Birding with Benefits
A Novel
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
The inspiration behind the Hallmark Channel movie Adventures in Love and Birding.
A divorcee embarks on her “year of yes” and crosses paths with a shy but sensitive birdwatcher who changes her life in this charming rom-com that is perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood.
Newly-divorced, almost-empty-nester Celeste is finally seeking adventure and putting herself first, cliches be damned. So when a friend asks Celeste to “partner” with his buddy John for an event, Celeste throws herself into the role of his temporary girlfriend. But quiet cinnamon roll John isn’t looking for love, just birds—he needs a partner for Tucson’s biggest bird-watching contest if he’s ever going to launch his own guiding business. By the time they untangle their crossed signals, they’ve become teammates…and thanks to his meddling friends, a fake couple.
Celeste can’t tell a sparrow from a swallow, but John is a great teacher, and the hours they spend hiking in the Arizona wilderness feed Celeste’s hunger for new adventures while giving John a chance to practice his dream job. As the two spend more time together, they end up watching more than just the birds, and their chemistry becomes undeniable. Since they’re both committed to the single life, Celeste suggests a status upgrade: birders with benefits, just until the contest is done. But as the bird count goes up and their time together ticks down, John and Celeste will have to decide if their benefits can last a lifetime, or if this love affair is for the birds.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dubb's charming debut finds recently divorced Tucson middle school teacher Celeste Johanssen agreeing to play "partner" to softspoken birder John Maguire. Due to some miscommunication, Celeste thinks she's agreed to be his fake girlfriend, but what John actually needs is a partner for the area's annual Bird Binge birding competition. Though Celeste is way out of her depth among the avian enthusiasts, under John's guidance she quickly develops an affinity for birding, endearing herself to John with her enthusiasm. As they work to show up John's snotty ex Breena by identifying the most species, explosive chemistry builds between Celeste and John. Both love-shy, they agree to a friends-with-benefits arrangement for the duration of the competition, leading to some red-hot love scenes. But can they really keep their feelings out of it? Dubb pulls off the fake-boyfriend trope with ease and mines her own experiences with birding in Tucson to add authenticity to John's passion. Celeste's bestie, Maria, and John's bestie, Chris, steal every scene they're in, adding humor and a sense of community to the romance. Dubb is a writer to watch.
