Author: Allison Ashley
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Romance
Source: MIRA ( Netgalley )

Goodreads: Would you rather play it safe in the friend zone, or risk it all with a modern marriage of convenience?

Noah and Mia have always been best friends, and their friendship is the most important thing to them. Life is going great for Noah and he’s up for a promotion in a job he loves. But Mia’s life is on hold as she awaits a kidney transplant. She’s stuck in a dead-end job and, never wanting to be a burden, has sworn off all romance. So when the chance of a lifetime comes to go back to school and pursue her dream, it’s especially painful to pass up. She can’t quit her job or she’ll lose the medical insurance she so desperately needs.

To support her, Noah suggests they get married—in name only—so she can study full-time and still keep the insurance. It’s a risk to both of them, with jobs, health and hearts on the line, and they’ll need to convince suspicious coworkers and nosy roommates that they’re the real deal. But if they can let go of all the baggage holding them back, they might realize that they would rather be together forever.

Ope’s Opinion: The story was a five chair, but the unnecessary use of the “f” word and a few too many steamy scenes brought it down to a four. On the positive side – this is my favorite sub-genre of a fake relationship that turns into a real one. On top of that Noah and Mia have known each other for a long time – I like that too.

The characters in this book drew me in from the first page. I wanted them to admit their feelings for each other to themselves as well as the other person. There were several turns along the way that I did not see coming which added so much to the story.

The ending was exactly what I wanted and expected, but came in a way that I didn’t expect. I would like to read Allison Ashley again.