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Sunlit Schemes: Western small town friends to lovers -- Classic Emma with a steamy modern twist
A steamy, slow-burn romcom inspired by Jane Austen’s
Emma
—but with more tequila, hotter guys, and worse decisions.
Cassie Emerson is convinced she has a sixth sense for everyone's love life. As Gardnerville’s most opinionated bartender, she makes matchmaking her unofficial side hustle. Her latest scheme? Setting up the sweet new girl with resident nice guy, Eddy. Easy.
Except nothing in Cassie’s love triangle-turned-trapezoid is going according to plan. Turns out, she’s the only matchmaker in town who can’t spot a crush if it hits her with a bar tab.
Eddy’s awkward and pining. Frank’s new in town, smoldering like a romance novel cover, and very interested in Cassie. And then there’s Joe—Cassie’s best friend, local pet shop owner, and certified chaos-dampener—who’s suddenly looking way too good in his Carhartts. He’s infuriatingly grounded, irritatingly attractive, and frustratingly good at calling her out when she’s being a menace. Which is often.
The more Cassie tries to untangle everyone else’s hearts, the messier her own becomes. And when her carefully curated schemes implode (spectacularly), she’ll have to face the truth she’s been maybe love isn’t something you can plan for. Especially when the guy she’s taken for granted turns out to be the one who’s been quietly loving her all along.
Sunlit Schemes is a steamy, slow-burn romantic comedy packed with meddling, misfires, and modern love—perfect for fans of friends-to-lovers, chaotic heroines, and good guys who keep it calm until they absolutely don’t.
✔ Friends to lovers
✔ Small-town gossip & big feelings
✔ Emotional growth, found family, and more romantic sparks than the Fourth of July
✔ For fans of Emma... if Emma was a hot mess with a cocktail shaker
Cassie Emerson is convinced she has a sixth sense for everyone's love life. As Gardnerville’s most opinionated bartender, she makes matchmaking her unofficial side hustle. Her latest scheme? Setting up the sweet new girl with resident nice guy, Eddy. Easy.
Except nothing in Cassie’s love triangle-turned-trapezoid is going according to plan. Turns out, she’s the only matchmaker in town who can’t spot a crush if it hits her with a bar tab.
Eddy’s awkward and pining. Frank’s new in town, smoldering like a romance novel cover, and very interested in Cassie. And then there’s Joe—Cassie’s best friend, local pet shop owner, and certified chaos-dampener—who’s suddenly looking way too good in his Carhartts. He’s infuriatingly grounded, irritatingly attractive, and frustratingly good at calling her out when she’s being a menace. Which is often.
The more Cassie tries to untangle everyone else’s hearts, the messier her own becomes. And when her carefully curated schemes implode (spectacularly), she’ll have to face the truth she’s been maybe love isn’t something you can plan for. Especially when the guy she’s taken for granted turns out to be the one who’s been quietly loving her all along.
Sunlit Schemes is a steamy, slow-burn romantic comedy packed with meddling, misfires, and modern love—perfect for fans of friends-to-lovers, chaotic heroines, and good guys who keep it calm until they absolutely don’t.
✔ Friends to lovers
✔ Small-town gossip & big feelings
✔ Emotional growth, found family, and more romantic sparks than the Fourth of July
✔ For fans of Emma... if Emma was a hot mess with a cocktail shaker
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2025
14 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 14, 2025
I didn't immediately love these characters like I did in her first book Sunrises and Sagebrush: A Steamy Western Small Town Romance, but I did eventually come around to liking them and rooting for them. While this is a romance between Cassie and Joe, it reads more like a coming of age story for Cassie as we see a lot of growth for her from beginning to end. Joe is the brother's best friend and all around good guy. Definitely a good choice to read if you're a fan of small town romances or classics retellings.
Displaying 1 of 1 review