Likable characters, solid narrators

Don’t let the initial premise of this story put you off. Yeah OK, generally if I heard that a story was going to be about someone who answered an anonymous Internet ad for a paid husband impersonator, I would roll my eyes and put the book aside, unread. The only reason that I even gave this book a shot is because LA Witt’s Best work is creative, funny, emotionally engaging and worth re-reading more than once. Because of this, I gave The Husband Gambit a try, despite the initially uninspiring premise, and I’m glad I did. The author deals head on with the ludicrousness of anyone actually doing what Hayden does at the beginning of the book, and in typical fashion does so with humor and insight. As a result, I was able to suspend disbelief and keep reading, without getting mentally stuck on the fact that anyone who answers an Internet ad like that is really too stupid to live.

This is a slow burn romance. Witt’s books are frequently filled with smoking hot sex scenes, and while there are a few of those in this book, they occur mostly toward the end, and occupy a smaller fraction of the story than is typical for this author. The majority of the story centers around how these two characters come together emotionally, and grow as individuals. Both Hayden and Jessie are likable, thoughtful people whom you might actually want to know in real life. The story is sweet and charming more than seductive, but there is certainly enough bedroom action to keep things interesting and fun.

If you are still unsure about whether or not this book is the right fit for you, you might also wish to consider the narrators. Both Greg Boudreaux and Michael Ferraiuolo are capable of narrating a mediocre book as though it were the best thing they’ve ever read. In this case, they had a good book to start with, and blew the narration out of the water. You just can’t go wrong with these guys, as long as the material they are starting with is worth reading, and this book is. That said, there was one teeny tiny thing that made me a little nuts. One of Hayden‘s best friends in the story is a man named Luis. Michael Ferraiolo pronounces his name with a “Z“ sound at the end so it sounds like the woman’s name Louise. I’ve read another book narrated by him which includes the same mispronunciation, so at least he’s consistent, but if you know anyone bearing this name you know that the last sound is pronounced “S“ and it’s a little jarring. Other than that little hiccup, the narration for this book is fantastic.

21 people found this helpful

Oh wow!

Oh wow!!! This is so good .. extremely well written. And the story is so fun and quirky and still so serious.
And an absolutely phenomenal narration by Greg and Michael, they make an amazing teamwork and the result is a very enjoyable experience.
This one is highly recommendable.

4 people found this helpful

solid 4.5, great story, excellent narration

Believable story, great character development, funny, heart warming, heart wrenching... I thoroughly enjoyed it. Listened to it all in 3 days!

But the icing on the cake was the narration. Excellent pairing. Thank you for teaming up two of the best narrators. Please do it again.

3 people found this helpful

Ok plot with issues, sweet, audio better than book

Strangely unbalanced in several ways. I was disappointed in the plot, because as fake marriage tropes go, this is a smart and potentially interesting set up.

Annoyed rants below, some of which may be SPOILERy.

- It took way too long for the MCs to express serious romantic interest in each other. This meant that the entire first half of the book was focused on establishing how horrific Jesse’s family is, with secondary attention to how weird this arrangement is for Hayden, and only very little on the developing relationship between Hayden and Jesse, which simply warms into friendship. The focus on the horrible evil terrible very bad father is overdone at the expense of developing everything else, for example:

- Just exactly how are Hayden and Jesse establishing their couplehood publicly? They never discuss it. Not even once. They don’t have one single conversation about PDA, or being seen in particular places, other than at Isaac’s parties. They each get emotionally tripped up by things like trying on wedding rings, but they are apparently either not even trying to present as lovers, or they have no issue at all doing so - both of which seem highly unlikely. They give all this lip service to worrying about others’ suspicions, but whose? And what are they doing to convince anyone they’re more than dudes hanging out, anyway? Which forces one to ask:

- Where on EARTH is the freaking press?! This is a book about an extremely wealthy, extremely powerful Hollywood dynasty led by one of the most controlling, compelling figures in the industry. Even the lesser-known son is going to have press at his heels at every step of this developing relationship that is supposedly blossoming into marriage to Hayden. The wedding, the honeymoon- they’d’ve been hounded for their every look, kiss, thought, moment. And they could’ve made that work for them. They SHOULD have made that work for them! Jesse’s been in Hollywood his entire life. He would have had an excellent understanding of how to use the press to accomplish his goal, which is essentially something it will do for him (with avid, maniacal joy) if he can just present the right evidence. (And where the hell are the press the night of the party? People like this don’t have parties without the press. One major point of the party IS the press. They should’ve had the press breaking their door down five minutes after they checked into that motel.) The press is mentioned exactly once, near the beginning as Hayden is figuring out how this would work. It makes so little sense that it became a huge distraction.

- Leading to another press related question: Why would Isaac want to tow the car publicly making a huge fuss?! He’s just embracing his inner homophobe now for all the world? He’s still in public damage control, despite his eagerness to get the disowning show on the road in private. This is a moment Jesse could, and should, have turned to HIS advantage- his lying dick of a father *towing his kid’s car* in punishment for marrying another man. Pretty powerful image. A genius Hollywood director and his industry-steeped son would both understand that.

Really good audio performance. Both narrators are outstanding. Not a good choice to have them alternate chapters since you get two different voices for each character including the MCs, an odd effect.

Overall, this needed help in the story department. Characters are great, and it’s potentially the best fake marriage setup I’ve ever seen; disappointing that the execution was 3/5 stars.

7 people found this helpful

Good narration kept me listening

This plot has been done before and this version was just okay. What kept me listening was the good narration.

5 people found this helpful

Cute story

Great narration and a wonderful love story to listen to. Lovable characters who make you feel what they are. Good supporting characters, too.

2 people found this helpful

Likes the story a lot but the narrators are the real treat

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the love story- it was sweet and funny.

But, the BEST part of this book is the stellar narration. I think I could listen to Michael Ferraiuolo read recipes and be fascinated. His inflection, accents, the way he stresses certain words... it’s really a whole other level than most narrators. I listen to A LOT of audiobooks and I truly have not heard better. Greg Boudreaux was fantastic too.

Well worth the credit!

4 people found this helpful

The kind of book I wish it never ended

I just need me more Jesse and Hayden. What a wonderful story, full of angst, love, righteousness and the hope for better days. Narration is the part it got me even more. I felt in a play, seeing the scenes folding, they are both incredible. Thanks

1 person found this helpful

Epic narration!

When I saw that both Greg Boudreaux and Michael Ferraiuolo was narrating this book I just had to listen to it. I mean they are two of my favourite narrators so listening to them both for the same book was bound to be a treat –and it sure was.

The trope is not a new one, the fake relationship has been done before – it’s a classic by now, and one of my favourites at that. The reason behind this fake marriage was a new one – usually you’re not actively looking for a way to be disowned, but that’s exactly why Jessie puts out an add looking for a fake husband for a year. Because he can’t think of anything worse than having his homophobic father get elected for the senate.

Hayden knows what it’s like to live on a budget, to drive his car not knowing if it will make the ride. So when he spots an add for someone looking for a fake husband for a year and pay him 1.2 million dollars for it he answers it – not knowing if it was real or if he would end up the next victim of a serial killer. He agrees to meet Jesse and also agree to his terms. And that as they say was the beginning of something neither of them counted on.

Hayden and Jesse get along from the beginning, they have a lot in common – despite being from different worlds. Their romance is a slow-burn one and I loved watching Jesse realise what a healthy relationship was supposed to look like. There might not have been any surprises but it was great anyway.

Greg Boudreaux and Michael Ferraiuolo’s narrations were epic and spot on. They definitely kicked this book up a level or two. I think I liked Ferraiuolo interpretation of Hayden’s inner musings the best. There was something really authentic about them. Not that the rest of the book didn’t have that feeling – both Boudreaux and Ferraiuolo are phenomenal at bringing characters to life and make them real. They nailed every moment, the passionate ones and the lighter humorous ones but also the heart-breaking and emotional ones – especially the ones dealing with Jesse’s dysfunctional family.

I loved listening to every second of this book and I really hope that there will be many more co-produced audiobooks in the future.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

1 person found this helpful

Disappointed

Oof... Where do I start?

What You'll Find in This Book~

Sprinkles of:
1. Racism (scary bad guy and serial killer = Nigerian prince?!)
2. Anti-sex work language (getting paid for sex = he's a wh*re and being one is unbearable)
3. Body shaming (protagonist keeps talking about putting on weight once he has access to food and is no longer starving due to poverty. Eating enough food and putting on weight is good for you, but the protagonist keeps saying it in an "oh no! I need to use the gym religiously now!" tone)

All of these messages and more! Brought to you by...the protagonists!
This isn't even touching on the rest of the cast's attitudes.

Great narrators though!