Publication date: January 9th 2025
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Samuel Warner is rich, charming, the CEO of his family’s business, and the guy I’ve hated since grade school. Now, thanks to one of my more questionable ideas, he’s also my new pretend boyfriend.
Our families have been at each other’s throats for three generations, fighting over the future of our small town. The Warners are all for bulldozing and modernizing every corner of Fox Creek, while my family is determined to preserve our quirky little town and its quaint ways. But even without the family feud, Samuel’s charm and charisma (and his maddening smirk) would still get on my nerves.
Samuel is insufferably smooth, his favorite hobby is teasing me even though he’s able to charm the most cantankerous granny in the county, and he’s spine-tinglingly handsome. Worse yet, he knows it!
But when my brother falls head over heels for a Warner girl, I’m desperate to find a way to unite our families. So, I propose a totally sane, not-at-all-ridiculous plan: Samuel and I will pretend to be in a serious relationship, faking our way to family peace and town harmony with a Romeo-and-Juliet-style performance (minus the tragedy at the end).
First problem with this fantastic idea? Samuel agrees way too quickly, which screams that he’s got a hidden agenda. And yet, he’s so perfect in the role of doting boyfriend, I can’t figure out what his angle is.
Second problem? This relationship might be fake, but my heart didn’t get the memo. Every “date” and impromptu public display of affection Samuel insists on performing stirs up feelings I’m not prepared for. Soon enough, I’m wondering if I can really end this without a total family feud—or losing my heart.
A Guide to Fake Dating Your Enemy is a laugh-out-loud small-town romantic comedy full of swoon-worthy moments, sizzling kisses, and a romance that’s anything but fake. It’s a closed door romance with mild swearing/language.
Excerpt
I inhaled the steam from my latte for courage. “You’re right.”
I braced myself for a smug response.
Samuel—who was in the middle of sipping his Americano—set his drink down and immediately moved on, pushing the plan ahead with a suspicious amount of eagerness. “Good. Then, since we’ve been a couple for months, we’ll need to adopt some habits long-term couples have, like pet names. Naturally, we’ll also need to be physically expressive.”
“For nicknames we can just call each other Nat and Sam, since that’s what our families call us,” I said.
Samuel idly tapped his phone screen. “You know my family calls me Sam?”
“Of course I do,” I said, a little irritated. “We might not get along, but I’ve seen you almost every week of my life.”
“True.” Samuel gave me a more thoughtful look that made me shift in my comfy seat. “I guess I just didn’t expect you to pay attention to details about me.”
“Oh,” I said.
I suppose since the two of us rarely did anything besides bicker, I’d never given him a reason to believe I saw him as anything more than a picture I tacked to a dartboard to take out my aggression on.
“Alright, so we’ve got our pet names down,” Samuel said. “Now to address the physical aspect of our relationship.”
“Yeah. About that.” I took another sip of my latte, then set it back down on the coffee table. “We’ll have to stick to hugs and occasional hand-holding.”
“What?” Samuel sat on the edge of his love seat. “What kind of serious couple only hugs and holds hands? We should at least be prepared for short kisses.”
“Kisses?” I cackled. “I don’t think I could believably kiss you without looking like I want to wipe that smug smile off your handsome face.”
Samuel playfully tilted his head. “I’m flattered you think I’m handsome, Nat. Don’t worry—I promise not to let it go to my head.”
“Focus, Samuel. Focus,” I said.
Samuel relaxed and once again leaned back against the couch. “Of course, you want to stick to business. Fine, we can start with hugs and hand-holding.”
“Occasional hand-holding,” I corrected.
“If either one of us thinks our act isn’t convincing enough, we’ll revisit the physical touch aspect.” Samuel typed out his notes on his cell phone. “Does that make you happy?”
“Yes,” I reluctantly agreed. “We’ll probably have to adjust as we go anyway. Could you email me your notes?”
“I’ll do you one better and text them,” he said. “What’s your number?”
I internally weighed the pros and cons of giving him my number. Knowing Samuel, he’d start texting me in the middle of the night, asking me what the process was to submit construction permits, just to be annoying.
“Nat, darling, honey,” Samuel cooed. “What kind of serious boyfriend would I be if I didn’t have your number?”
Oh yeah. He was definitely going to send me annoying text messages.
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