Will & Patrick Wake Up Married

Wake Up Married #1

by Leta Blake, Alice Griffiths

Join the fun in this vibrant first installment of the new romantic comedy serial by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths!

After a drunken night of hot sex in Vegas, strangers Will Patterson and Dr. Patrick McCloud wake up married. A quickie divorce is the most obvious way out—unless you’re the heir of a staunchly Catholic mafia boss with a draconian position on the sanctity of marriage.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Will and Patrick don't like it, or each other, but they have to make the best of it until they can find another way out of their marriage. To ensure the trust fund Will's charitable foundation relies on isn't revoked by his mobster grandfather, he and Patrick travel to Will’s hometown of Healing, South Dakota, posing as a newlywed couple in the throes of true love at first sight.

Complicating their scheme are Will’s unresolved feelings for his all-too-recent ex-boyfriend Ryan, and Patrick’s desire to get back to the only thing that really matters to him in life: neurosurgery. Will they fool everyone? Or will the mafia get wind that their marriage is a fake? Throw their simmering attraction into the mix and all bets are off!

Approx. word count: 34K

Episode 1 of 6 in the Wake Up Married serial.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Humor, LGBT, Contemporary Romance, Novella

107 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2015

About the author

Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and fan favorites Training Season, Will & Patrick Wake Up Married, and Slow Heat, Leta Blake has been captivating M/M Romance readers for over a decade. Whether writing contemporary romance or fantasy, she puts her psychology background to use creating complex characters and love stories that feel real. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her writing and her family life.

If you'd like to be among the first to know about new releases, you can sign up for Leta's newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bdn32H

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of potential, but a bit of an awkward start.

I've owned the first three book in this serial forever but when I got a chance to review the whole series for the authors, I decided to take the plunge and read the whole thing back to back. I honestly struggle with the serial format, so reading it novel-style is much more my thing.

First of all, I wasn't expecting third person, present tense, which is always a really jarring writing style for me. Everything present tense starts off irking me, but I'm hoping I get more used to it as I go along.

I absolutely love the enemies-to-lovers (though they certainly consummated that marriage... HARD) format. I have a real weakness for a love that grows out of nothing and over a long period of time, and so I can't wait to see how this relationship turns around.

Patrick is more than a little bit of an ass, but I think he'll grow on me. I like that he isn't like other characters that I'm used to reading. It's refreshing, honestly.

Can't wait to see where Episode 2 takes me!

[Imme [trying to crawl out of hiatus] van Gorp · Rating 3 out of 5]

|| 3.0 stars ||

This was quite a promising beginning to the series. It genuinely has hints of humour going for it, and the relationship has started in an interesting way. I’m not really feeling the love between them so far, but I kind of like that: it suggests we might be able to expect a little bit of a slow-burn. I do like that Patrick is already reluctantly admiring Will, though. He might be annoyed, but you can tell that he already has a slight soft spot for Will.

The characters are more unique than I thought they would be: they’re not written in an overly simple or superficial manner. So far I’ve truly quite liked reading about them, even if they aren’t exactly super likeable. I mean, Will has a very pathetic vibe around him, and Patrick is cold-ish and dick-ish. Nonetheless, I quite enjoy them and I especially appreciated Patrick’s sarcasm and pessimism. I just really hope we’ll get some great character development for them. There’s definitely potential for it.


'Wake Up Married' series:
1. Will & Patrick Wake Up Married - 3.0 stars
2. Will & Patrick Meet the Family - 2.0 stars
3. Will & Patrick Do the Holidays - 2.5 stars


other Leta Blake books:
Mr. Jingle Bells - 3.5 stars
Bully for Sale - 3.0 stars
North’s Pole - 1.5 stars

[Exina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Will & Patrick Wake Up Married is the first part of Wake Up Married romance serial.

Vegas + alcohol = marriage. Waking up married after a drunken night is such a cliché. But this story has so much potential. Forced proximity is one of my favorite tropes – always delicious, filled with UST.



Will inherited money from his mafia grandpa, with the caveat that if he ever gets married, it will be for good. No divorce. And it has to be a love match, or the money goes back to the Molinaro family. So Will convinces Patrick to stay with him and pretend they are in love until they figure something out.

“Great. So, I’ve married into a world-renowned family of criminals. Why don’t I see this ending well?”

Making the plot even more complicated, Will is an alcohol addict, diabetic, and freshly out of an emotionally abusive relationship. He is so adorable, so pure. Patrick is mysterious, arrogant, grumpy, but he’s also caring and so attuned to Will.

The mafia related conflict is a bit OTT, but fun. Promising main characters, great secondary ones.

[*J* Too Many Books Too Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

If I could describe this book/start of the series in one word it would be FUN....

But really I need three more......OVER THE TOP fun!

But that's okay, I knew that going into it. And I really did have fun reading this first installment.

It's most definitely completely unrealistic. But again, I knew that going in to it.

I really like Will and Patrick and I laughed out loud a lot. So I am looking forward to seeing where things go with them.

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of potential in this and I'm mollified that there are five more installments to go to see how this plays out.

So yes, take one grouchy, asshole of a surgeon. He's sworn off having any sort of relation-type feelings, but whose subconscious has played a mean trick on him by drunkenly marrying himself to a complete stranger.

Then take said stranger who was drunkenly wallowing in his own sad story and have it nigh impossible to get divorced. Hence a crazy set up as these two try to maintain appearances while desperately trying to annul their union.

At times exasperating in its moments of farcicality, this had some good spots of humor and tenderness. One can only hope it will evolve into something more steamy and emotional, since unfortunately, the night of debauchery where it all began, is sorely missing.

[Keira Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part of this serial is a delight. Such a great introduction to these characters and their tropey predicament. There are certain tropes I just adore, and forced/pretend marriage is one of them. It's so freaking FUN. Patrick is hilariously prickly, and I can't wait to see sweet Will get under his shell. There are tantalizing hints of the sexual hotness coming when they do hook up again (presumably they'll be sober this time!). I love UST and character development, and this series has it in spades. Can't wait for more!

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was thinking this was supposed to be funny.

Perhaps I got the wrong memo?

So far in 100+ pgs the funniest thing is was the "Calamatte Jane" at the local coffee house.

I snortled at that.

The rest... not super funny.

I like Patrick, though, so I'll continue on.

For a minute. Not signing on for the whole kit and caboodle at this point.

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did the audio version, narrated by John Solo - highly recommend. Here's the link to my review

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of the story is that Will and Patrick get married after a drunken night and must find a way to void it to keep a contract Will’s in from being broken. The two major characters are Will, a mafia tied man who uses his family’s evil money for good and Patrick, a neurosurgeon with a bad past, blunt personality, and a very large ego. Will’s grandmother sets to work to find a work around for the contract Will is in to keep the money coming to his charity and not revert to the mobsters, as they keep up the idea that theirs was an intentional union, because if the marriage ends in divorce, then the charity loses out. The story places the two guys in the ridiculous situation of needing to pretend to be happily married. That is okay and fits in well, because that’s the whole point of the story and what makes it fun. The characters make a cute couple even as they try to resist falling for each other.

[~Mindy Lynn~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really into reading short books, (and this is short to me) but the title really sold this book for me. Then I started reading it and I started thinking it wasn't going to be for me. But by the end of the book I was totally hooked. The guys are what had me so invested. I REALLY loved Patrick. The man is a sarcastic asshole. In other words, he speaks my language. I found him to be hilarious. He also shows a bit of his heart by the way he takes care of Will when his health isn't so good. Will... I adore Will. He is just so good. He's kinda like a hero. Using his money for good and saving lives. But he's a little selfish and only really thinking about himself and how the situation is affecting him and not really taking in how the situation has totally screwed Patrick professionally. Their situation is a little far out there but it didn't bother me. Who knows, this shit could happen!

[Meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

A slapstick farce with incongruous issues thrown in.

I found the dialogue stilted and the characters odd enough to wonder if this originated as fanfic. The main characters consist of arrogant doctor Patrick and whiny dependent Will, neither who I could like or care about. Situations are blown too far into the ridiculous for me to suspend disbelief despite generally liking this trope. Then there's diabetes, alcoholism and dying children - which doesn't suit the hyper silly tone and rubbed me the wrong way.

Humour is subjective, a bright silly bundle of errors if it's your thing, but didn't work for me.

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun! But book 2 is $2.99 and, for 110-ish pages, that is SO not gonna happen.

[Papie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a fun start, but it feels so short. Two strangers wake up married in Vegas after a drunken night and the best sex of their life. They are NOT happy about it. Will convinces Patrick to stay married because his trust fund conditions (that he uses for charity purposes) stipulate he can’t get divorced.

They are dicks to each other the entire episode. It’s fun, but I hope they start being nice, or cute or sexy, just give me something.

[Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review originally posted at
Sinfully... Addicted to All Male Romance

The title gives away the main plot point and also tells you what happens when the story starts. Will Patterson is at a convention trying to woo neurologists into coming to the new division his charitable trust has set up in a hospital in his hometown. Dr. Patrick McCloud is a neurosurgeon grudgingly attending the event to kiss up to his boss. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas unless there is no easy way out of it. That’s what Will finds out after waking up with the mother of all hangovers next to a stranger with a wedding ring. Things only get worse when Will realizes he’s also wearing a wedding ring and memories start to surface of a phone call from Ryan breaking up with him, drinking in the bar and the best sex of his life with the sexy, naked stranger in bed with him. Patrick’s recollections are similar and just as they agree to a quickie divorce, Will remembers something that will make that impossible. Without going into detail, the story involves a mafia family, millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains in a trust that has an oddly strict moral clause and a series of personal setbacks for both Will and Patrick. They soon find themselves back in Will’s small hometown in South Dakota trying to figure out how to dissolve the marriage with as little collateral damage as possible, while playing happy couple for the sake of the family spies and the nosy townsfolk.

I have a thing for snarky characters and I loved Patrick, even though at times he can be an asshole (a term he applied to himself). He is brutally honest, not looking to make friends or charm anyone and although he won’t admit it out loud, he really likes Will. He is certain of his abilities as a doctor, but his lack of social skills tend to get him in trouble. As much as his snarky attitude may be off-putting, he goes well out of his way to help Will. Most of what comes out of his mouth had me laughing, but for the most part everything he says is right on point.

Will was a bit of a wet blanket at first and frankly he can be an asshole too, but unlike Patrick he doesn’t realize it. Wallowing in “woe is me” and hung up on a now ex-boyfriend who clearly is not worthy of him, Will barely gives a second thought to what he is putting Patrick through. Patrick is giving in and rolling with Will’s needs, caring for Will when he is neglecting his health and Will can’t muster a thank you until Patrick points out how ungrateful he’s been. I started out feeling sad for Will, then I was annoyed and cheered when Patrick bluntly laid things out for him. He’s struggling with some demons though and I liked the spark he showed when he inevitably runs into his ex, Ryan, which leads me to believe I’ll really warm up to him once he comes out of his shell.

I thought this was a really good start to the serial. Both men are clearly attracted to each other and have the same ultimate goal, but they have such polar opposite outlooks on life and how to go about things, that I can’t wait to see them navigate what’s coming. If they don’t physically kill each other first the underlying sexual tension just might do the trick! We don’t get to see them in bed, but the few memories we’re treated to and hints of some shared kinks are enough of a promise to keep me going.

Fast paced and very entertaining, the first Episode of Will & Patrick has left me wanting more. Next up, Will has to take Patrick to face the wrath of his mother.

[Meags · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

That didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting, which has me slightly disappointed. Granted, there is nothing particularly bad about this story - the writing is solid, and the premise, although not very original, provided a bit of outrageous fun - I just felt disconnected from the whole thing in general.

My main concern is that Will and Patrick did nothing for me as lead characters. Will was a little whiny for my tastes. His constant talk of his obviously douchey ex-boyfriend, Ryan, and how he wanted to desperately win him back, just annoyed me and made me think less of Will as a person. And Patrick. Hmm. I can tell that Patrick, in all his arrogance and snark, was possibly meant to be funny? But I found nothing humorous about his character. Instead, he seemed like an asshole with a god complex, who had zero clue how or when to say the right thing in any of his personal interactions. Don't get me wrong, I usually enjoy a snarky character who lacks social skills, and I can see how this was meant to come across as such, but it just fell flat for me.

Luckily - or unluckily, depending on how you look at it - I'm slightly OCD and feel the need to see this serial through to its close. Hopefully I get more out of these characters as their kooky story continues.

[oshiiy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars ⭐️ This is such fun to read. The story is laughable and entertaining. I really liked both Will and Patrick.

“It was love at first fuck.”

One drunken mistake led Will and Patrick to get married in Vegas who were total strangers to each other, and the consequences of the said mistake made immense problems for both of them. Patrick never wanted to get married, and Will always wanted to marry a person who was in love with him.

I like Patrick already. He doesn't reveal many things about himself. But he is so blunt about everything. Will is the opposite of him. Will has little self-esteem. But I like him too.

Patrick is such an asshole sometimes. But he is Will's asshole.

I always like Leta Blake's writing. For sure I will read the rest of the episodes of this series because I can't wait to see how the story will turn around.

[CrabbyPatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Vegas to meet/greet and potentially hire a doctor for the hospital in his home town of Healing, South Dakota, Will Patterson awakens after a horrendous bender -- brought about by his long-term on-and-off boyfriend Ryan dumping him (over the phone ... while alcoholic Will is sitting in a bar) -- and meets ... his new husband, Dr. Patrick McCloud, a neurosurgeon and self-described "asshole".

In a contemporary take on regency romances and their farcical "marriage of convenience" tropes, Patrick reluctantly agrees to remain married to Will and return with him to Healing, SD, but only until the conditions of an iron-clad family trust can be sorted out - one with hundreds of millions of dollars that Will controls and has created a charitable foundation that does wonderful things for those in need.

Oh, and Will's father is a big-time Mob boss and if Will marries for anything other than love and gets divorced ...... the Family takes over the money. Let the fun begin!

I received an ARC of this book from the author via IndiGo Marketing & Design in exchange for an honest review.

Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews

[Ariana (mostly offline) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as good on a second read! Absolute magic! so my original review stands:

That was so much fun! The banter between Will and Patrick is excellent, their characterization brilliant and the plot's hilarious and not as implausible as I thought when I read the blurb.
I loved both guys, even though Patrick was such a cynic, sarcastic a****** at times. But even though he's pretty good at behaving badly, I get the distinct impression that there is a huge soft centre to his prickly shell and that he simply doesn't allow himself to be vulnerable.
A brilliant start to the series in every way - I'm totally invested into the two MCs and what's going to happen next. Can't wait!

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 2 out of 5]

If Will ends up killing Patick with an rusty spoon I might actually like this series. Until then...not so much.

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

Will & Patrick Wake Up Married has been an excellent start to a new series. It is incredibly funny, well written and has interesting characters! And I have to admit that Will and Patrick are very likely to end up as one of my favorite m/m couples - the chemistry between them is amazing and the authors managed to make them feel very real. I won't go into detail when it comes to the content of the story - there are quite a few reviews out there doing an amazing job and I don't feel that there is anything I could add. I am thus just going to share my feelings - this book is hot - very hot - it is basically the definition of sexual tension! And the characters are very intriguing - sweet Will and grumpy Patrick - they seem to be so different from each other, but I have the feeling that they are going to be perfect togehter! I am definitly going for the rest of this series!

[Tamika♥RBF MOOD♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all know I like Leta Blake's work alot, so anything she releases I'm going to want alot. I thought it was a cool idea for a romantic comedy with M/M romance. It started off really good to me. Will is disorientated and naked in bed with a man who isn't Ryan he boyfriend, yet Ryan broke up with him the night before. We all have been there done that with alcohol involved. Typical break up behavior ensued. Well this time Will went overboard and got himself married Vegas style. Patrick was hilarious to me. I liked his sarcasm and snark. He generally didn't panic as much as Will. This started out really well for me, and then the fire kind of died out. I'm think all the things surrounding the marriage took away from Patrick and Will. We saw glimpse of Patrick trying to be there for Will despite the situation at hand. I can't wait to see what happens next for these two. Maybe they will actually end up liking each other. Only time will tell.

[Aimora · Rating 4 out of 5]

First episode: Fun! Unrealistic, but that is a-ok.

[M'rella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second book in a row where excessive drinking leads to the "morning after" comedy of errors. I think I need a shelf for that.

The story is quite enjoyable, but the characters can be extremely frustrating at times, especially Will. He is whiny and he doesn't express himself very well outside his "mafia relations".

I don't understand why Present Tense is necessary in this book. I don't love it to begin with and failing to see how it supports the story or adds to it, I have no choice but to remove one star from my rating.

Final score 2.75

[Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freebie at the zon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Will-Patrick...

[Wendys Wycked Words · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed my ass off. I really like these MC's and I can't wait to read what happens next. On to the next book !! 3,5 stars from me !!

I'll write a full review when I've finished this series ;)

[Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read** · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3 Stars***

2/19/19 - Since I've finished the series, I wanted to come back to my review of the first novella to say some things:

1. Read this series!
2. Don't be discouraged by the bumpy start of the first book.
3. If you're a lover of stories that build from book to book....this is the series for you.
4. The development of both the characters invidually and as a couple is wonderful.
5. Be prepared to have some feels thrown at you...and to fall in love pretty hard with these characters.
6. Read this series!

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the last book as it's a fitting reminder of the feels in this series:

"I'm glad I married you in Vegas. Though we don't remember much about that night, our hearts knew what we were doing, even if we didn't."

That is all. Carry on with your day.

-----------------------------------------

Enemies to lovers, fake relationship, the Mob....

This first book is a bumpy start to the novella series. It had it's moments where I was bored, but by the end it had piqued my interest enough to decide to keep going.

And Dr. Patrick McCloud...he's keeping me going. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a grumpy guy with a gooey center...

Oh and snarky banter....that's my kryptonite too.

I'm hoping I'll warm up to Will in the coming books. His blindness to the fact that he didn't belong with his ex is kind of grinding my nerves.

Alright, let's see where this sham of a marriage takes me next....

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will review the entire series because it must be taken as a whole. I loved the main characters. They were snarly and prickly and sweet fun. How could you not like a story that has this line in it: Luckily, Patrick isn't impressed by pretty women. Being gay is sometimes a tactical advantage.

The supporting cast is just as interesting and aggravating. I loved them. My only regret is that I started this series before the last one was published.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short quick read that I thought was cute but I wanted more of the mafia side of the story. After a drunken night of hot sex in Vegas, strangers Will Patterson and Dr. Patrick McCloud wake up married. This book was written by two authors one I have read before. Patrick is a doctor who wants to get back to practicing medicine while Will is not over his ex Ryan. These two also don't along but they continue to have sex. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling.

[Elsbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3,5 stars*

Curious what the rest of the series will bring...

Patrick seems like an ass but I kinda like him. I love his confidence and that he's willing to help Will clear up the mess they're in.



^^^^^^^^
this made me think about Patrick!!

[~Kristin~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This was a little far fetched, but entertaining. A short little snack for an afternoon.