False Start: A Curvy Secret Romance

The Park Brothers #3

by Katherine E. Webb

When it comes to weddings, I know the drill. Wear a tux. Make a toast. Maybe sleep with a bridesmaid. Only this time, the bridesmaids are off-limits. Not only because it’s my brother’s wedding and I’m likely to see these women again, but also because, thanks to a bonehead comment to my soon-to-be sister-in-law, they all think I’m a jerk. Oh well. If I’m not getting lucky, I may as well get drunk.



Being a bridesmaid for my best girlfriend was a no brainer. Without my advice, there might not have been a wedding. But now it’s the morning after, my head is pounding, and I’m in bed with none other than the brother whose hurtful words almost made my girl call the whole thing off. Sure, he’s hot as sin, but sleeping with the enemy is a major party foul. Thank God neither of us can remember. And it’ll never happen again…

Thrown together by too much alcohol and undeniable sexual chemistry, Cory and Denise navigate their emotional baggage to discover whether a false start can still lead to a happy ending.

Genres: Interracial Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romance

297 pages, Paperback

Published May 23, 2025

About the author

The epitome of a late bloomer, Katherine managed her near constant sexual frustration as an adolescent by writing spicy romance shorts to entertain herself and her close friends. This hobby continued into college, where she began posting her shorts to a blog no one visited.

Many years later, when her mother lost her battle to cancer, Katherine inherited a Kindle fully loaded with romance novels. Katherine decided to read all the stories loaded onto the eReader to feel closer to her late mother, ultimately reigniting her passion for steamy love stories and inspiring her to write her own. Her work will always feature characters with experiences and viewpoints which are often underrepresented in mainstream romance.

Katherine holds a degree in English and an MBA. Based in Houston, TX, she's a wife and mom to a gifted young man and two cats. When she's not writing, Katherine spends her limited free time reading romance novels, watching the latest entry into the MCU, and predicting the ending to Hallmark movies.

Keep in touch with Katherine and hear about current and upcoming releases on Instagram (@KatWroteThat).

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review: A Spicy, Smart Rom-Com That Hits Just Right

I could not put this book down. Cory and Denise’s story is a wild mix of bad decisions, sharp banter, and surprising emotional depth that's wrapped wrapped up in the chaos of a wedding weekend.

Cory was exactly what I want in a flawed hero: hot, a little reckless, but with a soft undercurrent that sneaks up on you. And Denise… whew. I loved her, but she had me shouting at the page more than once (her behavior 100% makes sense based on things revealed in the story, but didn't stop me from shaking my head or growing frustrated with her at times 😮‍💨). Their dynamic was messy in a way that felt real, funny, frustrating, and full of chemistry.

But what really surprised me was how much heart there was underneath all the snark and spice. Both Cory and Denise are carrying personal baggage that adds real depth to their journey. Their emotional growth, individually and together, made the payoff feel that much more earned.

The story moves fast without feeling rushed. It’s spicy, funny, and heartwarming all at once. Definitely one of those reads that looks like it’ll just be a fling but sticks with you longer than you expect.

[ReaderGirly❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cory was a character I absolutely detested in "Champagne Kisses" the first book in this series. He basically told his brother Adam that he should think twice about sporting Maya on his arm because of her size. Even though he apologized, I never saw him as anything but a fat-phobic loser who was jealous of his brother's happiness. So imagine my surprise to find out not only was this his story, but that he was messing around with Maya's best friend, Denise.

Denise was a character I loved in "Champagne Kisses". She showed Maya tough love when she tried to end things with Adam over her own insecurities and I've always thought she was an amazing friend. However, I was looking at her sideways in this book. How are you going to hook up with not only a man who you know is fat-phobic (and she's not slim herself) but also the man that made your friend cry? I loved getting to know Denise in this book, and about her trauma of losing both her brother and her parents as a result of his suicide, but I never got over the fact that she betrayed her friend like that. There is even a part when she recognizes how good of a friend Maya is to her and says she won't let dick come between their friendship, but she continued to mess around with Cory in secret. When Maya does find out about it, Denise is mad at Maya for being mad at her dating Cory behind her back. I lost a lot of respect for her in this book, despite my joy and happiness for her finally getting her plus-sized clothing line off the ground. I love that Denise let her walls down enough to let herself love Cory and that she did eventually apologize and make-up with Maya, but I ended the book still feeling like what she did was messed up and I don't think she ever really realized how much she broke the girl code.

Cory was a character I was sure I was going to hate forever. He was an absolute ass to Maya and had a love em and leave em approach to life and ridiculed his brothers when/if they decided to find love. However, through Katherine's writing, I was able to begrudgingly forgive him even if I still didn't quite like him in the end. He meets Denise the day of Maya's wedding and after a night of sex he can't even remember, he can't get her off his mind and they begin a friends with benefits type relationship. I was quite surprised that Cory was even interested in Denise considering she's plus size and he acted fat-phobic in the first book, but he claims she is his type physically. In this book he explains he was forced to stop dating a woman he worked with Bethany, because the company he worked for didn't feel like she would make a good impression with the clients due to her being plus-size. Angry at having to give up a woman he was interested in, he took it out on Adam and Maya. Although I truly felt he was sorry for what he said, I didn't quite buy into the reasoning behind the cruel things he said about Maya. For one, Bethany worked at the firm with Cory, although in a different department. Why would the company hire her if she were ashamed of the way she would be received by the clients? Secondly, the men Cory worked with often drank openly on the job and did drugs with the clients, so why would they seriously care that one of them was dating someone plus size? Additionally, just because Cory had to break up with his girlfriend does not excuse the way he lashed out. However, we see him truly try to make amends in this book. He apologizes publicly to Maya and explains why he said what he said and offers to volunteer at the community center she teaches at to show how sorry he was. He was also a secret softie, helping his brothers through their life debacles and caring about Denise's well-being even when she kept pushing him away. The book ended with them together and although I lost respect for Denise and I didn't necessarily love Cory afterwards, I did enjoy getting an inside look into the start of their relationship.

If there's one thing I'd have wanted more of was acknowledgment of the culture differences in their relationship. We know Cory is Korean and Denise is black, but they didn't really discuss what it was like being in an interracial relationship. Near the end, Denise also makes a comment that Cory had to compete with the white men at his job, and Cory makes a comment that he was the "token Asian", but never actually got to see the racism displayed against Cory at his job. His boss seemed to overlook him for promotions in lieu of promoting the sons of the men on the board, but that's nepotism, not racism. So, I wish we got to see more the challenges Korean men may face in a world of finance.

[Mesha E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun and quite quick read. I really love having the characters from previous books that I adore so present. I love the Park brothers and reading about the relationships they fall into with these strong, beautiful women of color!! More like obsessed!!!!! I enjoyed this.

[Shaun Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I read the third book in a series first? yes yes I did, no, I do not regret it. I shall be back tracking to the first book or at least the second because the site I'm using only has the third and second books but beggars can't be choosers, this is a really fun story and the spice is very fun, the story and the deep moments actually hit, as i started with the third book I missed a bit of information and content from the previous books in the services but the book provide the context throughout this book.

Denise is flawed but that makes it work. She makes mistakes and she actually faces the consequences of her actions, both from her hiding her relationship with Cory and Maya finding out, to her abruptly ending the relationship she deeply cherished with Cory and working through the results. Actually having her going to a therapist and working out her issues is a really nice touch and makes sense for her needs, you will have books where a character will go through serious trauma and will just repress their feelings and issues.

All in all it was really worth the read and was very hard to put down when I needed to go to sleep or actually start my day off, can't wait for the next brother and his story :))

[Sitali Nyambe · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review: AMAZING! This series just gets better with each book. I knew I would love Cory and omo 🥹 my heart wow.
So well written, well thought out, well paced, serious topics handled with such care and realism. Love it!!!

Thank you! Can’t wait to meet the other Park brothers 🥰

[KiKi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, Cory redeemed himself because I wanted nothing but the worst for him after book 1. He and Denise had an "instalove" romance but their chemistry worked. Denise's backstory and trauma surround her sibling's su*cide and the fallout with her parents was very emotional I could appreciate how well written it was. Looking forward to Damon's story!

[Tijuanna Ruffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I really enjoyed Cory and Denise's story. I liked how raw and honest the two became with each other and showed their vulnerabilities in their relationship. Denise had a lot of issues which she acknowledged and was seeking help for it, but she was still trapped in that mindset that everyone was going to leave her because of the issues with her patents. I think we needed some closure on the issues with her parents especially with the scene where her father saw her through the window and didn't acknowledge her. It felt like mire was going on than we were informed of, but that was just weird. Cory also had his issues too that he was dealing with and I liked how he worked on them and eventually opened up to his family about what was going on with him in regards to his personal life and his work life. I'm glad Denise and Cory with the encouragement from family worked through their issues and gave their relationship another chance because they were good together. So far, my favorite Park brother story.

[Petunia Chmiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one

I’ve read the previous Park Brothers books and liked all of the stories. This was another hit—good storyline, well written, thoughtful characters and good spice. There were a few grammatical/editing issue but overall well done. I wondered how Cory would evolve and I was pleasantly impressed with this rendering.

[Thea Viviana Jonassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Cory and Denise is two souls that of course has issues whit intimacy (both having had different losses in theire life) but find themself in Corys bed the day after his baby bro, Adam and Mayas wedding. Cory and Denise have slept together but do not remember such thing, and get off on a fun banter rant (where they softly) try to bite each others head off, before Denise storms out and home. BUT Denise forgets a very important item so she goes back to Corys and they try find it but ... comes up empty. Soooo when Cory finally finds her item and she comes to collect they find themself distracted by they great chemistry and witty banter, and a bit much THC and so they have sex again. Its hot, sweaty and Cory propose they stay having "casual sex". Denise slowly but surely agrees and they long 'Strangers whit benefits to deep feelings' beginssss.

It was GREAT. I LOVE Cory the absolute most. He is my favorite right above Adam. Its so much more to him than what given peeks about in the 2 first books, AND his an awesome book boyfriend! Hes successful, sexy, loves deeply and has those good strokes ... and a mouth on him. Sigh.

Denise is the girlfriend i liked the most from book 1, and she is great in her own too. Denise is the one out of her and Cory that is most afraid of all the feels and romantic intimacy. It makes sence since its well written what her struggles are and her deep loss BUT still she tries and reach her heart out like Cory does, and its so ... they soooo cute.

Lortttt, the chemistry is on FIRE. The sex was hot! The banter on point! This book was just pretty dang great. Tho i do have some issues that stops me from giving it 5stars

Cons: It needed a bit more proofreading (there were things that did NOT ad up that was told different in book 2 so it did not make sence what i read about).
Cons: When shit HITS THE FAN and Denise says some things to this other person that was so out of pocket that if its been me, she and i would be OVER. And it was desrespectful for her not to "understand the big deal, bla bla bla". I would NOT have kicked it w her after that - just saying.

I wanna ad that Cory and Denise smoking an such and such together was weirdly hot. Anyway, Cory really made this book for me. Hes the biggest star and i love his ways <3

[CLorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

False Start is the third story featuring the Park Brothers and their adventures in love. Cory made a very unfavorable impression in the first story as he appeared to have negative views about plus sized ladies. I was unsure how Ms. Webb would redeem his character. I am glad to say that I worried needlessly! In this author’s capable hands Cory became my new favorite Park ❤️. When Cory and Denise have a one night stand after Adam and Maya’s wedding, they resolve to put this drunken caper behind them. However, their wickedly strong attraction says otherwise and the relationship phobic pair engage in an undercover acquaintance with benefits situation. Soon Cory finds himself in way too deep, while Denise struggles with her abandonment issues. Whew, so much snark, angst and passion! I love how the stories overlap, Henry is still on work probation from story two, Adam and Maya (who was borderline annoying AGAIN) have returned from their honeymoon, and readers get more Damon information and perhaps the beginnings of his story. I really enjoyed skittish Denise and slightly dominate Cory with his hidden heart of gold. More please!
https://theretiredreader.com/f/false-...

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance with a message

Don't be scared by the review's title. Unlike some books with a plus size lead, the message is not dragging. It is about loving one self but not because of her body size (although that is subtly there as well). Denise goes through some family trauma that makes her question her self worth. Will people be there for both her ups and downs. Cory the "douche" proves he will. You also learn why he said the things he said to Maya. But you also see the toxic stuff he has to go through at work to "succeed ". Of course the intimacy scenes are on fire and thankfully you don't have to wait until you are 50% in for the first nor second. I love these two together. This book was worth the wait. And as always, I'm hooked in for the next Park brother book.

[ZLB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally loved it.

Loved how realistic the love story between Cory and Denise. Of course, I would have loved more dramatics but that would take away from the realism of the story.

Another theme that I loved that the author explored is mental health and that everything ties up in beautiful bow (aka Denise's parents.)

Also, that our hero Cory isn't invisible. He too deals with bigotry but at his workplace. He isn't perfect, alpha/red pill-ish. He's a normal guy with a highly stressful job who said something terribly hurtful (see book #1). And I'm happy that Denise saw through that and gave him a chance. As well as Cory saw through Denise's imperfections and continued to love her

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the start of the book and was sure I was going to DNF it, especially given what we saw of Cory in the previous books. For me, there was no way the author was going to redeem Cory from the anti-black and fatphobic asshole he was in the first book. However, Katherine managed to make him likable by barely halfway through the book, although it didn't make his comments and attitudes towards Maya any more acceptable. I loved Denise; she was a complex, gorgeous woman with dreams and ambitions, although I wished we could have seen her have some resolve in her relationship with her parents. Otherwise, I would recommend this book if you're looking for a steamy interracial romance (BW+AM) with a curvy black female protagonist.

[Owetu Samantha Jabavu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quick and easy read for me, and I really enjoyed it. Cory and Denis are just a great match, and I honestly love everything about them,from their agreement at the beginning to them realizing that they have genuine feelings for each other. I loved that Cory was the first one to fall in love between them and also Iiked that he gave Denise time to also acknowledge her feelings for him. I was really glad when he apologized to Maya for what he said to her and told everyone about him and Denise.
I like that Denise also was trying her best to deal with her mental issues and also healing from the passing of her brother.
Cory and Denis are definitely my second favorite couple from this series, and I can't wait for Damon and Kendra book.

[Felecia Rodney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Accidental Hookup
Redemption Arc
Forced Proximity
Slow Burn

Cory Park had a lot to make up for after insulting Maya in Book #1 — and at first, I didn’t think I could forgive him. But then came Denise, Maya’s best friendand Maya's bridesmaid, and suddenly I was hooked.

Cory and Denise’s chemistry is explosive, and their journey from awkward, drunken mistakes to real emotional vulnerability had me swooning. Watching Cory grow up, learn humility, and take risks for love made him surprisingly endearing. Denise is clever, loyal, and the perfect balance to his recklessness, especially given her connection to Maya.

Katherine E. Webb continues to deliver addictive, heartfelt romance with humor, sexual tension, and emotional growth. I couldn’t put this book down! Come on Book #4!!

[Carolyn Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Park Brothers series features Cory, the Wall Street brother. And Denise, Maya’s best friend. This is a light hearted, spicy romance where he falls first.

Denise and Cory have a drunken hook up after Maya and Adam’s (Cory’s brother) wedding. They slowly fall into a relationship overcoming both of their commitment phobia.

There is a third act break up that comes from Denise’s trauma but they end up with a HEA. In between there’s family and friendship love, a good therapist, fat phobia and racism are both dealt with.

It’s a feel good read that I borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

[Jessica Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it a lot

Enjoyed it, though admittedly not quite as much as the first two. I had a little tougher time feeling it between Cory and Denise than the previous couples, though I certainly love how things turned out. And I greatly appreciated how Cory didn't grovel when Denise pushed him away yet he still showed up for her, and she owned her part in things. Loved that. I hate to admit though, that I didn't much care for Maya in this book.

And I noticed that the Park family said it was their first time meeting Camila, yet they met briefly in the previous book. Minor oversight, I'm sure.

Looking forward to Damon's story. :)

[Rena Mallet-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cory Park!

Started with book one and was hooked. I realized books 2 and 3 were released and read Henry's and Cory's story in about 2 days. I can't wait to read Damon's story, which I hope is next.

Cory and Denise have chemistry from the start, but it takes them a while to realize the connection. I won't give much away, so I say read it. It has sexual chemistry, black girl magic, embracing who you are, accepting what you deserve, therapy, a man who accepts a woman for who she is, a woman who looks past the facade of what people perceive about a man....I can go on and on.

I enjoyed it very much and can't wait to read the next entry in this series.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My head might be made for numbers, but I think my heart was made for you"

What a beautiful book! This is without doubt my favorite book of the series, I liked the relationship and also each character individually!

I already liked Denise in the first book, I liked how her character was built and the way her story was told!
Also liked Cory, for some reason I though Cory was small and bald! Love to be wrong! But I liked him! His pov where done so well and clear!

Happy they found each other at end!

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get how hot ennemis to lovers are especially with this one. Its not dislike, its an absolute enemy situation. After he insulted her best friend with some fatphobic rhetoric and tried to convince his brother not to marry her he his absolutely ennemi no1. But booze at a wedding will put you in hot but akward situations.  Navigating their ennemi status, lust, growing fondness and commitment issues wont be easy but nothing worth it ever is. Of course i would start the series with book 3 but it still worked out and i will definitely go back and read the rest because my god was this good.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did an incredible job making Cory likable after all the horrible stuff he has done in the first two books in the series. Unfortunately, while as a reader we learn where Denise is coming from, she starts and ends the story as a horrible friend to both Maya and Tiffany. The fact that she doesn’t even apologize to Maya is insane especially after she had the audacity to disrespect Maya’s husband as well. I hope readers get to see Denise properly apologize and reconcile with Maya in the upcoming two books even though neither of them will be at the center of the story.

[Keya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Cory & Denise’s story! It was exciting from the first page all the way to the epilogue and it was written so beautifully. I love when a character that has been hated ever since we first read about him gets his own story and the reader gets to see their viewpoint and where they’re coming from and to see them evolve. I highly recommend this book and cannot wait for the next entry in the series.

[Cindy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful surprise !

I have only recently become a fan of romance, but I am burning through so much making up for lost time. While waiting for some of the series that I love to release their next in the series, I discovered this one as a recommendation. Those recommendations rarely are anything I would be interested in, but this one hit the mark. I loved book one. I liked the book too a lot and I think book 3 is my favorite of all.

[Jobar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly What I Expected from Ms. Webb

I will say I am more than enjoying this series. I was counting the days until this books release and I was NOT disappointed. Great character development, touches on very tough subjects and handles them with care. The spice. Well the spice is Spicy. Can't wait to read more Park Brothers stories.

[Yani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Man I love Cory and Denise. The Paek brothers are something else lol. I loved the entire series. Can't wait for more! hopefully soon we will get the story of Damon...im so excited.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

This was a cute book. I really liked Cory & Denise's story. It was so much to unpack with her. So much trauma. Cory dealt with it beautifully. But she couldn't get out of her own way. I'm glad that she recognized her mistake. Great storyline.

[Ekaette Oduok · Rating 1 out of 5]

Expand your vocabulary

I did not get past the first few pages. I don’t know why some authors insist on using profanity or God (expletive) every other word. It’s offensive, annoying and distracting. Do better.

[Lorinheart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoying this series , Can't wait for book 4

I liked the character development for Cory, am glad I continued reading the series . If these are stand alone book , your missing out and should definitely read all in the correct order !

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeahhhh, I love Cory and Denise. They were funny and cute but their conflict felt very possible. Looking forward to what comes next!

[Connie Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series

Love this series and I can’t wait for more . It seems Damon might be up next to fall in love .