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Bride by Mistake
If Meg O’Malley could play pretend fiancée to any man on the planet, there’s no question she’d choose Zach Addison. She had a huge crush on him back in high school, though he barely noticed her. To this day, she still compares every man she dates to him. So how could she refuse when her identical twin, Liza, asks Meg to take her place in a fake engagement to Zach (even if Meg is already practically engaged to someone else)?
Zach only “proposed” to his friend Liza in order to please his ailing grandmother during her final days. In reality, his heart is still healing from a nasty divorce. But the longer he pretends at romance, the more he finds himself really falling in love. The problem is, Zach doesn’t know he’s actually head over heels for Meg. And having been burned by a bride once before (his ex said she loved him but really just loved his money), Zach may commit to permanent bachelorhood when he learns he’s been duped again.
Sweet and heartfelt, Bride by Mistake is a smart, romantic comedy that finds out whether two wrongs can make a right.
Zach only “proposed” to his friend Liza in order to please his ailing grandmother during her final days. In reality, his heart is still healing from a nasty divorce. But the longer he pretends at romance, the more he finds himself really falling in love. The problem is, Zach doesn’t know he’s actually head over heels for Meg. And having been burned by a bride once before (his ex said she loved him but really just loved his money), Zach may commit to permanent bachelorhood when he learns he’s been duped again.
Sweet and heartfelt, Bride by Mistake is a smart, romantic comedy that finds out whether two wrongs can make a right.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2013
128 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Marilyn Shank
8 books12 followersMarilyn Shank worked as a legal secretary, office manager, proofreader, and editor, before discovering her true passion: writing fiction. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, speaks fluent German, and often teaches writing workshops in public schools and libraries. When she’s not writing, Marilyn enjoys reading, amateur radio operation, and loves to travel with her husband John. Originally from Chicago, she now lives in Independence, Missouri.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
February 28, 2013
Oh my, it's been a while since i've read a romance without any hot and heavy between the sheets. I'll let you in on something, it was quite refreshing. To just have the drama that goes with all these love stories, it didn't take anything away from the effect of the story.
Zach, rich & sexy has been hurt in the past & is wary when it comes to any future relationships. His best friend Liza has agreed to pretend to be engaged to him to bring some joy to his sick Gran. Liza's sister Meg is coming to stay with her for vacation.
Only thing is Liza gets called away by her Law firm to a conferrence, so to cut a long story short as they are identical twins, Lisa decides to do 'The Parent Trap' thing. Meg isn't as comfortable with the old switcharoo, but Liza says it will be ok & then they can switch back when she gets back & all will be ok.
Nope turns out its not ok, things get complicated very fast. As you can guess Zach & Liza (Meg) fall in love. The truth comes out, after loads of fun, love & drama. But it's ok, there's a HEA, phew was getting a little worried there for a while, but all works out in the end.
Thank god for that, I love the warm fuzzy feeling I have now after reading this, it's a classic romance style, very much worth the read.
Zach, rich & sexy has been hurt in the past & is wary when it comes to any future relationships. His best friend Liza has agreed to pretend to be engaged to him to bring some joy to his sick Gran. Liza's sister Meg is coming to stay with her for vacation.
Only thing is Liza gets called away by her Law firm to a conferrence, so to cut a long story short as they are identical twins, Lisa decides to do 'The Parent Trap' thing. Meg isn't as comfortable with the old switcharoo, but Liza says it will be ok & then they can switch back when she gets back & all will be ok.
Nope turns out its not ok, things get complicated very fast. As you can guess Zach & Liza (Meg) fall in love. The truth comes out, after loads of fun, love & drama. But it's ok, there's a HEA, phew was getting a little worried there for a while, but all works out in the end.
Thank god for that, I love the warm fuzzy feeling I have now after reading this, it's a classic romance style, very much worth the read.
September 2, 2013
I only finished this book because 1) it was free and 2) I wanted to see how far I could suspend belief in the most nauseating way and 3) it was so simple and infuriating I wanted to punch every single dimwit who appeared in it and 4) bc if you have any shred of belief in the "sanctity of marriage" you should read this craphole of a book.
February 13, 2013
I recently received a request from author Marilyn Shank to review her new book, Bride by Mistake, which was released January 8th, 2013. As you all know, I am all about covers and needless to say, I fell in love with the cover after looking it up. Something about the cover screamed shabby and chic so a took on the request for the review and I'm very glad I did!
Bride by Mistake has to be one of the cutest comedy-romance books I have read in a long time. My only complaint is that there isn’t a movie in the making!
…Think something along the lines of Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days, or one of the other awesome chick flicks out there.
Just when you think Meg is about to give in, Liza finds some way to hold her out for one more day. Meanwhile, Meg is falling in love with her high school crush who practically failed to realized she even existed back then. But, what happens when he finds out the truth about the girl he fell in love. What happens he realized he has been betrayed by not only his best friend, but the woman he thought he fell in love with. Well, I won't spoil the party but - be prepared- this one is a tear jerker!
Bride by Mistake was not only charming and witty, but also a great comical romance that will leave you wanting more! Luckily, when author Marilyn Shank sent me Bride by Mistake she also sent Daddy With a Deadline to review and now I will be able to read more of her awesome work shortly.
All and all, if you are looking for a great comical romance that is rather short, but yet long enough to enjoy, consider Bride by Mistake by Marilyn Shank.You will be glad you did!
You can read my entire review on my book blog, Stephanie's Book Shelf
Bride by Mistake has to be one of the cutest comedy-romance books I have read in a long time. My only complaint is that there isn’t a movie in the making!
…Think something along the lines of Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days, or one of the other awesome chick flicks out there.
Just when you think Meg is about to give in, Liza finds some way to hold her out for one more day. Meanwhile, Meg is falling in love with her high school crush who practically failed to realized she even existed back then. But, what happens when he finds out the truth about the girl he fell in love. What happens he realized he has been betrayed by not only his best friend, but the woman he thought he fell in love with. Well, I won't spoil the party but - be prepared- this one is a tear jerker!
Bride by Mistake was not only charming and witty, but also a great comical romance that will leave you wanting more! Luckily, when author Marilyn Shank sent me Bride by Mistake she also sent Daddy With a Deadline to review and now I will be able to read more of her awesome work shortly.
All and all, if you are looking for a great comical romance that is rather short, but yet long enough to enjoy, consider Bride by Mistake by Marilyn Shank.You will be glad you did!
You can read my entire review on my book blog, Stephanie's Book Shelf
July 29, 2013
Identical Twins switching places.
The good. The book was full of what should have been, second chances and taking a leap of faith when it comes to others.
The bad. How good of friends were Lisa and Zach if he didn't catch on. I know women like to say men are thick but this is pretty much the "lets take a 2x4 to this guy!"
Everyone has the "one that got away" story so this was a fun story where the right people finally got together.
The one part that really rubbed me the wrong way is at the end when Lisa was so excited that Meg and Zach started having feelings and she all but did the happy dance on the phone. At that point I think I would have voted Lisa off the island. Yes she was trying to get the two people she loved together but that was a painful way to get them together!
The good. The book was full of what should have been, second chances and taking a leap of faith when it comes to others.
The bad. How good of friends were Lisa and Zach if he didn't catch on. I know women like to say men are thick but this is pretty much the "lets take a 2x4 to this guy!"
Everyone has the "one that got away" story so this was a fun story where the right people finally got together.
The one part that really rubbed me the wrong way is at the end when Lisa was so excited that Meg and Zach started having feelings and she all but did the happy dance on the phone. At that point I think I would have voted Lisa off the island. Yes she was trying to get the two people she loved together but that was a painful way to get them together!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2013
Ah, how frequently does my quest for something light end up locating something dumb. No, I wasn't expecting anything earth-shattering out of a twin-swap plot, but I was hope for cute and engaging. Miss.
The writing in this is terrible. There is a surfeit of tell not show. Worse, the author short hands a description by saying that a kitchen is something out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. First, that some awesomely lazy writing, Ms. Shank. Second, if you were throwing in a cool pop culture reference, nice shout out to a show that hasn't been relevant in 20 years. Also because Liza is a lawyer, there are a bunch of cutesy legal similes that really soured me on the book as well.
Blerg. Thank goodness I didn't pay for this, and hello delete button.
The writing in this is terrible. There is a surfeit of tell not show. Worse, the author short hands a description by saying that a kitchen is something out of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. First, that some awesomely lazy writing, Ms. Shank. Second, if you were throwing in a cool pop culture reference, nice shout out to a show that hasn't been relevant in 20 years. Also because Liza is a lawyer, there are a bunch of cutesy legal similes that really soured me on the book as well.
Blerg. Thank goodness I didn't pay for this, and hello delete button.
July 23, 2013
I liked the storyline, however the book was way too fast paced and predictable. The book was 160-odd pages long so it was a very quick read. The twist of the twins setting up the fake engagement was cute. It would have been more interesting had the book been longer, and Zach's grandmothers response to the whole thing would have also been something interesting to see. I also would have liked to read about the real Liza coming home to the new couple. The book just did not pull me in as other romances do- however it was good for a light weekend read.
July 30, 2013
This book was listed on the Kindle daily deals. Turns out I was able to borrow it as an amazon prime member :) So I figured I needed a break with a quick easy read and this would fit the bill.
It's not the best writing in the world and well given the genre it's quite predictable, but it was a good summer beach read.
In some ways I felt like I was reading the Sweet Valley High story where Jessica and Elizabeth are grown adults.
If you want to make the time pass while catching some rays this summer grab this book.
It's not the best writing in the world and well given the genre it's quite predictable, but it was a good summer beach read.
In some ways I felt like I was reading the Sweet Valley High story where Jessica and Elizabeth are grown adults.
If you want to make the time pass while catching some rays this summer grab this book.
July 26, 2020
This was a nice twist on the old friends-pretend-to-be-engaged-and-realise-they-are-in-love story - even if you need to turn your brains off to accept the premise of the book (twin sisters changing places and etc).
However, there were so many inconsistency in the book that it took the shine off of it. It actually made the story and the characters sound so childish you'd think the book was set in a high school somewhere.
Too bad. It had potencial :(
However, there were so many inconsistency in the book that it took the shine off of it. It actually made the story and the characters sound so childish you'd think the book was set in a high school somewhere.
Too bad. It had potencial :(
May 14, 2013
Lisa and Meg were identical twins. When Lisa needed to leave the city after she had agreed to pretend to be Zach's fiance, she asked her sister to switch place with her...
The book started out very interesting. I liked that even Lisa and Meg looked exactly the same, they were completely different. However, as the book progressed, I felt like I was reading teenage romance instead, and since the characters were in their late twenties, I found it was a tad annoying.
The book started out very interesting. I liked that even Lisa and Meg looked exactly the same, they were completely different. However, as the book progressed, I felt like I was reading teenage romance instead, and since the characters were in their late twenties, I found it was a tad annoying.
March 18, 2013
I really liked the beginning of this book. It started well and the story was well developed. I would have given this book more stars but I thought it was too short. I think the climax of the book was underrated, and should have been drawn out more. I also thought it ended too abruptly for me, but that's just my personal preference. Other than that it was an OK book.
August 23, 2013
Decent summer beach-type read. It was cute, but pretty unbelievable (so it was a little hard to get into the relationship and characters). Really, the dude didn't realize he was hanging out all week with his best friend's twin and not the friend?
April 11, 2013
I enjoyed it.. it was a good book. But very Rated G..
August 31, 2013
While the premise was cute -- the writing was awful: repetitive and cliched.
August 7, 2017
I read this book by placing myself in Meg's shoes even though I do not have a twin sister. The theme that stood out to me was deception. It wasn't a good idea for Lisa to trade places with Meg, even though Meg had a crush on Zach from high school. This little plan could have had another ending, where both Meg and Zach had their broken and it couldn't be repaired. I was happy when Zach decided to forgive Meg and asked her for every detail of her personal life.
July 8, 2017
Sweet, clean romance
A little sweeter than I usually like, but still, a very clean romance. I normally prefer a bit more spice, but having said that, this was a very enjoyable story, if you're looking for a very clean romance.
A little sweeter than I usually like, but still, a very clean romance. I normally prefer a bit more spice, but having said that, this was a very enjoyable story, if you're looking for a very clean romance.
July 22, 2017
Enjoyable, no thinking required
This is a good beach read. When the sun has baked your brain and you want the book equivalent of a soap opera. The dialogue left a bit to be desired, and the story is a bit unbelievable.....but, again, it's enjoyable.
This is a good beach read. When the sun has baked your brain and you want the book equivalent of a soap opera. The dialogue left a bit to be desired, and the story is a bit unbelievable.....but, again, it's enjoyable.
June 26, 2017
An engrossing read from start to finish.
A well written if somewhat predictable story. At the same time the twists and turns in the story make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.
A well written if somewhat predictable story. At the same time the twists and turns in the story make this a thoroughly enjoyable read.
July 3, 2024
Quick read, good plot, wish there was more to the ending.
February 28, 2017
Aahhh
What a sweet book. Full of lies and deceit and a happily ever after. Absolutely a delightful read. Fun to read.
What a sweet book. Full of lies and deceit and a happily ever after. Absolutely a delightful read. Fun to read.
February 7, 2017
A feel good novel
A feel good novel for sure. Entertaining throughout. I loved the relationship of the grandmother and grandson. If you're looking for an easy beach read consider this book.
A feel good novel for sure. Entertaining throughout. I loved the relationship of the grandmother and grandson. If you're looking for an easy beach read consider this book.
November 10, 2013
2.5 stars. I am not one to complain about free books and if your looking for a cheesy PG plot line story then this is for you.
For me the plot line lacked imagination and unfortunately the story was messy. If Zach was such great friends with Liza then the differences between the two should not have been constantly slapping him in the face the whole book. For someone who is "practically engaged" the entire story; Meg came off as desperately skanky with a weak excuse not to tell the truth. You had ample time to tell him and surprise he found out anyways. Hmm I would have never guessed.
With a predictable plot the author could have amped it up just a bit. No need to rush the story and get crap.
For me the plot line lacked imagination and unfortunately the story was messy. If Zach was such great friends with Liza then the differences between the two should not have been constantly slapping him in the face the whole book. For someone who is "practically engaged" the entire story; Meg came off as desperately skanky with a weak excuse not to tell the truth. You had ample time to tell him and surprise he found out anyways. Hmm I would have never guessed.
With a predictable plot the author could have amped it up just a bit. No need to rush the story and get crap.
May 14, 2013
A fun mistaken identity romance! When Liza asks identical twin Meg to switch places for a quickie mock engagement with childhood friend (and secret crush) Zach, Meg's reluctant to agree. But Liza won't take no for an answer and Meg is bowled over by her longtime attraction to Zach. Poor Zach can't understand why after years of being just friends with Liza, the minute they pretend to be engaged to please his dying grandmother, sparks fly that have nothing to do with friendship.
I loved these characters and can't wait to read the next book in the series--Liza's side of the story.
I loved these characters and can't wait to read the next book in the series--Liza's side of the story.
November 29, 2013
Decent story, but very cheesy! Meg comes to visit her twin sister Liza. When Meg arrives, Liza informs her she is going to a conference that she can't miss. She needs Meg to act like she's Liza and pull off a fake engagement with Liza's close friend, Zach, to make his dying grandmother happy. Meg plays along, and Zach notices a huge change in "Liza". I kept getting annoyed that Zach didn't figure out the switch right off. He went to high school with both girls and knew they had switched places before. They couldn't be more opposite. Overall decent book.
September 19, 2013
Story of grown twins Liza (a lawyer) and Meg (a teacher) who switch places because Liza does not think Meg feels passionately about Meg's intended. Liza thinks Meg should reconnect with her high school boyfriend. They get together with Meg acting as Liza, things occur, people lie and lie and lie. Bride By Chance is the companion piece to this tale.
November 16, 2016
While the plot in general is pretty cute, it is very unbelievable in it's premise. Liza and Zach have supposedly been friends since high school, and yet Zach can't tell at all that the twins switched places? There's no way. Unless he's the most unobservant human in all of existence. It's simply ridiculous. Nice try, but I'm not buying it.
March 26, 2013
Disclaimer: I read this late at night and with the beginnings of a migraine. I thought this was great fun, a cute piece of chick lit fluff. I had to suspend a certain amount of common sense :0) but it was a fun one.
December 20, 2013
Believe me ---I like good clean romance but this book was total corn ball. I finally started reading as fast as I could to just get through it. It was painful. Just my opinion. Not trying to be ugly and I'm glad for those who liked it!
February 8, 2014
Apologies to the author, but this may have been the most cliched book I have ever read in my life. You know how the ending is going to play out before you even finish the first chapter. Thank goodness it only took a few hours to read.
March 2, 2014
I never wanted it to end...
I never wanted it to end...
I will be honest with you, this book will make you look stupid. Because you'll get so far wrapped up into it you'll be yelling "tell him!" repeatedly. Don't pass this book up.
I never wanted it to end...
I will be honest with you, this book will make you look stupid. Because you'll get so far wrapped up into it you'll be yelling "tell him!" repeatedly. Don't pass this book up.
July 8, 2014
Good but Drawn out
This was a cute twins switch story but the switch was drawn out way too long and the end resolved way too quickly! It was too the point were I was hoping the book would end soon. overall a quick read with cute characters but nothing to write home about.
This was a cute twins switch story but the switch was drawn out way too long and the end resolved way too quickly! It was too the point were I was hoping the book would end soon. overall a quick read with cute characters but nothing to write home about.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews