This was a lovely book. What made it for me was that the hero, Wes, is just such a nice, honest, and honorable guy. When his best friend and partner in their architecture firm, Jamie, comes up with the idea that they should get married in order to improve their chances on getting a top design assignment, he decides to go along with it. It’s a dumb idea, but Wes decides that he’ll probably never get married, but he doesn’t want to be alone all his life and why not marry the woman who is also his closest friend.

Over the course of the novel, we see over and over again how well these two people know each other and how well the work together. That carries over to their personal lives. They just mesh. And even though they agreed that they would live separately and not have sex, of course those limits on their marriage fade away and they come to realize that there is more than a convenient marriage between them.

Since it’s a romance novel, complications will ensue, but the likeability of these characters as well as Jamie’s father and Wes’s brother carry this novel along. There is something to be said about the appeal of a good, honorable man with a great sense of humor who also is a hunk.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Work Wife. The plot had substance to it and the characters were well developed. If you're looking for a romance to make you think, then this could be it.

3.5 sweet stars

Jamie and Wes have worked together for years. They're besties but there's nothing romantic between them. They're both also fiercely competitive so when they see their best chance of winning a key customer is to go on a couples retreat with the prospective customer, they decide to get married so they can join them. Like you do.

I must admit this had a slow start for me. Jamie and Wes had no chemistry at the start and I wasn't sure how invested I was in them as a couple. I stuck with it though and gradually, the chemistry between them sparked, simmered and burned. There was even some decent heat between them eventually so that was me happy.

There were a few twists in this which kept things interesting, although I had to suspend disbelief a little at a couple of things. There was also a two-for-one sub plot involving two other characters that I could've done without tbh, I was only interested in Jamie and Wes really.

It was an undemanding, easy read once it got going and I enjoyed the feels.

Complete story.

**Thanks to the publisher via netgalley for my arc.**

I received a copy from NetGalley; this is my honest review. #TheWorkWife #NetGalley
-Wes is so thoughtful (chocolate on X days!) but Jamie is sooooo competitive, even with marriage.
-You cannot deny they have a great partnership and know each other deeply, up to lots of practical details and it was fun to see them win against other couples that were married for a longer time.
-There is a lot going on in this book: Wes and Jamie's story, Ben and Anna's, Wes and Ben's parents. -We don't see much of the going-ons at work but you can feel that each firm is powerful in their own city.
-I would've liked to see more of their actual married life together without the stress of work or competition or anything else.
-Editing needs another pass. Timeline is incorrect: he was sick 10 months ago while she was in college (which was 5-6 years ago). Two large paragraphs are repeated word for word in two different places, etc.
-Fact: Remission time is calculated in years not in months. You need five years without cancer to be deemed in remission, so when they said he was in remission after 10 months they were wrong.

The Work Wife is the third book in Allison B. Hanson’s “An on the Job” series and I have enjoyed them all so far. They can be read as stand alone books, but my personal preference is to read series book in order. It’s the librarian in me.

This friends -to- lovers story slowly builds from a solid friendship to some sizzling romantic chemistry. Because they worked together for five years, they did not let any romantic feelings enter their relationship. When Jamie proposes a marriage “arrangement”, Wes is agreeable. The figured they spend all their time together at work, why not capitalize on that relationship. After they got married they realized just how close their friendship had made them. They knew more about each other than some couples who were in long term marriages. Jamie and Weston both have a few secrets they hadn’t really shared with each other. This story takes you on that journey to uncover an even deeper love.

Once I got into this book, I had a hard time putting it down. If you pick it up during a week night, you might have a book hangover the next morning. This is a sweet, fun, contemporary romance with a satisfying ending. A perfect summer read.

The Work Wife by Allison B. Hanson is a fun read. One thing I liked is that I felt like I was one of their friends or co-workers, looking in from the outside, and seeing some things that seemed so obvious to “us” that the main characters were completely oblivious to. Some of their blindness was a BIT hard to accept, I kept wanting to yell at both of them. This story sucked me in pretty quickly and I found myself rooting for them to figure things out and find their way. I’ve always enjoyed friends to lovers tales, and this one does not disappoint. The roots of their friendship are deep, and I felt the author did a great job really fleshing out that relationship before introducing the love story. A few of the misunderstandings later in the book frustrated me a little bit, but the author managed to convince me these characters could make these mistakes. The ending made me happy, and I especially loved that the author gave us a little epilogue at the end to let us know how everyone was doing, a few months later. I’m a big fan of Happily Ever After, but I ALWAYS want to know what happened…later. This was a satisfying wrap up.

The Work Wife is the third instalment in Allison B. Hanson’s “An on the Job” series, and it was a pleasantly surprising good read. Don’t get me wrong, I have liked the previous books, but this one just had a little more going for it and the story really held my attention.

I enjoyed the character portrayal and the overall plot behind the story; especially watching as two professionally driven people finally give in to their undeniable chemistry and attraction and all that entails. So don’t be thrown by the title, as The Work Wife was thoroughly enjoyable book, and a very easy read. I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author in the future.

Wes escaped his family business by taking an internship in another city. He found a home with the competition and in his partner. Jamie was exactly what he needed. She kept him sharp while improving their ideas. They became comfortable with each other. Now circumstance has tempted them to change their relationship.

I love best friend romances and this is very well done. Jamie and Wes live in each other's pockets yet don't see that they could be more. As usual one knows before the other but doesn't make the situation uncomfortable. The people around them already assume they are more than what they admit to. Watching them evolve is sweetly satisfying.

Kind of an odd flow to this book but I did enjoy it. Probably best read all at once.

The Work Wife, has more than one couples romance at the same time. Both Wes and his brother Ben have found their best friend and Significant others at work. Wes and Jamie's is the front story and I loved it.

My favorite part of this book was Jamie. I think she's an independent woman but it's not cliche. Wes was funny and a sweet guy. Everything was well written and thought out except the reason they got married that was weird and unrealistic. But overall I had fun reading this untypical romance book.

This was an okay read. I liked Jamie and Weston, but didn't love them. I would have liked for them to feel a spark for each other much sooner than they did. I almost DNF this read because the romance took too long to emerge. I would have liked Weston to be more alpha male as well. This book,was well-written and contains a secondary romance with Weston's brother, which I liked. However, I usually like a little more heat in my reads so this was a miss for me.

Despite the summary for The Work Wife being completely wrong, the book itself was actually really great. Jamie and Wes had a very solid friendship, which made this friends-to-lovers trope so satisfying. There was no attraction in their 5 years of friendship, but after getting married, they both realize that they really cared for one another and it blossomed into something more. I loved reading about their adventures to different places. The book started in snowy and cold Boston, then moved to nice Virginia, and then they went to sunny Jamaica. The different settings perfectly complemented their evolving relationship.

Jamie was a strong protagonist and definitely career driven, which was nice to see vs. her possibly being worried about finding love and settling down. Wes was so sweet and caring and honestly just the best kind of partner. They made the perfect duo for falling in love and it was so heartwarming to see their relationship grow, especially when it involved Jamie's father. The other minor characters were also nice additions. At first, I was a little thrown by Ben's side story with Annabelle since it could've been its own novel. Then it all came together in the end, which didn't bother me as much.

Unfortunately, the ending of the book was so cliche and not at all representative of Jamie and Wes' relationship. I didn't like how the last 10% of the book involved a certain character causing mischief. The story was so good up until the ending, but I guess since it was a happily ever after, I can't complain too much.