A pretend marriage
A passion that's anything but…
The great depression has left heiress Jolie Cramer's
family destitute! To save them, Jolie must abandon her dreams of independence
and marry wealthy Randal Osterlund. Thank goodness Randal only wants a wife to
secure a business deal and shares her feelings about love -- nothing but
heartache! Jolie quickly realizes that's not all they have in common, but
falling for her charismatic husband wasn't part of their agreement…
Terrific book. It's not often you find a romance set
during the Great Depression, which made this one even more appealing. Here we
have two sides of the Depression. Jolie Cramer's father invested heavily in the
stock market, so when the crash came, he lost almost everything. This brought
on a fatal heart attack. Jolie's mother, devastated by the loss of her husband
and their lifestyle, spends her days either depressed or pretending that they
are still rich. Seeing the effect of her father's loss on her mother, Jolie
intends never to fall in love or marry. She plans a career in fashion design.
That is, until the day her mother informs Jolie that it's up to her to save the
family by marrying Randal Osterlund.
Randal's family came through the crash in good shape.
After he took over the business after his father's death, Randal diversified
their holdings, ensuring that they still had income. Randal was raised by a
father and grandfather who had high expectations - nothing was ever good
enough. Now that he's in charge, Randal wants to make a name for himself
through his own efforts. He plans to purchase an airline and start passenger
service. But the man who owns the airline he wants to buy will only sell to a
married man. Randal has avoided love and marriage after seeing the effect his
mother's death had on his father. He doesn't want that kind of pain in his
life. He makes a deal with Mrs. Cramer (believing it has Jolie's agreement)
that he will pay their taxes, provide for the two younger Cramers, and give
Mrs. Cramer an allowance if Jolie marries him.
Once she recovers from the shock, Jolie and Randal have a
heart-to-heart conversation regarding expectations. They are honest about their
anti-love opinions and feel they will do well together. They spend time
together getting to know each other. I loved that Randal was Jolie's port in
the storm of her mother's controlling behavior. It said a lot about him that he
stood up for Jolie's desire to make her wedding dress. They were well on the
way to becoming good friends by the time the wedding arrived. The scene with
the wedding chase was hilarious and exciting, and I enjoyed how they bonded
over it.
As Randal and Jolie settled into life together, I enjoyed
seeing their relationship grow. An unexpected attraction grew between them,
leading each to contemplate the future. They had already agreed to take the
time to be comfortable with each other before adding anything physical to their
relationship. Neither expected the deepening feelings, especially after their
agreement that love had no place in their marriage. I loved their continuing
support of each other. Randal's pride in Jolie's sewing accomplishments was unmistakable,
and I loved the scene at the department store when he took her shopping. Jolie
was equally supportive of his airline plans. I loved her joy and excitement
when he took her flying. There was a fly in the ointment of Randal's plans,
however. The owner of the airline he wants turned out to be Jolie's godfather,
and he has very different plans for the airline. I ached for Randal and its
effect on him and his belief in himself.
There was some conflict near the end brought on by a
trouble-making rival of Jolie's. She and Amy were long-time adversaries, and
Amy excels at creating trouble. An unexpected encounter between Amy and Randal
gives her the ammunition - twisted though it was - to prey on Jolie's fears. While
the confrontation between Jolie and Randal was painful, it did end up clearing
the air and opening their eyes. I loved the conclusion.
I also enjoyed the importance of family to both Randal
and Jolie. Randal has a powerful protective gene, and he likes nothing better
than looking out for his family. It became clear that he perhaps takes it a
little too far when he objects to his sisters and their husbands exerting some
independence. Jolie, being outside looking in, has some good suggestions for
his sisters and sees nothing wrong with helping them find their way. I loved
seeing the sisters get involved with Jolie's sewing endeavors. For her part,
Jolie is just as protective of her siblings but is a bit more clear-headed
about it. She spent years protecting them from their mother's foibles, but now
that Jolie isn't there, her brother and sister become mom's next money-making
targets. When Jolie helps them find their own jobs rather than asking Randal to
give them money, he feels hurt and rejected. I enjoyed the ending as the various
threads came together in one giant tangle and the love, honesty, and communication
it took to weave a solid cloth from them.
I also enjoyed seeing characters from some of the
author's earlier series make appearances. It's always fun to see how their
lives are going.
A passion that's anything but…
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