A Most Inconvenient Marriage by Regina Jennings

Abigail Stuart thought she was Jeremiah Calhoun’s widow. 

But Jeremiah Calhoun is very handsome, very alive, and very perplexed. 

Most inconvenient indeed.

With few options of her own, nurse Abigail Stuart agrees to marry her patient, a gravely wounded soldier calling himself Jeremiah Calhoun. They arrange a quick ceremony before he dies, giving Abigail the rights to his Ozark farm and giving Jeremiah the peace of knowing someone will care for his ailing sister after he’s gone—a practical solution for both of them.

After the war, Abigail fulfills her side of the bargain—until the real Jeremiah Calhoun shows up, injured but definitely alive, and wastes no time in challenging Abigail’s story. Abigail is flummoxed. After months of claiming to be his widow, how can she explain that she’s never seen this Jeremiah Calhoun before? How can she convince him that she isn’t trying to steal his farm? And will she find a way to stay, even though this practical arrangement has turned into a most inconvenient marriage?

Author: Regina Jennings

Publisher: Bethany House, 2014

Cover by John Hamilton Design

My Review

I’m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories—or inconvenience in this case. I love how this author put a fresh spin on an old concept. As with all of Regina’s stories, I was hooked from the first page. “First, you’re going to write a good-bye letter to my sweetheart, and then you’re going to marry me.” 

Abigail thought she was marrying Jeremiah Calhoun, until months later, after moving in with his ma and sister and claiming her land, the real Jeremiah shows up, exhausted from fighting a war, weakened from an injury that didn't heal properly, and determined to marry Laurel, his only love, and the woman whose memory coaxed him to survive. But returning to home to find himself already married ruins Jeremiah’s plans, and the fact that he’s not dead ruins all of Abigail’s. An inconvenience on both sides.

This story is well-paced, full of emotion and humor, and a swoon-worthy romance. Regina has easily made her way to my list of favorite historical romance authors. I give this books 5 stars!

*A free copy of this book was given to me in exchange for my honest review. 

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Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English. She is the author of Sixty Acres and a Bride, Love in the Balance, Caught in the Middle, and she contributed a novella to A Match Made in Texas. She and her family make their home in Oklahoma City. Regina can be found online at www.reginajennings.com.