Customer Reviews

A Marriage of Convenience

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having been stood up at the altar, accounts cleaned out, and mounting debt, Tamara felt she had nothing to lose when her best offer was an opportunity to help a Ghanaian scientist in need of a green card. In A Marriage of Convenience, Author Jewel Amethyst shares with readers how marriage can make you or break you.

After Tamara's first attempt at marriage fell apart at the altar, the new house she purchased with hopes of living there with her new husband was in jeopardy of being lost. The fact that she was no longer employed put a major strain on her life and her job search garnered more disappointments than she could stand. Thankfully her best friend, Jordan, had her best interests at heart, floating her jobs that he could have kept for himself. It was also Jordan who asked Tamara to consider marrying his friend to help him get his green card.

Dead set against marrying someone to help them remain in the US, Tamara reasoned with herself and finally decided that if she wanted to get rid of the debt she was in, marrying someone she did not have to have a relationship with might just be what she needed. Besides, trying to hold her own against her mother's advice was well worth moving forward with the marriage.

Since it was required that the newly married couple prove that they lived together, Kwabena, Tamara's new husband of convenience moved into the basement of the house, allowing Tamara to have her space. However, the sparks that flew between them in an effort to keep things `business as usual,' turned into sparks of the loving kind, and they found themselves in each others arms as their marriage that was supposed to benefit them one way created another level of human emotion and sharing.

Will Tamara and Kwabena allow the new sparks to grow into something more than convenience with benefits, or will they find true love with one another as they both learn more about the other and learn to appreciate what they see?

I enjoyed A Marriage of Convenience because it is a boost for full-figured women and women with low self-esteem, encouraging them not to give up on finding true love. I recommend this book to readers of romance novels.


Review by Sharel E. Gordon-Love
APOOO BookClub

I absolutely loved this book! There were many dimensions I found entertaining--cultural differences, history, relationship development to name a few. This book was realistic because I am familiar with couples who married for reasons other than love and came to love and respect each other deeply. Also I liked that the heroine was not the typical overly beautiful female with no known flaws. Tamara and Kwabena worked through their problems and created a beautiful family together. By the way, they most definitely did get together in the end.

Jewel Amethyst's novel, A Marriage of Convenience, is a WINNER for romance lovers.

Tammy is full-figured and suffering from extremely low self esteem. Your heart breaks right alongside hers when she's stood up at the altar. But she turns the would-be wedding into a helluva party, secretly crying in her punch to her mom and best friend Jordan. Best friends since grade school and the best "play brother" a girl could hope for -- Tammy trusts Jordan completely.

If possible, Tammy's year accelerates into a downward spiral leaving her financially desperate enough to accept Jordan's proposal that she marry his friend Kwabena Opoku so that he can receive his green card and remain in the US. Jordan explains that Kwabena or "Ben" will pay her for this "marriage of convenience" and they can divorce once he receives his green card. A little strange, but if Jordan recommends Ben then he must be ok, right? After all, desperate times call for desperate measures.

The relationship shifts when Tammy and Ben are required to share a residence in order to move the green card process along. It's true that you don't know someone until you live with them. And, even then, how well do you know them ...

Tammy and Ben are complete opposites. Ben is a physically fit, confident, and sexy extrovert while Tammy is an overweight, self-doubting, and shy introvert. These two opposites attract; sparks begin to fly and a beautiful bond grounded in friendship develops. But, can you really trust, that this gorgeous man who can have any woman he wants, honestly desires this full-figured, self-doubting heroine?

I've read 100's of romance novels and this novel was like a perfect first date where everything falls into place. The date looks good. The conversation is good. The food is good. The movie is good. And you can't wait until the next date. That's what I think of Jewel Amethyst's first novel--A Marriage of Convenience is Delightful.

I've been looking for good new writers, and I found Jewel Amethyst, what a great book. I was hesitant at first, because of the title. I fell in love with Tamara Fontaine and Kwabena Opoku the gorgeous Ghanaian scientist. He was clear on his motives of looking for a women to help him get a green card. But, he never though that the plus-size Tamara would capture his heart.
Tamara had her own set of baggage, when she thought this marriage would get her out of debt, and Kebena was only looking for a quick fix. She was just out of a relationship that left her bankrupt in the heart and financial and was not looking for love any where. But as we all know love can show up in strange places and this is what happen to Tamara and Kenena.
Tamara against all odds, her weight, loosing all of her money, her job, being stood up at the alter and the greencard marriage, she won a prize in the end,Kebena.
I'll diffently looking forward to more Jewel Amethyst

Okay...I've been in a bit of a reading slump...but I think I just got my READING GROOVE back with this CAPTIVATING romantic treat...I started this book this morning (11/23/09) and haven't been able to put it down...I was in the middle of reading another book......and just decided to read the first few pages to see if I could get into this story...I was totally HOOKED...I fell in LOVE with Ben and the way he makes Tammy feel...the way he makes her want to be the "REAL" her...the way he makes her feel beautiful and comfortable in her skin...it's SIMPLY a beautiful story...the full cast of characters are quite COLORFUL and memorable...and I found myself caught up in the different cultures mentioned throughout...IMHO this is DEFINITELY a worthwhile read...Mrs. Amethyst has a HIT on her hands...and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I absolutely without a doubt loved this book! It had great a wonderful and refreshingly real heroine and a fantastic hero and an awesome story.

YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! A DEFINITE MUST READ!

I cannot wait for more from this author!

4.5****stars

After being left standing at the altar, Tamara needs someone to share the new home she can't afford. Kawbena Opoku, a gorgeous Ghanaian scientist in search of a green card, will help and fulfill Tamara's needs.

Kawbena aka Ben what a great guy, he is sexy, sweet and nice and I love him. Tamara, I like her but I have to admit sometimes she annoys me like nobody in a book can, but I get her frustration. When you and your life feels crappy it tends to bring out the worst in someone.

Throughout the book they came so close to being intimate so many times, even I got frustrated along with Kawbena. I do have to say I'm split in the middle with this book, although I liked it it didn't really pick up for me until maybe chapter 10, where a lot more things started to happen. Don't worry, there are a lot more chapters after that so don't be disappointed. I know many Caribbean readers can relate to this story so for me it's surely a plus. I liked the book and all the characters that also were associated in the story. For readers that like their story detail, this delivered it was detailed and in depth.

I have to say this, I walked away with a very important quote from the book that I have never heard and will use in my everyday life. It is the quote from Kawbena's grandfather "Never boost of your accomplishments, because if they matter they will speak for themselves"

This is a wonderful quote.

Very lovely story. I really enjoyed this author's style of writing. I especially liked that she dispels some of the cultural ignorance that some have by way of the Ghanian cultural backdrop. Hope to read more by Jewel Amethyst soon!

I really LOVE this book. Great story line, wonderful character develpoment, great love scenes, and very romantic. IT IS A MUST READ! :)

This story totally caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting such a heartwarming story. The storyline is well written and captivating. No need to go into details because the other reviews did so well. This is really a SWEET love story. Its a keeper and I will read again.