THE PROPOSAL
Series: SWANK #1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Maya Hughes
Release Date: July16, 2020
When I envisioned Zara Logan dropping to her knees in front of me, this wasn’t what I had in mind…
I was expecting a lot less glaring and a lot more moaning.
Instead, she’s proposing an enticing deal that I can’t bear to walk away from.
To land one of the city’s biggest clients, she wants us to put our differences aside and play fake fiancés for the next thirty days.
So, I slip the diamond ring onto her finger and agree to play the perfect fiancé. How hard can this be?
A hell of a lot harder than I thought…
She’s infuriatingly stubborn and she thinks I’m a cocky jerk with an enormous ego. (She’s right, but I can definitely back it up…)
As our long days stretch into even later nights, it’s getting harder to remember we’re only playing pretend, which means one thing.
She won’t be faking it for long…
Leo was the best distraction I’d ever discovered and I couldn’t wait for another taste. But what happened when we stopped playing pretend?
This was so stinking cute! I was super excited to learn that Maya Hughes has a brand new series coming out. And when I read that blurb? DEAD. I needed this book. I’m a sucker for a good enemies to lovers romance with a splash of fake engagement thrown in.
Zara is the definition of sassy. She is barely scraping by in a job that she hates. With deadbeat parents, she’s used to being the sole support for her little brother. She’s been scrimping and saving every penny for his education and support. If it’s meant denying herself, then that’s what it’s been. Zara is an incredibly supportive and loving older sister. This endeared her to me right away. She’s also sassy with a fiery temper and a get it done at any cost attitude. She’s pretty tough not to like.
The meet cute between her and Leo is anything but smooth. The man bumps her, spills her precious coffee, and tramples her croissant. In a pure accident of course, but it doesn’t save him from her temper. The icing on the cake is finding out that they now have to work together. Leo to save his beloved uncle’s company and Zara to finally prove herself to her boss. They have one goal, win over a tough client with their proposal. Even if they have to stop snapping at one another long enough to get it done.
As they work on the project together, the chemistry that’s been between them begins to burn hotter and hotter, and before they know it, the fake relationship is no longer as fake for them as they thought.
This was such a fun romance! I immediately fell for all of the secondary characters. Leo is an incredibly lovable hero. An injury cost him his pro football career and he’s been sort of floundering in the time since. He’s not a cocky jerk or a stereotypical jock. He’s a nice guy and I was rooting for him from page one to get past Zara’s walls. Though she certainly didn’t make it easy.
My one quibble with the book was the pacing. I’m not sure if it was the length or maybe some parts that I felt didn’t quite add to the story and wished it focused more on the main couple? There was some time spent building out and introducing the other characters and the couple would get a little lost in the background of that at parts. I found myself going in and out of the story. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it because I really did. But I also wasn’t riveted to the pages. Did it hook me on the series? Absolutely! I’m dying for the rest of it. Ultimately it was a cute and light hearted read that was perfect to spend the afternoon with.
