Emerson loves her job as a kindergarten teacher but since the pay isn’t great she decides to try a side gig. The problem is that the job she gets is for an MLM- a company operating a pyramid scheme designed to con people out of their money. While Emerson is taken in by the faux feminist girl boss narrative, Lucas, a local journalist sees right through it. He has a history with this MLM, and is eager to expose it for the scam it is. His passion to bring down the company clashes with Emerson’s goal to make this job work for her, creating a rivalry that is only fueled by their powerful sexual chemistry.

When Emerson finally starts to see the ugly truth, she agrees to be his ‘inside man’ for an investigative article he’s writing to uncover the MLM’s deceptive and exploitative business model. Messiness ensues when Lucas’ ex-wife gets involved and Emerson’s reputation and beloved job are put on the line.

This enemies to lovers story is fast-paced, diverse and ultra steamy. Fans of Martin’s as well as readers who enjoy romances with no third act breakup will be enchanted.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! Alexa Martin has a way of bringing you in to her world and making you fall in love with her characters. I wasn’t sure what to expect when picking this up based off the synopsis, but I am so glad that I did. She talks about common themes of humanity, not just in love stories; the need for community, the longing for a sense of belonging that motivates most people. To see this play out and for the main characters find love is wonderful.

How to Sell a Romance is one of those feel good romance books. We have Emerson who is enticed to start selling Petunia Lemon, a skincare MLM. As a struggling kindergarten teacher, she hopes this will bring in extra income. After a one night stand gone wrong with hot writer Lucas, Emerson tries to look past the night and focus on school and Petunia Lemon. Little does she know that her whole life is about to get turned upside down. From finding out Lucas is the father of one of her students and finding out that Petunia Lemon isn't all it's cracked up to be. Does she end up becoming a "sister in skincare" or does she help bring down the cult?

I really enjoyed this one and glad I got the chance to read it. I feel like millenials will connect with this because MLM were a big thing in the 2000. I'm thinking about LulaRoe, Scentsy, and Papparazi. Sometimes these sort of things work best for a lot of people and not for others. In Emerson's case, she seen what the other ladies were getting and wanted it. She knew something wasn't right and I"m gald she treid to get out when she did. I loved Lucas and glad that she had him along the way to help her navigate the business.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. I thought it was an interesting plot idea and relatable because we all know girls who are involved in an MLM, trying to reconnect with us from high school to try to make a sale, or how easy it can be to be swindled into something from all the bells and whistles (trips, social media stories, etc). I really liked both main characters and thought this was a fun read.

This super fun romance is about Emerson, a woman who just joined an MLM, and who finds herself falling for a reporter doing an expose on MLMs. Oh also, Emerson is a teacher in her day job... and guess whose daughter is one of her students?

It gave me flashbacks to the 10 months or so I sold Thirty-One bags back in 2014. I'm glad I went in with eyes open, just wanting some free bags. I only went to one of the big parties for 'consultants'. I described it to a friend later as 'church but for purses' -- and man did all the cult-like MLM descriptions in this book hit close to home!

But also whew, Lucas was the perfect male lead. He was so sweet and sexy and a great dad!

Emerson Pierce is a kindergarten teacher with the salary that goes with it and a boat load of student loans to pay back. When her principal approaches her with a way to earn a little extra cash, Emerson is all in. Petunia Lemon will set her free. Petunia Lemon is a multilevel marketing skincare company (think Amway) that sucks their distributors in with visions of dollars raining down.

She attends a promotional get together at a hotel in her home town of Denver and the enthusiasm sucks her right in to the dismay of her credit card. While at the hotel she meets Mr. Hot Guy, Lucas and they have a fantastic one night stand. The next morning she finds out he is a an investigative reporter doing an expose on Petunia Lemon and they both blow up at one another, destroying a budding relationship. Obviously they are destined to meet again and they do. Emerson is Lucas' daughter Isla's kindergarten teacher and Isla's mother is a gung-ho Petunia Lemon gal.

Alexa Martin is one of my auto buy authors. You just know when you pick up one of her books, it will be a satisfying story so seamlessly told that you forget you are even reading. This latest book is no different. I like that Lucas isn't some filthy rich tech bro or a corporate raider type hero. His profession is a breath of fresh air especially in a time that honest reporting seems to be on the verge of extinction. I would have liked a little more back story of both of these characters, but that is the only criticism I can think of.

**Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

my first alexa martin book!!! i had a good time to start, but then the excitement started to wear off and the momentum was gone. i didn't really buy into the romance, let alone the storyline, and it seemed to (i hate to say it) drone on. between pacing and the disconnect of the characters, this one wasn't my favorite.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

How to Sell a Romance is a lust driven romance, which I actively despise. I do not believe that characters were given the opportunity to get t know one another before they were thrown into bed with one another. In the first scenes, it felt as though they make this huge transition from strangers to immediately sleeping together to then becoming ‘enemies’ without a valid enough reason in my opinion.
The writing style didn’t feel as though it had been thought through well enough even though conceptually it could have worked.

hello diverse romcoms! it is always a joy to see and i am beyond ecstatic to start my first alexa martin romcom! i’ve seen nothing but good things so far and its seeming like i will absolutely love it 💞🤞🏼

This was a fun read! I enjoyed that it was based around an MLM and thought it was written with honesty and humour. The author definitely nailed the "hun" vibe that members of these organizations tend to have. I enjoyed the main character and Luke was such a good romantic lead. The antagonists were also great and the end was so satisfying.

I tried really hard to finish this book all the way through, I got somewhere around the 65% mark and had to call it quits. This book annoyed me more than anything. I was excited for the premise of this story, but the execution wasn't for me. I think I especially hated it for how unlikeable I found the main character.

What a fun concept for a romance! When kindergarten teacher Emerson is wooed by false promises from a predatory MLM, she has no choice but to turn to the father of one of her students, an investigative journalist looking into the business. After a one-night-stand that ended in disaster, the pair get off to a rough start and have to overcome a lot before they can even be civil.

The way the MLM operated in this one, using all the jargon and tactics real-world MLMs use to prey on people, made my skin crawl. The author did a great job of capturing the dynamics of MLM 'friends' and the cultiness of this sort of business!

I loved the FMC, Emerson! She is a little dumb and naive, but she has such a good heart and a fun, bubbly personality.

While overall I really enjoyed this book and found the concept to be really fun and unique, I felt that it was missing a lot of the relationship development. There was evidence of it happening off-page, but I wish we could have seen more happy couple moments and more of the love story amidst the chaotic plot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am not an enemies-to-lovers in a contemporary romance setting girlie, so as soon as that dynamic was introduced and persisted, I checked out.

The characters meet for the very first time and speak practically 5 words to each other before proceeding to sleep together. this is a romance. I felt like that was such a missed opportunity for some flirty banter and even a small conversation to establish some chemistry.

thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review

platform: netgalley ebook arc

I got to say I was a bit hesitant to read this book because reading the first chapter had me in a mix of feelings. Thankfully, I kept on reading because I knew this author always starts off better in the middle to the end. She likes to start off slow to build up the character and whoever is the love interest, which is a good thing, but it also sets me back.

And this book was such a fun, cutie romance read with a bit of, like, chaos energy. I truly enjoyed it throughout all the endless drama investigation. And don’t get me started on the spicy romance between the characters because that was unexpected yet delightful. Trust me, you are going to giggle and blush at the same time.