A Wedded Arrangement

Convenient Marriages #3

by Noelle Adams

With three months remaining of her marriage of convenience, Savannah is ready to say goodbye to her spoiled rich boy of a husband. He's annoying and argumentative and used to always getting his way. Sure, he's hot. And maybe occasionally a little bit sweet. But she doesn't want to stay married to him.

Not at all.

He needed a wife for a year so he could inherit his grandmother's fortune, and she needed to pay off her family's debts. That's all their marriage has ever been about.

So she really needs to stop falling into bed with him.

Genres: Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Fiction

231 pages, ebook

First published October 23, 2019

About the author

Noelle 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.

Reviews

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread:

I’d forgotten how absolutely cute and delicious this story was. With characters that stole my heart with their ongoing bickering and smexy times, I fell in love with them all over again. Definitely worth the reread!


Original:

Oh my gosh! This was one of the best enemies-to-lovers trope I’ve read in a long time. Add in a marriage of convenience and a hero and heroine that were positively explosive together and I was in book heaven!

Savannah and Lance have been in a marriage of convenience for nine months. Three more months to go and they will divorce and never have to deal with each other again. With a history rife with antagonism, bad memories and hurt feelings, the fact they ever married, even for money, is saying something.





Beginning in her childhood Savannah had constructed walls that had to be blasted in order to get through. But then, so had Lance. With a fortress between them, this couple had a lot of work to get to a happy ever after.

This couple were absolutely electric together. Their banter showcased their competitive natures but it also led them into slowly revealing themselves to each other. I loved watching them move from antagonist to lovers with their verbal sparring. And when they cross that line, holy heck, it was explosive!





Despite all the outward antagonism, this was a very lighthearted read with some of the cutest arguments I’ve ever read. We only get the heroine point of view but this author has a talent of making sure the reader pretty much knows what’s going on in the hero’s mind, and I need that little extra to fully enjoy a book. It also didn’t take much to convey to us that this hero was a bit jealous and a lot desperate for the heroine’s love.

While there isn’t a lot of angst here, it does ratchet up towards the end and I was shocked and heartbroken over something the hero said. Cue the rising tension and I couldn’t put this book down to save my life at that point. The resulting actions of both characters were completely believable and I fell even more in love with them than I had been before.

By the time I reached the end I was smiling with pure joy at such a fun, sweet, antagonistic, sexy read. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys any of the above tropes, just “come on, come on, come on”!

Heroine POV
Safe no ow drama; om drama – H becomes jealous of friend h/H went to school with when he hugs h – H knew h had had a crush on him in school; h not a virgin; H not made out to be a manwhore
Triggers no apparent triggers

[Preeti ♥︎ Her Bookshelves · Rating 2 out of 5]

2*ish
My interest kept wandering while reading the book. And that was when I wasn't getting annoyed.
The childhood/teenage enemies turned friends turned lovers via a moc, with the wrong side of track angle thrown in for good measure should have been good ... but the chip on the h's shoulder plus her dogged bickering - lest he gets the wrong (read right) idea about her feelings - was a big bore.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rare case where I think the "unlikeable heroine" complaint is somewhat valid due to Savannah's persistent chip on her shoulder about her husband's privilege-- though to be clear, the issue IMO is not that she's right to call him out on how his position hurt her in the past (he literally got her fired from a job she needed) or that she has a hard time getting over it. It's that she HAS gotten over a lot of it but feels bad about liking him now and therefore is always going back & forth in her mind. It makes her read as a pretty inconsistent character, which makes it somewhat harder to root for her. That said... I'm not sure that's unrealistic :D. In any case, I love the way Noelle Adams develops conflict and thought the pay off was very satisfying.

[Giorgia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

Cute. Good chemistry and some emotion.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge)]

Read for Content Pull

[Bibi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thoroughly disliked the heroine, Savannah, and derived zero joy in reading about her many hang ups of rich people. It all seemed pointless. DNF @60%

[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A marriage of convenience romance with a pining hero who is jealous (in a restrained way) - basically a Noelle Adams classic. Savannah and Lance are both pretty guarded characters, so it was sweet to see them be earnest after their walls came down. This book also includes some praise kink (lots of encouraging vibes without actually saying ‘good girl’).

However I do wish the story didn’t spend so much time on Savannah’s money hang ups (she and Lance grew up in the same town, but he was rich and she was poor). It got so much airtime and became her whole personality, which made the story drag a little in the middle.

Overall an enjoyable read but not one of my favourite.

[ies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noelle Adams selalu fun reading sih, gak sependek novella tp jg gak sepanjang novel yg laen XD

Gw sempet sebel bgt sama karakternya Savanah, padahal mau kaya apa miskin semua punya masalah sendiri2 dan tiap orang pasti merasa masalahnya paling berat sih, die menghakimi masnya banget dr masa mereka kecil gt..

Gw ude feeling kl Lance tu ude suka sama Savanah dari dulu, tp kr tiap ketemu adu mulut jadinya gt dah..

Kelar sudah RC gw, bye 2020 yg penuh perjuangan huhuhuhuhu

[Maria Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable modern marriage of convenience romance! Savannah and Lance come from very different backgrounds growing up in the same town (he grew up rich; she didn't) and when he proposes a marriage as a way to get his trust fund money, she agrees because she needs money too and he's offering her a deal that's too good to pass up - never mind that they've always been at odds with each other, it's a business arrangement. But with three months left in their marriage, things take an interesting turn when Savannah realizes her feelings about Lance (and for Lance) have changed.

They both have pretty big walls and prejudices about the other to overcome to get their happy ending. Along the way they share some pretty intense sex and a deepening emotional bond. I loved seeing them admit their own faults (they're are definitely not perfect) and their willingness to try to put themselves in the other's shoes. It's an entertaining, sexy romance.

Note: a copy of this story was provided by the author for review.

[Piper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Our beloved heroine Savannah is the most obnoxious, self-righteous and unlikeable person I've read about in ages. There is no way in this world or any other that any man would find her charming or likable and certainly not lovable. She is just plain awful! She feels more like the villain of this story than anything else. Is she 100% wrong about the things she says? No BUT essentially she has only one opinion and that is that rich people are terrible human beings because they have money and she doesn't. She is just so hateful and despicable towards the male MC it's unbelievable. The more I read about her the more I hated her and IMHO no sane person could love her like that. All her snarky remarks are so annoying, bossy and rude. She constantly puts Lance down and barely treats him like a person with feelings (Oh sorry my mistake, he is rich - he has no feelings...). She really just treats him like a D she likes to F.
DNF'd at 50%

[Isha Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noelle Adams continues to do what she does best. Appeal to the heart while intriguing the mind. Savannah and Lance combine a clueless angst with emotional connection that makes for unpredictable romance. She thought she knew what she wanted until romance got in the way. He was on the verge of having all his dreams come true until love threw him a curveball. Can a marriage of convenience be the beginning of happily ever after? Adams gives less temptation and more heart with haunting results.

[romancejunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lighthearted and sweet story, it was delightful to watch Savannah and Lance putting aside their differences and falling in love.

[AvidReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️.

-Marriage of convenience.
-Enemies to lovers.
-Arguing is their love language.
-Small town.
-Rich boy x blue collar girl.
-KU, safe and recommended.

[Izzie d · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay.
No other woman drama.
Other man drama as Hero is jealous but nothing is going on.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
No cheating.
HEA.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable installment in this MoC series! Savannah and Lance made me really believe in their enemies-to-lovers marriage of convenience, in part because Lance clearly had feelings for her and was ready to get to the lovers part of their relationship. She took longer to catch on due to the reasons their dynamic began in the first place. Either way, they had chemistry for days and I loved watching them dance around each other until they gave in to their feelings. I love how this author builds internal conflict and the way this builds the characters’ connections to each other.

Green Valley, NC is divided between the super wealthy and the people who work for them. Lance grew up in the former, Savannah the latter. They’ve gotten underneath each other’s skin since childhood but Savannah didn’t truly hate him until he talked to her manager at work when they were 17, which got her fired. That wasn’t his intent—he was a privileged teen and didn’t think about the possible consequences—but the impact was still the same. While Savannah had valid reasons for agreeing to marry Lance (erasing debt!), she worries she betrayed her old friends by mingling with the wealthy. None of her actual friends feel this way, even if there are some townsfolk who do. It’s more that marrying Lance forces her to get to know the real him and see beyond their usual bickering and that changes her in the process, as she realizes she wasn’t as right about him as she thought. Plus, it’s scary to have romantic feelings for your nemesis! This turns into a bit of a loose thread once they fall in love for real and never circles back to idea of whether she betrayed her old friends by marrying him.

Savannah regularly calls Lance out for his privilege and he listens and makes changes where he can. This was great to see and it’s clear he’s not fully comfortable with the excesses of his childhood, as evidenced by pulling away from his family after his dad was incarcerated for embezzlement and spent barely any time in jail due to his connections and wealth. I didn’t buy why he hadn’t just estranged himself completely or only saw his mom separately and wish that had been addressed. My kingdom for more books where characters don’t rationalize keeping toxic family members in their lives or spend any time with them.

You can’t really address classism without also acknowledging racism. Without that, the critique rings hollow. I don’t know that Adams has the chops to address racism but the complete omission of even acknowledging that as a component to this Southern small town was a big miss. One of my issues with this series has been how cishet and white it is. The book takes pains not to say this but it’s pretty clear that Green Valley developed due to white flight and racism. In this installment, Savannah’s best friend Rosa’s mom is Mexican (introduced clunkily) and she’s the only character of color in the book. But there’s no sense of how that impacts Rosa and she otherwise functions as a white character.

The low moment is connected to the disparity Savannah feels between their two worlds. They both have big walls and difficulty being honest about their feelings. The first fight felt a bit contrived but the second fight made me real concerned about their odds. Lance was super mean to her, even for lashing out as a self-protective measure, especially if I’m to buy that he’s been secretly pining after her for a while. However, he did a really good job of making it up to her and letting her take things at her pace. Those actions helped me believe he’d changed and that he was going to do better going forward.


Characters: Savannah is a 31 year old white photographer. Lance is a 34 year old white corporate consultant. This is set in Green Valley, NC.

Content notes: classism, toxic family (MMC isn’t estranged but tries not to spend much time with them), FMC’s mother is in remission from cancer, past debt (medical, credit card, student loan), MMC’s father was arrested for embezzlement and incarcerated for two years (past), unsafe sex practices (condomless sex without discussion of preventing pregnancy or disclosing STD/STI status other than “we’re healthy”), accidental somnophilia FMC was asleep and woke up to find she was stroking MMC’s penis, he was trying to get her to wake up because he knew she wasn’t doing it on purpose—regardless of the lack of consent. He’s not upset about what she did but she’s mortified., on page sex, biting, masturbation, alcohol, inebriation, vomit (alcohol), hangover, gendered pejorative, gender essentialist language, ableist language

[MBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wedded Arrangement by Noelle Adams unfolds with a premise I adore; marriage of convenience, forced proximity, and two people who should have nothing in common slowly finding their way toward something real. Yet this one walks a far more nuanced line, particularly because Savannah and Lance come into the arrangement carrying very different burdens from their pasts, shaping who they are when the story begins.

Savannah Emerson grew up in a town sharply divided between the wealthy and the ones who served them, with her family firmly belonging in the latter category. A lifetime of watching the rich glide through life while everyone else scraped by has hardened something inside her, particularly when it comes to Lance, with whom her enmity runs long.

Lance, now thirty-four, is the golden boy who walked away from the fortune of his parents to build a business on his own terms. When his grandmother leaves him her wealth under the condition that he stay married for a year, Savannah becomes the most unlikely but necessary solution to his problem.

Nine months into their arrangement, with three months to go, Savannah is more than ready to ditch the husband she believes is entitled, privileged, and aggravatingly smug. But the unavoidable truth is that marriage, real or contractual, creates cracks where humanity leaks through. Lance shows himself to be thoughtful, unexpectedly vulnerable beneath the polish, and far more principled than Savannah assumed. The more time they spend together, the more her rigid assumptions begin to erode, even as she fights tooth and nail to hold onto them.

Much of the friction in this story comes from Savannah’s worldview, her ingrained resentment of privilege, her unwillingness to acknowledge nuance, and the chip on her shoulder that makes her judge Lance by the actions of every wealthy person she has ever resented. It borders on reverse snobbery, and at times it is difficult to watch her demand emotional penance from a man who has been actively trying to distance himself from his toxic upbringing. Yet the moments where she softens, where she sees Lance as a man shaped by trauma, loneliness, and a deeply dysfunctional family are what make the romance worth rooting for.

Lance, on the other hand, is the highlight of the novel. He is patient without being passive, self-aware without being performative, and far more kind than Savannah’s narrative allows at first. Witnessing the rot festering within Lance’s family and the realization that privilege came with a cost made for the emotional punch of a different dynamic. The intimacy between Lance and Savannah, both physical and emotional, develops naturally, with playful chemistry and mutual caretaking that gives the story heart.

While I enjoyed the relationship’s evolution, as mentioned before, I really struggled with Savannah’s rigidity and her worldview. Her world is painted in absolutes, and for most of the book she refuses to acknowledge how unfairly she treats Lance simply because of where he comes from. It made the relationship feel unbalanced at times, and I could not shake the sense that Lance was made to “atone” for circumstances beyond his control. I also feel that if Lance had put Savannah through similar anguish, readers would react very differently to the circumstances.

Recommended for: those who enjoy marriage-of-convenience stories with emotional complexity, imperfect heroines, and heroes who quietly steal the show.

Final Verdict: A thoughtful and quietly compelling marriage of convenience romance with a standout hero; Savannah may frustrate, but Lance makes this a worthy read.

Rating = 4/5

For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance

[Leyns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroine too abrasive for me.

Overall I enjoyed the read. However, I struggled to like the heroine. She had a huge chip on her shoulder from growing up working class in a rich town and was snarky and rude to the hero for the majority of the book. I like a strong heroine, but she was harsh. I know she had her reasons, and I liked how she was prepared to lower her defenses at the very end, but I just could not see why the hero would want to be with her at all. She went out of her way to deride him, mock him, remind him of his mistakes and his flaws, and she despised him because he was born into privilege. I know he contributed to it with his arrogance and he made mistakes, but it annoyed me that she held things against him that he had no control over. She was a snob against rich people. I’m sure there’s a better way to say that, but her prejudice was unpleasant to read IMO.
In saying that, I kept reading because the book flowed well, there was plenty of emotion, and I really quite enjoyed how the ending played out because it was unique in my reading experience.

**spoiler**
At one point he asked her how he could atone for the sin of being born rich and accepting lavish gifts and being entitled before he was old enough to understand what it even meant. I totally agreed with his frustration and when the heroine replied with “I don’t know” I honestly wanted him to kick her bitter ass to the curb. Same as when he wanted to take her on the yacht cruise for 2 weeks and she was shaking with anger over it. If my husband was offered free use of a yacht for two weeks and wanted to take me, and asked if I could get time off work, why the hell would I be offended? It’s not like he said to her “Your work isn’t important” or tried to pressure her into going. I just couldn’t understand her resentment of him most of the time and so I just had to assume she was still acting out of petty jealousy and bitterness from her childhood.

[Nureesh Vhalega · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wah, kapan terakhir baca novelnya Noelle Adams? Ini tipis sih, lebih tepat disebut novella. Aku suka banter-nya Lance & Savannah hahaha

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. I did like the overall romance between Lance and Savannah, but I don't really like how it developed. Definitely not my favorite by this author.

[Min · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Sarahcophagus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers is such a surprising choice for a marriage of convenience story, but it really works. I thought the grovel worked really well and the bad “first time” was refreshingly hilarious.

[Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is really talented in writing sex scenes and this book is a smoke show. The tension between these MCs is hot and palpable. So good!

[Emily (Mrs B's Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

**My thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy for an honest review**

This is slightly different towards the normal book in the trope. Whereas normally the couple are just meeting and arranging a marriage of convenience and fall in love, this pair are already in a marriage of convenience and only have three months left in their contract.

Savannah has always been on the poorer side of the tracks in Green Valley and Lance has always been on the other side. Savannah does not spend money without thinking and has built up many walls with those around her so she is not hurt by the rich folk.

Lance has always grown up with a silver spoon and although he is at odds with his family also finds he has built up walls towards his nasty father and bigger sister. He has always liked Savannah and its only on a trip away with Savannah to a family wedding that things change between them.

Although both have walls and both run away at times, they are adult enough to talk things through and settle things like adults and eventually see where they are going wrong and Lance makes a concerted effort to be a better man and a man that he feels is worthy of Savannah.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series.

[Sherri Babb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a big fan of anything that Noelle Adams writes. She just has this way of pulling me into a book from the first page and I honestly cannot put that book down. A Wedded Arrangement is an amazing book. It is about two people that enter into a marriage with each other for a year and at the end of that marriage both of them gain something. Savannah and Lance both do not like each other in the beginning but as they spend time together they both begin to see something in each other that they did not know before. They begin to feel something for each other. Both fight it with everything they have. They both do not want to let their guards down and give in. What happens when they do? Will they both lose everything or gain something? Amazing read from start to finish.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY GOD!!!!!! Lance Carlyle got a one way ticket to the Book Husbands shelf! And Savannah was seriously relatable and a strong woman. She made him put in work and it was so satisfying. This was SO GOOD!!! I am also endlessly thankful for a curly-haired hero, and I very much want to grab him by it often. As I’ve said in other reviews, the way Noelle Adams writes is my favorite style, and she has become one of my favorite authors recently. Looking forward to many more. Or maybe just another book about Lance. That’s fine too. Just give me all the Lance you’ve got.

[Wioletta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Savannah agreed to marry Lance, so he can inherit his grandmother's fortune, Savannah is not doing this for free too, he is paying her family debt.
Only three months are left in marriage and Savannah can be free but lately her feelings to Lance are changing and she hates this.
I loved this story and characters.

[Hasmidah · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the first time I've read a book written by this author and surprisingly i managed to finish it in one go.
4* I really love it... no inner monologue fuh
(-)* because of the h is not a virgin huhu...

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd put this in the 2.5/3 Stars category. It was alright.

Surprisingly for me, who struggles with any sort of series, this is the third I have read out of the "Convenient Marriages" series. I really enjoyed the first book, and the second was alright but it seems with each one I'm less and less interested.

I think one factor that caused the book not to resonate with me so much was the upper class, lower class differences. It is a big theme in this book, and the MMC was no Alpha CEO, but I recognize while it isn't my cup of tea it was written into the story pretty well.

There were a lot of romantic scenes in this book and it usually doesn't phase me but as I remember was my complaint from the first book as well, this time I really wanted less of that and more of the actual plot. The scenes were written alright but I personally didn't like how the characters would jump to intimacy when they really were better off sitting down and having a conversation. We get to see that they are human and have flawed characteristics on both sides, but reading them consistently jumping to that was a bit tiring after a while.

As for the drama it was alright, and I had a few huh?! moments while reading. I couldn't get myself to feel a lot of strong emotions they were feeling towards the end, only really getting it 50% of the time. Same with some awkward dialogue; it didn't sound right and was a bit cringe worthy, but I guess it just showed their personalities.

Overall the book wasn't inherently bad or boring, I was actually glued to the story since it's a novella and was written well to draw you in. But it didn't stand out to me enough.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lance and Savannah are an unlikely couple who have known each other since school. He is from the Uber rich part of their town and she grew up constantly being belittled by the "rich kids", including Lance.

The story starts with these two already six months into their marriage of convenience and these two are constantly bickering and competing with one another. From the start, their chemistry was flammable but it took them time to go from a platonic marriage towards a real one with true intimacy and vulnerability. Both have very high internal walls as they have suffered emotional trauma at some point in their lives and they are both too scared to open up and truly start caring for each other.

Savannah is a feisty, outspoken photographer and she gives as good as she gets. Lance, a corporate consultant, comes across as cocky, spoilt and entitled but through the course of the book, he starts realising that he needs to change and their path to happiness is fiery, full of banter and one upmanship.

The book was engaging and I really enjoyed reading about the growth, improvement and consideration for one another as they navigate their way together. This is not a clean book and there are a few swear words.

This author never disappoints and I enjoyed this read.

[Bookish brown girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-4.5
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book about a rich entitled hero and almost considered DNF'ing it in the first 10%. But I am so glad I continued. This is my favorite in the series.

I loved the realistic exploration of wealth gap between a couple. Savannah had some well deserved hang ups about the rich and her grappling with it was very interesting to read and I haven't seen explored before. She is what I have seen described as an 'unlikable heroine' (a term I dislike immensely). But I love a prickly chip on her shoulder heroine and the entire exploration of her character coming to terms with her issues with class and money was interesting to read.

And I really enjoyed how playful they were during intimate scenes and throughout had some great banter. Lance was well written and while initially I was wary of him being a spoiled rich guy, he ended up having more depth and how much he adored Savannah and took care of her was very sweet.