Sips & Strokes

Unlikely Pairings #1

by Sarah Skye

Lily Maldonado is screwed. The people-pleasing art professor has been roped into attending her ex’s wedding by her overbearing, image-obsessed parents. Even worse? The woman her ex is marrying is Lily's childhood bully. She can’t back out, but she’s not sure she can face this nightmare solo.

Enter Calder Ross. The sexy Scot’s abs have graced the cover of many romance novel bestsellers, but the reformed playboy needs a more serious image if he wants to land his dream job as the spokesman for Sonce Whisky. Modeling for Lily’s figure drawing class is step one in the right direction.

After their very adorable—and very naked—meet-cute, Lily and Calder realize that they can be each other’s saving grace. Lily can bring Calder to the wedding as her fake boyfriend to ward off pitying stares. Calder can bring Lily to Sonce events as his fake girlfriend to show he’s the responsible, relationship-minded guy that execs want as the face of their brand.

But the longer Lily and Calder play pretend, the harder it becomes to deny the very real chemistry between them. Will they play it safe and stick to their fake roles? Or will they throw out the playbook completely and risk it all for love?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary, Rom Com, Ebooks, Adult

253 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2021

About the author

Sarah Skye is the nom de plume of romance authors Sarah Smith and Skye McDonald. Sarah and Skye met on Twitter as fledgling authors seeking critique partners. That turned into a brilliant friendship, a joint podcast (Quick & Dirty Romance Podcast), and now a novel.

Sarah Smith (Faker; If You Never Come Back; Simmer Down) is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie's stash of romance novels. She's been hooked ever since. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and adorable cat Salem.

Skye McDonald (The Anti-Belle Series) is an author and personal development coach. Skye's Anti-Belle series feature sassy GRITS (Girls Raised In the South) learning to love themselves before they can claim their happily ever after. (Spoiler: they always do!) Her coaching method uses fitness and life skills to teach individuals to do the same. When not writing sexy books or cheering for you to live your best life, Skye can be found out on a new adventure, usually with her pup at her side.

Reviews

[em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excuse me Calder Ross who gave you the right to be so perfect.

[CristiinaReads୨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another romance novel where I have no clue where Calder came from because why is he just so darn yummy...



ARC kindly provided by Sarah Smith in exchange for an honest review...

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[Shealea]

Drinking game: Take a shot whenever Lily or Calder uses the word ‘fake’.

Listen. We get it. These characters were in a fake relationship for like 3 seconds. We get it. We get the trope. We understand how the fake dating trope works. There’s absolutely no need to beat us over the head with it and to drop the f-word all the fucking time.

Review to follow.

[Michele · Rating 1 out of 5]

God. I hate complaining about books. I hate being a bitch. But I'll have to be one. I saw the premise of this book and it was supposed to be everything I wanted from a book. And then... it wasn't.

They had a real meet-cute but from there on I couldn't see what made them fall in love each other, other then their mutual attraction and his respect for her work, and she thinking he was sweet. So it felt like it was a bit shallow. I didn't enjoyed how they were already kissing and having dates alone and they would still talk about how they relationship was "fake". Hm, were you two pretending to whom exactly? The walls?

And damn, why the fuck so much miscommunications? Sometimes they acted complete opposite of what they had just acted a page before, that I thought that I had skipped a page or a whole chapter. It came out of nowhere. If they stopped for a second and have a adult conversation for everything they thought they knew or assumed they knew, this book would have 100 pages only.

[Katerina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars? I don't know, leave me alone.

[Boobies & Noobies · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I was provided with an advanced copy of the book by the authors in exchange for my honest review*

4.5🌟

I absolutely fell for Calder Ross... hook, line, and sinker. As far as I'm concerned, this Scottish bootylicious bro might just be the perfect man! *Sigh* 💕 I've always wondered about romance novel cover models, so it was an absolute delight to get a sneak peek inside the lifestyle.

I had a tougher time connecting with Lily Maldonado, the people-pleasing art professor, mostly because Lily and I are polar opposites! However, between the bullying Lily's experienced from her childhood nemesis to her ex-boyfriend and even her parents, I do understand her meekness. The one thing that drove me nuts, however, was her habit of jumping to conclusions which of course led to more than one misunderstanding between the couple. From one professor to another, I expect better, Lily!

That being said, prepare yourselves for kilt porn, whiskey-drinking (that sort of makes me want to give whiskey another shot), naked figure drawing, and a shy heroine trying to find her inner sex vixen. What's not to love about that?

👉Listen to my interview with authors Sarah Smith and Skye McDonald (Sarah Skye) on the Boobies & Noobies podcast. Check it out on your favorite podcatcher or on our website, www.boobiesandnoobies.com👈

[Ipsita · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐💕


𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕.



I absolutely fell for Calder, I mean who wouldn't? He's Scottish. He's charming, sweet, hot and absolutely a gentleman.🙈

Lily and Calder's relationship had all the sweetness, flirting, teasing, good banter and swoon worthy romance.💕

A good, heart fluttering romance book is a form of escapism for me and this one definitely did that. I was hooked to this book and needed to finish it as soon as I could. I don't remember finishing a book this fast, lately.

You'll like this book, if you like:
•Fake dating
•Good banter
•Steamy romance
•A very hot and charming main character

[Rosanna Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sips & Strokes by Sarah Skye is utterly charming. Featuring a fake relationship plotline that quickly ventures into curl-your-toes territory, it is such a yummy read. Heroine Lily is dealing with a lot as the story begins. Her parents are putting pressure on her to be nice to her ex and to attend his wedding to another woman, even though the idea is causing Lily stress. Her folks are very big on maintaining a certain image, and they can't seem to understand why Lily wouldn't tow the party line. I think many readers will identify with a character who is tying to hold her own, while also juggling family expectations. As for hero Calder, he's trying hard to take his modeling career to the next level...but he's under his own sort of pressure. As a sexy romance novel cover model, he's seen as a bit of a bad boy, and his potential client wants him to clean up his image. As it turns out, a fake relationship is just what these two characters ordered! And, as in any good romance featuring this trope, the protagonists soon forget to fake it. The heat is real and they just can't stay away from each other. This is such a delightful romance, one I devoured. You'll fall in love with Lily and Calder too!

[Andrea Wimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when two of your favorite authors decide to write one perfect book: You read until 3AM. That’s what happens.

It’s no secret how much I’ve always loved Sarah’s and Skye’s books, so I knew this was going to be absolutely wonderful, and believe me it went above and beyond my expectations. Lily and Calder’s story was deep as it was super fun, it has everything: the laughs, the sweetness, the flirting, the tease and —goodness gracious— all the steam and the heart warming moments.

Sarah and Skye combined their voices and styles so perfectly and created this beautiful blend without changing their particular essences and I couldn’t be more in love. 😍They really nailed the fake relationship trope and gave me all the elements of romance that my avid-reading heart needs!

Loved Lily so much! She was such a beautiful soul, her authenticity and genuine artist heart was inspiring. I loved how passionate she was about her art and her goals despite her family’s expectations. I loved how she learned to trust herself more and realizing how worthy she was of what she wanted in life. I found her relatable in so many ways, I got angry so many times because of the things she had to go through and rooted for her and her happy ending all along.

Can we talk about how perfect Calder was? He was the sweetest and most understanding bag of deliciousness ever! 💕He just wanted her to see how wonderful she was and make her truly happy even when they’d agreed to keep the relationship fake. He appreciated everything others wanted to change about her and encouraged her without reservations to put herself and her needs above everything else and he was so absolutely perfect for her😍

This book made my heart flutter from the goosebump-worthy meet-cute to the swoony happy ending. They learned from each other, overcame fears and vanquished a couple of demons on the road to falling deeply in love.

Sarah and Skye, hats off to my friends. Congratulations on this amazing gem!

[Lopke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sips and Strokes is a very sweet, fake dating romance that follows college art teacher, Lily, and Scottish model, Calder. They both find themselves in a social events predicament and come to an agreement that they will help each through it, by faking a relationship.

Before getting into my review, can we please acknowledge the cutest cover! It's so simple yet speaks volumes. Illustrated covers will forever be the death of me...

Firstly, i was a bit weary of getting into Lily's character because she's almost thirty years old and let's her parents guilt trip her into doing something that would make her uncomfortable and bring about traumatic memories. But i did warm up to her character eventually.
Calder, i was incredibly happy with from the start. He was sweet, caring and determined - and his compliments and praises towards Lily was admirable.
Together, they were definitely a couple i rooted for.

Story wise (with spoilers), at times it got a bit repetitive with the use of the word fake and the context surrounding it. The plot tension between the couple just seemed ehh for me. Like i understand Lily saying she could stand up for herself but i suspect, when your significant other sees a man caging you in, he'll do anything to protect you and rightfully so? Like I'd rather have my partner punch the pig in the face than let the pig kiss me or get handsy (or worse case scenario). I wouldn't get dramatically mad for it though. Also, the revelation the parents had at the end just seemed a bit too soon for me. Especially them suddenly wanting to buy Lily's art. Just an apology would have worked in that specific scene.

But in the end, i did really enjoy Lily and Calder's romance. I think it was an incredibly sweet story definitely worth giving it a read.

[Devika Fernando · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad I gave this author duo a try because I absolutely loved this book!
The AAPI main character was interesting and authentic with her sweetness and insecurities, finally standing up for herself and letting herself enjoy what and who she deserves. As a biracial woman myself, I could relate to a lot of what she had to put up with.
The Scottish hero stole my heart right from the start and proved to be so much more than hot looks and equally hot accent. I really liked his character arc. And the chemistry between these two, WHOA. The steam is strong with these two...
As for the fake dating trope, consider it executed perfectly, complete with horrible incidents, family issues, and lots of faking-it-but-really-not-faking-it-at-all. The swoony epilogue was the cherry on top of the cake (or should I say the peat in the whisky?).
Now excuse me, gotta find myself a Calder, and also read the next book in the series.

[Arzum · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALWAYS 5 STARS ⭐️

[Literary Dates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the authors for sending me an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Sips & Strokes!

I’ve read ALL of Sarah Smith’s and Skye McDonald’s books so, therefore, I’m already a solid fan of their work. I was over-the-moon excited to learn that they would be combining their talents to write Sips & Strokes. I knew it would be a hot, fun, sexy read but what I foolishly did not realize was that they would be PURE MAGIC together.

Lily Maldonado has spent her life trying to please her parents, especially her mom. When a family friend who happens to be her ex is getting married, her mom insists that she needs to be “mature” and attend. To make matters worse her childhood bully is the one her ex is marrying.

Lily’s one saving grace is her love of art. Lily teaches a figure drawing class and meets her new model- Calder Ross. An oh so SEXY Scottish model who is on the cover of every romance book and a major influencer on the ‘gram. Calder wants to change his image and be the face of Sonce Whisky. This is a dream job for him, the only catch is that they want more someone with a more wholesome image to represent their brand.

It’s time to bring out the fake relationship trope. Calder would be the perfect guy to help Lily get through all the awkward wedding events and Lily is the perfect woman to revamp Calder’s image.
Will this pretend romance lead to more? You have to read it to find out!

I cannot even express how much I loved this book. It was exquisitely set up from the start and I ate it up. I smiled so much at Calder’s Scottish charm, if you’re an Outlander fan, you will absolutely love it. And Lily goes from this person who is resigned to her parent’s pressure to someone who stands up for herself and it made me root for her the whole way. This line particularly resonated with me: “My whole life, people have pushed me around, made decisions for me, belittled me because I was quiet and shy and passive…” She found her voice and a very sweet, very hot Scottish guy helped her along the way. I am definitely satisfied with that. Very satisfied!

Sarah Skye are an amazing author duo and I really hope they combine forces again to write more. Their individual talents combine to absolute perfection. Sarah’s writing often has this fun, badass element to it and Skye always gives us alternate perspectives from the main characters. I always swoon while reading the male lead’s inner thoughts. It’s so cool to read the inner thoughts of both characters regarding the same circumstance. Sarah Skye = Magic. For realz!

This is a very fast read. Do yourself a favor and devour it now! Trust me, you will not regret it.

[lils ✩ · Rating 2 out of 5]

a really cute premise and plot with lots of potential but GOD the lack of depth in the writing was irritating it was just so simplistic to read,
the romance was very bland the characters had no connection beyond attraction and their work making me not invested in their relationship :(

[A.E. Bross · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars because that's how math works.

Lily Maldonado is an art teacher with overbearing parents who are far too preoccupied with appearance than with reality. They want Lily to attend the pre-marital celebrations for her middle school bully and the man who broke her heart, all because it would 'look good.' Loathe to disobey (for fear of dealing with more parental wrath), she agrees. She also manages to set herself up with the model from the art class she teaches, Calder Ross. Calder needs to look like he's 'settled down' for his dream job, Lily needs to have a date to try and stave off the absolute shame and frustration of the wedding celebrations.

Like magic, we have a fake dating situation. They agree to be each other's plus one and make it look convincing. Except it doesn't stay a fake situation for long.

I thought this was a pretty realistic approach to a trope that can often seem repetitive and frustrating. As a reader, I find nothing more aggravating than small miscommunications becoming the basis on which a plot unfolds. Luckily, that is expertly handled, and the characters (especially Lily), share my frustration and in many aspects refuse to let miscommunications stand. The only reason(s) I dinged it half a star was that one of those miscommunications almost derailed the whole thing, but it was after a character really should have known better. Otherwise, thoroughly enjoyed this read, and if you decide to look into it, I think you will, too!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the advanced copy Sarah Smith & Skye McDonald!
⁣
If you like: ⁣
*fake dating⁣
*sexy Scotsman ⁣
*steam⁣
*good banter⁣
⁣
then definitely check out Sips & Strokes when it comes out on April 20!⁣
⁣
After her friend bails on her, Lily Maldonado is left with none other than sexy Scotsman Calder Ross to model for her art class. As events come up that they both must attend, they come up with a plan to be each other’s plus one, but rules are made to be kept. As their feelings for each other become more real, Lily and Calder have to figure out if love is worth the risk. ⁣
⁣
A sexy Scotsman who shares my last name? It’s meant to be!! Calder is definitely up there with my list of book boyfriends! The accent...ugh. The sweet & dirty...yes please! I also really liked Lily’s role and how she evolved with Calder’s help!

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to my dear friend, Kiki, for lending me this book!
She clearly knows me because this has a lot of my faves: 1) SEXY SCOTSMAN! 2) fake dating trope 3) witty banter for days 4) so. much. steam.
I couldn't put this book down once I started it! Honestly, I just want a sequel. With more kilts. Can his friend Nate get a story? Please and thank you.

[dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was bored,,,,

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so much promise! A nude form model for an art professor! Fake dating! But it was a flop for me.

Why?

-The writing was a bit too simplistic/dialogue-y. It lacked some of the descriptiveness I need to get lost in the world of the story. FYI- 1st person alternating POVs.
-I didn’t get why the characters liked each other. Apart from finding the other hot and appreciating the other's talents, there didn't seem to be much depth. This is totally fine if you're into the surface level stuff, but I need more substance to a relationship to win me over in a romance novel.
-The complications they had were based on misunderstandings that wouldn’t have happened if they communicated properly in the moment (poor communication as a complication in a narrative featuring mid20/mid30-somethings just doesn’t cut it for me - grow up and talk to each other).

I feel really savage rating it so low. I could see genuine attempts at addressing racism and violent behaviour (really big pros), but it still wasn't enough.

A fun and steamy story, but lacking depth and meaningful connection between the leads.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lily and Calder’s story is a sweet, sexy rom-com with lots of laughs, some angst, and scenes that make you want your own sexy Highland model! I loved that Lily and Calder challenged each other to be better and had fun doing it! I will definitely love to read more from these authors!

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

[Sonia Palermo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sips & Strokes is the first novel I've read since being in a six month reading rut. This book was so refreshing and the perfect escapist antidote to all the negative things going on in the world right now. Lily and Calder are perfect for each other, and the story is flawless with the right amount of conflict for my taste. I'm very excited to see future releases from Sarah Skye.

[Geraldine Streit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is overhaul cute but the characters are a bit annoying. They making assumptions without real cause and I guess it just make some bump in the storyline but it just make them insecure.

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

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a fake romance, and this one was so good! Calder is so absolutely swoony and awesome, and Lily is his perfect match! I loved the characters, the story, and hope we’ll get some books with Lily’s friends next!

[Jessie Spangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was sweet and fun but nothing super out of this world. It was a fun light hearted story but that was about it

[sunflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was on a heavy fantasy series reading marathon so I felt like I have to take a pause and read something short and light. I do not usually read romance books but I figured out it’s about time to read some juicy, juicy and the title interests me *wink* so yeah, I read this. At first, I was kind of expecting that Calder will turn out to be the typical perfect guy. But he ain’t! Now I’m off researching about hot Scottish men. Kidding! Tbh, this book made me miss my boyfriend and how I wish we’re together right now. All the mushy feels I got from this book are overwhelming. I hope that if a Lily and Calder exists in real life and end up getting married, they will be together forever. Even if not, I am sure that the love they have are to die for.

Also, the author was pretty much accurate on how she depicted Filipino mothers. I am 23 and yes, my mom cares more about reputation than my own feelings. Sadly though, we are not that close so I don’t know how to open up to her. I love her nonetheless!

Over-all. t’was a good book for me. So much feels I cry and miss my boyfriend. LOL haha. Here’s me laughing at my misery.

[Erin Knuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun steamy romance - the stuff dreams are made of. First, we've got a hot Scot that's an Instagram model sensation. Then we have a sweet art professor with serious family baggage. There's classroom nudity that makes for delicious tension. They both need a fake relationship, which forces proximity and their ultimate fall.

This book is like a modern-day fairytale, not with a white knight who swoops in and makes everything better, but with a man who helps our princess use her voice to save herself.

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute. Fake dating trope with a meet cute. Calder was adorable. Quick easy read with some really good steam. A couple of the miscommunication scenes annoyed me, as did how over-the-top bitchy Lily’s mom was.
But I still enjoyed it a lot!

[maria martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

ir was great but lily annoyed me so much sometimes

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Dalila · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 12 year old wrote this after watching season 1 of Outlander and no one can change my mind.