From the publisher:
Christina Lauren, the instant New York Times bestselling and “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar), returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.
Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.
Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.
Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.
But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.
“Witty banter and a well-paced plot make this novel an enjoyable must-read…Readers will be rooting for Liam and Anna in this heartfelt, sexy novel, Lauren’s (The True Love Experiment) best to date.” Library Journal, starred review
“The stakes set upon Anna and Liam’s relationship create juicy tension, and their chemistry is great. Both are charming and compelling romantic leads; their dual narration only reinforces that these two people should be together.” Booklist
“There are just as many emotionally charged moments as sizzling sex scenes, and readers will adore down-to-earth Anna, who’s the perfect match for uptight Liam. Lauren’s fans will be swept away.” Publishers Weekly
“Artistic Anna and uptight Liam make for a perfect case of opposites attract, and the island setting creates a wonderfully escapist mood. Steamy, fun, full of family drama.” Kirkus Reviews
https://amzn.to/3UGOWt8
This writing duo’s hit another home run with The Paradise Problem. A marriage of convenience with an unusual twist – Liam and Anna get married so they can live in subsidized campus housing, and it works out great. They barely see one another, and when their two-year lease is up, they go their separate ways. Liam gives Anna some legal documents and she signs them without even looking at them, assuming they are divorce papers. But they are not.
It turns out that Liam isn’t just an academic; he is heir to the sixth largest grocery chain in the U.S., only he wants no part of it. Both his brothers work there and that should be good enough for their controlling father, but he is convinced that Liam needs to be the next CEO when he retires. Liam has kept away from his family for five years, but his baby sister is getting married and he loves her, so he will put up with his family for her. Except that his family thinks he is still married to Anna, and legally he is.
Turns out there is a stipulation in his grandfather’s will – all the grandchildren must be married to get their 100 million dollar inheritance. So he tracks down Anna and begs her to be his wife for two weeks at the destination wedding. Anna has just lost her job, is dead broke, and clearly needs money, so they negotiate a $100,000 deal, along with Liam’s unlimited credit card so Anna can shop for appropriate clothes and grooming essentials for the exclusive wedding on a private island.
Legally, they are still married but they haven’t been in touch in years. When they first met, Anna was pre-med, so he’s been telling his family that she’s in medical school all along. What he doesn’t know is that she changed majors to art, and is now your basic starving artist working multiple jobs to pay the rent. No matter, she can fake that, too. Liam’s family is awful, and boy, could I relate! This was a wealthier family than mine, but the same roles applied – a dominating father who believed he could control everyone with money and siblings who would do anything Daddy wanted because all they cared about was money, too. Except Liam. Yes, he wants his inheritance, but not for the reasons his siblings do and they know it.
Anna doesn’t look like anyone else at the wedding with her striking pink hair, but Liam is entirely smitten with his fake wife and thinks she’s a knockout. The more time they spend together on this idyllic island, the more they realize they have feelings for one another. But everything blows up when Liam’s father demands he take over the company, and it turns out some of his family already knew that the marriage was fake.
This is a sizzling romance with a lot of laughs and heart – I loved it! Christina Lauren never disappoints, and this may be their best book yet. Don’t miss it.
5/2024 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE PARADISE PROBLEM by Christina Lauren. Gallery Books (May 14, 2024). ISBN: 978-1668017722. 352p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 