"Practically Married"
By Karin Beery
About the Book:
Release Date: October 22, 2019
She moved to a new town to marry her fiancé. Instead, she’s burying him.
Ashley Johnson moved to northern Michigan to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face, but she arrived in time to attend his funeral. With no home back in Ohio, she decides to stay in what would have been their house, except his cousin Russ lives there too, and Russ has never heard of Ashley. To complicate matters, her fiancé accidentally willed her the family farm house. Eager to please everyone and desperate to disappoint no one, she proposes a marriage of convenience that could solve her and Russ’ problems, if they can get past her aunt, his sisters, and an ex-girlfriend.
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As this author is new to me, I commenced reading this book with some trepidation. Would I like the style of writing ? Would the tale keep me engaged?
Happily, I can report that this was a book that I read in two days! There was something about it that kept me wondering, wanting to know what was going to take place next. Admittedly, the plot is not a sit on the edge of your seat kind, or one that has the reader's heart pounding. But it is a bittersweet tale of how life can change in the blink of the eye!
Karin Beery has written a story that is about a modern day marriage of convenience, similar to the old fashioned "mail order brides" except with a life changing twist. Imagine selling everything you own, intending to travel, meet your future husband to whom you are engaged..... who you have NEVER met! Would you do it?? Not I! Ashley is a very brave, young woman who is seeking love , a perfect husband and a family in which she can become immersed finding the happiness she truly desires. However, upon arrival, she finds a funeral taking place, that of her fiance. What a frightening experience! Then , to make matters worse, no one in this family knows of her existence. I can feel her intense fear. what on earth will she do?
The characters are all well described so realistically that the reader can easily identify with them, and immediately begins walking alongside them as they meet the many challenges and questions that must be answered. Many times, I questioned the wisdom of the two characters who seemed to be thrown together.
The plot moved at a steady, somewhat slow pace. My interest was maintained throughout as unexpected twists and turns appeared. Ashley and Russ had many decisions to make. Their futures were to be determined by these complicated issues.
I will definitely be watching for more books by this author. Although the tale was somewhat unbelievable, I escaped the real world for a few hours, experiencing a decision that I would never want to have to make!
A sweet, complicated tale of two people desiring love, going about in it in the most unconventional way!!
This book was provided by CelebrateLit. The thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own. A positive review was not required.
About the Author:
Karin Beery grew up in a rural Michigan town where she wrote her first novel in high school. Today, she writes contemporary stories with a healthy dose of romance. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s reading, editing, or teaching it. In her free time, she enjoys being at home with her husband and fur babies watching University of Michigan football and action-adventure movies.
More from Karin
Why would two contemporary American’s agree to a marriage of convenience?
That’s what I asked myself when I sat down to write Practically Married. I love reading historical books about mail order brides and other arranged marriages, but I wanted to see if I could make that historical theme more modern (and still be believable).
That’s how Ashley and Russ came to be, and—after several revisions—I think I did it! It takes two to get married, but this is really Ashley’s story—it’s her past that inspires her future, and it’s up to her to decide where that inspiration with lead her.
The story couldn’t just be about their relationship, though. I’ve always thought it would be fun to have a big brother, so I gave Russ little sisters. And nieces and nephews. And a pie-baking mom who doesn’t like his beard (which may have been inspired my mother-in-law, who tried desperately to get my husband to shave his beard before our wedding). I also threw in some real buildings and places in northern Michigan (even though Boyne Falls is fictional). And it’s possible that some of my character names came directly from friends and other local inspirations. Practically Married isn’t only set in northern Michigan, it’s inspired by it.
Blog Stops
Among the Reads, October 22
Blogging With Carol, October 22
Reflections From My Bookshelves, October 23
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, October 23
Texas Book-aholic, October 24
CarpeDiem, October 24
Maureen’s Musings, October 24
Emily Yager, October 25
Rebecca Tews, October 25
Older & Smarter?, October 26
For Him and My Family, October 26
janicesbookreviews, October 27
Quiet Quilter, October 27
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, October 27
Cultivating Us, October 28
April Hayman, Author , October 28
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 29
SusanLovesBooks, October 29
Through the Fire Blogs, October 30
Vicky Sluiter, October 30
A Reader’s Brain, October 31
Christian Chick’s Thoughts, October 31
Moments, November 1
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections, November 1
EmpowerMoms, November 2
A Good Book and Cup of Tea, November 2
Inklings and notions , November 3
Remembrancy, November 3
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 3
Godly Book Reviews, November 4
Pause for Tales, November 4
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Karin is giving away the grand prize of a copy of her book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Sounds like a great story! And anything set in Northern Michigan would interest me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed this book! It was definitely a challenge to take the marriage of convenience trope and put it in a contemporary setting, but it was also fun to explore.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting story! Wonder if they can get past the relatives and develop a good relationship in their marriage of convenience. Vivian Furbay jtandviv (at) q (dot) com
ReplyDelete