Make it Real: A Small-Town Fake Dating Romance

The Walkers of River's Edge #2

by Nan Reinhardt

They were only faking it … .

A landscape designer for his family’s construction firm, Joe Walker, is nearing completion on one of the most important projects of his career—gardens for spec homes that if they wow, Walker Construction will survive. When a freak accident sidelines him with a broken leg, the firm hires a competitor. Her ideas are radically different, but his stalker ex arrives to play nurse, and Joe needs more than gardening help.

After six-years working in English manor gardens, horticulturist Kara Sudbury returns to River’s Edge to help in her grandparents’ struggling garden center. She’s thrilled when Jackson Walker hires her to execute his injured cousin’s designs. Ignoring Joe is difficult because he’s as sexy now as he was in high school and even more stubborn. But when Joe asks Kara to play the role of girlfriend, they strike a deal that will help Joe handle his tenacious ex and put Sudbury’s Nursery back in the black. Kara’s up for the subterfuge…for a price, but then the pretense feels real, and Kara is reminded that every rose has its thorns.

Genres: Romance, Small Town Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2024

About the author

Nan Reinhardt is a writer of romantic fiction for women in their prime. Yeah, women still fall in love and have sex, even after 45! Imagine! She is also a wife, a mom, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother. She’s been an antiques dealer, a bank teller, a stay-at-home mom, a secretary, and for the last 17 years, she’s earned her living as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader.

But writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten, a love story between the most sophisticated person she knew at the time, her older sister (who was in high school and had a driver’s license!) and a member of Herman’s Hermits. If you remember who they are, you are Nan’s audience! She’s still writing romance, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, menopausal woman who believes that love never ages, women only grow more interesting, and everybody needs a little sexy romance.
Her first novel Rule Number One is available at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. The other two, Once More From the Top and Sex and the Widow Miles — the first novels in the Women of Willow Bay series, are available exclusively at Amazon.
Visit Nan’s website: www.nanreinhardt.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornanrei...
Twitter: @NanReinhardt
Talk to Nan at: nanleigh1@gmail.com

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am back in River’s Edge and loved it, Joe Walker is busy designing and getting the landscaping done for the spec homes Walker Construction is building and they need this to be a huge success but an accident changes this and sidelines Joe, the company hires another landscape gardener, Joe’s neighbor Kara Sudbury, who was there when he fell and broke his leg. The sparks fly when Kara wants to change all of Joe’s plans.

Kara has been away from River’s Edge for six years working in England designing and building English gardens for the big manor houses, but when things in her life go wrong she wants to be home with her beloved grandparents and to help them with their struggling garden centre, when she is hired by Jack Walker to finish of what his brother had started this is going to cause a few problems she thinks, because their ideas are very different.

A deal is worked out between Joe and Kara when Joe is being stalked by a past date, the deal helps both of them but the spark between them grows while supposedly pretending to be a couple, they are so very different in their ways but they say opposites attract, could there be a future for them, or will life and differences pull them apart?

This is such a great story it had me turning the pages it is filled with emotion, it is witty and the sensual pull lights up the pages, I absolutely loved Joe and I want him for myself and Kara is fabulous as well she is such a caring granddaughter and friend who has a hard time for a bit but hero Joe is there to save the day.

I do highly recommend this one to any lover of a great romance, I look forward to more visits to River’s Edge, I love visiting this town.

[Raelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make it Real was a very cute & clean hometown romance. Thank you to the author, Nan Reinhardt, for letting gifting me an ARC to read with no strings attached! After an incident involving a fox, chickens and sunflowers, Joe is injured and can’t complete the landscaping for a project that could lead a huge contract. Kara, who just recently moved back to home and is helping at her grandparents nursery, is there when Joe gets hurt and helps get him to the hospital. From there, a plot unfolds between them to help Joe get rid of an overzealous ex and bring business to Kara’s family nursery. The book is pretty straightforward with very few real twists and turns, which is absolutely okay because that’s what I expected with the description. I enjoyed watching their dynamic unfold and how little (relatively) back and forth/indecisiveness there was.

Spice: 1 out of 5

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small-town romance brings together two unlikely characters to discover love. But I don't think they are as unlikely as you might think.

Joe & Kara are adorable! I really loved both of these characters, and they found a way to turn a fake relationship into something real. It really should be no surprise that they would have a lot in common since they both enjoyed landscape architecture. Joe might have been a little controlling and OCD when it came to his designs, but he was smart enough to realize that maybe Kara's input would make things much better.

I did chuckle at how they met over chickens and an errant fox. The initial outcome was not good, between the broken leg and the allergic reaction to poison ivy, but that helped set up their fake relationship when the woman Joe dated a few times came in with guns blazing and claimed Joe for her own.

There are a few really sad moments, but the happiness outweighs those times. Plus, those moments lead to a future for this couple in more ways than one.

I enjoy all of the stories set in this small town, and I look forward to reading more about River's Edge.

We give this book 5 paws up.

[Jennie Fortna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make It Real is book 2 in the Walkers of River’s Edge by Nan Reinhardt, another great addition! 4.5 stars

Up next is Joe and Kara’s story, a pretend relationship to get rid of his stalker ex, help him recover from his broken leg, help Walker Construction with the gardens for the spec homes Joe was working on til his accident and hoping to bring her family’s gardening center back to life.

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book from Tule Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[SOS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It’s adorable and sweet, in an adult way. In River’s Edge, Indiana, 28 year old Kara Sudbury has returned home after college and spending six years working in England. She’s a horticulturist, and her prime goal at the moment is helping her aging grandparents run their garden center. But life has surprises and complications in store for Kara.

The first surprise is in the form of neighbor Joe Walker, a 33 year old landscape architect. When he has a serious accident, Kara sees to it that he gets the help he requires. That’s when the first complication shows up in the form of Joe’s ex-girlfriend, Allyson. She does not intend to let Joe go, despite his making it clear that they weren’t going to work. Allyson plans to fight for her man.

I won’t go any further into details as I don’t want to spoil the surprises that this book brings. I will say to prepare yourself for a fake romance or two, finding true love, the death of a beloved character, and more of the aforementioned complications.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun to read, and I especially liked that Purdue University was included. I didn't go there, but I know a lot of people who did. This is book two in this series, but the first that I’ve read, and worked perfectly as a standalone.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, Tule. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had not effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

[Sharon Moritz-rosenthal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is Joe and Kara's story and I loved it so much. It was hard to stop from reading it. This story made me laugh and was just filled with pure joy and even a few moments of sadness.

The story starts off with Joe breaking his leg and Kara being his rescuer. She is sweet, kind and just awesome. Joe is a bit of an opposite, very handsome and a bit of a grump especially with a broken leg. Together they are really adorable and I loved their story.

[LA FITCH · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice romance book that brings all the elements needed for a good story together. Kara is a gardener who returns to work at her grandparents nursery, Joe is the landscaper for his family construction firm. They bond after Joe breaks his leg trying to shoot a fox, from then on it is engaging and very well-written so they get their HEA. Highly recommended reading.

[Brenda Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the series brings Joe and Kara's story. The author takes you into their lives with a fake relationship turned real, humor and a fun banter. It's a heartfelt story, is well written and is a terrific read.

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

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make it Real is the second book in Nan Reinhardt’s The Walkers of River’s Edge series. This is a fantastic addition to the series. The book is set in the sweet small town of River’s Edge, Indiana. Nan Reinhardt has created a cozy town with lots of great businesses and people. It is fun seeing many of the ones we’ve met in previous books appear in the new stories. This book features Joe Walker, who is the landscape designer for Walker Construction. He works with his siblings and cousins in the family business. The company has been working on spec homes to impress a Japanese firm. As the book opens, Joe is trying to catch a fox that is stealing his hens. His neighbor hears him shooting and rushes over to see what is going on. Unfortunately Joe has tripped, fallen and broken his leg and also gets a bad case of poison ivy. His neighbor, Kara Sudbury, calls for an ambulance and he ends up in the hospital having surgery. He learns that Kara has returned to River’s Edge after being away for several years, living in England. Her grandparents live next door and have a garden center that she has been working in. She is a horticulturist. Her grandparents helped raise her after her parents died.

Joe’s ex girlfriend shows up at the hospital acting like a stalker. When he finally gets rid of her, he asks Kara to act as his fake girlfriend to help get rid of the stalker ex. She agrees and asks in return that he order their materials from her family’s nursery and he agrees. She knows her family business has been suffering and she’s trying to help. Joe is told he cannot be on his feet for several weeks and with the important company landscaping project stalled, Kara is asked to take over for him. She agrees but he isn’t happy because he likes to have control of his own work. In addition, she proposes several changes and suggestions to enhance the gardens they are creating. As the two spend time together, both realize they are attracted and are not just pretending. They share a couple of kisses that get heated and both enjoy it. The story has some surprises as well as some sad moments. The couple are great together but what the future holds for them is uncertain.

Once again, Nan has given her readers another heartwarming story set in River’s Edge. The characters are genuine and very likable and the story is well written and beautiful. This is another 5 star book I highly recommend. I thoroughly enjoyed my latest trip to River’s Edge and look forward to returning when the next book comes out.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC from Tule Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make It Real by Nan Reinhardt is book #2 in her Walkers of River’s Edge series. I have the distinct pleasure of offering this review. This story focuses on Kara Sudbury, a Purdue educated horticulturist who has recently returned to River’s Edge to assist her grandparents at Sudbury’s Nursery, and Joe Walker, the Purdue educated landscape architect who manages the Walker Landscape portion of Walker Construction.

Early one weekday morning Kara hears gunshots close to her sunflower field and investigates. She finds Joe, straight out of bed, chasing a fox away from his chicken coop. It seems the fox loves chicken for breakfast. Joe trips and falls into a patch of blackberry briars and poison oak. He also compound fractures one leg. At the hospital he begs Kara to act like his new girlfriend after the appearance of a melodramatic past girlfriend who he despises. Kara agrees.

Entanglements swiftly appear when Kara is asked to manage important landscape projects that Joe has designed. Joe has a well-deserved reputation for being unreasonably rigid with his designs, and Kara isn’t bashful about suggesting improvements. Also, their fake love is feeling more real, even as Kara tries to ignore her feelings. Spoiler alert! Just when Kara and Joe are figuring it all out, a family tragedy strikes Kara! The reader will need tissues. I did. Kara retracts into herself emotionally, but Joe is a man of action. When he wants something, he gives it his best.
Will Joe win Kara over? Will Kara and Joe declare their love?

Nan Reinhardt’s River’s Edge is a very special fictional town on the banks of the Ohio River. This is the twelfth story set in this magical place. The Flahertys are making wine, Judge Harry Evans is overseeing court, and Mac is still feeding everyone! For the past four years the people of River’s Edge have been my favorite reads. Make It Real is a superb read. Kara Sudbury might be my new most favorite female character! Considering how much I love Sam, Megan, Tierney, Kit, and Lauren… that’s saying a lot! Book Rating: 5 STARS!

[Gwen Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very sweet love story between Kara Sudbury and Joe Walker. Kara had lived with her grandparents here in Rivers Edge Indiana since her parents were both killed in an accident. Her grandparents owned Sudbury's Nursery, and she grew up loving to work with plants and watching them mature and grow. It only stands to reason that she studied to be a horticulturist in college. After she graduated, she spent six-years working in English manor gardens and then she came back to help with the Nursery.

Joe is the landscape designer for his family’s construction firm. Right now, he is almost done planning the most important job of his career. He is doing the gardens for 5 spec homes and if they wow the buyers Walker Construction will be all set for lots of future work. And now a freak accident where he broke his leg, so he is in the hospital. Kara was at the scene when he broke his leg. He was chasing a fox and tripped on a tree root and broke his leg so bad a bone was sticking out of it, and he fell right in a patch of poison ivy, which he is highly allergic too. Kara ran over to see why I was shooting and warn me I could have shot someone as the nursery is only a field of sunflowers away. When I fell, she called 911 and tried to keep me comfortable until the ambulance arrived.

While in the hospital a girl I had dated a few times and had broken up with her came in pretending to be my fiancée. I had to have the nurses kick her out of the room and told them not to let her come back in. So, I asked Kara to be my pretend girlfriend the nurses already thought she was my wife from her spending time helping take care of me. That is where it all began but follow us to see where this story ends up.

I got this book from BookSprout and will be happy to leave a review of this great book.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kara Sudbury is not long back in River's Edge after spending six years working overseas, mostly in English manor gardens. After a relationship gone wrong, she knows it's time to come home to her grandparents, who brought her up, but she isn't talking about her mistakes. Instead, she throws herself into helping her grandparents run their nursery and garden centre. They've had a rough few years and things aren't great financially.
While Kara was away, Joe Walker, her childhood crush, moved into the property next door. Joe works for his family's building company as the landscape designer.
Which makes it a bit of a disaster when he's chasing a fox away from his henhouse and ends up breaking a leg. All this in front of Kara who'd come to see who was shooting so close to the garden centre.
Both Kara and Joe have issues with exes but his is definitely more immediate and a bit stalkerish. Kara drives a hard bargain for her help to play his current love interest, but she's only concerned with saving Sudburys.
I really enjoyed seeing these to get to know each other as adults and like all Nan Reinhardt's books, there is a strong community element supporting the main couple.
It was interesting seeing the two of them learn to work together in designing the gardens Joe was supposed to have finished. Joe has some OCD traits, and it was hard for him to let go and listen to Kara's ideas.
Overall, this was a sweet little story with a little more ex interference than I normally like but getting to know the main characters and their families and friends was very rewarding.
This is book two in this series which is part of a larger River's Edge world.
Content includes passing of a close family member.

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

[Yvonne Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are back in RIver’s End when another of the Walker siblings finds love when they least expect it.
Joe Walker is the landscaping designer for his family’s construction business. He sees gardens that are all about structure, balance and at times sparse, very similar to the way he lives. Nothing is out of place, eats healthy etc. Unless, of course, if you find his stash of chocolates.
This latest project is very important to the firm since it’s for spec homes for a Japanese company coming to town.
But when he goes after a fox that comes into his property determined to eat his chickens , all breaks loose when he falls, breaks his leg, falls into an ivy patch and is rescued by none other than Kara Sudbury.
Kara is back home after spending time in England working as a horticulturist and is currently helping her grandparents in their garden center that sadly is not doing very well.
Since Joe can’t work with his broken leg , Kara makes him a deal, she’ll do the gardens for the spec homes, and Walker Construction buys the plants from Sudbury Gardens.
All would be fine but two things are in the mix. One, their styles of gardens is totally different, and neither expected the “friendship” and feelings to develop.
It was entertaining to watch them dealing with ex’s, each other, feelings and adversity. These two are strong characters that somehow understand each other.
The romance was sweet and closed doors and the story engaging with likable characters.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by TULE Publishing. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the series takes the reader back to River's Edge and Walker Construction Company. This story is about Joe and Kara. Kara works with her grandparents at a nearby nursery. She's been out of the country for several years and is thrilled to be back home with her grandparents and working in the greenhouses. Joe is the landscape designer for Walker Construction Company and is working on a very important project - working on the landscaping for a new house that needs to impress a new company that wants to build houses there. Getting the bid to build the new houses would help the construction company to survive. A freak accident causes Joe to end up in the hospital with a badly broken leg and the firm hires Kara to work on the landscaping. Joe wants her to stick with his design but she has other thoughts on what will work and changes his plans. Joe also has an ex-girlfriend who is making his life miserable and asks Kara to pretend to be his girlfriend to get rid of the ex. As they are pretending, the sparks are hot and heavy between the two of them. They continue to disagree about the landscaping plans as their feelings for each other are growing. Will they get their happily ever after?

I really liked both of the main characters in this book and was hoping for a happy ending right from the beginning of the story. It was fun to see them argue about plants and trees as their romance bloomed.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When returning from England where she has been working, Kara Sudbury is back where she always knew she belonged, River's Edge with the people who loved her, her grandparents and helping them in their Garden center. When a freak accident happens to landscaper Joe Walker, who family is bidding on a contract to build homes for a new community, Kara is asked by the family to take over the landscaping of the model homes Joe has been working on. Their style is not a match and Joe fights her every change, even though she knows she right. Also before she agreed to help the family, Joe has asked her to help him out with being his 'fake fiancé', to get a women who won't take no for an answer and still thinks they are in a relationship. The two but heads, but as they both work to towards their goals, there starts to be a real spark between the two and wondering if this is real or fake...

I like it a lot and I loved how Kara was both trying to deal with helping her grandparents and the Walker family and Joe. It has all the trappings of good clean romance that you won't want to miss reading. It as wonderful characters in the Walker family who when push comes to shove jump into help each other and those in the community of River's Edge.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make it Real (The Walkers of River's Edge Book 2) Ki by Nan Reinhardt
Story starts out with Joe and he's shooting at the fox who keeps getting into his hen house. He stumbles, misses the woman and her dog and falls into poison ivy-he's highly allergic and has broken part of his leg. Kara from next door living with her grandparents as she helps them with farm stand and also works with landscape design for a local company. She is able to call 911 and Joe is sent unconscious to the ER. She goes into his house and finds his wallet, keys and a list of those to call which she calls his sister. She remembers Kara and they plan to meet at the hospital. She takes care of his hens while he's recuperating and they form a bond with one another. When her grandfather has a medical emergency he is there but she has to concentrate on the grandparents, not Joe. She makes some other hard decisions for her future. Love how she accepts his help as a friend when he shows up with boys who need hours with chores she has no time for. love how they are there for each other in their own way. Love learning about the nursery business and tending to fruits, vegetable snad chickens. Great story and I've read the first book in the series so that makes it more special.
Book ends with her other works.
Received this review copy from Tule Publishing and this is my honest opinion.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make It Real by Nan Reinhardt, book two in The Walkers of River’s Edge series, is a wonderful, heartwarming, sweet and emotional story set in River’s Edge. Kara Sudbury, a Purdue educated horticulturist, recently returned to River’s Edge to assist her grandparents at Sudbury’s Nursery. Joe Walker, also a Purdue educated is the landscape architect and designer for his family’s business, Walker Construction. While trying to catch a fox that is stealing his hens, Joe trips and falls into a patch of blackberry briars and poison oak; compound fracturing one leg. His neighbor, Kara Sudbury, calls for an ambulance and he ends up in the hospital having surgery. Kara has returned to River’s Edge after being away for several years, living in England, is also a horticulturist. When Joe’s ex girlfriend shows up at the hospital acting possessive, he asks Kara to act as his fake girlfriend to help get rid of her. Agreeing to the fake relationship, Kara negotiates that Joe uses materials from her family’s nursery.

Unable to be on his feet, Kara asked is to take over an important landscape project that Joe has designed. Kara is concerned how controlling Joe will be as he has a reputation for being unreasonably inflexible with his designs, and Kara isn’t afraid to suggest improvements. As they work together, their fake love starts feeling more and more real. When a family tragedy happens, it threatens their future together until they can find a way to overcome their concerns and share the love blooming between them.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe has a stalker ex who won’t leave him alone. Joe and Kara agree to be in a fake relationship but what happens when emotions turn to love? There isn’t one thing I don’t love about Make It Real. This trope is quite popular, but Nan Reinhardt makes it her own. The descriptive narration, plot progression, characters, romantic tension, and more combine to make Make It Real a memorable read.

Let’s chat about the characters. Both Joe and Kara have had some setbacks but their love for their families keeps them motivated. Neither is looking for love, but their fake relationship turns all too real. I related to Kara on so many levels. Joe is a wonderful hero with a great personality. The characters are realistically drawn and are easy to connect with. You’ll be rooting for this couple as they navigate from fake to real.

The romance is fake dating and while it’s a common trope these days, Nan Reinhardt adds her own spin on it. This romance is full of emotion and tension. ‘Will they or won’t they’ propels this story and had me whipping through the pages. The writing is exquisite and everything I expect from this author. You will fall in love with this couple, this town, this book.

My Rating: 5 stars

Reviewed by: Nancy

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Ellie (On a break, mostly rereading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Make It Real is a standalone contemporary romance by Nan Reinhardt, and is the second book of The Walker's of River's Edge series. This is one of those small town romances that are sweet and charming, and all around a feel good read. It is easy to get into and easy to relate to the main characters. There is also a host of quirky background Walker family members that lends to amusing family shenanigans.

The story begins with horticulturist, Kara Sudbury, who is back in her hometown in small town America, River's Edge, after working in England for six years. She got her passion for plants and landscapes from the grandparents that raised her. Joe Walker grew up in River's Edge with a whole heap of family. He is the lead landscape designer for his family's company, Walker Construction. His world and that of the recently returned Kara clash when Joe breaks his leg and needs to finish a big project.

This is probably a rather stereotypical small town romance, but it really is just as warm hug. Kara and Joe are passionate individuals - both about their work and their family. But there is something between them from the start that is definitely worth seeing through.

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

[Shelagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nan Reinhardt has created a wonderfully warm and inviting town in River’s Edge, Indiana. I always enjoy returning there to meet a new couple and reconnect with old friends. Make It Real uses the fake fiancé trope well and mixes it up nicely mid-way through the book to keep you on your toes. Both Kara and Joe are fabulous characters, easy to love and easy to chear for. I loved their meet-cute with poor Joe not only breaking his leg but also landing in a bed of poison ivy. The instant attraction between these two is clear, even though they have decided to fake their relationship. I loved watching the romance grow while Kara subtly enhanced Joe’s landscape designs at the nearby Walker Constructions spec homes site. Joe is gorgeous, but he’s also an all-round good guy that I fell a little bit in love with myself. Kara is dedicated, hard-working and a loving granddaughter to Hunter and Ginny, the grandparents who raised her after her parents were kiled. Both she and Joe have a can-do attitude and theirs is a positive and upifting relationship. I loved reading their story and am looking forward to watching the next Walker sibling fall to Cupid’s arrow.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two in The Walker’s of Rivers Edge series and it is Joe and Kara’s story. Joe is a landscape designer and hope that he can win the contract for the garden for specs homes as it will help his family company but just when they are near to the finishing line Joe has a accident and ends up with a broken leg that could derail all his plans and career. Kara is a horticulturists and has worked for the English Manor Gardens for six years but now her grandparents need help with their garden centre so she had now returned to Rivers Edge but when she is asked to help complete a design after Joe’s accident Kara is ready to help even though Joe is still as difficult as ever. When Joe asks Kara to pretend to be his girlfriend because of his crazy ex she decides to do that because it will help them both out but what happens when fake starts to feel very real which could cause them both even more complications in the long run that neither wanted. This is a really beautiful and sweet story with a touch of emotion that will have you turning the pages and feeling all the emotions and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.

[Patty Duplechin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Walker is a landscape architect designer for Walker Construction, his family’s business. When he was chasing a fox away from his hen house, he falls and breaks his leg and gets poison Ivy. He’s allergic to poison Ivy, too. Kara Sudbury, his neighbor who runs the nursery with her grandparents saw him and went over to help him until the ambulance took him to the hospital. Since he couldn’t work for a few weeks and the family construction company is on a deadline, they hire Kara, who has an education in horticulture. As she accepts the job to help Joe, she also pretends to be his girlfriend because he’s being stalked by a woman he dated a few times. As they spend time together, the chemistry is off the charts. She’s been burnt before and he’s not interested in a relationship. What can go wrong? Can they resist each other? Will Joe like what she does to his designs? Can they get on the same page? Will they both walk away? Will they see what’s right in front of them? The characters are wonderful. They deserve to love and be loved. I was rooting for this couple. Worth the read. I received this book for my honest review. I give it voluntarily

[Rebmay · Rating 4 out of 5]

An injured Joe is in a bit of a pickle. He can’t complete an important landscaping job, at least not without help. His ex is trying to manoeuvre her way back into his life and she thinks that Joe being injured is a perfect way to do it. Joe asks Kara, who is also a landscape architect, to help him out with the job and to act as his fake girlfriend to keep his ex at bay. She agrees to his plan as a way to help her grandparents struggling nursery business. At times they are at odds due to their different design styles and the bickering gets intense. Soon, Kara and Joe discover that they enjoy challenging each other and sorting designs out together. Feelings sparks when they touch and a keen awareness of each other is unexpected. They even begin to anticipate their shared kisses to convince others that their relationship is real. There are few twists and a detour in their story that only serve to show Joe and Kara that they both have real feelings for each other. A pretend relationship becomes a love match.

I would certainly recommend this sweet, funny and engaging book.

[Reader_for_LifeTLG · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a not-so-meetcute to forever - A hungry fox and a trip hazard reunite Kara with her childhood crush. Little Joey Walker is all grown up, no longer the kid who threw rocks at her and made her cry. Mistaken for Joe's wife at the ER, she agrees to fake a relationship to save him from an overzealous suitor. A favor he returns when her ex-husband rides into town. But they gotta make it believable to their family and friends. Walking away untouched by the lovebug is not an option as the MCs clash professionally but embrace each other with passion. There will be challenges but the love they hold close and their support circle will see them through the storms.

A wonderful sweet romance with another Walker sibling firmly on the path to eternal happiness. The characters feel like family and I like that the author builds on the Walker Construction project from Make You Mine. I can't wait to see who's next.

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

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love returning to Rivers Edge when a new book in this series is released. I also love that we often see previous characters, who had their own stories, in subsequent books.

This book does not disappoint. Working as a landscape designer in his family’s construction firm Joe Walker is sidelined by a freak accident. With the Walker Construction firm facing a dire future they bring on Kara Sudbury to finish Joe’s work. Kara’s grandparents garden center is also struggling financially.

Both people are in a difficult position with their family’s businesses, so the stakes are high all around. They see things differently and this brings tension into the agreement. Kara also agrees to pose as Joe’s girlfriend as his stalker ex has arrived in town.

Not to give anything away but as with all romances there is a happily ever after on the horizon. This is a fun read and a great return to all those who live in Rivers Edge. I highly recommend it, as well as the entire series.

[Valri Western · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visiting River's Edge and reconnecting with characters that feel like friends always counts as a win for me! The Walkers are becoming favorites too, and in this story, we're introduced to Joe. His character is incredibly endearing, and the circumstances of his leg injury are quite humorous! Kara is adjusting to life back in the USA after a significant time in England. She's an excellent landscaper, which she shares with Joe. As she aids Joe post-injury, they pretend to be a couple to deter his ex, leading to genuine feelings developing between them. Yet, they face challenges that test their relationship. Joe's siblings are hilarious, and Kara's Gram is a treasure. It's heartwarming to witness Joe's OCD tendencies soften around Kara, both professionally and personally. The story may lack major conflicts, but I enjoy such books. It's refreshing to read a character-driven narrative filled with the highs and lows of authentic life experiences. Eagerly anticipating the next installment!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe and Kara. Hes a landscape designer for his familys construction company. This job with gardens for spec homes will save his company when he breaks his leg and they hire someone to help execute Joes designs. And her ideas are so not like his. But he has a stalker ex who want to be his nurse so he needs more than gardening help from the competitor, Shes a horticulturist who has been working in English manor gardens for years which she now is helping her grandparents with their struggling garden center. Oh and they knew each other in high school. So she will pretend to be his girlfriend if he agrees to give her a chance. Great world and charecter building. All the charecters from book one are back. Theres humor and theres tears. And his ex is something else. And its a little funny how he breaks his leg. Loved their story well wriiten and really flowed easy to read.

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

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was expecting an easy read about people in a city in Indiana. Living right next door to IN, in IL, thought this would be a quick read. However, it was anything but plain and boring! The characters came to life and became real along with the town of River Edge, where Kara's Sudbury's Garden Center was located with the homestead that her Grandparents, Ginny and Hunter own and Kara, grand daughter was helping them keep active and ongoing.

This story covered the true highs and lows in Kara's and Joe Walker's lives. The rollercoaster was all over the place with family, responsibilities along with love and determining whether it's real or not along with loss of loved one. The author easily ropes in the reader with feelings for main characters and the town.

I received an advance review copy for free, ARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily, honestly and freely.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this story was really cute. I liked how there really wasn't a lot of push and pull but straight up story that felt could be relatable. Kara was no non-sense kind of girl you were not going to get anything by her and she was going to tell you like it was. The author through a twist into the story with Kara that I wasn't sure where she was going with it but it played out perfectly. I liked Joe too he was like the other Walkers we have read about in this series he would not take life sitting down he it bound and determine to see through the project even injured. I Liked how his siblings gave him a hard time but he gave back just equally totally reminds me of my siblings. This story gives you that small town feel for sure. Overall I really like this read I will say this is sexual undertones but all behind close doors so may not be suitable for all readers.

[Jacquelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Make it Real' was entertaining. The plot was filled with a fox terrifying chickens, a gun blast, running, a broken leg and poison ivy galore, a hospital stay, an unlikely visitor, bits of hilarity, a fake relationship, a stalking ex-girlfriend, taking on Joe's chores, an unwanted visitor from England, an ill-fated marriage, adversity, receiving help from a friend, collaborating, and love. Moreover, Kara and Joe, the protagonists, were soul mates and gushed with chemistry. I kept rooting for them! They worked hard to try to achieve their HEA. Also, I liked the vivid word choices the author used. They created a warm tone. Overall, I liked the affable narrative.
I received a copy for free and am voluntarily giving my honest review.