The idea of two complete
strangers getting hitched has always intrigued me, for one simple reason—why
would they do such a thing? Could such a relationship succeed? By successful
relationship, I understand not only the longevity of the marriage…but is it possible
for the participants to actually fall in love with each other in such a strange
arrangement? Love is found in the most unexpected places.
A Convenient Marriage grew over a number of years. The basic story was simple—a divorcee
with two children, an ex-husband being difficult over visitation, as well as a
fiancée unable to commit. Holly’s friends suggested that she needed a new
husband, placing an advert in the paper for one behind her back. Joshua was
struck by a simple plan when he saw the ad and responded to it.
Why would Holly marry a man
she’d never met, and why would Joshua respond to an ad for a husband, then
actually propose to a woman he had never clapped eyes on? So, in came the
dawdling fiancée, Nicole. Both Holly and Joshua were justified in not planning
the marriage to be a real one, because they each had an agenda of their own,
but Nicole was the injured party. For their plan to succeed, they had to
marry—the real kind, down to that all-important piece of paper married—and they
had to seem to be totally in love with each other. That it is all a scam, only
they would know.
And here comes the ‘but’. Holly
and Joshua’s plans go awry from the moment they meet on the steps of the chapel
where their fake marriage is to take place, when both recognize the immediate
attraction. Back at Joshua’s wine estate—yes, he is a rich landowner where
Holly expected him to be a pauper—Holly meets Joshua’s mother, his brother and
sister-in-law, and Nicole, the fiancée, who found out about Joshua’s duplicity in
a room full of people. No one can blame Nicole for being a tad upset. Or can
they? To add to Holly’s woes, she seems to have acquired a ‘ghost’ demanding
she tell a story.
Amidst Nicole’s shenanigans,
Joshua’s mother’s disapproval, Holly’s ex’s aggression, and the ghost following
Holly around, will these two accomplish what they set out to do? Or will life
get in the way?
Joshua’s and Holly’s journey
through the uncharted seas of a blind marriage, where no rules apply, is
a stormy one. Place your order here:
About
the Author
Maggie Tideswell lives in Johannesburg—South Africa,
with her husband, Gareth. She began writing when her kids were still very
young, squeezing a few paragraphs at a time between the hectic schedule of
raising three children, and working full time in the catering industry. She
wrote many books before considering having them published. Now that the
children have all made lives for themselves, there is more time for writing.
After much experimentation, Maggie writes passionate paranormal romance,
of varying levels of heat. The paranormal, things that happen for
which there are no logical explanations and ghosts are of particular interest
to Maggie. What events in a person’s life would prevent that person from
‘resting’ after death? The ‘Old Religion’ is another special interest. And
love, of course. Why do people fall in love? What keeps them together for a
lifetime when so many relationships fail?
Maggie’s advice to aspirant novelists is two-fold.
Never give up, and write every day. Writing is a craft that has to be honed
with practice. And the only way to practice writing is by doing it. And a
bonus, never stop reading your favorite genre. Reading it and writing it is the
only training for a writer.
“Maggie Tideswell's latest novel,
A Convenient Marriage, will have you turning pages as her characters cope
with a marriage of convenience, well-meaning but nosy friends, a meddling
ghost, jealous exes, and more. My advice: Make room on your Keepers shelf for
this story!” (Loree Lough, best-selling
author of 107 award-winning books, including Harlequin Heartwarming's
"Those Marshall Boys" series.)
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