by Lyla Sage
Part of Sweetwater Peak
First published 2026
Clarke Cartwright has her hands full managing Toade's Antiques in Sweetwater Peak. The roof leaks, most of her inventory won't sell, and the ghost of her childhood crush's father won't stop pestering her. Meanwhile, Leith Wilkes needs to prove himself worthy of inheriting the family farm, thanks to a strange condition his father wrote into his will. When Clarke drunkenly reveals she knows about Leith's inheritance clause and other Wilkes family secrets, Leith realizes she might be hiding more than he thought. He proposes they fake a relationship to solve both their problems. Clarke gets a break from third-wheeling with her best friend, and Leith gets help navigating his father's mysterious requirements. But their pretend romance becomes complicated as real feelings develop and the ghosts of Sweetwater Peak seem determined to interfere with their plans.
Genres: fiction, romance, fantasy, contemporary, contemporary-romance
Vibes: charming, humorous, romantic, supernatural, whimsical
Tropes: fake-dating, forced-proximity, paranormal-interference, second-chance-romance
Setting: Sweetwater Peak, Toade's Antiques
336 pages · Paperback · Dial Press Trade Paperback