Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆
A cute story about a girl who weaves a complex lie to ease her aunt's mind about her being sad and lonely as she is dying. What she didn't plan on was her aunt being able to see through the lie and leaving instructions in her will that she must live with her "husband" for three months in order to receive the house she grew up in.

In an effort to save face and to keep her greedy cousins from getting what should be hers, Lanie Barrett begs a complete stranger to play house with her for three months. Nick McKane agrees because his daughter has been accepted to a fancy art college and he wants to be able to send her there.

It’s a little more complicated than that, but even with all the twists and turns, it’s a cute romance that worked for me.

What a fantastic small town romance with bigger than life characters, including a dog named, Ralph!!!!

Lanie Barrett loved her eccentric Aunt Ruby even though she left her small town of Charmed, Texas. She only wanted to make her happy, so she told one small lie that would come back to bite her in the butt. She was happily married. She saw no harm in making sure Aunt Ruby wasn’t worried about her. She underestimated her quirky aunt. After Aunt Ruby dies, she leaves everything to Lanie with one stipulation…she and her husband have to live in Charmed for three months to inherit her money and her beloved house. If not, it all goes to her “weasel” cousin who never even really knew Aunt Ruby, and he has plans to tear it down for condos…over Lanie’s dead body. Now, she only has to find a husband!

Enter…Nick McKane, a cook in a diner, that Lanie stops at on the way to Charmed. Luckily, for her, he just lost his job and needs one ASAP to pay his daughter’s tuition. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so he agrees to be her husband. It shouldn’t be hard to be married for three months, right? They both walk away at the end of three months both getting what they want. But, what if the one thing they truly want at the end is each other?

I adored Lanie and Nick. Lanie kept reminiscing about her Aunt Ruby’s quirkiness, but she had some of that as well. I loved her sense of humor, and her love for Ralph, a dog she is supposed to be babysitting, but he becomes so much more. Underneath that sense of humor is the little girl who was abandoned by her mother. She’s afraid she will end up just like her, so she goes through life avoiding love, even when it’s staring her right in the face. Not only is Nick drop dead gorgeous, but the best thing about him is his capacity to love others. Even though they are only supposed to be married for three months, he really cares about Lanie. Yet, he has baggage too. His is trust…he’s always one step ahead. He won’t be the one left behind again. He will leave first! Despite both of their issues, they are a couple made in Heaven, even if they don’t know it. I think Aunt Ruby had a little say in that one!

What I loved most about the book was Lovelace’s ability to make a person, Aunt Ruby, who was no longer on this earth, a dog, Ralph, and even a town characters that shaped the storyline. Aunt Ruby was just as important to their romance as Lanie and Nick were. OMG, Ralph, I just loved him! He was larger than life! The town, itself, with its uniqueness and its eccentric characters just pulled me in. I honestly cannot wait until I get to go back to the little town of Charmed, Texas! I love a book that makes me feel a little lighter, and this one certainly did!

***Read and Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews***
***Copy provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review***

A Charmed Little Lie by Sharla Lovelace was very enjoyable. I loved it! The main characters Lanie and Nick’s attraction for each other while they danced around their feelings was interesting. They were strangers when they married, but it was necessary so that Lanie could comply with her Aunt’s will. The attraction between these two was strong and the story’s plot was a nice twist.

I found the story refreshing and loved how they discovered that they loved each other. It was a process that worked well towards their happily ever after. I look forward to the next book in the series and praise Sharla Lovelace for writing an excellent and enjoyable book.

I do like a good small town romance and seems like Charmed, Texas is just the ticket. I knew this would be quirky and full of nosy towns people based on that blurb. Lainey had good intentions when she told that white lie way back when. Now back in town to settle her late Aunt's estate with fake husband only to be foiled with that clause and her sneaky cousins. She'll have to convince them for 3 months if she wants to keep the house.

Up rooting and moving her life is never easy. Lainey has a lot of unsettled things plus one hot fake husband now. Keeping up her rouse with her marriage juggling her new life won't be easy. Lainie seemed a bit flighty even though she loved her Aunt Ruby a lot. I can see why she resorted to making that clause. I feel like she needed that push to commit.

I feel like slow the fake marriage game with Nick got real and while it was awkward to start it became familiar. I still do wonder with his reasons since it wasn't fully explained. Their little arrangement is now more complicated but has chance of being more. Question is what will they do about it?

Sharla Lovelace is great with small town romance, add a fake to real story and you have one that will charm you. She makes you feel like you're there and part of it plus it's always different. Has all the makings of a good romance, sweet with humor, heart and heat. I like the setup so far and it's wonderful introduction to a series you'd wanna know more about.

Loved this small town romance. A little white lie that turns into true love. Lanie needs a husband and marriage certificate per her grandma's will or everything will go to her hungry cousins. She meets Nick at a diner, who is done on his luck and out of a job but is willing to become her stand in husband. Not expecting anything more, but soon the little lie becomes so much more.

Loved this small town with everything honey. Great characters with fun banter that will have you laughing out loud. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

A Charmed Little Lie charmed me right off. I loved Lanie. I loved that she loved her aunt and the home she provided. I loved that she was willing to do what it took to make her aunt’s last moments happy. Even if Aunt Ruth did not buy the lie. It was total fun watching Lanie and Nick getting to know each other while pretending to know each other. Charmed, Texas had its own quaint small town charm. I loved the characters that played secondary. I loved the closeness. I hated the closeness. It was warm, fuzzy, funny, crazy, and more. What do you get when you lie about and husband and then have to produce that husband? You get this charming little read that will brighten your day and make you smile.

Sweet romance- and it's nice to start at the beginning of a series (thanks Netgalley for the ARC). My quibble is that the whole premise is so old fashioned but I went with it and ended up enjoying the dance between Lanie and Nick. This is a quick pleasant read that's perfect when you just want to relax.

Lanie has found herself in a pickle in a town all about honey. Her eccentric aunt Ruby, God bless her soul, has put a special condition in her will. In order for Lanie to inherit the house she was raised in, along with an large amount of cash (which Lanie knew nothing about), she has to live in the house with her husband for 3 months.
The problem?
Lanie has no husband. She made him up to make her dying aunt happy. She’s sure Aunt Ruby figured it out. But instead of her loving aunt calling her out before she died, she took the big reveal into the afterlife.
Typical, intuitive Aunt Ruby. I so loved her – or shall I say, the knowledge of her.
Nick needs money. Don’t we all? But, it’s not for his own needs. It’s for his daughter’s art school tuition. He’s just gotten fired, so there lies another piece to his jumbled up puzzle.
Ok, to sum it up. Lanie has money. Nick needs it. Lanie needs a husband. Nick happens to be a man…a very good-looking one.
Problem solved, right?
Perhaps. But things get a little sticky in the town of honey. There are some desperately needy cousins who would get the inheritance if Lanie doesn’t meet the conditions; so of course, they’re trying to sabotage Lani and Nick. Not to mention Nick’s ex, who’s still in love with him; although I was surprised when it came to her.
Now a couple of things that shifted the wind for me when reading this is #1 The ex-wife/mother of the daughter who needs art school tuition is from a wealthy family. She lives high on the hog, but apparently anything she gives comes with strings. But even for tuition for her daughter? Ok, she lost a lot of brownie points on that one. Especially, when she thanked Lanie for helping her daughter, something she should’ve been doing herself. This pushed the boundaries for me as far as the plot goes. We make mommy wealthy, but daddy has to pimp himself to get the tuition? Ok, let’s roll with it. We have no choice really. And…on to #2. I liked Lanie a lot; and because of her mother’s behavior, I understood why she was reluctant to fall in love, and even moreso to admit it. However, there’s a limit to the stubbornness, and she exceeded it by miles. I got fed up with her to the point that I wanted Nick to let her go. When she decided to put on her big girl panties, I had a hard time empathizing with her. She took it too far. She wanted him to accept her halfway admittance of her feelings, and then had the nerve to act like the victim when he didn’t. UGH! I think even her best friend – whom I like by the way – wanted to roll an eye or two and tell her to just grow up. As a matter of fact, I think she did. Yay Carmen.
Anyway, things turned out the way they should, and all was well in the land of honey.

**** ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ****

Warning: I am not a robot! I have feelings, thoughts, likes and dislikes and this review is based on that. You should read the book to form your own opinion/thoughts. Read on!

Rating: 4.5 Charmed Stars!

The cover, is cute, nothing out of the ordinary.

The story, Lanie’s aunt passed away and on her will states that Lanie must live for 3 months with her husband in her aunt’s house to inherit it and the money. The problem? Lanie is not married. On her way to Charmed to give up the house and the money to her awful cousins she stops to eat something and finds the perfect fake husband. Nick is desperate to give his daughter the dream education she always wanted, so when Lanie proposes him a deal he can’t refuse he says yes. They need to convince the entire town that they love and know each other. It was a bit unrealistic, but so enjoyable, loved getting to know these characters.

The reason this book wasn’t a 5 star for me? At the end, Lanie is still in Charmed, heartbroken and trying to put herself together, Nick comes back. He comes back to Charmed because? It is very obvious that he didn’t know she was there, because, after seeing each other he goes and buys a ring. Where was he? I don’t think the author was able to make me believe he really wanted her back. It didn’t seem he was in Charmed to ask about her, to try to get her back. I don’t know, there was something missing.

The romance, For almost 95% I believed their love, their chemistry. I wanted them to end up together, I thought they were perfect for each other, but then at the end I got confused, made me believe I have been wrong all along.

Lanie, funny, sensitive, your girl next door. It was easy to cry along with her, to feel what she was feeling. I really connected with her.

Nick, excellent cook, sensitive, your perfect guy. I thought he was perfect, a bit jaded due to his previous marriage but still able to love again, but then he didn’t do enough in my opinion.

Overall, did I like the book? Yes, I did. I had fun reading it, I wanted everything to work out. Would I recommend the book? Yes, you are probably going to love it.

Sharla Lovelace has the ‘small town romance’ story writing crown and I never want her to abdicate her well earned position. It can be hard to stand out in today’s romance story world, with hundreds of books being released each day but somehow she does just that. With her unique writing style and her ability to transport me to locations just by the words alone, where I can imagine everything she describes in wonderful detail, Sharla is a go to author for me.

Lanie grew up in the town of Charmed in Texas. She lived with her Aunt Ruby until she graduated college and began working in her chosen career. However, she may have told her Aunt a few little white lies over the past few years about her personal life - like the city she lives in and her marital status.

Therefore after the death of her Aunt and the funeral is over, several weeks later she is phoned to return for the reading of the will, she is told that she must bring her husband and marriage certificate. Well shit, she was not expecting that lie to bite her in the arse so soon! Nothing that a fake marriage license and a random stranger can’t fix though right?

So Lanie arrives in Charmed with her fake marriage license, a guy called Nick that she met at diner on the way and her neighbour’s Rottweiler dog in the back seat of her rental car. At this point I’m wondering how the hell she is going to pull this charade off. However, nothing could have prepared her for the full stipulations of Aunt Ruby’s will.

To inherit the house and money she has to live in Charmed for three months with her husband. If she cannot meet the terms the house and cash will go to her conniving cousins who are planning to demolish it and develop the land. Lanie has a job and apartment back home, Nick is a guy she has know for less than twelve hours who thought this was only going to be a 24 hour thing. This is quite the conundrum now!

Nevertheless, Lanie and Nick agree to the terms set out and immerse themselves into life in Charmed. The saying about people living in small towns being small minded, definitely applies to some of the townsfolk of Charmed. The gossip mongers are lapping up every morsel of information they can get about Lanie & Nick. It has not escaped the notice of the females that Nick is smoking hot and he finds himself having to fight off some particularly amorous ladies.

However, the reality of seeing Nick in a towel with no shirt on each morning is also playing havoc with Lanie’s hormones. There is this intense, sexual attraction simmering between them that is quietly brewing away but giving into it will make things even more complicated than they already are. The fake marriage between them is beginning to emerge into so much more than they expected, so what are they going to do about it?

This is the first book in the Charmed In Texas series which I am thrilled about as I really want to know more about the people in this town.

4.5 stars

Lanie didn’t mean to spin herself into a corner; she just wanted to make her grandmother happy. But now Lanie will have to arrive in Charmed,TX with her husband in order to keep her inheritance. There’s just one problem: she isn’t really married.

Nick wasn’t having a very good day, and a quick way to earn a couple hundred extra dollars sounded like a good way to make the most of a bad situation.

They are complete strangers who have to act happily married. But what happens when the lines between reality and pretend begin to blur?

Serendipity plays a large part in the beginning of this book, to the point it almost feels like a character itself. The perfect storm of meeting place and time, desperation, and drive sends these two on a trip that turns into more than either bargained for.

I loved every minute of this book. As a sweet, summer read, this was perfectly placed to keep me entertained and light hearted. Lanie’s family proved the perfect antagonists with their self centered motives against her desire to hold on to her grandmother’s memory. The townspeople added both fun and tension, depending on which side of the battle they were on.

This book has a perfect touch of humor mixed with it’s small town, fake marriage situation. Really, it would be hard to have a fake marriage in a small town without some humor, but this is perfectly placed, perfectly managed humor to balance the tricky situation Nick and Lanie have created.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book by Sharla Lovelace I’ve read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The publisher’s description of the setup of the story is pretty spot on—Lanie has to recruit a fake husband in order not to be cut out of her aunt’s will. She then stumbles over a handsome recently fired man in need of a little cash and hires him to fill the role. As you do. Happens all the time.

It’s clearly not a realistic premise, but what makes the book work is the chemistry between Lanie and Nick as they flirt and tease. Often when I read romances, even though the author tells me that the two characters are attracted to each other, I don’t necessarily feel the sizzle. That’s not a problem here. The attraction between Lanie and Nick was palpable to me in their conversations and reactions to each other. Even though they both realize that getting physically involved might not be the best idea, the two of them are very open about how attracted to each other they are, and the reader gets to savor the ratcheting up of the sexual tension in their relationship. Meanwhile, their feelings are also clearly deepening into something more lasting.

Both of the main characters have emotional baggage that adds depth to the story. Lanie’s parents had a disastrous relationship that caused her to swear off of romance. Nick’s been burned by a bad marriage. Neither one of them is looking for love, but it finds them anyway.

Add in some humorous moments and small town quirkiness, mix it all together, and what you’ve got is a very good read. So good that I’m going to go looking for Lovelace’s other books to see what I’ve been missing!

An eARC of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Charmed, Texas a picturesque town where you can find crazy townsfolk, possibly haunted houses, old flames, and new beginnings. Sharla Lovelace pens another wonderful small town romance filled with emotion and desire, quirky characters and fun twists.

When Lanie lied to her Aunt Ruby about having the job of her dreams and a husband to match it, her intentions were good. She didn’t want her dying aunt to worry about her. But after reading her aunt’s will she finds out her good intentions have an unpredictable impact in her life and now she desperately needs to find a fake husband who’ll live with her in order to save her childhood home from falling into the hands of her greedy cousins. As Lanie has forsaken love, she’s in no danger of falling for her newfound gorgeous roommate is she?

Nick McKane needs a job to pay for his daughter’s education and he’s just desperate enough to accept a perfect stranger’s insane plan to fake a marriage for three months. But as he deftly jumps into his role of loving husband while getting to know Lanie the illusion they create is slowly turning into reality, but can he trust in them enough to believe it’s real or will he walk out on them when the time is up?

I get the impression that Sharla Lovelace has a great time writing about small towns, creating the charming places with interesting townsfolk and their wacky dynamics. I loved reading about Charmed and feeling as though I was transported there. Aside from the parochial appeal, I very much enjoyed the slow burn relationship between the perky Lanie and sexy yet closed off Nick.

It’s clear that they both have vested interests in pulling off the lie, but Nick is able to jump effortlessly into his role whereas Lanie has a more difficult time having to quit her current job, not being able to accept her actual dream job in California all while having to deal with the ridiculously attractive man who struts dripping wet in only a towel after a hard run and before heading to work at the local dinner filled with fawning females who can’t get enough of the easy going new chef.

Having the need to show everyone that they’re madly in love and happily married requires them to be out and about together, holding hands and showing other PDAs which helps to fuel the already existing smoking hot attraction, but it’s during the quiet times when they’re alone when they get to know more of each other when that attraction turns into so much more.

I loved both Nick and Lanie equally. She was so lively yet a tad broken and insecure, but not enough to that it stopped her from defending her “husband” against all the unwanted female attention he got. That was so much fun to witness. Nick on the other hand was a bit walled off having had bad luck whenever it came to love, but I just swooned over every time he got instinctively protective over Lanie, whenever he flirted with her when no one was there to watch or listen in, and every time he sexily called her “Mrs. McKane.”

There’s so much I’d love to share, so many things I highlighted from sweet, to sexy, to emotional. Needless to say I was captive with their story and wanted to know how it would all turn out. I look forward to reading the next book in this series and anything else Sharla Lovelace puts out for the sentiments she evokes and the emotive stories she composes.

A Charmed Little Lie is the kickoff book in the series Charmed in Texas by author Sharla Lovelace. It is a standalone contemporary romance with a great balance between fun, wit, steaminess, and heartfelt emotions. It is told from the heroine’s point of view with a happy ending.

My 4 star review is posted at the locations below. Thanks. Kim

OMG I AM SO UNBELIEVEABLY HAPPY RIGHT NOW!

Why are you shouting, you may ask? Well, I have been in a bit of a book slump for a bit but Sharla Lovelaces's A Charmed Little Lie has cured me - thank goodness! I am on a book high right now :)

Sharla is the Queen of Small Town Romance - she has given us a book with a little bit of everything - fun, wit, emotion, heartfelt conversations, and sexy chemistry.

The whole marriage for convenience storyline has definitely been done before, but Sharla is able to put her spin on it and give readers something totally different and unique.

Lanie Barrett needs to return home to Charmed, Texas when her beloved Aunt Ruby passes away for the reading of her will. Lanie was raised by this wonderful woman and Aunt Ruby has wanted nothing more than for Lanie to find love and happiness. In her dying days, Lanie invented a fake marriage to appease her Aunt and of course in a complete twist for the reading of the will, Lanie must return home with her husband to live in Charmed for 3 months in order to receive the family home.

Enter Nick McKane - a handsome cook who has recently lost his job. Nick works in a bar that Lanie happens to stop at on her way home to Charmed and because of his looks that so closely resemble her fake husband, Lanie has a proposition for him. In return for money to help pay for his daughter's art school tuition, she needs him to pose as her husband for 3 months.

But in a small town where everyone knows each other's business AND in a situation where you try to live with someone platonically to only discover that there could be something MORE—what happens next?

I LOVED the ease with with which Lanie and Nick took on the roles of husband and wife, and that beyond the pretending readers will be on that journey with this couple as they find that something more. The sexy chemistry, the fun bantering, and the mesmerizing writing made me just fall in love with this book and these characters. Lanie went above and beyond protecting the man she started falling for and vice versa. It was just an amazing journey to be a part of.

The only thing I wish for was that I wished that this story was told in dual POVs and that I had the chance to hear Nick's voice too. I would have loved to be in his head in certain scenes. But overall, I am IN LOVE with the start of this series and can't wait for more!!!

A Charmed Little Lie by Sharla Lovelace
Charmed in Texas #1

This book kept me up till the wee hours of the morning. Why? I just could not put it down. I knew there would ultimately be a HEA BUT I had to know how it would come about. How would two people who married in a type of marriage of convenience that would garner them both something they wanted find their way to that HEA? What kind of place would Charmed, Texas be? Who might show up in future books of the series? Well, I read and read and read some more then when I turned the light off at 2:30am I couldn’t put the story behind me though it was dark and the light was out. Lanie and Nick stayed with me and left me wanting to know more about Charmed’s apiary community and also wanting to read the next book in the series BUT it is not out yet! I am not going to tell you more than this BUT I will say that if you are looking for a wonderful small town romance with two characters that are perfect together and richly deserve their HEA then this book is one I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books – Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A little white lie magnifies in this heartwarming and witty escapade of hope, faith and charity. A good heart lead Lanie to ease a dying woman's fears. Desperation leads her into the arms of the perfect man. Can a bit of divine intervention give her the happy ending she's been dreaming of? Nick and Lanie prove that if something is meant to be, nothing can stop it from happening. A Charmed Little Lie puts a smile in the heart while uplifting the spirit.

Sharla Lovelace does not disappoint with A Charmed Little Lie. Once again she has written a beautiful love story with all the feels. The most unexpected romance between Lanie and Nick, brought together out of pure desperation, trying to satisfy a beloved, yet quirky Aunt's will. And what is so damn wonderful is that despite this mutual arrangement, they can't help but fall for one another and we are lucky enough to have front row seats!

I adored the slow burn. The wondering of whether or not these two would come to their senses and realize they have true feelings for each other. Their day to day, living a lie as husband and wife, was at times so poignant. Both Lanie and Nick letting down their guards, letting another person into their lonely worlds. The pangs of jealousy at high school boyfriends or long lost ex-wives, I loved their reactions and the way they fit so perfectly together as if they'd known each other all their lives.

There is also great humor in the form of an orphaned dog named Ralph and the ever-present spirit aka Aunt Ruby. The wit and unexplained events that occur almost daily keep this story from ever getting too heavy and I loved that.

The longing, the miscommunication, the almost insane set of circumstances that drove both Lanie and Nick to each other, make for the perfect journey of two people who didn't know what they wanted in life but somehow found it in the very small town of Charmed. It's a tale that is a true joy to read and one that made me smile. I look forward to more from this crazy cast of characters and getting to find out the secrets Carmen has been harboring all these years with respect to her own long lost love in Sully.

A book that is bound to make you all warm and happy inside, this one gets a solid 5 stars from me.

Favorite Quote: “You should walk in there at ease with the world. Like you’re getting more sex than anyone in the room.”

When Lanie discovers her aunt is dying, she tells a few little lies to help ease her passing. Only, her aunt didn’t quite believe her. Now Lanie has to find a husband and convince him to live with her in her childhood home for three months or everything her aunt owned will go to her shifty cousins who want to sell it all to a developer.

Nick McKane has no money and now no job, having just quit his last one. The spitting image of the man Lanie described to her aunt as her husband, Lanie offers him the deal of a lifetime. Help her fool the town and her cousins for three months and she’ll give him part of her inheritance. While not quite the work Nick was looking for, it’s an easy job for maximum pay.

Lanie and Nick’s marriage scam goes off without a hitch but when their temporary arrangement begins to take on a permanent feel, can this couple go from fake to real?

A Charmed Little Lie is the first in Sharla Lovelace’s Charmed in Texas series. So far, the series seems to be based on two childhood friends so I’m unsure if this will be a duology or if more characters will be introduced. Set in Charmed, Texas, this fun, sexy, and smart small town romance takes a marriage of convenience from temporary to forever when a young woman finds out a lie or two she told has come back to bite her in the arse.

Bring my husband?

Think fast.

Laugh.

Small town romances are one of my favorite settings because of the setting and inevitable eccentric characters and Sharla Lovelace hits the nail on the head every single time. Notorious for being nosy, unforgiving, and gossipy, everyone knows everyone’s business and what happened ten years ago is viewed as if it happened yesterday. Well written with Lovelace’s trademark humor, snappy dialogue, and sexy love scenes, there is also that quiet undertone she is famous for that has the reader taking note as the main protagonists try to do the right thing even as they struggle with their individual issues and various external conflicts.

Tears fell freely from my eyes as I saw everything slip away. Everything that mattered that I didn’t even know mattered. There was no way. Not for me. Not for Nick. What was she doing? What was she thinking?

“What the fuck was she smoking?” I choked.

Lanie is an absolute delight with her intelligence, wit, and a strong sense of self though she does have some serious unresolved relationship issues. Her mom and dad had a very turbulent relationship and her mom shut down completely when her dad left them. Lanie’s aunt took Lanie in and raised her. When Lanie left for college, she fudges some truths in order to keep her aunt from worrying about her. Lanie doesn’t believe in love and will never let herself become her mother.

Nick is utterly charming with his good looks, easy ways, and ability to roll with the punches. Married at a young age when his rich and fickle girlfriend got pregnant, he found out the hard way that you can’t fix someone who doesn’t want to be fixed. Divorced and at his wit’s end, Lanie’s offer couldn’t have come at a better time. He needs to pay for his daughter’s college tuition, if only to prove to himself he isn’t a failure.

Nick and Lanie’s meet cute only serves to foreshadow their delightful chemistry and snark fueled banter.

Come on,” he said. “You started this game. Play it out. What’s a twenty-dollar ring at Wal-Mart?”

“It’s not a game,” I said, popping my neck. This guy was making me tense.

“Okay.”

“I started it to make my aunt happy,” I said. “She did everything for me, and all she wanted was to see me taken care of.” I felt the tell-tale burn behind my eyes and I blinked back fast. “When she got sick, it seemed like the kind thing to do.”

“Lie to her?”

“Make her happy,” I huffed. “Give her peace of mind.”

“I’d rather know the truth,” he said.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind if you contract a terminal illness in the next twenty-four hours,” I barked.

“Just sayin’,” he said.

“So yell if you see a friggin’ Wal-Mart,” I continued. “We’ll get you all official.”

This couple clicks instantly and you can only hold on tight for what you know will be an emotional and laughter filled ride as they struggle to come to terms with their relatively new relationship and sexual attraction to one another. The romance is definitely slow moving though the sexual tension keeps you firmly engaged.

His gaze got heavier as it fell to my lips.

Shiiitttttttt.

“Well played, Mrs. McKane,” he said under his breath.

Jesus.

“Back atcha, Mr. McKane,” I said just above a whisper as I watched him watch my mouth.

He wouldn’t kiss me.

It was too dangerous.

Too real.

And that made me want it a million times more.

Quirky and interesting secondary characters round out the storyline, using the past and their own agendas to help guide our protagonists onto the same page. I loved meeting everyone who had a hand in helping to shape the woman Lanie is today though Ralph the rottie stole the show on numerous occasions. my heart. Two subplots intertwine and add melodrama to the story though I honestly felt one of them was unnecessary. It does nothing for the story except add some conflict where none was needed.

Lovelace continues to offer up yummy romances with sexy men and women, entertaining storylines, and just enough craziness to keep the story from becoming too serious. I look forward to Carmen’s story, Lucky Charmed, which is set to release July 18, 2017 from Lyrical Shine.

“Mm-hmmm, they get bossy when they put a ring on it.”



RATING: B+

O what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive… Sir Walter Scott sure had that right. But what he probably didn’t anticipate is how funny the result could also be!

Lanie Barrett has found herself in a bit of a pickle. Her beloved aunt has passed away and the will states she can only inherit the house she grew up in (and $800,000!!!) if she and her husband come live in the house for three months. This is only a problem because she doesn’t actually have a husband. But not wanting to lose the home to her slimy cousins, she picks up a man at a roadside diner and convinces him to play the part of her doting husband.

Nick McKane is a little desperate himself. He was recently fired from his job, and he has a daughter he’d like to send to art school. The cool $200,000 Lanie has offered him will go a long way towards helping him help his daughter chase her dreams. It’s a win-win situation for both of them, right?!

Of course the best laid plans are apt to go awry, especially when they aren’t all that well planned out to begin with. Lanie’s cousins are out to catch her up in the lie, and it seems every which way they turn, others are in cahoots with the cousins. And to top things off, Lanie and Nick are finding it hard to fight the growing attraction between them. They are, after all, sharing a house.

There are so many charming things about Charmed, Texas, starting with the characters. Lanie and Nick are good people who just haven’t found their place in the world, and the other townspeople are down-to-earth. Even the “villains” in the story really aren’t all that bad. If you like small town stories with their hodgepodge of colorful residents, and assorted quirky town traditions, this is a book for you.

This was the first book by Sharla Lovelace that I’ve read, and I enjoyed it. Her writing is amusing and I found myself laughing out loud several times. The “quotes” from Aunt Ruby at the beginning added an extra charm to the story. However, there were a couple things that kept this from being a four or five star read for me. First, because this story is told completely from Lanie’s point of view, I found it a bit difficult to understand why Nick fell in love with Lanie so quickly. Furthermore, their “love” seemed to be based mostly on how attractive they found each other. Certainly being on the same “team” against people who are trying to take away what you so desperately want can forge a bond, but is that enough? Second, I want a grand gesture! When one person runs off and decides to come back, there needs to be something big to show the other person they are serious. I didn’t really feel like that happened in this story.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable and entertaining read. It’s light and humorous, and a perfect way to spend an afternoon (or two). The three rating doesn’t really reflect how much I enjoyed this book; I just couldn’t quite justify a higher rating. But when an author can build up my interest in another character for the next book, I know she’s done a good job! I am so anxious to read about Lanie’s best friend in Lucky Charmed!