There’s nothing fake about this relationship, but that’s news to both of them.

Everything is falling into place for Will Evergreen. In a few short months, he’ll be moving out of his Wyoming hometown to launch his own business and finally step out of his brothers’ shadows. Will’s more than a cute, former whiz kid and will prove it by growing the family enterprise. Then Ava Robertson, the woman he failed to forget, comes crashing back to town. Suddenly, packing up is the last thing on his agenda.

Moving home isn’t the future Ava planned for herself, but when the job market forces her to do just that, she turns to the childhood buddy she left behind. Will isn’t the same boy she remembers. He’s all man now, so when her mother’s idea of moving forward means matchmaking, Ava begs Will to play the role of a doting boyfriend.

Will agrees, but he’s keeping a secret. They’ll spend the summer attending weddings and family events as a couple, but he won’t let this one get away again—even if it costs him his future.

Titles in The Evergreen Brothers series include — A Boyfriend by Christmas —♥— The Summer Wedding Hoax —♥— A Match by Christmas —♥—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Tule Publishing ARC

Title:  The Summer Wedding Hoax
Series:  The Evergreen Brothers #2
Author:  Jami Rogers
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  May 18, 2023
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4

Isn’t it often ironic how sometimes everything we dreamed of, the need to go out into the world to find, has always been right where we began… at home.  Only we couldn’t see the forest for the trees.  That’s what Will and Ava are discovering as she returns home just as he’s making plans to leave home.  One summer will change everything between them when one realizes that home isn’t such a bad place to be, especially when the friend she’s always counted on turns out to be so much more.

The Summer Wedding Hoax continues The Evergreen Brothers series with a delightful romance between friends that starts off as a totally fake relationship meant to keep matchmaking family members at bay.  But the reality is that they are both perfect for each other… always have been.  It took growing up and being separated for a bit for that to finally hit home with Ava and Will.  But Will isn’t giving up on turning his longtime friend into his lifelong love, not when she’s back home, and well, dating, even if sorta fake, is better than the distance between them.

I loved watching this couple work through their doubts, and their questions about what is really happening between them.  Yes, longtime friends can become so much more when the chemistry is right, and they trust in their feelings.  It took a while, a few missteps, and any relationship is complicated especially when it changes along the way into something so much more than expected.

I had fun here, and if you love a friends-to-lovers trope, with realistic characters, lots of laughter, frustrations, and moments of truth hitting at just the right time… then you’ll want to pick up Will and Ava’s story real soon.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from Tule Publishing, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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