| Title | : | Married for Christmas (Willow Park #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 182 |
| Publication | : | First published November 18, 2013 |
Daniel is her best friend, and she's known him all her life, but he's never gotten over losing his wife two years ago. His dream is to become the pastor of the church in their hometown, but the small-town congregation keeps balking over calling an unmarried minister. Since Daniel needs a wife and Jessica wants a husband and family, she proposes an arrangement that benefits both of them.
They can get married. They can build a life together. They can celebrate Christmas as a couple. It's fine that he doesn't love her. And it's fine that she's not exactly suited to be a small-town pastor's wife. And it's fine that she's more attracted to her sexy, brooding husband every day.
Jessica can be practical about this marriage. She knows what she's getting into, after all...
This book includes fully-developed sex scenes between a husband and wife.
Married for Christmas (Willow Park #1) Reviews
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3.5 NoMoreCrying stars
“Do you think you could maybe stop crying?”
This little quote says a lot about my rating. I was really enjoying this book and I wanted to give it a 4 at least, but no. The fact that the MC was crying in almost every page, it was a huge turn off for me. I'm okay with drama and I understand when they cry. I also cry. But this was getting ridiculous. She was crying while she was also having sex.
“Should I be flattered that my extraordinary talent at sex has reduced you to tears again?”
Other than that, I liked this story. Even though the author gave us a warning that maybe this would be too religious for some people, I didn't find it to be overwhelming.
We have Jessica and Daniel. Daniel lost his wife two years ago and he wants to become a pastor at Willow Park, but they are hesitant because he's not a married man. Jessica on the other hand wants to put down roots and make a family. So she proposes to him in order to get both of them what they needed. Him to get his dream job and her to finally have a family.
"Things didn’t have to be perfect to still be good."
It was a nice fictional story, I liked it and I felt for these characters. I ached knowing that Daniel was struggling and feeling guilty, when he was coming close to Jessica. I ached even more watching Jessica feeling lonely , when she wanted to get married to escape from this feeling.
"Their marriage wasn’t normal. It wasn’t perfect. But maybe they could still make this work."
Overall, it was a lovely, sweet, winter themed story. :) -
Married For Christmas tugged at my heartstrings and had me a little teary in parts.
Twenty-eight year old Jessica Cameron wants a husband and a family and is tired of waiting. She’s been in love with her best friend Daniel for quite some time and she has a plan that will hopefully gives both of them what they want and need. She doesn’t think Daniel views her in a romantic light, in fact he doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone since the tragic death of his wife two years earlier, but being married would give him a better chance at a job he wants: a pastor in their small home town of Willow Park.
When Jessica proposes and Daniel accepts she’s extremely happy, but knows that this isn’t a conventional marriage. This one will be missing the romance that a typical marriage would stem from, because this is more of an arrangement or partnership she’s getting into. Jessica thinks she’s okay with that, and figures Daniel could never love someone as much as his deceased wife.
When reality sets in Jessica realizes that Daniel has managed to wedge himself into her heart more than she expected and now she can’t help to wish for the impossible: that Daniel could love her just as much.
Oh my heart ached for Jessica through a lot of this book. Daniel is honorable and makes his best efforts to be a good husband, but I seriously wanted to shake him a few times. As the book progressed you start to have suspicions that Jessica’s wishes might be fulfilled. Little things Daniel did or said would make you hope that Jessica was wrong in her assumptions. He could be so very sweet one minute, but then pull away the next. I will say things were smoking hot between these two and in spite of being ticked at Daniel more than a few times he was very concerned about making sure he took care of Jessica, if you know what I mean! Here’s a quote that might tempt you:
His lips trailed down her neck again, this time descending to her collarbone. “So beautiful,” he murmured. “You’re so beautiful, Jessica. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”*
*sigh*
This was a short and sweet romance that was filled with some heartbreaking angst, but it more than made up for it as the story wrapped up. I was on cloud nine over the way things ended with a HEA any romance junkie will swoon over!
There is some religious aspect to this romance with Daniel being a pastor, but it wasn’t preachy nor did it overwhelm or detract from the story. I found the values Daniel and Jessica tried to adhere to, very lovely.
This is the second Noelle Adams book I’ve read and I just love her writing. Can’t wait to read the second one of this series, although I’m not sure who it will focus on, maybe Micah, Daniel’s brother?
A copy was provided by Patchwork Press through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
*Quote taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy. -
3.75 Stars...
This was really cute. And I would say more, but I'm on a reading binge and don't feel like stopping.
So...onward! -
FREE on Amazon
Well I didn't expect this.
Married for Christmas is a quick simplistic romance, but in a good way. It pulls heavily on the heart strings, and even i shed a little tear at the almost end. Out of joy that is.
Widowed grump Daniel is unable to get a job as a Pastor in Willow Park, though he desperately wants to, he needs to be married. His close friend, Jessica, is a long time loner and web developer. She proposes they marry, he gets his dream job, she gets a family. Unfortunately, as the days pass, Jessica begins to fall more and more in love with him, though she told him a marriage without love was fine by her, she begins to want more from him. But Daniel is still grieving over his long dead wife and Jessica feels she can never live up to her.
I really felt everything in this book, so many heart sinking moments for me, it was incredibly realistic. Hope her other books are just as good. -
She wants a husband and a family...
He needs a wife to become the pastor of the church...
A proposition that will benefit both of them
It's fine that he doesn't love her.
And it's fine that she's not exactly suited to be a small-town pastor's wife.
And it's fine that she's more attracted to her sexy, brooding husband every day.
Jessica can be practical about this marriage. She knows what she's getting into, after all...
What they don't know is that things changes, feelings grow and they could have more than a loveless marriage.
Let me start off by saying that I didn't think I'd LOVE this book so MUCH. There is so much that I liked in this book...the plot, the characters, the dialogue and the sex scenes (Explicit but just the right amount).
I think I loved Jessica more than Daniel, but only because we get her POV instead of his.
Nonetheless, he's still very much book boyfriend material.
I also loved how their relationship wasn't perfect. Daniel was still thinking about his ex wife and Jessica was so insecure about their marriage.
And while Jessica was ready to start a new life, Daniel...not so much.
He did infuriate me a bit (at the beginning) but, little by little, you see how he really feels about Jessica and that's all it took for me to swoon over Daniel.
and oh.my.god. How cute is Daniel with Jessica's dog? I don't care he didn't want Jessica to know. He's still such a cutie pie.
The sex scenes...oh boy.
Their first night together...
My favorite scene has to be when they're sitting in the couch. One moment they're playful and then the next...boom! Sexy as hell sex...
Oh no wait...
When Daniel runs after Jessica. When he begs her to stay, not to leave...
I was...
This is you-must-read-this kinda book. I totally recommend it!
I was so happy I found this book. -
I LOVED this book! Noelle Adams is an author to watch out for. She took a huge risk writing a story like this but I loved everything about it. What a great pleasure it was to slip into this story. I absolutely could not put it down!
This is a story about a marriage of convenience for both characters. It's passionate, heartwarming, and made my heart smile. The emotional conflicts are so clearly defined, the humor mixed in with the sorrow, and the romance between Daniel and Jessica is passionate and believable.
This story is a contemporary romance. While faith is an important part of this book, the author writes outside the box. It has sex, passion and a few curse words here and there. And it is one of my favorite books of this year!
"Oh, honey, please don't cry. I know I've hurt you. I know I've let you down. But I want to be the husband you need, that you deserve. I was in love with you long before we married. Did you know that? I've been fighting the feelings for so long, but it's always been a losing battle... But it was the wrong battle, and I surrender completely. Please give me the chance to show you how much I love you, how much I know what a blessing you are. I want to wake up every Christmas morning and know--and know for sure, absolutely--that everything broken in this world will one day, finally be made whole. I want to know it for sure, because you're in my arms."
With a groan, he pulled her into his arms again, but this time the hug only lasted a minute because he pulled away enough to kiss her.
They kissed urgently, clumsily, rather wetly. She clawed at his shoulders and clutched at his hair and couldn't seem to get him close enough, deep enough.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good contemporary romance. It will absolutely make your heart smile.
***ARC graciously provided by the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*** -
Sweet and a tad angsty, but lovely all the same.
4 stars
2 on the spice scale
CW: parent with alzheimers -
I could have used a little more character development with both the hero and the heroine, but I LOVED how faith was an integral part of their lives and how that was presented. This is the sort of treatment of faith and religion I want from books. Real people dealing with real problems. (I can't read Inspirational Fiction from Christian publishers because of their ridiculous sentimental formulas.) But this worked for me on every level. I know it won't for a lot of Christians because there is on page sex and swearing. It was perfect for me though and the theology that the characters actually discuss (gasp!) is absolutely correct for their Presbyterianism. (I am a Presbyterian myself.) I will be reading this whole series now.
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Reread/listen:
I relistened to this one due to a challenge. This has a subject that is very difficult for me to deal with at times and the holidays is not a time I’d normally choose to dig into a story with it included. I was glad that I was able to do so without it affecting me negatively but I still found myself aggravated by Daniel. Nevertheless, this has a unique feel to this trope and in the end I found myself satisfied.
Original:
Audiobook: Narrator - Jane Cramer
Another wonderful narration by Ms. Cramer as she gives life to this heroine. I loved that she performed this character in a very real and relatable manner. She truly is the perfect choice for this author’s heroines.
My heart hurt for Jessica and all the loneliness she felt while she’s struggling with some tough things in her life. Sometimes I was annoyed with Daniel and really needed his point of view here to help me to connect with him rather than judge him harshly at times. However, when the end wraps up and he finally shares all, I was very pleased with what he had to say.
This is a sweet, sometimes fun, sometimes angsty story that I felt was true to the situation as well as the characters and their backgrounds. I enjoyed listening to it as I did my holiday running around and it fit in perfectly with the season.
Heorine POV
Safe
Triggers -
I was seduced by the FREE but I'll be avoiding Adams in the future. Very much not my style. I need connection, I need warmth, I need build-up, I need to not be beaten over the head with the obvious. The writing leaves much to be desired, there is no there there.
PS The constant "Her name is BEAR." was just...listen, my husband and I occasionally say "Did you feed the cat?" instead of calling her by her FULL CHRISTIAN NAME SO SUE US OMG.
PPS The sex scenes are really awful. Just awful. -
3.75 stars.⭐⭐⭐
Really sweet and touching.....very much a Noelle Adams story. -
It was ok except it was not.
As a person both of them were ok. But that's when it goes wrong. The hero and heroine both settle for something they shouldn't. My point is when the heroines will understand that they deserve more and compromising with it is not going to do any better. Nothing new happened here, except that the hero was always pushing the heroine away. Then the hero realizes what kind of blockheaded he was and everything was fine. The story ends.
My liking for Noelle Adams and her writing style saves the day a little bit. 🙄🙄😐😐 -
Review in English e em português
4,5 lovely stars
I have never read anything from Noelle Adams and Married for Christmas was definetely a treat! I heard about this book on twitter, I don't remember who said it was available on netgalley, so I went there and requested it. I read it in one day!
It tells us the history of Daniel, a widower pastor who is having some trouble in get a job in the church he always wanted to be because he was not married. And we have Jessica, a girl who has almost no family (her mother is her only living relative, but she's very sick) and wants to get married, have a family and hoots.
Daniel and Jessica are friends since ever and she always felt a little more that friendship for him and she has a brilliant idea. They should get married, it'd solve all their problems, wouldn't it?! At first, Daniel doesn't think it is a good idea but then accepts.
I want you to know this is not an inspirational romance, but a contemporary one. The story is not based on the fact that Daniel is a pastor and etc, but it is a romance between a married couple, so there is sex and all the conflicts a married couple has.
I loved it! They agreed the marriage was to be a real one, but we see that Daniel is hold back and Jessica is afraid to express her feelings and be disappointed. Their journey is very sweet, funny, sexy and sometimes sad, but a very gratifying one. My only complaint is that I wanted to see Daniel's POV too. You see, he has some feelings for her too, but get to see how it started, but don't let it bother you.
It's a short and delicious Christmas read! :)
ARC provided by the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Eu nunca tinha lido nada da Noelle Adams e Married for Christmas foi definitivamente uma grata surpresa! Eu ouvi falar sobre este livro no twitter, eu não me lembro quem disse que estava disponível na netgalley, então eu fui lá e solicitei o ARC. Eu li em um dia!
Aqui temos a história de Daniel, um pastor viúvo que está tendo algumas dificuldades em conseguir um emprego na igreja que ele sempre quis ser pastor porque ele não era casado. E nós temos Jessica, uma menina que não tem quase nenhuma família (sua mãe é seu único parente vivo, mas ela está muito doente) mas ela quer se casar, ter uma família, raízes e tals.
Daniel e Jessica são amigos desde sempre e ela sempre me sentiu um pouco mais que amizade por ele e ela tem uma ideia brilhante. Eles devem se casar, isso iria resolver todos os problemas deles, não iria?! A principio, Daniel não acha que isso seja uma boa ideia, mas depois aceita.
Eu quero que você saiba que esse não é um romance cristão, mas um contemporâneo. A história não se baseia no fato de que Daniel é um pastor e etc, mas é um romance entre um casal, então há sexo e todos os conflitos de um casal tem.
Eu adorei! Eles concordaram que o casamento era para ser um real, mas vemos que Daniel não está dando 100% de si e Jessica tem medo de expressar seus sentimentos e se decepcionar. A jornada deles é muito doce, engraçada, sexy e às vezes triste, mas muito gratificante. A minha única reclamação é que eu queria ver a história pelo ponto de vista do Daniel também. Veja você, ele tem alguns sentimentos por ela também, mas a gente não vê como isso começou e amadureceu, mas não deixe isso te incomodar não.
É uma leitura natal curtinha e deliciosa! :)
ARC disponibilizado pelo autor via Netgalley em troca de uma resenha sincera. -
My experience of reading Married for Christmas was going well until the wedding occurred. Jessica transformed from a decent character into a selfish nag who wasted no time on reneging on her promise. She'd agreed with Daniel to embark on a marriage of convenience, but did not give him ANY time to adjust to anything more meaningful.
I realize Jessica had been in denial about her true desires, but resenting Daniel for not fully and immediately participating in their new marriage was unfair. She constantly nagged him or pouted because he'd changed from her friend to a stranger. It didn't occur to her that he was struggling emotionally. Everything had to be her way right now. The author even had Daniel and Jessica joking about her bossy attitude, but I didn't think it was funny or endearing.
Having Jessica push Daniel so hard and so soon not only diminished Jessica's character, but it also prevented any believable tension, and therefore emotion, to build. The happy ending literally happened a few weeks after the wedding (a little unbelievable since Daniel had been struggling so hard for so long). Some restraint on the timing, and Jessica's characterization, would have served to create a more compelling story.
This was my first time reading this author's work. I liked the prose, but for the aforementioned reasons I'm not in a hurry to read another book. -
Married for Christmas is a marriage of convenience romance between two best friends. At 28 years old, Jessica is tired of being single and lonely. As for Daniel, his lack of marital status is preventing him from securing his dream job as the local pastor. So Jessica proposes a marriage of convenience that benefits both of them.
Daniel lost his wife to a car accident 2 years ago, so feelings of grief, guilt, and fear come into play. Jessica only became close to Daniel after his wife died. Their friendship is established from the first chapter, but I kind of wish we had a flashback showing us how they became so close. This novella is also told from Jessica's POV only, which increases the mystery surrounding Daniel's romantic feelings for Jessica.
Jessica and Daniel's romance was incredibly immersive. It felt like I was a part of their marriage, watching Daniel and Jessica adapt to married life. Watching these two best friends cross the line between friendship and marriage. Watching them learn to communicate with each other. Watching them struggle to open up to each other.
What I loved the most about this story is how realistically flawed Jessica and Daniel are. They make mistakes, but they own up to their mistakes and apologize to each other, which makes their marriage stronger. Jessica was terrifyingly relatable on so many levels. Her loneliness. Her struggle to "put herself out there." I felt so connected to her. It was like looking into a mirror 🥲
I truly enjoyed this romance. Jessica and Daniel had good chemistry from the very beginning. I loved watching them grow. For a novella, this story actually packs quite a punch. Fantastic character and relationship development. Romantic and steamy. The perfect amount of angst. And such a satisfying HEA. -
This month my hidden gem was far from being a gem. I was very disappointed. Reading the definition of the book, I was really excited to read it. It sounded like a great christian fiction book. What a surprise. I found no value at all in the book. It had very detailed love scenes. As I got into this part of the book, I started skipping several of those pages. However the love scenes kept comming up chapter after chapter. Now I love a romantic plot, but in this book the details went way over the line. I could not finish the book. I read 60% of the book and finally put it down. It wasn't fun to read. I didn't need to see what was going to happen next. I had to force myself to read it. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
-
I really enjoyed Married for Christmas - it does have a religious under tone to the story (Hero is a pastor) but it didn't become a huge sermon like other Christian stories. I actually liked the smooth transition between the MC's spiritual and emotional journey together.
I was in the mood for something Christmasy and this was a freebie by Noelle Adams. The story basically is about Jessica - all told through her POV - she's always dreamed of marriage, a home and a family to share her life with. After years of unsuccessful dating and waiting for her one true love to just happen, she gives up on her romantic dreams. When her best friend and her secret love, Daniel is in danger of loosing his dream job as pastor to their small home town church because he's single, she decides to grab a little happiness with someone who she knows she can be safe with.
Jessica proposes they marry, that way Daniel can get his dream job and she'll be able to finally try at starting a family and having children. This is a story about friends turned lovers who help each other find happiness and a learn what it means to love and be loved. From the very beginning I liked Jessica, she was half in love with Daniel and was so insecure about herself but I thought it took a lot of guts to even voice, let alone go through with this half-marriage idea. I loved her dog Bear, and how she was always so honest with Daniel.
She did become a little annoying when she finally realized that this marriage of convenience wasn't enough for her but with the hot/cold treatment she received from Daniel I could understand her yo-yo-ing emotions.
Daniel had been married before and after he lost his wife in a car accident he's been pretty much closed off from his emotions. I wish N.A. would have given us Daniel's POV every once in a while, I wanted to know what was going on in his head. From the get go we know why Jessica does what she does but Daniel's reasons for accepting this marriage idea remains a mystery. Daniel's character is actually very sweet and caring and does come off as a genuinely nice guy. His and Jessica's biggest obstacle is that he is still grieving his dead wife. I thought it was a bit unfair that he was always reminding Jessica of the fact that he'd had a real marriage and that he knew how perfect marriage could be, the constant reminders jabbed at Jessica incessantly. It was like twisting the knife - after something intimate or emotional between them (Hot) Daniel would shut down, distance himself emotionally and physically (cold) and poor Jessica would be left emotionally insecure. In a perfect story I would have liked to see both parties suffer equally (Sounds cruel I know but sue me!)If I had to read Jessica's anguish over loving Daniel and reading his mixed signals about his true feeling for her than I wanted to read about Daniel and his struggle with guilt over falling in love with his best friend.
Luckily this was a short story, more a novella length, and the angst was short lived. It showed two adults who really were friends that cared about each other. Jessica and Daniel supported each other and when things started to get complicated between them, yes, they had their moments but it was nice to see the author emphasize their open communication. It was unique and it was heartwarming and it definitely satisfied my Christmas romance craving. I'm intrigued with Micah, Daniel's brother, who will be his own story (
A Baby for Easter)
I would recommend this one, it's a sweet romance with a relatable heroine and a pretty dreamy hero. -
I really enjoyed this one. It's contemporary, not inspirational, even though the hero is a pastor. He is also a widower. Marriage of convenience y'all! I love that trope. It's awkward at times. And sad and hurtful. And very romantic. Recommend.
$.99 for the next few days I think. -
Free on Amazon 11/23/14
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It seems like I'm on a course of novellas these days. The last three books I've read were either novellas or short stories which was nice, they made me realize it doesn't matter whether a story is three hundred pages long or just fifty or so, what matters is the plot and how the author chooses to tell it. And here I am, having read yet another novella, about two people who are lonely and trying to secure a place in each other.
Jessica is a woman alone. She works from home, though what she does I can't remember. She's got a mother who's suffering from what I think is Alzheimer's, and she's not exactly the social type. She longs for a family, children, but luck has never been on her side and for a while now she's been in love with her long time best friend, Daniel. Daniel is a pastor in a local church. He wants to transfer to their hometown but his acceptance of this new position depends on him being married. He's a widower of two years, and having loved his wife a great deal, has never seen Jessica as anything other than his friend. So it comes as a great surprise to him when Jessica proposes a deal that would benefit them both. They should get married, so Jessica could have the family she dreamed, and Daniel could have the job he'd always wanted. A win-win situation, yes? Not exactly.
I know I said it comes as a shock to Daniel, but surprisingly for only a half an hour. Although he insists Jessica should make a match of love, that he would be the only one to benefit from their arrangement since she'd be throwing away her future, he gets over this quite easily. One would think Jessica makes a very convincing argument against his objections, but to be honest, she doesn't even have to try so hard, Daniel agrees to things that much quickly. I can understand speeding things up for this was a novella so it's going to have less number of pages to tell the story, but honestly, I would've preferred a bit more time to be invested on this dilemma than anything else. That way it wouldn't all feel so rushed which is exactly what happened. I couldn't help but wonder at the ease with which Daniel accepted everything. He objected at first, sure, but that seemed to go on for such a short while, like I said. And then there's the way he adjusted to all the other arrangements, like moving house, getting the perfect engagement ring and the engagement itself out of the way, the way he embraced his new position as husband to Jessica. A part of me felt bad for him because though he did seem to be benefiting more out of this arrangement, I thought he was the one who ended up with the short stick. He lost a wife he clearly loved very much, and Jessica was already a little in love with him anyway whereas he seemed to be seeing her only as a friend. But then he went and got so comfortable that I was..okay with it.
If I have to be completely honest, I got to say I felt the awkwardness I expected from them when they fell into an easy rhythm. It was me who felt the most sheepish at their encounters as husband and wife. Though to be clear, when I say sheepish, I don't mean because of sex, those who've read my reviews so far would know that I love my spice and sexy, but because there was sex so casually between them. After all, these are two people who came together for a marriage of convenience, not a love match, and yet they have very pleasurable sex and they're very affectionate towards each other. They're more husband and wife than some real couples I know. Daniel's supposed to be a bit distant from Jessica's point of view, but not enough to convince me.
When I read the plot of this book, I expected two people who are best friends, and who have the potential to be a couple, coming together for a common cause that would benefit them both. And along the way they'd start to have deeper feelings than just friendship and that would lead to some awkwardness and sexual tension between them. This seems not to happen though, no matter how long I've waited. While reading, I felt robbed of this sexual tension that would've made this story much more fun and sexy for me.
If I go into the characters a bit more, I thought Jessica was pushing Daniel a little bit too far too soon. I know her reason for this marriage had been to have a family of her own, to have kids, and Daniel agreed to it knowing all this, but considering she's been his best friend for years and thus known how much he obviously loved his wife, I thought she was being a bit selfish complaining about Daniel's lack of affection and interest in sex starting from the first week of their fake marriage.
As for Daniel, I would've loved to see things from his point of view also, since he was the one with more emotional baggage, what with his beloved wife, who he wanted to have kids with, lost suddenly in a tragic car accident two years ago. But again, we were robbed of this, something that would've made this story better. He obviously still felt her loss and loved her, and yet we didn't have a chance to witness his internal dilemma when he started having feelings for Jessica. I'm always up for a challenge in a love story, I don't always expect a clear cut tale of two lovers meeting and falling in love, but when you decide to tell a story of people who have loved and lost, I want to feel that loss, their dilemma about moving on and loving someone else while still cherishing that past love in a corner of their heart. Daniel's storyline didn't give me that.
This was a steady romance, too steady for my taste, where it seemed to start from the end. The kind of whirlwind of emotions, the passion and the sexual tension that I hoped did not exist in this story. I'm sorry to say I felt no warmth, no ingenuousness even in their friendship, let alone their love. -
At the beginning of Married for Christmas is an author's note. It explains that while the book is about a pastor, it isn't meant to be Christian fiction. It is a simply a book that explores life from the perspective of someone who has faith. It is not intended to present any sort of religious message. Noelle rightly acknowledges that the challenge of this sort of book will mean that for some there will be too much religion and for others, not enough (I admit, I was convinced I would be in the first group).
Mission accomplished, Ms. Adams.
This book was perfect.
I'm really becoming fond of these "marriage of convenience" books. They're so... romantic. (But Mandi, they're romance novels. They're supposed to be.)
Jessica proposes to Daniel because the church he wants to pastor won't hire him unless he's married (they think he's too young and unstable to be a single/widowed pastor over their congregation). And Jessica has given up hope on ever finding someone to love her. She's ready to settle down, put down some roots, and start a family. Daniel is convinced he will never love again (his wife died three years ago) but once he is certain that Jessica is okay with a marriage that has everything except love, they move forward. And he treats her the way a wife should be treated - mostly.
There are bumps in the road. Grief. Guilt. It broke my heart to watch Daniel dealing with the consequences of sex with Jessica. He didn't do anything wrong - she was his wife after all - but in his heart, he was betraying his dead wife. It was painful and gut-wrenching. But he handled it. And he handled it well. There was one particular scene where he and Jessica were joking about the Christmas tree and how Jessica didn't want to put up his ratty old garland from when he was a child. He finally said, "Lila let me do it!" And Jessica retorted, "Well I'm not Lila." And you would think that a huge fight would brew as a result of that, but it didn't. Daniel was thoughtful and considerate and he did not lash out.
But Daniel and Jessica truly were made for each other. Watching their feelings grow for each other and how they handled their feelings given the circumstances of their marriage was the highlight of the book.
And if you do read it, I recommend finding one of those old paper fans that you find in Southern churches to fan yourself with - because there are some hot and steamy scenes! -
Jessica has a proposition for her old friend Daniel. He's a widower, having lost his wife, Lila, in a car accident. Daniel is a pastor, and has the chance to become the pastor in he and Jess's home town but they'd prefer somebody either settled down, or a bit older than Daniel. Jessica feels very alone; she has friends, but not much in the way of family aside from her mother who is in a nursing home. Jess works from home so doesn't even have work colleagues. Jess has given up in the idea of love and romance, but she'd like a family. Feeling that she and Daniel could both benefit from a marriage, Jess proposes that they get married, which would improve his chances of getting the church he wants while giving Jess a chance of having the family she craves. Of course, Jess's choice of husband may have been influenced by the fact that she has some pretty strong feelings for Daniel, but she knows that he hasn't really let himself move on from losing his wife. Still, she has given up on waiting for Mr Right, and feels she can be happy in a marriage with Daniel, knowing that he'll never love her in the way he loved Lila.
This was something a bit new for me, in that Daniel is a pastor, and Jess is a committed Christian too, so I wasn't sure if the story would have religious tones to it. Although religion does affect their behaviour to some extent, for example not having sex before marriage etc, it's a romance, and there are a number of sex scenes, which you might not be expecting. Both main characters go through a journey of sorts, coming to understand themselves better. Daniel particularly had a lot of stubbornness and guilt to overcome.
The only thing which I would have liked to change about this story was the timeframe. I felt that Jess was pretty impatient with Daniel, considering she'd thought through the implications of the type of marriage they had, and it made her a tad unsympathetic, although she was redeemed by her attempts to live up to the standards she felt were acceptable for a pastor's wife, including her disastrous cooking! I enjoyed this story, and it had a nice touch of Christmas feel-good about it.
*Disclaimer - I received an e-arc of this book from the author for my honest review. -
Jessica wants to belong to a family and Daniel wants to be a pastor at his hometown church. They have been friends for a long time, but have never dated. The book opens with Jessica plotting her proposal. She appeals to Daniel’s desire to be the pastor but the elders’ preference for a married pastor. Daniel was married once, but his wife passed away two years ago. Jessica knows she was his one great love and that they will never have a love marriage, but she knows they will both respect their vows and can build a family together.
Jessica is quiet and has definite ideas of what she feels people expect of her. She also has deep hopes of what she wishes her marriage to be. Daniel at times seems happy and loving, and others brooding and unable to move past his wife’s death. Their inability to reach out to the other emotionally does not mean this book is just full of characters wallowing in their unfulfilled dreams. There are steamy scenes (yes this book is about a pastor and his wife – but they do share a marriage bed and couch ), there are funny scenes and some tender ones too.
We are thrown into the story with minimal background. As I read I had questions about Jessica's background - kept on hoping it would come out but in the end I still have some questions. I was dying for just one chapter from Daniel's POV. Since this book is told from Jessica’s POV entirely we don’t know what drives Daniel’s behavior or his true feelings when it comes to Jessica. I noticed it says #1 next to the title so it seems this is the first in a series. I liked the characters and setting enough to say I would read book 2. I really enjoyed Daniel’s brother Micah and I hope to see him in the next book.
I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. -
Going into Married for Christmas I really didn’t have any expedition about the book. By the time I was done with the book, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. The story slowly sneaks up on you and by the end you aren’t ready for it to be over.
Jessica has been living a simple life, taking care of her mother, working from home and spending time with her dog Bear and her best friend Daniel. For the most part she is happy with her life except for the fact she really wants a family and kids. That has always been her dream. Daniel is still trying to come to terms with the loss of his wife two years ago, but he still has a dream of his own and that is to become the minister of his small home town church. There is only one problem; the congregation is very hesitant to have an unmarried minister. Jessica comes up with a great idea that could get them both what they’ve dreamed about. A marriage built on friendship shouldn’t be too hard, right? At least that is what Jessica thinks. Jessica and Daniel embark into a marriage that should give each other everything that wanted or at least they thought it was everything they wanted.
I really enjoy Married for Christmas. It was a sweet fast story about friendship and love.
An ARC was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. -
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. This is a short novel about friends getting married for reasons other than love. He is a young pastor who lost his beloved wife in a car accident. A church in his home town that he's always wanted to preach at has an opening but the elders are concerned that he is too young and not married. She has been the pastor's good friend for several years and longs for a family and to move back to her hometown. She has never found any guy she ever really liked, except she has secretly had feelings for the pastor even when his wife was alive. When she finds out his dilemma in being accepted at the church she makes him a marriage proposal and they wed.
This is a romance novel, so we all know how the story ends. But between the marriage and the end there are many times when I felt horrible, both for the pastor and the girl. Over and over again. He feels guilty for wanting someone other than his dead wife and she is constantly being reminded of how much he loved his dead wife and that he doesn't really have the same feelings for her. I was many times feeling very uncomfortably uncomfortable. This did lessen my appreciation for this very good, well written story and hence I didn't give it a full fledged 4 stars or better. -
There are lots of things I liked very much about this romance. I love marriage of connivence plots. I really like that this plot in a contemporary romance that makes sense. Clergy should be married in the eyes of manny congregations. The heroine's reasoning makes sense as well.
I enjoyed having two leads that have deep spiritual commitments in a non Inspirational Romance. Good stuff. I would have actually liked more of this aspect of the characters. They have some pretty hot sexy times which was great and realistically done. The portrayal of the hero's grief is moving and complex.
However, the hero and heroine could be much more developed. They aren't always likable (especially the hero). I am fine with that really. The truth is, most of us aren't always likable but its a short book and I would have like the HEA stretched out so that I could have come to love them both.
This book is worth the read and I will read other books in the series. -
I feel like a hard marker, but I was asking myself how I felt about the book and I said, 'it was okay' which is word-for-word the goodreads definition of a two star rating, so... two stars.
I just never really got into it. I didn't really like the hero (I don't always want both POVs in a romance, but for this story I think it really would have helped, because this guy just seemed like a cold fish to me, right up until he was Mr. Passionate Lover Man, and I didn't really get a sense of the transition at all). And the heroine? She ASKS for a marriage of convenience, but within a week she's whining that her husband doesn't seem to be open to her and needs time to himself? Well, what did you expect, honey?
So... nothing horribly wrong. It was okay. Two stars. -
I did not like this book as much as the others from the same author. It's a good thing that the religion isn't a huge part of the book because I would have flipped. Daniel wasn't very open about his feelings and I couldn't judge him well. Jessica should not go near the oven. It always turns out to be a disaster.
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Well. I wasn’t going to read this book based on reviews from others but I decided to do it. It was okay. I became frustrated with the heroine, but it worked out in the end. The sobbing during sex I could’ve done without 😅
Initial notes:
Note to self - Do not read.
According to reviews:
Widower still in love with his deceased wife.
Heroine who cries too much, including during sex. No thanks. -
Author's note in the beginning about how this is not an inspirational romance but religion features heavily. Atheist me liked it anyway. I think I would have liked a little more awkwardness around the first sex scene but it did get steamy quickly with several on page scenes. FMC was a little unlikable sometimes.
