First published 2017
Ruby Scott is three months behind on rent and running out of options. She lands a big audition and shows up ready to finally catch a break. Instead she bombs it spectacularly, wrecked by a mystery man who kissed her at a party the night before and passed along a nasty illness. When her best friend tracks down a live-in pet-sitting gig at a Manhattan penthouse, Ruby jumps at it. The employer is hotel magnate Bancroft Mills, known to friends as Bane. He also happens to be the man who got her sick. Bane sees what he caused and offers Ruby a permanent arrangement: stay in his luxury apartment, care for his exotic animals, and get back on solid ground. The problem is that Bane is impossible to ignore, and the two of them living under one roof generates more heat than either planned for. Shacking Up is a New York City romantic comedy built on bad luck, awkward moments, and the slow burn of two people trying very hard not to fall for each other.
Genres: romance, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction, comedy, contemporary-romance
Vibes: charming, humorous, lighthearted, slow-burn, witty
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating-adjacent, forced-proximity, slow-burn
Setting: Manhattan, New York City
354 pages · Paperback · Swerve