SCANDALOUS ENGAGEMENT – Jules Bennett
Lockwood Lightning , Book 3
Harlequin Desire #2741
ISBN: 978-1-335-20917-7
June 2020
Contemporary Series Romance

Sandpiper Cove, North Carolina – Present Day

Josie Coleman and Reese Conrad have been best friends for several years now. They've stood beside each other as they experience the highs and lows of life. Josie recently divorced, but her ex, Chris, wants her back, even though she's made it clear to him that she's not interested. One day while Reese is there, Chris stops by with his usual pleas. Reese steps in, informing Josie's ex that he and Josie are now engaged. She is stunned at first, but soon realizes that pretending to be engaged could be the only thing to get her ex to leave her alone.

Reese is protective of Josie and wishes he could do more, like smash Chris' nose, but pretending to be engaged should do the trick. After word leaks out that they're engaged, they decide to let it play out for a while. But since Josie and Reese are an engaged couple, that means they will have to exchange a kiss…or two. It's then that they both realize how sexually attracted they are to each other. Will things go beyond kisses?

Reese is dealing with some recent news about his real father and hasn't yet told Josie that he learned that he was adopted and has two half-brothers. The plan for the newly discovered brothers is to confront their father and make him admit he fathered them. As Reese makes plans to meet with his brothers in Tennessee, he's distracted by his feelings for Josie. She is beautiful and smart—a perfect match for him—but should he risk their friendship by having an affair with her? Marriage is not something he's planned for his future.

Josie is a web influencer and fairly well known.  When the news of her engagement gets out, the press and others descend on her and want to interview her. How can she stand by Reese's side and pretend to be in love with him? Or, will she soon realize that she is really in love with him? They have maintained a friendship for years, but now will it turn into the real thing? Will her ex finally give up on his quest for them to reunite, and if so, will Reese and Josie then “mutually” break up?

The final book in the Lockwood Lightning series that focused on the three men who discovered they were half-brothers; SCANDALOUS ENGAGEMENT is a sensuous and entertaining tale. Josie and Reese are captivating as a couple and they're friends first and lovers second. Will marriage be on the horizon soon? Don't miss SCANDALOUS ENGAGEMENT.

Patti Fischer