Summer Kick Off Blog Hop

To kick off summer with a fun twist, I decided to invite marriage therapist Dr. Caleb Paden onto my blog to tell you about The Forever Marriage that he created.  At the end of the post, I'm hosting a giveaway of Mr. Forever, starring Caleb as himself and Olivia Wells as...well, I'll let her tell you where she comes in.

Caleb:  I'm so glad to be here.  Spreading the word about Forever is my life's ambition.  Forever is a proven method for keeping marriages together and creating a stable home for children to grow up in.  The seven principles in Forever correspond to each letter in the word forever:

F -- Friendship before all physical encounters.

O -- Open communications.

R -- Really listen.

E -- Explore each other's world.

V -- Validate each other's dreams.

E -- Each person must use good manners

R -- Respect.

Wait a minute.  We're talking about marriage.  Shouldn't love be a part of it?

Caleb:  No.  Absolutely not.  Love and passion are the enemy.  Forever has no rollercoaster of emotions.  No one fights or shouts or slams the door, leaving their kids to wonder when or if they'll return.

Gee, it sounds like you have some childhood trauma you need to work through.

Caleb:  I don't--

Olivia:  He sure does.  I'm Olivia Wells.  I'm going to loosen up this stuffed shirt while he's staying in my inn.  First of all, we're going to add a few things to his misguided theories:  Sex, tenderness, intimacy, needs, kissing, and sentimentality.  Now we can call it Forever Stinks.

Caleb:  This is my interview, Olivia.  You're not supposed to be here.

Olivia:  Why Caleb, I believe you're yelling at me and showing emotion.  We're making progress already.

Let's get this interview back on track.  The title of the book is Mr. Forever.  Does this mean, Caleb, that you're Olivia's Mr. Forever?

Caleb:  No.  I would never involve myself with a woman who doesn't respect my theories.

Olivia:  Oh, he's involved with me, all right.  But he's absolutely not my Mr. Forever.  He'd have to believe in love first, and that will never happen.

Hmm.  I guess we'll have to read  Mr. Forever to find out what does happen…

***

The discovery of a secret baby threatens Caleb's professional reputation. Falling for the woman who loves this baby would ruin him.

Marriage therapist Caleb Paden has just found out he has a son from a one-night stand, making a mockery of his core belief of stable relationships--"friendship above all physical encounters." On his way to take the child for a paternity test, a snowstorm leaves him stranded with single mom Olivia Wells, who blames his advice for breaking up her marriage. Caleb finds himself fighting the urge for the most basic of physical encounters. Olivia would like nothing more than to destroy the career he spent a lifetime building, but her maternal instincts draw her to help Caleb bond with his child. Soon, she finds herself falling for both of them. Nowhere in any of his advice does Caleb have an answer for how to make a relationship work if he loses his heart to love.

To be entered to win, leave a comment telling me the most memorable marriage advice you've ever heard (good or bad). Then like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and follow my blog here. I'll pick one random winner to receive a copy of Mr. Forever. Make sure to include your email address and your preferred file type (Kindle, Nook or pdf) in your comments. Contest is open internationally.

Return to blog hop here
Hosted by CataRomance.com, SensualReads.com and SingleTitles.com