Customer Reviews

The Man Must Marry

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sam Sinclair and his two brothers don't know what to think. Abram, Sam's eighty-five year old grandfather, has been missing for weeks. Unable to track the wily man down, Sam is surprised and admittedly curious when he is told a proxy is coming in his grandfather's place to vote for a new CEO at a Tidewater International board meeting. Sam isn't all that worried, after all, he can pretty much hold his own with anyone. However, this is where Sam's thinking gets completely discombobulated. It seems that Abram has sent a woman as his proxy and not just any woman. He has sent Willamina Kent in all her glory; torn stockings and all.

Willamina Kent guards her heart diligently. When Abram asks her to go to a board meeting in his stead, she knows what the old man is doing and while she is scared to death and ridiculously clumsy at times, she honors his wishes. Coming face to face with Abram's grandson Sam makes her heart beat faster but Willa refuses to allow it to interfere with what she has promised her friend. No matter what Sam says or what he makes her feel.

Sam and Willa work diligently at trying to find a loophole in his grandfather's will. While Sam isn't against following his grandsire's wishes, Willa refuses to even think about settling down with him. When an accident happens and Willa receives surprising information, she knows that the time for a decision is now. Her fear of rejection is immense and it will take a small miracle to get Willa to admit what her heart has been telling her all along.

In THE MAN MUST MARRY, Sam and Willa are like oil and water - at first. By the time the book ends they are more like a delicately blended dressing. Sam makes my heart race at his first sighting of Willa. Even seeing her at her worst, Sam finds something about this enigmatic and scared woman that he likes and treats her with respect. Her little `issues', for want of a better word, makes Sam smile more than once and when this happened, I knew he was the man for Willa. Willa's character is complex. More than once I could feel her waffling between wanting forever with Sam and wanting to be alone. Her grief and guilt over a past mistake underscores every relationship she struggled to have since her divorce. Her unwillingness to allow Sam into her life and heart made me lose my breath more than once. Some say love is a miracle and that is what it takes for Willamina Kent to finally realize that she deserves forever. And not just forever alone - she deserves forever with Sam Sinclair.

Janet Chapman is known for her historical romances. I am happy to state that she is as talented as a contemporary romance author as she is as a historical one. More than once I laughed out loud at the clumsiness and chaos that was Willamina Kent. Her bravery in the face of following Abrams wishes brought more than once tear to my eye.

I am hooked! Grab a pole and reel me in because I am officially in need of the second installment of this new series. THE MAN MUST MARRY just whetted my appetite for more. The Sinclair Brothers are luscious and I am on pins and needles waiting on the next book! ***Natalie S. for Wild on Books***

I was unsure if I was going to like this book. The only reason I picked it up because I love Janet Chapman. But I was so wrong. I could not seem to book the book down. I tried to force myself to read it slower, knowing that it would be a day or so before I would find time to go out and get something else to read. But I still finished it early. Another great book, Janet!!

STORY BRIEF:
Abram built a shipping empire. He is dying and went to a small coastal town in Maine to spend his last days. He met Willa who owns a casket making company. He wants Willa to marry one of his grandsons, for her benefit and for their benefit. His three grandsons lost their parents at an early age and were raised by Abram. The three grandsons are confirmed bachelors. Abram retired and gave Willa his proxy to vote to choose one of them as his successor. Willa traveled to and attended the board meeting in New York City as a favor to Abram. For some reason, Sam (one of the grandsons) is nearby to see and help her survive accidents such as getting her purse caught in the elevator door, getting locked out of her hotel room, etc. Willa is suffering guilt over some things in her life. She doesn't live a normal life due to guilt, and she's a bit whiny.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This was a pleasant romance novel, but there was nothing new or different enough to make it stand out from the rest. I think Sam fell in love with Willa too soon and too easily. He dated a number of women over the years for no more than a few months each. I didn't understand how he "fell in love at first sight" with a dowdy, unsophisticated, accident prone woman. I would have preferred watching things happen between them for awhile before he fell in love.

Minor irritation (publisher's fault): Sam has hair on his chest. The guy on the cover does not.

DATA:
Story length: 340 pages. Swearing language: moderate to strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2. Total number of sex scene pages: 9. Setting: current day New York City, Keelstone Cove, Maine, and sailing in the Atlantic. Copyright: 2008. Genre: contemporary romance.

This is my second Janet Chapman novel and I won't be reading any more. I didn't like the heroine, Willa...she didn't seem to have much going for her. The description of her dowdy appearance, klutzy behavior and her unusual career didn't do anything to bond her to me. The romance between Sam and Willa is too forced..one page Sam is annoyed that his Grandfather is matchmaking and then next he is making out with Willa for no apparent reason (and falling in love? I never bought that).

The service was quicker than I expected on this preordered book.
A wonderfully great read too.

I usually enjoy books that are written by Janet Chapman. They are light fun reads that make me laugh. I won't tell you everything that happens because that's already been done. A lot of books that I read are just ok and I end up giving them away. I am keeping this one so that I can re-read it. I can't wait for the next brother to have his book. My only complaint is that it's not in an audible format so that I can listen to it in the car.

I am a great fan of Janet Chapman but I must say that this book is good but not one of her best. It is entertaining but the heroine is just too whiny and very tiring as to the way she blames herself about almost anything and everything. It just gets too much sometimes and it makes you just want to be where the characters were and look for Willa and slap her yourself and tell her to just wake up and smell the coffee. The hero is ok, he just don't act like he was born with a silver spoon, sometimes i am sure that this is good that not all rich people are a snob or mr/ms know-it-all and that you-are-beneath-me attitude but it makes it hard to believe that this hero with money and everything else can survive a place like Keelstone Cove which is like a small town that has like 1200 ppl living there. I hope i am not offending someone with my review, I apologize and I may have said or explained myself incorrectly so please accept my pardon. It is just hard to grasp certain characteristics of the hero. But again, it is an entertaining book and but there are parts that you just want to put it down. This review does not mean that you do not have to read the book. Read at your risk and pace.

Great book. Read all on a Sunday, I just couldnt put it down. I wanted to see how he would win her over and what was going to happen next.

I loved this book. Sam's grandfather goes off to die and he sends Willa to meet his grandsons. He really wants them to marry. Sam decides he wants her and tells his brothers to find their own partidge. Willa has a hard time because she does'nt want to marry ever again. But that changes as she falls in love with Sam. I fell in love with all three brothers, they were wonderful. I have all her books and i love rereading them.

I love all the highlander books, but I would have thought this one was not written by the same author.
I'm rarely bored by a book, but this one,,,,,,, pretty much a waste of time.
I suppose books are like people, sometimes they just don't mesh.