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From the author of Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge comes a deliciously witty and lighthearted romance brimming with misadventures, misdeeds, misunderstandings…and one perfectly mismatched couple. A notorious rule follower, the old Daphne Davis could do no wrong. But lately she can’t get anything right. Jilted by her ex, ousted from her home, and laid off from her job, Daphne retreats to her little hometown, Fernley Island. But even there, she feels out of sync. So, bailing on her own sister’s engagement party, she suddenly embraces a brand-new no more goody-two-shoes. Unfortunately, Daphne’s new mantra lands her squarely in the headlights—literally—of her high school nemesis, Calvin Flint. No longer a scrawny jerk, he’s Fernley’s acting sheriff, filling out his uniform waaay better than he ought to. He’s also Daphne’s new boss. As Daphne balances the books after a department scandal, a series of mishaps throws her and Calvin together. The sparks that fly take them both by surprise. But will a fake dating scheme and quest for a stolen heirloom ruin their chance at something real?
Publication Year: 2025
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That’s it—I want to move to Friendly Island!
If Monroe wrote it, I’m reading it. I’ve come to love her books and therefore went into this with very high expectations—and I wasn’t disappointed.
I did read ‘Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge’, it’s set in the same town but isn’t related to this one, so you can easily read both or just one or the other. (Though I recommend both, as they’re super fun!)
It has so many juicy tropes, plus a bit of ‘tit for tat’, but … he doesn’t realize it and it may cause some issues.
Small town.
Fresh start.
Enemies/ old rivals to lovers.
He falls first.
Fake dating.
Workplace romance.
Revenge.
Second chance at love.
Forensic accounting.
Mysteries, corruption, betrayal.
Groveling.
Danger.
Forced proximity / ‘roommates’ to lovers.
Grand gestures.
Overall:
There’s just the right amount of action and drama, it’s sweet, funny, and gripping—wholeheartedly recommended. My only complaint? That it ended. I miss it already.
4 stars.