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Valerie Allen, psychologist and author, writes fiction, nonfiction, short stories, and children's books. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Space Coast Writers' Guild and as a member of the National League of American Pen Women, Cape Canaveral Branch, FL, USA. She is co-founder of AuthorsForAuthors.com
She lives in warm and sunny Florida where she has raised six children, from whom she has learned many things about life and love. Amazon.com/author/valerieallen
Reviewed by Sherri Fulmer Moorer for Readers' Favorite
Zack and Annie are eloping, but it will hardly be a happily-ever-after. Each of them has an ulterior motive for their whirlwind romance and marriage. The only problem is that each doesn't recognize that the other is only in for a marriage of convenience. There are benefits to marrying that have everything to do with getting what they want, and nothing to do with love. For Zack, it's about securing his future as a lawyer. For Annie, it's about preserving a life choice that she wants to stick with. Each hope a prenuptial agreement will provide a safety net to exit the marriage - but will they want to if this plan succeeds? Their friends don't agree, but they're determined to go through with their plan. A Marriage of Convenience by Valerie Allen is a unique tale of a romance.
I enjoyed A Marriage of Convenience because it addresses issues that aren't often talked about in society even in the twenty-first century: the benefits of marriage to secure a future. While we all have visions of marriage being a romantic union, there are many who enter into it merely to secure their future. Valerie Allen explores this subject well in the discussions that Zack and Annie have with their friends over the very issue of why they would enter into a marriage that they intend to dissolve once they get what they want. An uncomfortable topic, but one that is addressed in this compelling short story. Well written and well done. I highly recommend this story!
