The Reason I Married Him

By: Meghan Quinn

Narrated by: Aaron Shedlock, Stella Hunter

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

From USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn, comes a new marriage of convenience romantic comedy. This steamy, laugh out loud, enemies-to-lovers small town standalone delivers the perfect happily ever after.

He proposed . . . and I said yes.

Normally a jovial occasion for a couple in love, but this proposal has a very different feel.

Because the man that I'll be calling my husband blew into town with one thing on his mind . . . to make my life a living nightmare.

So why did I say yes?

Well, because we both need something from each other.

Namely, I want the farm land he currently owns, and he needs a wife in order to inherit his family cabin in his grandfather’s will.

So as he so eloquently put it, my hand, for his land.

At first, I thought the idea was nuts.

Who really gets married out of convenience?

Apparently, I do.

And now we have to sell our relationship to the town. Meaning, we're holding hands, he's pinching my cheeks . . . upper and lower. We're even forced to share the one-bedroom guest house on the farm where his monstrous body is taking up a large percentage of the bed.

But we’re so persuasive about our farse, that now I’m starting to think he actually might like me. Especially when he grabs me by the wrist and teases the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Mine.”

©2024 Meghan Quinn (P)2024 Meghan Quinn

Small town, marriage of convenience

Meghan Quinn audiobooks are always some of my favorites! Great narration, thoughtful performances, and of course the quirk, the heart-heat combo, and that characteristic Meghan Quinn wit that always charms me. So I was excited to dive into The Reason I Married Him (narrated by the fabulous Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter) to get Aubree and Wyatt's story.. Marriage of convenience meets small town, a bit of enemies to lovers and reverse grumpy-sunshine vibes, and a surprising slow burn. This wasn’t quite the visit I expected to Almond Bay, but I’m glad Wyatt and Aubree got their beautiful HEA.


After I adored the first Almond Bay book (both can be read as standalones), I was really curious what Meghan would bring to the table with Aubree- the more mercurial, harder read, bottled up sister. I can relate to a lot to the way Aubree holds things back, and certainly this family has had their share of challenges and heartache. And Aubree has a lot on her shoulders with the farm. Wyatt showing up is both a wrench in her plans and a potential savior- if these two could just get on the same page….but unfortunately Aubree distrusts him and sees him as a threat.


I really wanted to love this one, but unfortunately it’s not my favorite from Meghan. The pacing felt really slow at first, and I think this contributed to me never really liking Aubree as much as I wanted. I honestly felt frustrated with Wyatt for putting up with her at times LOL- but in the end they do really click. It just took way too long for me to feel that way, and their cycle felt repetitive to me. I did really adore Wyatt- he too has had a hard go of things lately and has his own things to protect. But he’s funny, full of beautiful golden retriever hero charm, and he’s also so optimistic. He’s so easy to love…so at times it makes me wonder why Aubree just doesn’t see it LOL. But her trust issues really hold her back- both relatable, but also challenging.


I did enjoy them in the end- especially once Meghan dialed up their heat. The banter was great, the trust just took too long to get there. The ending was really heartfelt and emotional though- and again I’m so happy Aubree found an HEA and got to thaw a little.


The narrators did an incredible job bringing them to life and brought a lot of charisma to the performances too- glad I consumed this on audio.

TROPES
💐Marriage of Convenience
💐Reverse Grumpy-Sunshine
💐Dislike to lovers
💐Small town
💐Rom-com
💐Slower Burn
💐But there’s only one bed!

I really tried, BUT...

I had high hopes for this book after reading other reviews, and having enjoyed other. Meghan Quinn books in the past, but this one did absolutely nothing for me. I made it 8.5 out of 16 hours and I'm giving up. There is slow burn, and there's just plain SLOW. It seems like there should have been some kind of spice this far in, but sadly there hasn't been, and the storyline just keeps plodding along. if my mind is wandering and I find myself not even having to pay attention to a book and I still don't miss anything, that's when I know it's time to stop. There is some cute banter between characters, but I would not categorize this as laugh out loud. funny. The narrators did a great job as always, but sadly, that isn't enough to rescue this one for me.

Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine

This book has it all.... enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, one bed trope, reverse grumpy/sunshine. Ohhhhh my kind of book!

Aubree has always been closed off but after being told your whole childhood you are nothing and no one will ever want you, that's what she believes. She's the town grump! After her sisters death she not only has to look after the family store (which she doesn't like doing) but also runs the farm. She feels like she's sinking. She never complains but is very snappy towards people. Luckily when her little sister moves home she takes over the store and she can just concentrate just on the farm.

Wyatt (a successful author) was just left at the alter, he's devastated. Living on his best friends couch he just can't deal with any of it. That is until he finds out that his cousin is excited to know he's now even closer to getting the family cabin (that he doesn't care about) because he is closer to the possibility of inheriting it in the will with the clause of whoever is the first to marry gets it. It has huge sentimental value to Wyatt. Thankfully his best friend comes up with a plan. When his brother passed away part of his farm land was left to him and the rest to his wife's sister if she passed. When she passes away, her sister Aubree inherits it. So technically they're both single and in need of some help.

Wyatt comes into town to try and win Aubree (the grump) over and share his plan with her, you help me and I give you my portion of the farmland. This guy is TOTAL SUNSHINE. He breaks down so many of Aubree's walls. He is the first person ever to make Aubree feel like she's beautiful and worth something. Or is he just a really good author who can come up with the right thing on the spot to say??

I really enjoyed this audiobook and will listen again I know it!

Fantastic duet narration!

Aaron and Stella are fantastic, and duet was perfect for this book. MQ books can be a bit formulaic (even compared to other rom-coms), but I continue to read them because the first half (ie boy meets girl to boys gets girl) is always hilarious! Wish the conflicts could be based on something other than secrets and jumping to conclusions, but beggars can’t be choosers!

Romcom with all the feels!

Aubree and Wyatt’s romance was fun, steamy with some angst and emotional. When Wyatt needs to get married he comes up with a plan to make a deal with Aubree. I loved all of the banter between them as he tried to convince her to go along with his plan.

Aubree was stand offish and slow to trust due to trauma from her past and it helps you understand her a lot more. I loved watching Wyatt break down her walls little by little and show her that she deserved to be loved and didn’t give up on her easily.

The narration from Stella Hunter and Aaron Shedlock brought the story to life and they fit their character well! Stella does a great job portraying Aubree’s hurt and insecurities from her past. Aaron brought out Wyatt’s confidence, charm and sweet personality perfectly. I loved both of their performances.

Excellent Performance!

You can always expect Meghan to take you on a brilliant journey of love with lots of laughter in between. This is a story of marriage of convenience that unfolds into a balance of emotions, passion, and genuine connection that will captivate you from the very first words, “you smell”. Wyatt has recently been left right before his wedding and he barely has time to work through those emotions when he realizes his cousin might get the family cabin instead of him. Needing to get married to keep the cabin, he comes to town and finds Aubree as the best option to carry out his plan. Aubree is known to be the grumpy one. She has plenty of reason to be, but maybe someone fun like Wyatt can bring some light into her life.

I loved their dynamics. The black cat x golden retriever vibes were so much fun and to see Aubree soften to Wyatt was really sweet. This was full of banter, and spice, and everything you want from a MQ story. I absolutely adore this little small town of Almond Bay and MQ describes it so vividly that it just takes you there yourself. The plot flowed really well and made sense for the characters' stories. Aubree had a lot of character growth to get her to the woman in love by the end. Let’s talk 3rd act breakup. While it seems lately no one wants to read a book with one, I will say this is one that made absolute sense and didn’t just come out of nowhere. It felt genuine and made the story believable.

The narrators really brought this story to life. Is there anything better to listen to while doing the dishes then Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter with some uproarious banter? Or listening to the dirty stairs scene while driving? I think not. Excellent performance!

Marriage of Convenience but is it really?

Meghan has transported us back to Almond Bay and given us the reverse grumpy/sunshine we all didn't know we needed. The audiobook stars Stella Hunter as Aubree and Aaron Shedlock as Wyatt, performed in duet and is absolutely fabulous. Stella makes you feel all of the anger, resentment, animosity, and sadness that Aubree has held onto her entire life...and it takes a kooky, city dwelling author to bring some lightness into her life...even if she wants to physically harm him during their first several encounters.

Wyatt is broken hearted, his fiancé decided she didn't want to marry him the night before their wedding. He is introduced sulking on his best friends couch and the next thing you know he has this brilliant idea to get life back on track, and it involves a marriage of convenience. Wyatt never expected to like Almond Bay and through his plan he becomes the golden boy of the town...making friends with everyone he meets, except the one person who he really needs to sway. Aaron brought so much energy and comedy to Meghan's words and Wyatt as a character. I also adored the more tender moments and his denial regarding his feelings...classic.

Meghan has created these complex and broken characters, added humor, spice, and everything nice and what you are left with is an absolutely beautiful story and is absolutely enhanced by the audio experience.

Absolutely loved!!!

I haven’t laughed so hard…out loud! I loved the characters and their witty banter. I just fell in love with everything about this story. The narrators did not disappoint!! After reading the book, this audiobook made me fall in love even more. Excellent writing by the author and awesome performance to bring this audiobook easily as a new all time favorite ❤️

Funny and heart melting

We went back to Almond Bay, and I absolutely loved it! What a wonderful slow burn with all the chemistry. This one had so much laugh-out-loud, witty dialogue that highlighted the differences between Aubree and Wyatt. The banter between these two was fantastic. It is a marriage of convenience that turns to love. It is a well-written story about overcoming your past, learning the importance of family, and maybe finding something you didn't know you wanted.

Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter were so enjoyable to listen to. They brought these characters to life.

Every MQ book is a win for me then add in audio and they never disappoint. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

MQ does Marriage of Convenience so well

The Reason I Married Him is the second book the Almond Bay Series, it follows Wyatt, a best-selling author fresh off being dumped by his fiancé right before the wedding, and Aubree a women with serious trust issues, especial towards men. Aubree you met in The Reason I Hate him, but Wyatt was only brought up in name. Wyatt owns half the farm along with Aubree, even though he doesn’t live there and knows nothing about farming. When he finds himself in need of a wife so he can inherit his grandfather’s cabin, he decided to make a deal with Aubree. Pretend to be his wife for one year, and he will sign his half over to her. Aubree has been dealing with trust and self-esteem issues all her life, first stemming from her abusive father to verbally abusive ex boyfriends. But Wyatt slowly starts to win her over, and she can let her guard down. Both the Marriage-of-Convenience, Enemies-to-lovers trope was done very well. Meghan really has a knack for these tropes (I mean really all tropes). This was a true grumpy sunshine but this time, she was the grump. It was kind of nice to see the female be the grump and enjoy this cinnamon role of a male character. There was some time in the beginning of the story when I really thought I was not going to like this female character, she just had so many walls and didn’t let anyone in, even her own family. But she eventually grew on me. A lot of the times when I read a Marriage-Of-Convenience the couples always say “we shouldn’t have any kind of bedroom relations” where these two said the opposite. I really liked this aspect of it because it seemed more realistic. While overall, this was not my favorite MQ book, it was still very good and I am sure I will find myself resisting to it.

The book was narrated in Duet by Stella Hunter and Aaron Shedlock. I think they both played the characters very well and I love that MQ has been doing her books duet. They both complement each other, and their comedic timing was very good. Stella also was brilliant in bringing out the very vulnerable side of Aubree.