Matrimonial Merriment by Nicky James

Narrated by Nick J. Russo

Matrimonial Merriment is the seventh and final installment (for now – the author says they’ll be back!) in Nicky James’s wonderful Valor and Doyle romantic suspense series, although this title has no suspense plot. The central relationship is complex and has been developed over the previous six books (beginning with Temporary Partner), so this is not the place to jump in. There will be spoilers for previous books in this review.

Matrimonial Merriment starts just two weeks after the events of Disrupted Engagement where Aslan Doyle’s aborted attempts at the perfect proposal sent his partner, Quaid Valor, into stress overdrive. Quaid, knowing Aslan was hiding something and seemed distracted, thought he was about to give Quaid bad news. Quaid’s anxiety ended up forcing Aslan to pop the question in a decidedly not-perfect place or time, but at least they are finally engaged and planning their wedding! Unfortunately, wedding planning on a tight deadline of less than three months has again sent Quaid’s anxiety levels into the stratosphere.

In keeping with Aslan’s request that they get married sooner rather than later, Quaid is spending every waking hour, plus too many hours when he shouldn’t be awake, planning his perfect wedding. Of course this is going just about as well as Aslan’s ‘perfect’ proposal did. The stress has made Quaid hypercritical and he’s snapping at people he should be buttering up, including three wedding planners who have all refused to work with him. Still, Quaid has dreamed of his wedding since he was a child and he’s determined to make it happen and make it perfect. Aslan is just as determined to give Quaid his dream wedding and sets about finding a way to get Quaid to relinquish his absolute control over every aspect of the planning. When Quaid’s stress lands him in the emergency room with chest and stomach pains, Aslan finally has the trump card he needs: “Doctor’s orders.” So Aslan’s partner and best man Torin, along with Quaid’s best man Ruis, step up to help pull it all together, much to Quaid’s dismay and apprehension.

Without a suspense plot, most of the book deals with the varying aspects of wedding planning, such as the scene where Aslan and Torin go to a swanky bakery for cake tasting, which is priceless! The search for someone to officiate ends up being sweet and funny as well. There is a departmental Secret Santa storyline running in the background, which gives us more insight into Ruis as he tries to reconnect with his estranged cousin, Tallus, who now works in the Records Dept. Getting to see Torin and Ruis interact is also a hoot, even if it does drive up Quaid’s blood pressure! Still, not everything about the book worked for me. I didn’t find reading about Quaid’s initial anxiety levels over the planning to be entertaining. I also don’t get the appeal of spending tons of money on an over-the-top wedding, so the small details of the preparations and even of the wedding itself did make my eyes glaze over – although the wedding vows are truly lovely.

NIck J. Russo has expertly narrated the entire Valor and Doyle series but his narration here is exceptionally good. He is able to depict a wide range of deeply felt emotions without slipping into melodrama or making it sound maudlin. Along with the relatively large cast of recurring characters we meet several new ones, including Aslan’s parents and an elderly family friend, who all have significant speaking parts. The voice acting for Aslan’s parents and the very old friend is very entertaining and is a perfect example of why Mr. Russo is a narrator I seek out, knowing I won’t be disappointed.

Without the usual mystery plotline, Matrimonial Merriment concentrates on the relationship between Aslan and Quaid, as well as a variety of relationships involving several secondary characters such Aslan’s extended family, Quaid’s dad, and the aforementioned Ruis and Torin. Scenes with Aslan’s parents will make you smile, and a heart-to-heart between Quaid and his dad will tug at your heart. All in all, it’s a very satisfying wrap-up to Aslan and Quaid’s love story – although this isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of them! Add in the excellent narration by Nick J. Russo and this is a must listen for Valor and Doyle fans.

Carrie