Young widow is invited by the matriarch of the well-known family of their Queensland town to audition some songs for a family wedding reception. She meets attractive Hero & his sophisticated fiancée, who scorns her career choices & her rambunctious 2yo son. Hero is struck by heroine's looks, voice, & love for her son and re-evaluates his future with his fiancée. Hero's fiancée fights hard to keep their marriage plans but Hero's grandmother is as determined to keep it from happening. Not the best Darcy book nor is it the worst. Pacing & emotional involvement was ok. Sexual tension & sex scenes were fine. Hero & heroine's attraction to each other & acceptance of it was straightforward. The challenge to their romance was Hero's ambitious fiancée. The plot was predictable. Characters were likeable but not memorable. Heroine was a nice & simple Italian-Australian girl, willing to forego her career aspirations for marriage & children. She's had a crush on Hero for awhile & didn't resist his advances. She didn't even wonder about his engagement status until after they had sex. Hero didn't show that much strength or depth either. He was raised in their small Australian town & seemed to have gotten diverted by city life & people like his fiancée. Coming back home & meeting heroine seemed to bring him back to his childhood roots & values. Recommended as an average romance
What do You think about The Arranged Marriage (2002)?
