Dan and Nat got Married
From the bestselling author of This Thirtysomething Life, Happy Endings and Sunday Dinners, comes a brilliantly funny romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Love Actually, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones.
Marriage can be difficult. Especially when you've only just met. Meet Dan Fox, 34, an online marketing manager from Clapham, who was jilted at the altar two years ago by the love of his life and hasn’t dated since.
Nat Howard, 32, is living back at home with her parents in Dorking after her perfect boyfriend dumped her and she had to move out of his bespoke flat in Putney.
On separate Stag and Hen weekends in Las Vegas, Dan and Nat wake up married. Both too drunk to remember what happened, they return to England and try to get on with their lives. But there was something about Nat that makes the usually cautious Dan think they should give their marriage a go. Nat’s still in love with her Ex, but maybe Dan can help mend her broken heart.
Can marriage between two relative strangers really work? And when Nat's ex-boyfriend - the gorgeous Charlie - comes back into her life, she must decide - something old or something new?
Set in London, Dan And Nat Got Married, is a funny and full of heart modern romantic comedy about marriage, relationships, and giving love a second chance.
From The author
Hello and thanks so much for having me on your blog. I’m delighted to be here and super excited to share the details of my new novel, Dan And Nat Got Married. So without any more waffle from me, let’s get cracking!
My fifth novel, Dan And Nat Got Married, is a romantic comedy set in London about two people, Dan and Nat. Dan, 34, is an online marketing manager from Clapham and Nat, 32, is an office temp and lives at home with her parents in Dorking. At the start of the book, Dan and Nat are both in Las Vegas on separate hen and stag weekends, and after a very heavy night out drinking, they wake up in bed together...married! They both freak out, of course, because they’ve both made bad decision before, but marrying a complete stranger tops both of their lists. They return to London and try to get on with their lives. But after meeting to talk about getting divorced, and for differing reasons, they decide to give their marriage a shot. I know, it sounds a bit ridiculous, but is it really? Can marriage between two relative strangers really work?
Part of the inspiration for the book came from my own life. I met my wife in Sydney while backpacking. We met in November and by New Year were talking marriage. I was in the middle of a round-the-world trip, I wasn’t looking for a girlfriend let alone a wife, but we were married the following November and have been happily married for almost twelve years. It got me thinking that there are so many ways we can meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after. One of the storylines in the book is that of Dan and his ex-fiancée Claire. They did everything the “proper” way. They dated for a long time, lived together, got engaged, and spent time arranging their perfect wedding. They did it the right way and it still didn’t work out because she leaves him standing at the altar and breaks his heart. This is one of the big reasons why Dan decides to give Nat a shot because he likes her, feels something, and if Claire didn’t work out, maybe Nat might.
I think it’s a lot more difficult for Nat to accept that things with Dan might work. For a start, when she decides to give Dan a chance, she’s still in love with her ex-boyfriend, Charlie. Nat doesn’t really go into her marriage with Dan fully committed, and a part of her incentive for moving in with Dan is to get out of her parents’ house. Her motives aren’t as pure as Dan’s, but before she knows it she’s falling for him and he’s falling for her. And this is in many ways one of the main themes of the book. Giving love a second chance. Both Dan and Nat have been hurt before. Both of them thought they were already in the relationship that would last for ever. But when given the chance to start again with each other, they open their hearts. Of course, when it doesn’t go to the plan, they both get hurt again because that’s love, right? No pain no gain.
One of the fun parts of writing this novel was slowly watching as Dan and Nat begin to get to know each other and start falling for each other. Each of them have huge doubts about moving in together and being married and each of them have their own secrets and emotional scars. They also have friends and family telling them they’re crazy. But one of the amazing things, I think, about relationships and love is that we can soon forget about our doubts and fears once we start falling in love again. I guess that’s the power of love, right? And in this novel, as with most romantic comedies, we have huge highs when it seems like everything is going to work out perfectly and then bigger lows when everything falls apart. I think the interesting thing about this book though is that we see Dan and Nat evolve not only as people and characters, but also as a married couple. Despite all of their worries, doubts, and the pressure they’ve put upon themselves by attempting to give their marriage a go, marriage is something special and it bonds them together in a way that an ordinary girlfriend/boyfriend relationship might not.
So can two relative strangers really make marriage work? Of course I’m not going to spoil the end of the novel by giving that away, but I think the message of the novel is clear. Love is always possible, even in our darkest moments, as long as we’re prepared to give it a chance. Dan and Nat have had their share of heartbreak, but being a romantic comedy, this is about the redemptive power of love and I think that shines through in the book.
Thanks so much for having me on your blog. It’s been an absolute pleasure! Dan And Nat Got Married, is out now!
