Tracey Livesay continues her fun-filled Girls Trip series with this romance that will tug at your heartstrings.Sometimes faking it can lead to the real thing… donor’s son—a prestigious fellowship she’s awaiting is placed in jeopardy.
Coming from a successful family who runs a medical business empire, Benjamin Reed Van Mont is the black sheep, having chosen to start his own business instead. Though he’s not ready to settle down, he knows when the time comes it definitely won’t be with a workaholic doctor like his friend Nic—even if she’s had him re-examining his edict…more than once.
When Ben’s status-climbing ex-girlfriend finds her way back into his orbit, Nic proposes a swap of services. She’ll spend the week with Ben on Martha’s Vineyard, pretending to be his girlfriend—but only if he’ll have his family intervene on her behalf so she won’t lose her fellowship. How hard can the charade be?
But as they’re about to discover, they’ve sorely underestimated their true feelings for each other…
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This was my first Tracey Livesay romance but definitely won’t be my last. I loved how much Ben not only cares for but respects Nic and learns from her. She does the same with him, but it’s still wonderful to see a woman as driven and ambitious as she is get her happy ending. Their chemistry was super hot and I liked that she spoke her mind and didn’t let the obnoxious and privileged like Tinsley get her down. Snappy and fast-paced and delightful. If you read contemporary romance, I highly recommend Like Lovers Do.
This book was the perfect antidote to my gloomy, grumpy, depressed week! It had everything I want in a contemporary romance: a diverse cast, characters I can root for, chemistry I can believe in, and an HEA that delivers all the lovely, fizzy joy this year needs. It tackles real-world issues (racism, glass ceilings, and work/life balance to name a few) head-on, but with grace and aplomb.
Our heroine, Nic, is a total boss. She’s brilliant and hardworking, loyal and beautiful. She’s a wonderful friend and a devoted daughter. She faces down every obstacle in her path with grit and determination, but all that battling has made her a bit stubborn. Her perfect counterpart, the delicious cinnamon-roll hero Ben, has been right in front of her nose for years, but she doesn’t want to give up everything she’s worked so hard for – not for him, not for any man. It’s understandable, but once you get to know Ben, you’ll definitely want to give her a stern talking to. He’s a winner, folks.
When they come to their senses, it’ll give you all the feels! You can bet I’ll be looking for more titles in this series soon.
Dr Nicole Allen is almost done with her residency. Next stop – a fellowship to become an orthopedic surgeon. Everything is falling exactly into place. She has an amazing roommate, Ben who is so sweet and kind. He makes her dinner when she’s running late and they love to share all aspects of their life together. They are strictly platonic though!
When Nic ends up confronting an intern for doing a poor job, she is asked to take a “vacation,” while the matter is looked into. Nic is furious and angry. She’s worked so hard to get where she’s at. Not only is she a woman, but she is a woman of color. Nic has always had hurdles to overcome that some of her peers didn’t experience.
When Nic mentions this to Ben, he immediately calms her down and tells her that his parents who are physicians will talk to her fellowship director on her behalf. The least Nic can do is return the favor. She decides to be Ben’s fake fiancee while he vacations in Martha’s Vineyard. Ben has a clingy ex who has decided she wants Ben back now that he is a successful business owner. It’s a win-win situation – Nic gets to relax and get away for a bit and Ben gets to relax around his friends without worrying about his ex-girlfriend. What could possibly go wrong?
I absolutely adored the relationship between Ben and Nic. These two had that down to earth vibe with one another and I loved them from the get go. Their slow delve into lovers from friends was so natural. Although I’m not usually a big fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, I truly enjoyed the relationship between Ben and Nic. Tracey Livesay knows how to write super sexy HOT scenes and Ben and Nic were burning up the sheets (or I should say hammock ;))
I also really loved Nic’s relationship with her friends. They were always a phone call or a text away. Sometimes when there are a lot of secondary characters in the book they get a bit lost, but that did not happen in Like Lovers Do. I truly enjoyed the relationship that Nic and Ben had with their friends.
As always I read this book out of order and it completely stands on its own. I’m looking forward to reading the first book in the series!
Like Lovers Do was my first book from Tracey Livesay and it will definitely not be my last. A fabulous friends to lovers romance filled with humor and a fake girlfriend trope. I adored Nicole the strong and determined heroine. She’s a surgeon and knows how much work goes into that. Her roommate is the kind and amazing Ben. Their friendship is easy and comfortable. When a sexting goes wrong it slowly makes them see each other in a different light. Especially for Nicole. When she offers to pretend to be Ben’s fake girlfriend all bets are off and feelings get revealed.
I couldn’t get enough of these two and chemistry jumped off the pages. Nicole was my kind of heroine. Secure in herself and her sexuality. Ben was swoon worthy and such a great support to Nicole. They’re mature people in their thirties and I absolutely loved that about this story.
The friendships play a huge role and Nicole’s girlfriends were fantastic. I hope besides Calia that the other ladies will get their own book cause they deserve one. Such a wonderful book!
4 Friendship Stars
I enjoyed reading this book so much. It is about girl power. Four friends from college who are there for each other through goods times and bad. Each year they plan a vacation to see each other no matter what. Dr. Nicole Allen, Nic to her friends, has been on the path to her goals and nothing or no one is going to stand in her way. Especially a man or love. Benjamin Van Mount comes from money, only he doesn’t want to go into the family business. He has struck out on his own and has a beautiful home. He decides to rent the basement and that is how they met. For three years they have become best friends. Nic has made a powerful enemy at the hospital and it is threatening her fellowship. A bargain is struck. He will help her if she will pretend to be his girlfriend. What could possibly go wrong? Or maybe go just the way you want. The truth will set you free. You just have to be open to it.
I loved Tracey Livesay’s take on the friends to lovers story. Nic and Ben were friends who were both in a tough situation. Luckily for them, by pretending to be in a relationship they could have an easy solution that would solve both of their problems. Of course, it’s never that simple and I loved reading about this couple’s journey to realizing that the fake relationship they were pretending to be in may not have been so fake after all. These two definitely had me rooting for them as I became really invested in seeing them be happy together…lol. This was a great story! I loved Nic and Ben can’t wait to see what characters we might see again. I would definitely recommend this read!
I love a good friends to lovers romance and Like Lovers Do is that book! Nic and Ben have been friends for years and Nic’s career is about to take her away from that friendship. However, a threat to her career as a doctor is a chance for Ben to step in and help. Nic has a hard time appearing weak and accepting help so in exchange, she agrees to go on vacation with Ben and pretend to be his girlfriend to deter an annoying ex. What I especially liked is that Ben was going to help Nic no matter what. Their friendship is strong but a drunken text exchange brings their simmering attraction to the forefront! I really enjoyed that the foundation of their relationship is a deep friendship that moves to more. Ben is the type of hero that I just love. He is supportive of Nic, even though he though he has family trauma about the medical profession. Nic is a great heroine; she is determined and career driven but still does what she can to support and help her friends.
Tracey Livesay has crafted great characters and an enjoyable story. The characters are both relatable and lovely. The attraction between them is steamy and so freaking sexy! All I have to say is hammock sex! What I especially loved is that Nic and Ben were both willing to take risks in support of the other person. They really let their love for each other show, even when they were in denial about it. I really needed a book about two characters who just simply loved and supported one another and Like Lovers Do is that story. I highly recommend this book as well as the previous book in the Girls Trip series!
*Received an ARC exchange for an honest review.
I still need to read Girls Trip, #1, but I really enjoyed Like Lovers Do. This is the story of Dr. Nicole Allen, a strong, black, orthopedic surgeon and Benjamin Reed Van Mont, a successful business owner and her landlord. When Nic reprimands an intern, she is the sent home because his daddy is a big donor. Ben has been attracted to Nic for years, but will they ever be more than friends? This book has a wonderful group of friends that are so supportive of each other, you can’t help but like them. I won’t leave any spoilers, so grab your copy and see what happens, especially when Nic goes away with Ben to get an ex, Tinsley to accept that he’s moved on from her.
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.
The Best Friends to Lovers Romance of the Year!
Nic is on her way to her dream fellowship and isn’t willing to compromise her goals for anything. Ben is building a financial advising firm, that could be an empire, and looking for a woman who will devote herself to him and their future children. It’s a good thing they are JUST best friends who live together, she rents his garden apartment but spends just as much time in his kitchen and living room as he does, are willing to help each other out of a jam of their own making and don’t have THOES feelings for each other…or do they?
The drunken text and Ben’s handling of it, Nic’s willingness to defend herself and Ben from his ex’s attacks and games, their explosive chemistry (hello Italian restaurant balcony scene ), her interactions with his mother and her own, his interactions with his mother, her girls, and the Whitley Gilbert quote (if you know, you know!) all combine to make this the most satisfying and perfect friends to lovers romance! In fact I loved it so much I’m not sure if Lacey and Ava will be able to keep up with the level of adoration I have for Nic and Ben!
Although Lacey’s and Ava’s stories will still be Tracey Livesay books too so I’m sure they’ll be great too, as all her books are.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.