Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.
James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.
Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…
Release Date: Mar 24, 2020
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Gallery Books
Price: $9.99
Carey has been working for Mellie Tripp since she was sixteen years old. She was on the verge of dropping out when she spotted the help wanted sign out of their storefront. Ever since, she has the pleasure of doing all of the design work for the Tripps while they reap all the fame and glory. Carey is a bit resentful but she needs the job so she trudges along.
James works as the engineer for the duo. He mostly works as Rusty’s assistant, but the pickings were slim, and he has to suck it up and do the job. So he follows behind Rusty, making sure the flirty playboy doesn’t do anything to expose the failing marriage.
The book starts off where both Carey and James are being interviewed by police authorities in regard to an incident that occurred. It sets the scene up for the authors to explain how all four characters worked with each other and the craziness that ensued.
Carey and James both try to keep the famous couple on track as their new reality show goes live but it proving to be a difficult challenge. The more time the two spend together watching their bosses’ marriage go down in flames, the more they realize how much they like each other. It is rather quick and to the point.
I think what distracted my attention throughout the story was the fact there is so little time to focus on Cary and James falling in love. In fact, they seem to be secondary. There is a lot of time focused on drama that is going on with the Tripps and they are a handful. I think the slow background romance could have been more effective if it was brought out more. It seems a bit rushed and the readers are left with a forced HEA after focusing so much time on another storyline of drama.
Despite the brief time spent on the actual couple, I did enjoy the book.
~ Samantha
Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play