Books with: Clean - Slowly Growing Relationships and Friendships

[Lyn]

Mikaela wrote: "The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews, while not my favourite book, fits your description. Heroine answers a marriage advertisement to escape her home and..."

THANKS MIKAELA. This book was nice and I appreciated a slightly less run-of-the-mill reason to marry for convenience. The characters were well-developed and there was a plausible reason for them to fall for each other rather.

[Lyn]

Kristy wrote: "yes! Short Straw Bride has a shotgun wedding (extreme arranged, lol!) and More Than Words Can Say has a MoC so the h can continue to operate her bakery despite a sexist law against women business o..."

I just finished Short-Straw Bride. Nice recommendation, thank you. A quick read with likeable characters

[Lyn]

@Pink Angel
Off with the old love by Betty Neels wasn't a marriage of convenience. It was definitely clean, a little slow.

[MJ]

I’ve been trying to find this one since you first posted. Hate it when the authors change the covers!

Her Best Match
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[MJ]

Oops, maybe it wasn’t your post I was looking for, but the above still might work.

[Lyn]

MJ wrote: "I’ve been trying to find this one since you first posted. Hate it when the authors change the covers!

Her Best Match
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..."

Hi MJ, thanks for the recommendation.

[Lyn]

@C.

[bookcover:Unlawfully Wedded Bride|11..."

Just got around to reading this one. It was cute, clean, and fit the plot I was looking for... Thanks!

[Rachel]

Dandelion Summer - There's a friendship between an old white man and a young black woman.

[Lyn]

Rachel wrote: "Dandelion Summer - There's a friendship between an old white man and a young black woman."

I will check it out! Thank you for giving me a friendship one...

[Lyn]

Lyn wrote: "Kristy wrote: "yes! Short Straw Bride has a shotgun wedding (extreme arranged, lol!) and More Than Words Can Say has a MoC so the h can continue to operate her bakery despite a sexist law against w..."

More Than Words Can Say was good too! Thanks

[[deleted user]]

Just Ella
Just Ella

Two different books, same title!

[Amber]

Always, in December is a sweet story. It is free from explicit scenes and vulgar language.

[Lucie]

Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke is a wonderful arranged-marriage romance! It's both a book and a film. I prefer the film to the book, however, you might see it visa versa.
It is a story of love and redemption, with Christian themes, but the Christianity is more on how the hero acts toward the heroine as opposed to the characters giving sermons to each other.
You might enjoy it! :-)

[Lyn]

Hi Lucie!
Thanks. Did you know that that book is part of a series? I've seen a bunch of the film adaptations, but I don't think I've read any of the books. So I will definitely check them out. I also want to give you a film-book combo that you might like: The Magic of Ordinary Days
by Ann Howard Creel. The movie was very good, I haven't read the book yet. Putting it on my list too!
https://www.goodreads.com/series/5789...

[Lucie]

Thank you so much! Yes, I did know that Love Comes Softly is part of a series, but please note that the books are very different from the films. I've never heard of the Magic of Ordinary Days, and I'm into the World War 2 era right now! This sounds perfect for me!

[Lyn]

Amber wrote: "Always, in December is a sweet story. It is free from explicit scenes and vulgar language."


@Amber. This book was FULL of vulgar language. The worst part, the f-bombs and other undesirable terms don't start until the part 2. I like it when the author shows it on the first few pages so I don't waste my time starting a book I won't finish. And it wasn't slowly growing feelings, the main characters didn't like each other for a few minutes but they were having a drink within an hour a meeting each other. If anyone is following my CLEAN thread, this one is not recommended.

[Lyn]

Lucie wrote: "Thank you so much! Yes, I did know that Love Comes Softly is part of a series, but please note that the books are very different from the films. I've never heard of the Magic of Ordinary Days, and ..."

@LUCIE I just read the Magic of Ordinary Days, Comparing the two, I thought the film was better. As far as I recall, the movie was clean. The book had nothing explicit, but it mentioned some things dealing with sex, male body parts, etc.

[Lyn]

deleted user wrote: "Just Ella
Just Ella

Two different books, same title!"
The first one I found the audiobook and will be listening soon. The second one I havent been able to find anywhere. However, they both sound worth a try. : )

[Mikaela]

The Rose-Garden Husband is written at the turn of the century and it shows, but in a darling way. A young librarian lives paycheck-to-paycheck, toiling away her youth and good looks with hard work and worry. She wishes for a life where she can have her own rose garden and is willing to marry anyone who can give it to her! Enter a marriage of convenience / complete indifference that flourishes into more. The book has some politically incorrect moments (nothing malicious, just dated), but it's very frothy and improbable in a quite delightful way.

Murder at the Brightwell is a cosy mystery set in the 1920's. The main couple are married but estranged. The wife rides horses in their English country estate while the husband flits about gambling in Monte Carlo with actresses and doing goodness knows what else that gets reported in the Society Column. The story begins with the wife deciding she will go on a holiday to the Brightwell seaside resort with a party of friends (which happens to include an old flame). This seems to get the husband's attention, but holiday plans don't quite run to plan when there is a murder at the Brightwell! The husband and wife discover they make quite a detective duo. One off-page, 'fade to black' sex scene.

A fake engagement novel, Honey is an extremely light nurse/doctor romance where the heroine believes the doctor hates her but, through a convoluted line of logic, he convinces her that they need to fake an engagement. Heroine is seriously confused by the hero and her own growing feelings. Very fluffy and silly. Consider this a more playful Betty Neels, and less sexist. The author, Mary Burchell is also a very interesting woman who was heavily involved in rescuing Jews from Nazi Germany.

Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer is a true marriage of convenience. The hero wants to gain access to his fortune which is held in trust until he marries. When the local beauty rejects his proposal, he declares in a fit of pique that he will marry the first woman he sees! This just so happens to be Hero Wantage, the neighbourhood's 'poor relation' and a girl who used to trail around after the hero when they were children, generally making a nuisance of herself. With a charming host of side characters and a strong Roaring Twenties / Bright Young Thing energy (although set in Regency times), it's a frolicking journey to see the hero mature from a frivolous boy into a man and husband.

[Lyn]

@Mikaela

I was just hoping for some fresh recommendations... Thanks! Another helpful soul turned me on to Georgette Heyer so I have already read Friday's Child.

I am looking forward to checking out the other three suggestions. Happy reading to you as well!

[Lyn]

@Mikaela

Your description of Honey by Mary Burchell was spot on! It was VERY light and clean. I finished it in a day and a half. Thanks for the recommendations.

[Lyn]

Rachel wrote: "Dandelion Summer - There's a friendship between an old white man and a young black woman."

@Rachel This was a good read. It had a bit of a mystery to keep things interesting, and the characterization was nice too, especially the 2 main characters and her mom's boyfriend.

[Lyn]

Mikaela wrote: "The Rose-Garden Husband is written at the turn of the century and it shows, but in a darling way. A young librarian lives paycheck-to-paycheck, toiling away her youth and good looks ..."

@Mikaela The Rose Garden Husband left me blinking in surprise. I almost didn't read it because there is such a strong racist undertone... but not overt. The main character would have said, "I am not racist. I love my "obstreperous, affectionate little foreigners."" Let's compare just one of the numerous examples:

Black : She said... to "OLD BLACK Maggie, who was CLUMPING ....with her WOOLY HEAD TIED UP IN HER SUNDAY SILK HANKERCHIEF."

White: "The ELDERLY gentleman nodded.... MR. de GUENTHER, pleasant and unperturbed as usual" I don't think a single non-white got a full name, let alone a Mr. or Ms.

She also changed the speech. All black characters talk like this: "Teacher!" clamored a small chocolate-colored citizen..."My maw she want a book call 'Ugwin!"

She has to "translate" the "small colored boy's demands" since he doesn't speak good English.

None of the white characters speak non-standard English, whether they are foreign, in pain, drunk, etc. White immigrants are described as slightly more favorable stereotypes, for example: "a small Polish Jew with tragic dark eyes and one suspender, received... suggestions with ALL THE CALM IMPENETRABILITY of his race."


So, I am on the fence about it. On one hand, it is like being in someone's head. The story is okay, except for the quite unlikely ending. It could be used in a book club or a classroom to show how subtle or systemic racism is or just how things once were.
On the other hand, it seems like it would be okay to bury it forever and read better literature. It is definitely not worth being offended if you are reading it purely as fiction.

LOL. Most interesting suggestion I have had.

[Lyn]

@ C.

I finally got around to this one. It was cute and lighthearted. Quirky and interesting characters. Thanks for the recommendation.