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

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

Wonderful Story & Narration🎧A Heartfelt Delight!.

Meghan Quinn continues to wow me with another fabulous small town, enemies to lovers, romantic comedy and puts her unique own spin on the grumpy/sunshine and marriage of convenience tropes. It is great to be back in Almond Bay again and we are treated with some great small town busy-body shenanigans, thanks to Wyatt Preston, who is there on a mission, to win over the town so he could win over Aubree Rowley. Wyatt’s fiancé broke things off with him just before their wedding, leaving him depressed and broken-hearted and not just for her leaving him, but for him losing his chance of inheriting his beloved grandfather’s cabin. He has a lot of fond memories of spending time at the cabin with his grandfather and he thought he would leave him the cabin, instead he put a stipulation in his will that the first grandchild to marry will inherit the cabin Wyatt knows his cousin has not interested in the cabin other than its monetary value and now that he is not getting married it will go to him who is recently engaged. Wyatt’s friend gives him a pep talk on not giving up and suggests he makes a proposal to Aubree Rowley, who is wants Wyatt’s half of the farm she is running, both inherited the farm after her sister and his brother passed away. So he sets off to put his plan in motion. Aubree grew up with an abusive father and caught the brunt of that abuse and does not trust easily, so when Wyatt shows up she knew he was there because he wanted something and would not give him the time of day, but he was relentless. She was right about him wanting something, but it was not something she expected and she warms to the idea, well as warm as she gets. In true Meghan Quinn style, the back-and-forth banter and dialogue is absolutely brilliant and so is her ability to master that perfect balance of drama, angst, comedy, heartfelt emotions and romance. As always, the writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. It was great to see some familiar faces from earlier books, too. Meghan Quinn, thank you for entertaining me with another amazing story, the laughs and the emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 And for fabulous narration, Meghan Quinn cast the perfect narrators to bring her characters and story to life. The wonderfully talented Stella Hunter and Aaron Shedlock are entertaining storytellers and their performance elevated this amazing story to another level. I loved how they took each role and make it their own, sounding believable and just as I imagined the characters would sound. They set the perfect tone for the story, handle the witty dialogue with ease, landing the humor effortlessly. You could hear how much heart they put into their performance as they capture all the characters’ emotions and have you feeling them all. Thank you for another fantastic listen.

You can never go wrong with a MQ audiobook

It feels like the season of marriage of convenience books, and I’m all for it! This story had a unique reason for the marriage pact (farm land), but with the small town charm and tight-knit community it worked so well.

As for the characters, I absolutely fell for the hero, Wyatt. Everything he said was laugh out loud funny but at the same time thoughtful and caring. Aubree was a guarded heroine who had a tough life. His patience for her as she slowly broke down her walls and opened herself up to love was perfect.

Meghan Quinn has set the bar high for audiobooks. Peformed in a duet style narration, by Stella Hunter and Aaron Shedlock, I was fully immersed in the story. The writing along with the amazing narration made me smile, laugh, tear and just feel!

I am crossing my fingers for Rylands book!

Read if you like:
-Romcoms
-Sunshine hero x grumpy heroine
-Small town romance
-Writer MMC
-Only one bed

All the swoons for Almond Bay 😍

Meghan Quinn has done it again with this book making it nearly impossible to pick one favorite book boyfriend. Wyatt stole my heart and Aubree's as well as he devises a plan to save his family cabin. I LOVED the opposite grumpy vs. sunshine trope. Aubree is prickly and closed off and Wyatt struts into town, swooning guns in hand. Their story has such depth and genuine falling in love with one another. Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter are absolutely FANTASTIC. Wyatt is smooth, fast on the tongue, complementing Aubree every chance he gets and Aubree is grouchy and put off with him and the world and these two nailed it!!!! Meghan Quinn...please send us back to Almond Bay soon! ❤️❤️❤️

OMG! Wyatt and Aubrey ❤️

I love all of Meghan Quinn’s books but love Almond Bay! This book was so sweet and funny and as always made me fall in love with the characters and feel like I was part of the story! I hope we get a book about Ryland!