[Review] The Marriage Mistake

Title: The Marriage Mistake
Author: Jennifer Probst
Publication Date: October 19, 2012
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick-Lit
Rating: 5/5

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Teaser: 

Carina Conte has had a crush on her brother Michael’s best friend, Max Gray, since she was a teenager. Now she’s earned her MBA and come to work at Michael’s new venture, America’s fastest-growing bakery empire. But some things never change: her family still treats her like a child. With three drop-dead gorgeous siblings, she’s still the ugly duckling of the bunch. And Max, the company’s new CEO, still barely notices her.
Max knows Carina Conte is strictly off limits. But hot-blooded lust wins out at a conference when the two share a scorching one-night stand—and are busted by her mother! Now, forced by old-world Italian tradition into a marriage he’s not ready for, Max is miserable—and Carina is furious. Her new husband is about to realize that hell hath no fury like a woman transformed…

Review: 

A smile-inducing read! Perfect for people who wish to pleasantly stretch out those facial muscles!

While the premise is common, the story most definitely isn’t. The author managed to weave such a common premise into something that is extraordinary and heartwarming, not to mention hot and sizzling.

What I liked best about this novel is that the romance was given ample time to blossom. It didn’t feel rushed, it didn’t feel forced. And the main characters themselves were allowed to grow up and become better individuals. They were made to face their personal issues to learn from them.

Also, one does not simply conjure a perfect romance novel without putting into words the sizzling chemistry between the two leads. In this particular novel, the author added just the right amount of sexual tension plus the actual circumstances to push the two leads to end up with each other. And the taunts! The taunts and dialogues between the two leads are just perfect!

The heroine – Carina Conte – is strong, independent, stubborn and witty. I’ve always been a fan of strong female leads so this story really rocked my socks. And the male lead – Maximus Gray – is just as stubborn, just as independent, but a little bit dense. However, that’s forgivable because he’s a guy, and he did get the girl in the end.

Oh, and worthy of mention are the puns! I personally believe that it’s healthy to poke fun at some things as long as it’s done for purely harmless amusement. This novel managed to poke fun at 50 Shades and Magic Mike. I don’t know about everyone else, but any book that can successfully incorporate witty puns within its pages is a delight!