A Deal Before the Altar by Rachael Thomas

A Deal Before the Altar by Rachael Thomas

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm sad to say that this was a let down for me.  The blurb sounded really cool, since Marriage of Convenience books are my kryptonite.  And both of the characters are damaged souls (check).  Both have dysfunctional childhoods and parental failures in their background (makes for an interesting story and built in angst).  And both suffer from fear of emotional involvement (not my favorite, but I get it).  And yet, I couldn't get excited about this book.  I felt like I was thumbing through the pages and waiting for the spark. Even the love scenes were unexciting. Dare I say I was actually a bit bored?  I think that the ending bumped my rating up a little. It was sweet and dramatic in a way I like, and Georgina showed some chops. She's a heck of a woman.  I found her ability to play the game and be fearless in the face of other's negative opinions pretty impressive.  I found Santos less compelling.  I thought he was in a state of arrested development about his father's remarrying and having another child. I think Santos was lucky to have a woman like Georgina.  I think they loved each other, but I didn't feel much about it either way.

I would read more by this author, but I hope that she develops that ability to make her book sizzle and engender pathos in her reader.

Not bad enough for less than three stars, but too disaffecting for more than three.



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