A love just for show grows into something more in this swoonworthy romance from the author of The Romantic Agenda.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Claire Kann’s The Marriage Narrative, which releases on November 11th 2025.
Zinnia is an ambitious, successful businesswoman who is not about to wait around for her One True Love. She turns her dating profile into a marriage-merger proposal: a few strategic meetings, move in together, get married—all within thirty days. Her friends think it will never work… until she meets Jordan, a near-perfect applicant with a big secret.
Jordan’s family has spent the last decade starring in a massively popular reality show about their lives. He has finally agreed to join the cast, but production wants him to marry an actress (his ex) in a romantic storyline to boost viewership.
Convinced Zinnia is perfect for the role instead, Jordan proposes a mutually beneficial marriage agreement: she gets her business partner husband, and he gets to help his family on his terms. Together they face strict schedules, wild plot twists, and behind-the-scenes hostilities, all while acting like besotted newlyweds—an intense performance that evolves into a relationship they never expected.
As the line between reality and show blurs, Zinnia and Jordan must choose between a clean contract or a beautifully messy love story.
“WAITING AROUND FOR the love of my life to show up has gotten me nowhere. That’s why this year I plan to marry a complete stranger.” Zinnia smiled as she clicked the next slide of her presentation. “Well, near complete. I’m imposing a mandatory thirty-day cohabitation period between the first date and the wedding.”
“Hold on—time out. What the hell is this?” Zinnia’s best friend Fiona gestured at the TV screen. She was sitting on their couch next to their other best friend, Grace, who looked equally bamboozled. “I thought we were having a business meeting about the shop.”
Zinnia never said that. She’d scheduled the meeting by blocking off an hour on their shared calendar with a simple request: Please keep an open mind! The last time she’d done that, she’d asked for help with setting up an online merchandise store to sell her art—a request that had led to the birth of their small business, ZnO2.
“This is my marriage-merger proposal, so it’s business related.” Her confident smile wilted into a wince. “Sort of. In a way.”
“Marriage-merger?” Grace asked.
“Z is obviously joking.” Fiona’s breathy laugh sounded anything but sure. “This is a joke. Right?”
“Wrong.” She hadn’t spent two days making this presentation for nothing. “Step one: I make a proposal profile on a dating app targeted toward people specifically seeking long-term relationships. I’ll clearly state my intentions and requirements, which include having a career with a stable job. Trades preferred, but a desk job is acceptable depending on what it is.”
Each step of her plan had its own fantastically designed slide, complete with animation and custom doodles. Her cartoon avatar alternated between winking and holding up a peace sign.
“Two: an introductory call closely followed by an in-person meeting at a safe location. Three: set a wedding date no more than thirty days out. Four: make arrangements to move in together while simultaneously spending alternating weeks at each other’s primary place of residence. Five—”
“No.” Fiona began shaking her head. Her newly dyed honey cinnamon–colored curls bounced around her shoulders. “No no no nonononono. No.”
Zinnia sighed fondly. “Just saying ‘no’ isn’t constructive feedback. It’s barely coherent.”
“What she means is HELL NO. They are not moving in here because you are not doing this.” Grace’s death stare could blow up a planet. She was gorgeous in a way that inspired longing and fear in the hearts of mortals—a brown-skinned deity ready to dole out a heaping dose of wrath. “I’ve never even seen you go on a date! You’ve never even wanted to!”
“And that’s why I’m calling them meetings. Using the correct terminology is very important for this project,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood, and when it didn’t work, she sighed again. Less fondly, more frustrated. “What is so bad about leading with what I want? Dating apps have documented abysmal success rates as it is. It’s in my best interests to be up-front and transparent.”
“It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just . . . why? Where did this come from? You can’t marry a stranger in thirty days.” Fiona looked as distraught as Grace did furious. With her panicked wide-set eyes and pale flushed skin, she resembled a woodland fairy sprinting away from danger.
“I can and I will. People do it all the time.”
“Yeah, and they end up divorced or murdered for the insurance money,” Grace snapped.
“Both excellent points. Five: negotiate the prenuptial agreement.” She continued with the next slide. “In the event of divorce, we will each keep the assets we initially brought to the marriage. Anything acquired while together will be split evenly. Additionally, you two will both be listed as the sole beneficiaries for one of my life insurance policies, and my parents will be on the other. In the event of my untimely death, my future spouse won’t get a dime.”
“Oh, good.” Grace’s tone was pure sarcastic fury. “We’ll need that money to flee the country before we get arrested for murder after avenging you.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. See? I have it all planned out.”
“I can’t breathe.” Fiona wheezed, folded in half, and stuck her head between her knees. Grace immediately began rubbing her back and speaking in low, soothing tones to coax her into calming down.
Zinnia bit her lip and forced herself not to turn away from the truth that was once again punching her in the stomach. Watching her best friends tiptoe around each other, obviously in love and both unwilling to make the first move, was the answer to Fiona’s why. She was not being left behind. Their impending domestic bliss as they moved from friends to lovers to newlyweds to parents was inevitable and she’d be good goddamned if they wholesomely turned her into a third wheel.
