Abby Gaines

I really, really enjoyed Zack and Gaby's story. I only wish it hadn't been hijacked by Amber and Ryan halfway through the book. Just at the moments when I most wanted to be swept deeper into Zack and Gaby's struggles with family and bosses and their own insecurities, I found myself wading through yet another scene where Amber took center stage. Kinda ruined the momentum, and more than once I wondered whether or not I could just skip all of Amber's prickly angst and get to the characters show more whose story I wanted to be reading. show less

It's been a while since I read a contemporary romance, but I was in the mood for something light and sweet, and I had this ebook sitting on my harddrive for years, waiting for me to get around to reading it. I've never been terribly fond of the Harlequin category romances for various reasons, but this one was offered as a free download, so there it is.

The plot is the typical marriage of convenience, except in the case of Adam and Casey, it was more like "wedding ceremony of convenience", show more since it was a completely sudden and unexpected effort to save the ratings of a reality tv show produced by the station that Adam owns. Naturally, thanks to Adam's high profile in the city and the fact that it was broadcast on tv, the couple must maintain the charade for at least a month. Luckily for these two, pretending to be married for a month will benefit them both - Casey needs to get away from her clingy, needy family and Adam is in the midst of both defending his father's will from his aunt, who doesn't want Adam to inherit, and contesting the same will because it requires Adam to marry by the time he's thirty. Unluckily, they inadvertently got for-real married and have to go to court for an annulment (I'm not entirely sure why they had to go about it this way rather than simply divorcing, except that it's Romancelandia by way of Tennessee).

It's not a bad story, but it suffers from the same problems of most of the Harlequin category romances I've ever read, in that it is just steeped in Everyday Sexism. The tropes and clichés and stereotypes kept turning my stomach, and I wasn't quite sure if they were because Harlequin editorial requires them, or because they're standard fair for contemporary romances (it has been a while since I read one, after all). Or maybe I'm just growing more aware of these things.

Anyway, it's the usual nonsense, like how scenes with Adam happen at work while scenes with Casey happen in the home, often revolving around food. Casey is nurturing and friendly with the neighbors, whereas Adam mostly worries about his business and doesn't care to build relationships that aren't strictly useful. When they eat breakfast, Adam has eggs and sausage but Casey gets toast and fruit. There are so many little things like that, it really bothered me.

The other thing that I hated was the secondary romance plot centered on Adam's stepmother. Again, there's the Everyday Sexism and stereotypes, but I was a lot put off by the way Eloise and Sam were portrayed and interacted. Sam was kind of creepy and I didn't really want Eloise to "soften" and be with him - I liked her as a widow, and her personality. I definitely didn't expect that she would become part of the secondary couple in the story. There was something very off-putting and squicky about the descriptions and how the romance happened, which my kneejerk response was to ascribe to their age (about 58-60) - but which I think is just because it was weird and gross. On the other hand, I didn't care for the sex stuff between Adam and Casey, either, and skipped most of those scenes.

If you're looking for a free romance to pass the time and aren't picky, Married by Mistake isn't necessarily a bad choice. I didn't mind the cliché, completely predictable plot or even some of the stereotypical stuff about the main couple. But on the whole, it was too much stereotype and off-putting sex things for me. show less

Casey Greene is having second thoughts about sneak attacking her fiancée with marriage on the new reality tv show, Kiss the Bride. Adam Carmichael, president of Carmichael Productions is just trying to secure a new sponsor although his cousin's idea of "good" television is way different from his, especially with their new show. When Adam talks Casey into going through with the production, only to get stood up in front of a live studio audience he feels he has no choice but to step in. Who show more knew that this marriage between strangers was not only legal, but could turn into something beneficial for both the bride and groom?

This was a very easy, very fluffy little story that I completed in one evening. Neither character inspired me to hate them which was a plus, but on the other hand neither were ultimately very memorable either. Kind of like cotton candy, enjoyably sweet in small doses but melts away quickly. Since I'm not a fan of contemporary romances the fact I liked it at all makes it commendable in my book and I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author. show less

Yeah! This book starts off funny right away! I love Adam's inner dialogue as he is trying to calm down Casey.
Oh how complicated these "marriages of convenience" get. Adam and Casey start to date even though Adam just wants to stay away from Casey for a month? Sigh, can't authors write cute little stories with more believable storylines or at least try to make them intelligent?
A total wiff on the sex scene. Hot and heavy with the foreplay descriptions but when it came to the real deal the show more author just went with a "they did it". So much time building it up claiming their kisses were just sooo hot and then suddenly they are in bed and Adam "claims Casey as his own". Then it is morning. Lame! Talk about anti-climatic! It almost felt like false advertising to me. And then in the morning bam, Adam is saying it was a mistake to sleep together when for basically the whole book he was trying to get her in the sack. I guess the author wanted to make the book longer and add some more angst to the story but poorly executed.
A lot going on- secondary romance with Adam's step-mother Eloise and his lawyer Sam; Adam fighting his cousin and aunt in courts; Casey trying to get her father and sister to be able to live on their own; and then Casey and Adam's relationship. The author bit off more then she could chew and the Adam/Casey relationship takes a hit because of it. Simmer down authors, two characters is all I need as long as you make them exceptional.
This book had a lot of serendipitous and started off really funny. I was digging it thinking "yeah this might be a really light read but it will be good and funny." About half way through the book it tailed off severely into boring land. Could have been a mini-story in a woman's magazine. Some great funny moments just don't expect too much with a poo last half of book.

B- show less