Fourteen Pages - James Fant

Within six months Marco Goldsmith meets Venice; they get engaged and then marry, thinking that they are perfect for each other. However, after yet another fight, which caused Marco to punch a couple of holes into the living room wall, Venice screams that she hates him.

Wounded, he retreats wondering what went wrong.

In an effort to save their marriage and with help from marriage expert Garfield Moody, they draw up a contract - fourteen pages long - that details behaviors and attitudes that may stop them from arguing and perhaps make them understand each other better.

Friends, family and even the judge renewing their vows are skeptical. But Marco and Venice are determined to make their marriage work. They are both successful professionals; working on their commitment to each other shouldn't be difficult. But when the contract written up is flawed e.g., no children even though Venice is desperate to be a mother/start a family; will this agreement work?

Fant's novel about the break down of this couples marriage is an emotional roller-coaster. With the story centered predominantly on Marco and Venice it's a welcome break from the taught relationship to discover/understand why Marco's brother Benjamin keeps getting a second chance. He's the manager of Marco's sole restaurant but seems to be sitting back and doing very little. Something Venice has noticed and wants changed. Despite the seemingly incompatibility, the author makes sure it's known that there is a deep love - at least on the side of Marco. Does Venice feel the same way?

Overall a well written book. The characters met are likable to a point but are well defined without too much given away from the beginning. The more you read, the more is discovered about them. Whilst the premise of the book is good as well as the authors prowess at delving into what is possibly a difficult subject matter, I couldn't relate. The fundamentals of their contract just seemed to create a problem from the beginning. The fact that one partner wanted a child and the other didn't rang huge warning bells and I personally feel that marriage shouldn't be such hard work.

Regardless, it was an interesting plot especially as to how the author got his characters through this contract and for that it's worth picking up and reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author to review. The opinions expressed are my own and I am not required to give a positive critique.