How Do You Feel Now About Marriage of Convenience? : All About Romance
The marriage of convenience is one of romance’s most enduring plots. Whether the bargain is struck to save a fortune, secure a future, or escape a scandal, watching two strangers discover that vows made for practical reasons can blossom into true love, hot sex, and/or a perfect partnership is, for many, a lot of fun.
As long as I’ve read romance–and I began in the mid 70s– the trope has been a cornerstone of the genre. The MoC romances of earlier eras, penned by Woodiwiss, Lindsey, Lowell and others are still read today. Most of the great historical romance writers have penned at least one. Georgette Heyer’s Friday’s Child gives us a marriage that begins as a useful tool and turns to true love. Mary Balogh’s The Temporary Wife takes a agreement between governess and aristocrat which blooms into devotion. Lisa Kleypas’ Devil in Winter gives us perhaps the most beloved version, where a desperate bargain becomes a marriage marked by loyalty and passion.
The idea is still going strong today. Amazon’s best seller list is full of forced mafia marriages and strategic paranormal/fantasy partnerships. Here at AAR, we’ve recently loved Ali Hazelwood’s Bride in which a vampire and a werewolf find themselves in an unwanted marriage that grows into a very sexy choice. Mimi Matthews’s The Belle of Belgrave Square weds an anxious heiress to a war-scarred soldier, turning something like strategy into what is definitely love. Evie Dunmore’s Portrait of a Scotsman forces a Victorian couple into marriage for appearances and turns the relationship into a powerful partnership. One of my personal faves is Bec McMaster’s Dukes Are Forever–I could read how Adele and Malloryn go from antagonism to I can’t live without you-ism again and again.
However, we live in a world where marriage itself is no longer the goal for many. Close to 35% of Americans 18 to 30 aren’t interested in the institution. Many women, in particular, seem to have decided the single life is the way to go. An HEA used to almost always mean a wedding and a family. Now, that is no longer the case.
This issue is a big one, but today, I’m specifically interested in whether our changing times have changed the way you see marriage of convenience stories. Do you love them or is it time to retire that trope? If so why? And what books featuring MoCs do you like? Which do you dislike?
