A special bonus Hide Your Wallet! I met Dr. Jodi McAlister in Australia a bunch of years ago, and I knew she was writing a series inspired by The Bachelor and The Bachelorette – which, y’all, the Australian version...
A special bonus Hide Your Wallet! I met Dr. Jodi McAlister in Australia a bunch of years ago, and I knew she was writing a series inspired by The Bachelor and The Bachelorette – which, y’all, the Australian version is allegedly extremely good. Jodi has recapped that series for BookThingo.
Since I follow Jodi on various social medaes, I knew she’d released Here for the Right Reasons, but it was only available in Australia. Oh, how the antipodean tables have turned! Woe! Sadness! Amanda featured that book in a recent Book Beat, and to my shock, Jodi’s Australian publisher made the ebook and the audiobook available in the US for a limited time!
SO! If you like reality tv behind the scenes details and some mayhem plot shenanigans, books one and two are available here in the US (and I have no idea how long they’l be here). They aren’t on sale, alas, but in case you’re looking for a book to buy yourself or someone else, especially if that someone else loves reality dating tv shows, this is ideal!
Thanks to the folks at Simon & Schuster Australia who made the books available over here. I’ve been wanting to tell more people about these books!
Here for the Right Reasons
Author: Jodi McAlister
Released: July 6, 2022 by Simon & Schuster Australia
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Marry Me, Juliet #1
A hilarious and heart-warming romantic comedy that examines how the unlikeliest of loves can bloom in – well, the most likely of places. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game and The Spanish Love Deception.
When Cece James agrees to be cast as a ‘Juliet’ on the next season of the hit television show Marry Me, Juliet, it’s certainly not for the right reasons. She’s knee deep in debt and desperate for the associated paycheck. The last thing on her mind is the hunky ‘Romeo’ waiting for her at the end of the gravel driveway.
But Dylan Jayasinghe Mellor isn’t your usual fame-hungry TV star. An Olympic gold medallist with calloused hands, kind eyes and a propensity for panic attacks, it turns out he’s not here for the right reasons either. As spokesperson for a men’s mental health foundation, and the franchise’s first non-white male lead, Dylan’s got a charity to plug and something to prove.
When Cece gets eliminated on the first night, it seems like her and Dylan’s awkward first meeting will be their last conversation. But when the TV set is shut down unexpectedly, Cece and Dylan suddenly get a little more time together than they’d expected.
Will love bloom when the cameras stop rolling?
Oh! And the audiobook is on Libro.fm, too!
Can I Steal You for a Second?
Author: Jodi McAlister
Released: April 5, 2023 by Simon & Schuster Australia
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance
Series: Marry Me, Juliet #2
When you sign up to a dating show, you’re supposed to fall in love with the male lead, not another contestant …
A delightful romantic comedy with ALL the feels by one of Australia’s leading romance experts. Mandie Mitchell will do anything to get over her toxic ex. Even sign up to the polarising reality dating show, Marry Me Juliet.
But with her self-esteem in tatters, she’s not sure she’s brave enough to actually go on the show until she forms a friendship with Dylan Gilchrist at the auditions that gives her the push she needs.
Dylan is everything Mandie is not – tough, strong, and totally unafraid to speak her mind. Unfortunately, she also looks set to win, as she soon becomes the clear favourite of the Romeo, who also happens to share the same name. It’s annoying, really, just how perfect the Dylans seem for each other… Mandie’s jealous. But it’s not because she wants to win the show. It’s because in her effort to get over her ex, she’s gone and fallen right back in love… with the wrong Dylan.
Heads up to all the folks who love reality tv AND queer romance – this has two contestants falling for each other, which Elyse has joked about SO many times.
And it too is on Libro.fm for audio, too!
Not Here to Make Friends
Author: Jodi McAlister
Released: January 3, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Australia
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Series: Marry Me, Juliet #3
She’s the reality TV villain everyone will love to hate. He’s the producer tasked with making it happen. What could go wrong? A hilarious, heartfelt rom-com for fans of The Unhoneymooners.
Reality TV producer Murray O’Connell is the showrunner for reality dating show Marry Me, Juliet, and that means he’s the boss: he controls the cast, the crew and the story. Until Lily Fireball turns up.
Lily is everything viewers love to watch: she’s feisty, dramatic, and never backs down from a fight. Her villain narrative should be easy to pull off, but Murray keeps getting in her way. Because before she was Lily Fireball, she was Lily Ong – Murray’s best friend, and he’s determined to stop her blowing up her life on television.
As the season unfolds, Lily and Murray go head to head. Lily just wants to have some fun with her role, and Murray just wants to film the show he planned. Why won’t she listen to him? And why can’t Murray focus on the job, instead of the woman he thought was just a friend?
The third book releases on 3 January, is enemies-to-lovers, and is also available on Libro.fm!