Book Release and a Giveaway!

A BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE, the third book in my bride-ship series, is now available!

The title says it all! This is a bride of convenience story. In the romance genre, that means the lead couple gets married for a reason other than love, usually because of some mutually beneficial arrangement.

Writing a marriage of convenience story is fun but challenging. First, the writer has to figure out a unique circumstance that causes the hero and heroine to agree to get married. This usually means one or both are experiencing some level of dire circumstances that cause them to put aside convention and personal desires in order to make this “sacrifice.”

Often the sacrifice involves marrying for the sake of a child or children. It could also be for safety and security, to overcome difficulty, or to escape hardships. Sometimes, the couple gets married in a moment of panic or emotional distress. Other times, they make a calculated, business arrangement. Whatever the circumstances, the couple is thrust together into a relationship. 

After the couple is together, then the second thing the writer has to do is figure out a way to keep the two from falling happily in love right away. That means a writer has to put obstacles in the lead couple’s path to true love. Perhaps they’re each carrying baggage of previous relationships that prevents them from trusting one another. Or maybe current circumstances cause conflict in their relationship. The key is stirring up trouble for the newlyweds and keeping things from being too easy for them.

Finally, once the conflict is established, then it’s time to throw the couple together in all kinds of romantic situations where their attraction to each other begins to grow. They learn to genuinely like each other, develop a bond of friendship, and tune in to an undeniable attraction.

A marriage of convenience story allows for plenty of opportunities to develop the romance because the couple is stuck together. As I mentioned in a previous post (HERE), the challenge in a romance is balancing the push and pull of conflict versus attraction. The challenge is even greater in a marriage of convenience story.

All that to say, if you love marriage of convenience stories, then check out A BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE. Here’s a little bit more about the book:

Unemployed mill worker Zoe Hart jumps at the opportunity to emigrate to British Columbia in 1863 to find a better life and be reunited with her brother, who fled from home after being accused of a crime.

Pastor to miners in the mountains, Abe Merivale discovers an abandoned baby during a routine visit to Victoria and joins efforts with Zoe, one of the newly arrived bride-ship women, to care for the infant. While there, he’s devastated by the news from his fiancee in England that she’s marrying another man.

With mounting pressure to find the baby a home, Zoe accepts a proposal from a miner of questionable character after he promises to help her locate her brother. Intent on protecting Zoe and frustrated by his failed engagement, Abe offers his own hand as groom. After a hasty wedding, they soon realize their marriage of convenience is not so convenient after all.

For a chance to WIN a copy of A BRIDE OF CONVENIENCE, enter the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you like marriage of convenience stories? Why or why not?