Formula for Redemption

Excelling @ Love #4

by Amelia Simone

Grumpy winemaker Luke likes being alone. But he loves watching feisty bartender Cheri turn down every poor schmuck who approaches her with a pickup line. Can they team up and fool their families into believing their fake relationship is making them happy before they realize it's quite real?

Cheri Ellis
What happens when the sexy Scrooge who hates everyone asks you for a favor? He thanks his lucky stars that you also need a date for your sister’s wedding to save yourself from gossip. Swapping favors means exposing each other’s vulnerabilities, but inviting Luke into your disaster of a family only felt right when he meant nothing. Peeling away his prickly exterior, exposing the soft heart hidden beneath, leads to feelings you can’t deny. But Luke’s got to overcome his troubled past and believe in his own self-worth before he can become the man you can bet your heart on.

Luke Wilcox
How do you ask the sassy bartender who takes no grief to pretend she likes you, and help convince your family you’re happy? Tit for tat. Not in a pervy way, but by agreeing to shield her from the universe and her sister. Spending the holidays together only pushes her deeper under your skin, until you can’t tell where she ends and you begin. What are the odds that the woman who captured your adoration at first quip will see the marshmallow heart under your singed exterior and ignore the ashes of your past?

Alternately steamy, nerdy, and sweet, the Excelling @ Love Series follows a group of strong women as they find love in their small college town. Filled with feel-good romance, found family, and flirty banter, the Excelling @ Love books are happy hour for the soul.

Genres: Romance, Ebooks, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Christmas, Chick Lit

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 18, 2022

About the author

Upcoming Release
Hidden Harbor, the first book in an all-new series set in the San Juan Islands, launched 6/26/25. Happy reading!

Latest Release
Melting Point, a novella in the Campfire Council Series, is out now and available in Kindle Unlimited!

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About Amelia
Amelia Simone is the author of flirty, fun romances set in the Pacific Northwest, including Hidden Harbor (Book 1 of the Evergreen Rescue Series), Mister Romance (Book 1 of the Self-Made Series), Formula for Love (Book 1 of the Excelling @ Love Series), and Forbidden Flame (Book 1 of the Campfire Council Series.)

On sunny days, you can find her lounging on her deck, sipping coffee and working on her latest book. She specializes in writing lighthearted, hopeful romances that feature relatable, everyday characters who are looking for love. She’s a firm believer in writing dessert books with plenty of sweet, flirty banter, teasing, and spice. Her goal is to deliver stories that give you a serotonin boost and leave you with a smile.

When she’s not writing, she’s wrangling her kiddos, indulging in food and wine adventures with her better half, or out back trying to revive her garden. (Hey, sometimes things die, it’s fine.)

Reviews

[Melanie THEE Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very cute. Cheri and Luke agree to be each other's fake holidates to get their respective families off their backs about being single. Luke needs to prove to his family that he has a life outside of his job and Cheri needs a date to her awful sister's wedding....btw her sister is also marrying Cheri's ex. This is standard grump/sunshine. Luke is a grump/asshole but being with a woman who frames you for embezzlement will do that to a person! Cheri is all sunshine and Luke's nickname for her is "Bubbles." Which....I'm not mad about since Bubbles has always been my favorite PowerPuff Girl.

Luke's parents were amazing and sweet, but I wanted Cheri's entire family to get hit by a bus. Her mom sucked. Her dad sucked. Her sister sucked and her brother-in-law/ex-boyfriend SUCKED. She didn't tell them off enough for me but I'm glad she's getting therapy-I LOVE IT WHEN MCs GET THERAPY IN ROMANCES MORE OF THIS PLEASE AND THANK YOU-to deal with those vultures and to work through the ways they affected her self-esteem because they were horrific to both her and Luke. I also loved Luke's Love Actually themed grand gesture even though I don't think it was *needed! I'm sorry he wasn't even being an asshole he just needed a minute because her terrible family was being terrible. He didn't abandon her; he just needed a bit of quiet time and space and I get that! As an introvert, I'm sick of introverts being punished for being introverts in romance novels. THERE I SAID IT.

*LIKE THIS MAN BUILT HER A WHOLE BOOKSHELF WHEN THEY WERE FAKE DATING. THAT IS HIS GRAND GESTURE. HE HAS FILLED HIS QUOTA. LEAVE HIM ALONE

But overall, a cute romance 🎄


Cheri/Luke’s song: Sunday Morning-Maroon 5

[Gianna Coraluzzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters are flatly written, the way Luke was written was weird? He had no personality then you got a light taste of him then you could tell he was written by a women.

The book was fine, easy read.

[Crys Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. From the Excelling @ Love series, this one has got to be my favorite. Though I enjoyed the other books in this series, I felt more of a connection with Cheri and her lifestyle. She was still in school, but it wasn’t her entire life. Like in the other books, the characters were surrounded by academia, it was their life. Which is fine, but those parts were hard to relate to for me, though I did find them interesting enough that I continued reading this series. Not only that, but I felt for Cheri and her relationship with her family. I definitely could relate a little to what she went through.

Then there is Luke. I admit, Nate was my favorite mysterious bad boy, but in came Luke, the grumpy sunshine with a heartbreaking past, it was hard not to fall in love with him.

Another thing is that this book really gave me that holiday romance vibe. Set during the holidays, there was definite magic in the air.

I can’t forget to mention the Gotham Knights. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Sunday brunch bunch, but the Gotham Knights are entertaining! They made their official appearance in book 3. I mean what is not to like, 6 guys getting together to help each other with their love life…sigh…

This is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone.

I received an ARC and I am leaving a review voluntarily.

[Barbara Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheri works in a bar while going to school. She is confident and handles all her customers with care. Luke is one of the customers that stumps her. She refers to him as Scrooge. He never tips and barely talks to her. Cheri is not aware of the trouble he has had with a winery and an ex. He now runs his family’s winery, and his parents are coming for a week at Christmas. He wants them to think he is fine and not a loner. He asks Cheri to become his pretend girlfriend while his parents are in town. They have a lot of friends in common and believe it will all work out. Cheri is looking for a date for her sister’s wedding to Cheri’s ex-boyfriend. Samantha is the pride of her parents and only thinks of herself. Luke agrees to attend the wedding.
I really liked watching Luke open up and be his old fun-loving self. Cheri helped him find love. The comparison of Luke’s wonderful, supportive parents and Cheri’s neglectful and conceited family illuminated the importance of love and support. The bantering back and forth in Luke’s family and the things they did together was wonderful. The community of friends for each of them shows the power of support in making people the best they can be. Helping Luke win Cheri back after a miserable wedding was heart-warming. Great characters and love story.

[Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m such a mood reader because I was in my holiday spirit bag reading all these random Christmas books. I actually really enjoyed this one. It was giving grumpy/sunshine , childhood friends to lovers vibes.

The storyline was the usual clichè holiday storyline.. pretending to date , showing up to big events as a couple , they actually end up falling for each other.. so on & so forth. But it was worth it & the characters were funny & entertaining , especially the MCs parents.

This was book 4 in the series & usually don’t read books out of order when it’s an interconnected series. but this one was a “stuff your kindle” find. I’m definitely interested in reading the others since I enjoyed this one.

[Pam Graber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swapping favors never looked so enticing. Cheri Ellis needs a date to her sister's wedding. You know, the one where she's marrying Cheri's ex-boyfriend because doesn't every sister dream of stealing the man her sister is in love with? When grumpy bar customer, Luke Wilcox, asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend through the holidays she is stumped. Why her? Then, she realizes she can also ask him for a favor. He's handsome enough to make her sister's gloating stop, but can she endure his grumpy personality for the duration?

Luke runs his family winery, by default. He ran back to Wilcox Wines when his former girlfriend implicated him in her scheme to embezzle from the customers of the winery he started on his own. He was exonerated, but the sting of betrayal has kept him out of the 'game' for a couple of years. When his parents give him an ultimatum - 'Prove to us you're over that or we come back to run the winery so you can actually have a life' - he decides he needs a woman, and he knows just the one he wants.

Cheri spends her evenings working in a bar and fending off the advances of every male in the building - except Luke. She can't figure him out. He comes once a week, never tips, orders the same thing, and barely talks to her. She's intrigued when he asks to speak to her, stunned with what he asks, and, ultimately, falls for the man she finds behind the mask. Can she keep her family from destroying the best thing she's ever found?

I loved these two as a couple! At first, they seemed like they would never mesh, but Luke's loving family gave him an edge I didn't see coming. Cheri's family was AWFUL so for her, meeting Luke's and being so readily accepted by them was life-changing. And, it didn't hurt one bit that their attraction was instant and overwhelmingly hot.

Readers who love contemporary romance with humor and LOTS of steam, will enjoy Formula for Redemption.

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

[Bekki McClish · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this was a slow burn, low spice story that was still sweet and not a bad way to pass the time. I felt that character development was good, I would have liked to have seen more on the side characters. I like to finish a book thinking about whose story I would like to read next. Since I can hid spoilers on here, I'll give a more in depth review than I did on Amazon.

My reason for 3 stars is because it started strong, and I loved the character development and then it became not so great once the "pact" was made. Heck, even the making of the "pact" did not flow like I thought it would. Then, for them to fall so quickly, with minimal reservations, into being a couple....ugh. I was disappointed. I held out hope that the wedding would give me some of the tension/angst/some emotion other than ho hum - and it help a smidge at the beginning of the wedding. I feel like the whole wedding piece was just thrown in because she had to have a reason. That scenario had so much opportunity to really make this book for me.

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

[Flávia Nóbrega · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5
tem muitos problemas com esse livro, na minha opinião.
o primeiro deles é a absurda falta de criatividade dessa história, o desenvolvimento é muito raso e extremamente preguiçoso, os personagens tem umas cinco personalidades diferentes e em momento nenhum parece que eles estão evoluindo ou qualquer coisa do tipo, eles apenas variam entre uma personalidade e outra do mais absoluto nada.
os últimos 20% são tão sem graça que se esse não fosse um livro de apenas 300 páginas eu não teria nem terminado, um plot de falta de comunicação quase insuportável de ler, além de ser um plot extremamente preguiçoso e desnecessário pro livro, o casal podia ter tido uma simples conversa e resolvido os """conflitos""" que tiveram sem a necessidade de terminar só pra voltar 8 páginas depois.
por fim eu não consigo aceitar o fato de que eles não se gostavam no capítulo 1 e no 2 já tavam suspirando um pelo outro pelos cantos, aí me vai a autora e vende esse livro como slow burn????
simplesmente não dá, sem criatividade nenhuma.

[Bookwormtvaddict · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, 3.5 steamy kisses
ARC COPY REVIEW
Book #4 in the Excelling At Love series

fake dating, limited relationship, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, small-town romance, instant-crush, troubled pasts, wedding date, family drama, flirty/cute banter, family found, winemaker, part-time bartender/waitress

I really enjoyed this book in the Excelling At Love series. Considering it is book #4 in the series this was a standalone and not at all did I feel lost (just a bit of longing to add the rest of the series to my TBR). The story did well in focusing on its two main characters Cheri and Luke. I loved grumpy/moody Luke and though Cheri is cast as the sunshine in this dynamic she hides some of her hurt and keeps it to herself. These two so-called opposites have a lot in common and it's up to them to explore them or not in this fake dating relationship. With some romantic, steamy, and heartbreaking moments we join these two for their holiday adventure.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very slow but engaging story about a grumpy winemaker and a woman who works in a bar while studying to be a midwife. Both characters have interesting backstories. Cheri’s parents prefer her perfect sister, who is about to marry Cheri’s ex. Luke has been struggling to overcome the damage to his heart and business reputation caused by his own ex. They both have supportive friends, including the owners of the bar where Cheri works and Luke spends time. Cheri and Luke decide to fake date for a visit by Luke’s parents to show his parents that he’s doing ok, and for Cheri’s sister’s upcoming wedding. With helpful dual points of view, the characters slowly act on their attraction. This book has some adult heat. The characters do get to a HEA together. Enjoyable story. I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheri Ellis is a bartender at Jake and Chris’s bar. Luke Wilcox is a friend of Jake’s and is known as Scrooge because he doesn’t talk much and is grumpy. Luke asks Cheri to pretend to date him while his parents are in town for Christmas. They worry about him being alone and not getting on with his life after his troubled past. Cheri agrees as long as Luke agrees to accompany her to her “perfect” younger sister’s wedding at New Year’s. I loved how Cheri and Luke got to know each other and their true personalities came out. They were perfect for each other. Their friends are together and are betting on them getting together. I loved Luke’s parents and hated Cheri’s family. Her sister was awful and her parents were enablers for bad behaviour. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

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

[Danelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grumpy lumbersnacks make the best boyfriends. Or at least Cheri hopes so when she agrees to pose as Luke’s girlfriend for his family coming to town for Christmas. Because she needs him to do the same at her sisters wedding on new year’s. Who knew the non-tipping grump taking up space every week in the bar she tends could actually be human underneath the flannel and rude manners? As they spend time together they both realize they want this fake relationship to be real. Now they just have to get past their families before they can start exploring this growing attraction and see if there’s more in the cards for them. This was a well written story. Engaging throughout and very likable characters. In fact I’m now going to go find and read the other Sunday brunch and Knights members books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ann Tosti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story in this series. We've met Cheri off and on throughout the whole series, a college student by day and part time waitress at our favorite bar by night. Luke we don't know much about before this story other than his family business, his friendship with some of the guys, and the fact the rest of them just see a major grump. I enjoyed getting to know these two more- there is so much more to their stories than we had seen before. And them coming together is fantastic! They help each other- they thought they were just helping each other with a favor by fake dating, but really, they help themselves grow as people and find what real love is.

*I am leaving an honest and voluntary review after receiving this book as an ARC.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this book, but the two main characters weren’t as easy to get invested in as previous books in this series (I.e. Nate/Sid and Coach Bear/Carly).

Both Luke and Cheri have baggage from their past. Luke experienced a significant betrayal both in his relationship and in business, while Cheri’s family are outright cruel and abusive. I loved and adored Luke’s parents! Mary and Mike were so awesome and only emphasized how horrific Cheri’s family were when they were introduced later this n the story.

The side bets between characters are funny, but could also be seen as a bit hurtful if the person whose behavior is the subject of the bet doesn’t have a sense of humor. I chuckled at both Cheri and Luke having to pay up at the end of the book on bets made with Jake!

The dual POVs helped give him naught into where Luke really was in the story since he comes across from initially as such a Scrooge and barely talks. I would have enjoyed more chapter RD from Luke’s POV, as I enjoyed his perspective more than Cheri’s.

[Ena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 ⭐️

Wasn’t really impressed with this. Maybe I would’ve enjoy it more if I had started this series in order and get to know the whole group but if the rest of the books were written in a similar way like this book then I’d imagine it wouldn’t have made much a big difference.
Luke as a character didn’t have much depth.
Cheri was alright but everyone felt lacking in something.
I usually go for plots like these even if it’s cliche and overdone but I still enjoy them - this one however felt cut short especially since it was the most talked about event happening in the book. The beginning felt more so like a drag in getting to know each other.
A cute story all in all just probably not memorable.

[Waruguru · Rating 5 out of 5]

We met Luke earlier in the series, a grumpy, uncomfortable soul to be around. This story reveals the reasons for his taciturn nature and surprising insight into a man who has the capacity to love deeply.

Cheri is an interesting character, strong, outgoing and engaging. She too has her own emotional hiccups.

Their story is sweet and passion filled. It's depth held up a mirror by which all of us would do well to examine our motives and actions.

Beautifully written

I received an ARC for free and I'm voluntarily posting this review

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only giving it three stars because while the writing was not bad I found the overall plot and characters very mediocre. And again that's not a bad thing but after reading books of the same trope but having the author's ensure the characters are communicating well and there's no third act break up because there has been miscommunication or a misunderstanding has really forced me to become more selective and picky. So again while this was not a bad book it very much followed the same old storyline that we've seen many many times before, there wasn't really anything new or unique about it.

[Magali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good romance with endearing characters.
It's a good story, with a step-by-step conquest, which is not necessarily wanted at the start between Cheri and Luke. The fake relationship is a little predictable, but their relationship from enemies to lovers is very well written, as is the development of their feelings and I quickly grew attached to the characters.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

[Kirsty McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks BookSirens for the chance to read the ARC of this!


I wasn't ready for a Christmas story - I'm usually strictly a 'no Christmas talk till mid-November at the earliest' kinda gal - but that's what I get for not reading the blurb first.
I loved how Luke and Cherie just clicked and that Luke was funny and sarky and sweet, as well as how he was pining without it being annoying and whiny, and I loved that Cherie is sassy and strong.

[Mg Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Formula for Redemption Excelling @ Love to be a sweet and beautiful realization that we all deserve love and happiness and sometimes you have to believe in yourself before others can Luke and Cherie where a witty fun opposite attract couple who balanced each other perfectly who was surrounded by quirky friends and family. I received a ARC copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Katie Cummings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broody Luke who often visits his local bar and ignores his bartender/server Cheri, who hates Luke decide to have a fake relationship - Luke is in it to trick his parents into thinking he's in love and not just staying in his house all of the time.
Cheri needs a date for her sisters wedding, because she hates her famiy and her sister is marrying her ex-boyfriend. A little spicy, a little nerdy. The book had me laughing out loud. It is a holiday romance book, but you can read it anytime of year.

[Aleksandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fun light reads series with the enemy to lovers trope that isn’t too heavy on the hate part. It’s a good romance, their relationship to lovers and the development of their feelings is very well written. I loved how they just clicked, how funny and sarky and sweet he was and I loved her sass.

[Miri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers meets rugged mountain man. I really enjoyed reading Formula for Redemption. The story line was funny, romantic and I really formed a connection with the characters including the side characters. I would love to read the rest of the series but this can be read as a standalone. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

I love all the couples in this Formula series and Cheri and Luke are my favorite! The banter, the chemistry set against the holidays! Perfect holiday read! Both need dates to appease their families but when time spent together feels so right, sigh! Entertaining read.

Volunteer KU based review

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little romance that would make a good beach read. It's a little predictable and slow moving but the story is warm and appealing. Really liked some of the secondary characters too and I think there are other stories in the series about them.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, no thank you. The nickname Bubbles is terrible and totally ruined the mood. I don't care how bubbly her personality is. That's crossing a line.
Edited to add my husband's comment when I told him about this nickname: Eww, she's not a dog 😆

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two people who have had screwy relationships start a fake relationship that ends up being real. Cheri's family is deranged and someone needs to trip Samantha down the isle. This is a warm/light spice romance,

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read and I loved how Grumpy Luke completely changed around Cheri. His parents were wonderful characters and I loved how accepting they were. There were a few hiccups along the way, but this one was totally a fun, sweet, swoony read.

[Vicci_icciV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me longer to read than I planned, because I started knitting again~

I enjoyed the dynamics in Cheri and Luke’s relationship, from total dislike on her part, to understanding and then love.

It was really fun to read and I didn’t the story to end.

[Sara Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

He overheard FMC telling her sister he meant nothing and wouldn't ever join the family, but he is the asshole for leaving?
Why is he making a grand gesture when she fucked up?
He handmade her book shelves, and she got him a mug, reminding him he was a prick.