A Friendly Wager

High Stakes #2

by Ajme Williams

My next-door neighbor is wifey material.
Calm down... I’m not proposing to her.

A fake engagement will do for now.
My mother won’t get off my back.
As a star hockey player love isn’t on the cards for me.
Not now, not ever.

I had a one-night stand with Ruby a decade ago.
But that shouldn’t come in the way of our ruse.

I doubt she misses the way I made her shake when I took her v-card.

A friendly wager has put her in my debt.
She owes me this favor, and I owe her the
I will never fall for her.

I have it all planned out perfectly until I discover a 10-year-old secret that has never been in my plans...

A Friendly Wager is a VERY steamy, bad boy, billionaire, fake engagement romance. This novel is a complete standalone with no cheating or cliffhangers and lots of tasty spice.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Sports, Sports Romance, Second Chance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2023

About the author

Ajme Williams - mother, wife, daughter, dreamer, an avid reader and a writer.
When she's not writing romance, Ajme can be seen sipping coffee, gorging on dark chocolate, exercising, or travelling with family and friends. Cooking is therapeutic for her and she drools over Italian food...and men.
What to expect from her books?
Ajme loves variety, so expect a lot of second chances, secret babies, office romances, big fat fake weddings, curvy heroines and alpha heroes. HEA? Always, baby!
If you're a fan of emotional angsty contemporary romance, then you'll enjoy Ajme Williams.

Reviews

[Jen ♥]

Self note:

- Second chance romance
- He took her v-card 10 years ago resulting to their daughter, but the h didn't inform him about her pregnancy.
- He cared for the h since they were children but when she said that their ONS was a mistake, he left and didn't come back after 10 years
- He's been a playboy for a decade. Don't know what to do about this
- Since becoming a mom I think she never even went on a date and put all of her focus on her child.


Second chance romance really made me skeptical about reading this kind of stories. H enjoys his life with fucking around while the h has to be a responsible adult.

Though I get the part the she hide the pregnancy, but the guy could've been responsible for himself and his image even without the reason that he's a father.

[Xee · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first ever from this author , maybe I will pick up something different next time, trope wise.

So, I liked the pace of the story (except sometimes it moved too fast without ever giving the emotional beats time to settle in with the reader)and I liked the overall characters but the reasoning behind the fake engagement, the sheer lack of thought and concern for the hurt it would cause the family as well as the little girl had me scratching my head.. Ive read enough fake engagements to be able to understand the myriad of reasons ppl in fiction do it but here it just seemed so incredibly casual for Ruby to go for it and then when it comes out the the emotional punch just kind of fell flat.....

All in all, I will try another book or 2 by the author and fingers crossed I do better with them..

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby and Bo have known each other since childhood and have competed against each other from the start. They also carry a secret love for each other but there are misunderstandings and circumstances that come between them. One night together results in the biggest secret which is discovered ten years later. This is their story. The author brings strong characters and weaves an entertaining story with descriptive scenes, moves it fluidly and delivers a great story. I loved reading and am looking forward to the next book.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reconciling the Past ?

Ruby Fields is a single-mom of a 9-year-old daughter, Laina. Ruby and Bo Tyler had been together only once after his friend Mark died in an accident. Mark was dating Ruby. So when Bo stopped over and he and Ruby were alone, they took comfort in each other. Then Bo left town. He never knew he now has a beautiful daughter. He went on with his ice hockey career and only came home now that he injured his shoulder and needed to recuperate. In the meantime, the town assumed that Ruby’s baby was Mark’s, and she never bothered to tell them the truth, even though Laina looked nothing like Mark.

Bo’s mom is urging him to settle down and give her grandchildren. But he’s not ready. So he makes a little wager with Ruby and wins. And what he asks for is that she pretends to be his fiancée. His mom already respects and truly adores Ruby. But Ruby is not comfortable with the idea since he is only doing this because of his mother, not because he has feelings for her. Seeing her reluctance, he agrees to buy her a car which was what he would do if she won the wager. And her old junker really needed to be replaced. This would only be for a few weeks. And she was already keeping another huge secret from him and his mom. He told her he would buy her a fancy ring which she could sell afterward and put it in a college fund for her daughter. And he has to promise not to touch her again. She was afraid, however, that those “fake” feelings might already be more than that. This was going to be painful. And what would she do if Bo finally figured out Laina was his daughter?

This was a well-written story with lots of feelings. And the reader was left waiting for the secrets to reveal themselves. There were so many directions the story can take you. Will the two of them figure out their real feelings for each other? Will Bo return to his hockey career if he finds out the truth about Laina? Grab your copy and see what the future offers them.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

[FANCHON · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bo is a serial fake engagement participant

This was an entertaining read. Secret baby, fake engagement, add in small town, friends-to not- to lovers, and best friends ex… there’s a slew of tropes. And secrets. Lots of secrets.

Bo is a selfish jerk.

I said it. That’s basically true through this whole story. He cares 100% mostly for himself. In fact, this whole agreement is all for his benefit, without regard for how it will hurt everyone else when it ends. Because it’s really all about him.

Bo comes back home after 10 years due to an injury from doing something extremely stupid and reckless, and his hockey team manager is telling him he needs to go lay low. He is infamous for his OTT reckless and playboy behavior. While it’s clearly related to him running from his past and his guilt over his friend’s death, it makes it hard to like him.

Ruby is hiding a secret. After her high school boyfriend dies in a car accident, she and Bo hooked up once weeks later while drowning in their emotions. She immediately panics and says it was a mistake. He leaves and never returns, going to college and then the NHL. She never shared news of her pregnancy, and just lets people think the baby was Mark’s - even though she had never slept with him. When Bo returns he comes up with a hair brained selfish plan to “get his mom off his back”. Even though he had never been home for 10 years (meaning he had zero contact with Ruby) and was only going to be home for three weeks, he decides that telling his family that they are suddenly engaged will make his mother happy and stay off of his back about needing to settle down and end his wild ways. 🙄🙄 Never mind that when he leaves, his mom is going to be even more upset by his careless ways, but since he won’t be there to see it he won’t care. Or that Ruby is still going to be living in that small town with all of the people and dealing with the fallout. Not to mention her nine-year-old daughter being hurt when he shows up and plays future step dad for funsies for a few weeks and then leaves. But because they made a bet and she lost, she throws aside all logic and reason and goes along with this plan 🙄🤦‍♀️

Actually, now that I’m recounting this, I’m debating how to rate this. Did I enjoy it overall, yes. If you can suspend reality for a bit - let’s be real, no mama-bear who never so much as went on a single date since her ex died would be willing to voluntarily sign up for a three week arrangement that was absolutely guaranteed to hurt their child when it ended. Not to mention leave her living the rest of her life in a small town with this following her forever while he jets around the world without a care. If you can get over the fact that Bo has been a bed hopping playboy for ten years, and despite the fact that we know he cared about Ruby since they were kids and has spent those ten years avoiding his own feelings of guilt over Mark’s death, he is motivated by purely selfish reasons and without regard for those he’s hurting in the process, then you might enjoy this story. It had its moments for sure. He does actually get hit with facing his idiocy in the end. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Editing could definitely be cleaned up. Overall, moderately entertaining if not realistic.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Make Two Lovers of Friends

Growing up on adjacent farms in a small, rural, Wisconsin farming community, strawberry-blonde, blue-eyed Ruby Fields and her backyard neighbor Bo Tyler, with his blonde hair and hazel eyes, had known each other forever. Approximately the same age, Ruby and Bo had shared a lifetime of growing up experiences from playing together in their tangent back yards, to shared classes in the local schools, to enjoying winter days skating and playing ice hockey on the frozen local pond. And so, as childhood transitioned to adolescence, the two neighbors who knew each other so well, experienced the easy emotional slide of "like" into the unspoken crushes in adolescence.

But, life’s pathways are not always smooth and without bumps and ruts, so while Bo looked longingly at Ruby, Mark, his best friend, took the initiative in high school and asked Ruby out first. And, when she said “yes,” the bro-code determined that Bo was blocked from allowing his years of puppy love to evolve into a more mature expression. And so, the childhood friends, still in close physical proximity, were pushed apart emotionally, regardless of the friends’ unacknowledged emotional connections.

Now, on the cusp of the next stage of life post-high school, the lives of Bo, Mark and Ruby are again changed forever when after drinking at a party, Mark headed home. Speed, inebriation and a curving road combined to end Mark’s life just as he was to leave to begin his Marine enlistment. And now, stunned by Mark’s death, Bo, who was preparing to head to college on a hockey scholarship and Ruby who was staying in her community to study to become a legal secretary and to await Mark's return from military service, were left stunned and in a daze.

So, when Bo finds Ruby in her back yard staring up at the stars, he joins her on the grass, and the emotion of shared grief quickly morphs into the expression of the shared, but physically unexpressed romantic love that the two life friends had suppressed for years, was finally expressed. But, what neither young lover expected was that their one-night-passion would have consequences.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review, but I enjoyed it so much that I purchased a copy for my Kindle.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bo Tyler gets injured jumping off, the roof of a motel, into a swimming pool. The problem is jumping into the shallow end, causes a bad landing. Yup, he dislocates his shoulder. Leaving him layed up for six weeks, minimum. Pierce Jackson had come, to his rescue once again that day. He takes him, to the hospital when he, can't get there himself. Pierce is more like a father figure, than a coach, to Bo. However, it was that day he told, Bo he is retiring from coaching in, the NHL because he, and, Reed now owned, an AHL team. Pierce needed, to take over for, Reed. He and, Analyn had just, had their first child, and needed family time. So, Pierce will be stepping up, since he is part owner. This devastates, Bo. Because Pierce is the only one he felt had cared about him in the whole organization. To everyone else, he is a commodity. Someone whose antics bring people in, to watch them play. However, the same front office that kept pushing him to be outrageous is now saying you need to lay low. He was not happy about it but at least they weren't saying rehab. So, when his brother sends him a video, of his nephew running after a piglet like he remembers doing as a kid, in the paddock. When he catches it he lets out a shout of absolute joy. Making Bo smile he knew that kind of happiness. At his age, Bo’s life was one adventure after another. Now, however, he was trying to outrun the guilt he feels. No matter how hard he tried, to lose, Mark, he was right there. The guilt of not taking his keys but most of all weeks after his passing he found comfort in, Mark’s ex, Ruby. But, the truth is, Bo had loved her for so long. Way before, Mark. It's just, Mark had more guts, and asked, Ruby out first. So, going back, to Wisconsin is going, to prove difficult for so many reasons. Ruby, on the other hand, has been keeping her secrets. For ten long years. Having, Bo home scares her into thinking, the chances of the truth coming out are high. This is a very emotional story with hidden lies coming out. It is nice, to see, Bo go from party animal to daddy. So, is Pierce getting a story?

[Korkoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Their Truths Set Them All Free -
When Ruby’s best friend Bo returned after ten years away and asked her to pretend to be engaged to him, she was apprehensive about doing it, as she was keeping a major secret from him. In addition, she was scared her old feelings for him would return and destroy her once he left again. All the feelings Bo had for Ruby before she broke his heart ten years ago, returned with a vengeance when he came home to recuperate and it only grew more, when he spent time with her as his fake fiancé with benefits.

Unfortunately, when Ruby decided to keep quiet about the true parentage of her daughter ten years prior, she didn’t think anyone knew her secret or expect that Bo’s ex from high school who had designs on him would reveal her secret, just as there was a possibility of their fake relationship turning real. Chaos ensued after the revelation and even though Ruby was scared, she knew she had to finally come clean to her daughter and Bo’s family. Whilst Bo was understandably upset, he realised after a bit of time and coaxing, that he needed to step up to fix things or he would lose his chance at their forever happiness.

I really enjoyed reading this story, that took me on one heck of a rollercoaster ride. I love reading Ajme Williams books, as she writes really moving and stand out storylines with steamy moments, that pulls the reader into the story and makes you feel like you are watching each scene unfold in front of you. I am really happy to recommend this book and believe it would translate incredibly well to the screen.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the High Stakes series each book can be read as a standalone and this is their second chance at getting it right truths are reveled and secrets come to light. Two best friends get together one time and then he leaves breaking her heart. Fast forward ten years sexy as all get out Bo returns home needing a fake engagement to keep his family …well mostly his mother so why not call in a favor from his ex. she is his ex. because she broke his heart and that is something he won’t forget so falling for her again yeah not happening (or so he tells himself) until he see her. Ruby isn’t any different she knows she owes him also that she should agree to be with him because truth be told she still loves him, still upset that he broke her heart, but happy he left a piece of himself behind not she has to keep the secret from him and try being with him yep, a recipe for a hot mess. The attraction is just as intense as it was they day they met and the magnetic pull can’t be ignored and the pull is too strong to not give in once but then once turns into a few times and hiding the truth from him about her daughter or his daughter is becoming harder to do so what happens when the truth comes out will he stick around or run, will he be too angry with her for keeping the truth away from him, what will his family think, what will their daughter think, and can they find happiness the second time around?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sheila Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the character of Bo Tyler in the 1st book in this series - Bet On it. He was reckless but lovable. So hearing that he was getting his own book, I jumped at the chance to read the story.

Reading about his mother, the young love he had back in Wisconsin, and the loss of his best friend to drunk driving was heartbreaking to read. There were so many times I cried openly for him. You can see why he was such a mess behind the scenes. He was great as a hockey player, but he was a major player with women off the ice.

Then we meet the love of his life (you know it from the beginning even if they both deny it). Ruby is a single-mom who never forgot her first time with Bo. It was when her daughter was conceived. The rest of her hometown think that her late boyfriend was the father, and she never told the truth to anyone. Including Bo's mother (or late father).

Ruby and Bo liked to play this cat and mouse game with each other. You really enjoy reading the almost slow romance buildup and letdown when Bo finally figures out the truth about his daughter. Ruby has her reasons, and they are mostly selfish reasons. But they both love each other and it's true that love can help you conquer quite a few things in life.

Next book is going to be a doozy with Pierce in an age-gap romance. Can't wait!!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby and Bo were friends since childhood, growing up on neighboring farms in Wisconsin. They went their separate ways during high school and beyond but is that what either of them really wanted?

The story is told by each of them in alternating chapters. She has a nine year old daughter, works from home and is involved in her church. But is that enough especially when Bo comes to town for rehab for an injury that he needs healed to go back to playing pro hockey?

Lies and secrets abound when their paths continue to cross! The story goes from Las Vegas to Wisconsin and back again and there is a fast pace it. There are family, friends, teammates, one step forward and two or more back as Bo and Ruby try to reconnect. But is it all fake or are there real feelings involved? Ruby's daughter was a nice addition and the total opposite of her mom. Ruby was a tomboy and still doesn't like to dress up and Laina is all girl!

The story has twists and turns and lots of women and actions to come back and bite Bo. Both Ruby and Bo have regrets but will either be able to put the past behind them? Will they learn to communicate? There is closure and a happily ever after in the offing which brought a smile to my face.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bo and Ruby have been best friends since they were in diapers. She was a tomboy and followed around her brother, Bo and his brother Bud doing everything with them. At 12 she beat Bo in an ice hockey earning his respect and pushing him to be better, which lead him to eventually be a NHL star. In high school Bo realized he felt more than friendship for Ruby but his best frien Mark asked her out before he could. When a fight at a party between Mark and Bo over how Mark was treating Ruby ended with Mark driving drunk and getting killed in a crash Bo had to deal with his guilt over not taking Marks keys. Ruby was sad and shortly after the crash Bo found Ruby in the back field of her house and the two consoled each other but never admitted their feelings for each other and the guilt causing Ruby to tell Bo it was a mistake. Bo left for college the next week and has been gone for 10 years. When he returns home after an injury Ruby has to face the lies she told everyone and decide if she should revel who her daughters father really is. When a wager brings them together as a fake couple Ruby doesn’t know if her world will implode or finally be what she always wanted it to be with Bo.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cait M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bo and Ruby were childhood neighbours and friends. They were mutually attracted in high school but never acknowledged it, so Ruby ended up dating Bo's friend Mark.

Just before starting college Mark died in a car accident and Bo and Ruby ended up comforting each other, they acted on their unspoken feelings and slept together. Ruby got pregnant but made everyone believe the child was Mark's. She didn't want to hold Bo back from his dream NHL career after he won a hockey scholarship to study at a good school.

Fast forward 10 years. Ruby is a small-town single mother whose life revolves around her daughter. Bo is an NHL star living in Las Vegas. He has a playboy reputation but is living a self-destructive life off the ice.

He returns home for the first time in many years to recover from a shoulder injury and reconnects with Ruby. He doesn't realise that her daughter is his. Nobody knows the truth except Ruby who is wracked with guilt over her deception.

He proposes a fake engagement with her when she loses a bet. He hopes it will stop his mother's attempts to set him up with local women.

This was a pretty standard second-chance, secret baby story, but the set-up wasn't super convincing.

This book contains multiple descriptive love scenes.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A feel-good second chance romance 5*
I’m a fan of Ajme’s books and this one didn’t disappoint. In fact, I enjoyed not only the plot but the writing style, character development, and description, and scene-appropriate dialogue and the editing was also up to par, even though it was a pre-release copy.
Lifelong friends Ruby, an independent and feisty beauty, and Bo a professional hockey player have a very complicated relationship, marred by miscommunication. One afternoon of consoling each other results in a life-long reminder of their time together. When Bo’s hockey career lands him with a serious physical injury, he returns home to recuperate and rehabilitate his shoulder. The two of them meet of course and through a whole series of well-placed tension points, navigate towards their inevitable attraction. Ruby’s reluctance to tell Bo about their daughter is hard to understand but like all lies, it catches up with her and almost cost them their HEA. Fortunately, common sense and their love help them navigate towards an enjoyable happy resolution.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jayne Wheatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second chance at love

I loved reading this book. The characters were all great to get to know, a loss of a friend/boyfriend changed the lives of Bo
and Ruby.
They had feelings for each other for years but neither made the first move for fear of rejection and ultimately looking what they had together as friends that eventually grew apart when they each got boyfriend/ girlfriends.
The loss of Roses boyfriend and Bo's best friend was a catalyst for the m ultimately having one night together and Bo left the next day to follow his dreams and Rose said nothing to anyone when she found out she was pregnant and everyone assumed it was her dead boyfriends child.
Roll on 10years and No comes home I won't tell the story and spoil it but love and drama are in full force.
I thought their daughter forgave Rose too easy I would have liked to see a bit more emotion there and would have loved to see Bo enjoy Roses new pregnancy and birth of new baby as he missed out on all that with their daughter he didn't know about, but other than that loved it all.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bo and Ruby grew up together and was a big part of each other's lives. He always had a crush on her and when they went on to high school, he didn't have the courage to tell her that his feelings about her had changed. In not doing it left the door open for his best friend to become her boyfriend. One night while out at a party will change their lives because after they opened up about their lives while they were drinking Bo learned Mark's true intentions towards Ruby. After a fight a tragedy happened, and their lives would never be the same but when he and Ruby found solace in each other's arms he left leaving Ruby a parting gift. Now he has returned ten years later, and she has a secret. When the dust clears will she and Bo be able to recapture all, they lost .and will it lead them along a path to a happily ever after. This heartfelt story kept me glued to the pages.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gladys Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Friendly Wager. This book was good. I enjoyed reading about Bo and his challenges to become the man his mother wants him to be, responsible and settled. After tragedy in his hometown with his best friend, and a one-night stand with his neighbor, Ruby, Bo leaves his hometown to go play hockey professionally and decides to never come back. But an injury and a scandal causes him to run home to heal and escape the media. Bo reunites with his good friend, Ruby. They both hide their feelings for each other, but Ruby has a bigger secret she has kept from Bo for nine years. They come up with a plan to satisfy his mother about him settling down, but the plan gets out of hand and now everyone knows. But can they keep the secrets going or will everyone find out the truth? Great read!!!! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else's.

[Karen Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again another brilliant story by Ajme. I loved it from the start till the end.

Bo has been in love with Ruby all his life, he was going to ask her out in high school but his best friend Mark got there first.

Then tragedy strikes and Mark is killed, Bo felt responsible and wanted to comfort his best friend's girl but they end up having sex, which leads to Ruby being Pregnant, by this time Bo had left to pursue his career as an NHL player. When he returns 10 years later to recuperate from a shoulder injury they reconnect, and the same as everyone else he thinks that Ruby's daughter is Marks, but she is his.

To get his mother off his back he asks Ruby to be his fake fiance just while he is home, she knows that she has to tell him about his daughter but just can't find the right time, that is until Sandra blurts it out when he rejects her advances, how is he going to react?

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

He has a reputation for doing crazy stunts that gain media attention, and his great hockey skills on the ice, but there is more to Bo than that. Bo loves playing hockey, but he feels a bit empty and his latest stunt has caused an injury, so he decides to have some relaxing time in his hometown. Ruby and Bo have known each other since they were babies, but Ruby hasn't seen Bo in years and she is a bit shocked when he is back in town. Will her secret come out? I loved the humour/banter, finding out Bo's story (for he was introduced in another book, Reed and Analyn's story), and the complications of Bo and Ruby's story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chronic Chihuahua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed Having Three Women Around Him

Gawd this man is toxic as hell.

He didn't get told because as he demonstrated, he's emotionally unreliable with the people he claims to love.

But neglect isn't a language of love that I am familiar with.

And in the end she's still all grateful for the crumbs from this man who js about to encourage his elderly mate to go groom someone he can't relate to in any meaningful way.

Must say, they love leaving that little girl behind, and he only left those women, not because he didn't want to cheat, but because he got embarrassed.

I wouldn't have told his neglectful ass either.

Well I would have taken a pill before creating a child to neglect but hey!

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Bo and Ruby have been friends for years but not as close as before after one night which produced a baby. Ruby kept her baby's true father a secret for years. Bo asks Ruby to pretend to be engaged to appease his mother. Bo and Ruby had loved the other for years so the engagement was destined to be real. Unfortunately it almost was ruined by Bo's ex who blurted out secrets when she was rejected. Fortunately love and good advice allows them to stay together where they soon marry. I liked how Bo always told others that Ruby had beaten him at hockey when they were young.

[Ash Juillet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Booksprout for a copy of this book.

This was cute. I liked the besties/rivals to lovers trope the author used in this book. I also liked the twist on the secret baby and fake engagement tropes. This was a really fun book to read in one sitting. I enjoyed the interactions between Ruby and Bo as they teased each other but also argued quite a lot over the course of the book.

The reason I'm not giving this book five stars is because the love confessions and climax didn't hit as hard as they could, judging by the way the author set everything up in such a wonderful way. I really expected more feelings and emotions in those particular scenes, but those just fizzled out instead.

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good and satisfying read.
Bo has been in love with Ruby forever, but kept his feelings to himself, Mark his best friend asked Ruby out and bet him to it. When tragedy strikes Ruby and Bo find solace in each other (Ruby's first time, unknown by Bo) Bo leaves and doesn't return for 10 years. This union resulted in a baby and Bo has no idea Ruby's child is his too.

The story picks up when Bo asks Ruby to pretend to be engaged due to family pressure and PR. She broke his heart and he broke hers so they both think they will not fall again.

This fake engagement, friends to rivals to lovers romance is great, emotional, banter and drama filled with a wonderful HEA

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby and Bo’s story starts with her dating his bf, Mark, when he was killed. A night of comforting was what Bo & Ruby had before he left town. He left a little of himself there but didn’t know it. Now he’s back to recoup after an injury. He wagers Ruby and his reward was to be his fake Fiancé so his mom will stops asking him to settle down. But will he find out what ge left behind all those years ago in the form of Ruby and his daughter.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kim Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a secret baby, unrequited love romance story.

Bo has been in love with Ruby forever, but never told her. His friend Mark asks Ruby out, but when a tragedy occurs they comfort each other and end up having a one night stand.
Their union results in a baby, but Bo doesn't realise and he leaves town not long after.

When Bo returns 10 years later, Ruby is pretending to be engaged as a PR stunt and to keep her family happy. They broke each others hearts in the past, but will they allow themselves to fall in love with each other again.

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby and Bo grow up together. She dated a friend of his and when an accident got him killed they turned to each other for comfort. However, when he left he didn't know that she would be carrying a secret from their time together. Now years later he is back in town and sparks reignited between them. Will this be a second chance for them? Will her secret have things ending between them?

This is an amazing story that once I started it I couldn't put it down. This is a well written and very entertaining story. Its a book that any book lover would enjoy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bill Jakobsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

Another great love story. Bo and Ruby grew up next door to each other, played together, went through school together but never admitted their feelings for each other. He was the jock play boy and she was his best friends steady. Boy was all that info an eye opener. Bo became a star in the NHL and she became a young mother after the death of her boyfriend. Her daughter Laina was such a mart little cutie. The book was so good touching on the past, present and future. Enjoyed the descriptions of both Las Vegas and their hometown, their families, friends, enemies, and their lifestyles. Now onto the next book. Written by Cindy :)

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read! Im new to this author but enjoyed the writing/ flow of the story a lot. A perfect besties/rivals to lovers trope with a little fake engagement and a ticking time bomb secret sprinkled on top to keep things interesting. Bo and Ruby definitely have a connection and chemistry just bad timing. They are perfect for each other. Ruby is a strong woman determined to be the best mother for her daughter, and Bo feeds of that determination making himself better as a result. While this is a stand-alone I will be adding this series to my TBR and checking out more.

[Raylene Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby had just lost her boyfriend Mark in a car accident and was grieving. Bo was Mark best friend and was feeling guilt for not taking the keys from Mark. Bo has always been in lov4e with Ruby but can never forward about it and Mark bet hi to it. Unknown to Bo but the night he had sex with Ruby was the first time for her and surprise he has a daughter. This story has some very tear eye and joy one to, so enjoy the journey.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.