She only has to pretend to be married for five days. What’s the worst that could happen? Literature professor Ashleigh Darmody never imagined her life would turn into a classic trope, but that’s exactly what happens when her sister Claire calls with a bizarre request–quickly find a fake husband. Backstory is a powerful thing, and Ashleigh’s has plenty of shadows, but is her past so shady that … past so shady that it requires an elaborate scheme to ensure Claire’s prospective father-in-law, renowned TV evangelist Ken Abrams, will give her his blessing to marry his son?
Already divorced from a man who turned out to be other than he claimed, Ashleigh now has to pretend to be blissfully married to a stranger for the next five days. But when the lines of fiction and reality blur with each tick of the clock, could a temporary deal turn into something for keeps?
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Literarily For Keeps (2018) by Sarah Monzon is such a GREAT novella. This book currently comes in eBook form, and is 108 pages in length. With a full-time job and a precocious six-year old at home, this book took me one sitting to read. I received a copy of this novel in eBook form from the author. In no way has this influenced my opinion of the story. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give Literarily For Keeps 5 STARS. This book is a Contemporary Christian Romance.
Literarily For Keeps is such a GOOOOOOOOOD novella! This story had me laughing so hard in some places that tears were streaming down my face. I absolutely adore Ashleigh’s character — she could be my literary soul sister. I very much appreciate how intelligent and independent she is. And I LOVE how she views her world through the lens of every great classic novel she’s ever read. It was so much fun for me to know and understand all of her literary references; it felt like Ashleigh and I speak the same language! Literarily For Keeps is a super fun read that I will make sure to keep in my re-read pile so I can enjoy this charming story again and again.
One idea that really resonated with me is the concept of moving out of our comfort zones for the sake of others. At one point in the novella, Ashleigh ruminates, “Isn’t feeling a little discomfort good sometimes? We need to be shaken up by humanity’s plight, or soon we’ll all be sitting in sterile white boxes focused too much on ourselves and not enough on others.” Well said Ashleigh!!! I couldn’t agree more. It is good, especially in our day and age of instant gratification, social media blasts, and the selfie, for us to be discomforted for a moment to realize that we are NOT the center of the universe. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of our lives, but we have to be careful we don’t become myopic to the needs of others. This blindness to others is the exact opposite of what Jesus teaches in Matthew 25: 31-46. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus proclaims that when we feed the poor, clothe the naked, give drink to the thirsty, befriend the stranger, and visit the downtrodden in prison, we are actually doing these things to Him, too. When we do these good things not only are we making our Heavenly Father proud, but we are also ensuring that this world is a better place because of our selflessness. This is definitely a reminder I needed!
I adore Literarily For Keeps and cannot recommend this book enough. The plot — fake a marriage for 5 days — is tremendously engaging, so much so I tore through this story in one sitting! The characters are wonderful and so realistic. And, the romance between Ashleigh and Landon is wonderful and satisfying. If you are looking for a fast-paced, sweet, and hilarious read then Literarily For Keeps is definitely the book for you.
First, don’t you love the cover? It’s so whimsical! Guess what? So is the story! Whimsical and fun. Don’t get me wrong, there are some deep subjects in here. We see how easy it is to judge someone’s heart and then how that affects life. (I won’t say more because I don’t want to give anything way.) But gee, there sure is entertainment when we see how far a sister will go to help. I did a lot of giggling.
This is a novella, so a quick read. And especially quick because I couldn’t put it down. Seriously, treat yourself to Literarily for Keeps!
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.
I. LOVED. THIS.
Fake marriages.
Book quotes.
Hunky lead men.
All the things.
I loved.
5/5 stars!
I’ll start by saying that I love the cover of this book. I enjoyed some of the humor in the book and the relationship between Landon and Ashleigh (their interactions with each other, their banter, their chemistry). But the novella seemed to be taken over by too many heavy hot button topics and issues that are much too complicated to drop into a novella and have time to fully develop them. There are some delicate topics that need more careful handling and development than I think this novella was able to provide. Had the book been a full length novel, then perhaps there could have been more time to go more in depth and really deal with the situations appropriately. Even if it had been a full length book, there still might have been just too many issues to fully develop all of them.
Spoiler Alert:
The book tried too quickly to handle too many big issues—from homosexuality, sexual abuse in the church, hypocrisy, judging (even judging others for being what some of the characters considered too judging), hypocrisy in the church, leaving the church and no longer participating anywhere with a fellowship of believers, to many of the characters not really being truly Holy Spirit convicting honest with themselves. So, so many things that just did not have the time to be sufficiently developed well. It was especially frustrating to see characters such as the sister and her boyfriend lying and encouraging others to lie and never seeing a moment where they were convicted by the Holy Spirit over that. They only seemed to be upset over it when they were caught in the lie and it seemed more like guilt than true conviction. And yet those who were lying were the very ones who were looking at someone else and judging him for, in their opinion, being too judgmental.
I think I would have enjoyed the novella more if the focus had stayed more on the development of Landon and Ashleigh’s relationship rather than flitting from one heavy topic to another with not enough time to manage the topics well.
Sarah Monzon once again demonstrates great skill in this genre. While I do not read many contemporary romance, I find there to be more than initially meets the eye in Monzon’s writings. It is hard to deliver the same depth in a novella that is usually present in a full-length novel. However, Monzon demonstrates great skill as she pens a story both lighthearted and whimsical, yet with many meaningful moments in Literally for Keeps. There are plenty of lighthearted, laugh-out-loud moments to pacify a romantic reader’s heart. But it is the underlying soul-searching moments that can cause soul-searching in the reader’s heart as well.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Literarily for Keeps is a charming novella that pulled me in from the first page. Sarah Monzon is a pro at writing realistic, engaging, and lovable characters. Filled with wit and humor, this story kept me turning the pages as I got involved in the drama along with Ashleigh and Landon. Their banter and literary quote conversations were such fun. A message of not being quick to judge others added some inspiration to the story. I wouldn’t have minded a little longer story to add more depth to the relationship between the main characters.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the author. All opinions are my own.
This one was cute and sad and complicated…kinda like all these characters’ lives. I loved all the literary references and tropes! Such a cute couple too! I didn’t even know that I wanted a guy who could quote Lewis Carroll! 🙂