Customer Reviews

Marrying Mallory

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

 

 

This is the second Diane Craver book I've read, and it's a delightful, fun story. Diane's chatty style of writing really capivates me, and makes me feel like I'm one of the gals. I could relate to Mallory's decision very easily as it's something I've contemplated myself. Sometimes it's refreshing to come across characters who make the decisions we're most likely to make, instead of the storybook perfect ones. I gave Mallory four stars because, while I loved it, I liked her other book, 'Whitney in Charge,' a little bit more, and gave it five stars.

Marrying Mallory is the story of a young divorcee who wishes to do something for herself for a change - get a nose job. Her handsome plastic surgeon is taken with her at first sight and so a romance begins. What makes this book stand out from the crowd of other Christian romance fiction is the authors treatment of divorce within a Christian context. I applaud Diane Craver for taking on this potentially controversial topic and doing it without a lot of fuss.

Craver pens a heartfelt inspirational romance with "Marrying Mallory." After going through a divorce, Mallory feels its time to do something for herself for once - she wants a rhinoplasty. When she meets her plastic surgeon, Dr. Seth Whitman, the sparks fly between them.

Craver has a writing style that just pulls the reader in. Each character is unique. Seth is a great guy. Mallory is richly complex, struggling with being a divorced Christian. It's this hurdle she has to reconcile before she can give her heart to Seth. Craver's supporting cast is deliciously human. I loved the friendship between Heather, Elizabeth, and Mallory. For me, it was the best part of the book.

There are a few sweet kisses and several loving carresses between Mallory and Seth. The romance is heartwarming between the characters. Like Shawna, I gave this a 4 because while I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed Craver's other release "Whitney in Charge" more.

Author Diane Craver dealt with several difficult topics in Marrying Mallory with flair, tact, and scripture while telling an interesting story of sweet romance.

The topic of divorce was particularly difficult for the heroine, Mallory, a true believer in the "till death do us part" vows she had taken when she married. Add to that her desire to have cosmetic surgery as well as falling for her plastic surgeon and Mallory is nose deep in problems. A five year-old son, two meddling best friends, and a new romance for her mother complicate her life even more. Ms. Craver reveals Mallory's doubts and confusion plus her never failing belief as she resolves these problems and attempts to move forward with her life.

Ms. Craver's style of writing impressed me with her believable dialogue, realistic characters, and ability to wrap up all the problems for her characters in a limited number of pages.
I look forward to reading more books by Diane Craver.

Originally posted at [...]

In his book, `Writing the Breakout Novel', Donald Maas states, "God works in little ways as well as big ones, so look for small moments of magic as well as big ones." He then asks, "Have you ever felt that something that happened to you was fated?"

Well in Diane Craver's book, Marrying Mallory, that is the precept she has used.

Mallory is born with a nose she considers too large and ungainly for her face, and is fed-up with her students snickering behind her back so decides to take action.

Consider: if an unseen act of God had not occurred, Mallory would never have crossed paths with plastic surgeon, Seth Whitman.

A devout and practicing Christian, Mallory is also faced with coming to terms with accepting that her divorce from her cheating husband Toby slices right through her religious beliefs. Can she learn to forgive herself for what she perceives as a betrayal of her beliefs? For all Seth's charms, strength and obvious attraction to her, can Mallory learn to forgive herself and accept reality for what it is?

Not content in stirring the pot of confusion in her heroine's mind, Ms. Craver then sets to work on her hero, giving him ethical and emotional dilemmas enough to floor the strongest of heroes. But Seth's Christian faith and staunch friends do not let him down. All he has to achieve, now, is to undo the author's masterly character development in her heroine and convince Mallory they have a future together.

Ms. Craver's secondary characters all play pivotal roles in the story without usurping the hero and heroine. Time, place and setting all enhance and move the plot along and create vivid imagery for her readers. For those who assume an inspirational romance cannot handle conflict, drama and suspense, I recommend they read Diane Craver's Marrying Mallory, for it is all there.

Craver's book about divorce and remarriage was a poignant reminder of the sadness of the consequences which result. She created unique characters that faced several problems as well as the ethicalness of surgeon/patient involvement. Throughout the entire book, they had to deal with ex-husband and his girlfriend as well as the little boy who constantly prayed his parents would reunite.

This book was realistic and emotional. All the characters played dynamic parts in the story. I recommend this book to everyone. I certainly enjoyed reading this author. - Brenda Talley

'In the past, Mallory Harrington felt cursed at times. Too many things had gone wrong in her thirty-two years of life. Her father had left when she was five and never even said good-bye. As a seventh grader, Mallory climbed a tree, slipped before reaching the ground and ripped her cheek on a barbed wire fence creating a cut that required thirty stitches. She was robbed of being valedictorian a few weeks before graduation due to another students grades being just a little higher. When she married Toby Harrington, she finally felt blessed. Doubly blessed when she gave birth to their son, Joshua. But her happiness ended the night Toby asked for a divorce. On top of everything else, she had inherited her father's big nose. She was jinxed. The name Mallory meant luckless'

Mallory can see no future of happiness in her life. When she married Toby, her vows were given in the presence of God and could never be taken back. Even though Toby was the one to commit adultery while married to Mallory, she still felt that in the eyes of God she was still married to him. She feels that if she had been prettier, Toby's eyes wouldn't have strayed and they would still be married. So to make herself more beautiful Mallory decides to have something done about her big nose. But what she didn't know was that when she meets Dr. Seth Whitman, her whole life is about to change.

In today's world, divorce is so common that it's actually hard to find a man or woman over 50 that hasn't been divorced at least once. To most of us, it's more surprising to find a couple that has not been divorced. Marriage is made up of sacred vows that are usually committed to in the name and eyes of God but, as Mallory learns, 'what we assume God wants for us isn't necessarily correct.' After reading Marrying Mallory, I was reminded that by believing in Him and accepting His guidance, we will find what he wants for us without assuming.