Her Fake Fiancé

Longtime friends fake an engagement! Laurel hasn't seen her parents since she left town fifteen years ago as an unwed mother. Now her parents are coming expecting to see a fiancé and she is not really engaged. When her current boyfriend is offended that she asks him to pretend, Laurel doesn't know what to do. Her longtime crush and good friend Steve volunteers, but she knows it's only short term since she knows that Steve is committed to being a forever bachelor. Steve in turn needs Laurel to continue pretending to deter Alicia that he casually dated. Alicia doesn't want to let him go. I received a free copy of this ebook from eBook Discovery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is a sweet romance between two good friends. I was surprised how clueless Steve was and how it took so long to stop Alicia's antics, which really escalated. Matt and Biff add a lot to the story. This is an enjoyable sometimes amusing story.

A ruse becomes reality! Laurel is coping just fine on her own. Unfortunately, her mother is not of the same opinion. Thus, when her mother comes to the mistaken belief that Laurel is engaged, she blurts out that the parents are planning a surprise visit the following weekend, primarily to meet the grandson they have never seen and to meet Laurel's supposed fiancé. As with most situations where an intervention is necessary, things do not necessarily go to plan. Steve is a good guy and a dependable friend, however, he is commitment-shy, having loved and lost once before. Meeting Laurel's judgmental father forces him to step into the breach, declaring that he and Laurel are engaged. Laurel's son Matt, is smart for a 15-year old and he helps to keep the ball rolling. Unfortunately, the introduction of an off-balanced ex-girlfriend puts a different spin on the situation and it is only when Laurel's life is in danger does Steve rethink his stance on love and marriage. This is a sweet small-town romance especially with a rescue dog playing his part. The main characters in the novel are interesting and the story is a standalone that comes to a happy conclusion. It is well written and entertaining with a touch of suspense. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review,

So sweet! Laurel's and Steve's journey to love was so sweet. It was very refreshing to read a romance novel without all the graphic sex and F bombs dropping every other word. Great book. Highly recommend. I received this book for free from ebook discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.

A beautiful story of caring and loving your friend. Laurel the main character has come so far with raising a son and making success of her life. She has a dear friend who she feels strongly toward but he just wants her for a fiend. She puts herself in a position where her Mom gets the impression she is engaged. Now what should she do? Her friend Steve helps her by pretending to be her fiance and lots of interesting happenings go on from them. Loved the story.

A sweet and romantic story with a lovable dog! Laurel was happy with her interior design business and loved being a single mom to her teenage son. The only thing she wished she had was passion—a passion that sparked and ignited something fierce inside you. In 3 days, her parents were coming to visit her. Her parents who were disappointed of their daughter getting pregnant and never settling. Somehow her mom believed that she was engaged. Oh dear. In asking her boyfriend to pretend to be her fiancé, she gets dumped. Well good riddance! All she wanted was love—a real love. If only her friend, Steve, would play the part, but he swore off commitment and love ever since losing the only woman he ever loved. But when he sees Laurel’s father verbally attack her, he steps in and impulsively announces their fake engagement. But the ruse wasn’t just for her parents. He needed a fake fiancé to repel a psychotic girlfriend that kept stalking him. Interesting!

Entertaining and easy read with a dash of suspense! This is Book 8 in the Dogwood Series by multiple authors. It is both the first book I’ve read in the series and the first one from this author. This book is a stand-alone, without a cliff hanger ending and written in third person. Laurel Edison is a successful businesswoman with her own interior design business. She’s happy, with lots of friends, her own home and her life away from her overly critical parents. Since she’s not married, with children, she’s a failure in their eyes. Laurel wants a HEA with the man of her heart—but her best friend, Steve, won’t be any more than her friend. Steve Brunelle is also successful in his own right and moves through his life by serial dating. He’s made a promise and refuses to budge from it, even though the pledge isn’t realistic. However, he uses it as his excuse to prevent any serious relationships. He loves his best friend, Laurel, but only as a friend, and he’s content with their friendly arrangement. When Laurel’s parents misunderstand Laurel’s conversation, purposely or not, they insist on meeting her fiancé. Steve first refuses to play along but when he sees how ugly her parents treat her, he steps in to defend Laurel and take on the pretend fiancé role. For Laurel, the affection is welcome, but she knows it is Steve pretending to care for her in that way, no matter how his behavior affects her. Steve slips easily into the attentive fiancé part and finds himself conflicted at the enjoyment he’s found with the new level of connection with Laurel. Steve’s past collides with the fake fiancé role, causing danger to Laurel and her family, and a threat to his promise. He must act to stop the danger and risk to his heart before all is lost. This book is well written, and the suspense is carefully paced to reach a climax. I thought Steve was overboard with insisting on keeping his promise, and immature in his thinking, but it gave conflict to the emotional aspect of the book. It was a quick, easy read and I enjoyed it. I received free copy of this book from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily submit this honest review.

Too sweet to stop reading. I'm a character reader, so I have to really be able to attach to one right away. And I do like Laurel, but there was something about Steve that I needed to get to know. Adorable romance. Another great read in the series.