Review: "Practically Married" by Karin Beery

I am a sucker for the marriage of convenience trope. It's very common in historical romance, but I don't often see it done well in contemporary romance (it often feels quite contrived). Still, I'm always ready to try out a modern marriage of convenience romance, so of course Practically Married appealed to me.

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She moved to a new town to marry her fiancé. Instead, she’s burying him.

Ashley Johnson moved to northern Michigan to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face, but she arrived in time to attend his funeral. With no home back in Ohio, she decides to stay in what would have been their house, except his cousin Russ lives there too, and Russ has never heard of Ashley. To complicate matters, her fiancé accidentally willed her the family farm house. Eager to please everyone and desperate to disappoint no one, she proposes a marriage of convenience that could solve her and Russ’ problems, if they can get past her aunt, his sisters, and an ex-girlfriend.

Genre: General Market, clean fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary romance
Release Date: October 22, 2019

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Practically Married is not at all what I expected, and I think that's a good thing. While I assumed (from the title and the back blurb) that it would be a modern marriage of convenience romance, it actually isn't your classic interpretation of the trope. Here's what I mean: While Russ and Ashley do intend to enter into a marriage of convenience, they a) are wildly attracted to each other from the start and b) work through lots of issues prior to the marriage, not after, as you would expect from a marriage of convenience. So in that way, this is more of a classic romance—it's just that the timeline is compressed.

I did think the beginning was a bit far-fetched; with the ease of travel we have today, why would a woman completely upend her life and move to a new state to marry someone she had never even met? But that's what sets the entire plot in motion; after that, events became more believable.

Ashley is a people pleaser, and it soon becomes evident that nearly every decision she makes is because she wants to please someone else. I enjoyed watching her work through that, and she definitely grew a lot throughout the novel. And I liked her romance with Russ, even as it took turns I wasn't expecting.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed Practically Married. It had marriage of convenience elements that I enjoy while being a different take on the trope. 3-1/2 stars.

Buy the book. (affiliate link)
Follow the tour:
Among the Reads, October 22
Blogging With Carol, October 22
Reflections From My Bookshelves, October 23
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, October 23
Texas Book-aholic, October 24
CarpeDiem, October 24
Maureen’s Musings, October 24
Emily Yager, October 25
Rebecca Tews, October 25
Older & Smarter?, October 26
For Him and My Family, October 26
janicesbookreviews, October 27
Quiet Quilter, October 27
Adventures of a Travelers Wife, October 27
Cultivating Us, October 28
April Hayman, Author , October 28
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 29
SusanLovesBooks, October 29
Through the Fire Blogs, October 30
Vicky Sluiter, October 30
A Reader’s Brain, October 31
Christian Chick’s Thoughts, October 31
Moments, November 1
Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections, November 1
EmpowerMoms, November 2
A Good Book and Cup of Tea, November 2
Inklings and notions , November 3
Remembrancy, November 3
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 3
Godly Book Reviews, November 4
Pause for Tales, November 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Karin is giving away the grand prize of a copy of her book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/ed90/practically-married-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Karin Beery grew up in a rural Michigan town where she wrote her first novel in high school. Today, she writes contemporary stories with a healthy dose of romance. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s reading, editing, or teaching it. In her free time, she enjoys being at home with her husband and fur babies watching University of Michigan football and action-adventure movies.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."