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A Sensible Arrangement (2014)

by Tracie Peterson(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0764210580 (ISBN13: 9780764210587)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Bethany House Publishers

series

Lone Star Brides

review 1: I went into this book hoping for the best and within the first few pages I knew I was going to be let down. The concept for the book had great potential and the writing for the most part was fairly decent but this book honestly felt like Peterson wrote the first draft, sent it to her editors, they fixed any grammar and spelling errors, then they slapped a cover on it and sent it out. There was nothing tying the story together.The love story between Marty and Jake took a back seat to pointless information on Colorado, politics and banking. So many times Peterson sets up a scene where the two are getting ready to go out on a date and then right as you think you are going to get a glimpse of something interesting, she ends the chapter and goes on to something else. Althou... moregh I wanted more of the love aspect, it was not because I was rooting for these two. I did not like either of the main characters but out of everything else in the book it was by far the best part of it. Marty was judgmental about everyone and everything, she lies repeatedly and never stops complaining. Every time Marty is in the picture she is putting down someone or something and I know you are supposed to commiserate with her on the snotty upper class of Denver but honestly to me she came across just as snotty. Yes, she goes to the orphanage and helps the children but even that seems so superficial and like she is only doing it to show these other women how much better of a person she is than them. It is very hard to read a book when the main character is so unlikableThen there is Jake, a spineless, uninteresting man. He allows his boss to bully and manipulate him around every turn. He does things even though he not does believe in them or wants to do them. He marries a stranger only because his boss tells him he needs to be married. It is ludicrous, seriously…Stand up for yourself man! And then there is his relationship with Marty. He essentially lures her into a marriage under false pretenses. He never tells her that he wants to eventually move back to Texas and own a ranch until after they are married. Shouldn’t this have been in the advertisement? So Marty comes with all her baggage not knowing that the man she is marrying wants what she gave up. How stupid! And shouldn’t Jake have asked what her deceased husband had done for a living? So much miscommunication that added to pointless drama.Every other aspect of the story from the business, to the random murder mystery with Marty’s maid is just boring, does not make sense and nothing really jells together. It is three different stories mashed together to create a choppy, messy novel. And to top it all off, the book ends so abruptly with nothing resolved so it leaves you even more unsatisfied if that is even possible. I am sure the rest of the series answers some questions but I will not be picking up the next one and mostly likely will not be picking up anything else by Tracie Peterson.
review 2: Marty Olsen is a widow who wants to get away from the memories of her past so she agrees to leave Texas and marry a man she doesn't know. Jake Wythe is a banker in Denver who placed an ad for a 'Lone Star Bride,' looking to marry because his employer is pressuring him to. They enter into this sensible arrangement just planning on being lifelong friends but end up finding much more.This book is full of wonderful characters, humor, mystery and of course the message to trust God. Tracie Peterson has a way of pulling you into her stories and I found that I often couldn't put it down.I did feel that their were some loose ends, but I think that book two will help with those.I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. less

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