Her Pretend Christmas Date

Book excerpt: She’s home for the holidays with her starchy fake boyfriend… Although she’s the fun and outgoing one, Julie Tam has always lived in the shadow of her older sister, Charlotte. Now Charlotte has a good career and a great boyfriend whom their parents love, and Julie has neither of those things. Her blind date with Tom Yeung is disastrous; however, he’s exactly the sort of guy her parents would like—a methodical, strait-laced pharmacist who even folds his underwear and wears paisley ties. So, she pretends they’re a couple to impress Mom and Dad in their phone conversations. When her mother insists that Julie bring Tom to her hometown for Christmas, Tom, who has no plans for the holidays, agrees. But Julie doesn’t know how she’ll tolerate a whole weekend in his company, especially when they have to share a bed and participate in a gingerbread house competition together. The man is irritatingly proper and set in his ways. Except after hours of baking and skating and opening presents, she’s starting to find Tom annoyingly attractive and even endearing. And now, she doesn’t want this holiday weekend to end… * * * Jackie Lau writes soft and steamy romances with Asian characters. This novella is part of the Cider Bar Sisters series, a collection of interconnected standalones about friends who regularly meet up at a cider bar in Toronto. 1. Her Big City Neighbor 2. His Grumpy Childhood Friend 2.5 Her Pretend Christmas Date 3. The Professor Next Door 4. Her Favorite Rebound 5. Her Unexpected Roommate Also available in audio. Read by Emily Woo Zeller. KEYWORDS: Christmas romance, holiday romance, fake dating, novella, Asian hero, Asian heroine, Asian romance, rom-com, romantic comedy, contemporary romance, steamy romance, Canadian romance, opposites attract, baking, ice skating, bad first date, happy ending