by: Delaney Diamond
Series: Quicksand
Genre: Contemporary Interracial Romance
Release Date: February 29, 2024
Publisher: Garden Avenue Press
They might both get what they want in this marriage of convenience—if they don’t kill each other first.
Annabelle Buchanan waltzes into Dante Escarra’s office with a singular goal—to persuade him to accept her audacious one-year marriage proposal. Her objective? Taking control of her father’s real estate empire. But Dante is her ex-husband, and their past is littered with hurt and anger.
Dante never once contemplated reuniting with Annabelle, because she broke his heart and left him devastated years ago. But her offer is a tantalizing chance to add an iconic Houston building to his real estate portfolio—a prize he covets more than he’s willing to admit.
As they pursue their respective goals, the lines between business and heart blur. Can they make their marriage work the second time around, or will they both end up with broken hearts—again?
Destination HEA: Why I Love the Marriage of Convenience Trope in Romance Novels
There are dozens of tropes in romance, and the marriage of convenience trope works in just about every subgenre. The premise is simple: two people must marry, not because they love each other, but out of necessity. Typically, they each have goals they want to accomplish, and getting married helps them achieve those goals.
That so-called simple premise is misleading, though, because the marriage of convenience plot is anything but simple for the characters involved in their farce of a marriage. Instead, we end up with a deliciously messy story about a couple’s journey to happily ever after, which is why I personally enjoy reading novels with this storyline.
It’s also why I finally wrote one with my latest release—Handsome Devil—about a wealthy socialite who propositions her ex-husband (yes, you read that correctly—her ex) with a marriage of convenience.
There are several reasons why I love this trope so much: the tension between the characters, the heart-melting romantic moments, and the satisfying character growth over the course of the novel.
Tension
Anytime two characters are thrown together against their will, there’s bound to be tension! Tension might arise because the hero and heroine have different values and somehow have to reconcile those differences to appear as a unified couple to the outside world. Misunderstandings and heated arguments often result and cause friction in the marriage.
Another way tension can rear its ugly head is if one party is keeping secrets. Never, ever a good idea, but how boring would romance be if characters didn’t sometimes make bad decisions?
My favorite type of tension is sexual tension, which can manifest at any time because the couple is forced to spend time together. In Handsome Devil, the sexual tension between Dante and Annabelle heightened after he kissed her at their engagement party.
Without warning, he dipped her over his arm—like a scene out of a 1950s romantic film—and stunned her with a kiss. Camera flashes went off, and cheers and whistles erupted in the night.Romantic moments
His warm hand splayed across her back in support, and his tongue eased apart her lips. The fiery heat of passion and desire rushed through her veins, making her ache.
As a romance lover, of course I love the romantic moments that result from a marriage of convenience. I enjoy when protagonists who were previously at odds start softening toward each other, during what I like to call the falling in love stage.
They use words like “my wife” or “my husband” (swoon). They notice and appreciate personality and physical traits they didn’t before. They share sweet, intimate moments, which means opening up to their partner and gaining a deeper understanding of who they are.
These moments could come about if the couple takes a trip together, attend an event like a party, or like in the case of my couple in Handsome Devil, Dante takes Annabelle to dinner at an old haunt he used to frequent.
“You never brought me here before, even when we were first married. Why?” Instead of waiting for a response, she answered for him. “Let me guess—because you didn’t think I’d appreciate this kind of place.”Character Growth
“That’s not why.”
“No? We both know you had a low opinion of me.” She sounded hurt.
“On the contrary, I didn’t have a low opinion of you. Perhaps I had a low opinion of myself.”
Her eyes softened and the corners of her mouth twitched. “You shouldn’t have. I married you, didn’t I?’
A smile curved his lips. “Yes, you did.”
I personally like to see characters change over the course of a story, and in the marriage of convenience trope, we’re sure to see the characters evolve because they’re no longer living life as an individual. They’re part of a unit.
Character growth can manifest in a number of ways, which include forgiving past hurts and learning to trust each other.
In the first chapters of Handsome Devil, Dante and Annabelle were antagonistic toward each other. There was no trust and lots of anger. As the story progressed, the barriers between them broke down, and eventually, Dante admitted his feelings for his wife:
Dante’s eyes became darker as he spoke with feeling. “We may have gotten married for the wrong reason, but I love you, Anna. I never stopped. When I say you’re my queen, I mean it, and I want to give you everything your heart desires.”Conclusion
Whether you’re a diehard fan of the marriage of convenience trope like me, or you’re a newbie to this type of unconventional romance, you’re bound to find a unique story among the many novels published that will scratch your romance itch.
And if you enjoy romance novels with lots of tension, sigh-worthy romantic moments, and individual character growth that leads to a happily ever after—pick up a copy of my marriage of convenience novel, Handsome Devil.
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Did I miss anything? Tell me what you love about the marriage of convenience trope.
“You came here for a reason. What do you want?”
“You should take a seat for this,” Annabelle said, waving toward his leather chair. She spoke in a lowered voice. Her seduction voice—low and throaty and bringing back memories that lashed his skin with heat.
His eyes narrowed in distrust. “Why do I need to sit down?”
“I’m not sure you’ll like what I’m about to say.” She gave a careless, one-shoulder shrug.
“Tell me so we can get this meeting over with, and I can go back to more important tasks, like practicing my golf swing.” He glanced at the Patel Philippe watch on his wrist. “You have sixty seconds to explain why you’re here, and then I’m calling security to escort you out.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. I have a proposition for you.”
“I cannot wait to hear it,” Dante said in a dry voice.
Another fake smile. “My father plans to step down as the CEO of Buchanan & Buchanan within the next few months.”
“Time is ticking. You have twenty-seven seconds.”
“Be patient, darling. I promise you’ll want to hear this,” she said, strolling over to the bar where he kept beverages for guests. She poured herself a glass of water and took a sip before turning to face him.
“Seventeen seconds.”
Annabelle arched an eyebrow. “When he steps down, he plans to recommend a merger to the board—a merger with his friend’s company, Strong Technology, Inc. They’re a privately owned firm specializing in smart home technology to modernize residential properties and make them more efficient. Daddy has threatened to go through with this merger for years.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Dante tapped his watch as a reminder.
“Nothing, directly.” Annabelle finished the water and carefully placed the glass on a silver tray atop the bar. “Except for the proposition I mentioned. Instead of merging the companies and having Albert Strong take over as CEO, I want Daddy to recommend me as CEO to the board, but unfortunately, he won’t because of his traditional values.”
A brief flash of pain zipped across her eyes, so fast he almost missed the emotion.
“That’s your problem. Again, what does your father’s decision have to do with me?”
She looked him squarely in the eyes. The haughty indifference disappeared, and a tough negotiator took its place. “My father admires and respects you. He thinks you’re a great businessman because of all you’ve accomplished in the ten years since our divorce. You’ve made quite a splash in the commercial real estate market. Therefore, my proposition is simple. I want to take over my father’s company, and I need you to help me make that happen. I’m proposing that you and I remarry.”
Dante cocked his head toward her in disbelief. “Excuse me, I misunderstood what you said. My English is not so good.”
“Your English is excellent. Probably better than mine at this point, so I know you understood perfectly what I said. I’m suggesting we get married again—a marriage of convenience, if you will. A mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties, you and me. My father will be happy to have you back in the family because he did like you, and now he has newfound respect for you thanks to all your accomplishments. Based on a conversation we had, I’m convinced he would recommend me for the CEO position if he thought you’d be involved in helping me with B&B, as needed. Our marriage would be temporary. Sometime after I take the reins of the company, you and I will have an amicable divorce. Not right away, of course. We want our reunion to be believable, but we simply split because we couldn’t make our marriage work for a second time.”
Dante folded his arms over his chest. Unbelievable.
“Your plan is to remarry and trick your father into believing you and I are happily married, so he will hand over the company to you when he steps down? That’s your plan?”
She smiled brilliantly. “Yes.”
“Ah querida, t’eres loca,” Dante said.
Then he burst out laughing.
“You should take a seat for this,” Annabelle said, waving toward his leather chair. She spoke in a lowered voice. Her seduction voice—low and throaty and bringing back memories that lashed his skin with heat.
His eyes narrowed in distrust. “Why do I need to sit down?”
“I’m not sure you’ll like what I’m about to say.” She gave a careless, one-shoulder shrug.
“Tell me so we can get this meeting over with, and I can go back to more important tasks, like practicing my golf swing.” He glanced at the Patel Philippe watch on his wrist. “You have sixty seconds to explain why you’re here, and then I’m calling security to escort you out.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. I have a proposition for you.”
“I cannot wait to hear it,” Dante said in a dry voice.
Another fake smile. “My father plans to step down as the CEO of Buchanan & Buchanan within the next few months.”
“Time is ticking. You have twenty-seven seconds.”
“Be patient, darling. I promise you’ll want to hear this,” she said, strolling over to the bar where he kept beverages for guests. She poured herself a glass of water and took a sip before turning to face him.
“Seventeen seconds.”
Annabelle arched an eyebrow. “When he steps down, he plans to recommend a merger to the board—a merger with his friend’s company, Strong Technology, Inc. They’re a privately owned firm specializing in smart home technology to modernize residential properties and make them more efficient. Daddy has threatened to go through with this merger for years.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Dante tapped his watch as a reminder.
“Nothing, directly.” Annabelle finished the water and carefully placed the glass on a silver tray atop the bar. “Except for the proposition I mentioned. Instead of merging the companies and having Albert Strong take over as CEO, I want Daddy to recommend me as CEO to the board, but unfortunately, he won’t because of his traditional values.”
A brief flash of pain zipped across her eyes, so fast he almost missed the emotion.
“That’s your problem. Again, what does your father’s decision have to do with me?”
She looked him squarely in the eyes. The haughty indifference disappeared, and a tough negotiator took its place. “My father admires and respects you. He thinks you’re a great businessman because of all you’ve accomplished in the ten years since our divorce. You’ve made quite a splash in the commercial real estate market. Therefore, my proposition is simple. I want to take over my father’s company, and I need you to help me make that happen. I’m proposing that you and I remarry.”
Dante cocked his head toward her in disbelief. “Excuse me, I misunderstood what you said. My English is not so good.”
“Your English is excellent. Probably better than mine at this point, so I know you understood perfectly what I said. I’m suggesting we get married again—a marriage of convenience, if you will. A mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties, you and me. My father will be happy to have you back in the family because he did like you, and now he has newfound respect for you thanks to all your accomplishments. Based on a conversation we had, I’m convinced he would recommend me for the CEO position if he thought you’d be involved in helping me with B&B, as needed. Our marriage would be temporary. Sometime after I take the reins of the company, you and I will have an amicable divorce. Not right away, of course. We want our reunion to be believable, but we simply split because we couldn’t make our marriage work for a second time.”
Dante folded his arms over his chest. Unbelievable.
“Your plan is to remarry and trick your father into believing you and I are happily married, so he will hand over the company to you when he steps down? That’s your plan?”
She smiled brilliantly. “Yes.”
“Ah querida, t’eres loca,” Dante said.
Then he burst out laughing.
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I love a good marriage of convenience. This story sounds really good.
ReplyDeletelooks like a fun one
ReplyDeleteI would love to read your book.
ReplyDelete