Publisher Description
Ardor Creek, Book 3
It was supposed to be a casual affair…
Dr. Teresa Roe moved from the bustling city to small-town Pennsylvania, hoping the slower pace would help her focus on finding a partner and building a family. Unfortunately, life had other plans, and Teresa finds herself single in her mid-forties, unable to have the children she craves. Determined to focus on the positives, she builds her thriving therapy practice and joins a hook-up app looking for a fun, no-strings-attached affair.
Mark Lancaster has no time to date or cultivate a relationship, so meeting women on hook-up apps is perfect for his busy schedule. When he meets Teresa, he can’t believe his fortune at finding someone so smart, sexy, and funny. In fact, his casual affair with her quickly becomes the highlight of his hectic life.
When Mark decides to run for County District Attorney, his opponent quickly reveals their relationship, spinning their affair as nefarious and creating a scandal that almost derails the campaign. Thankfully, Teresa agrees to enter into a fake engagement, saving him from ruin. But the road to victory isn’t easy, and as they grow closer, the relationship they both swear is casual begins to grow into something real…
Can two fiercely independent souls find true love amidst scandal?
Welcome back to Ardor Creek! If you love fake relationship shenanigans that lead to true love, this audiobook is for you! There are discussions of infertility and domestic abuse so please consider that before you listen. Enjoy!
Customer Reviews
Excellent Narration, Good Book
Narration Review- 5/5
I cannot say enough good things about Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross’ narration. This is also duet, narration which makes for a more immersive listening experience.
Story Review:
MMC/FMC- Mark and Teresa
POV- 3rd person
Genre- Contemporary Romance
Sub Genre- Small Town Romance
Heat level- they do the thing early on and name the parts.
Series? Y
Cliffhanger? N
HEA/HFN? Y
Triggers- Language, Explicit Erotic Content, Abuse, Fertility Issues, The Bachelorette
Tropes- Fake Relationship, Midlife Love
What I liked- I liked that the romantic couple are older! And I liked that there was an HEA, but no miraculous Deus Ex Machina to solve every problem.
What I didn’t- now I’m going to have to watch a Bachelorette marathon….and I’m not a fan of the show.
Verdict- enjoyable. Give it a try.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Awesome Story & Narration🎧 Heartwarming & Riveting!
Ayla Asher takes us back to Ardor Creek with another wonderful romance novel. I am loving this series and it is great to visit Ardor Creek again, it is also great to see the characters from the first two books again too. I highly recommend starting this series from the beginning, not only are the books awesome but some of those characters appear in each others story and it is nice knowing who they are. That said, if you missed the first two books, it would not take away anything from this story. This is a fake relationship turn real type of romance, though it never really felt fake to me. I adored both lead characters, they are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. Mark Lancaster and Dr. Teresa Roe are career orientated, both are in their 40’s and do not have time or patience to date, so they turn to a hookup app instead. The two meet and they are more than comfortable with each other, they find each other attractive and compatible so much so they decide to make a one night no strings attached hookup to a steady two nights a week no strings attached hookup. But their arrangement must end when Mark decides to run for the County District Attorney. He wants the corrupt D.A, James Chisolm out of office. But Chisolm runs a nasty campaign and is out to ruin Mark and doing so includes smearing easy comments about Teresa and her career as a therapist. Mark’s campaign manager has a solution, he just needs to convince Teresa, who wants nothing to do with the limelight, to go along. After consideration Teresa is on board adding in a few of her own conditions. The two strike up a fake engagement and move in together to make it even more convincing. Can these two manage to keep feelings out of their fake relationship that has a time limit? I was rooting for these two, I thought they were great together and for each other. Neither one had time for a relationship, yet their fake one was working out great. But she knows he wants kids and that is not something she can give him, will she sacrifice her own happiness so he could get his. In addition to their romance there are some side stories, including his sister and her abusive husband he wants her and her daughter out of that house and abusive relationship which happens but not in a way you were expecting it happen. This book is so much more than a fake relationship romance, the story is wonderfully plotted with plenty of drama, heartfelt and emotional moments, a touch of angst, some twists and turns and some hot romance. Some serious real life situations are covered and Ayla Asher did a great job covering them while keeping it all real. Thank you for another awesome story and emotional rollercoaster ride, I loved every minute of it!
🎧📚🎧 And for the fabulous narration, Kai Kennicott and Wenn Ross did an awesome job portraying the characters, giving each their own voice and personality. Kai Kennicott played Teresa’s role with perfection, Wen Ross did the same for Mark, both were great performing the roles of the secondary characters too. Their duet performance enhances this story to another level of awesomeness, they capture the chemistry between the characters as well as all their emotions which is reflect in their performance. These fabulously talented narrators are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another awesome listen🎧