Alice was a raven-haired beauty who fell in love with easygoing James. They dated for about eight years, during which time they were monogamous, sexually intimate, and eventually lived together. They finally married in an elegant weekend celebration only to divorce before their second anniversary. What happened? How indeed can a couple date for so long, act married in most ways, and make such a terrible mistake? What Alice and James did not know was their hearts married long before their wedding day and that, in fact, was the problem. They are just one of many couples that you will meet in My Heart Got Married and I Didn't Know It. This nonfiction, self-help book introduces and names the concept of heart marriage as a relationship in which a couple becomes intimately bound in a profound way; yet they have not clearly or intentionally articulated the desire or commitment to be married. With today's relationship trends, this occurs often, and as a result couples are short-circuiting the natural developmental process of getting to know each other in a way that is critical in deciding whether the relationship is right for the long-term commitment of marriage. Because heart marriage occurs silently and unannounced, it is a perilous path that can lead to much unhappiness. My Heart Got Married and I Didn't Know It will help couples recognize if they are heart married, discern whether ending the relationship through a heart divorce is warranted, identify strategies to prevent heart marriage from occurring, and outline steps to transition from a heart marriage into a fulfilling, committed, and legal marriage.
