Hiring a boyfriend for Christmas; what could possibly go wrong?
Derek is facing yet another Christmas where his life feels out of control. He has a new career that doesn’t feel like his, and parents who would just love to see him settled down. All he needs is a temporary buffer for the parties he has to attend, and for his parents to leave him alone. Enter, Luke.
Luke is twenty-thousand dollars … twenty-thousand dollars short for the renovations on Halligans; his family’s bar in New York’s Financial District. A favor for a buddy has him agreeing to play the part of boyfriend to a guy with more money than sense.
But when the spirit of Christmas works its magic on the two men, and they begin to fall for each other, Derek runs scared, and Luke needs space.
It doesn’t matter what obstacles you throw in the way of love, or how much you run in the other direction, because, when you’re least expecting it, whether you want it or not, love happens anyway.
Word Count: 42,500
more
Derek has a fictional boyfriend he made up named Marcus who just so happens to be a firefighter and his parents have been pushing him to get married. Derek has been groomed to take over the families advertising company. When he makes the mistake of telling his parents his boyfriend can’t wait to meet them as well, well that leaves him scrambling to find a boyfriend to meet the parents while they are in town. However the issue that there is no Marcus is a problem, as he was made up to get his parents off his back. Alan is Luke’s friend who just so happens to own an escort business of sorts and Derek is there looking for someone who can pass as a firefighter and is willing to go on five dates spread out over four weeks and he’s willing to pay them 30 thousand dollars while Alan states he doesn’t have anyone in walks Luke the perfect man to play the part. Great book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In Love Happens Anyway the story of Derek – who hasn’t found himself yet and appears angry at the world, hires Luke to be his fantasy firefighter “Marcus”. Little does Derek know that Luke was a firefighter who was injured and has demons of his own. It’s so enjoyable watching love bloom with this unlikely pair.
I love reading R.J. Scott books they draw you into the story and make you feel the love.
Derek just took over his family’s company, he wants to make some changes. His mom keeps trying to set him up, so he decides to hire someone to get him through the holidays with out any set ups
Luke he trying to save his families bar, his best friend who runs
an escort company sets him up wit Derek for the holidays because the money is what he needs.
Join them for this holiday adventure into romance.
Loved this sweet touching story service that is set in NYC and firefighters and police with mentions of 9/11.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a lovely fast-paced story, I didn’t want to put it down. The characters are complex and interesting, including the secondary characters. This is a feel good story that put me in the holiday spirit.
A great holiday, fake boyfriend book. Derek is struggling to become his own man. He’s taken over the family business but doesn’t feel like he fits his role as boss. He is tired of his parents interference in his life and is sure that a new boyfriend will give him a reprieve. Luke doesn’t want to lose his family bar and agrees to be Derek’s boyfriend to get things back on track. There are plenty of sweet moments. I liked that Luke was such a good guy and how Derek becomes much more self confident the longer they spent together.
A well written story that begins with lies and ends with a sweet romance. Derek is well off, but has self esteem issues and feels as if he is locked in an office tower away from regular people. He has a contentious relationship with his parents. Luke needs money to get his family’s bar in the black and agrees to be Derek’s pretend boyfriend. I loved the way the author was able to express the feelings and thoughts of both throughout the story without making it disjointed. RJ Scott brought the characters to life so you couldn’t help but feel connected to them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a sweet, charming, poignant, engaging, lovely, wonderful, cute, slow burning, and awesome tale. RJ Scott takes the fake boyfriend trope, and gives it her own unique stamp. I was hooked from beginning to end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was so different that what I was expecting when I saw the cover. This was not a trivial, corny holiday romance. This totally had me feeling things, like EMOTIONS. I don’t do that. So yeah, I loved this.
Derek just took over the marketing company that his dad and his grandfather built. Now, as the boss, he feels the degree of separation from his friends and coworkers. He’s lost the camaraderie and friendship now that he wears the title of BOSS. Plus, his parents know best and they know he’d be happier if he had a boyfriend. In an effort to get through the holidays, he hires a boyfriend. Now, this is where I typically roll my eyes and find another book. But there was something so touching to me about Derek. He wasn’t a jerk. He needed direction and someone in his life. He had me from the start. I mean, who could turn their back on a guy who said, “I need you to make me look normal tonight. It broke my heart.
So, Luke is a firefighter who was hurt in the line of duty. He was released from his job and now carries a limp. He’s got the best heart out there and is just a little lost. Having inherited a bar from his dad and grandfather who were both in the service, he wanted to ensure that their legacy was intact. He needed the money and so he said yes to being Derek’s boyfriend.
It didn’t take long for them to realize that they were good together. They mended each others broken bits and found that they could make the other smile. I loved the way they loved each other.
I loved the aspect of 9/11 and how reverent it was spoken of. I loved that they created a legacy for those who served, those who lost loved ones, those who survived. It brought together family and it added so much heart to this story.
In the end, family was the theme. Derek grew so much in the few pages of this story and it was an epic transformation. Luke had so much love and gave it so freely. It was a seriously awesome story and I’m so happy to have read it.
*Arc provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
Derek and Luke were such sweet characters (although Derek was just a bit neurotic). I just love the fake boyfriend trope and this one was perfect, sweet, low angst, and a great seasonal offering.
“Doesn’t matter how we met,” he said. “Love happened anyway.”
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.