The Substitute Wife

April 15, 2003
Four weeks before the wedding, Cat Lang's stepsister, Devon, decides to dump her fiance, Luke Quintain, and elope with an old boyfriend from high school. Cat offers to deliver the news to Luke, but once she finds out that Luke's grandfather is demanding that Luke get married by his thirty-sixth birthday, Cat gets the brilliant idea of offering to take Devon's place. Luke will get the "temporary" wife he needs, and Cat will be financially compensated for her time. Before long both Cat and Luke discover they both have gotten more than they bargained for with their marriage deal. Schulze's tart, humor-laced writing and charmingly appealing heroine add to the enjoyment this fresh, fun contemporary offers readers. Shulze is particularly good at creating and maintaining a believable sense of sexy chemistry between Cat and Luke as the always entertaining relationship between them turns into a wonderfully satisfying romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)