I hate Ripley Brewer.
So, why am I fake dating him while being trailed by cameras recording our every move?
My best friend was in a pinch, and she’s the only person in the world I would do anything for. Helping her by pretending to be in love with a stranger for a few weeks would net me good karma, a few bucks, and a bit of exposure—all of which I need desperately right now—to help secure my dream job.
Pretty straightforward, right?
What could go wrong?
Ripley. He’s what always goes wrong.
I’m surprised the producers hired Ripley and me for the reality show after we realized we would be working together and not with strangers, and we almost came to blows in the conference room. But they did. Now I’m stuck pretending to be in love with the biggest, cockiest, most gorgeous billionaire playboy in all of Tennessee.
I’m even more shocked at Ripley’s acting skills.
As we settle into our new roles, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the real Ripley from the character he’s portraying. His strong hand nestled in the small of my back blurs the line between reality and fiction. His dazzling green eyes and decadent smirk distract me from the man I loathe. I could almost believe his small acts of kindness—bringing me soup when I was sick and threatening to dismantle an overbearing ex—were because he was falling for me.
And that I’m falling for him, too.
This season of The Invitation began as an enemies-to-lovers (pretend) romance. Can we possibly finish it with a real-life happy ending?
Georgia and Ripley have been enemies since high school and their distaste for one another has only deepened since then. He was so cruel and ruined her senior year so she will never forgive him. Her best friend marrying his best friend is THE WORST, since it means Georgia has to deal with Ripley all the time. Finding out he’s the best man in her BFFs wedding is the last straw for Maid-of-Honor Georgia because if there’s one thing she really can’t stand in the world, it’s Ripley Brewer.
The feeling is mutual. Georgia caused a lot of problems for Ripley and he still bears scars from senior year. In the decade-plus since high school, she’s only managed to get under his skin more every time they meet, which is far too often for him. They’re not capable of being together without fighting over something, anything and their mutual loathing of one another is probably the sole thing they can agree on.
When her bestie needs a favor, Georgia is happy to help. Filming a pilot for a reality dating show wasn’t on her bingo card, but Sutton is the most important person in Georgia’s world and she really would do anything for her friend. She’s about to prove it too, since the male lead for the show is none other than Ripley. These two are fire and ice at first but the frost melts away as they get to know one another.
I loved these characters and everything about them together. The banter is off the charts and it was so much fun seeing them surprised by every aspect of one another as they realized all the assumptions they had were just wrong. I can’t believe anyone would ever unseat Renn as my favorite Brewer, but I really loved everything about Ripley. Their story is funny and sweet with lots of emotion and plenty of spice and I loved everything about it. Georgia and Ripley are a perfect example of why the author is one of my absolute favorites. I’d like to thank the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
