Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
A story I'd thought was a historical romance for some reason, but isn't. It's quite dated, which goes beyond a lack of cellphones and the internet, and reaches ideas of things like .
It's the story of Catherine and Clay, who have a one night stand that Clay doesn't even remember, leading to Catherine getting pregnant. Having a scumbag for a father, she is forced to visit Clay's family and "demand" they do the right thing, which is, according to her father, giving him lots and lots of money.
Being a decent human being, Catherine refuses to play along, and makes her own plans instead. She takes them a bit to the extreme, denying Clay the opportunity to help her until he gives her no other choice, and eventually the two enter a marriage of convenience.
I like the "marriage of convenience" trope when it's done right, and I kept waiting for the feels, but when Catherine wasn't being an idiot, Clay was, and vice versa. By the end of the story, the two have had a complete reversal of their roles, and Catherine, who had been a huge pain for the biggest part of the book, has finally found herself, while Clay, who was happy and knew where his future would take him at the beginning of the story, is lost until he realizes that things have changed.
I really wanted to like them, and there were points where I did, but then one or the other would turn around and do something stupid, ruining my groove, so I can't say I was satisfied with the story, despite its satisfying happily ever after.
I don't think I'll attempt reading another of the author's books, both due to my lukewarm feelings for this one and the fact that they'll probably feel just as dated.
Spoiler
drinking during pregnancy, which the heroine does quite a bit, puzzling me every single time, since we do know betterIt's the story of Catherine and Clay, who have a one night stand that Clay doesn't even remember, leading to Catherine getting pregnant. Having a scumbag for a father, she is forced to visit Clay's family and "demand" they do the right thing, which is, according to her father, giving him lots and lots of money.
Being a decent human being, Catherine refuses to play along, and makes her own plans instead. She takes them a bit to the extreme, denying Clay the opportunity to help her until he gives her no other choice, and eventually the two enter a marriage of convenience.
I like the "marriage of convenience" trope when it's done right, and I kept waiting for the feels, but when Catherine wasn't being an idiot, Clay was, and vice versa. By the end of the story, the two have had a complete reversal of their roles, and Catherine, who had been a huge pain for the biggest part of the book, has finally found herself, while Clay, who was happy and knew where his future would take him at the beginning of the story, is lost until he realizes that things have changed.
I really wanted to like them, and there were points where I did, but then one or the other would turn around and do something stupid, ruining my groove, so I can't say I was satisfied with the story, despite its satisfying happily ever after.
I don't think I'll attempt reading another of the author's books, both due to my lukewarm feelings for this one and the fact that they'll probably feel just as dated.
I'm still in that phase where I'm not over it that I don't think I'll be able to write a proper lengthy review on this. This book was so much better than I expected and I couldn't put it down. Every time I told myself to stop after a chapter, I've found myself reading five more.
I thought this would be an average book at best because the one night stand, pregnancy, then marriage-of-convenience trope is definitely not something new. I guess I shouldn't have doubted LaVyrle Spencer's ability to turn a cliché into something that felt brand new. Something that truly tugs on your heartstrings and you find yourself in a reverie even after just finishing the last page.
This book is worth re-reading in the not-so-distant future, that's for sure.
I thought this would be an average book at best because the one night stand, pregnancy, then marriage-of-convenience trope is definitely not something new. I guess I shouldn't have doubted LaVyrle Spencer's ability to turn a cliché into something that felt brand new. Something that truly tugs on your heartstrings and you find yourself in a reverie even after just finishing the last page.
This book is worth re-reading in the not-so-distant future, that's for sure.
Five stars when I read it years ago. 2.5 stars today. There was just too much conflict.
This was a hard book to like. It was well written but the characters annoyed and confused me to no end. Before I started this, I read a few reviews where everybody hated on Clay. I was expecting to hate him as well, but surprisingly, I didn't. Yes, he made stupid things and acted like a child but so did Catherine. They just didn't talk to each other and made so many assumptions based on their insecurities. This relationship yet again showed me how important communication and honesty is. I think the book could have been like 200 pages shorter if they talked about stuff. So yes, I was surprised at how I actually liked Clay because he did try to do the right thing (even if it had awful results) but sometimes I found him irritating (like in EVERY single scene Jill was in).
Rereading this 1986 book in 2021 is a wild ride!
Things I forgot all about that made me laugh or side-eye...
*the weirdly demonstrative physical affection between the family members
*the alcohol during pregnancy
*the heavy reliance on the color cinnamon
*LaVyrle Spencer's love of the word limn
I first read this book as a teenager in the mid-90s. I think it was one of the first LS books I read and certainly created a life-long love affair with the related fake dating/arranged marriage/marriage of convenience tropes.
This book creates all the feelings in me now than it did back then, but I'm also reading it with entirely new eyes. I'm still only halfway through this re-read so I'm not totally ready to pass judgment, but things I used to like about the characters and story, are less thrilling to me now. And characters I didn't like or understand I now see through different eyes.
Things I forgot all about that made me laugh or side-eye...
Spoiler
*the weirdly demonstrative physical affection between the family members
*the alcohol during pregnancy
*the heavy reliance on the color cinnamon
*LaVyrle Spencer's love of the word limn
I first read this book as a teenager in the mid-90s. I think it was one of the first LS books I read and certainly created a life-long love affair with the related fake dating/arranged marriage/marriage of convenience tropes.
This book creates all the feelings in me now than it did back then, but I'm also reading it with entirely new eyes. I'm still only halfway through this re-read so I'm not totally ready to pass judgment, but things I used to like about the characters and story, are less thrilling to me now. And characters I didn't like or understand I now see through different eyes.