by Jen DeLuca
Part of Well Met
First published 2021
April Parker has spent twelve years in Willow Creek building walls around her heart. Now her daughter is nearly grown, and April plans to sell her house and leave town. She asks Mitch Malone to help with home repairs. Mitch teaches high school and coaches sports, but he's famous around town for wearing a kilt to the Renaissance Faire. He agrees to help April, but he wants something in return. His family keeps pressuring him to find a serious girlfriend and a better job. He asks April to pretend they're dating at a family dinner. April says yes, though she doesn't want to. The dinner becomes a weekend trip. Their fake relationship starts feeling real. When the weekend ends, they go back to being friends. Summer arrives and the Renaissance Faire returns to Willow Creek. April volunteers for the first time. Mitch's family shows up without warning, so April plays his girlfriend again. This time the pretending feels even more natural. April keeps insisting they're just acting, but Mitch might actually be the love of her life.
Genres: romance, contemporary, adult, adult-fiction, contemporary-romance
Vibes: charming, emotional, heartfelt, intimate, romantic, warm
Tropes: fake-dating, forced-proximity, friends-to-lovers, second-chance-romance
Setting: Willow Creek, Renaissance Faire
Period: Contemporary
313 pages · Paperback · Berkley