Title: Fiancé for the Night
Author: Melissa McClone
Genre: Sweet Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
She needs a fiancé—for only one night.
Cassandra Daniels’ parents want to meet her fiancé. They’ve driven hours to have dinner with the man who stole their daughter’s heart. The only problem—he doesn’t exist. She made him up because her mom and dad are concerned about her. Cassandra could tell the truth, but she’s tired of always disappointing her family. Now, she must find a handsome, respectable-looking guy to be her fake fiancé. Troy McKnight can’t believe a gorgeous blonde wants to pretend to be engaged for the night. Why him? She’s his total opposite—impulsive, adventurous, and a risk-taker. He should say no. He’s not the type to go along with crazy schemes and drama, yet he can’t deny her pull. Giving into his attraction, he agrees to be her fiancé. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Turns out Cassandra’s father is a powerful venture capitalist who could make or break Troy's career, so they continue the ruse. But as their fake engagement spirals, their attempts to stop the madness fail. Troy wants to spend more time with Cassandra, but she fears losing her heart…to him. The charade must end, even if she wishes her fiancé for the night could be her perfect husband for life.
Excerpt:
“Would you be my fiancé?”
Fiancé? Troy McKnight must have misheard the blonde standing next to him due to the noise in the jam-packed San Francisco brewery. She was attractive with wide blue eyes, freckles across her nose, a heart-shaped face, and no makeup, but she wasn’t his type. With multiple chains and pendants hanging around her neck, dangling silver earrings, and a flowery dress, she looked out of place in the popular, after-work hangout, which was filled with the suit-and-tie crowd from nearby financial offices. He preferred women who dressed professionally. She was too bohemian looking.
He stared over the rim of his pint. “Excuse me, but what did you say?”
Releasing a sigh, she brushed her wavy blond hair behind her shoulders.
“Would you be my fiancé?” she repeated. “Just for tonight.”
Troy had heard her correctly the first time. He half-laughed. Her matter-of-fact tone made her proposition sound almost logical, and he knew it wasn’t the beer causing that. He’d only had one—the half-filled cold glass he held in his hand.
He took another swig from his lager. The cool liquid ran down his throat. After a rough day at the office, all he wanted was a drink followed by another quiet evening at home, nothing else.
Especially not this woman.
She hadn’t introduced herself. She could be a scam artist—a she-devil in disguise—and he the target. Even without lipstick, her full lips were luscious enough to seduce unknowing prey.
Troy set his glass on the bar. “Why do you need a fiancé tonight?”
“It’s a long story.”
Her sunshine-and-sunflower scent cut through the smell of beer hanging in the air.
Okay, that was nice. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She reached for his hand, pushed back the arm of his suit, and read the time on his watch—a present from his parents when he graduated business school. “Yes, I knew it.”
“What?”
“You’re wearing a watch.”
He eyed her warily. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That I asked the right person.”
“You’re being evasive.”
“I don’t have time to explain. Are you coming with me?”
“You’re asking for a lot without providing any explanation.”
She rolled her eyes. “I got myself into a jam with my family. It’s only one dinner. My father will pay, so the only thing tonight will cost you is time. Any other questions?”
Troy hesitated, unsure if he bought her explanation. “Nothing personal, but you don’t look like the kind of woman who hangs out here.”
“I’m not, but my parents would approve of you and the men who frequent an establishment like this.”
That sounded plausible.
“Look, will you be my fiancé or not?” The edges of her mouth turned up slightly. “I’m sorry to be impatient, but if you say no, I have to find someone else.” She glanced around the bar as if she were scanning the area for her next target.
In the crowded brewpub, she could easily find someone else. Men with rolled-up sleeves and loosened ties stood at nearby tables, relaxing after long hours at the office.
Troy didn’t know why he was considering posing as her fiancé. The woman had appeared out of nowhere, yet he couldn’t deny his curiosity about her and her strange proposition. The concern and sense of urgency in her eyes rang true, but he never took risks. Spontaneity wasn’t part of his plan—a life plan to ensure he achieved all he wanted and would never have to return to his family’s farm in that middle-of-nowhere town in Missouri.
Staring at him, she waited for his answer by tapping her unpainted fingernails against the bar.
If he said no, she seemed to have no qualms about asking another man to be her fiancé for the night. He doubted she was a con artist. She looked too much like an innocent love child from the sixties with a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. In a meat market like this, a veritable smorgasbord of male testosterone, she could end up with anyone.
At least she would be safe with him.
“This is important to you, isn’t it?” he asked.
As she tilted her chin, her earrings chimed. “Yes.”
A free dinner with an attractive woman. It almost sounded too easy. Troy thought of Jessica White, who worked in the office next to his. Now she was his type, but he’d seen Jessica’s fiancé pick her up this afternoon.
For three years, Troy had wanted to ask her out, but he’d been too busy working to get around to it. Now she was engaged to someone else, and he was sitting in a bar with a total stranger. Maybe he needed a little adventure in his life.
He took another sip of his lager. “Okay, I’ll be your fiancé.”
The woman threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Oh, thank you.”
Her impulsiveness gave him a small thrill. The envious glances of other men in the bar made Troy sit straighter. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fianc-for-the-night-melissa-mcclone/1127145867?ean=2940154936313
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Fiancé for the Night is a fun fake relationship romance between two opposites. What’s supposed to last one night suddenly turns into more, and neither knows how to get out of the charade of being in love.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $40 Amazon gift card:
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Runs January 11 – January 20, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on January 21, 2022.
Author Biography:
USA TODAY bestselling author Melissa McClone writes heartwarming women’s fiction and sweet contemporary romance novels. She lives with her husband and has three young adult children. When she’s not writing relatable characters and sigh-worthy happy endings, she spends her time in the rainy Pacific Northwest reading from her Kindle’s ever-growing TBR, napping with her dog and cats, and decorating her Happy Planner.
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