Title: The Perfect Deception
Author: Jennifer Wilck
Genre: New adult, contemporary Jewish romance
Book Blurb:
When Dina and Adam run into each other on a deserted road, Dina thinks Mr. Flashypants can't possibly be interested in someone like her. Can they trust each other to look beyond the surface?
Dina Jacobs is a single librarian who has never fit in due to her off-the-charts intelligence, frizzy hair and rounder-than-socially-acceptable figure. She left her past behind, until an invitation to her ten-year high school reunion causes all her insecurities to return.
Adam Mandel is a single corporate attorney who just missed his third deadline at his father's law firm, jeopardizing his chance at making junior partner. With his reputation on the line, Adam needs all the help he can get to convince his father that he deserves the promotion.
Adam thinks Dina is just the person to help him improve his reputation. Neither one of them counts on falling in love, though. And when lies and insecurities ruin their budding relationship, will either one of them be brave enough to step forward and claim what’s theirs?
The Perfect Deception is the third book in this new adult contemporary romance, with a heroine who spouts random facts when nervous, a hero afraid to let his inner dork escape his polished outside, and a fake relationship you’ll love to watch develop into something real.
Buy The Perfect Deception and enjoy this hilarious opposites-attract romance.
Book 1: The Perfect Match
Book 2: The Perfect Secret
Book 3: The Perfect Deception
Excerpt:
“Come to dinner with me tonight?” Adam asked Dina during what she was beginning to think of as her daily phone call.
It being Saturday, he’d called in the morning. Eleven to be precise. After spending time together last night at temple. What was left to talk about? Apparently eating.
“I’m not sure I can.”
“Someone else taking you out?”
His tone was light, but she could hear an underlying edge to it, betraying nerves that he covered with a laugh. It could have been interpreted as mean, but she didn’t interpret it that way. Adam was many things, including Mr. Flashypants, but “mean” wasn’t one of them.
“No. I told Tracy I’d watch the baby for part of the afternoon so she and Joe could get some errands done. I’m not sure how late they’ll be.” She also wasn’t sure she could handle seeing him two days in a row.
“I think you need some adult company.”
Adult company sounded slightly obscene when uttered by Adam. “Um, you want to hang out with a baby? Don’t you have other things you’d rather do?”
“I’m not doing it for the baby, I’m doing it to see you.”
She pressed her hand against her stomach and tried to stop the smile that threatened. Somehow, she didn’t think saying no was going to be so easy. And come to think of it, she’d never watched a baby before and she’d been trying to calm her nerves all morning. “Have you spent time with any babies before?”
“I’m a baby expert.”
Once again, he was coming to her rescue. “That’s great. Because I’ve never done this before. Why don’t you come to Tracy’s at two?”
“I’ll pick you up instead and we can drive over together.”
She gobbled down a tuna and tomato sandwich, and thought and rethought her babysitting outfit—having Adam see her meant her “relax with a baby” outfit needed serious rethinking—several times before Adam buzzed her apartment intercom.
When she climbed into his car, she did a double take. “You do know we’re watching a baby, right?”
“I didn’t forget,” he said as he pulled away from the curb. “Hello, by the way.”
“You obviously weren’t paying attention, since you’re wearing a white shirt.” She pulled her brown turtleneck toward him. “Brown hides stains best. And hi.”
He shook his head. “Bleach, my friend. There won’t be any problem bleach can’t handle.” His gaze pierced hers. “You look pretty,” he said.
“No I don’t. I look like an overgrown chocolate bar.”
“There is never anything wrong with chocolate,” he said.
She hated when he was right. Dina bit her lip and looked out the window. He apparently was good at laundry. If she were interested in him as a potential boyfriend, that would be a huge plus.
“Dina!” Tracy said as she opened the door, looking like a prisoner about to be sprung from jail. “You brought reinforcements.”
Reinforcements? How much trouble could one miniature person be? “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” she said, pulling her inside and kissing Adam’s cheek. “Thank you both so much for this. Here’s where we’ll be.” She handed Dina a piece of paper with the name and address of three stores and a restaurant. “And here’s her schedule.”
That list was longer. So long, in fact, Dina’s eyes widened as she turned the eight-and-a-half-by-eleven-paper over.
“Mackenzie is sleeping, but I’ll show you where everything is.”
Silently, they got a tour of the apartment and after another ten minutes, Tracy and Joe left. Dina looked at Adam, who smiled.
Flustered, she looked at the list. “It says feed her at one thirty.” She turned and headed toward the baby’s room.
“Wait,” Adam grabbed her arm. “She’s sleeping.”
“But the instructions say to feed her now.”
“Haven’t you ever heard the advice not to wake a sleeping baby?”
“Yes, but I know Tracy. And she wouldn’t give us instructions if she didn’t want us to follow them.”
Adam leaned against the kitchen counter and folded his arms across his chest. “Do you always follow the rules?”
Having shucked his jacket, all that stood between her and his skin—aside from a few feet of air, of course—was a white cotton long-sleeved polo. His stance emphasized his chest and arm muscles and her throat went dry. She shook her head to clear her mind.
“You don’t?” he asked. “Somehow I didn’t picture you as a rule breaker.”
He was talking to her. “Wait, what?”
“Earth to Dina. I asked if you always follow the rules.”
“Oh, um, yeah, usually.”
“Then why did you shake your head no?”
Crap. “I don’t know.”
He took a step toward her, put his arm around her shoulder, and ushered her into the living room. “Okay, it’s obvious you’re getting a little overwhelmed by the baby. Let’s just sit down and wait a little. We can always wake her if we need to, but it’s damn hard to unwake her.”
She let him pull her toward the sofa and she sank into it, running her hand absently over the cloth upholstery. “Maybe I should just call Tracy and ask,” Dina said.
“And make her think we have no idea what we’re doing?”
Something in his face made her think he might not be joking. “Don’t you know what you’re doing?”
“Not a clue,” he said. “But how hard can this be?”
“Wait a minute,” she said, rising and putting her hands on her hips. “I thought you said you were a baby expert!”
“I might have exaggerated a little.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-perfect-deception-the-perfect-match-book-3-by-jennifer-wilck
Author Biography:
Jennifer Wilck is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.
Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t fall asleep at night. Pretty soon, her head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Even as an adult, she thinks about the characters and stories at night before she falls asleep or walking the dog. Eventually, she started writing them down. Her favorite stories to write are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines; handsome, strong and slightly vulnerable heroes; and her stories always end with happily ever after.
In the real world, she’s the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men she knows. She believes humor is the only way to get through the day and does not believe in sharing her chocolate.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://www.jenniferwilck.com