, but there is some drama and angst. You can’t have a realistic love story without a little heartbreak and a few tears, right? And finally, was I entertained? Completely! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!
I love books that have this storyline premise. I really love it when they are done well. This one checked every box for me.
Winter Renshaw is a fantastic writer and this book did not disappoint at all, I absolutely loved this story, I loved how this was written and it was such a fun and exciting storyline I didn’t want to put it down.
Winter Renshaw for me is definitely an author that I can go to and know that I will enjoy her books, I ah e read a few and now can’t wait to get into some more.
The Perfect Illusion was full of secrets and drama and it just made me want to keep turning the pages to see when and how it would all fall in to place.
Hudson was your typical male alpha who was a successful but not nice boss at all. It all really stemmed from getting his heart broken in college and he took it out on everyone around him. The only problem was the girl that broke his heart is always a permanent fixture in his life and as he was coming up to 30 he knew he needed to do something, which then enters Maribel.
Maribels life was changing very fast and she didn’t have the time to deal with an arrogant boss who didn’t appreciate what anyone did for him and treated people like crap. So she decides to quit but Hudson has other ideas and that’s when we get to really see these two characters at their best.
These two characters were written perfectly and I loved every bit of them and really fell in love with the them. I laughed, got frustrated, got emotional through out this book and really felt the tension on the pages and had be engrossed from the first page to last page.
A big 5 star read from me.
Pleasant surprise. I read so many books that I though it might be another formulaic fake fiancé book. It had original elements and well written, strong witty characters. I fell in love with all the characters. I felt like I knew them. Wonderful read.
Hm. Not my favorite of her works. Hudson was too perfect, no illusion. His change from nightmare boss to lover too abrupt. Then the whole pregnancy thing made the heroine seem shady.
Love this author. Recommend all of her books.
This book had a few twists in the “I don’t like you, but fall in love with you” plot. Good read.
The Perfect Illusion was a great read. I enjoyed the main characters, the story, the storyline and a few laughs along the way. I finished this book in one sitting and ended it with a smile on my face. Hudson offered Mari a offer she couldn’t refuse. It seemed to good to be true and who was Mari to refuse; she needed what he was offering. Everything was going as planned until perfectly kept secrets came out destroying everything. Now that the secrets are out, there are no more lies to reveal and everything has changed. Will there be enough to hold Hudson and Mari together or will their engagement end as quickly as it started? When it comes to this couple, is love really enough to get over the lies and will Hudson be able to overcome the huge change that comes with loving Mari? This story is definitely worth reading. I’m sure a lot of romance lovers will enjoy it as much as I did and I can’t wait to for the next read from this author.