Author: Barb Curtis
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Romance
Source: Forever ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Barb Curtis returns to Sapphire Springs with this heartwarming romance where a small-town bakery owner finds herself in a fake relationship with the man she’s always pined after.

Will a fake relationship between two friends lead to true love?

After having his heart broken on national television, Tim Fraser knows only one way to stop the gossip about his love life-a new girlfriend. The problem is, he’s done with romance forever. A fake relationship with his friend and Sapphire Spring’s sweetest baker, Emily Holland, seems the perfect solution to getting rid of his newfound fame, but their fleeting fauxmance is stirring up the kinds of feelings Tim has sworn off for good.

Emily has secretly lusted after Tim for years, but pretending her feelings are all for show never factored into her fantasy. Still, her decades-long crush makes it impossible to say no to Tim’s proposal. But with each date, the lines between pretend and reality blur, giving Tim and Emily a tantalizing taste of life outside the friend zone . . . if they can find the courage to give real love a chance.

Ope’s Opinion: This is my favorite kind of romance to read – the main characters have known each other for a while and they start with a fake relationship. It was a really enjoyable read. This is the second book in a series. I did not read the first one, but I did not feel lost at all. There was a wedding being planned and I think the couple were the main characters in the first book, but not knowing them did not take away from this story.

The dual narrative really helped move the story along in this small town romance. It helped to see Tim’s point of view and why he was so hesitant to trust. Emily was hesitant also, but for different reasons. Watching their barriers come down was a great part of the story.

I am ready to visit Sapphire Springs again.