Love You, Mean It
A Novel
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- 119,00 kr
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- 119,00 kr
Utgivarens beskrivning
A playful romantic comedy featuring dueling delis, fake dating, a shockingly awesome ex, and just the right amount of amnesia
“[A] delightfully tropey rom-com . . . This is a sweet confection.”—Publishers Weekly
Ellie Greco wishes she weren’t stuck in Milborough. For a few brief, shining years, she escaped her hometown to pursue her dream career—designing beautiful, elaborate costumes for theater—until her father's death five years ago called her home to run the family's decades-old deli. Yes, she loves the place, but she’d always thought she was meant for more exciting things than stocking the right tinned fish. But when Ellie hears that a local landlord is planning to rent to Mangia, the glitzy gourmet food department store, the very existence of Greco’s Deli is suddenly in jeopardy.
She tries to plead her case to Theo Taylor, scion of the property management firm that is about to put her out of business, but their meeting goes from bad (it’s not her fault he’s infuriating) to worse (no one expects the ceiling to literally fall in).
With Theo out cold, Ellie panics and claims to be his fiancée . . . and almost passes out herself when amnesia means Theo seems to actually believe her. Soon, the effects of the head injury wear off, but Theo proposes that their “engagement” stick around. If they manage to convince enough people, they might both get what they want: an end to the Mangia deal. Ellie doesn’t trust him (after all, if Theo Taylor wants it, how can it be good for her?) but seeing no other option, she reluctantly agrees.
And miraculously, the fake engagement seems to be working—even Ted, Theo’s shrewd, cold father seems convinced—that is, until Sam, Theo’s ex-fiancée, reappears on the scene. Not only does she see through their ruse, but she proposes an arrangement of her own, forcing Ellie to decide between a blossoming friendship, her family legacy, and the burgeoning romance she frankly never asked for.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With this delightfully tropey rom-com, Gagnon (Scenes of the Crime) introduces Ellie Greco, who returns to her hometown of Milborough, Mass., from New York City to run her family's decades-old deli after the death of her father. Upon learning that Taylor Property Management is planning to make a deal to entice an upscale Italian grocer to town, Ellie sets out to stop the scheme before it can put the deli out of business. Her meeting with Theo Taylor, son of the property management firm's CEO, ends in disaster, however, when a freak accident lands Theo in the hospital with a head injury. A panicked Ellie tells the EMTs that she's his fiancée so she can stay with him—only for Theo to wake up with amnesia and believe her lie. Theo's memory soon returns, but he proposes they maintain their fake engagement to stop his father from going through with the grocery deal, believing that Ellie will have more sway as Theo's fiancée. Fake dating gives rise to attraction and intimacy, and Gagnon expertly combines humor and tenderness as this unlikely couple discovers hidden depths in each other. This is a sweet confection.