I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I am not huge fan of reality tv so I was a bit hesitant. It definitely wasn't what I expected. I absolutely loved Nell. She couldn't be more perfect and awkward. And Luke hello swoon. Nell and Luke are complete opposites, but for a show like this it totally works.
I was completely smitten by the duo.

Nell and luke totally stole the show with this story. I devoured it and highly recommend this book
This author really knows how to capture her readers in every story

Book two of the Million Dollar Series is a unique and sexy story of Luke Cross and Penelope Carpenter. A perfect opposites attract romance with a different spin on how the hero and heroine fall in love. I was completely hooked from the first page, the characters,the plot and the romance,such a thrilling ride!

This book has you rooting for the couple from page one! Nell has dug herself into quite a debt after following her dreams and going against her family’s wishes in regards to her education. Graduating with her PHD, she is $500K in debt with no job opportunities on the horizons. When her roommate talks her into auditioning for a reality TV show, she’s skeptical but once hearing about the cash prize jumps at the chance. Luke has experience hardships in his life, but has since turned his life around, until he finds out the financial situation his late grandfather put him in, and it’s time to pay up. Figuring the reality TV show was his best option for quick cash, he auditions, and in line meets Nell. The two are like oil and water, which is why they end up paired up, and throughout the course of the competition, get to know the real person behind the facades they put up. But when the magic of reality TV is shown to Nell and she believes Luke betrayed her, her fight or flight instinct kicks in and she runs. I can’t get enough of Katy and this series! Her style of writing is amazing and each book sucks me in so much that I can’t put it down before finishing in one sitting if I tried (and trust me, I have)! I love the cameo from Jimmy and how this book intertwines with the previous one, yet still holds on it’s own. I can’t wait to see who’s next in this series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

In Million Dollar Marriage (Million Dollar #2) by Katy Evans , Luke Cross has skated by financially his whole life by the skin of his teeth. After some very dark days, he’s turned things around, and has turned running his beloved his grandfather’s bar in Atlanta into his priority. But when the bank comes knocking on his door, Luke has to act fast. Which is why he’s now on a reality show–to make some cash and save the bar. He didn’t expect to end up married to the cute woman he was paired up with. Or to fall for her sassy, wicked smart ways. But Luke is pleasantly surprised by their success as a couple: both on and off the television screen. Would it be enough, paired with their intense attraction and growing feelings for each other, to make their marriage real when it’s all said and done?

Nell is buried in a mountain of student loan debt. That’s what happens when you’re disowned by your parents and you have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. After earning her PhD, though, she has to admit it’s time for a job. Or a way to make some money quickly. When Nell’s best friend, well, her only friend, Courtney suggests going on the new reality show Million Dollar Marriage, she scoffs at the idea. But honestly, what does she have to lose? Aside from being embarrassed in front of millions of people weekly, that is. Then Nell is paired up with super hunk Luke Cross and her world shifts. At first she puts up a fight against their obvious chemistry and ends up taking out her frustration on him. But Luke is just so darn kissable, er–likable, that she falls for him more with every challenge they face down. And when he calls her his Penny? Sigh. It’s too bad they’re so different that it will never work in real life. Or will it?

Million Dollar Marriage was an exciting swoonfest of an opposites attract romance that left me breathless and oh so happy. Not that I expect anything less from Katy Evans and her stellar romances.

How fun! It’s going to be difficult to explain Million Dollar Marriage, though, and why it was so exciting until you sit down and read it for yourself. But thanks to Katy Evans’ awesome characterization and the level of sexual tension between Nell and Luke, plus the crazy adventure they went on, this was a mile-a-minute novel that kept surprising and thrilling me at every turn.

Now, I will admit I don’t really watch any reality television, but to me this seemed like a mix of Married At First Sight and The Amazing Race. Luke and Nell were literally thrown together after only meeting for a few brief minutes and became a team who had to travel the country and compete in outlandish challenges. The mix of Nell’s brain and Luke’s brawn, I have to say, was perfect. But more than that, I liked that as the animosity between them–they were SO different personality-wise–changed into camaraderie and their attraction broke through their barriers, we could see that there was much more to both of them. Nell might not have been socially adept, but Luke’s charm and ease of making friends made up for it. And he might not have had the educational background she did, but he was street smart and intelligent regardless of his lack of degrees.

Like I’ve come to expect from Evans, the heat level was pretty high between Luke and Nell. Eventually. (lol) They had chemistry right away. But it took a while for them to see eye to eye and to be willing to admit said attraction was there. I was a bit perturbed with Nell and with Luke a time or two as they battled against other couples–usually it was a lack of communication, which is to be expected. Although Nell’s perception of herself as compared to Luke made me sad, with how down on herself she could be. Her self-doubt and her actions based on it might be a sticking point for some readers, especially towards the ending. But it did (of course) all work out in the end. Boy did Evans make them work for that HEA!!

A race across the country. Simmering attraction. Two strong-willed people butting heads in the most amusing of ways. Katy Evans found the winning recipe for a modern romance that still had genuine emotions but was entertaining each step of the way. Highly recommended.

Million Dollar Marriage For The Win!

THIS book is SO good! The storyline is a fun, adventurous page turner, and the sexual tension had me giddy with anticipation. Luke Cross is raw, rough, and super HOT! I loved it! Katy Evans' has once again nailed it!

Luke and Penelope's love story was incredibly refreshing. Different than anything I have read before. I really enjoyed watching these complete opposites work through uncomfortable situations and unsavory challenges. Their confessionals were insightful and a lot of fun to read. This story could not have been more entertaining. It was like watching a really good, angst filled episode of The Amazing Race!

From the very start, Luke was so patient and protective of Penelope. He was a gentleman, but oozed sex and masculinity. He had me swooning and salivating all over the pages! I adored Penelope, and I really liked how she blossomed from a meek church mouse to a confident woman. The growth of both characters was endearing. Together, they were unstoppable.

Million Dollar Marriage is a 2019 Must Read! If you are looking for an entertaining read, something outside the typical romance trope, but with all the heat and angst, this it it! I highly recommend!

♥ Review by Lys

Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When you read Million Dollar Marriage, you figure out that there’s a general theme to the Million Dollar series. The million dollars, of course, and the general style with which these million dollars are achieved. Except, each style manifests differently.

Nell is a genius, a total brainiac. But she’s also a wounded girl, not having truly received appreciation, love or acceptance from anyone but her close friend Nee. Nell has clammed herself shut, she doesn’t enjoy, she doesn’t breathe anything other than responsibility and never particularly lets herself take risks. While Luke is all about risks and adventure and perhaps even the burden of his mistakes in the past and his responsibility in the present. Where Luke jumps, Nell digs her heels in and where Nell thrives, Luke cocks his head.

The only strand of similarity between them is that they both need the money. Desperately. And the means comes through the form of a television show. A show that thrusts these two characters together and puts them through tasks that are as strange and luck-based as we know these typical type of shows to have. We get to see through the eyes of the protagonists and suddenly the sarcastic humour with which we perceive these shows and their participants fade away and we start to feel something like a strange understanding and sympathy even, for them. A special mention to the way that the characters choose to react to a betrayal, it speaks a truth about the protagonists and KE’s thoughts as a person.

The Million Dollar series, despite the difficulties and situations the characters face, is a lighter read than the rest of KE’s books. They could even be summer and beach reads; something to lose yourself in and not come out feeling heavy. It’s like listening to a friend recount a tale that ends in a smile and a hug. While, I do miss the intensity that’s drenched with emotion that has been KE’s style, I find I don’t mind this too much either. It shows greatly, how much KE can change her writing voice to suit the character and the design of the series.

Nell and Luke are utter and complete opposites, thrust into the limelight (with a billion viewers watching) and made to–as a newly married couple--perform tasks and overcome hurdles. But, there is a catch at the end even if you win. But do Nell and Luke win? Will the couple–if they are even that–set aside their differences and persevere despite all odds? But…what happens once the show ends?

Four stars! Katy, it’s lovely to see such diversity in your writing! Keep going. ❤ ❤
Kindle Unlimited subscribers, get ready for this book, it's absolutely free for you to borrow!

Ever since the dawn of reality TV several decades ago, viewers have been hooked on a different varieties this genre offers. From talent-search shows to home improvement to games. Katy Evans provides a fun and exciting romance developed in a reality TV competition.

Nell Carpenter loves to study so much she’s about the finish her PhD, but focusing solely on her education while avoiding the real world has caused her to amass half a million dollars’ worth of student loans she can’t figure out how to start paying until her best friend takes her to a reality TV show audition which Nell gets. Can she accept the major twist the show requires of its contestants? Given her social awkwardness, can she find a way to win?

Luke’s bar is close to going under and the only way for him to save his family’s legacy is to get his hands on a whole lot of money. Luckily he’s charming, charismatic and easy on the eyes and the reality TV show’s producer knows he’ll bring in the ratings. Unfortunately he’s partnered with the shyest woman on earth with whom he has nothing in common. Can they find a way to beat the rest of the couples and not fall in love while doing so?

I was curious about this author, so when I got the opportunity to read Million Dollar Marriage I jumped at the chance even though I had read a very similar plot several years ago (Playing Games by Jessica Clare). The story was a fun and exciting slow burn which I enjoyed very much, particularly reading about Luke who capture my attention from the very beginning.

Katy Evans is skilled at pulling the reader into her stories, getting them hooked and wanting more. Million Dollar Marriage had a fast paced and thrilling plot combined with a slow burn enemies to lovers romance. I couldn’t wait to see what Nell and Luke would have to do next and how they would react to each of the game’s tasks and then read about the fallout during all their one-on-one time.

As I mentioned before, the plot was reminiscent of another romance based on reality TV, but the characters as very different and therein lies its own appeal. Nell and Luke would’ve never found a connection with each other under different circumstances, but having been forced to get married and endure difficult challenges helps them find an emotional connection that surprises them both.

Million Dollar Marriage is book #2 of the Million Dollar series by author Katy Evans. It is a standalone contemporary romance, told from both points of view with a HEA.

4.5 Opposite Attracts Stars! This storyline is fantastic and unique. I loved the banter and chemistry between Luke and Nell. You will be hooked from the beginning and go back and forth between laughing and swooning. I highly recommend this book.

Characters-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Entertainment-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Storyline-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cliffhanger-N/A
Cheating-N/A
Will I recommend it?- definately!
I have to thank Netgalley and the publisher abd ofcourse Katy Evans for allowing me to read this amazing book.
Will you marry a stranger for a million dollar on reality TV? Would you have thought that you would fall for the stranger and he would fall for you too. That you would have a chance at happily ever after. Well our protagonists Nell (short for Penelope) and Luke never thought that they would participate in such a reality TV show much less find "LOVE" along the way!
This book is told from both Penelope's and Luke's POV. If have read the previous book by katy evans " Million dollar devil" then you will definately remember Luke, the bar owner. This story starts a few months after the first book where both Penelope and Luke were struggling financially. Nell was heart broken after her doctor boyfriend left her and was pinning for him even after nine months. On the top of that she had student loans and no way of paying foe them(since she doesn't want to be a teacher and is too much of an introvert for anyother job despite having a Phd).
On the other hand Luke's establishment was slowly detoriating and he also had no way to pay the bank back. So on a whip and on the verge of desperation, both Luke and Nell auditioned for the show "Mllion Dollar Marriage" Where the participants had to marry each other in order to proceed with their tasks and win a grand price of a million dollar consisting of a 50/50 partnership.
After their initial selection, Nell struggled with her introvert tendencies but on the other hand Luke,being the opposite, made friends with everyone and became popular among the ladies from the very start. Despite Luke and Nell being polar opposite and having their differences in the begining,it was very clear that they were very attracted to one another. The chemistry between them was sizzling and a slow burn.

On their first round, Nell and Luke were paired with each other and to proceed further they had to marry the other one! They both agreed and were married with 9 other couples and were set off to complete thier tasks. I have to give it to Katy Evens,the tasks were equally daunting and doesn't inspire much of romance. It rather represented a survival track with partners who were polar opposites of one another. They had to sleep in a tent,navigate a corn maze with bride and groom tied togather in the front,sleep in a tree house,cross a zip line on the back of a horse,make a igloo and sleep there in Alaskan winter,search for clues in a fish tank and many such blizzare but highly entertaining tasks. At a point Luke even had to shave his head. In between confrontation with crazy ,disapproving parents, a drink out night, misunderstandings,bickering fights, crazy production crews, rivals out for the same prize, Luke and Nell stopped playing fir a Million dollars and started to fall in love. Moments between them were hot and sizzling. They were totally in sync with each other.
Though they own at the end, the production sabotaged their marriage. Made Luke look like a cheater. Thus breaking Nell's heart. But all is fair in love and war and Luke fought for Nell and they did get to marry with real rings admist closest of friends this rime around. This book was sooo good. Katy Evans did a wonderful job with Luke and Nell's story. Hope you like it too!
Its gonna be released on 23 rd July,2019. Happy reading....xoxo.

4/4
Million Dollar Marriage
By Katy Evans

Nell is a book-smart, recent grad student with half a million in debt. Luke is a down-on-his-luck bar owner, who discovers his grandfather secretly took out multiple mortgages in debt before he died...five year ago. But Nell and Luke are in luck: a new reality tv show is casting in Atlanta and the grand prize is one million dollars. With the premise of the show wrapped in secrecy, they both apply and end up on a wild adventure!

I was a bit hesitant to read this book in spite of the fact that I had read the first one and love Katy Evans. Reality tv, you see, is not my thing. But once I started I couldn’t put it down. I literally read it in one sitting (read: me looking up at the end to discover it was after midnight and I still hadn’t fed my cat his dinner). In spite of the very short timeline of the story, the relationship doesn’t feel rushed or unbelievable and the actual adventures they go on as part of the tv show were really interesting and funny. It is a really sweet book. I will add that I didn’t like the stereotypical aspects to the main protagonists’ characterizations (near-virginal, prudish, and self-conscious bookworm and the recovered drug addict bad boy with a heart of gold). But overall that didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment of the overall story. I definitely recommend this for anyone who loves competitions with a heavy dose of romance!

I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A fun romp through a reality TV world. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end! The concept, the characters, the writing, YES!! I loved absolutely everything!!

Strangers meet and fall in love everyday, normally through dating, hooking up, friendship, work, etc...but reality TV is such a huge part of the television watching world in general, so the idea where people are forced together and then have to work together is always a fascinating socialization concept.

Take for instance the game show, Survivor, which has been around now for about 20 years. We are not only drawn in by the physical challenges, but the social aspects that only reality TV can bring. This is the concept behind Million Dollar Marriage. Social, emotional, and physical. I'd totally watch this fictional show if it became a reality.

Nell (Penelope) is a total brainiac, having worked hard to achieve her PhD, but has she ever watched a reality TV show? No. How did she become a contestant on Million Dollar Marriage? With a little convincing by her best friend to go to the casting call and all the student debt she has piled up to achieve her educational status, so it didn't take much coercion at all, actually. With her nose constantly in a book, Nell has little to no social skill, plus the heaviest thing she lifts are big books. Can she actually win this game?

Luke is a physical powerhouse, plus he is already business owner owning his own bar. His social game is top notch. He can win with his hands tied behind his back, seriously is that a challenge because he would totally win it. Like Nell he too has a mountain of debt and could use the cash to pull himself out of it. With the assets he brings to the table he'll win this game even if it means being tied up, tied down, or tied to someone else in matrimony, just don't ask him to complete a puzzle, that might prove a challenge, you see Luke never graduated high school, he is the complete opposite of Nell in just about every possible way, so being each others partners may be his biggest challenge.

Part of the overall game, did you see the dropped hint of matrimony above? You see Million Dollar Marriage isn't just a pretty title for a reality TV show. Nell and Luke first have to decide to stay married during their time while on the show, then eventually work together to win each challenge before the other teams do so they can make it to the end and actually win the game.

Together they might just be the best team or perhaps the worst, but if they don't try they will never know. The social experiment of the game is so much more than Nell and Luke ever expected. Each of them grow and learn from the other without really realizing it, but the real question at the end of everything is...can they actually survive outside of the game? Can they work out in the real world? Could they really sustain a life together when they are completely opposite in every possible way?

Opposites attract, but do they last?

Definitely enjoyable and entertaining! Katy kept me invested from beginning to end. Loved the characters and the story just flew by. Would definitely recommend this to everyone.

5 WHAT A GAME STARS!! Wow....what a refreshing change from our normal reads. I loved Million Dollar Marriage....the game was fun. Nell and Luke had chemistry, sexy times, humor, banter, which made for the perfect read. Katy Evans always takes us on a fantastic ride with her storytelling.

"Million Dollar Marriage" by Katy Evans was a fun, quick read. I easily finished it in one day. Meet Penelope "Nell" Carter, sophisticated, intelligent, ambitious woman who accumulates debt by pursuing degree after degree. Meet Luke Cross, reformed drug addict who owns and operates his inheritance, his grandfather's bar. Both are in debt and need a hail mary, so what do they do? Enter a reality tv competition where the end reward is $1 Million because, why not?

Sure, this book will not stand out to me and I probably will not remember it much a year from now, but it was perfect for what I needed at this moment. A fun, interesting read where two polar opposites fall in love. Being a reality tv junkie myself, I enjoyed the tv twist to it. The competition they were in was part Amazing Race, part Married at First Sight.

When needing a quick, easy romance read, I will definitely check out Katy Evans for more reads.


Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the story of Nell and Luke. It was a nice easy read. But I was kept interested by the tasks and they had to complete. The reality tv spin was relevant and I enjoyed the different locations and dynamics between the two characters.
This is the second book in the series I have read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first. I would definitely recommend it to my friends

This book is so much fun! I loved it! Wonderful characters and a fast moving storyline. I'll have to read more books by this author.

4 Pinkies Up...aka 4 stars!

Million Dollar Marriage is the second book in the Million Dollar series by Katy Evans, but the story can be read independently from the first book. This book is classic love/hate, opposites attract, unsuspected love all wrapped up into one adorable story.

Nell and Luke are polar opposites. She’s a PhD afraid to leave school and enter the real world. He’s a bad boy turned bar owner with a rocky past. But they’re both in debt, and they both let their friends talk them into auditioning to become reality TV stars in order to earn some quick cash.

The book starts off a little cheesy. I wasn’t totally sold from the get go. But, as I went on the journey with Nell and Luke watching them make impossible decisions on the fly, watching them both find their true selves in the middle of chaos, and watching the sexual tension build over the course of 2 weeks in book time…all in the name of a million dollar payday; I became totally hooked, holding my breath waiting to see how their story was going to end.

Luke oozes sex and charm (swoon!) Nell is a fierce woman under all of her insecurities (ROAR, girl!) And the two of them together are hilarious, adorable, frustrating, and absolutely entertaining to read. I would totally watch their reality show if this was real life!

This is the second book in the Million Dollar series by Katy Evans. These each can be read as a standalone. I will admit book 1 for me was not the greatest and I was not sure I would come back for the rest of the series. I AM SO HAPPY I DID. I LOVED MILLION DOLLAR MARRIAGE! This is a story that I have never seen before, think The Amazing Race mixed with The Bachelor and Married at first sight . Penelope " Nell" Carpenter, is very set and comfortable in her studious ways. Nell, owes $500.000 in college loans and has not job. While Luke, is $500,000 in debt with the bank for bad mortgages his grandfather took out. With both of them needing the money, they are willing to do almost anything to get the money. HELLO REALITY TELEVISION! Going on a whim with her roommate Nell, is sure she will not get picked. Luke, on the other hand is sure he will be a contestant.
The story takes off pretty much immediately, when Nell and Luke are paired together. You see the plot take shape and it pulls you right in . It had me laughing and hooked from the jump.
Nell and Luke, are strong in their own ways and are sure they can win this thing hands down. His strength and her brains, no problem. But when the catch is revealed, can they both go through with it for a chance to be debt free and start a new life?
This story is exciting and fun to read. The chemistry is very present and you can feel the sexual tension. Will Nell, ever loosen her grip on keeping her prim and proper ways? Can Luke, show Nell that he is more than a playboy and a muscle head?
This is a definitely a print purchase for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Nell Carpenter is in need of money. Her time as a professional student has caused her to have a huge amount of debt.
Luke Cross is in need of money. His grandfather's bar that he now owns is barely getting by.

Each of them hear about the reality TV show, Million Dollar Marriage, and decide to audition in hopes of winning the cash. Nell is an intellectual,shy and doesn't watch television. She has no idea what she is getting herself into. Luke is a former addict and a little rough. She makes it past the first audition as does Luke. They are matched up on the Amazing Race-like game show, because they are opposites. It's couples against couples where the last couple to complete a challenge is eliminated.

I enjoyed Nell (or Penny as Luke calls her) coming into her own. She starts out as a timid, shy introvert. (She brings a textbook to the audition!) Luke was into her from the start and Nell just had to see that and believe that someone like him could truly fall for someone like her. Opposites do attract.

This was a quick, easy read, if a little predictable. I enjoyed this second installment by Katy Evans.