I tried to like this but I just couldn't get into it. I love Katy and her stories but this wasn't for me. I could not finish it.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good game show romance where opposites attract and sizzle. Penelope and Luke combust with how much heat builds between them. Both participate in a game show where they have to marry and work together to win the race towards a million dollars. The game show is unique and the obstacles real enough to show the hardship they have to endure in order to win the game. Each challenge bringings out Penelope's true strengths and Lukes confidence. He makes her realize her true worth and although things don't turn out like you'd expect, Luke never gives up on Penelope and wins her at the end. The only reason I didn't give this a 5 star is because the ending was a bit sloppy and rushed. Other than that an entertaining and sweet romance.

Million Dollar Marriage by Katy Evans is such a fun and riveting read. It has so much excitement, romance, and many daring challenges. If you love watching reality shows then you're going to love diving into this one.

In Million Dollar Marriage you meet Luke and Nell. They are both in a bind money wise. So when they see an ad for Million Dollar Marriage they decide to give it a shot. But neither of them are prepared for all the physical and mental tests they will have to endure. This story is so captivating and keeps you hooked from beginning to end. It has lots of twists and turns that you'll never see coming. Such a great book. I'm so glad I got to read it. Katy is a favorite author and this book is just like all the others, so enduring.
Did I mention Luke is just amazing? Well he is. I absolutely loved his character and couldn't get enough. I would read many more books with this character. He's just so charming.

So if you love characters who couldn't be anymore different, an opposites attract story, a romance that keeps growing and an ending you want see coming then you'll enjoy this one. I sure did.
I give Million Dollar Marriage by Katy Evans 5 out of 5 STARS!

Luke and Nell were the perfect couple. Nell reminds me a little of myself and Luke was so swoon worthy! It was one of those stories that I just loved right from the start to the last page. Loving this series!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

Nell is about to graduate with yet another degree, but with the college debt she needs to find a job or some way to make money quickly. When her roommate tells her about an audition she is going to, Nell decides to tag along. She doesn't know anything about the audition because she doesn't watch reality TV.

Luke needs to find some money fast or lose his grandpa's bar. When Jimmy suggests he go to the audition for a reality TV show, Luke knows he doesn't have anything to lose.

Luke is attracted to Nell/Penny the moment he sees her standing in line with her textbook and reading glasses but Nell thinks he is a thug. While Nell's friend and boyfriend do not make the cut, Nell and Luke make it through. Nell can't believe she was picked, while Luke knew he was a shoo-in.

Funny how opposites attract, Nell and Luke are paired together and part of the game is they have to marry to be contestants for the show.

While Luke is the brawn, Nell is the brains, can they get along long enough to win in the end? Will the attraction between them run its course before the show ends? Can Nell trust Luke in the end?

I liked the first story but loved this one. Luke and Nell/Penny were perfect for each other even though they were opposites and that, to me, made the story perfect. I don't think you have to read the first one to understand this one but it does have characters from the first book in this one, so read it and enjoy Jimmy and Lizzy before you read Luke and Penny.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This book was not what I expected, but in a good way. A new take on the reality show genre, which was a great basis for the romance between Nell and Jimmy.

Jimmy is not exactly happy about having to try out for a reality show, but does in order to save his grandfather's bar. Nell's in the same boat. She's trying to figure out how to pay for her student loans that are about to come due. She's graduating with her PhD and unless she tries to find another degree, she's going to have to deal with the real world and the loans that are coming due.

Nell doesn't think she'll make the cut for this reality show, but when she does, she's not exactly thrilled but she's willing it give it a try for the money.

Imagine her surprise when she's paired up with Jimmy and in order to collect the million dollar prize, they have to finish the competition as a married couple.

The way the characters were written was amazing and the adventures made for Jimmy and Nell (or Penny as Jimmy calls her) really allowed them both to get to know each other in ways that many couples don't for a long time in a traditional dating relationship.

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next book in the series.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This is the second book in the series – I have not yet read the first, but I enjoyed this as a standalone.

If you like reality TV shows, then this is definitely a book you should add to your list. It is not too cynical about the whole process, but enough to be fun. The premise of the show is pretty good, and although it is not as detailed as you might hope, it gives a good idea to the ethical issues and the crazy challenges.

Although the two leads, Luke and Nell (Penny) are miles apart in terms of the level of education that they have pursued, they are actually far closer than you might ever expect in terms of their level of mucked up childhoods – and lack of positive parental attention. Luke was lucky enough to have caring grandparents, and Nell has a very loyal best friend, but their views of love and happy ever after are seriously tainted. Add to that Nell's terrible ex-fiancé and her lack of experience, and they are a complicated couple, that's for sure!

The way that their relationship develops works really well, and I was so glad that there was an epilogue which gave us everything we could have hoped for!

Million Dollar Marriage is the second book in the Million Series. First of all: I never watch the reality shows. I don't like them. Fortunately, this story has nothing to do with these shows. This is a great opposites attract, and a sweet slow burn story. Katy Evans's writing is amazing. She never disappoints. This story is intriguing, beautifully written, fun, entertaining, sexy and romantic. I also love the French parts in this story. Meg Sylvan and Jacob Morgan did a great job with the narration. I like their voices together. I enjoyed my reading and listening.

This series by Katy is not something I have enjoyed unfortunately, I could not connect with her characters like I usually do. Luke and Nell didn't have the intensity her usual couple do and didn't attract my interest in their developing relationship and there was not enough drama for me. The writing is great and I would read more from Katy as she rarely disappoints but I guess this wasn't for me.

Fun and witty, I loved the concept of this story. Evans always delivers with her words and this one did not disappoint.

I really liked this book! I liked it better than Million Dollar Devil. I feel like the chemistry was more pronounced between Nell and Luke. They are complete opposites who are thrown together in a weird way, but it totally works. I love the action and banter. I liked the storyline. It wasn’t predictable in the way that you think it might be. I loved the ending! I would definitely read more by Katy Evans.

This is a really unique concept for a book, be take the characters on a reality tv show. The question is what would your do for a million dollars? Would you marry a complete stranger?
Penelope "Nell" Carpenter is the quintessential bookworm with enough degrees to explain her enormous student loan debt. She decides to try it for the reality tv show on a lark never thinking she's actually be chosen. She doesn't even watch TV!
Luke Cross hasn't made the best choices in his life. But he's turned himself around and now he only wants to save his grandpa's bar. He is prepared to jump in and conquer whatever is thrown at him. He definitely doesn't expect Nell with her quirks and skewed views of the world. Can opposites really end up together?

I'm not really a fan of reality TV shows but I picked this book up because it's a Katy Evans book. I Had to try it.

Not really a fan of the plot but I can't say I hated it.
Didn't fall madly in love with the characters and I admit It took me a while to actually enjoy the book. Million Dollar Marriage was a fun read but nothing really to 'nag' your friends into reading it.

MILLION DOLLAR MARRIAGE is the second book in the MILLION DOLLAR series, and I’d love to see more. The book was playful, engaging, had laugh-out-loud moments, and a lot of heat! (I didn’t, however, care for the swearing, which I didn’t think enhanced the story.) It was nice to reunite with Luke and his friends, Jimmy and Elizabeth, whom we met in MILLION DOLLAR DEVIL, the first book in the series. Each book can be a stand alone.

The story begins in Atlanta where Nell, or Penny as Luke calls her, has just completed her PhD in comparative literature and has a mountain of debt for all her degrees. Luke is the owner of the bar his grandfather owned when he was alive, but Luke could lose it due to lots of mortgages he didn’t know his grandfather took out. He also pays for his grandmother to stay at a nice nursing home after she suffered strokes.

Nell and Luke don’t know each other, but both decide to attend the auditions for Million Dollar Marriage, which turns out to be similar to the reality show, The Amazing Race. When it’s finally their turn to individually go in, both Nell and Luke are chosen as one of fifty contestants, and then the fun begins!

Luke is competitive but a team player, and I love the way Luke and Penny work together doing their stunts and getting from place to place. He helps draw her out of her shell, and she understands him. Given their histories and their current lives, they shouldn’t get along or have chemistry, but they do, and it gets much more intense. It was fun to see the places they went, the challenges they had to complete, and how they managed to succeed. The descriptions of the locations and the competitions were vivid and well-rounded. There were twists and turns to the story and a wonderfully achieved happily ever after that we learned about in the epilogue. I enjoyed the confessionals from both Nell and Luke, and that each chapter had a title. The cover was spot on!

I have read Ms. Evans’s first two books in this series and liked them. I do hope to read more of her stories but hope the unnecessary cursing is toned down.

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.

This author has an incredible talent to draw you into the story from the first page. I loved Penelope and Luke from the first appearance. I loved how they are so different and yet how well they fit together. It took them a lot of fighting, but eventually they saw each other and became a team.

This book made me feel tired, because the characters were lead on a merry chase all over the USA participating in a reality TV show. Reading about all their physical feats as they conquered obstacles exhausted me in spirit, LOL. The basis of the program was that they had to go through several challenges as a married couple, competing with another ten couples. The winning couple would win one million dollars if they decided to stay together, otherwise they would win a measly five hundred grand.

Penelope was estranged from her parents and is paying for her studies. She’s about to defend her thesis for a doctoral degree but she’s also deep in student loan debt, to the tune of $500,000. Likewise, Luke is deep in debt. He inherited his bar from his grandfather and he’s working hard to keep the place. However, his grandfather took a lot of mortgage loans against the bar. Luke has his grandmother in a very expensive home, and this is also bleeding him dry. Both need to win the contest to solve their financial problems. The problem? Penelope is very quirky, set in her customs, nerdy, low self-esteem, and a little uptight. Luke, on the other hand, is gorgeous and uncouth, school dropout at the age of sixteen, ex-junkie until his grandfather took him in hand. He has the best intentions of making good with his bar to honor his grandfather but is overwhelmed by all the demands on him.

I loved Luke! He was unashamedly sexy and friendly. He quickly makes friends with everyone and throughout the reality program, he was competitive but fair and helpful. He never hesitated to give a hand and help his program mates. Penelope wasn’t as likable because she was uptight and sometimes a little closed minded. She had good thoughts but her low self esteem made her take the wrong attitude. Eventually she opened up, trusted more, and worked with Luke instead of against him. They made a great combination of opposites attracted to each other; she was the brains and he was the brawn, she was a little innocent in bed, he was an expert. So where one was weak, the other was strong and together they were great.

The plot was a page turner series of delights, a great pace, great characters and lovely love story. The sexy times were yummy too. This author never fails to give me a great time reading her book! Always something to learn, a lot to enjoy!

4.5 stars
<b>
“A scarred heart is better than one that never really beat at all.” </b>

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! <b>

“I feel this odd sensation , like he’s branded me. No man’s touch has ever done that to me. “
</b>
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?
<b>
“I want her by my side , in my veins , everywhere”
</b>
Highly recommend ❤️

Million Dollar Marriage by Katy Evans is the second standalone story in her Million Dollar series. Told in dual POV between the hot alpha bar-owner Luke and the book smart career student Nell. Add in a reality show competition, a marriage and a series of challenges where they must work together and this book is equal parts hilarity and sizzling sexual tension. We previously met Luke in Million Dollar Devil as the best friend of Jimmy and owner of the bar in which Jimmy has his "office". The premise was unique, the story was very well-written. I felt so very frustrated with Nell and her judgements in the beginning but it's a testament to how she grew as a character through the taping of the reality show to get to where they have their Happily Ever After. Katy Evans is a must-read author for me and this story is just another example of why. Enjoy!

Million Dollar Marriage is Katy's second book in her Million Dollar series but can definitely be read as a complete stand-alone. And let me tell you, you want to read this one!

I was completely immersed into this book from start to finish. I don't know if part of that reason is because that I was watching a reality TV show (something I never, ever do) when I started reading this or if it was just how easily I could picture everything happening.

I do not watch reality TV shows. I find them borrowing, hard to follow and truly and could just care less. LOL But that's me. However, Katy made this idea come to life in her book and I absolutely loved it. I loved the whole premise and I truly enjoyed how it was plotted out.

I will say nothing more about the plot. Just know that Katy truly brings the idea of reality TV to life in this book and made me want to watch this show - if it were real.

Nell and Luke were perfect. I loved that they stayed true to themselves but also brought the strong characteristics out in one another. The banter and interactions were so real and honest that it just made the book all more exciting.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. There were a few things that bothered me and made them slightly unbelievable, which is why I rated it 4 stars and not 5. However, it was not enough to make me not love the story and the characters.

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.

Katy Evans has done it yet again!! I know without a doubt that I will love every book Katy releases, that’s why I try and space them out and savour them. It doesn’t happen though, because as soon as the book appears on my Kindle I devour it within a day.

I absolutely LOVE this series, and have had the great privilege of receiving ARCs for both books. Million Dollar Devil became my favourite read of the year so far, and this book is following very close behind.

I love the characters, they are complete opposites and depend on each other to win the competition, and in doing so their attraction for each other grows. The chemistry is off the charts, and towards the end of the book I felt myself welling up. Not because the book was sad necessarily, just that I was rooting so hard for them and desperately wanted them to have the happily ever after they deserved.

I have been a huge fan of Katy Evans since she introduced us to Remy Tate, and in my eyes Katy can do no wrong. I love this series, and can’t wait for more to come.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yes yes yes, I love books set in or based shows. I devoured the Games Series by Jessica Clare which are based on popular reality shows (think survivor, big brother, the amazing race) and ever since then I can’t get enough of books that throw people together in these fast-paced situations. Million Dollar Marriage is just that.

Million Dollar Marriage is the second book in the series, but for me it didn’t seem like it at all. With a majorly different premise and tone the only real similarity was that each book matched a poor, tough guy with a “too good for him” girl. Our MCs in each are friends which brings in the “sequel” connection but other than that, these felt like stand alone novels to me.

Here we meet shy, academic Nell and rough, down-on-his-luck Luke, who both sign up for an unknown new reality TV show in the hopes of winning 1 million dollars. Surprisingly to the participants (not sure why… given the name of the show) they must get married in order to compete, and Luke and Nell of course are paired together. What ensues is the kind of drama you’d expect on this kind of show, fights, frustrations, working together, backstabbing, excitement, love and a whole bunch more.

I loved Nell and Luke’s relationship and how it progressed. There was a trust that needed to be built up first and you can see how that evolved throughout the show. Nell was incredibly stubborn and naive at times but and while it frustrated me it definitely fit with her characters. All the other characters besides Nell and Luke are one dimensional but I think for this kind of light, fun book that’s all you really need.

I did find this somewhat predicable when I really thought about what was going to happen but it was just so much fun that I didn’t really care.

If you’re like me and enjoyed the first book but didn’t love it, I’d recommend you still pick up this sequel since I found it much better than the first and really quite fresh!