Male Wanted by Betty Jo Schuler - "Sweet, funny, fabulous read"

A Personal Ad Goes Oh-So Wrong!

Taylor Gayle advertises in The Town Crier for a male to date, but Max Stuart misprints her ad to indicate she’s looking for a “sadomasochistic male to mate” and includes her address. To atone for his mistakes, Max becomes her live-in protector. Now, who’s going to protect this high school librarian from the unbelievably sexy newspaper editor? And who’s going to save Max from this feisty Plain Jane’s charms?

Taylor Gayle names her plants, dulls her hair with a brown rinse, and envies her fraternal twin sister of her beauty. Max Stuart plays with noisy toys, brings home his sister's dog Muttso, and sets fire to Taylor's kitchen. The elevator in their apartment building is an accident-waiting-to-happen, but the landlady is more concerned with whether Taylor and Max are "cohabitating." Glorious Apartments are as misnamed as Progressive High School and Boomtown, Ohio. Nothing is what it seems in this slaphappy romance.

Max finds Taylor in her long skirts and oversized specs as tantalizing as a package in plain brown wrap with no return address. She thinks he looks like a CEO but can’t handle the simplest task. She thinks he’s short on ambition. He thinks she should relax. She wants a serious man. He wants a fun-loving woman. They want one another.

Neither are what they seem. But while these two fake their ways into each other’s lives, they find a love that’s real.

Reviews:

"This was a romance with substance as it made a statement about prejudices and finding your own true identity. With that philosophical slant, it was also humorous and endearing. Both characters are very likeable and the family dynamics realistic. It was a fun afternoon read that got me thinking." ~The Book Runner, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer

"Taylor and Max have great chemistry and the story is sweet, funny and a fabulous read. I highly recommend it!"

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The Lonely Hearts of Yesterday: Love & Mischief in 19th Century Personal Ads by Laura Schaefer

Now here's something different! A Kindle Non-fiction Romance for $1.99 / £1.32!

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Personal advertisements have been around as long as newspapers themselves. If you're curious about what a "matrimonial ad" from the 1800s looked like, this is your book. Read it aloud and marvel at missives like:

           "Gentleman, 38, height 5 ft., 9 in., weight 170, black hair, brown eyes, fair complexion, wishes to meet lady, 35 to 38, refined, normal weight, good looking, good teeth, not tired of society, and invest and accept half interest in a manufacturing business; can handle her own money; view to matrimony. Stamp for reply."

           "I hereby give notice to all unmarried women that I, John -----, am at this writing five-and-forty, a widower, and in want of a wife. As I wish no one to be mistaken, I have a good cottage, with a couple of acres of land, for which I pay 2--- a year. I have five children, four of them old enough to be in employment; three sides of bacon, and some pigs ready for market. I should like to have a woman fit to take care of her house when I am out. I want no second family. She may be between forty and fifty if she likes. A good stirring woman would be preferred, who would take care of the pigs."

This book of 19th and early 20th century matrimonial advertisements--along with newspaper stories about romantic advertising adventures gone awry--will lighten your mood and reveal the unchanging optimism of men and women searching for love. The collection is organized by year, with ads from 1775 to 1918. 

About the author: Laura Schaefer has been a feature writer at Match.com for almost ten years. She enjoys covering all aspects of romance for Happen Magazine, from history and science to trends and humor. You can find many of her articles about love and dating at Yahoo.com.

Laura is the author of The Secret Ingredient (Simon & Schuster 2011), The Teashop Girls (Simon & Schuster 2008) and Man with Farm Seeks Woman with Tractor: The Best and Worst Personal Ads of All Time (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2005). She is also the founder and publisher of Planet Explorers Travel Guides for Kids. The series includes titles covering Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland Paris, Universal Orlando, LEGOland Florida, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, New York City, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Chicago.