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Rating: 
Summary: For better or for worse
Review: Dominic Wolfe has had it with his father's meddlesome matchmaking. The driven businessman has no time for a wife and harbors bad memories of being jilted twelve years ago. But when his father forces his hand, Dominic decides to beat him at his own game and railroads hair stylist Sierra Kelly into marriage figuring he's better off with the devil he knows rather than the one he doesn't. Sierra would be the first to say the two of them know next to nothing about each other. With her purple hair and her optimism, she couldn't be a more inappropriate wife for the straitlaced Dominic with his business suits and his mergers. And the vibrant attraction they feel for one another is not a solid base for marriage. Still, Sierra is determined to get beyond the walls her husband has in place to prove to him that love, like any merger, is worth fighting for. In "The Inconvenient Bride", Anne McAllister has penned a heartwarming story about two opposites who marry in haste and feel compelled to make things work. But for such opposing characters, this leaves a lot of room for interpretation. To Sierra, marriage means admitting her feelings for Dominic go far beyond their initial attraction. She loves him and sees this marriage as an opportunity to learn more about each other and to make it last. And she realizes that she has barely scratched the surface of her husband's heart. Dominic's character provides the most challenge when it comes to the story. It is easy to see why he hedges when it comes to committing his heart and his blunt honesty when it comes to the reason why he married Sierra is very painful. For him, marriage is a convenience and Sierra is there for him to indulge in the attraction between the two while he continues business as usual. But his foolish belief that he will never love her throws a monkey wrench into his plans. With an unreceptive Sierra on his hands, Dominic realizes that if he wants this marriage to last, he is going to have to get to know his wife. The problem is, what he comes to know he can't help but love. McAllister does a fantastic job in her characterization of Dominic. Both Sierra and the reader come to realize that there is more to the man than just the suit. And with Sierra's help, he begins to unwind and to realize that business is not everything. Dominic is an interesting character because he tries so hard not to fall in love with Sierra and to retain the compartmentalization of his life. His bluntness when it comes to his wife doesn't just hurt her; it also reveals his vulnerability. Sierra is a blessing in disguise for him. She has a generosity of spirit that doesn't quit and an unflagging faith when it comes to her love for him. I really enjoyed Dominic and Sierra and how they came to understand that having little in common proved to be no match against the excellent balance they struck together.
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