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Until It Gets Real

by Carolyn Brown

A workplace ruse with real-life stakes

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A workplace ruse with real-life stakes

On a construction crew where Lottie is the only woman, a pretend relationship with Knox offers a way to discourage unwanted attention—and gives him a reason to fend off his aunt’s matchmaking. Their arrangement becomes harder to keep at a distance as shared workdays bring them closer. The central tension extends beyond whether the romance is genuine: Lottie’s job will take her far from Knox’s small-town roots, putting questions of place and commitment alongside the fake-dating setup. The story combines contemporary romance conventions with a construction-site workplace and a practical conflict over where a shared future might be built.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers who enjoy contemporary romance built around a fake-dating arrangement.
  • Readers interested in workplace settings and romantic relationships shaped by career demands.
  • Readers who enjoy small-town romance and questions of settling down.

Themes

Fake datingWorkplace relationshipsUnwanted attention at workCareer and commitmentSmall-town roots

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Caution: Fake relationship in progress. Try not to fall in love.

Charlotte "Lottie" Johnston, the only woman on her construction crew, has had enough of the catcalls, teasing, and flirting from the men on her team. So when she spots Knox Callahan on the job site, she hatches a plan: a fake boyfriend arrangement to keep the guys in line.

Knox agrees. After all, pretending to date Lottie might also keep his meddling Aunt Bernie from setting him up with a date every weekend. What starts as a simple arrangement soon is anything but as the crew looks for signs to prove Lottie and Knox are pretending.

Between long workdays, shared lunches, and stolen laughs, their make-believe romance begins to feel dangerously real. But while Knox's roots are planted deep in small-town soil, Lottie's work will send her hours and miles away. Settling down in one place might be scary, but that's what it will take to build a life together.

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