Quinn Cartwright sees me as nothing more than her rival…her enemy. But Iāve been obsessed with her since we were teenagers. She’s gorgeous and brilliant with a tongue sharp enough to cut glassā¦and she has no idea I love it as much as I do.
So when she needs someone to put a ring on it because of her a-hole boss, I marry her without hesitation.
We draw up a contract on a napkin. This marriage might be fake, but no one in our small town has to know.
She may never see me as anything more than a playboy, but sleeping in the same bed together night after night makes me want to put my skills to use and prove just how good this fake marriage can beā¦
Title: | Fearless Heart |
Author: | Brighton Walsh |
Series: | Starlight Cove (Book 3) |
Pages: | 336 |
Category / Genre(s): | Contemporary |
Trope(s): | Enemies to Lovers Temporary Relationship Fake Relationship Close Proximity Small Town Romance |
Point of View: | First Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoint (H & h) |
Location: | Starlight Cove, Maine, USA |
HEA: | āļø |
Release Date: | 11th April, 2023 |
The perfect romance mix
Believe it or not – this is actually the first book Iāve ever read by Brighton Walsh and Iām beginning to think if it would have been safer for my wallet if itād stayed unread. Because I just adored this book and already have the previous books in the series in my online basket and ready to buy. Ach – who needs food when you have romance novels?
This is the third book in the Starlight Cove series after Defiant Heart and Protective Heart. Iāve never read the first two books so can confidently say that this book stands completely alone with its own HEA. The series focuses on the Mackenzie family so we get lots of cameos from couples from the prior books and those who are still to get their stories. I cannot wait to get my hands on the stories of Fordās siblings and the tease at the end made me itch to continue this series in the future.
But to this book – it had absolutely everything I love in a romance: palpable chemistry, hot sex, dirty talk, real emotions, likeable characters, a few laughs and enough romance to make me grin like a fool. Oh and did I mention that itās an enemies-to-lovers and unrequited love trope combo? Perfection!
Ford is our hero and oh boy, what a hero he is. He has a bit of a playboy reputation but has been having a little, well, problem, with that side of his life when his childhood nemesis, Quinn, comes back into the small town. Iām not normally wild for the reformed playboy heroes but Ford was my exception – probably because he reformed prior to the start of the book. Heās properly a smitten kitten and I just adored the way he was with Quinn. Can I order a Ford for my very own, pretty please?
At first I wasnāt sure Iād connect with Quinn. Sheās a highly accomplished doctor whoās put together, confident and kicks some series ass – Fordās included. But as we get to know Quinn, I started to fall in love with her and actually really felt a kinship with her and her issues. She felt so real and her emotions made perfect sense to me – no over-the-top dramatics for contrived conflict here.
Iām a bit of a sucker for enemies-to-lovers and love it even more when our couple donāt stop bickering and bantering when they get together and begin to fall in love. Ford and Quinn had undeniable chemistry when they were at odds with each other so when they get together – hold on to your hats. There are a lo-o-ot of sex scenes, teases and just general delicious shenanigans and I was there for it. Add in Fordās dirty talk, his use of the word āwifeā and his adoration of Quinn and Iām all in. I also think that things were made hotter by the fact that Ford is just so considerate and caring of Quinn. Seriously – were do men like this come from?
Having never read Brighton Walshās romances before, I took to her writing style immediately. This bookās written in first person, past tense, dual viewpoint so we really get into the heads of the characters and learn what theyāre thinking and feeling. It just flowed and I was always eager to pick up my book and read just a little more.
I have this down as one of my favourite books of this year so far and I loved every minute of it. Iām now a bonafide Brighton Walsh fan and would definitely recommend this book whether youāre an existing fan or a new one like me. 5 stars for Quinn and Ford.
Award-winning USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brighton Walsh spent nearly a decade as a professional photographer before taking her storytelling in a different direction and reconnecting with her first love: writing. When sheās not lost in her own made up worlds, sheās probably either reading or shoppingāmaybe even both at once. She lives in the Midwest with her real life hero of a husband, her two kidsāboth taller than herāand her dog who thinks sheās a queen. Her boy-filled house is the setting for dirty socks galore, frequent dance parties (okay, so it’s mostly her, by herself, while her children look on in horror), and more laughter than she thought possible. Visit her online at brightonwalsh.com.
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