Not Quite Married [Mass Market Paperback]

Betina Krahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004

Left alone on the family estate, headstrong Brien Weston has learned to manage for herself. But when she becomes too independent for her noble father’s tastes, he orders an arranged marriage “for her own good.” Taking matters into her own hands, Brien discovers that what makes a woman truly ineligible for marriage is marriage itself. So how does a woman acquire a husband . . . who won’t really be a husband?

Having rejected his own father’s title and fortune, shipbuilder Aaron Durham vows to find a way to finance his dreams. But what is a charming scapegrace to do when a desperate young lady and a small fortune fall into his lap . . . with a shocking condition attached?

One irresistible night of passion will change their destinies.  Touch by touch, kiss by kiss, they fall deeper into a love large enough to span continents . . . strong enough to overcome deception . . . and sweet enough to make them forget that they have been.
 

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Left alone on the family estate, headstrong Brien Weston has learned to manage for herself. But when she becomes too independent for her noble father's tastes, he orders an arranged marriage "for her own good." Taking matters into her own hands, Brien discovers that what makes a woman truly ineligible for marriage is marriage itself. So how does a woman acquire a husband . . . who won't really be a husband?

Having rejected his own father's title and fortune, shipbuilder Aaron Durham vows to find a way to finance his dreams. But what is a charming scapegrace to do when a desperate young lady and a small fortune fall into his lap . . . with a shocking condition attached?

One irresistible night of passion will change their destinies. Touch by touch, kiss by kiss, they fall deeper into a love large enough to span continents . . . strong enough to overcome deception . . . and sweet enough to make them forget that they have been.

About the Author

Betina Krahn lives in Florida. She has two sons, Nathan and Zebulun, and a feisty salt-and-pepper schnauzer. With a degree in biology and a graduate degree in counseling, she has worked in teaching, personnel management, and mental health. She had a mercifully brief stint as a boys' soccer coach, makes terrific lasagna, routinely kills houseplants, and is incurably optimistic about the human race. She believes the world needs a bit more truth, a lot more justice, a whole lot more love and laughter. She attributes her outlook to having married an unflinching optimist and two great-grandmothers actually named "Pollyanna."

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055357518X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553575187
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 0.9 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,071,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Convoluted reissue, September 13, 2004

By 

Bibliolati "historical romance junkie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Not Quite Married (Mass Market Paperback)

I can't say the book didn't hold my interest, but I can say I won't be re-reading it. It's a very convoluted story, with multiple marriages (one of which would have been illegal, so it was rather silly to threaten the heroine with it in the first place). I really liked the hero, but the author doesn't seem to have a grasp on how primogeniture works, or on how titles descend, which bugged me. He couldn't be disinherited by his father, and he couldn't renounce the title. He could choose not to use it, but he couldn't bestow it on his brother. Simply didn't work that way. Yet another case of the writer bending history to suit her story line . . . I was also really put off by the heroine's father. He vacillates from loving dad to abuser who rules with an iron fist and back again so many times it made my head spin.

I won't say don't buy it, but I also can't really recommend it. I certainly won't be buying anything else by this author.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe not Krahn's best book, but still a fun read, October 19, 2004

By 

M. Garrison (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not Quite Married (Mass Market Paperback)

Unlike most of Krahn's books, I had to pick this one up a few times to really get into it. I have to admit, though, that may have been as much because of the cover as the writing. I loved 'The Husband Test' and the two books that followed, and picked this book after those.

As I said, it took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. While I don't know that I'd necessarily read it again and again, I definitely put it back on my bookshelf to keep rather than out with the pile for the used book store -- something which not many mass market books achieve in my household.

Like most of Krahn's books, the strength lies in the incredible tension between the different characters, the depth of the emotion, and Krahn's ability to portray independent women while still retaining an incredible amount of historical accuracy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars mediocre for Krahn, March 30, 2005

By 

S. Reader "scibarfan" (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Not Quite Married (Mass Market Paperback)

While this book would be quite good for some authors, it's definitely mediocre for Krahn. There are excellent moments, but the twists and turns are repetitive and almost comical at inapproproate moments. The villains are inconsistent and most are too easily dealt with. The roadblocks are sometimes contrived and not worthy of the weight given them. Brien's father's character alters according to the role he needs to play in the plot. Krahn's descriptions of Aaron's enthusiasm for the opportunity in America is marvelous, though, as are some of the moments for the romantic leads.

It's an okay read, certainly better than many, but it has too many faults to be a must read and it's certainly not a must buy.