Unorthodox Love
A Novel
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2.0 • 1 Rating
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Sophie Kinsella, Heidi Shertok’s delightful debut about love and family will tug on your heartstrings.
Twenty-nine-year-old Penina longs for true love and marriage, but being infertile in the Orthodox Jewish community means she’s rarely matched with the cream of the crop—or even skim milk two weeks past its expiration date. Matchmakers either set her up with men twice her age or those with serious mommy issues. At this point, she might as well wear a sign around her neck that says “professional virgin.”
As if things weren’t bad enough, her sister Libby then shares a terrible secret: her husband’s failed businesses have already put strain on their marriage, and now they might also lose their family home. Penina is desperate to help, so when a secretly gay Orthodox Jew offers a payout in exchange for a fake marriage, it feels like kismet. Who needs true love anyway?
Enter Sam Kleinfeld. Rude, secular, undeniably sexy, and also…Penina’s new boss. The last thing he wants is a relationship, especially not with a beautiful, smart-mouthed employee. But soon an attraction builds that they both can’t ignore. Will Penina follow her heart and find true love, or will she stick to the traditions she knows best?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Exploring the difficulties of dating in Minneapolis's Modern Orthodox Jewish community, Shertok's debut delivers both sparkling banter and realistic relationship hurdles. Jewelry seller Penina Kalish, 29, wants a family but worries both children and love are out of reach due to her uterine hypoplasia, which renders her infertile. Matchmakers haven't completely given up, but the pickings are slim in a community that prioritizes large families. Accepting that she may never find a partner, Penina dotes on her nieces and nephews and volunteers at the local hospital's NICU. Most days, it's enough—until she meets the sexy—but secular—Sam Kleinfeld, her new boss. Not willing to pursue a non-Orthodox relationship, Penina ignores the attraction and instead agrees to a marriage of convenience with a closeted gay Orthodox man in exchange for his help bailing her sister out of a financial bind. There are some light Indecent Proposal overtones to this arrangement, but can money really dampen the chemistry between Penina and Sam? Shertok's description of the Modern Orthodox community and how it fits into secular society is lovingly rendered without stifling the plot. This is sure to please.
