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Sugar Lake #1
By: Melissa Foster
Releasing Sept 5, 2017
Montlake
Montlake
The Real Thing
Sugar Lake series
This sassy, spirited baker is fine with heat—but is her fake fiancé too hot to handle?
Bakery owner Willow Dalton’s friendship with Zane Walker has always been a bit complicated. Now a scrumptiously hot A-list actor, Zane’s always had a reputation as player. He’s arrogant, and he’s definitely not boyfriend material. Sure, he did Willow a favor by agreeing to take her virginity before college, but is that reason enough to go along with a fake engagement a decade later—even if it comes with a real diamond ring?
Zane should have known better. Nothing involving Willow has ever been easy. Still, he knows her better than anyone, and becoming America’s hottest new leading man means cleaning up his reputation. An “engagement” to curvy, sass-mouthed Willow is the perfect PR move . . . provided no one gets hurt.
Now Zane and Willow’s little white lie has turned into an irresistible recipe for sweet temptation. And soon no one will be able to tell the difference between their fake engagement or the real thing—including them.
**THE REAL THING is being published by Montlake (an Amazon imprint) and won’t be available on other ebook retailers, but you can download a FREE ereader app to read it HERE, order the paperback.
There is nothing like diving into a new novel. The Real Thing is the first book of a new series, especially when its one written by Melissa Foster!
Bad boy actor, Zane Walker needs to clean up his questionable reputation. A plan's hatched that should be the perfect material for the film studios PR reps to spin. Only he needs the co-operation of his friend Willow Dalton in his home town of Sweetwater to pull it off. He's confident she'll assist him, but forgets to inform her that his ulterior motive is far from temporary, as he sets his sights at a permanent future with the only woman he's ever loved.
Willow Dalton's bakery is thriving but ambition means she's looking to further build on her success. So when she's offered an opportunity to further expand her business, she jumps at it. Only the offer isn't what she expects and spins her life in an unexpected direction.
Devious, arrogant but with the best of intentions, Zane is a man on a mission as years of pent up feelings finally surface. Even though his actions are questionable, his objectives are well placed even though his approach is off. I love his strong determination to get the woman he wants and his admittance that rules Willow laid years earlier he adhered to because that's was she wanted...not him!
An independent, sassy woman, Willow will forever remember the man who changed her life forever. In the preceding years, she's built a thriving business but her heart has never forgotten Zane Walker. Now, he's back in Sweetwater with an agenda she never foresaw even in her wildest dreams.
Together, due to their complicated past, sparks fly instantly between the protagonists as deep buried feelings and desires surface. Their strong personalities clash in a positive way as they come to the realisation they belong together, although the path they follow is far from smooth. Melissa ensures the sexual tension is ever present and complimented with banter and entertaining conversations as the adorable pair fight their personal internal battles as well as their attraction for each other. To push, coerce and object to their inevitable coupling are an adorable assortment of family and friends who bring the small town setting of Sweetwater alive. Thus, creating a firm foundation for future novels in what promises to be a wonderful, romantic and sexy series.
***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***
“You're sleeping on the couch,” Willow said for the fifth time in as many minutes as she and Zane left their suite. He was busy texting, and she wasn’t sure he was even listening anymore. He used to be such a great listener. When they were younger, he’d never acted like he was above her, despite the fact that he was the star quarterback, lead pitcher, and eventually the prom king, and she was two years behind and as awkward as a foal on new legs.
“Are you listening to me?” she asked as they walked down the hall.
“Yes. I just got confirmation. You’re catering breakfasts for the set. Cool?”
“Yes, perfect. But did you hear what I said?”
She had almost backed out of their deal twice since she’d accepted. First when she’d seen the king-size bed, which really drove home their situation, and again when Zane had whipped off his shirt to change and her sex-starved body had buzzed to life. She was still a little nervous about the whole thing, mostly due to that second issue, but she felt a certain obligation to help him. Regardless of how arrogant he was, she’d never forget how tender he’d been with her when she’d given her almost-eighteen-year-old self over to him, and he was a true friend, even if they had a weird friendship. The truth was, even if he hadn’t done her that favor before college, she would have agreed to his plan. She liked him despite his insatiable appetite for women. He was everything she loved in a person and more. He was confident and funny, direct and thoughtful, and honest when it counted. Painfully honest. The exposure for Sweetie Pie Bakery was just the icing on the fake-fiancée cake. What a difference national exposure could make.
Zane shoved his phone in his pocket. “Yes. Sleeping on the couch. Got it. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
She laid her best damn-right-I-can stare on him and pushed the button for the elevator.
“Fine. I’ll behave. Jesus, Wills, you’re never this uptight when I visit.”
“You mean that five minutes twice a year?” Willow remembered how happy he’d been when he’d finally left town to pursue his dream of being an actor. He’d been bursting at the seams for a bigger life. But her “five minutes” comment wasn’t really fair. He never missed Ben’s birthday, and he almost always made it back for a few days over the holidays, even though his parents had moved to Florida right after he’d graduated from high school and left town. He’d been back a few other times when he was filming nearby. Even though she rarely saw him, their texts—and the fact that he was her first real love, even if he didn’t know it—had kept him in the forefront of her mind. Unfortunately, it also kept her heartbreak pretty close to the surface, no matter how deep she tried to bury it.
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