Title ~ Married for a Month
Author ~ Cate Ashwood
Published ~ 10th February 2017
Genre ~ Contemporary M/M Romance
Rating
Synopsis
Best friends since high school, Chase Bradley and Alec Montero are opposites in almost every way. The one thing they can agree on, though, is that marriage is for suckers.
Everything is going their way until a drunken bet leads Alec and Chase to the altar. Their temporary “I Do’s” aren’t as amusing in the sober light of day when they find themselves thrown into married life and everything that goes with it.
The question they have to ask themselves now is, can their friendship survive being married for a month?
Freya’s Review
One drunken night, the friends of Chase and Alec didn’t believe either had it in them to succeed in a long-term relationship. Rising to the challenge, and not wanting to find a stranger, Chase proposed to his lifelong best friend Alec and they entered into a napkin contract of marriage for one month. What did they prove to their friends and what did they prove to themselves?
Married For A Month isn’t the first story I’ve had the pleasure of from Ms Ashwood. A Forced Silence was a superb read, and this one had something to live up to. One thing this author has nailed is the personal interaction between her characters. Chase and Alec are so different, yet equally, wonderfully flawed. Their dialogue and the story seamlessly flowed.
Chase is the eternal frat boy, with no interest in long-term attachments. Alec, although having left his frat days behind in favour of adulthood, has a similar dating track-record. He is an organised man – lists and all, Chase most definitely not. I immediately warmed to the whole group of friends, who, to cement the challenge, perform a fake wedding - which is superb.
The exercise starts off fun and teasing. An element of that carries on through the story. Both men hold their own in the banter states and have realistic, occasionally self-deprecating views of themselves and each other.
There was the realisation that at some time since school, the boys grew up and there were things they didn’t know about each other. Suddenly living 24/7 in the same space caused fun, explosive, awkward, and emotional moments. After all, Alec and Chase have been used to their own space for several years. With no intention of giving up, as well as everyday life and the terms of the contract, they had to learn to live with the quirks and faults of the other. Then there was the comparison to other married couples and making something work for them. Add in the previously unseen sexual attraction, and I had a truly delicious read – one that entertained and warmed the cockles of my heart.
Written in the first person, the POV changes between Chase and Alex with each chapter, which is frequent. Occasionally, this made it difficult to remember who was talking, but maybe that’s because I was so absorbed in the story.
Between home and work, passions ran high in more ways than one. Should they give in to lust, and if they did would it ruin their friendship? Then, of course, there’s the understanding that at some time their marriage would end. What happens after? You’ll have to read to find out.
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Connect with Cate Ashwood
Cate discovered her love for books of all kinds early on, but romance is where her heart truly lies. She is addicted to the happily ever afters and the journey the characters take to get there. Currently residing in White Rock, B.C, Cate loves living just a stone's throw from the ocean. When she's not writing, she can be found consuming coffee at an alarming rate while wrangling her toddler, her husband, and their two cats.
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