|
|---|
Thursday, January 22, 2009
title: An Inconvenient Marriage
author: Ruth Ann Nordin
genre: romantic comedy, christian romance
published: 2008
pages: 276
first line: Jake Mitchell was good at two things: making money and managing people.
rated: 4 out of 5
After reading Ruth Ann Nordin's An Unlikely Place for Love and really enjoying it, I was happy when Ruth Ann sent me two of her other books!
In An Inconvenient Marriage, handsome Jake Mitchell, is the vice president of a bank and all around nice guy. Sue Lewis is a customer whose family is in bad debt. Sue's family's farm is going to be taken over by the bank soon, they will lose it if they cannot come up with the money for the mortgage. Sue goes to the bank on a daily basis, insisting to anyone who will listen that they cut her debt down, so her family can catch up on the bills and keep thier farm. Sue carries on, screams and throws hissy fits at the bank pretty much every day, insisting that if they do not help her, she will not stop coming to the bank until they do.
When Sue realizes that the bank cannot help her, she resorts to another plan, marrying for money. Being that Sue is 33 years old and has such a heavy debt, plus the fact that she has a reputation for being difficult, she knows it won't be easy to find a husband, but she is set on finding one that is rich and can save her family from losing their home.
Jake's mother has died and left him some money, which he wisely invested. Now, he hears news his estranged father has died as well. Jake's father has left him a large sum of money, but there are some rules he needs to follow first. According to the will, Jake needs to marry a virgin and he will get half of the money, then he needs to stay married for six months, and he can have the rest of the money. Jake agrees to this and right away thinks of Sue and her financial situation. He figures he can have a platonic business arrangement with her, they can get married and they can annul the marriage after the six months are up. This way, they both get money and everyone is happy. Sue agrees to marry him.
At first Sue and Jake just want to keep the relationship platonic, but little by little, their feelings change. One thing Jake didn't expect is that many men are now noticing his new wife. This makes him instantly jealous. Before he knows it, several suitors send her flowers, the hope to court her once her 6 month marriage is over. Jakes throws the flowers and cards away, and doesn't tell Sue anything.
One very funny part was when Jake invites several potential suitors to the house, and insists that Sue cook dinner (she is notorious for her terrible cooking). As the men are seated at the table, and Sue is in the kitchen, Jake is telling all kind of lies about her, to ward the suitors off. As these men are gagging on her cooking, Jake is telling them that she is frigid in bed as well! As Jake is badmouthing her,
Sue walks in and overhears. She walks over and pours pudding over his head. After the suitors leave, Jake follows Sue as she stomps up the stairs...
She turned around again. "You're too close to me."
"I'm not close enough."
"I don't know what has suddenly gotten into you, but I would ask you to remember your manners. I do have a thing called personal body space."
"And what a wonderful body it is."
She gasped. "You are impossible to talk to. Do you know that?"
"Good, I was tired of talking anyway." He stepped up so he stood in front of her, took her in his arms and kissed her. He felt her relax as she responded to his kiss.
I really enjoyed An Inconvenient Marriage, it was well written, romantic and funny. The storyline was great and I liked the characters. I liked Jake most, he's just a nice guy, he figures he can help Sue out with the money he's inherited. I liked Sue, but I thought her temper was a bit much. She would throw temper tantrums whenever she felt like it, I thought she could have given Jake a break more, especially in the beginning. But once she warmed up and started to love him, her attitude got better. I liked that Sue is a librarian and makes references to Shakespeare and Jane Austen.
If you're looking for a sweet romance, with a bit of humor to it, pick up a copy of An Inconvenient Marriage.
She knew what she wanted out of life and pursued it. She didn‟t back out of a challenge. She even rode horses bareback and sought adventure when she could find it. She wasn't content to stay in one place for long. She desired to see the world but couldn't due to her financial situation, so she spent a great portion of her days in a good book where she could transport herself to places that she longed to see but never would.
