A solid novel length-debut from an author I'm friendly with on Twitter, I loved the voice of this contemporary marriage-of-convenience with both heart and steam.

Best friends of over 17 years decide to just get married to prove to Darcy Ryan's family and Lucas Vaughan's company that they are a solid couple, and that they are worthy to pursue Darcy's painting career and Lucas's deserved promotion.

Funny thing about getting married in Vegas is that the kiss and ceremony spark major feelings for both, and the response they receive from their friends in family is not the shock they thought but 100% more "it is ABOUT TIME."

Keeping their marriage platonic proves impossible as their chemistry turns into real love, and learning to navigate what they both would like this marriage to turn in to proves both a challenge, but ultimately the sweetest HEA.

I struggle a bit with friends-to-lovers in general, but Fox does a great job of showing that both Darcy and Lucas find each other attractive, but were both always so afraid to ever let that attraction ever mean anything more because their friendship was always the most important. I did find some of their fights juvenile and strictly there to create some drama for romance reasons, but over this was super fun and sexy. The epilogue was especially sweet.

CW: alcohol use, deceased parent (long in the past), some toxic family involvement that is resolved