First published 2026
Gertie Bickerstaff makes her living crafting perfect romantic endings until her own relationship crumbles. With her ex moving on and her deadline approaching, she cannot write a single sentence. Then she wakes to discover River Oakley sprawled across her couch. River is the antagonist from her stalled manuscript, now somehow flesh and blood and lacking a shirt. He wants to return to his fictional world. She wants her normal existence restored. They make a bargain: River will use his roguish skills to help Gertie reclaim her former boyfriend, and she will complete his story to send him home. As they work together, River reveals depths beyond his villainous role. Gertie must decide between pursuing the conclusion she believed she desired or embracing an unexpected turn her heart never anticipated.
Genres: fiction, romance, fantasy-romance, contemporary-romance
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, whimsical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
368 pages · Paperback · Berkley