This sassy, spirited baker is fine with heat—
but is her fake fiancé too hot to handle?
THE REAL THING
Sugar Lake #1
Melissa Foster
Releasing Sept 5, 2017
Montlake
Bakery owner Willow Dalton’s friendship with Zane Walker has always been a bit
complicated. Now a scrumptiously hot A-list actor, Zane’s always had a
reputation as player. He’s arrogant, and he’s definitely not boyfriend
material. Sure, he did Willow a favor by agreeing to take her virginity before
college, but is that reason enough to go along with a fake engagement a decade
later—even if it comes with a real diamond ring?
Zane should have known better. Nothing involving Willow has ever been easy. Still, he knows
her better than anyone, and becoming America’s hottest new leading man means
cleaning up his reputation. An “engagement” to curvy, sass-mouthed Willow is
the perfect PR move . . . provided no one gets hurt.
Now Zane
and Willow’s little white lie has turned into an irresistible recipe for sweet
temptation. And soon no one will be able to tell the difference between their
fake engagement or the real thing—including them.
**THE REAL THING is being published by Montlake (an Amazon imprint) and won’t be available on other ebook retailers, but you can download a FREE ereader app to read
it HERE, order the paperback.
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Releasing December 5th, 2017
“You're
sleeping on the couch,” Willow said for the fifth time in as many
minutes as she and Zane left their suite. He was busy texting, and
she wasn’t sure he was even listening anymore. He used to be such a
great listener. When they were younger, he’d never acted like he
was above her, despite the fact that he was the star quarterback,
lead pitcher, and eventually the prom king, and she was two years
behind and as awkward as a foal on new legs.
“Are
you listening to me?” she asked as they walked down the hall.
“Yes.
I just got confirmation. You’re catering breakfasts for the set.
Cool?”
“Yes,
perfect. But did you hear what I said?”
She
had almost backed out of their deal twice since she’d accepted.
First when she’d seen the king-size bed, which really drove home
their situation, and again when Zane had whipped off his shirt to
change and her sex-starved body had buzzed to life. She was still a
little nervous about the whole thing, mostly due to that second
issue, but she felt a certain obligation to help him. Regardless of
how arrogant he was, she’d never forget how tender he’d been with
her when she’d given her almost-eighteen-year-old self over to
him, and he was a true friend, even if they had a weird
friendship. The truth was, even if he hadn’t done her that favor
before college, she would have agreed to his plan. She liked him
despite his insatiable appetite for women. He was everything she
loved in a person and more. He was confident and funny, direct and
thoughtful, and honest when it counted. Painfully honest.
The exposure for Sweetie Pie Bakery was just the icing on the
fake-fiancée cake. What a difference national exposure could make.
Zane
shoved his phone in his pocket. “Yes. Sleeping on the
couch. Got it. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
She
laid her best damn-right-I-can stare on him and pushed the button for
the elevator.
“Fine.
I’ll behave. Jesus, Wills, you’re never this uptight when I
visit.”
“You
mean that five minutes twice a year?” Willow remembered how happy
he’d been when he’d finally left town to pursue his dream of
being an actor. He’d been bursting at the seams for a bigger life.
But her “five minutes” comment wasn’t really fair. He never
missed Ben’s birthday, and he almost always made it back for a few
days over the holidays, even though his parents had moved to Florida
right after he’d graduated from high school and left town. He’d
been back a few other times when he was filming nearby. Even though
she rarely saw him, their texts—and the fact that he was her first
real love, even if he didn’t know it—had kept him in the
forefront of her mind. Unfortunately, it also kept her heartbreak
pretty close to the surface, no matter how deep she tried to bury it.
4 Stars
The Real Thing is the first title in the Sugar Lake series, and features Willow Dalton and Zane Walker. This pair have a history, and Zane is Willow's older brother's best friend.
The story revolves around the small town of Sugar Lake, which readers may be familiar with as some of the characters and the town appeared in both Bad Boys After Dark: Mick and Wild Boys After Dark: Logan.
This is a second chance contemporary romance, but primarily it's a heartfelt story of family and friendship. What starts as a favor to an old friend ends up being so much more. Zane an A list Hollywood star asks Willow to pose as his fake fiancee as a PR stunt in order to improve his reputation. He uses their joint history to gain her compliance. The lines begin to blur between what is made up and what is real, as the pair both secretly have unrequited feelings for the other.
This pair of characters are incredibly endearing, and the sexual chemistry and attraction between this pair is intense and undeniable. Their interactions are fun and flirty, but also quite sexy, heat filled and humorous.
I adored the secondary characters in this title particularly Willow's siblings, they all captivated my attention and I will be eagerly awaiting more stories of Sugar Lake. I would recommend this title to anyone who enjoys a contemporary romance, and enjoys a good series, with lots of character cross over.
Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.
