Married by Mistake

by Abby Gaines

Do not adjust your set. That really was Casey Greene being jilted by her fiancé on live TV! And that really was Memphis’s most eligible bachelor who stepped in to marry her instead.Millionaire businessman Adam Carmichael wanted only to help Casey save face. He isn’t prepared for the news that their “fake” wedding is legal and binding.While they secretly wait for an annulment, media and family scrutiny forces them to put on their best loving-couple act. Except by now, neither one is quite sure who’s acting….

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Harlequin, Fiction, Chick Lit, Ebooks

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

I write funny, tender romance novels for Harlequin Superromance and Love Inspired Historical.

My next book to be released is That New York Minute, out in April 2012.

I like to set aside some of my writing time for experimental projects - I'm currently trying my hand at a humorous women's fiction novel, and I also finished a Young Adult manuscript.

To find read excerpts of my books or to find out more about me and my journey to publication (hint:5-6 years and lots of rejections!), visit my website

Reviews

[Vina · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 persons who got married by mistake, and fall in love while waiting for the annulment? YES please!
Totally enjoyed this story.it was a short, fun, romantic one. Despite being predictable and a bit cheesy I had a hard time putting it down. The characters were lovable and easy to relate to. I was not disappointed in it's ending despite seeing it coming a mile away. The author gave me just what I wanted when I picked up the book, a fast paced & fun love story.

[Dijana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear! Who wouldn't want to live in this book? Let me make clear some things: the plot is original as a mass produced Gucci bag that comes from a country in Asia with population of over 1.3 billion people.
Now that we got that out of the way, the rules are:
1. You have to be almost virginal
2. You have to be pretty, slender and wear hip hugging skirts/dresses
3. You have to have the personality of a doormat (so your family can send you on regular guilt trips)
4. The guy will start falling for you as soon as you cook 2-3 dinners for him
5. You have to cling to his every word on how to become a 'better' person. He's the guy, he knows best, right?
6. At the end, you get it all. The house, the car, the guy, the baby (that you couldn't previously have) and the dog.
Oh wait, there wasn't a dog. I give up, that is a deal breaker. I wanted a dog.

[Maritza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the cutest book! It literally made me laugh out loud as I read it.....this book should be a movie it's the perfect rom-com. I could see Josh Duhamel as Adam and Rachel McAdams as Casey... very good storyline and I couldn't put it down....Good Job Abby Gaines!

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

Freebie from Harlequin, and a cute book. The reality show angle doesn't really work well for me, though, because it decreases the believability of the situation and because I have a very strong feeling that only the worst types of people sign up for that sort of thing. It's a clever way to get two almost complete strangers to be married by mistake, though; the hero, to save the heroine from public humiliation, agrees to "marry" her when her boyfriend turns down her live televised marriage proposal. He gets an employee to "marry" them so that it's only an act for TV and not a real minister actually marrying two people, but by some legal twist, it turns out they're actually married because the employee has something in his background that qualifies him to legally marry people in their town.

Of course, in real life, no reality show producer would ever let himself get that involved, not in front of a camera. In fact, people who make reality shows actually encourage all the drama and conflict we all see in those shows (humiliation included!), and even if there isn't any, they'll edit the footage so that it appears there is more drama and conflict than there actual is. That's why the reality show angle didn't work for me. The producers would have actually been excited by the rejection. Furthermore, the show never would have been done LIVE.

That said, beyond the beginning and a tiny part of the middle, I barely remember the rest of the story. I've no doubt it ends as all romances do, with the hero and the heroine together, but the fact that I don't remember the details means that I didn't feel strongly about the book or the characters either way.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Casey is a participant on a new tv-show, she has been engaged for many years and she wants her man to take the final step. So she plans for it to happen on live tv, not the best idea because the guy says no and she stands there all alone and heartbroken. She had doubts herself. In steps the owner, Adam, he met her before when he thought she was a runaway bride. He decided to marry her on the show and she says yes. But the marriage he thought would be fake is not and they are married. No way it can work.

Casey is nice, that is her problem, she is too nice, she can't say no, not to her dad, not to her siblings, not to her boyfriend. She has issues. But I do like her. Adam on the other hand is not nice, he is too obsessed with his work. They are so wrong for each other. One cares too deeply, one needs to learn to care more. But at least he has a good start by saving her from humiliation.

But perhaps they can be good for each other, I do think so, and let's face it, this is Harlequin, we all know they will be a HEA. But the road there is long and there will be some bumps.

It has the normal plot, girl meets boy, learning to lie with each other, feeling the heat, falling for the heat, blaming each other, and then perhaps living happily ever after.

It was a cute romance, sweet and easy to read. Took no time at all.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A freebie from Harlequin Superromance. Not my usual fare, but I needed a change. The usual, predictable storyline. Goodlooking girl, not too bright, not a lot of money, meets gorgeous, assertive and most eligible millionaire. They accidentally get married and decide to stay that way, at least for a while, to get their annoying families off their backs. They have the usual misunderstandings, ups and downs and shenanigans to eventually meander towards that expected ending.

A quick and surprisingly entertaining read. The characters are nicely drawn and they mostly have more than two braincells to rub together. The sideplot of Eloise and Sam was annoying -- she wasn't interested in him at all until it was pointed out to her how handsome he is. All of a sudden she was all aflutter. Seriously? Really that shallow? And women can cook and men are into cars and everybody goes mushy over babies... Don't expect realism, after all it's a Harlequin novel! But as long as you don't take this book too seriously, it's pretty decent for a romance novel.

[Sruthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good . 4.5

I must admit this is very different and far better than any other routine Harlequin presents , of course the happy ending is the same .

I never expected this book to be hilarious , Never , I was expecting some intimate scenes followed by misunderstandings and then a happy ending . But this totally surprised me . The honeymoon part especially was really hilarious .

There is no past that haunt them . No ghosts from past at least . I enjoyed really really enjoyed reading this book . I finished reading it yday night around 2 am . No regrets , worth the sacrifice of my sleep .

Adam and Casey are such lovely characters . Even the lightest of lightest romantic gestures of Adam were adorable . Well , I may actually make him book husband no 29272828 . Lol but no . I ship Casey and Adam more than anything else . Lets try not to be Selfish ( unlike the selfish couple Adam and Casey *winks* )

I may read it again very soon . This is awesome .

[Suzie Quint · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Marriage of convenience is on of my favorite tropes but it's easy to mess it up with a set-up of unbelievable circumstances. I bought this. I liked the couple a lot.

My favorite part? When he says, "Are you sure you're a pushover? Because I'm not seeing it."

[Kesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute and romantic read. Its a Harlequin but the hero, Adam, is not an asshole but he does make some mistakes and say the wrong things a couple of times. The heroine, Casey, is not a virgin but she is a complete pushover when it comes to her father and sister.

[Nitzan Schwarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

2015 tbr challenge

Originally published on my blog. 

I am not going to lie - I was surprised by how much I liked this book. Married By Mistake was one of the first kindle freebies I one clicked (though it's no longer free). I'm talking about 2012 here. It's been sitting on my shelf for that long, until finally, due to my Oldies Challenge, I decided to give it a read.

I wasn't expecting much. It sounded cute, but nothing else. I'm not sure if it was anything but cute, but it was just so...enjoyable!

I mean, I had a hard time stopping. I just kind of had to know what will happen with Casey and Adam! These two, they were just so great together. Even before they got to know each other, they were a source of strength. Adam helped Casey stand up to her family, and Casey helped Adam ease up a bit; open up to the good things in his life.

And a couple that's so great even when they're not, well, exactly a couple, will be amazing together for reals. If only they would realize that! (which, really, is what this story is all about)

And I loved these two people--both together and individually, because they were completely flawed in the best way possible, the kind of way that also allows them to grow, even in a relatively short time (and novel), in a believable way. They weren't perfect, they made mistakes, and sometimes, you really wanted to shake them.

Next to them were a few side characters I adored, such as Eloise and Sam, and I was happy we were given glimpse into their story inside Casey and Adam's.

Truly, one of my better free clicks - to bad it took so long to finally get to reading it!

Originally published on my blog. 

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cute read, but at times a bit too sweet for my taste. The story opens when the heroine, Casey, decides to go on a TV reality show to get her reluctant fiancé, Joe, to finally marry her. Seems like Casey is a bit desperate to marry Joe and he seems to be dragging his feet on his way to the HEA. Unfortunately, Joe refuses Casey on the air and she get's jilted in front of thousands of people.

Adam who owns the studio decides to step in to help her save face as well as potentially avoid any impending lawsuits over this debacle. Seems the producer of the show (Adam's loser cousin) was a little in over his head when he concocted up the reality show. Adam jumps in with both feet believing that the marriage is fake. To his chagrin, he finds out that the marriage is legit having been performed by an ex-congressman who can legally marry anyone. For reasons of their own, they decide to stay in the marriage for a month and then go forward for an annulment. Of course, the story is about how they connect and find that their marriage is anything but a mistake.

I found that I really liked the premise of the story because I tend to get easily reeled in by the TV reality shows that are permeating the air waves these days. I also really enjoyed the writing style. It flowed beautifully and was very easy to read. I also enjoyed the fact that it wasn't one of those angst filled, "I hate you" kind of books. Though, Casey and Adam clearly wanted different things out of love and marriage, they truly respected and liked one another..and I found that to be a very welcome change of pace. However, I ended rating this only three stars because:

1) I had a very hard time connecting with either the hero or heroine. To me, the hero was too detached and emotionally stunted for my taste. The heroine was cute, but a little too self-sacrificing.

2) I also felt it dragged a bit in the middle and I actually found myself putting it down to read other things. It wasn't one of those, I can't put it down books that I have come to love in my category romances.

[Jessica's Book Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read more reviews on my blog | Like me on Facebook

Married by Mistake is about 25 year-old Casey who went on reality TV to get her longtime boyfriend to finally marry her. Casey was only settling for Joe. First because they have been together for 8 years and this is what you're suppose to do next and second to get away from her family who treats her more like a nanny/housekeeper then a grown woman. Joe turns her down, breaks her heart but TV executive Adam is there. He sees a beautiful women getting her heart broken but most importantly he sees his TV station going down due to the "the best" of the wedding reality show. Adam takes Joe's place, marrying Cassie thinking it is only a "fake" wedding... turns out it is for real. Adam and Cassie agree to use their marriage to benefit bot their needs only for a month then annual their wedding.... but of course it doesn't exactly play out that way.


I enjoyed moments of the story. I really liked the idea of the book and the writing and dialogue was well written. The book is very short and i just felt a lot more feelings and emotions should of been written in the story. I kept feeling like I wasn't getting the entire picture from Cassie or Adam and did not understand their attraction for each other. I guess because the reader was left with not much to go on. Though the writing was well written, I felt like some of the writing sounded out dated.

I give Married by Mistake 2.5 stars. I give it an A for effort and storyline but over all it all just felt generic and predictable. It's a good read if you're looking for something short without having to think much as you read.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I absolutely adore about books from this line--you expect cute, sexy, funny and well written and that is EXACTLY what you get. Well almost always!

I have to tell you that lately nothing I pick up to read has been holding my interest, let alone amusing me. So I held out little hope for this book. I have this stubborn streak that says 'if it is cheap or free it can't be good'. Don't ask me why I feel that way -I guess I'm just brainwashed. And this book proves me wrong on all counts.

I picked it up late last night expecting to be bored and was immediately sucked into the story. Not because the story is all that fresh or original...but for a lot of things. The characters, even when at their worst are quite likable and sympathetic, the plotting is nice a fairly tight, the narrative is interesting, there is no excess of uber angst filled broody annoying characters. The characters actually carry on conversations---dialogue -they discuss things instead of taking the tragic way out and holding everything inside.

I loved this book -as simple and cute as it was it just hits the spot for a fast fun, funny read after a long day of hell!

[May Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over all, this was a charming read. I won't go in detail of the story because you can find that elsewhere, but I will give you my impressions of the characters and likability of it all.

I liked that Casey was sweet and giving. Too often in today's literature, the heroine is bad a** and unrealistically emotionless. The hero also was manly yet a little vulnerable which I liked. They both helped each other grow into a more rounded person.

The side love story, between two older characters, brought a smile to my face.

There were a few things that I wished were different. I tend to like PG books and this was pushing the R rating, though it was pretty tame in today's market of romance. They flirted and kissed, and eventually ... you know ... but then the hero turned on the heroine (most likely worried about his own emotional connection that he felt). I thought the resolve should have been better, I would have been happier if the hero had had to work for Casey's forgiveness a little more than he actually did.

Over all sweet book.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bagaimana jika pernikahan bohongan malah menjadi sungguhan? Inilah yg dialami Casey Greene dan Adam Carmichael. Karena kasihan dan saking impulsifnya, Adam melamar dan menikahi Casey di acara reality show.

Novel ini sebenarnya di awal cerita menjanjikan potensi. Tapi ternyata konflik cuma berkisar pd isu "pemerasan emosional" yg sering dihadapi Casey dan keruwetan ttg permasalahan surat wasiat dari almarhum ayah Adam. Fokus cerita ternyata bukan hanya mengenai Adam dan Casey, tapi jg relationship malu-malu kucing antara Sam (pengacara Adam) dgn Eloise (ibu tiri Adam), menjadikan perkembangan hubungan Adam dan Casey terasa kurang mendalam.

Sayangnya eskalasi relationship Casey dan Adam tidak semenarik yg saya duga. Banyak "lubang" yang tidak tertambal oleh author, seperti mengapa Adam jadi swing mood jika berhadapan dgn Casey. Jika kekurangan-kekurangan tsb ditutup, saya yakin novel ini akan jauh lebih menarik.

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book to throw on the "Don't Bother" pile. I read this right after reading Waking Up Married, and I wish I could say they were distinctly different, but the truly horrifying thing is, they aren't. The same corny humor, the same emotionally crippled characters, the same adjective-fueled platitudes, the same nauseating dialogue, contrived plot devices, and tired, unaccountably boring story. It would truly be refreshing if even one of these authors could throw in a single twist to set these kinds of tales apart, but they all appear to come from the same exact mold. Cookie-cutter writing might make you some cash, but it certainly will not gain you esteem, and it depresses a lot of us in the process.

I'm glad this was a freebie, but somehow, I still feel robbed.

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book can be summed up in one word.

Cute

While I enjoyed reading this little story, to me it was like the book equivalent of a marshmallow. While it tasted good, it didn't leave me satisfied. I found myself not really caring much about what happened to the characters. Sure, I wanted the happy ending but I wasn't emotionally invested in the couple.

Overall, it was a nice story for a free e-book but if I had payed for it, it would be 2 stars for sure.

[Nenette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and rather funny story with an all-star cast: Merlinus and the four Hogwarts founders and a host of fairy tale characters plus Santa Claus himself! Short yet interesting and it poses the question of how can Harry Potter be a descendant of Little Red Riding Hood?

A good in-between read :)

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute contemporary take on the current spate of reality shows and the fallout when things don't go as planned.

Set in Memphis, I liked the characters and and the whole premise. Written with a light touch, I caught myself smiling more and more as I turned the pages.

[Beena Tabassum]

A nice story... the guy and the girl got married in real by mistake on a reality show..... waiting for their annulment, the eventually fall in love.... and a happy ever after

[Pauline Destinugrainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey memutuskan untuk mempercepat pernikahannya dengan Joe, kekasihnya, lewat sebuah acara Kiss The Bride. Sebenarnya Casey tidak yakin, tapi inilah satu-satunya cara agar dia bisa keluar dari rumahnya dan melanjutkan karirnya sebagai penulis. Namun Joe menolaknya di acara yang ditayangkan langsung oleh televisi itu. Casey shock ketika Joe meninggalkannya di panggung. Beruntung, Adam, pemilik stasiun TV menyelamatkannya. Dia melamar Casey dan menikahinya saat itu juga.

Adam melakukan itu semata-mata untuk menyelamatkan stasiun TV-nya. Tentu saja dia tidak berniat untuk menikahi Casey dalam waktu lama. Segera setelah pernikahan itu selesai, Adam mencari cara agar pernikahan itu dibatalkan. Namun satu dan lain hal menyebabkan mereka berdua harus bertahan paling tidak sebulan lamanya.

Adam yang hidup serba teratur bertemu dengan Casey yang penyayang dan mudah dipengaruhi. Seumur hidupnya Casey habiskan mengurus ayah dan adik-adiknya. Sementara Adam hidup dalam rasa sakit hati karena menyaksikan ayahnya yang sibuk dengan bisnisnya. Ketika ibu Adam meninggal, dan ayahnya menemukan wanita lain, ayahnya berubah 180 derajat. Dia mulai meninggalka bisnisnya demi bersama Eloise, ibu tiri Adam. Sementara Adam berusaha menyelamatkan bisnis keluarganya, ayahnya meninggal dengan memberikan surat wasiat bahwa bisnis itu akan menjadi milik Adam asalkan dia menikah dan hidup bahagia.

Saya suka dengan cara Casey memenangkan hati Adam, dan bagaimana Adam melepaskan Casey dari cengkraman keluarganya. Dan yang lebih menyenangkan, lagi-lagi novel Harlequin ini tidak mengedepankan reaksi fisik antara kedua tokoh utamanya saja, melainkan betul-betul mengutamakan jalan ceritanya. Adegan paling menarik adalah ketika Adam membuang handphone milik Casey ke dalam vas bunga, yang kemudian dibalas Casey dengan melempar handphone Adam keluar jendela.

Ohya, ebooknya (dalam bahasa Inggris) sebenarnya dibagikan gratis lewat situs Harlequin. Waktu itu sempat saya unduh, tapi kemudian hanya tersimpan lama bersama timbunan ebook lainnya. Akhirnya malah baca terjemahannya. Kali ini terjemahannya minim typo, dan enak untuk diikuti.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matrimonio de conveniencia es una de mis kriptonitas y esta historia sonaba divertida de una manera loca, sin embargo no pude disfrutarla del todo porque el héroe es un alpha-hole importante. Además, me pareció que la relación entre ambos protagonistas estaba muy poco desarrollada. Pasan de ser desconocidos a amarse sin punto intermedio, ni evolución clara. Para rematar, los estereotipos de géneros abundan en la novela, y nuestra protagonista es un felpudo andante que pasa de ser usada por su familia a ser usada por el héroe. ¡Menuda evolución! Con todo, la novela tiene sus momentos graciosos, pero dudo que la recuerde en unos meses.

[Wendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for : Personal reading, take it on the plane, sneak it into your purse for those extra minutes you've got throughout the day, or cozy up in the corner of the couch with your favorite blanket and indulge yourself!

In a nutshell: From start to finish I LOVED this book, and I didn't want it to end. The book starts with the filming of a brand new reality show called Kiss the Bride, where brides are all dressed up and ready for their prospective husbands to propose, be officially married and head out on a dream honeymoon! After years of being engaged to Joe, Casey is tired of the ever-changing wedding date and has decided to take matters into her own hands - on tv. . . little does she know that Joe is going to have cold feet, leaving her standing alone in front of cameras, a tv audience, and viewers at home. In an attempt to help Casey and salvage the show, Memphis's most eligible bachelor, Adam Carmichael, is going to step in, propose AND marry her, all the while believing the wedding would be fake. Both Casey and Adam find out that the marriage is REAL, and decide to extend the charade until the marriage can be annulled. . . but can they keep things on a friendly basis during the month it will take to get an annulment, or will things heat up between the pair? I absolutely loved everything about this book. It was refreshing, the characters were well-written, the story moved along at a nice pace, and had a wonderfully happy ending.

Imagine my excitement when I visited the author's site and learned that she wrote extra scenes for the story covering the time between the last chapter and the epilogue!! If you have read the book and want to fill in the gaps, go here to read the extra scenes.

Extended Review:
Characters: Each of the characters added depth to the story. My favorites were Casey, who desperately needs to learn to say no and start living her own life, instead of living to help everyone else; Adam, she is trying so hard to help his business thrive; and Eloise, Adam's step-mother who ends up being one of the loveliest character's I've read in quite a while.

Story-Line: This was a fun, fast-paced romance that had plenty of obstacles as well as touching moments.

Readability: Easy to read and enjoy.

Overall: A quick read that will have you engrossed in the story from page one as sparks fly and lives are changed for better, or for worse!

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

MARRIED BY MISTAKE was a great read.

The characters were so opposite, but so similar that they connected in a way that I felt deeply while reading.

Adam Carmichael is at odds with his aunt and cousin over his father’s will since it cut his cousin Henry out of the family broadcasting company and requires Adam to be married by his thirtieth birthday.

On the day of Henry’s new show airing live where brides surprise their guy with marriage, he talks down the beautiful Casey Greene who is having second thoughts about her guy, Joe, not adoring her the way she wants in a marriage.

Turns out she was right when Joe refuses to marry her on live TV. Always the one to fix things, Adam steps up to marry her to save her from embarrassment, never knowing his buddy David had the power to legally marry people, thus making their marriage real.

Both Adam and his friend/lawyer Sam are worried about the situation being taken advantage of, but when Adam sits down with Casey and realize she needs to break away from her needy family, they make a deal to stay married long enough that he and Sam can strengthen their court case and an annulment can be obtained.

Although Adam doesn’t want any disturbances in his life, Casey makes her presence known and soon she’s always on his mind. With parental issues, Adam isn’t into the ‘love’ thing and makes it know, but these two are just meant to be.

Yet somehow she does work her way into his heart, not that he’s going to give up that quickly. When Sam suggest that staying marriage and having a baby will put all lawsuits to rest, he imagines a life with Casey in his terms of love. At his voicing the proposition, he learns of Casey’s condition and watches as she drives away.


Weeks after the annulment and without her cause Adam to rethink his position. His life is no longer the one he wants and after getting Sam to rework some legal angles, he goes to get his wife back.

Luckily his step-mother Eloise hadn’t given up on Adam and set up a party that gives him the perfect opportunity. Taking her outside, he tells her that not only are they still married, but he wants the true live with her, with all the adoration possible.

A happy ending’s in their cards as the stork pays a visit.

I really enjoyed Adam, Casey, Eloise and Sam. They all worked so well and made the story really great.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of those marriage stories that if it had been real would have been an impossible story to top.

Casey Greene gets rejected by her long time fiance on local TV, but this should have been no surprise because she admits to herself and that kind stranger before the show that she knew the relationship had gone flat. Casey has little time to feel humiliated because the handsome and kind stranger, Adam Carmichael, owner of the station swoops in and pretends to marry her to keep the show from being a flop and to keep his national sponsors from pulling out. Its all just for pretend Adam whispers and begs her to play along.
Only- they discover afterwards- their marriage is for real and legally annulling it must wait a month. They decide to make the most of it because each has their reasons for wanting to be married. Casey is a doormat for her family to take advantage of and their neediness prevents her from living her own life and fulfilling her own dreams. Adam has family problems too since his father's will requires him to have a wife to keep the family business not to mention his widowed step-mother keeps throwing women at him that he does not want. It will be kept strictly impersonal except when fooling their families.
And if you believe that-

The plot of the story does have the feel of the fairy tale even though this is a contemporary story in a thriving city because their is that quality to it. There is humor and low level angst as Adam and Casey work through and learn to triumph over their pasts. The pace was set almost like a clock ticking down because their relationship only had the one month time frame of the annulment waiting period to have a chance. I enjoyed the characters and was really rooting for both the warm and lovable Casey and the gruff on the outside-tender on the inside Adam. The secondary characters were a delight too with the side-romance that Sam and Eloise had going.

All in all a sweet story to brighten the day with laughter and tender romance.

[Sara]

I did exactly what every English teacher says not to do, and I judged a book by it's cover. It was more the title, but the same idea. I didn't know what to expect, but I enjoyed the book a lot. It is set in places I had never been, Memphis mostly, so it allowed me to use my imagination. Every moment keeps the reader interested, so the book is hard to put down. When the main characters are married on TV when the original marriage falls through, they expect it to be over shortly and the humiliation to be limited. They were wrong about both. They agree on spending a month together for mutual benefit and then an annulment would be arranged and they would go their separate ways. In a predictable way, their plan fails as they fell in love.

It was a very sweet story, but definitely a chick book. As a girl, I love reading of romance and being swept of your feet by prince charming, but this story doesn't exactly end that way. Its the same idea, but their love is more real than that. It makes the book more interesting because everything isn't always perfect for them. The story comes to life with the authors accurate descriptions of the characters. She allows the reader to know the thoughts of both of the main characters as well as some of the secondary characters which does a lot for her character development. Overall it was written well and I enjoyed the happy-ever-after ending to a not-so-perfect relationship.

This book is not for everybody. If you enjoy horror stories or violence, this is the farthest from it. This book is for every girl who ever hoped to find a man who would adore her for the rest of her days. It is a book for the hopeless romantics and the lovers of "happily ever after." It is full of emotions that only a woman (not to be completely sexist) or her very feminine male friends would understand. It is a more realistic Cinderella story and I highly recommend it to anybody looking for something a little mushy.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Married by Mistake" by Abby Gaines



(from the back cover0
The bride wore a long white dress and a look of utter despair.......
Do not adjust your set. That really was Casey Greene being jilted by her fiance on live TV! And that really was Memphis's most eligible bachelor who stepped in to marry her instead.
Millionaire businessman Adam Carmichael wanted only to help Casey save face. He isn't prepared for the news that their "fake" wedding is legal and binding.
While they secretly wait for an annulment, media and family scrutiny forces them to put on their best loving couple act. Except by now, neither one is quite sure who's acting........

This is a Harlequin Super Romance book. I haven't read a Harlequin book in ages. They just aren't my type of book. But this was a very refreshing and uplifing book to read. If you believe in fairy tales coming true then this is the book for you. Boy meets girl and love follows eventually, but first they have to find out they really love each other. While Casey is a romantic and wants that all adoring love match, Adam is the analytical person who doesn't believe in love. But it all works out in the end!!

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped reading about a third of the way through. I didn't resonate with any of the characters, and found the heroine, Casey, completely unrealistic. She was such a pushover that she was almost an invertebrate. You would have to imagine that she WOULD find a backbone by the end of the novel, but to think that she had lived two or three decades without one, and then amazingly find one in a month was a bit of a stretch. To some extent, she was insightful enough to realize that she was a pushover, but in other matters, she seemed dense. She had been engaged for four years, and not had sex with her fiance for the last year of their engagement, and didn't think that something might have been seriously wrong with the relationship? I understand that she has a generous heart (which made her easy to take advantage of, but one can be generous and still have spirit (as in the heroine, Maralys, from Double Trouble). Casey got her way (e.g., in the incident with the hotel maid whose boyfriend didn't have a work permit) by batting her eyelashes? Really? I'm looking for a strong, 21st century heroine, and Casey wasn't it. And, to add to the plot holes, the hotel manager was crazy enough to hire, sight unseen, the boyfriend of a maid who was unprofessional enough to weep on a guest's shoulder? Sorry, it just doesn't line up with the real world. That, among other lapses in realistic motivations of various characters, caused the story to fall apart. The writing itself is fine (hence the two stars instead of one). I may come back and pick up other novels from this author, but this book didn't cut it for me.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. Why? Not only was it free, it was so off-the-wall. The set up of getting married on a reality show worked for me. The intricacies of Tennessee marriage law was great fun to look into, and shows just how flavorful the different states are. Back when I did taxes seasonally, I married a couple. According to Kansas state law, if you file a joint tax return, then you're common-law married. So, reading that someone who fills out a license and then can be married by any past county official made sense to me. Just another quirky stat law. I also very much liked how the "reality wedding' was supposed to be the starting point of life for the heroine, Casey. This says, to me, that she is ready for a change, ready to do something about the life that she no longer likes or wants. The hero, Adam, is another case. I liked Adam. I thought he was decent, and well, like most other red-blooded American males. I liked how he kept Casey on he path of change. Secondary characters also make this an enjoyable story. There is a step-mother that appears on the surface to be evil but turns out to be nice underneath all of her layers. There's also a sports car that plays a critical role. While it is a nice sports car, it isn't American muscle. Oh well. One can't have everything in a hero.

[Rough Draft Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Married by Mistake

IF IT’S WRONG, I DON’T WANNA BE RIGHT!!

Ok… so this is one of those freebies recommended by Free Romance ibooks on Facebook… and let me tell you… I was completely taken with this story… it tore on my heartstrings right from the very beginning… I mean seriously folks… how can you not be freaked out when a man basically leaves you at the alter! I was glad to see Adam step in even though he wasn’t sure what he was doing either…

This book was around 160 to 170 pages long (kindle version) and I was sooo sad when it was over… I wanted more… more… more…. What a great story… I really think this could make a great movie… Lifetime channel should seriously look this story up!!!

It was refreshing to see that this story wasn’t just about Casey and Adam… but more about what they did and how it brought a broken family back together. Although my heart broke a little at certain parts in this book… it was soaring most of the time… Great lovable characters that you want to hug one minute and punch the next… I’m getting all emotional just typing this and thinking about things that were said and done…

Bottom line folks… the book is GREAT… and FREE… so, why would you not get it… crazy people…DO IT NOW… 4.5 STARS.