A pasture of dead trees. A hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons. And shipments that have mysteriously gone missing. Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, Stella enters a contest with Instagram-famous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, Stella might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on her application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only…there is no boyfriend.
Enter best friend Luka Peters. He just stopped by for some hot chocolate and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process. But fake dating his best friend might be the best Christmas present he’s ever received.
Release Date: Jun 6, 2023
Series: Lovelight
Book: 1
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Stella Bloom loves her little tree farm and is willing to do anything to save it. There has been a number of setbacks, and now Stella is desperate. On a whim, she enters an Instagram contest that would award the farm $10,000 to help out. The only problem is she lied and mentioned that she owned the farm with her boyfriend. Now she has to come up with a boyfriend and with potential suitors, she enlists her best friend, Luka, to help.
Luka agrees to Stella’s scheme because he knows how important the farm is to Stella’s life. She didn’t have the best childhood, and she connected to nature. It is the thing she felt great about, and he wants to help her even if it means deceiving everyone in their hometown. The problem is that the feelings are very much real, and how can they manage the fake breakup?
This story is not the most memorable. It’s very formulaic. You, as the reader, just know how it will all play out. The angst is mild and most in part because Stella is just annoying by second-guessing everything. However, it works. Every single thing about the story works to create a good romance story. Luka is a very strong book boyfriend. He does all the cute stuff that a woman loves, and he is perfect in his response to Stella’s rebuttals of their romance.
The comedy is on the light side but adds another element to the story. I really did enjoy the people in the town more than anything. Yes, this story takes place in the holiday season. Listen, I am no where thinking about that, but it helps to get the cozy vibes.
Overall, this is a quick and light read. Perfect for a lazy afternoon, and I recommend it for people who like light contemporary reads. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
~ Samantha
Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Google Play