Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Can two men fake their way to marital bliss?

Caleb Taylor is shocked to learn his family could lose Bliss Island Resort — their home and livelihood — unless he makes use of a clause to marry the child of investor Louis Chastain. Sofia Chastain is more like a sister than a love interest, and Caleb isn’t ready to sign over his future. But Sofia has a brother, and Caleb has a plan ...

Julien Chastain was disowned at fifteen and has made a life as a go-go dancer in Miami, but he lives paycheck to paycheck. When his childhood friend proposes an outlandish marriage contract, he thinks he’s crazy. But it’s a chance at a future that’s tough to pass up.

Caleb and Julien must present themselves as an authentic couple for the legal loophole to work, but the lines between “fake” and “real” keep shifting as they navigate intimacy, public scrutiny, and sabotage.

Love isn't part of the plan, but plans change. If they can outsmart Julien's father and prove their love is worth more than a transaction, they just might find a true happily-ever-after.

Book Review

‘Surprise Groom’ is a wonderful variation on the fake marriage/marriage of convenience idea, a story filled with family drama and personal revenge, and a very entertaining look at two best friends who lost touch only to find themselves reunited twelve years later. “Fake it till you make it” is a central theme and puts this much-praised skill (and sometimes well-meant advice) in a new light. The idea is to pretend to be self-confident and able to do something in order to make people believe you are capable – until you eventually succeed. I have never seen it applied to marriage though, and the result is definitely worth reading. The story is very original, has adorable characters, and the romance between two men who used to be friends and think they are entering a “business deal” when they get married is all the sweeter for neither of them expecting to fall in love.

Caleb is a wedding planner running his family’s business on an island resort in Maine. When he finds out they are in even more financial trouble than he thought after his father’s death, he develops a desperate plan that will change his life. Not willing to marry their investor’s daughter, he decides to propose to the son, Julien, who used to be Caleb’s best friend. Caleb is not gay, but open-minded and practical enough to figure a “business arrangement” is the best solution if he wants to keep the family business intact.

Julien has managed to make a life for himself after being disowned for being gay when he was fifteen. He is a go-go dancer in a gay club in Florida and not exactly flush with money, but he is independent and has managed to get away from his b*stard of a father. Seeing Caleb again is a shock and hearing the proposal makes things difficult for him. Julien examines the pros and cons carefully, including thinking about what will happen when he reenters his father’s sphere of influence. In the end he agrees, and that exposes him to all kinds of drama and pain he had not expected at all.

The fact that Caleb and Julien used to be best friends plays some role in what happens, but not a major one. What is more important is how they reconnect, whether they can build enough trust between them to survive two years of fake marriage, and, in the end, how they deal with disaster and family betrayal when it happens. Their romance is subtle and is fairly well hidden behind all the demonstrations of love they have to put on for the benefit of everyone else. It doesn’t make really getting to know each other easy, but the complications made the story all the more interesting for me.

If you like the idea of a fake marriage developing into real love, if two men who basically like each other but have a lot of baggage when they meet again are your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with considerable family drama, financial shenanigans, family power plays, and many touching moments, then you will probably like this novel. I am glad to see it’s the first in a series!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Signal Boost for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 322 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	16-May-2019
Price	$0.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Surprise-Groom-Marital-Bliss-Book-ebook/dp/B07RPH5M82