What do you think?
Rate this book
A Million Reasons
Originally published as Fooling Around and has since been minimally revised.
Julie Nelson is lost, exhausted, and at loose ends after years of caring for her aging parents when she’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Spend three months as an assistant to a grumpy, entitled billionaire as he recovers from a broken leg, and earn a million dollars.
She doesn’t like Eric Vincent. In fact, he’s the most infuriating man she’s ever met, and working for him even temporarily won’t be easy. But she agrees anyway. Who wouldn’t for the chance of so much money?
She doesn’t expect to find him attractive. Or to discover the human side of him. Or to grow to care about him as a lot more than a boss.
But she’s not going to fall in love with him. She’s much too smart and sensible for that.
A Million Reasons is a standalone contemporary romance that includes the death of a parent and a child with a serious illness.
Julie Nelson is lost, exhausted, and at loose ends after years of caring for her aging parents when she’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Spend three months as an assistant to a grumpy, entitled billionaire as he recovers from a broken leg, and earn a million dollars.
She doesn’t like Eric Vincent. In fact, he’s the most infuriating man she’s ever met, and working for him even temporarily won’t be easy. But she agrees anyway. Who wouldn’t for the chance of so much money?
She doesn’t expect to find him attractive. Or to discover the human side of him. Or to grow to care about him as a lot more than a boss.
But she’s not going to fall in love with him. She’s much too smart and sensible for that.
A Million Reasons is a standalone contemporary romance that includes the death of a parent and a child with a serious illness.
- GenresContemporary Romance
318 pages, ebook
Published October 21, 2024
43 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Noelle Adams
140 books2,689 followersNoelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn't stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she teaches English, reads any book she can get her hands on, and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 1, 2026
A Million Reasons begins on a quietly devastating note, and that emotional grounding becomes the lens through which the entire story unfolds. Julie Nelson has spent years caring for her aging parents, putting her own ambitions on hold, and when the novel opens she is standing at the edge of loss, exhaustion, and profound uncertainty. Into that fragile space enters an unexpected proposition: three months as a personal assistant to a difficult billionaire recovering from a serious injury, in exchange for a life-changing sum of money.
Julie is a heroine defined by restraint. She is thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, and deeply shaped by responsibility. At thirty-one, she has lost not only both parents but also the life she once imagined for herself. Her calm, stoic demeanor and her quiet competence makes her an easy heroine to root for. Eric Vincent, by contrast, is all sharp edges. A wealthy, brash former athlete with a broken leg and a deep aversion to emotional dependence, he is used to control and isolation. Their dynamic is built on their differences: her steadiness against his volatility, her patience against his entitlement.
As Julie steps into Eric’s world, forced closeness, care giving, and shared silences begin to chip away at both their defenses. Both with unresolved trauma, their connection grows from a place of mutual need than fantasy. Julie slowly finds her footing again, testing the idea that she is allowed to want something for herself after years of sacrificing her dreams. Eric, meanwhile, is confronted with a version of intimacy that does not revolve around control or avoidance, something that unsettles him far more than his injury ever could.
What worked especially well for me was Julie’s character arc. Her growth is deeply human, particularly in how she begins to imagine a future beyond grief and obligation. The emotional weight of caregiving, loss, and starting over is handled with sensitivity, and those elements lend the story a grounded realism. I also appreciated the tenderness woven into smaller moments, as well as the presence of secondary characters who add emotional texture to the story.
That said, I could not help feeling that the story did not fully explore the depth it promised. Both Julie and Eric felt like characters with immense potential who were not pushed quite far enough. Their emotional and physical connection, while believable, never quite reached the intensity it hinted at, and I found myself wishing for at least one moment where the full scope of their chemistry was allowed to unfold without restraint. Given their opposing energies and shared wounds, there was room for a more expansive exploration of desire once Eric was physically healed, and that absence was noticeable.
One of the most affecting aspects of the story for me was Maddy. My heart broke for her in a quiet, lingering way, the kind that stays with you beyond the page. There is something profoundly sad about a child carrying so much so early, yet there is also a measure of grace in knowing that she has a father who can marshal every possible resource to shield her from the worst of it. That contrast between fragility and protection added an unexpected emotional depth to the story, and Maddy’s presence softened Eric in ways nothing else quite managed to.
Recommended for: readers who enjoy caretaker romances, emotionally reserved heroines, wounded heroes, and stories about starting over after loss, especially when romance unfolds quietly rather than explosively.
Final Verdict: A tender, reflective romance with a strong emotional foundation and a compelling heroine, though it stops just short of fully realizing the intensity its premise suggests.
Rating = 3.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
Julie is a heroine defined by restraint. She is thoughtful, emotionally intelligent, and deeply shaped by responsibility. At thirty-one, she has lost not only both parents but also the life she once imagined for herself. Her calm, stoic demeanor and her quiet competence makes her an easy heroine to root for. Eric Vincent, by contrast, is all sharp edges. A wealthy, brash former athlete with a broken leg and a deep aversion to emotional dependence, he is used to control and isolation. Their dynamic is built on their differences: her steadiness against his volatility, her patience against his entitlement.
As Julie steps into Eric’s world, forced closeness, care giving, and shared silences begin to chip away at both their defenses. Both with unresolved trauma, their connection grows from a place of mutual need than fantasy. Julie slowly finds her footing again, testing the idea that she is allowed to want something for herself after years of sacrificing her dreams. Eric, meanwhile, is confronted with a version of intimacy that does not revolve around control or avoidance, something that unsettles him far more than his injury ever could.
What worked especially well for me was Julie’s character arc. Her growth is deeply human, particularly in how she begins to imagine a future beyond grief and obligation. The emotional weight of caregiving, loss, and starting over is handled with sensitivity, and those elements lend the story a grounded realism. I also appreciated the tenderness woven into smaller moments, as well as the presence of secondary characters who add emotional texture to the story.
That said, I could not help feeling that the story did not fully explore the depth it promised. Both Julie and Eric felt like characters with immense potential who were not pushed quite far enough. Their emotional and physical connection, while believable, never quite reached the intensity it hinted at, and I found myself wishing for at least one moment where the full scope of their chemistry was allowed to unfold without restraint. Given their opposing energies and shared wounds, there was room for a more expansive exploration of desire once Eric was physically healed, and that absence was noticeable.
One of the most affecting aspects of the story for me was Maddy. My heart broke for her in a quiet, lingering way, the kind that stays with you beyond the page. There is something profoundly sad about a child carrying so much so early, yet there is also a measure of grace in knowing that she has a father who can marshal every possible resource to shield her from the worst of it. That contrast between fragility and protection added an unexpected emotional depth to the story, and Maddy’s presence softened Eric in ways nothing else quite managed to.
Recommended for: readers who enjoy caretaker romances, emotionally reserved heroines, wounded heroes, and stories about starting over after loss, especially when romance unfolds quietly rather than explosively.
Final Verdict: A tender, reflective romance with a strong emotional foundation and a compelling heroine, though it stops just short of fully realizing the intensity its premise suggests.
Rating = 3.5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
March 13, 2025
3.5 stars
It wasn't bad but I didn't love it ... the conflict of double insecurity and commitment phobia lingered too long for me. Also I wanted more of an HEA, especially with Maddy!
It wasn't bad but I didn't love it ... the conflict of double insecurity and commitment phobia lingered too long for me. Also I wanted more of an HEA, especially with Maddy!
January 19, 2025
A million reasons
4 stars
Maybe 3.75 stars.
The characters were interesting and the storyline was pretty good. I quite liked the unique parts of it (I'm trying to be vague in order to avoid spoilers - but the issue with the child was well done, it gave a different aspect to the story and depth to the characters). Not a book that I would re-read though.
4 stars
Maybe 3.75 stars.
The characters were interesting and the storyline was pretty good. I quite liked the unique parts of it (I'm trying to be vague in order to avoid spoilers - but the issue with the child was well done, it gave a different aspect to the story and depth to the characters). Not a book that I would re-read though.
September 23, 2025
This was such an emotional yet enjoyable book. I loved Julie and Eric's dynamic and was pleased we had chapters from both POVs. Their grief was dealt with really well and I was rooting for them throughout the story.
January 14, 2025
great story
great read . loved it. couldn't put it down. Amazing author. Want to read all her books . cannot wait yo start the next one.
great read . loved it. couldn't put it down. Amazing author. Want to read all her books . cannot wait yo start the next one.
February 23, 2025
3.5 stars
March 2, 2025
4.5⭐️
Well written likable characters, really enjoyed the book!
Well written likable characters, really enjoyed the book!
April 27, 2025
Romantic, emotional, and funny
Read
September 20, 2025Very good read. Love her books.
October 22, 2025
I didn’t finish the story; I wasn't intrigued enough to continue reading.
October 29, 2025
actual rating 3.75⭐
Read
January 11, 2026Kindle Ebook
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews