Married for a Month, by Cate Ashwood
Publisher: Self-Published [Kindle Unlimited]
Release Date: February 10, 2017
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
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?
M/M Pairing
Bisexual Character
Gay Character
Friends to Lovers
Fake Husbands
I adore the whole fake boyfriend trope, but fake husbands is even better. This book did the whole thing extremely well and in a refreshing way. Chase & Alec are best friends who, according to their friends, are not candidates for marriage. Taking a drunken bet, the two agree to live together for 30 days as husband and husband to prove they have what it takes for long term commitment.
The biggest thing I think this book did well was the two were older, and while they had been best friends for a while and had, at various times, been attracted to the other one, neither was harboring some long term unrequited crush. The two know each other well, but realize there really is more to learn once you’re in someone’s space 24/7. You know what they say: you really don’t know someone until you live with them.
The second thing that I feel separated this book from others is that the two do not immediately fall into a sexual relationship. They actually realize, through performing “traditional married people” actions, that they want something more and trust the other person enough to picture a serious relationship with them. These things are date nights, dinners after work, checking in with each other during the day, and being there for each other when things are rough. Eventually the two do decide to embark on a “husbands with benefits” arrangement about two weeks in, which just further illustrates how compatible the two are. I was a fan… the sex was yummy in this one.
Third plus is there is no drama regarding anyone’s sexuality. Alec has been openly bisexual forever and Chase gay. No internalized conflicts here.
My only complaint was when switching POV’s the two felt and read very similarly. Which I mean… long term friends do tend to pick up the same phrases, etc., but it had me flipping back to see who I was dealing with a few times.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
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 children, her husband, and their two cats.
Find her online at http://www.cateashwood.com
You can purchase Married for a Month at:
Amazon (KU)
Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes but this book seem slightly different but I am putting it on my wish list thank you for the review.
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It does still fall into the friends to lovers category but in a way that felt refreshing instead of the same old thing. I also liked that the guys were a bit older.
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Friends to lovers is awesome but I was still in the fence about getting and reading this book. After reading the review, I am sold. I like that it’s not insta-love and that they didn’t immediately jump into sex.
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I think it’s worth it. I was actually really surprised by how much I liked the book. I went in with no expectations because I wasn’t super familiar with the author. Let me know what you think once you get around to reading it.
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I went in with really low expectations because I’ve been reading a ton of friends to lovers and fake fiance’s lately but this one pleasantly surprised me.
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I adore a good fake relationship trope! Double bonus that I haven’t read this author yet….definitely picking this one up. Great review!
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Thanks let me know what you think once you read it.
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I’m fairly sure I’ve read and been underwhelmed by this author before. BUT, this is a premise that it’s near irresistible to me so I’m adding it to my “next buy” list. I was a totes gone when I saw this:
The two know each other well, but realize there really is more to learn once you’re in someone’s space 24/7. You know what they say: you really don’t know someone until you live with them.
*Chinhands* 😉
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ETA: I went back through my read list and was right. Keeping Sweets I liked OK, but I hated A Forced Silence.
(FTR, I will still read *this* novel.y expectations will be lowered accordingly, tho.
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You may not like it as much as I did but I still think you’ll enjoy it. I need to go back and double check but I believe this is my first book by this author which may have worked in my favor.
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Squee! I just read this myself. Going in my expectations were middle of the road, but I’m happy to say Married for a Month is now one of my favorites and certainly a story I’d enjoy reading again. A night out with Alec and Chase and their group of friends would be quite a bit of fun too. 🙂
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If you like this I also would recommend Textual Relations. Again she surprised me as I liked that almost as well as this.
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