She’s in need of a fake, friendly boyfriend to charm her family.
He’s the last bachelor up for auction and a grumpy, last-minute stand-in.
Neither satisfies the other’s requirements but they might just be what each of them needs.
With Lauren Connelly’s ex marrying her sister, the last thing she wants is to show up at the wedding without a date. Which means finding a fake boyfriend ASAP. The charity bachelor auction provides a solution to her problem, except the man she bids on turns out to be a gorgeous but grumpy executive who scowls more than he smiles.
Chase Gossard wants nothing to do with Lauren’s plan to make him her plus-one at a destination wedding and pretend that he’s in love. He doesn’t do relationships, fake or otherwise—but she paid a lot of money for the privilege. So why does their touching, kissing, and sharing one bed feel all too real?
Lauren is smart and witty and sexy as hell. A down to earth combination that somehow softens his hard edges, and somewhere along the way, he’s falling hard for his fake date. But when the truth comes out and it’s time to part ways, can the confirmed bachelor convince his pretend girlfriend to make things real?
| Title: | Just A Little Chase |
| Author: | Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde |
| Series: | Dare Crossover (Book 4) |
| Pages: | 188 |
| Genre(s): | Contemporary |
| Trope(s): | Temporary Relationship Fake Relationship |
| Point of View: | Third Person, Past Tense, Dual Viewpoints (H&h) |
| Location: | New York, US |
| HEA: | ✔️ |
| Release Date: | 19th September, 2024 |
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Engaging and readable romance
We continue into the Dare Crossover series with this fourth book. It does take place in the same world as the other books in the series – and at the same Bachelor auction – but it features a brand new couple and completely stands alone. You don’t have to read any books before or after to understand and enjoy this one although if you have, you might see cameos and mentions from previous characters.
This story is about bubbly yet feisty, Lauren, and her need for a last minute fake boyfriend to take to her sister’s wedding. The sister that happens to be marrying Lauren’s ex! But the regular, average man she set her heart on winning at the bachelor auction is the complete opposite of the gorgeous, grumpy and aloof, Chase. Yet it’s him she’s stuck with. And him that, despite his grumpy personality, she wants something real with.
Lauren is an event-coordinator at a posh hotel but she lives a fairly normal, down to earth lifestyle. And she might be a small-town girl but she’s all New York in attitude. She never comes over as too bolshie but I love how she stood her ground and went after what she wanted. She was always kind – sometimes too kind as I personally would have scratched my sister’s eyes out – but she was exactly what Chase needed.
“I loved them as a couple and was rooting for them from their first meeting.”
I always love a grumpy hero but Chase took that one step further by also being a little arrogant and a lot aloof. His bafflement when he can’t just buy off Lauren was a delight – as was watching him try to keep his emotional and physical distance and his walls crumble for her. His gradual enlightenment towards his feelings felt real but he was always just a touch grumpy – so I was happy.
As a couple, Lauren and Chase were made for each other. They got on well, connected and they had some sizzling chemistry. This book is written by two queens of spicy romances so of course we’re going to have some lovely, sizzling sex scenes. I loved them as a couple and was rooting for them from their first meeting.
This is a short book at just 188 but I loved the way it was written and that it easily held my attention from beginning to end. I have absolutely no issue with a third-act break-up but I have to admit that it was quite nice how Lauren and Chase parted, and how everything was resolved. I’m always keen for a Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde collaboration and this book showed me exactly why. Easily 5 stars.
*I received this book in exchange for my honest review*
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| Carly Phillips gives her readers alphalicious heroes to swoon for and romance to set your heart on fire, and she loves everything about writing romance. She married her college sweetheart and lives in Purchase, NY along with her three crazy dogs: two wheaten terriers and a mutant Havanese, who are featured on her Facebook and Instagram. She has raised two incredible daughters who put up with having a mom as a romance author. Carly is the author of over fifty romances, and is a NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller. | Erika Wilde is a New York Times Bestselling author. She is best known for her super sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series, and has also co-written the Dirty Sexy Series and the Book Boyfriend Series with Carly Phillips, her best friend and writing buddy for the past twenty years. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit her website at www.erikawilde.com and sign up for her mailing list for updates and news! |
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The Dare Crossover Series:
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