The Real Deal: A Novel by Lauren Blakely

The Real Deal

Lauren Blakely

April Hamilton needs a buffer for the annual Hamilton-Moore Family Reunion. Every time, April comes home, someone from her family sets her up on a blind date trying to lure her back home to Wistful, a small town community on the edge of Long Island Sound. Everyone knows everyone. But April loves her job as a body painter. She makes a comfortable living working on commercials, magazines, and movies. April is one of the best. Why would she want to leave New York City for the humdrum of small town living where she would be limited to face painting at the ice cream social. What's a girl to do? She bribes her gay best friend to pretend to be her boyfriend. But Xavier is a male model who gets a last minute modeling gig--two days before the reunion. Xavier doesn't leave her in a complete bind. His neighbor is a bartender with a side gig--boyfriend for hire. 

Theo Banks is not the boy next door, but he can be if need be--for a price. His Craigslist ad lists a number of things that he can do. All of it is completely platonic. No, kissing which has never been a problem...well until April. The moment he meets her. He wants to throw all his rules out the window. He has to remain focused. He needs to pay off his brother's debts to ensure that Heath stays on the straight and narrow. Heath needs and deserves a second chance after spending the last two years in prison for fraud and bond scams. Theo hasn't always been a boy scout either. Both brothers have had to hustle their way through college. Life hasn't been kind to either of them. That's another reminder to Theo to keep his business deal with April completely professional. But the more time April and Theo spend together the more both of them develop true feelings for each other. How can they survive with so many lies and other people in their path?

This book is availble today!! 

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Deal-Lauren-Blakely-ebook/dp/B0763T1396

Wrath Emily Blythe

Wrath

Emily Blythe

Seven Vices Series

Chloe Walker has lived in Falcon her entire life. She still lives with her father and works at his coffee shop cafe. The cafe is her life. She never dreamed of doing anything else. Someday running this cafe with her father has always been her dream. Until her father had a heart attack and died. Now her high school ex-boyfriend Harvey wants to buy the cafe to tear it down in order to build a bowling alley. The town busy-bodies have also made numerous comments that Chloe should just sell it since she isn't management material or knows how to run the business. Chloe ignores those remarks as hurtful as they are. She is going to continue to run the cafe as her father Rob did. At least that was the plan until the accountant told her that her father was in the red and had been talking to an investor. An investor, she hates--her high school crush and former best friend Will Lewin. 

Will returned to town to pay his respects to his mentor and only father figure he had growing up. His mother brought a slew of men in and out of their house--but none of them cared about him or his brothers. His mother always put her boyfriends before her boys. Rob took Will under his wing even after Will's stepdad ran off with Rob's wife. The last few years, Rob has called Will to talk. The last few conversations they discussed Will investing in the cafe. But now that Rob is gone will he still invest in the cafe? Investing means working closely with Chloe--the only girl he ever cared about and the only girl to shatter his heart. 

Sweatpants at Tiffanie's by Pernille Hughes

Sweatpants at Tiffanie's

Pernille Hughes

This novel is hilarious! I laughed so hard that I cried. It reminded me of a Sofia Kinella or Marian Keyes novel. Anything that can go wrong did. Tiffanie Trent is having a rough week--her boyfriend of ten years dumps on their anniversary at the same restaurant that they had their first date and since they lived together at his place--she's now homeless. Tiff has more bad news--her longtime friend and father figure, Frank Blackie dies. Frank was her first bookkeeping client and was a prominent figure throughout her life. To add the icing to her crap-tastic cake--her childhood boyfriend and first love Mike "The Assassin" Fellner returned for Blackie's funeral looking more gorgeous than ever while Tiff has gained a few pounds and feels worse about herself than ever. 

At the will reading, Tiff finds out that Blackie has left his most precious gift to her--his boxing gym. Blackie's assistant coach, Ron makes numerous sexist remarks that Tiff isn't cut out to run the gym since she's a woman--and making a remark about her weight. Her ex-boyfriend Gavin tries to talk her into selling it because he think she doesn't have the motivation or business sense to run a business with employees. Tiff is determined to prove them both wrong. With the help of her best friend, Shelby and Natalie, a Blackie customer's wife--the three are determined to upgrade the gym into a full service experience for all genders. Tiff runs into some trouble beginning with the fact that she is secretly living in one of the gym's storage rooms. She is also receiving haunting crack calls, mail with dog poo, and the gym is vandalized. Oh and Blackie's ex-wife and step-son feel that they should have been given the gym. The more Tiff works on the gym the more she comes in contact with Mikey. Mikey keeps coming back to the gym for nostalga or so he says. All of her old feelings for Mikey are starting to resurface especially after the spend the night together. But Mikey is offered a job in LA--a once in a lifetime opportunity. Tiff doesn't want to get in his way. Gavin has returned when he sees that Tiff is turning things around with the gym. What will Tiff do? Will Mike take the offer or move back home? 

One Day Like This by Laura Briggs

One Day Like This

Laura Briggs

Tessa is stuck in a dead-end job at Party 2 Go--at least she's still in party planning, right? Even though her boss rarely asks her opinion and all the parties are cookie cutter kids parties. She dreams of planning gorgeous weddings, engagement parties, and etc. But instead she's cleaning up mashed hot dogs, wearing a disgusting dinosaur costume, and driving an oversized hot dog van. Fed up with her life, Tessa quits her job and forms a partnership with four other people for a start-up company--a one stop wedding shop. With her best friend, Natalie, an unconfident dress designer that designs gorgeous clothes--Natalie finds her confidence. Natalie's confidence is low due to her former employer Kandace, the worst designer in Atlanta. Kandace tears Natalie down at every opportunity. Ama, an internet baker who works out of her family's Indian restaurant. Ama is being pressured by her family to find a "nice Indian boy" or to "take out an ad" in order to find a husband. Something Ama has no interest in. Ama wants to have the romance and fall in love--not have an arranged marriage. Ama gains her confidence to tell her family that she wants to be a baker full time. Stefan, the four partner who backs out at the last minute for a job in Paris--leaves the three girls in a dire situation. 

Tessa hires Blake Ellingham to help her repair the storefront historic home that houses their new business. Tessa needs Blake's help in order to repair her business. Will he help her? Why does he keep working late hours on the building?

Sugary Sweets A.M. Willard

Sugary Sweets

A.M. Willard

A Taste of Love Series--book 2

Zara has always been a free spirit. How did she end up with a house in the burbs, a hot as hell husband, and a bun in the oven? Zara has no idea how to deal with her new life--a life that most people would kill for, but gives Zara anxiety. To top it all off, her best friend--Frankie decides to up and move to New York City. Zara still has her new business partner, Morgan--the bakery that Morgan started and has added Zara as part owner. And she also has savy, no-holds-bar Natasha. But Frankie has been Zara's best friend since college. Oh, yeah she also has her husband, Hatcher--who would do anything for her. 

It takes a severe car accident and time for Zara to come to terms with her new life and the pathway for herself and her new family. 

The last few chapters give insights into the next novel in the series with Frankie and Brody. 

Trust Again Mona Kasten

Trust Again

Mona Kasten

Dawn was burned once--never again. Her lifelong love, Nate cheated on her with the neighbor Rebecca. She was in love with Nate since she was 14. He was her entire world. After six months of marriage, she comes home early from a father/daughter camping trip to find him having sex with Rebecca in their bed. 

After months of depression and a divorce later, Dawn decided to go to college two hours away at Woodshrill. This is where she rediscovers herself. Dawn has always loved to write and even has a few publications. But no one knows about her love of writing except Nate and her father nor does any of her new friends know what she writes about. Dawn not only doesn't trust herself, but a part of her doesn't trust anyone even her new circle of friends. 

Spencer has never fit in. His whole life, he was always seeking his father's approval. But one devestating experience changes his and entire family's life forever--it's all his fault. The only person he truly trusts is his baby sister Olivia. But that doesn't stop Spence from pursuing Dawn. He fell in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. He wants to do everything possible to show her how he feels but Dawn has placed Spence in the friendzone. Can Spence find a way to make Dawn see how deeply he feels for her? Can Dawn learn to trust herself and others with her heart?

Side note: this is Book 2 of a three book series. I didn't know that until I went to her website. The novel reads like a standalone. I will definitely be ordering the first and third books. 

The Lucky Dress Aimee Brown

The Lucky Dress

Aimee Brown

his novel reminds me of a Sofia Kinella or Marian Keyes with the various hilious antics that arise from Emi. Emi ran away from Oregan after her fiance Jack had his half nake receptionist on his lap. Emi also had a mean girl moment with Greta--her former boss's daughter. Greta wasted no time when she found out that Emi broke up with Jack. Now Emi has to return to Oregan for her twin brother Evan's wedding to Hannah--Jack's younger sister. To make matters worse for Emi, she is in the wedding party with Jack. During a dinner at her brother's house, Emi finds out that Jack is dating, not not dating just anyone--her arch-nemisis Greta. Greta has always gotten what she wanted. Greta set her sights on Jack and she is going to do everything she can to ensure that she gets him even if Jack's heart belongs to another. The more the wedding party spends together the more hurt Jack is for what happened between himself and Emi. He can't forgive himself for what happened--how can he expect Emi to forgive him and take him back. Emi ran away over a thousand miles away to forget him. 
The big wedding day holds numerous surprises for the entire wedding party from an unexpected dye job to an orange spray tan to past secrets being revealed. Brown had me laughing and crying for Emi. This novel will be added to my repeat reading list!