Title: To Love and To Cherish
Author: Addison Albright
Series: Vows #3
Can be read as a standalone
Release Date: November 12th 2016
Genre: Contemporary MM Romance
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have Addison Albright here today. Addison agreed to answer a few questions for us and this is how the interview turned out…just wonderful!
~Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Talks to Addison Albright~
- That plot has a little of everything in it. Why the overabundance of plot threads?
I’m not sure whether you mean tropes/themes or major events the MCs face. Theme-wise, two are primary (marriage of convenience and memory loss) and are intertwined, and some others are incidental (doctor/nurse, hurt/comfort, gay virgin, unrequited love). The basic plot—which is hinted at in the blurb—is that Nash is disillusioned with love but longs for a committed, monogamous relationship. He embarks on a marriage of convenience scheme with a like-minded man. They each have things going on in their lives that would be simplified by this plan. The amnesia trope was added because there needed to be some drama along the MC’s journey toward love, and this made for a fun twist. The un-jaded Nash who has no bitter memories of his broken engagement wouldn’t have considered entering into a loveless engagement and naturally assumes it must be a love match. Event-wise, there’s not much I can give in the way of details without introducing too many spoilers. I’ll simply say that the events of the story are interrelated and flow along together.
- Which was the one major trope that launched the inspiration for the story?
Marriage of Convenience. I love the trope, but I wanted to do a story that didn’t have a contrived reason for the marriage. No billionaire about to lose an inheritance if he didn’t get married within the next week, etc. I wanted it to truly be for the convenience of the two main characters. That being said, I do enjoy reading this trope no matter the reason it’s employed.
- Ditched groom is always a great storyline, as is lost memory and marriage of convenience. Which is your favorite of the three if you had to pick a favorite?
That’s a tough one. I’d say it’s between memory loss and marriage of convenience. I suppose if I have to narrow it down I’d have to go with memory loss. There are so many different ways it can be handled, although my personal preference is for MC1 to forget MC2 (with whom he’s currently in a relationship), rather than it being an excuse for MC1 to get back together with an ex (whom he may or may not remember is in fact now an ex).
- Did you read romance novels growing up?
Sure did. I read a mix of cheesy romances, classics, and science fiction.
- What did you want to change about them and do you make those changes in your stories if any?
Oh, goodness. I’d be hard put to remember specifics, but generally speaking I spend more time thinking about my favorites rather than what I’d do differently in books I didn’t care for. If I love a story, I end up thinking about “what if” scenarios as well as “what comes next” in the characters’ lives. Or maybe flesh out the lives of favorite side characters. I can’t think of any that I’ve gone on to base one of my own published stories on, though.
I can’t help but think of one of my favorite books (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) and how there are now dozens of published stories that do just that. I’ve enjoyed the continuation stories, but I think I prefer the “what if this had happened instead of that” stories that change some pivotal scene then continue from there.
Thanks, Addison, for that terrific interview. And now more about To Love and To Cherish by Addison Albright
BLURB
Will Nash find love again? Of course he will. Will he go about it in the usual manner? Now that’s another story entirely.
Jilted by his fiancé two weeks before their wedding, Nash Marino’s outlook on life in general, and love in particular, is jaded. After months of couch-surfing, Nash is fed up. He’s sick and tired of his living conditions, worn out by the demands of his nursing job, and despairs of ever finding love again. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s capable of true love. Monogamy, commitment, companionship, and regular sex…that’s all he wants, and the sooner, the better.
When Nash crosses paths with a like-minded man who’s also in need of a live-in nurse for a beloved relative, Nash figures all his problems are solved. Matters are complicated by a freak accident and amnesia. When Nash’s marriage of convenience scheme is muddied by notions of love after his memory reboot, will their plans go awry, or will Nash’s new outlook on life be just what the doctor ordered?
Buy Links: JMS Books | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | All Romance | OmniLit
Find To Love and To Cherish on Goodreads
Find the Vows series on Goodreads
EXCERPT
“Fuck dating. Let first impressions rule. I could’ve saved myself a world of hurt and heartache if I’d done that over the years. I don’t know why I stuck it out with some of my shitty boyfriends either. Wishful thinking, I guess. But you’re right, I knew practically instantly that my husband was going to be the love of my life. So yeah, don’t bother dating…simply ask him to marry you five minutes into the conversation. I’m sure it won’t scare him off or anything.” She accompanied that final instruction with a cocked eyebrow and one of her trademark smirks, as if the scornful tone she’d used wasn’t enough to keep the sarcasm from going over his head. Subtlety wasn’t Angela’s strong suit.
“Sage advice.” He raised a spoonful of soup in salute, then brought it toward his mouth.
Someone bumped his chair from behind. Nash rocked forward, and soup spilled down his chin.
Angela stifled a snicker, and a male voice he recognized said, “Sorry about that.”
Nash snatched up his napkin to wipe his face, and turned. “No problem, Dr. Burlingham.”
Although it was, of course. He felt like a fool with chicken noodle dripping down his neck. Dr. Burlingham stood there looking at him with an odd intensity. Probably thinking Nash had a screw loose or was some kind of man-whore if he’d overheard much of Nash’s rant. Whatever, it was none of the man’s business, and Nash would hopefully not be working at this hospital—where the doctor’s opinion would affect him—for much longer anyway.
After gazing at him for an uncomfortably long couple of seconds, Dr. Burlingham turned back to Dr. Gilbert Wilson, a friendly and outgoing pediatrician whose close friendship with Dr. Burlingham had long stymied the hospital grapevine. Dr. Wilson gaped at Dr. Burlingham with his own less-squinty version of Angela’s earlier side-eye. Except Dr. Wilson’s version was accompanied by a comical upturn to one side of his mouth, indicating his enjoyment of the scene—rather than concern for his friend’s mental health, as Angela’s countenance had implied.
As soon as the two doctors walked around the corner, Angela burst into a fit of the chuckles that would have been better suited to the set of Dumb and Dumber.
“Hardee-har-har,” was the best he could come up with in reply. Nash grabbed her napkin and crammed it down the front of his uniform to mop up the rest of the soup drippage.
“Did you see the look on his face?” Angela managed to gasp between giggles.
“Which one? The repugnance on Dr. Burlingham’s or the glee on Dr. Wilson’s?”
The guffaws coming from across the table intensified and drew some curious glances as well as several censorious glares. “Seriously, Angela, you’re going to give yourself a hernia. It wasn’t that funny.”
He nudged her bottle toward her and she took the hint, a couple deep breaths, and a slug of water. “Wasn’t repugnance,” she wheezed.
“What are you talking about?”
“The look on Dr. Burlingham’s face. It wasn’t repugnance. Closer to yearning.”
“Don’t even.” Nash froze. “Right now your position on the hospital grapevine is scaring the shit out of me. Don’t. Even.”
She held up a hand. “I wouldn’t. Calm down, sweetie. I’m stating facts, is all.”
“There’s nothing remotely factual about that statement, so don’t start with me. And so help me, don’t even hint at joking about something that stupid on the pediatrics floor where Dr. Wilson might get wind of it.”
She pointed a finger—or rather the finger—at him and bit out, “I’m not a fucking idiot.”
No, she wasn’t. Nash eased back in his seat. And she was a good friend. He sighed. “Sorry. I know you wouldn’t. Just put it down to the stress, okay?”
She gave his hand a squeeze and the tightness that had appeared in her shoulders visibly relaxed as well. “I’m sorry, too, sweetie. I shouldn’t tease you right now. I promise I would never start or feed any rumors about you, stupid or otherwise, but there truly was something in his look. I just want you to have a heads-up on that.”
Nash closed his eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. It was doubtful, and so not a complication that would be appreciated right now in his life.
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About the Author
Addison Albright lives in the middle of the USA with three peculiar cats. Her stories are gay (sometimes erotic) romance, and tend to be sweet man-love in contemporary settings. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, french fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.
Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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