I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

Straight up Irish is the first book in the Murphy Brothers Series from Megan Vernon.

Connor needs a wife if he wants to help save his family's billion-dollar pub empire. There's just one problem: He never planned on marrying. So, he needs someone who understands that this is just another business deal. He doesn't do commitments. And his brother's executive assistant Fallon Smith, fits the bill.

Fallon needs help with her grandmother's expenses and her pretending to be Conner's fake wife is a way they can make that happen. She's not his biggest fan, but we can help each other and then go their separate ways. That she is beautiful and he enjoys spending time with her doesn't matter. When all of this is done, she is heading home to America, and he has got a company to run. A fake wedding a a whole lot of whiskey. What could go wrong?

Oh my goodness I swear this is the best romance I have read so are in 2018. I had so much fun reading this book. First you will fall so in love with Fallon and Connor. Connor is such a playboy and has been with a lot of women. He has no intention of changing his playboy ways ever. However the death of his father has brought him back to Ireland and the clause in his father's will is about to blow his future into the water. Fallon came to Ireland from America on a one off chance when she applied for a job as the assistant to a Pub company. She had to get away and is in a mess with all her grandmother's bills for her nursing home care and her student loans from getting her MBA. Her boss Jack is also not the nicest guy in the world and lately she has been having to contact his middle brother Connor to keep him from missing important meetings and schedules. Everything changes when the will is read and Connor literally runs into Fallon. This is the beginning of all the fun that this book holds in store. These two could not be more different and yet they just work. But their fake wedding is a business arrangement.....right? I loved every second, ever interaction, ever touch, and every single second of this book. Add in Fallon's grandmother who is precious and her best friend Leah and your going to have a ball. This is one you do not want to miss.

This was my first Megan Vernon book. I am so happy that I discovered her and this book. The way she writes will have the worlds playing in your head like a movie you never want to end. I can not wait to read about the other two Murphy Brothers Jack and Sean. I need those books in my life asap. However I am going to say that Connor has stolen my heart and I am just not so sure that any of the other brothers can succeed in stealing it. These three men couldn't be more different if they tired and I am so excited about this series

Fallon Smith is an American girl who is currently working in Ireland for Jack Murphy and his family’s distillery. Although it seems a majority of her job is taken up by Connor Murphy, Jack’s brother, and the resident playboy.

Connor is in Ireland for his father’s funeral and reading of his will. Connor and his brothers are in for the shock of their life when the will is read and they learn exactly how they can become owners of the company. Connor has only spoken with Fallon via phone but when he meets her in person, he becomes smitten with the American girl who could help him save his company.

I really enjoyed this story. Even though Connor comes off as a playboy, he has some redeeming qualities and has a heart of gold, especially when it comes to Fallon. Fallon has had a hard life, with parents who are less than stellar and a Nana whom she is taking care of back in the US. Fallon is not used to the lavish attention and it seems to always be a bone of contention between her and Connor. Their banter was fun, sexy and sweet and I loved how their relationship grew from friends to lovers. The ONLY thing I didn’t like was that I felt it ended a little too abruptly for my liking. However, I did enjoy Straight Up Irish and I look forward to more hot Irish men and whiskey ;)

I am new Ms Vernon writing style and I don’t think it’s my style. The blurb sounded amazing and I was looking forward to this book. I had a hard time liking Connor. He sleeps around and doesn’t take much seriously (case in point Fallon has to call and wake him before a lot of his meetings) but within a couple chapters of the book he is ready to be monogamous in his “fake” marriage. I didn’t feel emotional connection or chemistry between Connor and Fallon. Just was hard to read, they both seemed disinterested. Then WTH the ending not necessary for the ex to get involved at that point and just made the story seem even more ridiculous.

I’ll get straight to the point, folks. I’m always a fan of seeing a couple who don’t think they can be together come to their senses and get their HEA. Though frustrating, it was nice to see Connor, the hero, fall for Fallon upfront but he was stubborn about admitting to himself they could and should make their relationship permanent. For years, this guy couldn’t see past the free flowing whiskey and loose women falling at his feet to realize he was cheating himself out of true happiness by being a rich, self-entitled, self-serving, Good Time Charlie. Everyone, including himself, kept saying he’s been with so many random women in Ireland and Boston he couldn’t keep count of them all. This was quite evident since he never remembered their names or faces. He seemed to never have guilt or qualms about these conquests either. Despite knowing most of them wanted and expected a second date, he seemed not to have any guilty conscious.

Fallon is the hardworking assistant to Connor’s brother who sacrifices her fiances in order to pay for her Nana’s assisting living/medical costs. In addition, she has a mountain of student loan debt still to pay. Though it is sweet to be sweet, I did think she needed more of a backbone at times. Recently ditching a loser, but long time boyfriend by instant messenger while living abroad in Ireland, well, that was cowardly. So was not putting a stop to his constant emails, texts, etc. The reason she packed up and headed for the Emerald Isle reinforces that notion.

At first, Fallon does try to convince herself she won’t fall for such a player, but Connor’s constant acts of kindness to help seal the deal he’s proposing endears her to him. She’s certainly starting to give Connor a reason to explore a side to himself he didn’t know existed. To actually think of someone other than just himself.

The storyline slowly unfolds at a very leisurely pace. Around 60%, I started to feel their conversations were becoming somewhat overly drawn out and not saying a whole lot. Even when the steamy, smexy scenes escalated around 70%, I felt I wasn’t as engaged with them as a real couple as I expected to be at this point. Likely because Connor was still set on letting her go at the end of their arrangement, while Fallon was full of “What ifs?”

I’m conflicted on how to rate this one, folks. I’m glad this Good Time Charlie became a caring Connor committed to being a one woman man. At least that is what I hope continues to happen. I did like seeing this main couple spend time together. I’m keeping my fingers crossed Fallon’s feisty friend from America becomes the love interest of Connor’s older brother in the next sequel. You see, he’s all business, quiet, and brooding, and she’s more of a loud, lets her hair down, tattooed, life of the party kind of gal. Just what he needs to spice up his life.

Title: Straight Up Irish, Series: Murphy Brothers (Book 1), Author: Magan Vernon, Pages: 309, stand-alone but part of a series, first person/dual POV, unapologetic manho who stumbles into love, sweet/caring heroine, very steamy scenes, brief ex-boyfriend drama.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

This was a fun read, with a bit of a tour of Ireland – mainly Dublin and Galway, with a trip to the Cliffs of Moher. This is the first in a trilogy focused on the Murphy brothers, who have inherited the international Murphy Pub chain from their father.

Connor is, to put it mildly, a playboy – one character calls him “Hottie McLucky-abs” – and the middle of the Murphy brothers. So much so that he wakes up the morning of the reading of his father’s will in bed with a woman he doesn’t even remember picking up. That he’s – almost – on time for the meeting at all is thanks to Fallon, his older brother’s assistant. Fallon’s been on the job for six months, and it’s not the first time she’s had to play nanny over the phone for Connor. Connor’s in for a day of surprises, though. First, when he bumps into Fallon (dumping coffee all over her) and realizes that the nagging voice on the phone belongs to a beautiful woman, and secondly, when he finds out that the conditions of his father’s will state that, to inherit the company, each of the brothers must marry within a year. After dinner and drinks (as an apology for spilling coffee all over her), Connor’s beginning to think that a marriage of convenience to Fallon is the answer to his problems. Though they seem like complete opposites, they both want to do what’s best for their families, and, in this case, that entails marrying each other. For Connor, it fulfills his part of the requirements of his dad’s will so he can keep the company in the family, and for Fallon, she gets the money to keep her beloved Nana in her nursing home.

“When it was just us joking around like this, I could forget about ex-boyfriends, his former flings, and impending marriage contracts.
This was how I liked us. How I always wanted it to be.
Stop thinking like that. There is no always."


Overall, I liked Fallon. I loved that when she gets anxious, she, in her words, word vomits. However, she was a bit too perfect and selfless to be truly believable. Between student loans and paying for her Nana’s nursing home, she’s completely broke, and lives on PB&J at her company-supplied flat where the only furniture is a rickety twin bed that came with it and a desk she’s cobbled together. She’s so nice, she can’t even properly break up with her deadbeat boyfriend back in America. I had the same issue with Connor – it was hard to believe he’d go from complete playboy to devoted boyfriend in a few months. I mean, it’s not an exaggeration to say that one of Fallon’s worries about every Murphy pub they go to, she has to wonder if he’s shagged their waitress (spoiler he probably has). He also has a tendency to buy things for her, from fully furnishing the flat to ordering the entire room service menu at their hotel room, plus a set of pink golf clubs (because he wants to go golfing) and lots of clothes.

"Nothing was holding me back from him. Nothing but possible regret I was sleeping with a known player I was in a fake relationship with. But what was marriage without a little fun?"


While I thought the sexual tension throughout the book was great, the first sex scene was strangely unappealing to me. It was more of a “count the orgasms” thing than actually sexy. I also didn’t care for the event that triggered their big feelings reveal to each other. It felt entirely over the top and a bit out of left field and seemed to take the focus away from Connor and Fallon and their relationship.
So, while I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, I found the second half a bit of a letdown. Overall, I did enjoy it though, and I’ll probably pick up Jack and Sean’s books.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I really enjoyed this book. I like the fake relationship/marriage trope. Magan did a great job with the characters. Conner was caring and sexy. Fallon was likable. I liked the chemistry. I hope that the author will continue so we can enjoy the story lines of Conner's brothers.

LOVED this book! Connor is the bad boy man whore that seems to sleep with almost anyone, while Fallon is a good girl struggling under extreme financial pressures. Then fate leads Connor is realize he needs a wife and he sets his sites on Fallon. She reluctantly agrees when Connor begins to romance her - from fun dates to extravagant purchases. Somewhere along the way, Fallon falls for him, but she has no idea how Connor feels.

This is a fun book that made me smile, laugh, and care about the characters. Fans of the genre will love this novel. I've added the author to my must read authors' list.

This is a story about a guy and a girl. He needs a fake wife do he can claim his part of the family company. She took a job to escape her old life, find adventure and to take care of her Nana. What started out as a agreement for a fake marriage might turn into so much more in the end.

I enjoyed the fun banter between Connor and Fallon. There are several laugh out loud moments and situations. I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to see how things would end up.

I truly enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the fake marriage trope. Magan Vernon did a good job creating real characters that had their own flaws.

I received a copy from Netgalley to read and review.

**3.5 Stars**

This was my first read from this author. I thought the story started off well, and I enjoyed Fallon and Connor as the main characters, but I felt like there were some unanswered questions relating to the the will and the need for the brothers to get married and within such a short amount of time.

I enjoyed reading about Fallon and Connor' s relationship as it changed from friendship, to more of a business transaction, and finally into a real relationship. I definitely feel like they could have benefited from better communication. I felt like the ending was very rushed and again left unanswered questions, but it was an okay read.

I thought this was an excellent! While it's a typical marriage of convenience story, the characters and the writing made it fresh and unique. Connor and Fallon are wonderful together and they both have something to gain from the arrangement. I loved how gentle and kind Connor was with Fallon's grandmother. I truly enjoyed how the relationship between Connor and Fallon develops. So what began as a relationship between two people who really didn't like each other and were together as part of a business deal quickly turns into a truly caring and loving relationship. Will these two put their fears aside and give this thing a chance?

I highly recommend this one.

We've all read the fake fiance story before, but was he Irish, sweet and a playboy? Maybe, it doesn't matter because Connor is cute and charming with the necessary sarcasm to give sassy Fallon a run for her money. The two of them are a natural fit, too natural, for their future plans. Fallon has a slightly messy family life and the Murphy men have their own issues. Fallon's Nana steals the scene and her friend Leah needs her own book. Irish love stories are my weakness, but this is the first to ever explain the Claddaugh meaning. My first Vernon book and I need to find more, lovely writing style with smarts and humor. I was lucky to receive an early copy from Netgalley.

I read a complimentary arc from NG.

I wanted to like to this story but I just didn't. It starts out pretty well and I liked Connor as he is cocky and flirty and Fallon is spunky with him but from there it goes WAY down. We learn more about Fallon and the man she left behind and I just started to not like her.

Then we learn that Connor must get married to inherit and he comes up with a plan and proposes it to Fallon who needs a lot of money. I just felt like this trope has been done a gazillion times before and I felt no attraction between Connor and Fallon.

It is not a bad book book but the writing just didn't do it for me and if you like the trope you might like this story, but it just was not the book for me.

Connor and his brothers each need a wife so they can inherit their father's business. Fallon is Connor's brother's assistant and she needs money to pay off her student loans and support her Nana in a senior home. So Connor and Fallon enter into a contract that they will get married for the 6 months that is stipulated in the will and then Connor will pay Fallon and set her up with a new job in the US. Will they deny the mutual attraction and spit at the end?

Connor was a player (and a gentleman), but he seemed to settle into monogamy too quick. Fallon was just so insecure about everything ... sometimes I wanted to just shake her and tell her to get over it already and move on. Even though the premise of the book was good, I just found it too repetitive. And it just seemed like their father set them up to fail ... that they ALL had to be married within 6 month in order to inherit the business ... really!

I received an ARC courtesy of Entangled Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

First off, I apologize. I don't like to write "bad" reviews. I do personally know how much time and energy goes into trying to craft a novel and as always, I have the highest respect for any writer who manages to conceive of and finish a novel. It takes dedication and discipline.

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I've always had an affinity for all things Irish. I can't tell you its origin. I think it's via my mother although in her family there was nary a drop of Irish blood, just Finnish and German...go figure.

As such, I've always had a penchant for contemporary Irish romances, whether they're novels or movies so when I saw Straight Up Irish I knew I had to read it. There may have been salivating involved.

Unfortunately, as I write this review I am recovering from the whiplash I received after finishing Straight Up Irish, which seems to have been written by multiple personalities.

At the beginning Straight Up Irish was amusing with Fallon and Connor flirting and teasing. I was content and loving the beginning, even if Connor initially came off as a bit of a loser with the opening scene showing him blowing off a woman he's in bed with because if he couldn't remember the sex, it couldn't have been that good. Now that I've written it and think about it, that's not very nice, is it?

I was mystified, however, by the author having words like "courting," "vixen," and "spitfire" being uttered by Connor who was a University student in the US and has been working in Boston since then. If a Dublin teenager in this millennium ever spoke those words, I'm pretty sure that being around American university students, especially in a frat house, would have eradicated them from his system.

An aside: how can you describe batter-fried fish (as in fish and chips) as flaky when it's just been put in front of you? Unless, you know, the waitress helped herself to a bite on the way over?

For the second part, after Fallon has agreed to Connor's "proposal" to become his wife in name only, we are on the second round of diction. "Fecking," which is a great Irish word has been replaced by the f-bomb. Also, twelve-year-olds are throwing around the word "fanny," which is pretty harmless in the States, but in conservative Ireland is like tween boys in the Bible Belt saying c*nt and pussy in front of their mothers. Yet, the mothers laugh it off. It seems as if the author found a page of Irish slang on the internet and decided to use it all. Yippee.

The second part grew tedious with intentional and unintentional repetition.

While I'm supposed to believe that Fallon and Connor have a connection, I never feel anything in the way of chemistry. (I like swoon. I want swoon. Gimme swoon!) If the beginning, with the teasing and barbs, had continued throughout, I think this would have been a winner. I would have forgiven so much if the barbs and witty repartee had continued. Laughter is joy.

For the third part, Fallon and Connor finally get steamy, but it is so definitely a case of too little too late. I was bored by this time and found the excess of a billionaire nauseating.

For the most part the writing is good. It never felt clunky. But I've just read around four or five novels in the past couple of weeks that were above average, so this one really sticks out in comparison. But the writing was good. (Yes, I know that I repeated myself.) Does that mean your mileage may vary? Maybe so. I noted many 4 and 5 star reviews on Goodreads. This may be one for you. There's a chance that you will fall under the spell of Connor and Fallon, or something. The things that bother me may mean diddly squat to you. It happens. I know that there is a reader out there for every book. Maybe this one is yours.

I believe that there are going to be two more installments to this series. I really hope that the author takes it down several notches with whichever writing personality appears and maybe relocates it to a familiar landscape and language. There really is something to be said for writing what you know unless you're willing to do lots of research or create an entire fictional world (aka world building). And, I really, really want to love these books. I'm a lover, not a hater.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked Fallon and I even liked Conor, but for me Straight Up Irish was just an okay read. It wasn’t so much that it was in first person, it was just that I felt it took a really long time before things really started to happen in the story. It’s clear they like each other from the start, but all the back and forth is annoying and when a book is written in first person it is doubly annoying because there’s no reprieve!

But Conor is cheeky and Fallon is sassy, and they both have good reasons for committing to a fake marriage. I liked that they both knew what the deal was going in and had to fight what was clearly happening between them. But I just wish this had been…more.

This is my first book by this author. I thought it was pretty good. I liked the whole fake marriage trope and it’s a brother series. I’m totally digging that their Irish too. Connor wasn’t too bad, I liked Fallon the most. I did think there were a couple of parts that dragged on and I thought the ending was rushed. I want to know what happened with Fallon’s god awful parents? I felt like there was no closure there. Other than that, I’m really intrigued about the two other brothers. I would continue on with the series to read their books.

Ahh hell, how am I going to review this book without gushing all over about Connor! Meet the Murphy brothers Connor the playboy and totally loose cannon, Jack the grouch who is strictly business and Sean who'd rather play ball then mind the family business. Connor oversees the US operation of the business, Sean and Jack are both in Ireland. Connor's called home when their father suddenly becomes ill and dies. We meet Fallon, Jack's assistant and right hand who keeps Connor on time, (mostly) waking him up from his drunken nights out on the town and crawling out of the piece du jours bed. She wakes him the morning the boys are scheduled to be at the office for the reading of their father's will. He tries to schmooze her, she's having none of it telling him to get it together and get there.
Fallon came to Ireland for the job, a job that provides a small place to live and pays more money. She's got huge student loans and she pays to have her Nana is a decent facility. Even with her advanced degree she couldn't make enough in the states. Happy to get away from her crap parents added to that, but she misses her best friend and her Nana. She doesn't miss her ex either who just doesn't get the notion of "we're done." When Connor races in for the meeting that morning with the lawyer he meets Fallon by accident, running square into her and the tray of coffee she was carrying. He's late of course. The two have never met. When the boys hear the terms of their father's will they lose their nuts. The words married and the board put them on notice. Confused wondering why their Da would do that. Connor is the first one who decides he's got the stones to tackle this and simple enough goes after Fallon. Fallon is no dummy. She knows all about Connor and his crap, she's been dealing with it since she started there. Connor really soft soaps her, but he's going to make this worth her while. Money and a no strings attached deal and even ups the ante by offering her his position back in the states so she's closer to her Nana.
Connor is a bit different, there were times I didn't love him but I didn't hate him either and he made me laugh, at him actually. Fallon I did like, her bestie annoyed the hell out of me, but that's what besties do. Jack's a jerk and I can't wait for his book!!! Sean I loved. This is a fun read. It's fun to watch the lightbulbs come on in Conner's head, all the while Fallon is just being herself. The one thing I thought the book could really do without was the ex showing up. So not necessary.
Saints preserve us, these Murphy brothers just spell trouble in the best kind of way!
Nice work Magan!!

**advanced reader copy from NetGalley and Entangled for an honest review. The opinions in this review are my own**

This book has you on your toes right from the start! I laughed so hard at the antics of Connor from the very start even though he is a little bit of a dog! I adored how much Fallon keeps Connor on his toes throughout. Their chemistry is very evident right from the start. You can tell especially with that nickname that he gives her right off the bat that she was something more to him. A fake marriage? Suuuure! Save the company and help her nana? Suuuure. But these two did not expect the rollercoaster of emotions that hit them as they navigate through this “fake” relationship.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. It kept me going with giggles and gasps. I think this is my favorite read from Vernon to date. She writes some amazing emotional stories but there is just something about this one that packs a punch! I am really hoping we see Jack’s story next and see what girl will bring that man to his knees!

Before Connor's father died, he left his will written. A special will. If his three sons want to inherit the company they must be married within a year. The company is worth millions. So, Connor is determined to do whatever is neccesary to get it.
He offers his brother's assistant a deal. They get married and she can get whatever she wants out of their agreement. Fallon is a lovely girl who takes care of her Nana. So, what she really needs is money to pay for her Nana's residence.
But soon the limits of Connor and Fallon's relationship are not that clear. And their deal stars to become someting else.
I thought this book would be a little bit better. The blurb was promising but I was a little bit disappointed.

Although this was pretty predictable, it was still a fun read. If you can buy a contrived situation that necessitates that the charming Irish hero, Connor, and his brothers have to get married and stay married for six months over the next year in order to keep their family’s international chain of pubs, then you’ll buy that he sets up an agreement with Fallon, a sweet American “bird,” as he calls her who is working for his older brother in Dublin.

The Irish location is also a nice plus.

What makes the book is that Connor is so very charming. He might start out seeming like a typical hound dog who sleeps around with so many women whose names he can’t remember, but once he chooses Fallon, he transforms into being the sweetest guy. It’s supposed to just be a convenient marriage, but he insists in treating her as if she were the love of his life. And what do you know - that seems the path to making the fairy tale, Cinderella story come true.

I was given a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review