Entangled | June 23, 2015 | Genre
Friends First, book 1
★★★★
SOURCE: TASTY BOOK TOURS
Omar Esterly is married to his job. But when Omar sets his sights on a potential, family-oriented client, his confirmed bachelorhood becomes a problem. Fortunately, his friend and employee, Devi Boss, has the perfect plan…
Okay, so it wasn't exactly Devi's plan to become her friend's fake fiancée. Lies aren't her style. However, Omar offers her a big, beautiful raise—enough to track down the missing father she's never known—and Devi reluctantly agrees to the whole engagement hoax…
This was supposed to be a no-strings-attached win-win for both Devi and Omar, but when they cross the line between friendship and…well, something more, Devi realizes she’s made a huge mistake that just might cost her both job and friend—falling for her fiancé.
{ about christine warner } .
Christine Warner is living her dream in Michigan along with her family, one laptop, and a much loved assortment of furry friends.Besides laughing and a good dose of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, writing, but no arithmetic. A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities. She loves to read and write about strong heroes, and determined, sometimes sassy, heroines.
A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on facebook, twitter and her website at christine-warner.com
{ excerpt } .
“You’re game for anything, right?” Devi compressed her lips and studied Omar through a narrow gaze, taking in the way his overly bright eyes concentrated on her face as if memorizing every pore. Her gaze traveled south to the non-existent rise and fall of his chest and how he pushed his suit jacket aside as he placed his hands low on his hips. He’d stopped breathing while he waited for her reply. That made her more nervous than anything. “Normally I am game for anything, but considering the man asking the question, I’m a little nervous.” She licked her lips.Omar shook his head, swallowing her hands in the warmth of his. “No. This is a great idea. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
“I’ll hold back on saying I’m glad I could help until I know what you’ve got pinging around your brain.” She tried to pull free of his grip, but he only grasped her fingers tighter. Her inner voice told her whatever plan he’d cooked up included her and she wouldn’t be thrilled with the role.
“Bartow wants a family-first firm. He wants a planner who is married, blah, blah blah.” He dismissed his unfinished words with the thrust of his chin.
Devi nodded, her mouth going dry. Was he planning to hire a wife, or about to propose?
“I might not be married, but what if I were engaged?”
She didn’t want to jump to conclusions about the proposal so she pasted on a tight smile. “Do you have a serious girlfriend hidden away I don’t know about?” The thought unsettled her, but she pushed aside the heaviness in her gut. Omar and relationships mixed like fire and ice. Not that women didn’t find him attractive and vice versa, but his true love would always be work. Most sane women wanted something more than a workaholic commitment-phobe.
He shook his head a bit too vigorously. “No. No.” His grip tightened, and she flexed her fingers so he’d loosen his hold. “Hear me out before you shoot me down.”
“I’m more curious than ever.” Again, she threw sand over that niggling feeling in her belly. She never jumped to conclusions. Living by the seat of your pants didn’t allow it, but…
Why start now? She rolled her shoulders in an effort to relax. Omar pulled her off to the side and out of the crowd moving past them on the sidewalk. His hands shook with excitement, and he swallowed hard before clearing his throat. Always calm and collected, his buildup unsettled Devi, and she tugged one hand from his grip and pressed it against the gurgle growing in her stomach.
“How about we announce our engagement? I could pull in some favors and have it in the press Monday morning. That’d still give Bartow enough time to invite us to the meet and greet. And—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Devi’s stomach did a nosedive, and she yanked her other hand from his death grip and stepped back. She twisted one of the bangle bracelets on her wrist. “Our engagement? First off, I didn’t even know we were dating. And second, I am not going to help you get ahead by lying.”
{ review } .
The fake fiance theme is one that tends to be a favorite of mine. I love these stories because of the irony -- as a reader, we know that our leads are going to fall for one another; the big question is simply when, and what will they do to screw it all up.
When a family-centered client comes to him, Omar needs to figure out a way to get on his good side -- so of course, presenting himself as a family man is the right course of action, right? Devi's not a fan of lies, but she eventually relents and goes along with the plan.
The story itself was an easy read. There weren't any incredible highs or lows, and for the most part, everything seemed believable. The dialogue was real without the ability of feeling 'too much'; the thought processes and the internal dialogue allowed the reader to get a decent understanding for the characters. With the knowledge that Omar and Devi have been friends/worked together for the past half decade or so, the progression and growth of the 'feelings' was believable for me.
Altogether, this was a good contemporary read, leaving me curious for the next in the series.
When a family-centered client comes to him, Omar needs to figure out a way to get on his good side -- so of course, presenting himself as a family man is the right course of action, right? Devi's not a fan of lies, but she eventually relents and goes along with the plan.
The story itself was an easy read. There weren't any incredible highs or lows, and for the most part, everything seemed believable. The dialogue was real without the ability of feeling 'too much'; the thought processes and the internal dialogue allowed the reader to get a decent understanding for the characters. With the knowledge that Omar and Devi have been friends/worked together for the past half decade or so, the progression and growth of the 'feelings' was believable for me.
Altogether, this was a good contemporary read, leaving me curious for the next in the series.
for other reviews & tour goodies,
{ ...and next! } :
A Friendly Arrangement
Friends First #2
Christine Warner
Releasing Oct 26th, 2015
Entangled Publishing
What happens when your plus one becomes “the one”?
Holly Haggerty and Roth Esterly are two besties with everything in common—they’re neighbors, career-driven, and commitment-phobes. Tired of always being set up on dates by well-meaning friends and family, they take matters into their own hands: they will be the other’s plus one—a little friendly arrangement between friends.
Easy…until a steamy night where they cross the line. But that’s okay, they’ll add an addendum—one that includes a little action between the sheets…on top of the sheets…and without the sheets. But there are rules. Dating and sex are exclusive until one of them decides to terminate the agreement. No slumber parties. And if either party becomes emotionally involved they will break things off with no hard feelings.
When unexpected news changes their plans and turns their fun arrangement into something more serious, Holly and Roth must come to terms with what’s more important—what they thought they wanted, or what they really need.
{ giveaway } .
Thank you so much for featuring A Friendly Engagement on your blog and helping me spread the word about the $0.99 sale xoxox
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for featuring A Friendly Engagement on your blog and helping me spread the word about the $0.99 sale xoxox
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