Katy Regnery

My name is Courtney Jane Salinger...and I'm sick of games.Sick of the Friday night bar-scene-cum-meat-market. Sick of the boy-girl, man-woman, mars-venus, flirtation-without-expectation, game-playing nonsense.Sick of awful dates and one-night stands, booty calls and guys who don't call back, mixed messages or NO messages and-and-and...I'm sick of all of it. I'm done.I just can't do it anymore.It's too hard, and worse: little by little, it's making me hard.It's breaking my heart.What DO I want?That's easy.I want a house in suburbia with a white picket fence.I want babies to buckle into a minivan.But most of all, I want to be married.I want a husband.So I've made an important decision: I'm making my escape from the dating world and the single life.I've filled out my application on ArrangeMe.com and I'm putting my fate into the hands of experts.Is it a little scary?Sure.I mean, I have no idea who I'll end up with. After all, I'm planning to marry a complete stranger.But between you and me?I can't wait.Being arranged can't possibly be worse than being single.Can it?*****Pre-order the sequel, ARRANGE US, available on May 20th!

Arrange Me

Totally Addicted to Reading

If you had a choice between an arranged marriage and marrying someone of your own choosing, which method would you choose? Personally, it would have to be someone I choose. I do not see myself marrying someone at first sight. That being said, I am not sure if I should applaud the heroine, of Arrange Me by Katy Regnery, or label her crazy. 
I must confess that when I opted to read this book, I did not know what it was about and that it was the first book of a duet. Therefore, I was taken aback by the cliffhanger ending and now I have to wait until May 20 to find out what is in store for Josh and Courtney. Despite my disappointment with the ending, I enjoyed the story. Engaging, sweet, funny and sexy. 

Courtney Salinger is a young professional who has fulfilled her dreams except for the one, which involves her having a husband. Tired of dating world and all the bad things that came with it, she decides to take an unconventional route. That of having ‘Experts’ finding her the perfect husband. To that end, she signs up with arrangemetoo.com. 

Josh Dalton is a struggling play-writer. In meantime meet while he waits to hit it big, he works as a bartender. He knows Courtney as he has been serving her drinks every Friday night for over a year. Just when he figures out he has feelings for her he discovers that she is determined to marry a complete stranger. 

They are both at different stages in their life. Courtney wants a family while Josh is focused on getting his career off the ground. Will he be willing to change his focus and give Courtney what she wants or watch her marry a complete stranger? 

Courtney is sweet, kind and smart although there were times she drove me nuts with her actions. She likes Josh, but kept pushing him away, as he could not give her what she wanted. Her desperation for an HEA made her fail to see that the thing she searched for was right in front of her. 

Poor Josh, my heart went out to him. His willingness to meet Courtney halfway was endearing, but she would not budge. 

Told from the POVs of the main characters, the story made me privy to their inner thoughts and emotions. Courtney’s emotions leapt off the pages. It was clear this was not an easy decision for her, but one she felt she had to make. Relating to the Josh’s turmoil proved easy. Career or marriage, not an easy decision. 

Conclusion/Recommendation 
Once again, Regnery has captivated me with her writing. She created an entertaining story. One that kept me turning the pages so I could discover how Courtney and Josh’s journey would evolve. 

I wait with great expectancy for the conclusion of their story. Will Courtney get all she desires and will Josh be the one who will help her to attain her dreams of HEA?

My name is Courtney Jane Salinger...and I just got married. I was sick of Netflix and chilling, hanging out, catfishing, ghosting, break-ups, make-ups, and games. So, what did I do? I signed up with a married-at-first-sight matchmaking service, and I married the man who was waiting for me at the altar. We did it. We're married. He's mine. I'm his. Man and wife. Missus and Mister. Except...We barely know each other. We've never lived together. Turns out I'm an early bird, and he's a night owl. He works nights and I work all day. His parents keep asking when we're having kids, while mine keep emailing me the names of divorce lawyers. Women everywhere want to get in his pants, including his omnipresent ex ... and my newly-single boss can't seem to get the hint that I am off the market. No one thinks we can make it. And now I'm starting to wonder too. Being arranged was just the beginning. Is happily-ever-after even possible?

Arrange Us

Arrange Us by Katy Regnery is book two in the Arranged Duo series and continues the story of Josh and Courtney. Arrange Us picks up from where Arrange Me, left off. Courtney and Josh are married, but they know nothing about each other as theirs was an arranged marriage, which was organised through a website called Arrange Me that specializes in matching couples based on certain algorithms. Courtney has realized her dreams of being married and Josh has gotten the girl to whom he has been attracted from the first time he met her. However can they stay married, much less to have a happily ever after.


Arrange Us highlighted the issues and the high points of marriage. Courtney and Josh are learning things about each other that they never knew before. Some of these discoveries led to insecurities rearing its ugly head. Josh had a hard time dealing with Courtney’s wealth, while Courtney felt insecure about her looks and wondered why he chose her when he had his pick of women. These two sure had many issues dealing with in their marriage. Parents’ disapproval, insecurities, egos, lack of trust, failing to communicate and deception. There should never be a need for deception, but sadly, this has happened a lot in marriages, which leads to a breakdown in the relationship.


I wondered if Josh and Courtney could move past their issues.


I found the story engaging. I especially loved the marital advice offered at the start of each chapter. Told from both Josh and Courtney’s POV, it helped me to understand situations from their perspective. I may not have agreed with most of their actions, or how they handled most of their problems, but I understood why they thought they had to make those decisions.

I have to admit Courtney’s behavior got on my nerves. She constantly whined and cried when things did not go her way. Josh patience shined at these trying points. Josh was not without his faults though. He needed to be a little more understanding. He needed to realise Courtney was used to a certain style of living, it would not change so quickly now that he is married her.

The issues were resolved easily with little or no conflict.


Narration

I thoroughly enjoyed the narration. It is my first time listening to JF Harding and Brooke Hayden. Both narrators did a great job in bringing the character’s emotions and voices to life.


Conclusion/Recommendation

Overall, a good story and one I enjoyed.

Arrange Me

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