There’s an instant attraction when Taylor Carmichael and Luca Coretti meet at the wedding of his cousin. They end up kissing when they bump into each other later. Unbeknownst to them, photographs were taken of the embrace and sold to the tabloids.

Taylor is trying to overcome her bad girl past and become a respected actress. She has a forbidden list, which include carbs and men like Luca, that she thinks will help her stay out of trouble. When she is confronted with the photos, she blurts out they are engaged.

Luca is also trying to overcome his playboy reputation. He wants to be on the board of his fashion house while his brother is away. (The brother’s story is told in book 1, but you don’t need to read it to understand what’s happening in this book.) He learns quickly that Taylor claims they are secretly engaged. He tries to tell the board the truth but they think that since Luca is ready for such a commitment as marriage, then he is maturing and ready to be a member of the board. Thus begins this delightful tale of a fake engagement. As they spend time together as couple, they get to know each bother while trying to handle the sizzling chemistry between them. Luca helps Taylor to have fun and eat some carbs. Taylor, well, I think that is the one weakness of this book. I really didn’t see what was about Taylor that made Luca fall in love. Yes, they have amazing chemistry and he becomes very protective of her, but still I wonder a little bit.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this take on a familiar trope. The engaging couple and great dialogue make this book easy to recommend.

ARC provided publisher via NetGalley.

~Thalia

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