Married for a Month is an ensemble cast romance. It looks at the age-old question of what makes for a better marriage: passion or similar interests and values.
Taylor Mcguire is a therapist who has written a thesis on compatibility in marriage. It is her theory that similar backgrounds, tastes, and goals make for the best marriages. She is on a television show promoting her point of view when she is confronted with an old flame who has a differing opinion.
Jonathan Kirby is a famous psychologist who has written many books on the subject of relationships. He and Taylor are total opposites. Jonathan's view is that opposites attract and passion that sparks between people can successfully power a marriage. Taylor is unhappy to see him again, not just because he so strongly disagrees with her, but also because years ago they had a brief, tumultuous relationship that resulted in a daughter she has never told him about. Taylor has both hated and longed for Jonathan for years, and those feelings, as well as the complications of their child, arise again when she sees him.
The talk show host of the television program senses the tension hovering between them and suggests a contest to see who is right. Forty couples will be chosen from a group of applicants and will be matched either by like interests or raw attraction. These couples will agree to live with each other for a month. At the end of the month, if more couples with like interests stay together, Taylor's theory wins. If more couples with passion remain together, Jonathan wins. From the couples who stay together, a name will be drawn and the winning couple will receive a million dollars. Jonathan and Taylor both stand to get lucrative publicity from this contest as well.
As a result of the contest we are introduced to three other couples in addition to Taylor and Jonathan. These characters are somewhat diverse. There's an older couple, a divorced couple with three young children, and the unlikely pairing of a computer geek with the local bombshell.
Married for a Month was an easy read and some of its characters were quite likable, particularly the computer nerd. His vulnerability was very touching and the author did a good job on his love match. The divorced couple's story was not only carefully and honestly explored, it was interesting as well. And though writing an ensemble cast necessitates spreading the individual stories thinner, each couple had its place in the story.
That said, however, I had a lot of niggles with the book that steadily chipped away its positive points until its final grade was a B-, which is a qualified recommendation. To start, the premise of the contest was more than a little hard to believe. Yes, we do live in a society where millionaires marry on TV, but how could anyone think you could "prove" long-lasting love from a contest like this? Then there's the secret baby plot and how very quickly Taylor and Jonathan worked through the complications of the revelation of the child The believability quotient would have been higher had there been no child and Mallery simply created a reunion between the two. Finally, there were small problems with each of the other three relationships; one was depressing, another involved an unnecessary Big Misunderstanding, and a third was simply based on an unrealistic premise.
Married for a Month ended up being a good read with a lot of little problems. I'd be tempted to give it a lower grade, but I had a better time reading it than I have had with some of the B's I've given out lately. And though this book was somewhat problematic, I would definitely read Mallery again. I'd recommend Married for a Month to readers who like lighter stories or those who like ensemble casts. I think it would satisfy either of these needs.
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 2001
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