Review: His Convenient Husband

His Convenient Husband by Robin Covington

Series: No

Genres: Contemporary Romance, MM

Release Date: October 9, 2017

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley/Entangled Publishing

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

NFL football player Isaiah Blackwell lost his husband three years ago and is raising their teen son alone. He lives his life as quietly as his job allows, playing ball to support his family but trying not to draw unwanted attention. His quiet life is shaken up when a mutual friend introduces him to Victor, a visiting principal ballet dancer who is everything Isaiah is not.

Brash and loud, Victor Aleksandrov has applied for political asylum to avoid returning to Russia, where gay men are targeted and persecuted. He’s been outspoken about gay rights in his home country, and if he doesn’t get asylum, going back to Russia is a death sentence.

Their one-night stand turns into a tentative friendship, a relationship they both agree is temporary... until Victor’s denied asylum. Isaiah can’t offer Victor a happily ever after, but he can propose something that’ll keep Victor in the US and safe... marriage He just doesn’t expect his new husband to dance away with his heart.

Pro-football player Isaiah and Russian ballet dancer Victor meet and spend one night together with the understanding that it’s a one-time hookup. Their chemistry is obviously off the charts but Isaiah, having lost his husband three years ago, is solely focused on raising his teenage son and is not interested in another relationship. Victor has been outspoken about his country’s brutal treatment of gay men and when his request for asylum is denied Isaiah steps in with a surprising proposition: a quickie wedding in Vegas meant to keep Victor safe in the U.S. Now navigating a new marriage of convenience, Isaiah struggles to balance his need for privacy with Victor’s activism – all while trying to ignore his growing attachment to this new man in his life.

Despite having several fundamental differences, Isaiah and Victor had an instant attraction with the possibility of so much more. Unfortunately, Isaiah was dead set against opening himself up to a new relationship. He had been devastated by the death of his husband and was determined to never feel that kind of loss again. As a professional football player, he was a public figure but maintained a very low profile. He was naturally a private man and was also adamant about providing his son Evan with a normal life outside the spotlight. I applauded Isaiah’s commitment to protecting Evan and, to an extent, understood his resistance to a new relationship, but only up to a point. There were times I was frustrated with Isaiah for continually keeping Victor at arm’s length and at times his rigid stance was downright hurtful to Victor.

Speaking of Victor, he’s described in the synopsis as brash and loud but I never saw that. He was a committed and outspoken activist for gay rights and was a man who was strong with the power of his conviction. But he was also a lonely man who was raised as a ward of the Russian government when his talent for ballet became evident. Victor was sweet and kind and so desperate to be a part of a loving family. From the first time Isaiah’s mother met Victor and engulfed him in a welcoming hug it was obvious this man pined for the safety and security of family. I wanted that so much for Victor and my heart hurt for him each time Isaiah made a choice to shut him out.

What I enjoyed about Isaiah and Victor was the fact that they were so different and they appreciated those differences in one another. And they were almost always honest and upfront with each other. I also loved Victor’s connection with Isaiah’s son, Evan. The two of them bonded quickly and had such a great relationship. Unfortunately the length of the book (barely over 200 pages) didn’t allow for much character development and the end of the story felt rushed. It would have been nice to see this expanded into more of a full length novel and allow for more time to form a real connection with the characters and their story.

Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

3.5/5 STARS

Have you read a book that features 

a marriage of convenience?