Review: The Reason I Married Him by Meghan Quinn (Almond Bay #2)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

We're back in Almond Bay, and Meghan Quinn is serving up a grumpy/sunshine romance, only here, the grump is the female main character and the sunny one is the male main character. The Reason I Married Him also happens to be a marriage of convenience story, as hinted at by the title, and the couple who find themselves considering this particular arrangement is composed of Aubree Rowley (28) and Wyatt Preston (35). She's the middle sister among the Rowley siblings--Ryland, Cassidy, Aubree, and Hattie--and she's in charge of the farm that Cassidy left behind after she passed away. It seems, however, that half the farm belongs to Wyatt, younger brother of Clarke who was Cassidy's late husband, who decides to use that fact to his advantage when he learns of his cousin wanting to lay claim over the family cabin in Canoodle, California. His plan? Convince Aubree to become his bride and stay married for a year. This will mean Wyatt gets the family cabin, and in exchange to being his wife, he'll sign over his share of the farm, making Aubree the sole owner. They'll have to convince everyone, especially both their families, that they're madly in love with each other. Aubree and Wyatt are so convincing, however, that even they soon believe the farce.

The grumpy/sunshine trope is one of my favorites when it comes to the romance genre, and when it's done in reverse--aka grumpy FMC and sunshiny MMC--there's an additional interesting aspect in the mix. Aubree and Wyatt were an unlikely couple, and convincing the former to even look at the latter with something other than dislike and distrust, what more saying "yes" to his plan, was entertaining to say the least. But kudos to Wyatt to going above and beyond, and I don't think he was pretending to be someone he wasn't, which was what made him so darn likable. He was genuinely a good guy, and not just a guy pretending to like the girl he needed something from. He and Aubree forged a friendship, and whatever else developed afterwards felt organic to me. Speaking of Aubree, goodness but how this woman made me want to give her a hug--not that I think she would readily accept one from me, and I wouldn't blame her either. There was a wariness to her that I could easily relate to, and having any sort of relationship with her, romantic or otherwise, was one that had to be earned, one step at a time. I loved seeing these two work their way to a happily-ever-after, and the Rowley family and the townsfolk of Almond Bay are adorable. Five stars.

Release Date: 06 February 2024

Date Read: 01 February 2024

Learn more about Meghan Quinn.

Purchase The Reason I Married Him on Amazon.