Marianne (Australia) (2011/05/07): The Manning Brides contains the 3rd and 4th stories in the Manning series by Debbie Macomber. In A Marriage of Inconvenience, Rich Manning is asked by his long-time good friend, Jamie Warren, to be a sperm donor so she can have a baby. After due consideration, Rich decides, yes, but only if she marries him. What follows is an assortment of messages not left, conversations at crossed purposes, and misunderstandings as Rich and Jamie independently realise they have always loved each other. Plenty of chuckles and laugh-out-loud moments, especially as Rich tries to understand the female sex. And, as with their daughters’ marriages, once again Eric and Elizabeth Manning are cheated of the big wedding they would dearly love to organise! In Stand-in Wife, Paul Manning, six months bereaved, his wife Diane having died of complications in the birth of their daughter Kelsey, is joined in his home by Leah, Diane’s older sister, to care for his twin boys and Kelsey. Leah already loves her niece and nephews dearly, but after some time, she and Paul realise an attraction to each other. When Paul’s parents suggest they marry for pragmatic reasons, they do, although once again Eric and Elizabeth Manning are cheated of organising a fancy wedding. But the path of true love never runs smooth and Leah decides she wants to be loved for herself, rather than be a Stand-in wife. Two more classic Macombers that fans of this author will enjoy.
