Pretending to Wed

Nolan Key has lost his leg, his mother, his father, and now he's on the verge of losing his ranch - all because his father's will stipulates that he must be married in order to keep it. Otherwise, it goes to his less than ethical cousin. Desperate to find a solution, he takes the advise of his close friends and approaches the town laundress with a business proposition. Corinne Stillwater has been betrayed more than she wants to think about. Now, with the opportunity to run her own laundry business, she is struggling with her hands and the doctor says that she has to quit doing the repetitive motions that laundry requires. He says she should get married - as if that's an option after all of her betrayals. Yet, when Nolan points out their mutual desperation and offers her exactly what she asks for, she agrees - with the rule of no romantic nonsense. But, as they get to know each other better, can she hold him to that rule forever? And what will happen as Nolan's cousin, Matt, keeps hanging around looking for a way to claim the ranch anyway? What follows is an examination of two people who have both physical limitations and emotional insecurities. Each are flawed and seeking to overcome their flaws through human effort. What they learn is that God is the one who directs their lives and it's God who can solve their problems. If only they will trust God to step in and take charge. Nolan and Corinne also suffer from self imposed restrictions that lead to a breakdown in communication. In an effort to fulfill their end of the bargain, the communication between them suffers. Fortunately, others in their lives help intervene. Themes - marital intimacy, trust in God to solve problems, self-forgiveness for past sins, personal integrity Romance - PG / kissing and closed door intimacy Language - PG / clean My rating - 4 stars

Pretending to Wed by Melissa Jagears is a delightful marriage-of-convenience story in the Frontier Vows series. I enjoyed the first book so much I was hoping the second book would be just as good and the author did not disappoint. Nolan Key and Corrine Stillwater are two people who have been stung by life, but are so deserving of a happily-ever-after. How their business partnership turns into a different kind of need for each other is certainly a novel worth reading. In addition to the hero and heroine, there is a very nasty cousin and his fiancée that made me want to “boo” and enough humor to make me laugh out loud. What I enjoy most about Melissa Jagears’ books are the way she seamlessly combines a sweet romance with a spiritual lesson. The characters’ conversations with God were a natural part of the story and not an add-in. Characters from the first book do appear in this book, but I believe this book could be read on its own. (But you may want to start with that first book because it was lovely as well). I highly recommend this book! I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are my own.

A marriage of convenience? What if she unwittingly fell for him? Nothing good would come of that! This story will grab your attention and make sure you don’t quit reading until you have reached the end! Three months to marry or you lose the ranch - the last will and testament that makes one wonder about the sanity of the deceased father. A business arrangement perhaps....but can it really work? Nolan is not interested in marriage, but cannot get the will changed. Corinne, the local laundress, needs to find a way to earn a living that doesn’t use her hands. Marriage is not for her, but a mutually beneficial contract would work. Thus a marriage of convenience takes place, neither of them expecting the changes this decision will bring. Between laughing out loud and wanting the shake sense into them both, I thoroughly enjoyed this well written book. I particularly appreciated the research into patents and how they worked in 1884. It was most interesting to consider the difficulties and joy that came from a design that performed as the inventor envisioned it would. This ARC was received through Utmost Publishing, BookFunnel and CelebrateLit. The comments and impressions are my own and were in no way solicited.