The Contract*
(Terms and Conditions apply)
Some books… they don’t really change your life, but, can add a spark to the dragging hours and put a little smile on your face. This is one such book…
“…We’ll get married, but I’ll pay you a monthly salary to behave and appear for all practical purposes as my wife…If you agree, the marriage vows can be taken on the phone on Saturday, since I have an hour free in the morning.” – HUSSAIN.
WELL, I understand what you are thinking now. Rude, isn’t he? Yes, he is rude, but he is also kind and generous, when he wanted.
Shahira and Hussain entered into a marriage of convenience under a contract. She needed money and a safety net without any real ties of marriage (especially sexual ties) and he, he needed someone to look after his mother and daughter. Typical marriage of convenience and typical outcome of the romance novels, but the twists and turns and the past lives of both add spice to the usually tread the path of ‘Marriage of Convenience.’
Shahira and Hussain are well-written characters, but the little nuances in their mind and attitude and characters – I feel, that is not developed any greater than absolutely needed. Well, this is a novella, so I have no complaints about that, still I need more about both of them as individual, as I am greedy like that. Greedy for more, if I liked something.
The novella is slower at the beginning as we see only little of Hussain and Shahira together, but as it moved along, it become fast-paced and it is no wonder that I finished this in one setting. Well, it is intriguing, especially the past marriages that failed for both Shahira and Hussain and their misgivings about the relationship.
Some of the dialogs are great, and sassy and put a smile on my face. I love that about the book. The banter between Shahira and Hussain, his surprise when he realized that Shahira can speak Arabic… these little things add beauty to the entire novel.
I am a Muslim woman and have some strict views on relationships and the sanctity of marriage (my views, not that I am judging any), so I have some qualms about the subjects such as ‘affair after marriage’ and ‘infidelity’, but… well… those subjects made the story what it really is and they are used to prove why the characters detest getting shackled, so… yah… that made the story stronger and their resistance matter.
What I liked about the novel is its witty dialogues.
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Disclaimer: I would like to mention that this is purely my own perspective of the novella and this may or may not be biased. I am intensely attached with the genre romance… with some spunk and hence this novella has all the traits I loved in romance, I loved reading it.
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My rating meter:
- Books I love to read, again and again (5 points)
- Books I love to read the second time ( 4 to 4.9 points)
- Books I read and like, but can’t read more than one time (2 to 4 points)
- Books I wouldn’t read at all, if given the chance (1 or 0 points)
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