In Nearlyweds, Beth Kendrick tackles the trials and tribulations of three couples as they embark on their first year of marriage.

On her wedding night, twenty-something Stella finds out that her fifty-something husband has no interest in having more children. In fact, he'd had a vasectomy many years ago, and is unwilling to even consider any alternatives. Mark's idea of a compromise is to buy Stella a teacup dog – what? Puppies are just like children. Had Stella known before the wedding that Mark was so against having children, she might have reconsidered accepting his proposal.

A bride's worst nightmare is hearing that everything is ready to begin...just as soon as the groom arrives. Casey is living her nightmare when her groom is nowhere to be found. When he does show up, however, all is not well in weddingland. Nick thinks things are moving a little too quickly and wants to postpone the wedding – indefinitely. Will Casey ever get her groom down the aisle?

Erin gave up her job at a pediatric ER in a prestigious Boston Hospital to move out to the country after her wedding. Marriage is about compromise, right? She’s compromised on her job and, against her better judgment, agreed to accept a down payment on a house as a wedding gift from David’s mother. But Erin puts her foot down when her mother-in-law tries to move in and David appears not to be able to stop her. Erin knew marriage wasn’t going to be easy, but she had no idea it would be like this...

In a twist of fate, all three women discover that the minister who married them unfortunately died before he got the chance to sign and submit their marriage certificates. Knowing now what they didn’t know then, will the three decide to make their marriages official?

This is a different spin on the joy that is supposed to be the first year of marriage. Each of the women discovers that their preconceived notions of what married life will be like are vastly different from the reality of the situation. Finding out that they were never legally married gives them pause, forcing them to reevaluate the situations in which they find themselves. Kendrick does a wonderful job of creating realistic characters who face realistic obstacles on the road to happiness. While Nearlyweds isn’t quite the romantic comedy is was purported to be, it was still a fun and engaging read. I enjoy Kendrick’s writing style and look forward to reading through her backlist.