Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: May the Best Man Win
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.miralynkelly.com/
CITY:
STATE: MN
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2010093657
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2010093657
HEADING: Kelly, Mira Lyn
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035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca08520639
040 __ |a IArlh |b eng |c IArlh
100 1_ |a Kelly, Mira Lyn
670 __ |a Wild fling or a wedding ring?, c2010: |b t.p. (Mira Lyn Kelly) p. facing t.p. (degree in Fine Arts from Loyola Univ. in Chicago; lives in rural Minn.)
PERSONAL
Married; children: four.
EDUCATION:Loyola University, degree in fine arts. Studied in Rome, Italy.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author.
AVOCATIONS:Watching movies, chatting with friends, and cooking.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago, Illinois, area and attended Loyola University in Chicago, earning a degree in fine arts. She met her husband while she was studying in Rome, Italy. It turned out that he had lived near her in the Chicago area. She now lives in northern Minnesota with her husband and four children.
May the Best Man Win and Never Stay Past Midnight
Kelly is the author of numerous romance novels—both stand-alones and several series. These include the “Dare to Love” series, the “Tabloid Scandals” series, and “The Wedding Date” series. The first book in “The Wedding Date” series is May the Best Man Win. Emily Klein has never forgiven Jase Foster for a betrayal of their friendship in high school and has tried her best to steer clear of him as an adult. However, when his friends keep marrying her friends, they often find themselves at the same weddings. The more they see of each other, the more Jase lusts after Emily, but he has trouble sharing his feelings with her. Even after a one-night stand together, Jase cannot find the words to tell Emily what she means to him. A Publishers Weekly reviewer was not impressed with the novel, feeling that it was “flimsy.” The reviewer commented: “There’s not much to recommend this romance other than the cast of friends, who have more personality and witty one-liners than the protagonists.”
In Never Stay Past Midnight, club promoter and developer Levi Davis has the perfect life. He gets to travel the country scouting locations for new clubs, then set them up before moving on to the next business project. As part of his deal with investors, he sticks around until the business shows six months of profits. With his latest venture, he cannot wait for the six months to be up so he can leave and move on to his next project. In the meantime, he has a one-night affair with a woman he meets in a bookstore. Elise Porter does not normally engage in one-night stands, but she needed a treat in her life. She has been trying to set up a yoga studio while working numerous jobs. Levi, who is used to getting what he wants, is shocked when Elise does not want to continue their relationship beyond that night. Eventually, however, the two characters fall for each other. A Dear Author Web site contributor loved the story and wrote: “Beyond the steaminess of this story (and the club scene is super hot), I loved how we were shown the mental progression of lust to love for both of these characters, particularly Levi. We got to know the characters well, what drove Elise and what drove Levi. Knowing the characters helped understand why these two in particular fit.”
Waking Up Married
In Waking Up Married, Megan Scott decides she has had enough of men and plans to visit a sperm bank and get pregnant without having to deal with disappointing men. Connor Reed also wants a family without the problems that come with relationships. When Connor meets Megan at a party one night in Las Vegas, they seem to hit it off, and Connor feels he has found the perfect, uncomplicated woman. He convinces her to marry him, and they tie the knot that night. However, Connor does not realize that Megan is so drunk, she does not realize what she is doing. When she wakes up the next morning married to a stranger, she immediately wants a divorce. Connor tries to convince her to give it a try, but she resists.
A Harlequin Junkie Web site reviewer called Waking Up Married “a fun romance story” and a “fun and fresh contemporary read.” A reviewer on the Pretty Good Gatsby Web site, while not as enthusiastic as the Harlequin Junkie Web site contributor, enjoyed the read. “Waking Up Married starts off great. There’s no long, drawn-out beginning here. From the very first page you know all the details.” The reviewer continued: “When all is said and done, I took Waking Up Married for what it was: a super-short contemporary romance. I knew exactly what I was getting into and for that I couldn’t fault it too much. It kept me entertained—despite a few eye-rolls.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, July 4, 2016, review of May the Best Man Win, p. 49.
ONLINE
Dear Author, http://dearauthor.com/ (July 25, 2012), review of Never Stay Past Midnight.
Harlequin Junkie, http://harlequinjunkie.com/ (December 8th, 2012), review of Waking Up Married.
Mira Lyn Kelly Home Page, http://www.miralynkelly.com (May 1, 2017).
Pretty Good Gatsby, https://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress.com/ (February 8, 2013), review of Waking Up Married.*
USA Today bestselling author Mira Lyn Kelly grew up in the Chicago area and earned her degree in Fine Arts from Loyola University. She met the love of her life while studying abroad in Rome, Italy, only to discover he’d been living right around the corner from her back home. Having spent her twenties working and playing in the Windy City, she’s now settled with her husband in rural Minnesota, where their four beautiful children provide an excess of action and entertainment. When she isn’t reading, writing, or running to keep up with the kids, she loves watching movies, blabbing with the girls, and cooking with her husband and friends.
Q&A
Q&A: Mira Lyn Kelly of MAY THE BEST MAN WIN
GUEST AUTHOR AUG 02, 2016
May The Best Man Win Mira Lyn Kelly
PURCHASE ONLINE AMAZON KINDLEB&N NOOKIBOOKSKOBO
We are positively jazzed to have Mira Lyn Kelly on the blog today answering a few of our oddball questions (spoiler: she makes the wisest choices when it comes to being stranded on a desert island)! Her book, May The Best Man Win is out right now, so don’t miss it!
What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?
So here are my top picks with a few favorite clips included…
Mr. And Mrs. Smith: Favorite movie ever…loved the snark and banter and come on—two married assassins who don’t know they are living with another killer?? So great. I love the fight scene where they destroy their whole perfect suburban house trying to kill each other but then ultimately give in to the hot sizzle!
Friends with Benefits: For making me laugh while getting the sexy on…
Killers: For the skin, awkward and cute meet that left me grinning:
The Notebook: Yeah, because of that kiss. THAT KISS!!!
Crazy Stupid Love: Okay, okay, the kisses get me every time! I love how Emma just storms in and Ryan is so stunned, and then with the tightening grip. Sigh. Good stuff!
But even better is the follow up where Emma’s trying to figure out his player moves. And it is every kind of awesome, lol.
Did you have any of these scenes in mind when writing scenes from your latest release?
Not so much. I love the movies for themselves and the way they make me feel when I watch them. They definitely reflect my tastes…and those tastes DEFINITELY come through in my writing…but that’s about it 🙂
FIVE BOOKS
If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what five books would they be, and why?
Wow…it hurts me to even think about only having five books to read for the rest of forever, lol! Especially because I’m not really much of a re-reader. But if that’s the way it had to go…
Pucked by Helena Hunting: Because it was hot as all get out and had me snorting coffee out my nose from laughing while I read it.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Because, Jamie. SIGH. I loved this one when it first came out and through all the years, it’s stuck with me. Plus it’s a biggie. Lots of story happening with this one, so it’s not going to feel like I’m flipping through GOOD NIGHT, MOON every single night. It takes a while 🙂
Paradise by Judith McNaught: Because it’s a one of the first straight up romances I ever read and it’s a classic.
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, current year: Because I’m a cheater, who wants to get as many different reads snuck in under what is technically a single book… and I like variety, lol.
And for my last book, I’d ask for it to be a surprise, because I’d want to read something wonderful that I hadn’t discovered yet 🙂
STRANDED
If you could choose any one romantic lead in a book to be stranded with on an island, who would it be?
Jamie from Outlander. He’s got a good sense of humor, a generous heart, stamina, and some wicked survival skills! Plus, the accent. Yep. Jamie!!
You have your choice of being stranded in any version of a Historical Romance, Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, or Sci-Fi Romance, what world would you choose?
Contemporary Romance—because I’d want my days to be filled with criminally hot guys who were up on pop culture and had the time to focus on making me laugh and that sensitive spot behind my ear instead of the impending Fae invasion, imminent loss of their lands if they don’t go through with their arranged marriages, or finding that other planet capable of sustaining human life.
FIRST ROMANCE (AKA My First Time):
What was the first romance novel you read?
Paradise by Judith McNaught.
What do you remember about it?
Being wowed by how the storytelling just sucked me in so completely.
What did you like most about it?
The whole falling in love thing. Me with the characters. The characters with each other. Just the love.
What did you like least about it?
The realization that I’d been missing out up to that read, lol.
Have you ever reread it?
No, as much as I loved that story and think back on it often, I’m not much of a re-reader.
What was your very first OTP (your favorite couple in fiction)?
My favorite couple in fiction these days is probably Kresley Cole’s Lothaire and Elizabeth Peirce…because they are so feisty!! Kresley is my favorite all time authors with her amazing storytelling, sexy, and snark– and while I love all her couples, there’s just something particularly excellent about these two. Like when he cuts out his heart (vampire, so it regenerates, don’t worry) and mails it to her, and she sends him back her middle finger. AHGHGHGhhghg so great, lol. Love!!
SNAPPY CHAT
Darcy or Wentworth?
Darcy
Rochester or Heathcliff?
Heathcliff
Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard?
Kirk
Midnight or mid-day?
Midnight
Angst or humor?
Humor
Tea or coffee?
Coffee
Wine or beer?
Alternating
Cake or pie?
Cake
Scruff, beard, or clean-shaven?
Damn it, making me choose is just cruel and I won’t do it!!
Sneakers or dress shoes?
Sneakers
Car, motorcycle, bike, or train?
Car
QUOTED: There's not much to recommend this romance other
than the cast of friends, who have more personality and witty one-liners than the protagonists.
May the Best Man Win
Publishers Weekly.
263.27 (July 4, 2016): p49.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
May the Best Man Win
Mira Lyn Kelly. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $6.99 mass market (352) ISBN 978-1-4926-3073-9
This flimsy contemporary romance set in Chicago relies heavily on the hero's inability to communicate. Emily Klein will never forgive Jase
Foster for betraying their high school friendship, but avoiding him as an adult is not an option: his friends keep marrying her friends. At a
wedding where he stands as the best man, she's the maid of honor, making it doubly hard to get through the evening in a civilized fashion. Both
Jase and Emily are one-dimensional characters, though Jase has slightly more depth, scarred by his mother's abandonment and fixated on Emily's
past misdeeds. Jase has always had a weakness for Emily's smile and legs, and when they hook up for a one-night stand, the chemistry is
explosive. However, he doesn't talk to Emily about his growing feelings, he avoids his father because he doesn't want to discuss his mother, and
he encourages his friend to walk out on his wife and baby instead of working out problems. There's not much to recommend this romance other
than the cast of friends, who have more personality and witty one-liners than the protagonists. It's clear from the heavy-handed setup that those
side characters will return in future sequels, which may be more entertaining than this one. Agent: Nicole Resciniti, Seymour Agency. (Aug.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"May the Best Man Win." Publishers Weekly, 4 July 2016, p. 49. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA457302902&it=r&asid=00c7b87f1b1298c62af12c97e7b386b7. Accessed 17 Apr.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A457302902
QUOTED: Beyond the steaminess of this story (and the club scene is super hot), I loved how we were shown the mental progression of lust to love for both of these characters, particularly Levi. We got to know the characters well, what drove Elise and what drove Levi. Knowing the characters helped understand why these two in particular fit.
July 25, 2012
REVIEW: Never Stay Past Midnight by Mira Lyn Kelly
JaneB REVIEWSChicago / Contemporary / Harlequin-Presents / Recommended Reads10 Comments
Dear Ms. Kelly:
Angela James mentioned on Twitter she was reading something really good from Harlequin and I reminded her she had my Kindle address. A few moments later, a book by you appeared on my device. The magic of technology! Angie was right. Never Stay Past Midnight was a sexy contemporary with good meat on its bones.
Mira Lyn Kelly Never Stay Past MidnightLevi Davis is in the midst of opening his newest club, this time in Chicago, Illinois. Levi lives a fantastic life. As a club promoter and developer, he spends his time scouting new locations, setting up new clubs, and moving on to the next business venture. It is not a lifestyle conducive to permanent relationships. Part of his deal with investors is a six month proven track record of profits. He’s at the tail end of his six month commitment and can not wait to get out of town and move on to his next project.
One night he is prowling a bookstore and runs into Elise Porter and they have a one night hookup. To Levi’s surprise, it is Elise that leaves, giving Levi the brush off.
“So, thank you,” Elise said, abruptly levering to sit and then looking around as if taking in a scene she didn’t quite know what to do with.
Something was off.
“Umm, that was really nice…” She winced a little, hesitated and then reached over to…pat his hand? “And I should get going.”
Nice? What the—? Okay. So she was nervous again.
Because she hadn’t done this before. Made sense.
And he hadn’t been prepared for it…because he hadn’t been with someone who hadn’t done this before.
While Elise wouldn’t ordinarily indulge in a one night stand with a gorgeous stranger, she can’t resist giving herself a sort of treat. Elise is in the process of getting a yoga/Pilates studio opened. She had just submitted her loan for her business and was spending most of her time studying business books, and working 10 jobs at the same time.
Elise ends up babysitter her sister’s dog, a giant brute of a dog, and she needs someone to take care of him during the afternoon. Even though it violates their one night stand, Levi is the only person she knows who does not work during the day. Embarrassed but desperate, Elise calls Levi, stumbles through an introduction because she isn’t sure he will remember her. Levi thinks that it is Elise’s lame excuse to hook up with him again but he’s thrilled she is opening the door to something he had thought was firmly closed. Only Elise’s plea for help was genuine, much to Levi’s surprise.
“YOU’RE serious?” Levi stared down at the leash, empty newspaper bag and crumpled twenty she’d stuffed in his hand and let out a laugh that was equal parts irritation and incredulous amusement. He should have seen it the second she’d swung open the apartment door, greeting him with that wide, grateful smile. No makeup, her hair stuffed in another one of those elastic things. Ratty jeans and a not too tight T-shirt. “This is actually about the dog?”
Elise blanched, her chin pulling back. “You thought it wasn’t about the dog?”
What a chump. This was not how it went with him.
He liked to be in control. Hell, he was man enough to know he needed it. And, this thing with Elise. He was most definitely not in control.
But, based on the Olympic-level hand-wringing happening in front of him, neither was she.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he shook his head. “Not to sound like an ass here, but it usually isn’t. The dog, the lost earring, the house keys—” misplaced thong “—whatever it is, it’s usually an excuse.”
…
“I swear, that wasn’t my intention. I mean, yes, I like you.”
Ah, hell, he knew where this was going…held up a staying hand, thinking his ego really wasn’t up for the speech he’d given too many times to count.
The problem for both Elise and Levi is that they can’t seem to keep their minds off sex and their hands off each other. Levi knows that Elise is the type of woman who likes boyfriends and walks in the park on the weekends. Elise knows that Levi is the type of man that moves from one woman to the next, the rolling stone that gathers no moss. They promise each other that their relationship, such as it is, will be sex only.
Despite their best intentions, Elise and Levi fall for each other and the conflict becomes how a relationship can fit into both their disparate lives and ambitions. Elise is different than the women Levi has been with in the past. He can’t stop thinking about her and he knows enough about himself to realize that his feelings are beyond just physical. Beyond the steaminess of this story (and the club scene is super hot), I loved how we were shown the mental progression of lust to love for both of these characters, particularly Levi. We got to know the characters well, what drove Elise and what drove Levi. Knowing the characters helped understand why these two in particular fit. In many books, characters seem so interchangeable but in this one, I really grasped them. I could have lived without the fecund CareBear epilogue though. Did that fit them? Not so much. B+
Best regards,
Jane
Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly is a fun romance story and the perfect book to kick off the new KISS line for Harlequin and get me hooked in the process. 🙂
Megan Scott has a plan, go to the sperm bank and get the baby she want, no more complications from guys who only let her down. But after a night out with her cousin’s friends and fellow bridesmaids, she finds herself waking up married to a man she doesn’t remember.
Connor Reed wants a family but without the hassle or inconvenience of love. He knows the damage love can do and he wants none of that. After he meets Megan he thinks she is the perfect solution, they both get what they are looking for without the complication of love. So he seizes the opportunity and convinces her to marry him, but little does he know that she is so drunk that she won’t remember the reasons she married him when she wakes up.
Now the morning after he has his work cut out for him, he has to try and convince her to give their marriage a chance before she does the first thing that came to mind, which was to get a divorce!
Megan and Connor will have to change a lot of their way of thinking if they want their relationship to work. Especially if they don’t want to loose what may have just fallen onto their laps, that may be love and the greatest happiness they’ve had in their lives. But there’s always more than meets the eye and they will have to learn to be more open with each other in order if they want things to work.
Waking Up Married is fun and fresh contemporary read and it’s FREE so go grab yourself a copy!!!
QUOTED: When all is said and done, I took Waking Up Married for what it was: a super-short contemporary romance. I knew exactly what I was getting into and for that I couldn’t fault it too much. It kept me entertained – despite a few eye-rolls
Harlequin’s new KISS line: Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly
February 8, 2013Leah
Title: Waking Up Married
Author: Mira Lyn Kelly
Pub. Date: e-book: December, 2012/print: February, 2013
Source: FREE e-book (Thank you, Harlequin!)
Summary: Her first thought: “Who are you?”
It’s the morning after her cousin’s bachelorette party in Vegas and Megan Scott wakes up with the mother of all hangovers. Even worse, she’s in a stranger’s penthouse having woken up with something else as well – a funny, arrogant, sexy…husband!
Up until now, finding even a boyfriend had seemed impossible – been there, got the broken heart, sworn off men for good. Then a few martinis with Carter…no, Connor Reed and she’s gone from first meet to marriage in one night!
Megan wants a lawyer. But Connor’s shocking bombshell?
“I don’t want a divorce.”
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: star-half-64
“So, Megan. The first thing you should know about me…”
“Uh-huh, yes?”
“I don’t want a divorce.”
Megan Scott had her life figured out: she had her job, her apartment, and a potential sperm donor lined up after a horrible break-up made her swear off men for good. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always go according to plan and after a particularly disastrous night in Vegas with her fellow bridesmaids, Megan finds herself waking up next to a stranger who claims to be her husband.
Harlequin recently announced their new Harlequin KISS line dedicated to fun contemporary stories. I suppose this is a year of firsts for me guys: I just recently read my first Goosebumps book and now I can say I’ve read a Harlequin.
It’s no secret I work in a bookstore. I’m no stranger to series romances and ladies love their Harlequins. To be honest, I never gave much though to Harlequins other than to giggle at their ridiculous Mad-Libs-esque titles.
HOWEVER. There’s always a however, isn’t there? I’ve been craving a light-hearted romance, something to make me laugh and escape the dreary, oh-so-snowy Pittsburgh weather. A few bloggers have been discussing the new Harlequin KISS line, Waking Up Married was free to download, and I had a day off. Perfect combination!
Waking Up Married starts off great. There’s no long, drawn-out beginning here. From the very first page you know all the details. At least, what Megan can remember (which is pretty much nothing). Instead Conner is left to provide the details and convince Megan to give this marriage a shot.
Now I can totally suspend my belief in favor of a fun story. But Connor’s instant – and fierce – determination to stay married didn’t sit well with me. If he was toned down a lot I wouldn’t mind him, but he’s VERY Christian Grey with his stalking (shows up on Megan’s doorstep in Denver AHEAD OF the moving van coming from San Francisco), insistence on what/how much she eats, there’s even a contract! No thank you.
Naturally Megan immediately wants to call up a lawyer and find some way out of this mess. Conner realized that after just a few hours, she was his perfect match – he even calls their marriage a ‘partnership’ – and insists they enter into a two-month trial. Megan will move into his giant mansion and Conner will spend the next few months trying to convince his wife they shouldn’t divorce.
The secondary characters could have been cut and the story would have remained the same, that’s how little of a role they played. The bride/bridesmaids are Mean and Spiteful. Conner’s best friend (I can’t even remember his name now! Something with a J I think) is There For Him. Of course Ex-Girlfriend shows up at a dinner party.
When all is said and done, I took Waking Up Married for what it was: a super-short contemporary romance. I knew exactly what I was getting into and for that I couldn’t fault it too much. It kept me entertained – despite a few eye-rolls – and I’m genuinely interested in seeing what else Harlequin KISS has to offer.