A
marriage of convenience…full of inconvenient secrets.
Jocelyn
Townsend’s life as a courtesan bears no resemblance to the life she envisioned
in girlish dreams. But it allows her and her eccentric mother to live in
relative security—until her protector marries and no longer requires her
services.
Desperate
to find a new benefactor, one kind enough to accept her mother’s increasingly
mad flights of fancy, Jocelyn is nearly overwhelmed with uncertainty when a
lifeline comes from an unexpected source.
Leo
Sherbourne’s requirements for a wife are few. She must mother his young
daughter, run his household, and warm his bed. All in a calm, dignified manner
with a full measure of common sense. After his late wife’s histrionics and
infidelity, he craves a simpler, quieter life.
As
they embark on their arrangement, Leo and Jocelyn discover an attraction that
heats their bedroom and a mutual admiration that warms their days. But it isn’t
long before gossip regarding the fate of Leo’s first wife, and his frequent,
unexplained absences, make Jocelyn wonder if the secrets of Merrivale Manor are
rooted in murder…
A Marriage of Convenience
I’ve always enjoyed reading a marriage of convenience romance.
This type of book is familiar and comforting and popular with readers like me.
Since I snap up books using this premise, a marriage of convenience plot was
the obvious choice when I decided to write my own historical romances. I’ve
written two so far—The Spurned Viscountess and my newest release, Mistress of
Merrivale, which both feature this trope.
So what is a marriage of convenience? What are the
characteristics of this type of plot?
In times past, love didn’t come into the marriage equation.
Parents arranged marriages for their offspring, searching for the links that
would bring land, finance and added prestige into the family. Marriage was all
about connections and improving your lot in life.
For the romance writer, this is conflict served up on a platter.
The hero and heroine start their marriage knowing little about each other, yet
since they’re married there is no barrier to those hot sex scenes. The layers
of the characters are peeled away as they struggle to find their place in the
relationship and, because this is a romance, love.
Modern day marriage of convenience stories are harder to pull
off, mainly because times have
changed and sex before marriage is common. The modern way is to marry for love,
and we generally choose our partners, rather than letting our parents do it for
us.
The modern-day couple might marry for more practical reasons such
as sealing a contract, securing an inheritance or to perpetrate a pretense of
some sort.
If a child is involved, two people might marry to provide that
child with a home and safety. Sometimes money comes into the decision, but
immigration to allow one half of a couple to enter the country is a modern
twist. The need for protection or the insistent tick-tock of a biological clock
might persuade a heroine into marriage or even the modern version of
mail-order—meeting someone on the internet.
These stories bring inherent conflict because the characters
aren’t in love and they don’t have to pretend they’re head over heels for each
other. The getting-to-know each other stage of the relationship becomes the
conflict. Sexual relations are sometimes part of the deal and sometimes not,
and the greater intimacy comes with time.
In Mistress of Merrivale, my latest release, Jocelyn Townsend is
a mistress to a titled man. When her protector no longer requires her services,
she is desperate to find a replacement in order to keep her mother safe. Leo
Sherbourne requires a wife to warm his bed, keep his house in order and to look
after his young daughter. They agree that a marriage of convenience will work
well between and that—in the spirit of a good romance—is when all their
problems begin.
Shelley is offering an ebook copy of THE SPURNED VISCOUNTESS or
MISTRESS OF MERRIVALE to one randomly selected commenter. Please comment
for a chance to win!
MISTRESS OF MERRIVALE is available for purchase:
BIO:
 |
| Photo Credit: Princess Cruises |
Shelley
Munro is tall and curvaceous with blue eyes and a smile that turns masculine
heads everywhere she goes. She’s a university tutor and an explorer/treasure
hunter during her vacations. Skilled with weapons and combat, she is currently
in talks with a producer about a television series based on her world adventures.
Shelley
is also a writer blessed with a VERY vivid imagination and lives with her own
hero in New Zealand. She writes mainly erotic romance in the contemporary,
paranormal and historical genres for publishers Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and
Samhain Publishing. You can learn more about Shelley and her books at her
website and you might even find her lurking at Facebook or Twitter.
WEBSITE:
http://www.shelleymunro.com
NEWSLETTER:
http://eepurl.com/A2xfH
A very interesting angle on romance. Many of us can't understand that way of getting married. I'd love to read your book!
ReplyDeleteHi Ilona - yes, we marry for love mostly these days, so the concept is foreign to us. I think many of the marriages were successful though, because their expectations were different to our modern day ones.
ReplyDeleteMelissa - thanks for having me to visit today.
Shelley,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting with me. I found your post to be really interesting. I was thinking that the "mail order bride" scenario might be a believable premise for a modern marriage of convenience story.
Thank you for sharing your insights with us.
Cora Seaton has written a modern version - the e-mail order bride. I haven't read it yet, but it sounds like a fun concept.
DeleteLoved the post, Shelley. History details so many marriages of convenience, the outcomes of which were not HEA. But then, I don't think any of the couples expected it to be. Those were business arrangements. I suppose that's slightly better than the parent's of a foreign exchange student I had several years ago. Dad saw mom in a village and kidnapped her. That's how they do things in that country.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been very difficult going from your family to live. With a man who was a stranger, and I can imagine some of the arranged marriages were horrid. I'm sure that some would have worked well though, and we probably don't hear as much about those.
DeleteA kidnapping! Wow, that's an interesting way to start a marriage. One of the girls I worked with a few years ago had her marriage arranged by her parents, so it still happens in some cultures.
It reminds me of Lizzy Bennett and Charlotte. One married because she knew it was time and it was probably her only chance at it. The other one, more romantic, and younger of course, decided to wait . We all know the ending but it reminds me every day that love is out there, some where... I hope LOL :)
ReplyDeleteThink of all the family pressure on them as well. For some women it must have been an escape. I like to think there is love out there for everyone, but I guess that's why I write romance.
DeleteEnjoyed the post. I enjoy stories like that and I'm looking forward to reading yours. Best of luck with the release. Barb Bettis
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barb.
DeleteEnjoyed the post. I wonder how many marriages today actually start out as a friendship or a convenient connection that leads to love "without parental intervention?" Good luck with your writing.
ReplyDeleteYes, an interesting thought. Thanks for stopping by :)
ReplyDeleteI hope people take time to read your bio, because that in itself if worthy of a blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Charlotte. I have a vivid imagination ;)
DeleteYour excerpt read like those Gothic movie I used to watch. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your release, I wish you many sales.
Janice~
I used to read a lot of gothic romances as a teenager, and I would say that it rubbed off on me!
DeleteShelley, always loved moc since reading Georgette Heyer. Yes, putting an original twist in the book is hard, but can be done. We all have our little foibles!
ReplyDeleteHi Vonnie,
DeleteIt's always interesting to see how an author slants their plot and makes it theirs. Thanks for stopping by.
Winner Announcement:
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Ms Awesome!
I've emailed you about your prize. Thanks to everyone else for visiting :)