"An amusing contemporary romance"

Recently receiving her doctorate, Taylor McGuire believes that a successful marriage depends on compatibility. Media darling Jonathon Kirby feels relationships can only succeed through hard work. Taylor and Jonathan debate their position on marriage on the popular cable show, Psychology in the News. Jonathan challenges Taylor to put up or shut up. He offers a contest in which the two will match up twenty couples each for one month to see whose grouping has the most survivors. To sweeten the pot, one of the pairs can win a million dollars. Unable to gracefully back down, Taylor accepts the gauntlet especially coming from the person who dumped her seventeen years ago.

As Taylor and Jonathan renew their acquaintance, the attraction reheats between them. The unceremonious ending to their teen dalliance keeps them apart as well as a beloved reminder that Taylor never told Jonathan about, one that even love might fail to overcome.

MARRIED FOR A MONTH is an amusing contemporary romance though the hiding of his child from him is an overdone device that adds unnecessary strain to a humorous plot. The story line engages the audience as the sexual tension between the delightful lead characters augments the professional debate and the contest between them. The support cast adds depth to the tale by making the contest seem real or by shedding light on the two doctors. Susan Mallory provides a jocular novel that will please sub-genre fans.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 15, 2001