What if you had the chance to be instantly rich? What if you had the chance to inherit a vast country estate and four million pounds? And what if the only way of getting is was to...well, marry your boss?Jessica Wild, Gemma Townley's heroine in The Importance of Being Married, has to do just that. And it's not exactly plain sailing.
Advertising worker Jessica is shocked to find that her recently deceased friend Grace wasn't just the lonely old lady in the nursing home that she'd always thought. When a lawyer turns up on her doorstep, Jess quickly learns that Grace was in fact Grace Hampton - Lady Hampton, who owned a huge mansion and rather a lot of money.
And she's left the whole lot to Jess.
However, there's one big downside to Jessica's potential fortune: stupidly, Jessica pretended that she was married to make Grace happy. And Jess didn't make up any old boyfriend. She pretended she was married to her boss - the renowned advertising wunderkind Anthony Milton.
And the inheritance has to be claimed. Within fifty days. By, of course, a Mrs Jessica Milton.
Despite not being a believer in marriage, Jessica is determined not to let Grace's estate get handed to the council. So she and her flatmate Helen devise Project Marriage: a plan to get Jessica married to Anthony before the will becomes void.
After getting a vast makeover from Helen and lessons in being seductive, Jess is soon getting some male attention. The new Jessica Wild has even managed to snare the prime office target: Anthony.
And with only a short amount of time to get hold of her millions, Jessica has to get him down the aisle...as soon as possible. Which is looking rather easy now that Anthony has fallen in love with her.
All seems to be going well, despite having a wedding to plan along with her job at Milton Advertising, and dealing with the snotty Marcia. Thankfully there's Fenella, the overly-organised wedding planner to help her with the majority of the details.
But is it what she really wants? Will she really become Mrs Jessica Milton? Sure, being rich would be amazing, but is it worth marrying someone you really don't love? Will she give up the estate that Grace has entrusted her with?
The Importance of Being Married is an addictive read that I couldn't put down until I'd finished, wondering what Jess would do next. Jess has to ensnare Anthony and get him down the aisle within fifty days. Can she do it?
The only downside to this book is its slightly predictable ending; in fact, I figured out the twist earlier on in the book but dismissed it owing to it being far too obvious. But even so, it's still a fantastic read!
Rating: 5/5
