From New York Times bestselling author Katy Evans comes a hot romance about two strangers and their race to fall in love.If someone had bet Nell a million dollars that she would be saying “I do” to a complete stranger on national television, she’d have called them crazy, but with her crushing student loan payments sending her deep into the red, she’s out of options. This should be nothing more … should be nothing more than a business transaction—until she sets eyes on her groom, and everything changes.
The game is on the instant Luke spots Penelope “Nell” Carpenter. He’s out for the money, yes, but getting a little dirty with Nell doesn’t sound too bad either. Everyone knows he’s not the marrying kind, so it’s a good thing it’s just for show. God knows he’s the worst guy his pretty wife should pick for real.
They have nothing in common, but if they want the grand prize, they’ll have to beat out eight other couples. Proving that total opposites attract should be easy enough…as long as they don’t fall in love in the process.
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Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2019/08/15/million-dollar-marriage-katy-evans/
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’m so glad that the first book of this saga had such a handsome guy in the cover. The blurb didn’t catch my attention that badly, but the hottie… *blush* I say I’m glad, because otherwise I would have missed a really great couple of books or they would have been on my TBR list for years before reading them. The first one was good, with a style I greatly enjoyed, but this second one… is a blast!!
This time we leave the so-called glamour of the fashion world to traverse that minefield called reality TV. Million Dollar Marriage is a brand new and super secret show with one million dollar as the final prize. Penelope Carpenter (Nell for shorts) is a brilliant doctor who is drowned in student loans. She is an introvert and, for some reason, thinks that taking part in the reality show is a great idea. Luke Cross is the owner of a watering hole that has seen better days and it is about to be picked apart by the banks. So, a reality show sounds like fast money for him and he is in it for the big prize. Luke is a social machine and everyone falls in love with him. Except Nell, who is playing hard to get. Thankfully, they are paired together in the show… as husband and wife!
I am like Nell when it comes to reality shows. I don’t watch them, I don’t like them and I am incapable of understanding their appealing. So, I wasn’t at all convincend about reading a romance blooming in one of those shows. After finishing the book, I can say that my fears were totally absurd, because it has been one of the most enjoyable books I have read this year. The pace is incredible fast, with crazy challeneges for the participants that make the reading original and keeps you engaged page after page. I swear that I was cheering on them to show my support and practically insulting Ace when he and Marta had the advantage. I was so invested in the show that I felt sad when the end of it was announced. I have discovered that a reality show is much more enjoyable when you read it than when you watch it. I feel like I have been converted into a religion or something.
It helps volumes Katy’s style. This is the second book by her I have read, but I’m already in love with her care towards the main characters, the easy flow of the stories, the sense of humor (love when it gets caustic!!), thr sweetness, the naughty scenes, the romance… She has all the ingredients and adds them with perfect precision in just the proper amount. Yes, I’m very impressed. It is not easy to impress me in the Romance genre, but these two books have left me with a pleasant aftertaste that I won’t forget easily.
Obviously, I also fell in love with Luke… who could resist? He is the bad boy premium package: big musclse, tattoos, flirtatious, extrovert and so good between the sheets (with plenty and regular experience… ask for the list of references). He is naughty, naughty… but when he falls in love, Luke shows that he can also be a really sweet guy. Very patient and loyal, making sure that Nell is in the same page and letting her decide when, where, how much and for how long. His story about overcoming his past is moving and really a great example to show that there is always hope, no matter how dreadful the current situation may look. He would be a perfect book boyfriend except for a objectively small detail (subjectively it is huge): he is a smoker!! Boooo!! Luckily, that annoying fact is barely mentioned and I was able to ignore it in order not to make the reading less pleasurable. But is enough reason to remove him from my list of book boyfriends (it’s getting crowded, anyway). Sorry, pal, you can’t always win!!
On the other corner of the ring we have Nell. She is not like any other female character that I have met before. She is brilliant, but has an alarming allergy to everything social (my alma mater!!). No problem with that, except she considers herself better than the rest of her fellow mortals and has zero problem of saying so. Somehow, that doesn’t make her a bad character or one that you wouldn’t support. It makes the story more interesting, because it is obvious that is going to be a much harder shell to brake. Which means Luke has to use his top game and that is something I could read everyday for the rest of my life. By the end of the book, we can tell Penelope is a much better character; but it saddens me a little that it is not clearly said that her essence is intact. There wasn’t anything wrong with her and her hobbies… she just needed a little tuning.
Is everything perfect? Nope. There are a couple of things I do not like (apart from the smoking thing). Not a big deal actually, but they are a bit unrealistic. One of them is during the key challenge. The couples had to find the correct key for their room among hundreds of them. Luke and Nell are incredibly unlucky with this one, but the rest are annoyingly lucky… Most of them needed few attempts to get the right key… If that were a real show, I would think that the task was rigged somehow. And the other one is when they have to choose who gets their hair cut or who does a training circuit for marines. Surprisingily, Nell wants to do the physical challenge even though she has stayed away of anything sportish her whole life. And… she nails it? A circuit with obstacles meant to train marines? It felt too easy… Maybe she is a natural ans didn’t know about it… Anyway, nothing really important for the story, so it shouldn’t stop you from picking it.
As a whole, this book is better than the previous one. The story has less gaps and the pace is even better. I have no idea if there will be more, but I wouldn’t mind reading a book for Ace (yes, that guy). In the meantime, I will need to check what other books by this author I will add to my list.
5 STARS
ARC received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own & have not been influenced in any way.
There is so much I loved about this book – especially with it’s plot twists based on reality TV shows ( Amazing Race & Married at First Sight )
Luke Cross & Penelope “Nell “ ( Penny ) Carpenter both compete for a spot on the soon to be hit reality TV show Million Dollar Marriage.
They are both chosen as contestants & paired together with a chance to each win a million dollars. Luke is hoping to win to pay off the debt he has gotten himself into after having taken over his grandparents bar & Nell wants to win to pay off her student loan debt.
The only catch is that they have to agree to be married at first sight in order to proceed to race for the million dollars.
There is an amazing chemistry between these two but they could not be more different …. easy going good looking – hardworking Luke does not take himself or others to seriously – Nell on the other hand is an anal over thinker & achiever “failure” has not been an option in her upper class upbringing.
In typical Katy Evans fashion you are in love with these characters. I especially love that Luke teaches Nell not to be so hard on herself – lighten up & have some fun. These two find themselves working so well together & have a really great shot at winning the entire competition.
Awesome HEA but you will need to read Million Dollar Marriage to learn the actual outcome.
Highly Entertaining – great plot !! Absolutely loved this book & would highly recommend it as well as anything Katy Evans has written – really love her work !!
Katy Evans is one of my fave authors, each book I read from her I devour it. MILLION DOLLAR MARRIAGE was not an exception, this opposites attract romance story was an amazing adventure with two people who needed money desperately because of their bad financial situation. They were ready to do whatever it takes to get the money even if they have to join a reality tv show in order to win a million dollars.
Luke Cross is the sexy owner of a bar with a bad boy look and attitude. He dropped out of high school at sixteen. Penelope Carpenter has a major in literature but since she lacks interpersonal skills, she continues studying at the university (her safe place) and keeps building up her students financial debt. They were opposites, the only thing they have in common was their financial situation, so the tv show paired them and now they have to get married, compete, win in order to receive the prize. So now they will have to work together in order to get to the finals and to the big prize.
Will Luke and Penny get to the finals?? Will they remain married? Will they win the million dollars? You will have to read the book to find that out!!!
If you are an adventure, love reality shows, and want to enjoy Katy Evans amazing writing, this book is for you!!!
I really don’t know why I picked this one up. Honestly. I am not a reality tv show type of person. I hate them. I’m totally confused why I went ahead and read this. Maybe I would change my mind? Maybe I’d really like it? Nope. Nope. Nope.
The characters I think were the biggest part of the reason I marked this down. Surprisingly they are what I liked less than the book plot. Imagine that….
I don’t think these two had any chemistry, and they never got me invested in their story. That is huge for me as a reader. Other issues for me was him falling in love after getting a BJ. Seriously. I doubt it. Then there was the fact that she became a huge wallflower, and then couldn’t stand the F word all of a sudden. MmmHmm. Ok. Then she just changes and evolves, but we were not shown that. Nope. Just told and was expected to believe it.
Outside of all of that, the other bigger issue was that there was no real drama. No big climax, no omg what’s gonna happen moment, nothing. Not.A.Thing. Stories need that to be interesting, and they need that to hook the reader to finish the book and not drop it half way through.
I think this was just a big miss for me. Sorry.
“A scarred heart is better than one that never really beat at all.”
A Million Dollar Marriage is a perfect summer read. The story of Penny and Luke was so romantic and it made me swoon so many times.
Luke… I love him hard! He was protective of Penny from the very beginning and to see their journey in the Game triggered so many emotions. They are are like the ying and the yang, water and fire but they complete each other perfectly!
“I feel this odd sensation , like he’s branded me. No man’s touch has ever done that to me. “
Nell is such a strong and insecure heroine at the same time.
I was rooting for them from the start.
Luke’s relationship with his gran was just everything.
Penny and Luke story is romantic and full of passion but are the odds in their favour?
“I want her by my side , in my veins , everywhere”
Highly recommend
Clear your schedule because once you start this book – you won’t want to put it down. Nell has 1/2 million dollars in student debt, amassed from achieving every degree possible to avoid joining the “real world.” On a whim, she tags along with her best friend to audition for a new reality show called “million dollar marriage”. Luke also shows up to audition – he is hoping to earn enough money to save his Grandfather’s bar – his grandparents are the only ones who believed in him. I am not really into reality shows but this one is impossible not to gobble up – a combination of Amazing race +Bachelor – it’s fun to be on the inside scoop as they experience their adventures + some interesting twists.
What happens when 2 people are picked for a reality show called “Million Dollar Marriage”? This is the question that both Luke and Penelope/Nelle has about being selected and having no idea what the show is really about. All each of them know is that when they are still in the game at certain points of the show, their winnings increase. Both Luke and Penelope need the money to pay off their debts. Luke is a bar owner who has been through a lot during his life especially during his teen and early 20s. Penelope comes from a well to do family but she was cut off from them and the money since she wasn’t willing to go to the college and major in what her father wanted her to do. So she ends up going to the college of her choice and continues pursuing higher education since she didn’t want to face the real world. But now that she is graduating with a PhD, she realizes that she must be a grown up and find a way to pay off her student loans.
When Luke and Penelope are “matched” together to be partners during the show, Penelope isn’t sure they are a good fit since they are total opposites. Luke convinces Penelope to give it a shot since they both are there for the money. The show, as all the contestants come to find out, is similar to “The Amazing Race” but with some interesting twist. As you can imagine, Luke and Penelope are struggling with each other and the tasks that they have to do. Fights, facing fears, and hilarity ensues reading about this couple and the other contestants going through all the different challenges.
In the end, Luke and Penelope must decide if opposites do attract and if the feelings for each other is not a result of the closeness but are true feelings that they have for each other. Each must overcome their own insecurities about themselves, especially when the show really plays on them, and face their true feelings for each other.
This was a fun read with the reality show and the twist to it and the final outcome. I rooted for Luke and Penelope and wanted to cheer when another contestant couple were the “leaders” during most of the tasks because they were just no likable at all. It was fun to see who won the show and then having to wait because there was a twist to the whole show!
This was a dream to read. I can’t stop thinking about it!! Penelope and Luke are as opposite as you can get and what Katy has delivered is an entire dedicated to the cliche “opposites attract”
I absolutely loved watching each character grow throughout the story and having the setting be a reality tv show is just ingenious!!
This series is going from strength to strength and I simply can’t wait to see what Katy will bring us next!!
Uuuh, such a smexy, adorable, fun read! And it’s about traveling! Talk about a perfect story for this bookworm! That and the adventurousness plus Luke really was what made the story for me – even if it was a little predictable.
I hate reality TV – let’s face it: it’s scripted, after all – but I loved how it played into their story. And all their pitstops along the way … let’s just say – my feet itch to be on the road yet again. Le sigh.
So … Luke. Such a wonderful and sexy man. He’s gorgeous. Plain and simple. Nell on the other hand … boy, that girl frustrated me to no end at times! As smart as she is, she really has some major issues. That changed a bit towards the end – though I am still not much of a fan of hers.
I enjoyed this one a lot more than I did the first book in this series – both standalones which can be ready separately by the way – and am looking forward to more.
This way such a fun journey through America – with hilarious moments, sexy moments, annoying moments, fighting moments and emotional moments – a great light read to brighten your day.
I literally did a happy dance when this book was out, so you can imagine how quickly I dived into this book. Million Dollar Marriage was exactly what I needed to read. Luke and Nell’s love story was just everything I needed to read right now, it was sexy, fun, swoon-worthy and reminded me exactly why I loved Katy Evans books so much. I just fell in love with these characters, I was literally sad when i reached the end of this story because I was so sad to leave these characters.. If your wondering if you need to get this book the answer is YES!! Immediately, Katy Evans wowed me once again with this story and I cant wait to see what she writes next ..
Another adorable and spicy read by Katy Evans!
Million Dollar Marriage follows Nell, a mid-twenty something bookworm as she tries out for a gameshow to reduce her school debt, and Luke Cross, the sexy and playful bar owner trying to save his families bar. These two had sparks flying, and not in a good way at first, but when they are forced to work together to win money, who knows what these opposites will find. I loved the banter, enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes, and Ms. Evans knows how to write them! The chemistry is fun, the characters likeable, and I was smiling throughout the book. Don’t miss this standalone!
Million Dollar Marriage is a super fun read. It’s sweet and a little bit sexy.
I am in love with this story..these characters and Katy Evans!! Katy brings us an original, refreshing story that is the perfect combo of smart, sexy and sweet! Million Dollar Marriage is one of my top 5 reads of the year!
I had never read a story quite like this. The hero (Luke) and the heroine (Penelope) both have their own financial problems and in result end up standing in line next to each other awaiting the casting of the soon-to-be-on-tv show “Million Dollar Marriage”. It was apparent from the beginning that these two were complete opposites but their chemistry was real. The challenges they were to face would either bring them closer or show them just how different they are. It was so beautiful to watch this story unfold. AND ladies…Luke is the man!! He gave me all the feels!!! I need me a lumberjack like Luke!!
This story has made it official for me..if Katy writes it..I’m reading it!!
Million Dollar Marriage is Luke and Nell’s book. Luke is the bar owner in Million Dollar Devil. Luke owns a bar that has been in his family for a very long time. The bar isn’t doing so well and Luke could use some money. He signs up to do a reality tv show in hopes of winning a million dollars. While doing the show he is paired with Penelope aka Nell. Nell is a forever college student with tons of debt. She joins the show in hopes of winning to pay off her student loans. They couldn’t be more different, but eventually start working well together. I enjoyed all of their witty banter and the game show aspect of the story. This was a fun and sexy story that I think many people will enjoy.
Another fun and exciting read from Katy Evans!
Million Dollar Marriage is on a league of its own, fun, sexy and all the feels.
Yes, this one was a new twist to the typical type of romance storylines. But it worked, I found myself just falling for the wildly fun antics the story took on and thoroughly enjoyed the enticing journey it led me on.
A unique, interesting storyline with fantastic banter and hot hot chemistry, this book was another great addition to the series.
Lord have mercy Katy Evans can do no wrong when writing a book!!! This book was totally original and I so totally feel in love with it just like every single one of her books. I loved getting to know Luke so much better and lord did I fall hard for him. And I thought Nell was amazing and loved how Luke brought her out of her shell and made her see how incredible she was. The chemistry between the two was off the charts and it was funny how much she fought it. I really wish I could give this book more that 5 stars because it deserves so many more!! I highly highly recommend this book!! – By Tina
We have already met Luke in book 1 but Million Dollar Marriage can be read as a standalone.
Luke dropped out of school and became a junkie… Years later he owns a bar, he has a lot of friends, everyone loves him, he’s sexy in a rough way and drops the F word a lot.
Nell stayed in school as long as she could. Now she has a doctorate, only one friend, no job and not really supportive parents.
They are polar opposites but they have a huge thing in common: they both are drowing in debts, they need a lot of money asap.
That’s why they participate to a new reality show, without knowing what they’ll have to do to win.
The concept is interesting. We really feel the competition, cheering for our heroes, needing to know what’s the next challenge… It’s difficult to stop reading.
Luke and Nell have to work together, to put their differencies aside. At first Nell is judgemental and it was hard for me to like her but through the pages we discover she has self esteem issues and she is smart enough to see Luke for who he really is. A smart, sweet, loyal, funny and respectful man. She’s smart enough to see what he doesn’t see in himself. Because yes education doesn’t make people smarter, education is important but it doesn’t make you more capable to face life and its challenges. Finally she and Luke have a lot in common. They both can be compassionate and supportive and caring… I really liked their relationship, the evolution, their banter… They come from 2 different worlds, he infuriates her at first but with time they learn to lean on each other, to trust each other, to overcome everything together.
Million Dollar Marriage is a sweet slow burn romance, an easy read… You’ll spend a good time!
Nell and Luke’s story intrigued me from the start. My daughter watches the Bachelor and Bachelorette religiously so I was curious as to how this game would play out. Would it be more like that or the Amazing Race or something. I loved the game and how these two navigated it and got so close to one another. Their feelings for one another were so real and genuine. I felt like they were thrown into this crazy scenario and got so much out of it. This was a great story that I didn’t want to end. I loved Luke and Nell. They truly cared for one another and both grew so much in the story.
This book is really good and it has you hooked from start to finish. I absolutely love Luke and Nell. Like Paula Abdul says “ Opposites Attract”. This book had me laughing, and there was Hawt moments too. This book is a must read and I’m not saying anymore. Therefore read it so you can find out how good it is. Thank you Katy Evans for another amazing book.