Synopsis:
As an audiobook narrator, Clementine Cox has no trouble mastering the voices of space aliens, elven warriors, or even demon-possessed cats. But the moment she tries her hand at an erotic romance, she’s stumped. With her deadline looming, she books a week at a secluded cabin to restore her inner muse, telling her loving-but-overbearing family it’s a romantic getaway with her not-so-existent new boyfriend to keep them from worrying. She never expects them to invite themselves along to meet the new guy. Now, she has less than twenty-four hours to find a pretend boyfriend in order to save her job and, potentially, her sanity.
Workaholic Jake Donovan isn’t interested in a real relationship. After a broken engagement, all he wants to do is focus on keeping his brewpub, the Holy Grale, afloat. But when he finds out his favorite customer is in need of a fake boyfriend, and his business partners insist he take a long overdue vacation, he has no choice but to help Clem out. All he has to do is enjoy the sunshine, play nice with her family, and keep his hands to himself for the week.
But Jake’s not prepared to like waking up next to Clem every morning as much as he does. Or to feel so welcome by her quirky family. And as the line between real and fake starts to blur, he realizes one week might never be enough.
Workaholic Jake Donovan isn’t interested in a real relationship. After a broken engagement, all he wants to do is focus on keeping his brewpub, the Holy Grale, afloat. But when he finds out his favorite customer is in need of a fake boyfriend, and his business partners insist he take a long overdue vacation, he has no choice but to help Clem out. All he has to do is enjoy the sunshine, play nice with her family, and keep his hands to himself for the week.
But Jake’s not prepared to like waking up next to Clem every morning as much as he does. Or to feel so welcome by her quirky family. And as the line between real and fake starts to blur, he realizes one week might never be enough.
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Review:
I love me a good fake relationship novel and this is a solid one. The prose is engaging, the leads interesting, the relationship grows naturally, and the supporting characters are three-dimensional and entertaining.
This also has to be one of the most relatable and stressful novels I’ve read in a long time. I can totally relate to our heroine Clementine, reader and extreme introvert, so reading about her family problems strikes a nerve.
See, her family aren’t hateful or restrictive. They are loving and caring and have no idea about these things called boundaries. Their efforts to set the baby of the family up come from a place of love, but also a narrow-minded view of what it means to be happy. I feel like I would’ve snapped long before Clem did.
I love how Jake was the person who didn’t drain her - as an extreme introvert, I have a few of these people and value them like whoa. He’s a decent guy with his own baggage, but who quickly realised Clem’s worth. I could keep rambling happily about all the wonderful supporting cast but it’s better if you read the book yourself.
I wasn’t super happy about the extended moping near the end. The action was all over so it felt like padding and I found myself skimming to get to their well-deserved happy ending.
Otherwise, a high-quality book, a fun read, and I’m keen to get my hands on the next one in the series.
Four solid stars
I received an advanced reading copy from Barclays Publishing
About Sara Rider:
Sara Rider writes contemporary romance full of heart, heat, and happily ever after. She lives in British Columbia with her husband and daughters. She spends far too much time in public libraries and never leaves the home without her e-reader stuffed in her purse.
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