A Very Married Christmas

A Very Married Christmas was a short, cute and fun novella about two people who seems to be the ideal couple to stay together forever but find themselves apart. Reunited for a close friends wedding Marley and Beck parted bitterly but now find themselves face to face in their hometown where they first fell in love. But Beck seems to have moved on and Marley is faced with the fact that she really couldn't have it all. Until they got stranded in a deserted island on Christmas Eve, could they start all over again. This was a quick read but despite the length managed to concisely get everything explained with no confusion. Beck and Marley were typically a couple who was still in love with one another but whose individual careers seems to have interfered in their relationship. The resolution and the happily for now seems realistic and fit the story since there was a lot of things that this couple had to resolve in order for their relationship to work. A quick and fun contemporary romance.

This was a cute and sweet story about second chances. Marley & Beck are almost divorced couple after 10 years. They come together for a wedding and all hell breaks loose.

Very enjoyable.

What do you get when you combine a fairytale along with some nostalgia? A Very Married Christmas by Erika Marks. This story is about professional baseball player Beck Chambers and successful cookbook author Marley Chambers. Beck and Marley met in high school, fell in love, got married, and lived happily ever after for almost ten years. A year ago they separated and now they are in the final stages of divorcing. Their lives are intertwined once again as they are back in their hometown of Magnolia Bay, to attend a friend's wedding on Christmas Day.

Marley was the dutiful wife as Beck's career took off and he became a household name. Unfortunately, Beck did not return the support when Marley published her debut cookbook, and as a result, she decided she was done playing second fiddle to his life. However, they never stopped loving each other and luckily, Marley's best friend Gina had the sense to make them see that they truly belong together.

I found Ms. Marks' writing style to be smooth and easy to read. Considering the constraints of a novella, the characters are well-developed, interesting and real. I felt the connection between Beck and Marley immediately and truly enjoyed learning about how their relationship evolved over the past ten years. If you are in the mood for a slightly emotional, second chance romance, check out this fun holiday read.

Read in October, 2014

This was a quick read but nothing felt rushed and nothing was left out. The gist is we have a couple who had been together for 10 years, allegedly divorcing, just to figure out that they are meant to be together. Fun, right?! Well, I thought so. And the best part was that instead of making this into a loooooooong drawn out process of he said she said kind of thing so we end up reading countless pages of 'stuff', the author gets right to the point ... love :) I was rooting for these two from the very beginning. I just really love Christmas theme stories and this was did not disappoint!

ARC provided by Tule Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review!

Just the right amount of sexual tension that leads to a Merry Christmas!
A good read that captures the Christmas spirit, even when the main character isn't so inclined to have much spirit.
A story of hope & holiday spirit.

Part of the Magnolia Bay series of books, “A Very Married Christmas” by Erika Marks is a short and sweet read about second chances.

The story of Marley Chambers and Beckett Chambers, “A Very Married Christmas” is about how everything can go wrong in a match made in heaven.

Childhood friends, sweethearts and Magnolia Bay’s most famous couple, Marley Chambers and Beckett Chambers find themselves in divorce court and they don’t know how they got there.

Author Erika Marks skillfully rekindle the sparks between Marley and Beckett without being cheesy or predictable. A great read for the Christmas holidays.

“A Very Married Christmas” is Rated T for Teens. There are no sex scenes in this book though it was implied.

this is how everyone should handle some misunderstandings and just confront their fear This is a story of a baseball pitcher and his estranged wife in the midst of a divorce after 10 years of marriage. They are both invited to a wedding of mutual friends and he shows up with a new younger girl friend with whom he is sleeping. His estranged wife then asks a younger bartender to escort her to one of the dinners. Then the two get trapped on an island for the night and are forced to deal with each other and their feelingsMarley was the dutiful wife as Beck's career took off and he became a household name. Unfortunately, Beck did not return the support when Marley published her debut cookbook, and as a result, she decided she was done playing second fiddle to his life. However, they never stopped loving each other and luckily, Marley's best friend Gina had the sense to make them see that they truly belong together

A Very Married Christmas is a delightful story about love and forgiveness. I loved it!

Professional baseball player Beck Chambers brought his new girlfriend at a wedding which his ex-wife, cookbook author Marley also attended. Both are awaiting their divorce settlements but it felt like something else was amiss, based on Marley’s bestfriend, Gina’s observation. Before their common friends’ wedding took place, Beck and Marley’s paths seem to always run towards each other. And when they were left stranded on an island and were forced to stay overnight on a deserted cottage, memories of their past relationship came into view. They seem to have rekindled the fire that started on the very same island where Beck proposed to Marley ten years ago. But would they ever be able to settle their differences over just one night? Would they get back together again, or would their differences to each other emerge once more? Will Beck finally acknowledge her ex-wife’s blossoming career? Will Marley ever forgive his husband after seeing him canoodling with his high-profile girlfriend? Your guess is as good as mine.

A Very Married Christmas is a short but lively and romantic story about two estranged lovers, finding each other again after separating. Beck & Marley, two broken hearts, two longing and hoping lovers. Magnolia Bay played a big role at the beginning of their relationship and this is where the end of their rift will unfold. I cannot help but think about my own marriage, which I am happily involved with my husband for ten years now. Sure we have our own differences to manage in our married life, sometimes we fight, sometimes we have understandings. Luckily, we always make sure we solve our problems at the end of the day and still stay together in love after all this years.

Ms. Erika Marks’ writing is flawless and upbeat. There was never a dull moment in the entirety of the book. All the characters have distinct personalities, especially Gina’s. The result, I could easily relate to all of the characters and found myself sighing and smiling at the end of the book.

Cute read about a couple on the verge of losing their way. Beck and Marley are on the brink of divorce. Careers and life are tearing them apart. Will they find the way to happily ever after or cash in? Cute read.

Wow great book. Loved it...it was so heartbreaking the way Marley was introduced to her soon-to-be ex husbands new girlfriend. Beck is a big league pitcher who has let his ego interfere with his marriage & Marley is a chef author who was looking for something more than just being a major league pitchers wife. Her new career put stress on their life & Beck made her choose, she chose her career. Now they are at a wedding for their best friends back in their home town just before Christmas & Marley is regretting her choice when she sees Beck acting like a teenager again with his new Barbie girlfriend. Things happen that put Beck & Marley alone on the very same island that he proposed to her on & reminiscing in front of a fire in the same cottage they stayed in has events changing their current status. Beck sees that he's chosen a girl whose career is more important than him & also that she's keeping Beck in the dark about requests for his time in charities, he wonders if he's actually learned anything from his separation from Marley. He has, he's not happy with anyone but Marley & he's got to figure out a way to get them back on track. Loved the writing & the way the drama built to their meet up & stranding on the island. Very interested in reading more by this author. Definite recommend to read.

It's short fiction, so there will be times where you might need to suspend what your reality would be like, but I liked the writing and think Erika Marks has skill.

I've read plenty of novellas where the dialogue feels stilted and the plot is ridiculously impossible, but Marks does a fine job in getting us from Point A to Point B without it feeling rushed or awkward.

I enjoyed the banter between Marley and Gina (who doesn't want a friend like Gina?).

A fun Christmas romance on second chance love. Beck, major league baseball player and Marley, cookbook author are awaiting their divorce papers when they are reunited at a friend's wedding. Both realizing maybe they are divorcing in a haste. Marley's friend plans an excursion to an island where they are left, just so happens that Beck proposed to Marley there.
I so love second chance love stories. A true meaning of for better or worse. The perfect Christmas setting in Magnolia Bay, makes me want to visit so bad.

Great cozy Christmas read. The difference between this and most Christmas romances is the starring couple is not just already together, but also already married! Fun twist on the genre.

Back in Magnolia Bay for her friend's wedding, cookbook author Marley Chambers has mixed emotions. Coming home brings back all sorts of memories, and not all of them are good. Marley is not looking forward to seeing her soon-to-be ex-husband, baseball's golden boy, Beckett 'Beck' Chambers. In the midst of less-than-amicable divorce proceedings, seeing Beck and his sexy twenty-something newscaster girlfriend leaves Marley feeling like three is definitely a crowd, and wishing she was anywhere but Magnolia Bay.

As a fan of second-chance love stories AND a majorly huge fan of Christmas, I really enjoyed A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS. I'd already met and fallen in love with Magnolia Bay, so it felt a little bit like visiting an old friend. And, even though I haven't dealt with divorce in my own life, I could totally relate to Marley, who had put her own creative energies on the back burner to support her husband's dreams. Beck comes across as somewhat of a selfish guy going through some mid-life issues at first, but when fate, in the person of Marley's friend Gina, forces him and Marley to spend Christmas Eve together, the two reconnect, and the man that Marley fell in love with makes a comeback.

A VERY MARRIED CHRISTMAS is part of the Southern Born Christmas series, and I very happily recommend it as an addition to any holiday romance list. Because, really, what better way to usher in this holiday season than with a second chance at love in the Beautiful South?

This was a fantastic read! A sweet light read that helps us remember that the power of love can overcome just about anything if you just try. Beck and Marley Chambers have spent most of the last year going through a painful separation and ongoing divorce. It's clear pretty quickly that neither wants that but has never taken the time to truly listen to the other and figure out what is truly important in life. Getting stranded on an island forces them to talk. Really talk. This is one you definitely want to read. I highly recommend it.

Marley Chambers married her high school sweetheart and spent years supporting him as he became a star pitcher. When her career as a cookbook author takes off, she is disappointed when Beck doesn't support her as she supported her as she supported him. In the process of divorcing, they both return home to Magnolia Bay for their friends' Christmas wedding. Beck has tried hard to move on, and brings his new girlfriend to the wedding. Though she asked for the divorce, Marley realizes that she is still in love with her husband. When events (and her best friend) conspire to throw them together, can they remember not only why they loved each other and can Beck remember who he was before he became a big star?
Erika Marks paints a wonderful picture of Magnolia Bay, making me wish I could celebrate Christmas there. I felt bad for Marley at the beginning of the story, and also felt that Beck bringing a new girlfriend to ta wedding his not-yet-ex was attending was ill-advised, I got the feeling that the whole relationship was more Beck trying to hard to move on than anything actually romantic.
Though it is a novella, the main and secondary characters are well-written. The story is well-paced, and I don't feel that I was rushed or missed anything. While this works well as a stand alone, I feel that I enjoyed it that much more having read both Marks's previous Magnolia Bay stories, but also, Kim Boykins's Magnolia Bay novellas, as well.

This holiday romance has:
❄Focus on a Winter Holiday
❄Friend/Family Reunion
❄Second Chances
❄Snowbound (Well, stranded on a deserted island)

(Provided by publisher)

I really enjoyed this book! It was an extremely quick read, but nothing felt incomplete. I absolutely loved Beck and Marley. It's really hard to make me love characters in such a short story, but Erica Marks did just that. This book gave me so many feels!

3.5 stars The storyline was interesting and kept me turning the pages, I highly recommend this book.
Thank you Netgalley and Tule Publishing for the ARC.

Well written story very sweet the characters were great.

While this is a very sweet second chance story for a married couple in the midst of a divorce, it left me wanting a little more. Marley was somewhat likeable but Beck was pretty hard to root for. With him dating another woman and fawning over her and then immediately switching to fawning over Marley, he came across as rather insincere. As a novella, it is a quick read.

A marriage in the limelight is difficult but add two successful people and it's disastrous. Marley became her own success but her MLB pitcher husband wasn't keen on her not waiting at home. A meet up during a friend's wedding has them reevaluate their marriage. I felt very uncomfortable for Marley as Beck had been with this gorgeous other woman for awhile, not sure I could accept that so easily.