Do to damage control with the person you and your family despise the most…

Synopsis

Rhiannon
I walked out of my wedding and straight into the arms of a stranger.
One night. No names. No regrets.
Until I find out who he really is—Robert McAllister, the investigative journalist who nearly destroyed my family. Now the tabloids think we’re a couple, and the only way to control the chaos is to fake-date the man my whole family hates.
Smile for the cameras. Lie through your teeth. Try not to punch him in the throat.And whatever you do, don’t fall for the enemy.

Robert
Sleeping with Rhiannon Morrigan hours after she jilted her fiancé wasn’t my smartest move.
She’s a rugby icon. A walking headline. Off-limits in every way, and the one subject I swore I wouldn’t write about. But my editor’s ultimatum is clear—write her story or lose my job. Now we’re faking it for the press, and I’m holding the biggest scoop of my career…

If I write it, I’ll lose her.
If I don’t, I might lose everything else.

My review

After discovering the betrayal of her fiancé and her supposed best friend, Rhiannon choses to expose them on her own wedding day. Together with her sisters, she decides to let some steam off and she ends up acting out of character and has one steamy night with a complete stranger. So many people have nights with complete strangers, with no regrets and no one exposing the fling on the tabloids. Weren’t it that Rhiannon is a rugby icon, and her family name Morrigan is known by every rugby fan over the world. And that the man she spent the night with, is her family’s worst enemy, investigative journalist Rober McAllister. Robert, who has made it his mission to expose everyone who isn’t clean in the sports world. And his eyes are set on the Morrigan family for a while. So Rhiannon is off – limits in so many different ways… However, when Rhiannon needs him to control the chaos that erupted, Robert agrees to fake – date her. And when his own editor demands from Robert to write a story about Rhiannon, Robert does not know what to do, write a scoop and lose the frail relationship that is building, or lose not only his job, but everything else?

I got to know this amazing author with her books about hockey players. And I loved every story so far. Even with her other nickname, and not – hockey – related books, she got me hooked. So with now expanding the horizon towards rugby, I was more curious than other times.

And also with rugby, I have to admit that even if my sister – in – law is a big fan of it, I don’t know much about it. I just see the players running, jumping on each other, and a weird shaped ball… Don’t ask me about the rules, because I just don’t know! 😊

Even if I didn’t know anything about rugby, I felt an immediate connection with Rhiannon. Not because we have a lot in common, as our worlds couldn’t be more different. Yet there was something in Rhiannon’s character that resounded very loudly with me. I cannot pinpoint exactly what, but I just clicked with her.

I am single at the moment, but is there a bigger betrayal than discovering that your fiancé and your friend are hooking up together? My heart broke for Rhiannon, but at the same time I also admired her. Because she has planned to expose their betrayal in front of anyone, at the actual wedding! You need some big balls for that!😊

What saddened me also, was reading how she didn’t get the support from her father. Because yes, the humiliation is there, but as a father, a parent, you have to stand by your daughter’s side and protect her from the person that harmed her.

Luckily, Rhiannon has the best sisters and *real* friends in the world. They support her through the worst day of her life. They for sure know how to put a smile on Rhiannon’s face, and mine too! And they are always there for Rhiannon, also seeing through the ‘lies’ Rhiannon tries to tell them. This shows how well they all know each other and as they don’t judge her, just how much they love her.

Now, I am not the kind of person to have a fling for just one night, that is just not my cup of tea. But I can understand why people have them, and I could understand Rhiannon needing to feel different. Although, perhaps there would have been a better location, and a more laid – back outfit 😊.

And hooking up with a complete stranger, you never know who you have in front of you… And in Rhiannon’s case, she couldn’t have picked a worse match. Or for book – purposes, a better match 😊.

Not that Robert is a bad person, but being an investigative journalist, having already haunted Rhiannon’s family, he not exactly persona grata in the family…

And he also has a big baggage of his own, with he still hasn’t come completely to terms with, and his past is still haunting him, on so many several levels.

Obviously he knows who Rhiannon is, and even if he knows that hooking up would be a terrible idea, he just cannot resists Rhiannon. And I cannot blame him! 😊

Of course we know that their fling will come out, and that they will have to start fake – dating. Yet there is always the curiosity of reading how it all will start, will they get along at least at some level, or are they enemies from the very start? So many questions, and the only way to get answers, is just keep reading!

Rhiannon and Robert have their own agenda of why agreeing to the fake – dating, and in a way it angered me. Because, why should a woman be brought to shame of having a fling, after being betrayed? Especially if it were a man instead of Rhiannon, nobody would care, or worse, they would applaud him…

And Robert is forced to write an article about Rhiannon, which he absolutely does not want to write. Not only would he lose his job if he refuses, but he is also partnered up with the scumbaggiest of scumbags…

Both of them have a lot at stake, and they want to pretend when needed, but they want to keep their distance, for self-preservation. They don’t want to show the real Rhiannon and Robert to each other, out of fear. And that is somehow the red thread throughout the whole story, the fear of being just Rhiannon and Robert. And not only towards each other, but also to others, even their loved ones.

And that saddened me a little bit, because no matter what you have been through, are going through, what your baggage is, you should be able to be just yourself, to know who you are.

What I liked in this book especially, is reading how Rhiannon learns to talk and help Robert with his disability. His disability is not a secret, as you can clearly see it on the cover. It is easy to pity someone like him, but Robert makes it clear to Rhiannon and the readers too, that pity is the last thing that is needed. And he explains very clearly what the do’s and don’ts are. Because just because you want to help out, doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. And that was very informative and eye-opening too.

And also, we see how the right support can make you believe in yourself more, and understand yourself more. Because Rhiannon is a great player, but also very much under the influence and pressure of her own father. And Robert makes her understand that she is great, but that is on her, even without her father she would be awesome. And Rhiannon learns in this book to go more with her own gut feeling. And she knows that Robert will be in her corner. Isn’t that a great thought, knowing that you will always have someone ready to fight with you?

There are of course dilemmas in this book, to let the other one in, or keep your distance? Be loyal to your editor, trainer, manager, or trust your own (gut) feelings? So many issues are addressed in this book, and the amazing Queen that Las is, lets the main character go through the whole process, even if they are filled with doubting thoughts.

This was once again a marvellous story, about how life can break you, but also how with the right people surrounding you, you can become a stronger version of yourself. And yes, of course there is some spice in it. But in a way, those heated moments weren’t doing it for me, but the growing mutual respect, understanding and care between Rhiannon and Robert did more to me than any spice between them ever could…