Last-Minute Marriage (Superromance, 942)

Rating:
Summary: The romance didn't ring as true here. . .
Review: I agree with Roseweb on this one. Marisa Carroll did a great job of continuing the Riverbend setting and the peripheral characters, but the sparks didn't seem to fly between Mitch and Tessa the way they did with the other couples in the other books. Also, while I realize that these books are entertainment and not necessarily life as it really is, I still found the characters a little bit unbelievable. Maybe men who fall in love with pregnant women really DO act this way, and maybe single pregnant women do too. But up until the last chapter, I really had trouble believing that Mitch loved Tessa all that much. He didn't really try to fight for her--just kind of left it up to her what she wanted to do and who she was going to have a "last-minute marriage" with. In fact, his son Sam seemed more proactive, and the interplay between him and Tessa was actually more moving in places than that between the adults.

But the last chapter made up for a lot. The baby's birth was very moving, and Tessa did come to her senses after all.

What kept me interested in this book is that I'd read "A Christmas Legacy" first, and knew there was some overlap in events between the two books. I was curious to see how the events would play out without giving anything away. That part was masterfully done. . .but in the baby shower scene you do get a very strong hint about who the next Riverbend story will be about. . .and you have to be paying attention to catch who the man is. Pick this book up and see if you can figure it out:)

Rating:
Summary: The romance didn't ring as true here. . .
Review: I agree with Roseweb on this one. Marisa Carroll did a great job of continuing the Riverbend setting and the peripheral characters, but the sparks didn't seem to fly between Mitch and Tessa the way they did with the other couples in the other books. Also, while I realize that these books are entertainment and not necessarily life as it really is, I still found the characters a little bit unbelievable. Maybe men who fall in love with pregnant women really DO act this way, and maybe single pregnant women do too. But up until the last chapter, I really had trouble believing that Mitch loved Tessa all that much. He didn't really try to fight for her--just kind of left it up to her what she wanted to do and who she was going to have a "last-minute marriage" with. In fact, his son Sam seemed more proactive, and the interplay between him and Tessa was actually more moving in places than that between the adults.

But the last chapter made up for a lot. The baby's birth was very moving, and Tessa did come to her senses after all.

What kept me interested in this book is that I'd read "A Christmas Legacy" first, and knew there was some overlap in events between the two books. I was curious to see how the events would play out without giving anything away. That part was masterfully done. . .but in the baby shower scene you do get a very strong hint about who the next Riverbend story will be about. . .and you have to be paying attention to catch who the man is. Pick this book up and see if you can figure it out:)

Rating:
Summary: Nice locale and interesting use of community
Review: Tessa Masterson finds herself running out of gas and lost not far outside of Riverbend, Indiana. When Riverbend's law, with Mitch Sterling riding shotgun, encounters her, they direct her towards town where she can refuel and maybe get some rest before she continues on her way north to Albany. Mitch Sterling's name embodies who he is. He is a member of the town council and he runs the town's hardware store which has been in his family for generations. He, his grandfather, and his son, are an integral part of this community and when he finds himself drawn to the pregnant stranger in town, he feels certain that she is the one for him despite the miserable marriage he has behind him.

Marisa Carroll has fluidly implemented the location and sense of community that has been a wonderful part of this Riverbend mini-series. What she fails to do credibly is to develop a relationship between Mitch and Tessa. It is difficult enough that unlike the previous installments, Tessa has no real connection to the town, but Carroll also brings in another stranger unexpectedly as a trite plot device which halts any progress Mitch and Tessa would have made. I was a bit surprised by the lack of development where Mitch and Tessa were concerned. But I did enjoy the continuous use of Riverbend as a community. The author continues in the vein first established by Arnold and continued by the rest of the authors thus far. And Tessa's love for Riverbend helped to establish a bit of a bond between her and the community she has grown to love. The advent of a familiar stranger, however, mars the friendship she shares with the locals and the love she feels for Mitch in a manner that is never truly recovered.

Rating:
Summary: Last-Minute Marriage by Marisa Carroll
Review: This book by Marisa Carrol is about a young woman that gets stranded in a small town, seven months pregnant, and a single father who needs help. He ends up giveing her a home and a job until she gets back on her feet and can go on to New York where she was headed, or until they fall in love and have a last minute marriage. Heartwarming, and delightful this book will keep you turning the pages for hours.