From the publisher:
All of the fun, none of the heartache…as long as they stick to the agreement.
The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…
Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving in to Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog, who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.
“Claire and Graham’s chemistry jumps off the page…Friends-to-lovers fans are sure to be pleased.” —Publishers Weekly
https://amzn.to/3swBkpK
This was my first read from this author, and it was really good! I was surprised to learn it is the second book of the series, so I will have to go back and read the first book, Would You Rather.
This books turns the time-honored tradition of “if we’re still single by 40, we’ll get married,” into if we’re still single, we’ll hook up; a friends with benefits situation. The friends are Claire, an emergency room nurse, and Graham, a firefighter. Graham is also a thrill seeker – when he’s not fighting fires, he’s off rock climbing and participating in any kind of risky, dangerous outdoor sport. They share an apartment with another roommate and Graham’s little dog, who seems to hate Claire.
Claire lost her father fairly young, and she is averse to any kind of risk-taking because of that. That’s why she won’t agree to marrying Graham. But when he is seriously injured in a rock climbing accident, she immediately jumps into her caretaker role, even though the dog doesn’t want her around. As they spend time together, Graham realizes he is falling in love with Claire, and as much as Claire is attracted to Graham, she is more afraid of losing him to another accident and refuses to get more involved. She may be guarding her heart, but the heart wants what it wants, and rest assured, Claire & Graham find their happily every after.
If you are a fan of first responders, (and really who isn’t?!) and sassy dogs, this is your book. There were a lot of laughs in this sweet rom-com, and it was a very enjoyable read.
8/2023 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
THE ROOMMATE PACT by Allison Ashley. MIRA; Original edition (August 1, 2023). ISBN: 978-0778334248. 320p.
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