First published 2015
FBI agent Liis Lindy transferred from Chicago to San Diego to focus on her career after breaking off her engagement. She wants promotions and dreams of cracking impossible cases from behind her desk. Her new boss, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Maddox, is arrogant and ruthless, known for taking down the world's most dangerous criminals. Thomas faces a personal crisis when his younger brother Travis becomes involved in a basement fire that killed dozens of college students. The media demands a conviction, but Thomas strikes a deal to recruit Travis into the FBI instead of letting him face prison. Thomas needs to deliver this news at Travis and Abby's beach vow renewal ceremony. He asks Liis to pose as his girlfriend for the trip. The stubborn and defiant Liis softens Thomas's rough edges as they play their roles as a couple. When their fake relationship begins to feel real, Liis questions whether they were pretending at all.
Genres: romance, suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, contemporary-romance
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, found-family
Setting: Chicago, San Diego
Period: 21st-century
260 pages · Paperback · Jamie McGuire
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness