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.

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 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.

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!

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 via 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 !!

Million Dollar Marriage - Katy Evans
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Million Dollar marriage is the second book in this series by Katy Evans and a gem of a read it is.

Nell and Luke are desperate to clear some of their personal debts but the best opportunity to do so, comes in the form of a reality TV show, shrouded in secrecy.

With just enough heat and a heaping, helping of wit and sass, these characters are easy to read and easy to like.

A totally fun, lighthearted and sexy story, based around the ever popular reality TV world. Good fun!

Luke and Nell are strangers who meet on a reality tv show. As fate would have it they both go on this show to pay off their debt. Penny has an abundance of student loans and Luke is in debt with his bar. These two could not be more different. Would you get married for money on a reality show? You will enjoy the easy and fun way this story reads. Katy Evans book are always amazing.

Sweet predictable read. A light hop through a reality game show that shows that it isn’t as real as they make it and how the producers can do what they want. Total opposites attract story. It got old on how they both thought they weren’t good enough for the other. Penny really upset me when she knew better about what happened and still reacted dumbly. I like the premise but just could not love it totally.

Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review.

Even though Nell has a mountain of student debt, she is reluctant to go on a reality tv show to win a million dollars. The bar that Luke inherited from his grandfather is dying a slow death and taking his hopes with it. So when he has a chance to win a million dollars on a reality tv show, he jumps at the chance. But neither Nell or Luke realize that they will have to marry each other at the beginning of the show.

This is a sweet romance with a cute storyline ... a little bit Bachelor and a lot the Amazing Race. Luke ... who wouldn’t fall in love with a hunk who has a heart and is a gentleman? Then there’s Nell ... I just loved her. She was so quirky and had no clue that she was sexy underneath it all. I really laughed at some of the challenges they had to do. A great addition to the series.

I received an early copy courtesy of Montlake Romance through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

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!!!

In an era where reality tv is such a controversial, phenomenon this book is well, on trend for want of a better word.

Penelope and Luke, complete opposites, as night and day as two people can be, like chalk and cheese, antithetical, those are few ways you could describe the pair however there’s a common denominator they do share.... Debt, and it’s their debts that have working together as part of a team participating in a fun filled, steamy adventure which plays out on tv for all the world and it’s neighbours see. What started off as a business arrangement type situation soon morphs into something more, something real when these two collide proving once again that opposites do indeed attract in this lighthearted, fun filled adventure of falling in love.

A perfect addition to Ms Evans Million Dollar series.