The Marriage Effect: A marriage of convenience sports romance (Washington Wolves Book 3)

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I had a great time reading this book. We can say that Logan is the “grumpy” one of the relationship and Paige is the “sunshine”. I enjoyed seeing these two living together and trying to make their relationship look real. Paige's relationship with the kids was fantastic. It was really cute seeing how the girls started to get closer to her and accept her. I loved the family dynamic in this book. Every time I read an scene of all of them together, my heart would melt. Paige, you’ll be my real wife. You’ll have a ring on your finger, and not that fake one that got us here. One I’ll buy for you. One I’ll give you in front of a very real judge, in a real courthouse, in front of real witnesses. In the eyes of God and the law, you and I will be husband and wife. You’ll be here, helping me take care of those girls, and none of it will be fake.” Kim HK, & McHenry PC (2002). The relationship between marriage and psychological well-being. Journal of Family Issues, 23, 885–911. [ Google Scholar] Diener E, Gohm CL, Suh E, et al. (2000). Similarity of the relations between marital status and subjective well-being across cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 31( 4), 419–436. [ Google Scholar] The results of both studies were most consistent with the selection hypothesis regarding the association between marriage and health. Study 1’s cross-sectional results showed that married individuals reported less drinking and psychological distress, more life satisfaction, and better overall health, relative to those who were unmarried but in a relationship, and that some of these differences existed at first assessment in the larger study, when all participants were as-yet unmarried. Study 2 showed that overall health and life satisfaction were improving in the months leading up to marriage, but leveled off or worsened following the marriage date, suggesting that if marriage has an immediate causal effect on wellbeing, it may occur prior to the wedding itself. Of course, these findings are all from data of those in early stages of life and do not speak to the possible long-term positive or negative effects of marriage and relationship stability.

I could go on and on about this story, the author, and how much I absolutely loved every word I read. This is easily a top read of 2018 for me, and further proof that Karla Sorensen is one of my favorite authors.

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Bopp M, Braun J, Gutzwiller F, & Faeh D (2012). Health risk or resource? Gradual and independent association between self-rated health and mortality persists over 30 years. PLoS One, 7:e30795. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar] Allie (fortunately no one calls me that) was very smart, loyal and strong woman. At the beginning I was a bit skeptical, but when she stood up for herself the 1st time she met the ‘rude’ hero, I was on her side. Teachman J (2003). Premarital sex, premarital cohabitation, and the risk of subsequent marital dissolution among women. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 444–455. [ Google Scholar] Paige and I were the same. Whatever fire burned inside her, I had it in me too. I’d just never met anyone who made me want to let the flames consume me. Who made me want to see how hot they could burn, what heights they could reach, what we could reach together. Being a football player and legal guardian to his four younger sisters means his playbook is full. However, one of them just landed in the hospital, which gives his brother the shot he needs to challenge Logan for custody.

Married individuals have a readily available source of social support and companionship, so it is unsurprising that their overall health, across the life course, is generally superior to that of unmarried individuals ( Hornish & Leonard, 2008). While at least one study found that the benefits to physical health for married individuals could be fully attributed to selection effects ( Horn et al., 2013), other studies have not observed any selection effects ( Jhang, 2018; Joung et al., 1998). While some researchers have not observed gender differences in these health benefits (e.g., Lindstrom, 2009) others have found that men benefit more from marriage because women promote their spouses’ health more than vice versa ( Ray et al., 2009; Umberson, 1992; Umberson et al., 2006). We hypothesized that married individuals would report better health than unmarried individuals (Study 1) and that both men and women would demonstrate physical health benefits as they transitioned to marriage (Study 2).I could probably write a complete essay and how much I loved this book and WHY, but I want to touch on some major points and keep this as short and sweet as possible. h rating: 4 stars. Allie. I liked her. I appreciated her strength and how she was confident in her own skin. Frech A, & Williams K (2007). Depression and the psychological benefits of entering marriage. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 48, 149. doi: 10.1177/002214650704800204 [ PubMed] [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar] Besides the main couple, there were quite a few supporting characters that deserve their own story, and according to the author there is a good chance that they will get their chance. I honestly can't wait to read more of this cast. Because of the way the author plotted this story, as well as her story telling, writing and dialogues - this book just worked for me. I made the mistake of starting The Bombshell Effect in the evening after work, and had to reluctantly put it down at midnight, otherwise I would have read until 4am on a weekday, and that hasn't happened in AGES!! Strohschein L, McDonough P, Monette G, & Shao Q (2005). Marital transitions and mental health: are there gender differences in the short-term effects of marital status change? Social Science & Medicine, 61( 11), 2293–2303 [ PubMed] [ Google Scholar]

Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well. I did, however, feel like the ending was a little rushed. Duan Z (2017) The relationship between real estate price and inflation and output: theoretical analysis and empirical test based on Chinese data. Quant Econ Tech Econ Res 12:127–139 Anderson S (2007) The economics of dowry and brideprice. J Econ Perspect 21(4):151–174. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.21.4.151 Overall Opinion: I went into this expecting a light, sexy read - and I got it! Was it deep into the characters and connection between them? No, but I wasn't really expecting it to be either. It was, however, just what I was looking for after a heavier book with some depressing content. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the H's behaviors. I also really disliked the fact that the epilogue was directly after their big conflict was resolved. I wanted some actual time with them as an outed couple, and maybe some more time with them becoming a family with the H's daughter! Otherwise, it was an enjoyable, light read that I enjoyed for what it was -- but it won't be making its home on my favorites shelf. Stanley SM, Rhoades GK, & Fincham FD (2011). Understanding romantic relationships among emerging adults: The significant roles of cohabitation and ambiguity. In Fincham FD & Cui M (Eds.), Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood (pp. 234–251). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. [ Google Scholar]

I loved getting to know the Ward sisters as little girls. Knowing where their stories go brought an added element of depth to watching them as teenagers, and I loved seeing their younger personalities. Paige’s relationships with them develop beautifully, and I loved watching things change with each of them individually as she found her way.