Marriage by Design: Dear Fairy Godmother / Marriage on the Run / Don't Tell Grandfather / The Enchanted Bride

by Cathy Gillen Thacker, Jasmine Cresswell, Glenda Sanders

Marriage for most unconventional reasons becomes the focus of a quartet of romantic tales by Cathy Gillen Thacker, Jasmine Cresswell, Glenda Sanders, and Margaret Chittenden. Original.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Anthologies, Romance

377 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1994

About the author

Dear Readers,

The love stories in my family have always been fodder for romance novels.

My maternal grandmother and grandfather simultaneously ran a business together and raised four daughters, long before it was an accepted thing to do.  Grandpa O’Dell ran the gas station and the barber shop; Grandma O’Dell managed the grocery and cooked for customers.  They were true partners and madly in love and parted, tragically, way too soon when he succumbed to cancer when he was in his early fifties.  Grandma grieved deeply but eventually picked herself up, started a new career as a cafeteria chef, and eventually found deep romantic love and happiness again, in the form of a second marriage.

Read more here...

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four stories about marriages of convenience, most of which edged into the not-so-likely area and did not capture my attention to any great degree. My reactions ranged from slightly uncomfortable to outright skepticism. My main interest was in what the authors came up with as workable possibilities for anyone accepting a situation like this.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Przyjmij tę obrączkę..." - Harlequin Special

[Fedora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Fairy Godmother, Cathy Gillen Thacker
Meg Winthrop's five god children beg her to save them from their dad's possible new wife; they want Meg to be their new mom. Meg and Dusty MacKauley actually were an item years ago, before she left to make her career and he married her best friend, Lizzie. Well, turns out that their feelings for each other aren't entirely dead... Whether or not they can resolve their differences remains to be seen.

Marriage on the Run, Jasmine Cresswell
Laura, a straight-laced accountant, hurries to her Aunt Bette's rescue. It turns out that one of her friends, the gorgeous Italian professor, Stefano, needs to NOT be deported. And her aunt and Stefano have been working on a new product, one which seems to be garnering attention from the wrong people. Laura's life is now anything but boring...

Don't Tell Grandfather, Glenda Sanders
Lock Dean believe his grandfather's about to die and wants to provide him with a measure of happiness before that happens. Scarlett Blake passes his test, and he proposes a business-like arrangement to
the future mother of his child...

The Enchanted Bride, Margaret Chittenden
Rowan Pengelly died in a car crash five years ago on the way to her own wedding. She's now a ghost, unless she can convince Nate Edwards to marry her...

Cute collection of stories, fine for a quick fix :)

[LoveRomance · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book based on a "help me remember the name of this book" thread on an HP discussion board. I was interested in and enjoyed the most the story called "Don't Tell Grandfather." All four stories were about marriages of convenience, but only "Don't Tell Grandfather hit all my buttons: kind, well-meaning successful man + 'doesn't know how beautiful she is' loving woman + sudden need for marriage and baby = HEA.

The other three stories frankly left me a little flat. The last one in particular was supposed to be "paranormal," and I guess it was because female character had been caught between dead and alive for five years. While a good shape-shifter or other-worldy story usually works for me, this story just seemed shallow and bizarre to me (despite taking place in one of my favorite places: Cornwall, England!).

Not sure the $5 I spent was justified for the one story I enjoyed. But fun to visit the 1990s again (since that's when all four stories took place).

[More Books Than Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Fairy Godmother: 3+ stars
Marriage on the Run: 2 stars
Don’t Tell Grandfather: 2 stars (barely)
The Enchanted Bride: 4+ stars

All are novellas, 90-100 pages

Borrowed again, read 1st, 2 stars this time.

[Sharon Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read.