Lights, camera, lies.
Kerry Pickering has a problem. As a publicist for Hollywood bad boy Jericho Knox, it’s Kerry’s job to keep Jericho in the news. So far, Jericho’s partying and public escapades have made it easy. But Jericho has a secret, and when that secret is revealed in the most spectacularly disastrous way, it’s up to Kerry to spin it.
The team decides the best course of action is to make the public fall in love—with Jericho’s secret committed relationship. The one that doesn’t exist. Yet.
The team wants someone they can trust. Someone in the inner circle. That someone is Kerry. But what will happen when Kerry realizes that for him, the romance is no longer pretend? Can Jericho love him back, or is he just playing a role?
MJ’s Tropes of the Summer
Hey Everyone!!
This is MJ O’Shea talking about one of my favorite subjects… romance novel tropes 😉 I have a few tropes that I’ll always love (best friends to lovers… probably not a shock if you’ve read my books) but some come and go and I have a few that I’m totally digging at the moment!
Rivals to lovers Oh yes. Give me the athletes who want to beat each other in the arena but fall for each other off of it. There isn’t a ton of it out there but I’m definitely feeling the Olympic spirit haha!
Secret Identity Always but especially working for me right now. Is he a spy? Is he royalty? Is he a vampire… I love that moment of discovery for the other character and I never get tired of reading, or writing it. Double points if neither main character is aware of who/what one of them is and they both find out during the course of the book.
And lately I’ve been into Secret Babies. That’s become a thing. Again, I love that moment when the character finds out he’s been a father all this time and he didn’t know it. It’s satisfying to see the emotion that he goes through.
Marriage of Inconvenience actually doesn’t have any of these things…but I do love a good fake relationship to love story too. The building chemistry, the is he or isn’t he? I had a ton of fun writing it.
Here’s a tiny bit from that book! Kerry the publicist slash new fake fiancé is about to make his first formal show…
* * * *
One thing he didn’t expect was… this. He was in his room at Jericho’s house, with Tara and Abby hovering nearby examining him, acting as stylists. They’d brought over a suit earlier, one that had been painstakingly tailored to play up every one of his best assets and probably cost more than a couple months of his rent. The suit was dark charcoal gray with tiny ecks of an almost shimmery pale gray and the shirt underneath was a vibrant fuchsia that they’d chosen because of how it would show off his pale skin and dark hair.
“You look gorgeous, babe,” Tara said. “Everyone’s going to drool.”
“What’s Jericho wearing?” he asked.
“Black and white with a pocket square to match your shirt.”
“Seriously?”
Tara grinned. “Yes. We want to present a cohesive team with you two. It’ll be romantic.”
“You don’t think it’s corny?” Kerry thought it was corny.
“No. You two will be perfect together.”
Kerry wasn’t so sure about that. They were pretty much toxic together, no matter what the public seemed to see in carefully set up pictures. They could pull it off one snap at a time, but how the hell were they going to act like a loving, comfortable, engaged couple live, on video, for the entire length of the red carpet?
“You ready?” Jericho asked from the door.
Kerry nearly swallowed his tongue. Jericho always looked hot, annoyingly so, but with a suit and his hair pulled back so perfectly, he looked like a god. Kerry hated that he was so attracted to him. At least in his moments of weakness.
“I’m ready.”
As ready as I’m going to be.
* * * *
That’s all!! Thank you for letting me stop by! I’ll leave my social media links below I’m always up for a chat.
xoxo
MJ O’Shea
Amazon
ARe
Dreamspinner Press
MJ O’Shea has never met a music festival, paintbrush, or flower crown she can stay away from. She loves rainstorms and a perfect cup of tea, beach days, music, bright colors, and more than anything a cozy evening with a really great book.
She is from the Pacific Northwest. While she still lives there and loves it, MJ has the heart of a wanderer. She she puts all her dreams of far off places and extraordinary people in her books.
Except for every once in a while when she does what all travelers have to do on occasion…come home.
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