ARRANGED
BY CATHERINE McKENZIE
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Anne Blythe has a great life: a good job, good friends and a potential book deal for her first novel. When it comes to finding someone to share it with, however, she just can’t seem to get it right.
After yet another relationship ends, Anne comes across a business card for what she thinks is a dating service, and she pockets it just in case. When her best friend, Sarah, announces she’s engaged, Anne can’t help feeling envious. On an impulse, she decides to give the service a try because maybe she could use a little assistance in finding the right man. But Anne soon discovers the company isn’t a dating service; it’s an exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriage service. She initially rejects the idea, but the more she thinks about it – and the company’s success rate – the more it appeals to her. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, so why wouldn’t it work for her?
A few months later, Anne is travelling to a Mexican resort where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack. And against all odds, it seems to be working out – until Anne learns that Jack and the company that arranged their marriage are not what they seem at all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
HAVE YOU READ THESE OTHER BOOKS BY CATHERINE McKENZIE?
MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
In my review of Catherine McKenzie’s debut novel, SPIN, I wrote that “SPIN is well worth the time and an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from Catherine McKenzie in the future“. How delighted I was to find ARRANGED did not let me down. In fact, it is as well written, if not more so, than SPIN with McKenzie once more giving readers well developed characters they can connect with.
In ARRANGED, McKenzie writes a somewhat lighter, entertaining story about protagonist Anne Blythe’s search for true love. With a thriving career and life many might envy, Anne is missing one very important part. That is to be in a loving and successful relationship. She has just started to believe that perhaps this is a part of life she is never going to experience when by chance she finds a very remarkable business card. The Blythe & Company card says “Arrangements Made” and Anne thinks it is an omen (what with having her name in the company title) so why not try a dating service? Nothing else seems to have worked!
During her first appointment, however, Anne finds that Blythe & Company is not a dating service but rather one that arranges marriages! Anne thinks about this new twist but reminds herself that many people all over the world are in arranged marriages that thrive and do quite well. So after taking the required tests, Anne agrees to be sent to Mexico for a vacation in order to meet her chosen mate and quite possibly wind up married before going home.
Once in Mexico, Anne meets Jack, who is the complete opposite of the kind of man she would normally connect with but look how that has turned out! Anne decides to go for it and so she marries Jack. How will this all turn out? Will Anne’s instincts prove true? What will her family and friends think of all this and how will Jack fit into her world? And what does Anne discover about Blythe & Company that could change everything? With a strong narrative filled with romance and even some mystery, the twists and turns McKenzie develops in ARRANGED kept me reading one page after another and delighting in it all. Now, once again, I shall look forward even more than last time, for Catherine McKenzie’s next novel to come out!
MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
In my review of Catherine McKenzie’s debut novel, SPIN, I wrote that “SPIN is well worth the time and an enjoyable read. I look forward to reading more from Catherine McKenzie in the future“. How delighted I was to find ARRANGED did not let me down. In fact, it is as well written, if not more so, than SPIN with McKenzie once more giving readers well developed characters they can connect with.
In ARRANGED, McKenzie writes a somewhat lighter, entertaining story about protagonist Anne Blythe’s search for true love. With a thriving career and life many might envy, Anne is missing one very important part. That is to be in a loving and successful relationship. She has just started to believe that perhaps this is a part of life she is never going to experience when by chance she finds a very remarkable business card. The Blythe & Company card says “Arrangements Made” and Anne thinks it is an omen (what with having her name in the company title) so why not try a dating service? Nothing else seems to have worked!
During her first appointment, however, Anne finds that Blythe & Company is not a dating service but rather one that arranges marriages! Anne thinks about this new twist but reminds herself that many people all over the world are in arranged marriages that thrive and do quite well. So after taking the required tests, Anne agrees to be sent to Mexico for a vacation in order to meet her chosen mate and quite possibly wind up married before going home.
Once in Mexico, Anne meets Jack, who is the complete opposite of the kind of man she would normally connect with but look how that has turned out! Anne decides to go for it and so she marries Jack. How will this all turn out? Will Anne’s instincts prove true? What will her family and friends think of all this and how will Jack fit into her world? And what does Anne discover about Blythe & Company that could change everything? With a strong narrative filled with romance and even some mystery, the twists and turns McKenzie develops in ARRANGED kept me reading one page after another and delighting in it all. Now, once again, I shall look forward even more than last time, for Catherine McKenzie’s next novel to come out!
GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO MARY AND THE GOOD PEOPLE
AT WILLIAM MORROW BOOKS, I HAVE ONE
COPY OF ARRANGED TO GIVE AWAY TO
MY ALWAYS LOYAL FOLLOWERS
THANKS TO MARY AND THE GOOD PEOPLE
AT WILLIAM MORROW BOOKS, I HAVE ONE
COPY OF ARRANGED TO GIVE AWAY TO
MY ALWAYS LOYAL FOLLOWERS
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT ARRANGED THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK... DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT CATHERINE McKENZIE'S WEBSITE HERE
+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!
HOW TO ENTER:
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT ARRANGED THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK... DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT CATHERINE McKENZIE'S WEBSITE HERE
+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK
+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, JUNE 15
GOOD LUCK!
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