"Bex had never seen so clearly how this wasn't
just about her, Mel and Hadleigh:
it was also about the men who needed them. "
just about her, Mel and Hadleigh:
it was also about the men who needed them. "
--Linda Lael Miller, The Marriage Season
Genre: Adult Romance
Genre: Adult Romance
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Pages: 304
Publication Date: May 26th, 2015
Source: Finished copy provided by publicist
Previous Books in Companion Series: The Marriage Pact & The Marriage Charm
Goodreads Description
Will the marriage pact be fulfilled? Return to Mustang Creek, Wyoming, with #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller for more Brides of Bliss County!
Since Hadleigh, Melody and Bex—the best of best friends—entered into a marriage pact, two of them have found (and married) the men of their hearts. But Bex doesn't think she'll be as fortunate as the others. Her own first love died years ago in a faraway war, and Bex has lost hope for a happy marriage of her own. She concentrates on her business, a successful chain of fitness clubs, instead.
Then, when single father Tate Calder comes to Mustang Creek with his two sons in tow, who befriend Bex's eight-year-old nephew, she and the handsome, aloof newcomer are constantly thrown together. But is the marriage season over? Or can a man with doubts about love be the right husband for a woman who wants it all?
Will the marriage pact be fulfilled? Return to Mustang Creek, Wyoming, with #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller for more Brides of Bliss County!
Since Hadleigh, Melody and Bex—the best of best friends—entered into a marriage pact, two of them have found (and married) the men of their hearts. But Bex doesn't think she'll be as fortunate as the others. Her own first love died years ago in a faraway war, and Bex has lost hope for a happy marriage of her own. She concentrates on her business, a successful chain of fitness clubs, instead.
Then, when single father Tate Calder comes to Mustang Creek with his two sons in tow, who befriend Bex's eight-year-old nephew, she and the handsome, aloof newcomer are constantly thrown together. But is the marriage season over? Or can a man with doubts about love be the right husband for a woman who wants it all?
THE MARRIAGE SEASON is the third book in a companion series about three friends, Bex, Mel and Hadleigh, who make a pact to find the perfect men for them. Now, this is the only book I've read in the series so I was a little unaware of the pact itself and the details but it's not hard to figure out: a pact to be married and to help each other. While I didn't have the previous two books to rely on in terms of knowing their friendships, it wasn't difficult to figure out these three women really love each other. Y'all know how much I love female friendships portrayed positively and this is definitely one of them. The previous two books focused on Mel and Hadleigh and this book is all about Bex and the hot single father, Tate. But I'll get to him.
So the girls. Their honest banter with one another is what was the foundation of this story and I thoroughly enjoyed their scenes together. Especially when it involved Mel and Hadleigh telling Bex not what she wanted to hear but what she needed to hear. That is true friendship. Sometimes our friends know us better than we know ourselves and are there to talk us up and into something we might normally shy away from, i.e. love in this case. Bex lost the man she loved 10 years ago to Afghanistan and her hurt is still close to the surface, as is her hesitation for falling in love again.
Enter Tate. Single and widowed father of two boys, Ben and Adam age 6 and 8. He is kind and as charming as he knows how to be after not flirting with women for years and I loved his self-deprecating nature. I also just love me a single dad. I don't know why but reading about a man interacting with his children is just sigh-inducing. Sorry not sorry. His inner thoughts about how rusty and stupid he felt was so adorable. Bex is slightly standoffish but even she can't resist the pull she feels towards Tate and their relationship isn't insta-love but it does progress quickly.
What I loved most about this story and relationship is that there isn't any unnecessary drama. We have two people who are grown adults with life's real life problems trying to figure out how to make a relationship work while also being apprehensive due to past love fails. I loved this. Where there obstacles? Yes. Was there the cliche token outside drama that came out of nowhere to test our characters? No. It was in its essence, their love story. And it wasn't drawn out. It was concise and relevant and totally organic to their pasts. I loved their dynamic and banter with one another, it had me laughing out loud a few times. Tate's commentary on their relationship that this is how marriage should be, two partners who work as a team and feed off each other was just perfectly stated. It was so great to read a romance that ebbed and flowed into a very contended feeling while I was reading.
So the girls. Their honest banter with one another is what was the foundation of this story and I thoroughly enjoyed their scenes together. Especially when it involved Mel and Hadleigh telling Bex not what she wanted to hear but what she needed to hear. That is true friendship. Sometimes our friends know us better than we know ourselves and are there to talk us up and into something we might normally shy away from, i.e. love in this case. Bex lost the man she loved 10 years ago to Afghanistan and her hurt is still close to the surface, as is her hesitation for falling in love again.
Enter Tate. Single and widowed father of two boys, Ben and Adam age 6 and 8. He is kind and as charming as he knows how to be after not flirting with women for years and I loved his self-deprecating nature. I also just love me a single dad. I don't know why but reading about a man interacting with his children is just sigh-inducing. Sorry not sorry. His inner thoughts about how rusty and stupid he felt was so adorable. Bex is slightly standoffish but even she can't resist the pull she feels towards Tate and their relationship isn't insta-love but it does progress quickly.
What I loved most about this story and relationship is that there isn't any unnecessary drama. We have two people who are grown adults with life's real life problems trying to figure out how to make a relationship work while also being apprehensive due to past love fails. I loved this. Where there obstacles? Yes. Was there the cliche token outside drama that came out of nowhere to test our characters? No. It was in its essence, their love story. And it wasn't drawn out. It was concise and relevant and totally organic to their pasts. I loved their dynamic and banter with one another, it had me laughing out loud a few times. Tate's commentary on their relationship that this is how marriage should be, two partners who work as a team and feed off each other was just perfectly stated. It was so great to read a romance that ebbed and flowed into a very contended feeling while I was reading.
General Admission
If you love small towns, realistic love stories, and minimal drama...this book's for you.
If you love small towns, realistic love stories, and minimal drama...this book's for you.
And that's not all!! The lovely people at Little Bird Publicity and Harlequin have graciously given me a copy of THE MARRIAGE SEASON to giveaway! Just enter below!
(US Only--sorry international friends!)
Aww, The Marriage Season sounds pretty sweet! I'm a sucker for the friendship aspect when it comes to my romance novels, particularly among females (Wallflowers, heeeyyyyy), so that makes me curious about this series. I might check it out when I'm in the right mood for a read like it!
ReplyDeleteI love strong friendships and realistic stories focused on adult relationships (as opposed to NA). Sounds like a great series!
ReplyDelete