Summary
It started with a lie.
A story to clean up his bad-boy reputation. But he never bargained on falling for the girl.
Thatcher Stag doesn’t give a sht what his family thinks. He works hard, sells his art for a fck-ton of money, and celebrates with the ladies. But his brothers just won’t ease up, so he blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. It seemed like such a small deception to get his family off his back. Only now, he needs to find a fake fiancé.
Emma Cheswick would do anything to get ahead in her newspaper job…except maybe spend time alone with notorious womanizer Thatcher Stag. When Thatcher makes a pass, she tries to turn down the assignment, but her boss gives her an ultimatum: interview Thatcher, or find someplace else to work.
They strike a dangerous deal: Emma plays the part and Thatcher gives her the scoop she needs to keep her job. The illusion seems shatter-proof until Thatcher shows Emma the cracks in his inked-up armor, and she reveals a secret about her health. Can she stick to the rules or does he have a new plan in mind?
Excerpt
I realize the second I finish that I have no idea what this chick’s name is. Did we talk about names? Or did we just walk back to her apartment last night? I don’t usually stay over, but I was completely exhausted after our acrobatic routine in her living room, her hallway, and her bed. And then she was down for an encore this morning…so here I am.
“Fuck,” I shout, looking at her clock radio. “Is that the right time?”
She rolls over, pushing the curtain of her blonde hair out of her eyes. “Mmmm. I guess so.” She runs her fingers lightly along my chest, letting her head flop back down on the pillow.
“Fuck. I’m so fucking late. Shit.” I’m out of the bed in a flash, scrambling around her apartment looking for my clothes. I’m going to have to go wearing the same stuff I had on last night. I run my fingers through my long hair, trying to tame it a little. My family is going to kill me.
“Thatcher, wait.” I hear her padding down the hall, still naked. Fuck me, she’s hot. A tall, leggy blonde with big eyes and full lips. Do I want to get her number? Fuck it.
“Babe, I’m sorry. I have to get out of here.” I find my wallet under the couch near my jeans. My keys…aha! They’re on the floor inside the front door. When I stand up with them I see her standing with her arms crossed.
She raises an eyebrow. “You’re just going to run out of here like this? Literally run out?”
“It’s my nephew’s birthday party. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to–“
“Give me five minutes and I’ll come with you.”
Woah. “What?” My tone is harsh, but is she serious right now?
“Bring me with you. To the party. I love kids!”
I hold my hands out, palms up. “Look, doll, we just met last night. I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I can’t bring you with me to my nephew’s birthday party with my family.”
“Doll? Babe? You don’t even know my name do you?”
I open my mouth and then close it again. Fuck it. I wasn’t coming back for more anyway.
“Fuck you, Thatcher Stag. Fuck you!” She starts throwing magazines at me from the shelf in the hall. I duck as a huge bridal catalogue comes flying at my head and then I remember. “Amber!” I look at the address label from one of the projectiles. Fuck. “Tiffany, come on. You seemed like you had a good time…”
She shakes her head. “You are unbelievable.”
I don’t have time to talk about this more. My brother is going to tear me a new one if I’m not there for this party. I pull the door open and then shut, jogging a bit to find my beat up old Ford Ranger parked outside. I slam the truck into gear and screech out of the parking lot just as I see Tiffany stick her head out the apartment window. I don’t even hear what she’s shouting at me.
I take stock of myself. My hair and beard are a mess. There’s definitely lipstick on the collar of my polo. I’ll have to go in just my undershirt. I wonder if my brother will buy it if I say I got hung up in my work this morning and lost track of time.
Luckily I have my nephew’s gift with me. I can tell them I was putting the finishing touches on it, even though I’ve had it done for months. I had picked it up from the engraver last night before I hit the club, which was why I had it along, tucked safely in the glove box.
I pull up outside my brother’s house in Highland Park. It’s the house we all grew up in, where Tim took care of us after my mom died and my dad took off. Now Tim lives here with his wife, Alice, and their baby. Tim’s always been hard on us, insisting that we keep our shit together. And with good reason. It’s not like it rained money for our family. We had to be careful, couldn’t afford any missteps. But I’m an adult now, and Tim’s become even more of a hard ass since he married Alice. At least with me.
Review
(audiobook) There couldn’t be more opposite brothers than Tim and Thatcher Stag. In Tim’s book, a study in control and seriousness, we saw him loosen up. This book is about Thatcher, a real free spirit–he’s an artist–making sense of his life and fixing his priorities. It doesn’t happen without bumps in the road though.
The fake relationship trope was treated without much originality. The arrangement, the building tension between the two characters, the expiration date, you just have to follow the steps. The real interest of this story was elsewhere.
First, family was at the center of it. Thatcher and his brothers don’t have a loving relationship. They’re too different, and Tim and Ty don’t approve of Thatcher’s life choices. In a sense, Emma and her sister have the same kind of tensed relationship. The parents–or the lack of them–also have an important place in this book. It’s the main theme of the story.
I also appreciated how the author treated Emma’s condition, and Emma’s mindset regarding her condition too. She has expectations and a strong independant streak that people–including her family–usually dismiss because she’s sick. It’s at the core of Emma and Thatcher’s relationship because he sees her differently. It also brings some incredibly sexy scenes–this book is much hotter than the first one of the series.
As for the narration, it’s the same narrator as before in the series, and he does an okay job. His female voice isn’t the best, but his sexy voice is good, and he knows how to bring the feelings.
Quickie
- Series: Stag brothers #3 (can be read as a standalone)
- Hashtags: #fake relationship #artist #family
- Triggers: talk about alcoholism
- Main couple: Emma Cheswick & Thatcher Stag
- Hotness: 5/5
- Romance: 4/5
- + the way epilepsy is treated
- – the female voices didn’t do it for me
Stalker mode
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