Published by Harlequin
Released on February 1, 2013
Pages: 368
Source: Free Book
As we all know based on the wedding announcements and shower invitations we have received, we are headed into the primo marriage season. In honor of all the traditional June Brides and July Weddings, I offer up a review on a wedding that was as non-traditional and unorthodox as you can get in modern America.
This is definitely one of those marriage stories that if it had been real, it would have been an impossible story to top.
Casey Greene gets rejected by her long time fiancé’ on a local TV reality show ‘Kiss the Bride’, but this should have been no surprise because she admits to herself- and to that kind stranger who was the witness to her tearful breakdown before the show- that she knew the relationship had gone flat and she show not have pushed Joe into this. Casey has little time to feel humiliated because the handsome and kind stranger, Adam Carmichael, owner of the station swoops in and pretends to marry her to keep the show from being a flop and to keep his national sponsors from pulling out. It’s all just for pretend Adam whispers and begs her to play along. And she does- anything to end the humiliation!
Only- they discover afterwards due to an unfortunate choice in pretend ‘ministers’- their marriage is for real and legally annulling it must wait a month. This should have sent them both into a tailspin, but not this surprising two-some. After some deliberation, they decide to make the most of it because each has their reasons for wanting to be married. Casey is a doormat for her family to take advantage of and their neediness prevents her from living her own life and fulfilling her own dreams. Marriage for her is a means of escape that will be the starting point for not going right back into the family morass and giving her family time to learn to do for themselves.
Adam has family problems too since his father’s will requires him to have a wife to keep the family business not to mention his widowed step-mother keeps throwing women at him that he does not want.
It will be kept strictly impersonal except when fooling their families.
And if you believe that-
The plot of the story does have the feel of the fairy tale about it even though this is a contemporary story in a thriving city. There is a great deal of humor (particularly when Casey turns Adam’s well organized world upside down) and low level angst (denial is not just a river in Egypt Adam ol’ boy) as Adam and Casey work through and learn to triumph over their pasts. The pace was set almost like a clock ticking down to the midnight hour ala Cinderella because their relationship only had the one month time frame of the annulment waiting period to have a chance. I enjoyed the characters and was really rooting for both the warm and lovable Casey and the gruff on the outside-tender on the inside Adam. The secondary characters were a delight too with the side-romance that Sam and Eloise had going.
All in all a sweet story to brighten the day with laughter and tender romance.
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I remembered after I wrote the review that this is also free at Books On Board On-line Bookstore.
Take a chance! It was a fun read.