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146th out of 417 books
—
329 voters
To Have or to Hold
by
Josi S. Kilpack (Goodreads Author)
Emma has a knack for doing things badly. At eighteen she married her high-school sweetheart just days after graduation. Three years later she�s a twenty-one-year old divorcee with a 15 month old daughter looking at life in a different way. She moves to Utah with a broken heart and a head full of shattered dreams hoping to start over.
She also tries to find her place in the...more
She also tries to find her place in the...more
Paperback, 330 pages
Published
August 1st 2005
by Bonneville Books
(first published August 1st 2004)
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This was my fifth published novel and my most romancy one to date. It's about a woman struggling to find her feet after a divorce, and a consummate bachelor in need of a wife in order to inherit a family fortune. Their paths cross and they both promise not to fall in love. I wrote this book because I love the storyline of "Marriage of Convenience" and had pondered for years on how it would work in a modern setting. The biggest complaint I hear is that my main character is kind a bratty, well, ye...more
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I enjoyed my first book by this author, the second was not quite so good and this third I think I've finally figured it out. She is careful to allow the heroine to be imperfect and in doing so make her almost unlikable. I got tired of allowing her to talk and act however she wants just because she has problems.
That said, this was about a single mother who meets a man who needs to marry to gain an inheritance. (sounds corney, huh) It was. The redeeming part of the story was the information about...more
That said, this was about a single mother who meets a man who needs to marry to gain an inheritance. (sounds corney, huh) It was. The redeeming part of the story was the information about...more
I loved this book. It was a great read that I couldn't put down after I picked it up. My intention was to read for a few hours before bed, and I ended up staying up until 3:30 am to finish it! I really love the story lines of marrying for convenience. This was a fun modern day story. I read through some of the reviews. I feel that I am fairly easy to please, but I felt that some of the reviews really picked this book apart. Can the heroine be a little bratty? Yes. Does she get kinda feisty and m...more
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Oh goodness. Part of the problem with reading these kinds of books is that then I have to admit that I've read them here on Goodreads! Okay, I suppose I really don't -- but then I'm breaking the rules. (You know, the rules. The rules which I made up for myself. Huh.)
If you've read any fluffy LDS romance, you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect here: average woman lacking communication skills but certainly not lacking spunk; man who is inordinately handsome and inexplicably wealthy; and ple...more
If you've read any fluffy LDS romance, you'll have a pretty good idea what to expect here: average woman lacking communication skills but certainly not lacking spunk; man who is inordinately handsome and inexplicably wealthy; and ple...more
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This book could've been worse. At least it wasn't totally predictable. All the same, I struggle with the Mormon culture of writing. I find it cheesy, predictable, and inadequate. The conflicts seemed almost silly to me in this book. My biggest beef with stereotypical romances like this is the constant immaturity of the female leads. They are ridiculous. Every time.
Now that I've preserved my reputation and bashed romances a bit, I do have to admit my silly girls hormones took me through this book...more
Now that I've preserved my reputation and bashed romances a bit, I do have to admit my silly girls hormones took me through this book...more
This was my first introduction to LDS fiction/romance and I was expecting a cleaner version of the same cheesy, trite story lines. I was actually surprised that I found myself wanting to finish this book just to see how everything turns out for Emma and Andrew. Emma was not the typical woman that I was expecting - she had her share of struggles and challenges, and now as a single mother, she has found herself at rock bottom.
I thought that the description and symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum w...more
I thought that the description and symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum w...more
Feb 17, 2012
Libby
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Lisa Goulding, & Jessica Williams
Shelves:
christian-romance
I give this book four stars for the mere fact that it was quite the page turner, and I couldn't help but stay up until the wee hours reading this massive-cheesy-everything-will-be-happily-ever-after LDS romance. I can see why these young mormon girls have a distorted way of thinking especially after reading a book such as this one. So, I should pretend that as I sit here and try to be as good as I can my life is still pretty crap-y? Yet, here is a girl who is doing opposite of what she was raise...more
I really enjoyed this book much to my surprise. There were a few parts that made me mad such as when Emma was treating Andrew horribly and that they both thought the other had a hidden ajenda. I kept thinking, why don't you both sit down and have a conversation about what is going on so that you can both stop treating the other like garbage. There were also times I felt the author just tossed in some church stuff so that she could claim it as LDS fiction but there were other times that it fit. A...more
A classic LDS romance novel. She moves to Utah, wanting to start over again with her 15 month old daughter. He is wild man who needs to get married to get his inheritance. So they strike up a marriage contract to benefit the both of them and in the end...you guessed it! They fall in love! And both get baptized!
One side note...often reviews will say how unrealistic it is when characters attached some kind of ridiculous request to their final will. But I would say a Mormon requesting marriage as a...more
One side note...often reviews will say how unrealistic it is when characters attached some kind of ridiculous request to their final will. But I would say a Mormon requesting marriage as a...more
Having only ever read super cheese packed LDS romance, I REALLY liked this. The characters were very palatable. Things weren't too clean and squeaky so that I felt like my own life was in the potty when I finished. I enjoyed the mistakes that they made and the lack of extreme self righteousness. I mean, hello I expect there to be religion in a book marketed by a religious publishing house and I am on board. But I do like the way that it was presented in a much more realistic manner than other th...more
A pure LDS romance. Not bad and better than some of the more sicky-sweet LDS romances. The main characters enter a marriage of convenience--Emma the inactive Mormon because she is recently divorced and needs money for her little girl and Andrew a nonMormon because he has to be married to inherit a ton of money. Of course, they discover they love each other along the way but all kinds of misunderstandings get in the way.Emma is the suffering-heroine type of character and there is not a lot of hum...more
Ok so this book started out similar to a Harlequin novel but with much better writing and more depth to the main character. I quickly got engrossed into the story and with the characters. Then towards the end the book became a spritual attempt at converting the reader to the Mormon religion and that automatically put my back up. I can get behind a little spirituality but this book became over zelous. I was raised Catholic and have an aunt who is a nun and a cousin who is a priest. Growing up I w...more
Emma is a 21-year-old divorcee with a 15-month-old daughter who is struggling to find her place in the Church and to support her little daughter. Andrew Davidson is a rich young bachelor who is happy with his life as is. But when he is offered a substantial portion of his grandfather's inheritance if he will fulfill certain requirements, he makes Emma an option she can't refuse: a marriage of convenience that will give her a nice home, a chance to go to school, and a portion of the inheritance t...more
This book was very interesting--kind of an unusual take on how a divorced mother is asked by a wealthy businessman to participate in a marriage of convenience. Eventually many things develop, but what I found was how the businessman learned to care and love. Very enjoyable--and I have to admit that I've dealt with several people in my life whose boorish and obnoxious behavior reminded me of the wife's domineering and extremely dramatic home teacher!!
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May 24, 2008
Valerie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
LDS Women, Single Moms
Recommended to Valerie by:
Louisa (MOM)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This was such a good read! I needed to read a romance that wasn't cookie cutter sweet and that had a lot of angst. It still is a good LDS romance, but it has a kick that many LDS Romances are not brave enough to attempt! Good job Josi Kilpack on this novel. This was a hard one to put down.I have to admit reading it during my lunchtime and avoiding eating in the faculty lounge so I could finish this book and not have to talk to anyone.
This was one of the best written books I have read. I immediately fell in love with the main characters and was able to relate to their struggles and insecurities. The story keeps moving and was difficult to put down. (ok, I didn't actually put it down) I loved how the characters evolved and grew. It's a story of faith, love, acceptance, forgiveness and hope. I can't wait to pick up more of Josi's books!!!!!
this book was excellant! At first I was wondering about the merger of being married and only have it be on paper and for the benefit of getting rich, but as the story unfolds the gospel is introduced and hearts are softened. I particularly identified with Emma with the whole NICU experience and hard pregnancy. It always helps to find a way to identify something in the book to your own life experiences.
Throughout the marriage are so many twists and turns I couldn't put the book down. Will they end up falling in love with each other......or will they divorce and move on with their lives? You wont know unless you read it!
Josi Kilpack is one of my favorite Authors. She puts a lot into her books and keeps you pondering until the very end! Pick up this book and love it as much as I do!
Josi Kilpack is one of my favorite Authors. She puts a lot into her books and keeps you pondering until the very end! Pick up this book and love it as much as I do!
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I like the interaction between the two main characters. And I liked the LDS touch too. However I got quite frustrated with Emma towards the end. I can understand why she acted the way she did but she was just so stubborn and unforgiving. It was hard not to be upset with her. All in all I did like the story… Especially the pool part :)
I read this because 1. I am on a cheesy LDS book kick and 2. it the back cover discribed one of my friends so prefectly I wanted to test it out and see if I could recommend it to her. The first half of the book was the cheesy romantic LDS book that I was expecting. The second half was so differnt from what I expected. I ended up liking this book a lot. Good job Kilpack!
The reason I enjoyed this book so much is because the story line was unique. Josi Kilpack is great to deal with difficult story lines (Unsung Lullaby, Sheep's Clothing..etc). I started to get a little frustrated toward the end with the main character but i'm sure the description of the way she was acting was unrealistic. Still, you must like Romance to enjoy this one. I like her WAY more then Anita Stansfield. :)
The first half of this book deserved a 3. The second half of this book deserved a 1. So I gave it a 2.
This book reminds me why I prefer mysteries over romances.
I liked the beginning story plot....intriguing and imaginative. And then these 2 people who are pretty much strangers to each other separately prove that they are childish in every sense of the word and cannot communicate in the smallest degree with each other. It becomes petty and shallow. Living months on end without talking to each oth...more
This book reminds me why I prefer mysteries over romances.
I liked the beginning story plot....intriguing and imaginative. And then these 2 people who are pretty much strangers to each other separately prove that they are childish in every sense of the word and cannot communicate in the smallest degree with each other. It becomes petty and shallow. Living months on end without talking to each oth...more
If you want a really easy read and don't want to think about it (ie the next time you're sick), then pick up this book! The plot is laughable sometimes and you wonder what in the heck the main character is thinking, but it ends well and everyone is happy (and it gets a little Mormon sappy too). It was alright and I read it in two days--so, it sucks you in!
I love when LDS romance authors surprise me with a well-developed plot that doesn't follow the normal path to bliss. It's even better when the main characters struggle along and aren't perfect. This was a good book with more depth than I had anticipated. Still a quick read, but not one that made me feel as if I had been feasting at a literary sugar fest.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was different then the culinary mysteries of this author, but still a great and easy read. I read this book quickly and was captivated the entire time. I wonder if I would have agreed to a marriage of convienience just for money? I am glad to be in a completely happy relationship full of love and trust. Great book!
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I'm the third of nine children born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah. I met my husband in high-school--well, he wasn't my husband then, just the cute guy in weight training with the permed mullet--and we married in 1993. I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child and have gone on to publish 18 novels, the most recent being part of The Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series.
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