The Groom Came Back

by Abby Gaines

Typical. It takes Dr. Jack Mitchell eight years to pull himself away from his terribly important career abroad and come home for a divorce. And then he doesn't even know who she is! Sure, Callie Summers—excuse me, Mitchell—was a gawky schoolgirl when Jack rescued her from a nasty family situation. But that's no excuse for the man not to recognize his own wife.

And now the gorgeous neurosurgeon thinks he's going to hightail it out of Tennessee with his final decree in hand. Uh-uh. Callie isn't letting him off quite so easily. Not when she, to her utter dismay, is finding him so irresistible.

Irresistible enough to get him to tie the knot again?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Fiction, Category Romance, Novels, Family

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 25, 2008

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

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Callie dan Jack sebenarnya sudah menikah sejak 8 thn yg lalu, dan kini mereka merencanakan diri utk bercerai.

Menikah dgn alasan utk kenyamanan (marriage in convenience) sepertinya memiliki keuntungan baik bagi pihak Callie maupun Jack saat itu. Callie sedang dlm masalah diperebutkan hak perwalian atas dirinya antara kakek neneknya vs ibunya yg sekarat sakit kanker. Sedangkan Jack ingin Callie yg sudah dianggap putri mereka oleh ortu Jack utk menemani mereka sedangkan Jack kabur ke Inggris utk berkarier sbg dokter bedah yg sukses.

Sebenarnya plot cerita lumayan menarik tetapi sepanjang novel ini bertele-tele dan berputar-putar ttg keinginan mereka utk bercerai dan enggan bercerai. Epilognya sangat memperlihatkan fast-forward solusi instan hubungan mereka yg spt roller coaster bbrp minggu belakangan ini. Belum lagi masalah kematian Lucy - adik Jack, 8 thn yg lalu ternyata ortu Jack belum move on sampai saat ini.

Karakter tokoh-tokoh utamanya juga saya kurang suka. Callie cenderung manipulatif, walaupun jujur tetapi menyebalkan bagi saya. Sedangkan Jack ini sbg suami (walaupun suami pura-pura) sangat egois, angkuh dan menyepelekan keluarganya. Jack cuma menang pencitraan saja. Dan saat mata hatinya mulai "melek" kpd Callie, Jack makin brengsek menurut saya.

Kalau kalian yg menyukai drama menegangkan hingga nyaris akhir cerita, novel ini memang utk anda. Kalau bukan, siapkan mental anda saat membacanya.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes the plot in a romance novel is unbelievable or over the top, but that’s not always bad. Some times the cray-cray is so out there the book is fun and enjoyable despite itself. (See, e.g., Pregnesia). Other times, even though the plot is out there, the underlying emotional conflict and other aspects of the book make for a good read. (e.g., Fiona Lowe’s Runaway Bride). Still other books, the plot is ridiculous and the remainder of the book can’t make up for it. This book falls into the latter category.

The heroine, Callie, is the daughter of a single mother who was good friends with the parents of our hero, Dr. Jack Mitchell. When Callie’s mother is dying, her distant former-in-laws/Callie’s grandparents seek full custody of Callie. Neither Callie nor her mother want that. Meanwhile, Jack’s parents are in a world of hurt because their daughter, Callie’s close friend Lucy, drowned. They’re having problems surviving emotionally, but Jack doesn’t want to deal with the fall-out because he must head out and be an important doctor. So, what’s the best solution in a situation like this – why get married of course. Bam! Why yes that was the sound of my head banging the keyboard.

So, Callie and Jack get married. That way, the grandparents can’t get custody and Lucy will stay in town to watch out for Jack’s parents. Who aren’t informed about the marriage.

You may ask yourself questions like, if she’s old enough to get married, why are we worried about a custody battle involving grandparents who barely know her and who live half-way across the country. Or, why, if Jack is so worried about his parents he doesn’t mention their new daughter in-law. And doesn't it feel just a little incestuous between these two given the family history. Good questions. Alas, no good answers.

There are aspects of the book that are enjoyable. I enjoyed the subplot getting to know Jack’s parents and watching them address the long-simmering grief. But it doesn’t save this hot mess.

So, unless you’re really up for head scratching, you might want to skip this one. 2/5

[Pauline Destinugrainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack dan Callie sebenarnya telah menikah delapan tahun yang lalu. Tetapi, pernikahan rahasia mereka hanyalah di atas kertas untuk menyelamatkan Callie dari perebutan hak asuh anak, dan sebagai alasan bagi Jack untuk bisa meninggalkan kedua orangtuanya bersama Callie. Saat itu, Lucy adik Jack baru saja meninggal dunia. Callie sahabat Lucy adalah penghiburan yang tepat untuk orang tua Jack.

Kini, Jack kembali untuk menceraikan Callie. Jack mendapat tawaran untuk bekerja di Paris, dan dia ingin ke sana sebagai seorang yang bebas. Callie menyetujui perceraian mereka dengan catatan Jack harus kembali ke kampung halamannya selama 30 hari. Callie melihat ada yang salah dalam hubungan Brenda dan Dan, kedua orangtua Jack. Callie ingin Jack banyak mencurahkan waktu untuk orang tuanya.

Jack ingin bercerai, namun Callie bertahan dalam pernikahan hanya sebagai upaya agar Jack lebih memperhatikan keluarganya. Di sisi lain, Brenda dan Dan harus melakukan rekonsiliasi atas hubungan mereka yang menjadi pahit karena kepergian putri mereka. Saya menyukai bagaimana penulis menyandingkan kedua konflik yang kontradiktif ini secara bersamaan. Yang satu menuju perceraian, yang lainnya berupaya mempersatukan. Keluarga tradisional Mitchell yang berpendapat pernikahan untuk selamanya berusaha mencari jalan keluar.

Novel setebal 200an halaman ini cukup padat. Meskipun HQ, novel ini tidak sepanas biasanya. Dan ada bonus "After The End" di website penulisnya.

[Ayu Wirdha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Benang merah ceritanya agak terlalu dibuat - buat. Ketika Jenny sekarat dan mencegah supaya hak asuh Callie yang berumur tujuh belas tahun tidak jatuh ke mertuanya (secara tersirat mereka bukan orang yang baik) maka Callie dinikahkan dengan Jack, anak dari sahabat Jenny. Jack sendiri membutuhkan Callie untuk membantu psikologis orang tuanya paska kematian tragis adiknya. Setelah kematian Jenny, Callie tinggal bersama orang tua Jack. Jack sendiri pergi ke London untuk mengejar karirnya sebagai dokter bedah saraf. Setelah menjadi dokter saraf terkenal pun, Jack tetap menganggap orangtuanya, kampung halamannya dan "istri" nya adalah penghalang dari karirnya. Agak males juga dengan karakter Jack yang sangat ambisius ini dan lebih males lagi dengan Callie yang kurang "tough" mengimbangi Jack. Yang ada seperti biasa Callie selalu "drooling" jika ada kesempatan berdua. Atas paksaan Callie akhirnya Jack kembali ke Parkvale untuk memeriksa keadaan orangtuanya sekaligus menceraikan Callie. Saya agak kurang ngeh, sepertinya pernikahan mereka hanya diketahui oleh Jenny, Callie dan Jack bahkan orangtua Jack pun tidak mengetahui. Btw, selama delapan tahun pernikahan jadi - jadian ini keduanya tidak ada yang selibat ya. Endingnya ya dengan mudahnya hanya satu dua kalimat dari Jack, orangtuanya akhirnya bisa mengatasi kematian Lucy padahal sepanjang ini novel kesannya keduanya punya masalah besar. Sedangkan Jack sampai bab terakhir pun tidak masih ingin bercerai dari Callie entah tiba - tiba sadar bahwa dia jatuh cinta ke Callie, mungkin penulis baru sadar kalau jatah halamannya sudah habis dan cerita harus selesai.
2⭐

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure how to classify this book. It had moments of high hilarity and near-tear-jerking sadness. The hero was a real jerk in the beginning of the story and took his own time about finding his redemption. The heroine wasn't that great a prize either. And yet, I really enjoyed reading it. Their attempts to maneuver around and manipulate each other were fun, and neither hero nor heroine was a bad person. They had good hearts and good intentions, mostly. The heroine is determined to get the hero to come home and deal with his parents, who have not yet dealt-- not really-- with the drowning death of his sister right before he left for med school. He married the heroine, his sister's best friend, so she could ignore her grandparents' threat to take her from her dying mother and stay near his parents. Now she has maneuvered him into coming to spend time with his parents and coincidentally get a divorce. It sounds convoluted and kinda goofy-- and it is. But it's also fun and a good read. I liked it.

[Darla Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute and a good reminder to stop and slow down.

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Jack Mitchell married his wife eight years ago to save her from a frightening custody battle before leaving to pursue his career overseas. Now he's back, ready to get a divorce and move on with his life.

Callie was just a shy schoolgirl when they married, but now she's grown up so much that he doesn't even recognize her, literally. He thinks that Callie will make this easy, but she isn't letting him of the hook. His family needs him and she isn't going to let him go until he spends some time with his parents. As the days pass the attraction between them grows and Callie finds it isn't just his parents that want him to stick around this time.

I liked this book because the premise is a little funny and kinda crazy. However, I didn't like a lot of the book too.

What I did like were the moments when the book focused on the parent's relationship, showing each side dealing with the grief they felt when their daughter died, even though it was so long ago. There were times when the focus seemed too much on the parents and not on our leads, but they were still enjoyable to read.

I also liked when Jack and Callie would argue. It sounds strange as this is a romance novel, but I felt like the two connected very well during those moments. I also liked it because the way they fought at times was very subtle digs at the other instead of straight up yelling at each other.

What I found that I didn't like was the characters themselves.

Jack is a neurosurgeon working in London. He takes his career very seriously. My issue is that he is able to interact with his patients very well, you see some of it in the book, but when it comes to Callie or his parents it's like he forgot how to talk to normal people. He was constantly thinking about medical issues that it might be rather than emotional and Callie was calling him out on it. I could see it the first time, maybe even the second, but after a while it felt like a running joke throughout the book and I felt that it didn't seem realistic.

Callie was another issue. She seems as though she has it all together, but she isn't sure if she wants to be a florist or flip houses. She is able to seem strong when confronting Jack about his parents, but then there are moments when she acts childish. It was very off-putting.

The parents are alright characters, but the solution to their issue seems to be easily solved and something that a counselor would have suggested long before they go to this point.

The ending seemed to come out of left field too because we got a lot of Callie's feelings through the book, but very little of Jack's. There is very few scenes in which he wonders about the relationship he has with Callie and him confronting his feelings about it.

Overall, I liked this book. I would read it again in the future, but it is just for a casual read rather than something spectacular.

[Sana · Rating 2 out of 5]

What really got me into reading this book was the number of pages and the storyline; exactly in that order! It was a very strange book and in more ways than one. First, the whole attitude of the 'bride' was too childish and the 'groom' was actually liking it. The love part was also rubbish in the sense that not all relationships develop on the basis of hate.

Can we be realistic here?

Moreover, the whole Lucy fiasco was just plain rubbish. Who does that? That was my first time reading about people dealing with a grave situation in such an unsophisticated manner. No real pain of loss there.

The aspects regarding there marriage were tangible but that was that. What they did with it was just plain stupidity. He did run away yet not to the point of never coming back. And here I thought doctors were hot stuff...

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, quick read with appealing characters, strong writing, and deft plotting. Gaines' backstory for the marriage is a bit iffy, but it gets things on track for a satisfying process of reunion. The hero's selfishness-related emotional myopia got annoying, but that was addressed and ultimately resolved. The heroine maybe lacks depth in terms of vulnerability - the hero kind of tells us (and her) where her shortcomings are in one painful conversation, but for most of the rest of the time she's the standard sort of sassy, independent-minded heroine. The snappy dialogue and skillful handling of emotional development made this an enjoyable and compelling read; my only complaints are that the ending comes too fast and easy, and the heroine's moment of realization of being in love feels artificially placed, but those choices make the novel work and I'm willing to forgive them :)

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid 3 star read for me. The characters were likeable and I was glad to see the characters from "Married by Mistake" in this book briefly. Unfortunately, the big declaration at the end of the book (AKA the HEA) was not believable. It just seemed rushed and like it came out of left field in an effort to tie up the book within the allotted word count.

[Tonileg · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute and funny. I love the scene where they have to choose a reason to get divorced, I seriously LMAO. I love the this type of plot where the couple are married and then fall in love. Don't worry there is a HEA.

Writing - 4 stars
Characters - 4 stars
Hot scenes - nothing explicit but hinted

[Kellcifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but the main characters were really frustrating a lot of the time (especially Jack, with his condescending egocentrism), and the whole basis of their marriage was sort of ridiculous. Plus, the ending was rushed, which is always so obnoxious.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Callie was so funny but serious in the way she helped to get Jack back in touch with his family. I laughed out loud on the part when they were choosing the reason for the divorce.

[Kanoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story, but that ending! And that hot-and-cold hero! And that ridiculous premise to their eight-year marriage!

(Married by Mistake's characters make a cameo.)

[Cary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another pretty clean book... not much magic and a convoluted (and not really realistic sounding) story line but for quick enjoyable read it was ok.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute read!

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't particularly like the characters in this book.

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read.

[Pravana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spunky heroine. Gutsy.