“Practically Married” by Karin Beery *review and giveaway*

MY REVIEW:

Funny, sweet Christian romance about a modern day marriage of convenience.

Ashley and Russ were good main characters in this story but I didn’t like how indecisive and what a “people pleaser” Ashley was. It took some time for people including Russ to warm up to Ashley and rightly so. Ashley was a sweet character and worked hard with the farm and with her relationships. I also liked Russ’s family and their interactions throughout the book. I love large families!

The story was interesting with a steady plot from beginning to end. Probably not something I would read again, but it was still good.

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

About the Book

Book: Practically Married

Author: Karin Beery

Genre: General Market, clean fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary romance

Release Date: October 22, 2019

She moved to a new town to marry her fiancé. Instead, she’s burying him.

Ashley Johnson moved to northern Michigan to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face, but she arrived in time to attend his funeral. With no home back in Ohio, she decides to stay in what would have been their house, except his cousin Russ lives there too, and Russ has never heard of Ashley. To complicate matters, her fiancé accidentally willed her the family farm house. Eager to please everyone and desperate to disappoint no one, she proposes a marriage of convenience that could solve her and Russ’ problems, if they can get past her aunt, his sisters, and an ex-girlfriend.

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

Beery, Karin_417x625 Karin Beery grew up in a rural Michigan town where she wrote her first novel in high school. Today, she writes contemporary stories with a healthy dose of romance. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s reading, editing, or teaching it. In her free time, she enjoys being at home with her husband and fur babies watching University of Michigan football and action-adventure movies.

More from Karin

Why would two contemporary American’s agree to a marriage of convenience?

That’s what I asked myself when I sat down to write Practically Married. I love reading historical books about mail order brides and other arranged marriages, but I wanted to see if I could make that historical theme more modern (and still be believable).

That’s how Ashley and Russ came to be, and—after several revisions—I think I did it! It takes two to get married, but this is really Ashley’s story—it’s her past that inspires her future, and it’s up to her to decide where that inspiration with lead her.

The story couldn’t just be about their relationship, though. I’ve always thought it would be fun to have a big brother, so I gave Russ little sisters. And nieces and nephews. And a pie-baking mom who doesn’t like his beard (which may have been inspired my mother-in-law, who tried desperately to get my husband to shave his beard before our wedding). I also threw in some real buildings and places in northern Michigan (even though Boyne Falls is fictional). And it’s possible that some of my character names came directly from friends and other local inspirations. Practically Married isn’t only set in northern Michigan, it’s inspired by it.