Legally Wedded

Legally in Love #1

by Jennifer Griffith

Morgan Clark is desperate. With just her senior year to go at Clarendon College, and her scholarship up in smoke, she suddenly finds she can’t qualify for financial aid. And until Morgan finishes and can work full time, her sister can’t even start school.

Josh Hyatt is desperate. Without his degree from Clarendon he won’t be able to join his girlfriend in their dream career which she’s already begun, and he can’t qualify for government grants thanks to his estranged father’s interference.

Morgan, meet Josh. Josh, meet Morgan. Are they desperate enough to get legally wedded?

Legally Wedded is the third book in bestselling rom-com author Jennifer Griffith's Legally in Love series, following Attractive Nuisance and Asked & Answered.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Marriage Of Convenience, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, College, Chick Lit

418 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2016

About the author

Do you love free e-books? Check out my website to see how to get a free book. http://authorjennifergriffith.com

I love a story that ends with a kiss, whether it's a book or a movie. That's the big payoff! So that's the kind of books I like to write, and I call my style "cotton candy for the soul"-- light, sweet, gone. We all need a little escape from reality for a while, and escapist fiction can be the perfect remedy.

I'm a moderately bad housekeeper, I have a black thumb, and it takes a small miracle to get my hair to curl. My handsome husband and I live in the Arizona desert where we're raising our five children, who never let us stop laughing.

Reviews

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been nominated for a 2016 Swoony Award. Share the love and vote for it here.

Cute!

Morgan is just starting her senior year of college when she looses her financial aide. Needing to finish college so she can then help her sister go to college and being so close to the end, she is desperate to find a way to pay or her last year of school. Meanwhile, Josh has been cut off from his wealthy family for dating a girl they don't approve of and also being denied financial aide he finds himself also desperate for a way to pay for college. With his girlfriend out of the country and desperation breathing down his neck he runs into Morgan and they hatch a scheme that will hopefully solve all their problems. Or just pile on a few more.

I really liked Morgan, she was just a genuinely nice person. I really liked how she handled herself in some tough situation. She also works hard and is trying to do her best to finish school and help her sister go through school as well. She also treats Josh really well, with kindness and understanding. I liked Josh, it was a little frustrating this his girlfriend was always in the background, but I guess it's suppose to be like that. I did like seeing him realize his feelings and also gain confidence in himself. I thought Morgan and Josh were cute together and I liked seeing how their story unfolds.

This is the third book in the Legally in Love series, but stands well on it's own. Fun marriage of convenience story.

Content
Romance: Clean, mild innuendo and kissing
Language: None
Violence: None
Religious: None

Source: Received review copy in exchange for honest review.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I, personally, would enjoy a marriage of convenience, but I love it when that is a major plot point in books. Morgan and Josh are both desperate to finish college, but can't afford it without financial help. Morgan's family isn't well off, but the book of poetry that her mother wrote last year disqualifies her from the help she needs. Josh's father disinherited him and won't help out, but legally, he's still a dependent and can't escape it. While his girlfriend is in Europe for a year on an internship, he's determined to get through some schooling so they can be together. A perfect plan of fraud forms and both Josh and Morgan find themselves over their heads--in almost every way.

Morgan is adorable! Not only is she super model gorgeous, but she's as sweet as can be. For as shy as she is, she's great at going with the flow and putting herself out there. I love characters who feel like friends and who have me rooting for them. Josh has a lot to figure out in his confused life. He lacks confidence and directions, even though his outward appearance and upbringing screams otherwise.

I loved the chemistry! The scrapes and situations these two found themselves in were sometimes very humorous, sometimes sizzling (in a clean way), and other times heartbreaking. I loved the emotional journey with these great characters. Everyone needs a sibling like they each have and a beneficiary who showers them with attention, both in good ways and bad. This is a fantastic, clean romantic comedy and as always, I can't wait for more!

Content: mild romance (kissing, innuendo); nothing else of note. Clean!

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Shash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book! I really wanted to read a feel-good book that I knew, with certainty, I would enjoy. When I’m feeling that way, I know I can pick up one of Jennifer Griffith’s books. And this book was exactly what I needed! I smiled, I laughed and, of course, I sighed. A lot.

Morgan Clark is ready to start her senior year of college. She is so close to graduating, but her financial aid falls through and she is desperate for a way to pay tuition. Josh Hyatt’s father has cut him off, and Josh can’t get financial aid either. He is desperate to get back into school, finish his degree and move forward with the life he has planned with his girlfriend, who is working overseas for a year. When Morgan and Josh meet, they come up with the idea to marry and thus qualify for financial aid. And off to the courthouse they go! They’ll just annul the marriage later. Things aren’t quite that simple, though. They find that continuing the ruse comes with a lot more complications than they thought.

Morgan and Josh were so cute together! They had such great chemistry! But it wasn’t only that. They were perfect for each other in so many ways. Morgan was the sweetest, kindest, most humble person. She was always thinking of others. I loved her! Not only was she a good person, but she also brought out the good in others. Josh was a true gentleman. I loved how protective he was of Morgan. I understood his desire to be loyal to his girlfriend, but Morgan was so much better for him! The poor guy had a major tug of war going on with his emotions.

I loved the story! There were so many twists and turns thrown at Morgan and Josh. The situation just kept getting more complicated. I couldn’t stop reading! I wanted to see what happened. I wanted to see more of their interactions with each other. I wanted to see them get their happy ending!

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, sigh-inducing romance, then read this book!

I was given a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content: Clean

[Teya Teya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a love hate tug of war. It felt long, yet almost every second was counted and needed for the story.
I hated people, I loved people. I thought the hero was a blasted idiot, but understood he had to figure out his heart. I do wish it had been a little shorted, yet it was satisfying. See a tug of war. All in all it was a really cute read of finding ourselves, forgiveness and love, which is my personal favorite kind of book.

[Jennifer]

I think the main reason it ultimately didn’t end up being my cup of tea was the hero. It’s just not my thing to have a hero who’s so easily manipulated, utterly blind, and exasperatingly indecisive when it matters most. Especially the last one. Why did it take him so long to make up his mind at the end when it should have been clear? And I felt like the heroine should have a little more dignity. I think if a guy was so torn, I’d tell him to forget it.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Morgan was so mad that because of her mom making enough money to pay off her dead dad's debt, now she can get financial aid for her senior year. She meets Josh at the mailboxes at their apartment complex. Both are in a bind for money for school but they can get it if they are married. But things get interesting.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start, and a little bit overly ridiculous at times, it's also a very sweet romance

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Romance, clean
This was a cute, but serious story. Morgan and Josh need help paying for their college tuition and living expenses. They are both secretly attracted to each other. As they rush to get married to help get financial aide, they don't really look carefully at the long-term consequences. Christmas is a final test for them to see if they will stay together even during some misunderstandings.
I am always a fan of a novel with honest and genuine characters. It was a cute setting, and the characters genuinely grew to care about each other, not just have the physical attraction that helped them grow as a couple, and helped them learn to trust each other with the biggest secret of all, that they both loved each other.
Cute premise, their everyday interactions were sweet, their 'moments' in the novel were part of the everyday that life is made up of. Their week of dating over the holiday where they focused on really getting to know one another was sweet. The Epilogue was cute and loved the follow-up for them.
Overall a good read for me. I think my favorite of this series.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Legally Wedded series and seriously, my favorite so far. This book had me smiling and swooning. It was the perfect romantic escape.

I love that the author states in the back of the book that she isn't trying to change the world with her book. It's not meant to do anything other than create an escape for the reader and provide a bit of fluff entertainment. Well, she sure nails it. I really loved this one.

The attraction is always there between Josh and Morgan. Always. It's sparking and crackling and sometimes igniting. The kissing scenes were the best- I got all gooey inside. :) I was so glad I got them throughout the book instead of having to wait until the end!

Josh and Morgan get to know each other in a very unconventional and perhaps a bit backwards way. But they do get to know each other and more than that, they come to genuinely like each other. There are some bumps in the road- of course there are. Most of them they face together, until the end. That is a bigger bump and it has to be faced separately.

Loved this one! I want to read it again. Right now.

Content: Clean with some swoony kissing

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I'd like to apologize to everyone who got ignored while I read this book! I kinda couldn't put it down! I love marriage of convenience stories, and Josh and Morgan were such great characters!

Josh has been cut off from his millionaire father and is seeking funding to finish his education. Tongue-tied Morgan who freezes up when it comes time to talk to guys has lost her scholarship and has been denied financial aid. The only way they can both get what they want is to get married and apply for financial aid as a poor married couple. But they quickly learn that things are never as simple and easy as they appear... and they keep getting deeper and deeper into their deception.

I loved the chemistry between Josh and Morgan and how supportive they were of each other. I loved how the "good guys" did some imperfect things and the "bad guys" had some redeeming qualities; I felt like the minor characters fit really well into the story and added a lot to the story, too!

Content: Clean
Source: Review Copy (opinion is 100% my own)

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morgan and Josh are both caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to paying for tuition. Although they are virtually strangers, they concoct a plan to get married in order to qualify for grants for school. Will their marriage stay a business arrangement, or will it grow into something more?

I so enjoyed reading this book; it was hard to put down! It was well written and entertaining, and even though I was pretty sure I knew how it was going to end, there were still a couple of curve balls that kept me on my toes. The characters were believable and relatable, and had me aching for their happy endings. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a light read that lets them escape the real world for a few hours.

[Tiare Nord · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this one. I got it when it was free on Amazon. I enjoy clean romance but this one was not for me. I don’t love the good girl comments just because she was waiting. I thought Morgan seemed way too perfect. She had no flaws. Then Josh was so annoying with the girlfriend thing. Also he has no control. Basically Morgan looks hot and Josh makes out with her and then they continue on like nothing. It felt very long to me. So not the book for me but everyone else loves it

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

The hero was one big confused dumb man who just couldn't figure out what the hell he wanted. Didn't like him at all. He seemed more like a secondary character than the H of the book. And h should have had more spunk in her rather acting like a doormat to him near the end.
I like when h are a little selfish and sassy, not the boring too perfect angel like this one was.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

I loved the witty banter and flirtations in this story. I appreciated the realistic struggle for each of them with recognizing their true feelings and the struggles they experienced in each stage of their guilt. Very fun and believable!

[Misty Goan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great well written and easy to listen to funny, sweet complelling story. I loved the narrator he just had a way of taking me directly thru the story and really feel and enjoy the story. The characters are likeable and real it is a fun plot with a twist for a marriage of convenience. Morgan lossing her scholarship because her mother surprisingly earning to much on her poetry book she wrote. Josh with a similiar situation they decide to get married they rush into getting married so they can get the scholorships to finish school. However, they never really look carefully at the long-term consequences. I loved how Josh and Morgan get to know each other in a backwards sort of way but the narrator really helped you feel their chemistry sizzling just below surface. The audible version just really makes the story come so much more alive. I find with the audible the story is so much more exciting because of the different tones he uses, the inflection for different speakers and scenes, it makes you really feel. I voluntarily reviewed this copy and with be looking for more.

[B. D. Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Griffith describes herself as a writer of escapist fiction. This is my fourth escape with this author and it was by far the best. I almost wish there were six stars available for award. From the opening pages I got caught up and remained engrossed to the very last page. Too often story lines are all too predictable. Not so here. Of course it is assumed from the outset that there will be a happily-ever-after conclusion, but the journey depicted here takes many unexpected twists and turns. I was actually surprised that the major villains in this story actually turn into semi-heroes. The editing team did themselves proud because if there were editing errors I did not see them. I very much appreciate that the protagonists were depicted as people worth of emulation and that high moral standards were glorified. I can now say that I have become a real Jennifer Griffith fan. Very well done!

[Sheri Mahalick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a super sweet romance and develops pretty plausibly (coming from someone with a similar moral perspective to the author).
What I found most interesting about this book, and what sets it apart from others of its kind was the male perspective. I think this is the first third-person romance novel I have ever read where the perspective and development of the main male character was more interesting and important to me than the female’s. He’s a little dense for a smart guy and yet I was still rooting for him.
And the heroine was a sweetheart.
It was also kind of nice to read about characters who are unapologetically good looking. The current trend is for “real people”, which is fine—I’m a real person. But sometimes you like some good old-fashioned escapism and this is it.

[Anne Rightler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this marriage of convenience story by Jennifer Griffith. Two college students struggling to make ends meet come up with a scheme to fix it all. What a scheme and what challenges ensue. It is a fun book with quirky characters, a father who is estranged, a mom who has written a one-book wonder and a girlfriend working in Europe (or is she?), a plot filled with interesting twists and of course, the romance. And oh, the kisses, get your fan and fainting couch ready! I listened to a complimentary copy of the book and Glen Pavlovich did a great job narrating, which makes for an enjoyable listening experience. Such a nice feel-good story, you won't want to miss it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fraud or Love

This book is Morgan and Josh’s story. What starts out as a solution to continue to pay for college, after both being denied financial aid based of their parents income, turned into a bit of a legal mess. Josh just wanted to finish school so he could be with his girlfriend. Morgan was anxious to finish her course work so she could afford to help her sister get started in college. What they both didn’t expect was to find the complication of love.
This was a clean contemporary romance. It was a full sized book. Although the author and the characters she the ethical dilemma in “frauding” the government it made for a cute story.

[Bruce F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! There was appropriate family drama for both Morgan and Josh.

Morgan, who has a history of "Conversation Coma" when attempting to carry on conversations with others during dates, finds that conversations with Josh don't seem to be affected as much.

Josh, starts with a serious girlfriend and has difficulty in dealing with the separation of her going overseas for a year.

Add to that the need of both Morgan and Josh, who attend the same university, are struggling to obtain financial aid and find that their parents' income prevents getting the type that they have been applying for.

They discover a possible solution and we learn how they deal with its ramifications.

[Myra Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute Romance in Reverse

First comes marriage then comes love. This book had a bit of everything. Crazy circumstances, adventure, and of course romance. To top it all off, it was fun. I did laugh out loud several times. I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of writing by Jennifer Griffith. I thought a phrase Griffith has in her bio was a perfect description for this book. She calls her books, "Cotton candy for the Soul". That's an excellent description. I'll be reading more from this author.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, clean romance

Content: Completely clean with some great chemistry
Language: Clean
Religious: No.
Overall story: I read this book in the series first. This was a different story line for me--marriage to qualify for student grants. I didn't think I was going to like this one but I did. It's completely unbelievable. Definitely not real life, but what can I say--I loved his mind candy.

Happy reading!

[Elda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

I thoroughly enjoyed “this bit of reading fluff” as the the author put it. I read this all the way through from start to finish in one sitting. It was very well written. Full of romantic angst and heartfelt words all wrapped up in a clean story. This is the second story I’ve read from this author and I intend to continue reading more of her books. Highly recommended.

[Hana Bilqisthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is interesting. The beginning is so fast and good and I thought I wpuld give this book 5 star but it went downhil for me. The story pace became slower and slower and there are lot filler. I went from loving Josh ans Megan and became to irritated at them.
I think Josh kinda did not dependable. There are several times Megan hope Josh to reject offer, but he accept it instead. And there are lots thing that

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I have fallen in love with "Legally Wedded!" I must admit that I was just expecting another run of the mill book about fake marriages; however, that is not what I found here! What I found was a beautifully written novel by Ms. Griffith. There was romance, sparks, and just a hint of heat while remaining completely clean! The details, the development was wonderful and truly remarkable. I look forward to reading more books by the talented author!

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fake legal marriage and forced proximity

An enjoyable story, even though it did drag there for a bit. Their connection was instant but his other woman held things up quite a bit for the both of them. One not willing to let go of his dreams or should we say hers and the other not wanting to hope that she would be enough, that she could be loved.

The side characters were brilliant, from the sweet and adorable family to the basket case that was his ex and everyone in between.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This has been on my tbr for years and has just kept sliding down. When I started it, it was cute, but new-adult genre really isn't my thing. However, the writing was so good and the characters so real that I kept excusing this and excusing that and liking it anyway. Then the last third got so dramatic that I simply couldn't put it down.

Recommended for age 18+ because of a number of scenes scantily dressed

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marry For Funds

Morgan and Josh find out Tory entered them into a married couple
scholarship contest. Oh they won!
How will this work? As they live together Morgan's heart turns to
Love but Josh is still thinking about
his girlfriend who has gone to
Germany for a job in the State
Department. How can Morgan win
his heart? A well written story with strong and believable characters.
joy943

[Jennifer Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and unexpected

I don’t usually read fake marriage books--the idea seems very contrived to me. But this one not only worked, it was fun to watch them get into more and more trouble with it, and there were some twists that I didn’t expect. Thoroughly enjoyable and I will read more by this author.