Yours to Keep, by Shannon Stacey

Emma Shaw is a successful businesswoman stuck between a rock and a hard place. An only child raised by her grandmother, Emma has finally convinced Grandma Shaw to move to Florida and enjoy retirement. But grandma can’t stop worrying about Emma and is contemplating moving back to New Hampshire. So Emma does the only thing she can to ease Grandma Shaw’s mind and to keep her from moving back home, she fakes a fiancé. Unfortunately Emma’s fake fiancé is pretty real, back in town, and not amused by her deception.

Sean Kowalski is finally done with the Army after 12 years and is looking forward to spending time with his family and figuring out what he’s going to do next with his life. After only a few hours in town, Emma Shaw knocks on his door and informs him that they are engaged and grandma is coming to visit for a month. Since Sean is still figuring things out and Emma is more foolish than crazy, he’s willing to play along until Grandma Shaw heads south again. After all, neither of them has anything to lose and everything to gain.

The third in the Kowalski series but the first one I read, Yours to Keep is a wonderful contemporary romance filled with humor, snappy dialogue, and a great cast of secondary characters. It’s not the plot that will keep you engrossed but the great romantic tension that is built as Emma and Sean try to figure out how to be a convincing couple while remaining strictly platonic. Their banter will keep you on your toes, and you’ll love how Stacey incorporates clan Kowalski into the mix to show how great family can be while being a complete pain in the derriere at the same time.  Shannon Stacey is an author to watch.

Check the WRL catalog for Yours to Keep.