Books › A Perfect Marriage
A Perfect Marriage
First published 1989 · 194 pages
A classic, high-stakes marriage-of-convenience romance where a transactional bargain slowly gives way to undeniable, complicated passion.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like stepping into a delightfully dramatic time capsule of late-eighties romantic tension. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, pulling you into a world where ancestral homes and corporate takeovers collide. The mood is thick with the specific, delicious angst of a marriage of convenience, balancing the heroine's desperate pride against the hero's commanding presence. Its prose is emotionally direct and unashamedly earnest, focusing heavily on the internal tug-of-war between duty and burgeoning desire. It is a perfect comfort read for fans of classic category romance who love watching a purely transactional bargain slowly melt into genuine vulnerability and sweeping, hard-won affection.
- Mood
- tense
- nostalgic
- emotionally charged
- sweeping
- Tone
- dramatic
- earnest
- romantic
- wistful
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · duty versus desire · class and cultural clash · the meaning of home · transactional relationships
- The writing
- Accessible and emotionally direct, leaning heavily into internal monologue and sharp, tension-filled dialogue typical of vintage category romance.
- The arc
- Moves from desperate resentment and rigid boundaries to reluctant attraction, culminating in vulnerable, genuine love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who devour classic, high-angst marriage-of-convenience stories where pride and practicality clash with undeniable chemistry.
Content notes
- power imbalance
- dated gender dynamics
- emotional manipulation
About the book
Should she accept Rick's proposal?
"Marry me," Rick had said, "and your home will be safe." That was the only way Marissa could stop her ancestral home, Grafton Court, from being plundered.
It now belonged to dynamic American self-made millionaire Rick Jablonski, whose plans for it - a hotel or leisure park - left Marissa devastated.
But Marissa wasn't sure that if she married Rick, she could keep her side of the bargain. Being the perfect hostess for Rick's business activities was one thing - but could she be his wife?
Description from Open Library.
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