THE MARRIAGE SEASON by Linda Lael Miller

Publisher:    HQN

Published:   May 26, 2015

ISBN:     978-0373779338

Genre:    Contemporary Romance

Format:  Print    

Obtained via:  Publisher via Publicist

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

THREE HEARTS

Lifelong friends and confidants Bex Stuart and her friends Melody and Hadleigh made pack not all that long ago—a pack to marry the man of their dreams.  Hadleigh and Melody not only met the terms of the pack—they are about to give birth to their first children with their one and onlies.  That leaves Bex.

While Bex was on board with the pact when they first made it, she’s had some reservations, series reservations.  First of all, Bex had me her one and only true love—but when Will was killed in Afghanistan her world ended.  While she likes the idea of a forever love, she is certain her chance had come and gone.  Thing is, Bex didn’t plan on Tate Calder.

Like Bex, Tate had met and married his one and only.  Or so he thought he had.  When Sharon died it left him with two young sons.  Choosing to leave the fast paced corporate life his father carved out for him Tate has moved to Mustang Creek.  He didn’t plan on meeting and finding an overwhelming attraction to Bex. 

When Bex’s sister Tara has her own crisis, it is left to Bex to straighten things out.   With marriage the last thing on Bex and Tate’s agenda and obstacles appearing in every turn of their path, how can they resist their growing attachment and still find a way to each other? 

I’ve enjoyed Linda Lael Miller’s Brides of Bliss County series mainly for the camaraderie between Bex, Melody and Hadleigh.  Their friendship isn’t a purely fictional devise—I was fortunate to have two friends who have died in the past few years who in many ways reminded me of the threesome.  Friends who stand by you no matter what, that are there for you when you have a 2 a.m. crisis and need help.  I also enjoy how Miller entwines very real life events into her stories with plausible solutions. 

Her most recent in this series, THE MARRIAGE SEASON, was an okay read.  At points I felt like Miller had to tell Bex’s story, but wasn’t sure what to do with it.  I appreciate that virtually every contemporary romance author feels obligated to have some sort of mention about someone who died or was wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan but I wouldn’t mind reading one where that thread was left out.  I have to wonder if the inclusion of at least one character who died or was injured over there isn’t a mandate from an agent, editor or publisher rather than a sentiment on the author’s part.  Had Will died any other way, i.e., in a motorcycle crash, killed by a drunk driver, falling off a tractor the story would have had the same impact for me.

I felt the story was more about Bex fixing her sister’s problems than about Bex and Tate…that they didn’t want to get married, ever, became a little repetitious. 

MARRIAGE SEASON was a decent conclusion to the series and I look forward to where Ms. Miller goes next.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.