Powerful uplifting tale of romance with an unusual heroine
When Steve, her prince in shining armor turned out to be lying, cheating flim flam man, Mallory lost everything---her home, her business, and her heart. Marriage seemed a good solution to keep a roof over her head, especially when Torr offered to pay off her staggering, mind-boggling debt. When Torr inherits a Scottish castle, Mallory wants no part of this ruin, but what choice does she have? Things go from bad to worse when they arrive. If the isolation, lack of the modern conveniences like heat weren't bad enough, there is wildlife, scary storms, no neighbors and bugs! Mallory's marriage seems more and more a mistake and she will do anything to get out of Kincaillie..... can these newlyweds find new start in a new setting?
Jessica Hart creates a modern fairy tale romance, a unique blend of fairy tale situations imbued with modern psychological depth. Jessica Hart writes a romance that brings love to the darkest corners of the heart, a heart in pain. Depression leaves Mallory unable to do little else but look inwards, turning against herself. The reader feels her emergence from depression, step by step. Anger empowers her, turning her feelings outward, giving her energy and an emerging fighting spirit. Overwhelmed by fear and anger, Mallory fights her way back from the devastation of her past.
This romance is a bit different than others I have read by Jessica Hart but just as powerful. NEWLYWEDS OF CONVENIENCE is almost exclusively told through Mallory's point of view. The reader questions Torr alongside Mallory, feeling her anger and seeing his actions through her eyes....except Jessica Hart lets the reader know just a bit more than Mallory, providing lots of smiles as the reader knows and loves Torr just a bit more quickly than Mallory. Smiles, tears, laughter....Jessica Hart takes an impossible hero/heroine mismatch and an impossible marriage of convenience and turns it into a powerful story of a woman finding love again with a man whose patience is greater than Job's, a man who truly loves her even in her darkest moments.
Jessica Hart is one of my favorite Harlequin Romance authors, even more so after reading NEWLYWEDS OF CONVENIENCE. No matter what the plot or no matter how zany the initial circumstances, she writes a deeply powerful romance. In the initial stages, Torr (as seen through Mallory's eye) seems an impossible man --- the reader feels Mallory's growing anger at him, sides with her....but as the story unfolds, as Mallory emerges from her depression, the reader feels the changes in perspective through her eyes. I applaud this author for writing a romance with this heroine, telling her story through her eyes. It's a beautiful, uplifting romance.
I know the author has no control over the titles or the back cover blurbs... but again, I have to say, the back cover blurb really gives no hint at the richness and depth of this author's writing or this particular romance. Yes, there are fun and humorous moments as the blurb would indicate but my one word of advice to other readers is that Jessica Hart, in my reading experience, writes very moving powerful stories. She takes risks with unusual characters that break stereotypes of what or who a romance heroine should be. Love it!
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
A book to look forward to
I have this in my upcoming pile. Looks like a book to look forward too I have seen alot of praise for this author. I am backed up a bit with my HR this month my July books showed up almost 2 weeks after the June books. What I really want are my next shipment of Nocturnes.
People who look down on others are the real freaks of this world.
Jessica Hart and subscriptions
For me, Jessica Hart is one of the HR authors that I move automatically to the top of my reading pile as soon as one of her books arrives. I have read several by her. It seems to me she often does something unusual in her romances, often daring to write unusual heroines, and writes her romances in such a way that empowers women and also love itself in her romances is empowering, often in unexpected ways.
Moonsong, Ah, thanks for relieving me of the guilt. My HRs are piling up so fast and now I know why. One day I am on target, and the next I seem to be 2 months behind. Now that you mention it, maybe I received 2 months so close together like you. I finally had to cancel my Nocturne subscription and order them each month because the shipping cycle schedule for my subscription was so horrible that I was getting the Nocturnes almost 2 months behind everyone else. I am doing the same with my LI Historicals----the bimonthly schedules seem to either be great (like my EL was) or horrible. I may have to do the same with the Medicals. I just got the May books Friday, almost when May is almost over... and then the USPS split open the box so that 2 were missing and the other two were beat to death....so now I will probably get the May ones late in June. By that time, the books will be sold out so my blogs won't help anyone...although I can read them for my own enjoyment and will because I love them
...but the May ones might get read after the June ones or later. I have pared down a lot but I am still having a hard time managing my top reading interests.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Merri, this was an
Merri, this was an interesting twist on the marriage of convenience plot.
Nancy