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Bravo Family #3
Practically Married
Practically Married by Christine Rimmer released on Mar 25, 1998 is available now for purchase.
250 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
13 people are currently reading
154 people want to read
About the author
Christine Rimmer
713 books431 followersNew York Times bestselling author Christine Rimmer has written more than one hundred contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. She has won Romantic Times BOOKreview’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Silhouette Special Edition. She has been nominated seven times for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award and five times for Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the Year.
A California native who first longed to be an actress, Christine earned her theater degree from California State, Sacramento and then went to New York to study acting. Later, she moved to Southern California, where she began her writing career with short stories, plays, and poems. Her poems and short stories were published in a number of small literary journals. Her plays were produced at The Back Alley and Group Theaters in Southern California and have been published by Dramatists Play Service and West Coast Plays.
She now lives in Oregon with her family and two very contented cats named Tom and Ed.
A California native who first longed to be an actress, Christine earned her theater degree from California State, Sacramento and then went to New York to study acting. Later, she moved to Southern California, where she began her writing career with short stories, plays, and poems. Her poems and short stories were published in a number of small literary journals. Her plays were produced at The Back Alley and Group Theaters in Southern California and have been published by Dramatists Play Service and West Coast Plays.
She now lives in Oregon with her family and two very contented cats named Tom and Ed.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 31, 2012
This book was not great romance, I mean everything else seemed to happen in the book besides that.
We met Tess in the first book of this series, when her dreamer husband finally died and Cash Bravo helped her and her little girl out and we find out about her little crush on him. Tess believes she loves him but she knows he is married and is happy for him. Tess was seventeen when she foolishly became pregnant and left her family's ranch and security to marry a man, who only had dreams and made them lead an uncertain life, Cash was always there to help.
Now, Zach Bravo the one who runs the ranch offers to marry her. He feels they are perfect for each other both have been burned by love and love ranch work. Tess agrees but she feels guilty over Cash but knows she will work hard for the marriage and wants kids.
But Zach finds out what she feels for Cash before they get married and has them living in separate bedrooms and kind of keeping his distance. Zach was burned badly by his marriage when his wife first chased him and then walked out on him with his daughter. He is one of those good guys who believes when he gives his body he gives his heart.
So, Tessa keeps house while Zach does the other work and then Zach's messed up daughter comes to live and we see the first meeting between her and Beau(they are the hero & heroine in a different book). Tessa soon falls for him and knows that what she thought she felt for Cash was borne of gratitude and knows that getting Zach to believe her would be tough.
I somehow didn't really like Tessa much, she wasn't a bad character she just didn't stand out much and I don't like books where the h/H never seem to be together.
We met Tess in the first book of this series, when her dreamer husband finally died and Cash Bravo helped her and her little girl out and we find out about her little crush on him. Tess believes she loves him but she knows he is married and is happy for him. Tess was seventeen when she foolishly became pregnant and left her family's ranch and security to marry a man, who only had dreams and made them lead an uncertain life, Cash was always there to help.
Now, Zach Bravo the one who runs the ranch offers to marry her. He feels they are perfect for each other both have been burned by love and love ranch work. Tess agrees but she feels guilty over Cash but knows she will work hard for the marriage and wants kids.
But Zach finds out what she feels for Cash before they get married and has them living in separate bedrooms and kind of keeping his distance. Zach was burned badly by his marriage when his wife first chased him and then walked out on him with his daughter. He is one of those good guys who believes when he gives his body he gives his heart.
So, Tessa keeps house while Zach does the other work and then Zach's messed up daughter comes to live and we see the first meeting between her and Beau(they are the hero & heroine in a different book). Tessa soon falls for him and knows that what she thought she felt for Cash was borne of gratitude and knows that getting Zach to believe her would be tough.
I somehow didn't really like Tessa much, she wasn't a bad character she just didn't stand out much and I don't like books where the h/H never seem to be together.
February 26, 2019
Marriage of convenience story between two people who married the wrong partners at a young age and are now looking for a little peace and quiet and companionship on a cattle ranch.
Heroine married at 17 because she was pregnant with her daughter who is now 8. Charming husband is dead after spending all of their money. Heroine has an unrequited crush on the hero from another book (he was her hubby’s bff) in this series about three cousins.
Hero is divorced with a 16 year-old daughter who lives with her mother and rich stepfather. Hero’s ex hated the ranch, etc. . .
The main plot threads are:
*The H/h trying to figure out when they are going to share a bed.
*The hero’s spoiled brat daughter coming to live at the ranch.
*Catching some cattle rustlers.
As I was reading this, I kept thinking how Diana Palmer and Susan Fox would have handled these scenarios. A DP hero would have taunted the heroine for her unrequited love, slut-shamed her when she showed signs of attraction to him and would have had all his mercenary buddies out to find the cattle rustlers.
Susan Fox would have had the town hate the heroine because she wasn’t worthy of the upstanding hero, the sixteen year-old would have tried to burn down the barn with the heroine’s daughter in it, and the heroine would have been shot by the cattle rustlers in order to prove her love to the hero.
Christine Rimmer does none of that. The hero does realize the heroine is in love with his cousin, but he doesn’t mention it until much later in their marriage. Yet, that is the reason he decides they shouldn’t share a bed. When he does mention it, the heroine is embarrassed and guilty and tries to make the H understand that it means nothing.
The hero’s daughter actually gets along with the heroine’s daughter and their relationship is really sweet. The 16 year-old does take up with one of the cowhands (who is part of the cattle rustling ring), but the H/h handle it with sensitivity.
The heroine realizes she loves the hero and actually tells him. Hero doesn’t believe her right away, but they eventually go to bed together before the high emotion of catching the cattle rustlers.
What I liked about this story (once I stopped expecting the dramatics of SF and DP) was how the H/h worked through their issues like grownups. The heroine realizes that she has been wrong about love twice already and as she explains to the hero – her first love was infatuation for glamor and her second crush was really about gratitude and hope during a dark time. I thought that was insightful.
I also liked the symbolism of the hero taking the heroine to his favorite spot on the ranch to propose and then realized it was the wrong setting because it was winter and it was not beautiful. Too soon, indeed. By spring, they have fallen in love for good and are committed and now it’s the right time to visit that spot.
This is the final book of a series, so there are lots of characters in and out that I didn't know or care to know about.
Heroine married at 17 because she was pregnant with her daughter who is now 8. Charming husband is dead after spending all of their money. Heroine has an unrequited crush on the hero from another book (he was her hubby’s bff) in this series about three cousins.
Hero is divorced with a 16 year-old daughter who lives with her mother and rich stepfather. Hero’s ex hated the ranch, etc. . .
The main plot threads are:
*The H/h trying to figure out when they are going to share a bed.
*The hero’s spoiled brat daughter coming to live at the ranch.
*Catching some cattle rustlers.
As I was reading this, I kept thinking how Diana Palmer and Susan Fox would have handled these scenarios. A DP hero would have taunted the heroine for her unrequited love, slut-shamed her when she showed signs of attraction to him and would have had all his mercenary buddies out to find the cattle rustlers.
Susan Fox would have had the town hate the heroine because she wasn’t worthy of the upstanding hero, the sixteen year-old would have tried to burn down the barn with the heroine’s daughter in it, and the heroine would have been shot by the cattle rustlers in order to prove her love to the hero.
Christine Rimmer does none of that. The hero does realize the heroine is in love with his cousin, but he doesn’t mention it until much later in their marriage. Yet, that is the reason he decides they shouldn’t share a bed. When he does mention it, the heroine is embarrassed and guilty and tries to make the H understand that it means nothing.
The hero’s daughter actually gets along with the heroine’s daughter and their relationship is really sweet. The 16 year-old does take up with one of the cowhands (who is part of the cattle rustling ring), but the H/h handle it with sensitivity.
The heroine realizes she loves the hero and actually tells him. Hero doesn’t believe her right away, but they eventually go to bed together before the high emotion of catching the cattle rustlers.
What I liked about this story (once I stopped expecting the dramatics of SF and DP) was how the H/h worked through their issues like grownups. The heroine realizes that she has been wrong about love twice already and as she explains to the hero – her first love was infatuation for glamor and her second crush was really about gratitude and hope during a dark time. I thought that was insightful.
I also liked the symbolism of the hero taking the heroine to his favorite spot on the ranch to propose and then realized it was the wrong setting because it was winter and it was not beautiful. Too soon, indeed. By spring, they have fallen in love for good and are committed and now it’s the right time to visit that spot.
This is the final book of a series, so there are lots of characters in and out that I didn't know or care to know about.
April 21, 2021
Really sweet, gentle marriage of convenience ranch romance, with a ton of yearning looks and unspoken dreaming as the extraordinarily practical hero and heroine go about their days. Bonus children who read like children and a book full of people who are genuinely kind to one another and striving to do their best. Except for the cattle rustlers, those guys are the worst.
February 7, 2025
This is an oldie but a goodie! Very much the stereotypical Harlequin romance book of the 90s, but there is something about this love story that just brings me back reading it every so often! This was my least favorite of the Bravo Family Trilogy, but was still good!
April 27, 2023
3.5 - good quick read, would recommend
September 22, 2024
I wish they could have come together sooner. One more chapter or epilogue would have finished up the book nicely.
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December 27, 2014Miniseries: Conveniently Yours
Category: Contemporary Romance
Category: Contemporary Romance
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews