Married to the Man [Paperback]

Ann Charlton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harlequin Mills and Boon (1996)
• ISBN-10: 0733505376
• ISBN-13: 978-0733505379
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best romance novels ever!, August 2, 2010

By 

Valentinegirl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Married to the Man (Paperback)

I love a good romance novel, yet it is really hard to find a really well-written one these days with thousands of new ones being churned out every year. Few published writers seem to know how to bring their characters to life in a way that has the reader empathising with them and interested to know what happens by the end. Most romance books I find I can read barely more than a few pages before putting the book down in disgust. I want to read about real people, not boringly gorgeous cardboard-cut-outs with no personality and no kindness in their hearts.

What makes a book great to me are characters that are true to life and who actually grow through their life experiences and relationships. That is what you will find in this book! It also has a bit of lightness and humour thrown in, and a happy ending of course!

The heroine of this book, Lorelei is a real person that you can relate to, rather than a stunning beauty endowed with physical perfection and not much else which you find in most romance stories. I get annoyed when authors seem to think the most interesting thing they can write about their heroines is how stunning and gorgeous they are! This gets boring really fast when you realise there is absolutely no interest or substance to these heroines beyond their looks. Lorelei is attractive, yes - but the most appealing thing about her is she is a human being with flaws, hang-ups and challenges in her life. At the same time she is tender-hearted and sweet - though she tries to hide it behind her "all business" exterior and you feel genuine empathy with her as she struggles to balance her life between what others expect of her and who she really is inside.

The hero, Haze is not perfect either. Yes, he's handsome and charismatic but he too needs to have the experience of falling in love with Lorelei - seemingly the most unlikely woman to capture his heart - to grow as a person. His quick wit and cute sense of humour are some of the most charming things about him, coupled with his love of life and his caring for his family. He is no one-dimensional hunk! He's a warm, kind-hearted person who feels things deeply.

Ann Charlton takes the time to place her heroine in a believable world of her own before introducing the hero. You learn about her family, where she lives, her job, her background and the current state of her life before she ever introduces the hero. Taking the time and detail to give the reader this type of background information brings Lorelei vividly to life as a real person, and makes the story more believable and compelling.

When the two main characters first meet, there is none of this "immediate attraction" and instant lust that most ronance writers fall back on as a cheap writer's device. Haze and Lorelei take an actual dislike to each other when they first meet but somehow their very different personalities and lifestyles find a way of coming together over the course of the story that seems natural and right. You actually get to experience the feeling of gradually falling in love through Ann Charlton's writing which is a far more satisfying way of telling a story than everything being instant passion and falling into bed.

Haze and Lorelei get to know each other as people, flaws and all through this story. Also, a lovely touch is the inclusion of other real people around Haze and Lorelei. You get to know about their families and the other important people in their lives. This makes the story all the more realistic and touching.

Ann Chartlon also has a genius for bringing back little themes that at first seem insignificant at the beginning of the book. For example, one quirky characteristic about Lorelei is that she has constantly cold hands. At the beginning of the story, Haze and all the other men she meets find her cold hands as repellent as her seemingly cold and hard-nosed businesswoman personality. But over the course of the book, Haze comes to gradually understand the sweetness that Lorelei hides inside and by the end of the book he is saying to her lovingly "cold hands, warm heart".

The end of the story will have you shedding tears of joy at the trueness of Haze and Lorelei's feelings for each other. Real love between two real human beings is portrayed here, not cheap, lust-clouded storybook love. You will believe these two love each other heart and soul as well as body.

Ann Charlton is an extraordinary writer. Don't be put off by the fact that this is supposedly a "cheap" Mills and Boon romance - this is a rare and gorgeous piece of writing which is bound to become a favourite that gets read again and again.

4.0 out of 5 stars Married to the Man by Ann Charlton, February 12, 2007

By 

Ketzel (Vera Cruz, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Married to the Man (Mills & Boon Large Print Romances) (Hardcover)

Description from the book back cover:

Lorelei Tate was famous for building perfect business deals. Her marriage was going to be no exception. She needed a husband in order to gain her inheritance, and Haze Callahan's business needed some extra capital. They would have all the benefits and none of the drawbacks of a real marriage. She would carry on with her career and Haze would ... do whatever he did - which seemed to involved large numbers of attractive women! Haze Callahan had decided that marriage to Lori would have its own advantages. Lorelei Tate had potential ... if only she'd stop trying to be one of the boys. Haze had thought he'd be content to lie back and think of the Bank of England. But whenever he looked into Lori's grey eyes he found that business was the last thing on his mind!