Review: The Fortune Hunter by Jasmine Haynes

Posted March 26, 2009 by Casee in Reviews | 2 Comments

Publisher: Berkley, Penguin

A proposition that’s anything but businesslike…

If she wants to realize her lifelong dream of having children, heiress Faith Castle had better find a husband—pronto. But there are two roadblocks on her road to happiness: she knows no eligible men, and she’s not exactly Miss California.
Then she meets Connor Kingston. He’s yummy. He’s available. And he thinks she’s sexy…

But he’s also honest. After a kiss that leaves them hot and bothered, Connor offers to marry Faith, but purely as a career move. It’s far from romantic, but it’s as good an offer as she’s going to get. Each has a caveat, though. She requires his fidelity—and he wants a no-holds-barred sex life.

From their wedding night on, they get more and more adventuresome—and Faith starts feeling different about herself and her body. And somewhere in the midst of ecstasy, they come to know the most foreign, exciting aphrodisiac of all—love…

If this is true, Jasmine Haynes must have had a lot of phone sex before writing this book. I hope she had a Bluetooth.

I’ve always been a fan of the marriage of convenience plot. Historical or contemporary, I love them both. I think that’s why I like Harlequin Presents so much. Outside of Harlequin Presents, I haven’t read many modern-day marriage of convenience books, so I was instantly intrigued when I read the blurb for this book. I was also about to read the second book, Show and Tell, before the first book. Oh hells no.

Faith Castle is a modern day spinster. She totally under estimates herself as a woman. Which is why, at almost 30, she finds herself alone. There is nothing Faith wants more than a baby. She would also like to fall in love, but that comes in second to having a baby. So when Connor Kingston comes to her with his marriage of convenience proposal, she seriously considers it. The only stipulation she has is that he remains faithful. He agrees, in return for her complete cooperation in the bedroom (within reason).

Let the phone-sex marathons begin.

Connor had his eye on Faith for weeks before he actually approached her. She’s just the type of woman he’s looking for; single and the only heir to a family dynasty. Connor doesn’t want Faith for her money. He wants a family, something to pass onto his children. But he doesn’t want to go about it in the old fashioned way. Instead of building something from nothing (which would take too long), he’ll marry Faith.

It sounds rather cold-blooded, but his reasons for wanting to marry Faith made sense while I was reading. Lust and fondness are the only feelings he’s decided to feel for Faith. As for Faith herself, she’s not worried about falling in love with Connor. At least, she’s not at the beginning. After they’re married and having sex about five times a day (in bed and on the phone), Faith starts falling for him. She also sees a vulnerability in him that draws her to him in ways that she was unprepared for.

I really enjoyed this take on a modern day marriage of convenience. It was very emotional for Connor when he realized that he was in love with his wife, something that he promised would not happen. It was even more emotional when he realized that he would give up anything for her, including the legacy he so desperately wanted.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley Heat. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

Other books in the series:

Book Cover


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2 responses to “Review: The Fortune Hunter by Jasmine Haynes

  1. I’ve always been a fan of the marriage of convenience plot.

    Ditto 🙂 I love watching how the heor and heroine maneuver around each other and gradually fall in love. This sounds good – thank you Casee!

    BTW, if you like a marriage of convenience plot, have you read Lucy Monroe’s Blackmailed Into Marriage? It is one of my favourite marriage of convenience plots because the heroine has a particular issue you never see in a romance. And I really like how Lucy Monroe has brought it into a category romance!

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