~His E-mail Order Wife~

by Kristi Gold

      Heroine:  Very tall, full-figured

     Kristina Simmons, bright, dependable, no-nonsense Montessori teacher never takes chances like this.  Yet she's packed all her things, moved out of her home, and is now hovering on the doorstep of her fiancé's Chicago mansion.  It sounds like the perfectly natural thing to do, except for the fact that Kristina has never laid eyes on the man, nor even heard his voice over the phone.  She accepted his surprising proposal only after a flurry of email exchanges!

    Handsome Drew Connelly is a success at everything.  Except relationships.  He hasn't managed to connect with a woman since he lost his wife years earlier.  The only light in his life is his family, especially the young daughter who adores him.  Feeling guilty about his frequent business trips and revolving door nannies, he swears to find her a mother, never dreaming that his daughter has taken things into her own hands . . .  with a little help from her great-grandmother and the internet!

    Drew meant to straighten things out between himself and the stranger on his doorstep, he truly did.  But he never expected to feel attracted to her, let alone fall in love with her!  Yet no matter how afraid he is of losing his new romance with Kristina, his conscience can't let them live out a lie.  How can he break it to her that he never actually proposed marriage, but wishes with all his heart that he had? 

      What worked for me:

     I liked Drew and Kristina as individuals as well as together.  I was really rooting for things to work out for them.

     Size-wise, thanks to a mother who can't pass up telling her daughter about the latest diet fads, Kristina really disliked her appearance at the start of the story.  But with Drew's support she was able to begin her journey towards appreciating her ample curves.

What didn't work for me:

     Yet another late-blooming virgin.  (Truly, I have nothing against folks who choose to wait.  But it just seems like there's been a high number of plump, older virgins in the contemporary stories I've read lately.)

     Aside from a sketchy history, we really aren't given much information on Kristina's background.  On the other hand, there's an overload of confusing information on Drew's wealthy, aristocratic family because this story falls smack dab in the middle of the Connelly Dynasty series.

    The plotline is a bit far-fetched, but I was willing to overlook it since I do like surprise encounters in my stories.

Overall:

A fast, solid read.  Fans of category novels and family series should enjoy this one.      

Be aware that there are some steamy scenes toward the end.  

If you liked "His E-mail Order Wife" you might also enjoy "Love at Large", "Baby at His Convenience", "Midsummer Lightning", "The Independent Bride", "The Librarian's Passionate Knight", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "The Course of True Love", "More to Love", "Runaway Bay", "His Seductive Revenge", "Carried Away", "Dear Cupid",  "Looking for Laura", "Spellbound", or "Sweet Memories".

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