Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past.
I’m the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.
He’s thirty-five and all man, and I’m twenty-two and all . . . virgin.
He’s also my fiancé. Correction: my fake fiancé.
We start out as a bet. He doesn’t believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers me his to prove a point.
It’s win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family’s prying, and I get a chance to shed my family’s reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.
He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can’t keep my hands off of him in public.
But it’s what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines.
It’s what transpires behind closed doors that doesn’t feel like pretending at all.
This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.
He once told me he’d never fall in love.
And yet here I am, head over heels for my fake fiancé.
Everyone knows I’m a sucker for a fake relationship story but age gap is kind of an ick for me, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be as into this story as the others, although this is a favorite series. Well, I’m thrilled to report that the author KILLED IT with Beau and Bailey’s story. The characters are relatable, real and immediately likeable. Their fake relationship started quite innocently, with Beau genuinely wanting to protect Bailey from her brothers and the judgmental town busybodies but they became the best of friends without even realizing it at first.
He’s been lost since leaving the military, not sure where he belongs or what civilian life should look like. He’s got scars, physical and otherwise, but isn’t sure how to handle them or even how to help himself. Bailey has a host of problems, none of which are her own fault and life is not kind to this poor woman. Her only goal is to escape the town that’s treated her horribly for her whole life and live her life somewhere else, where people will see her for who she is instead of condemning her for her family name.
I loved these two together and enjoyed everything about their story. Beau’s family plays a significant role in this story and despite the bittersweet reality that this is the end of the series, I like that it’s also an epilogue of sorts for the other couples. Bailey is welcomed with open arms by his family, giving her a chance to be part of a family for the first time and the only friends she’s ever had, besides Beau and a local barfly. Their story is sweet and funny despite dealing with some heavy topics and it all comes together beautifully. I especially enjoyed learning about Beau’s quiet friendship with Winter and it made me so happy to watch them cheering one another on. This is a lovely and fitting ending to a great series.
