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The Real Thing (Sugar Lake Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Melissa Foster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,709 ratings
Editors' pick Best Romance
See all formats and editions

Bakery owner Willow Dalton’s friendship with Zane Walker has always been a bit complicated. Now a scrumptiously hot A-list actor, Zane’s always had a reputation as a player. He’s arrogant, and he’s definitely not boyfriend material. Sure, he did Willow a favor by agreeing to take her virginity before college, but is that reason enough for her to go along with a fake engagement a decade later—even if it comes with a real diamond ring?

Zane should have known better. Nothing involving Willow has ever been easy. Still, he knows her better than anyone, and becoming America’s hottest new leading man means cleaning up his reputation. An “engagement” to curvy, sass-mouthed Willow is the perfect PR move—provided no one gets hurt.

Now Zane and Willow’s little white lie has turned into an irresistible recipe for sweet temptation. And soon no one will be able to tell the difference between their fake engagement and the real thing—including them.

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    Sugar Lake
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Montlake Romance
  6. Publication date
    September 5, 2017
  7. File size
    2280 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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  1. “But if you both make an effort, you grow together, not apart. You’ve got this, Liz. Be happy.”
    Highlighted by 135 Kindle readers
  2. ‘A player will play while he’s searching for his soul mate, and then they’re all in.’
    Highlighted by 126 Kindle readers
  3. “Promise me you won’t hate me for being weak. You’ve always owned me.”
    Highlighted by 119 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engaging, humorous banter between characters and lively, engaging storytelling are the highlights of Foster’s latest romance. Fans of Foster will not be disappointed.” —RT Book Reviews

“The Real Thing is like the perfect dessert—sweet and satisfying with a touch of spice!” —New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst

“Sizzling hot and so much fun! The Real Thing is a must read for romance lovers!” —New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis

“If you love the small town romances written by Donna Alward, Kristan Higgins, and Laura Trentham—you will adore Melissa Foster’s The Real Thing!” —Lady Celeste Reads Romance

About the Author

Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than sixty-five books. Her novels have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, the Patriot, and more. She has also painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.

She enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and she welcomes an invitation to your event. Visit Melissa on her website, www.MelissaFoster.com, or chat with her on Twitter @melissa_foster and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N232BRC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Montlake Romance (September 5, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2280 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,709 ratings

About the author

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Melissa Foster

Melissa Foster

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NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Download FREE first in series! www.MelissaFoster.com/LIBFree

Never miss a release and get a FREE Braden/Remington short story! Sign up for Melissa's newsletter: www.MelissaFoster.com/Newsletter

Melissa writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa's fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big-family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summers, Bayside Summers, Harborside Nights, Wild Boys and Bad Boys After Dark, Tru Blue and the Whiskeys, the Wickeds, and the Montgomerys. Melissa's emotional journeys are always family oriented. Perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy and blue-collar heroes and smart, sassy, and empowered heroines with complex and relatable issues.

Melissa also writes sweet romance with no harsh language or explicit scenes under the pen name Addison Cole.

Melissa's interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and enjoying beach life on Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.

"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" -NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely

"With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!" -NYT Bestseller Julie Kenner

"What sets Melissa Foster apart are her compelling characters who you care about... desperately. I dare you to read the first chapter and not be hooked." NYT bestseller, M.J. Rose

"You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak

"Melissa Foster is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Fated For Love was amazing. It kind of reminds me of Jill Shalvis' books and they are my benchmark for contemporary romance awesomeness." --Books Like Breathing

Comments from Melissa:

I grew up in Maryland with my mother, a slew of wonderful brothers, and never a shortage of friends or pets. I am passionate about writing, reading, living healthy, and helping others do the same, and I enjoy just about anything outdoors (and anything chocolate!). I love to chat with readers and book clubs, and welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me. You can also catch me on Facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor.

Thanks for reading!

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
6,709 global ratings
Zane and Willow 💙
4 Stars
Zane and Willow 💙
I really enjoyed Zane and Willow's story. It had some of my favorite tropes brother's best friend, fake relationship and friends to lovers. Willow has been crushing on Zane for years and was heartbroken when he left town 10 years ago. But they have always kept in touch with each other. So when he needs someone to help clean up his playboy image he asks Willow to be his fake fiancee. As time passes we learn about their past and how they truly feel about each other. Zane is such a sweetheart always thinking about Willow's safety and comfort. I love it when the guy confesses his feelings first. I loved watching them figure out how they were going to make their relationship work. A good read!
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Top reviews from the United States

Ann Bingham
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2022
Verified Purchase
Read it from beginning to end in one day. Love the characters! Beautiful love story.

She had a crush on him since she was a teenager. He had a crush on her too, but she was his best friends little sister. Totally off limits. But when she asks him to take her v card before she goes away to college, he can't say no. She also had a set of rules they had to follow, crazy rules, like don't fall for each other, no feelings. The crazy thing is they both developed feelings but didn't tell each other. Yet somehow they remained friends, best friends. Years later, he has a crazy plan for her to be his fake fiance to make his reputation better. Will she agree and can they pull it off? Will they realize they both still have feelings for one another?
One person found this helpful
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Danielle
4.0 out of 5 stars This is how you do a great romance
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
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4.75 stars

I loved this so much. This was so good. There was all this lovely tension surrounding Willow and Zane as they were reunited again after circumstances separated them. There misunderstanding of the past, which lead to great angst. The connection they had was incredible. It had the perfect amount of spice and emotion. The love between them was fantastic and so very real. The way they showed their love for each other was amazing especially Zane’s gestures. The level of intimacy and affection between them was phenomenal. There were just so many more things that I could rave. I just adored how their love story played out on the page. It was great.
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Deb
5.0 out of 5 stars Real thing
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2024
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Zane has been in love with Willow his whole life. It has taken them years but he has finally decided its now…. they make some really big mistakes but he isn’t
walking away from her this time. Willow is his end game, his forever
One person found this helpful
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PamD
5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect situation to reconnect with her dropped in his lap
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2017
Verified Purchase
Remember that first time? The hopes, the dreams, the feelings! Remember how long that mood stayed with you? Willow Dalton tried to control it. She asked her friend Zane Walker to be her "first" & then forget about it. No special feelings involved, just one night. She screwed up though. She fell for him. He stopped texting and her heart was crushed. In every encounter after then, she's guarded her heart by being sassy & snarky towards him. Now he wants her to be his pretend fiancée to clean up his image. Can she keep herself safe through that? Can she keep up a lie to her family for that long?

Zane Walker is now a Hollywood leading man but he never forgot Willow. A perfect situation to reconnect with her dropped in his lap. A focus group said he needed to clean up his image & date someone nice. Zane took it a step further thinking that if he could get Willow to open up, he could express his feelings. He's been in love with her since that night years ago. His life feels empty. He has everything he's dreamed of except her. Can he get Willow to ignore his image as a playboy? Will she fall in love with him?

OMG, I love Zane! So many times, the girl falls in love & the guy wants a one nighter. Not in a book by Melissa Foster! She's flipped it around to Willow wanting the one night stand, Zane in love with her for years & both of them suffering for years. The characters are well defined & the reader is given a good look at the characters for the rest of the series. The Dalton's love to give each other crap but support each other through thick & thin. I loved the interaction between Willow & Remi when they first meet. I am not going to leave spoilers but I had to laugh! I can't wait for the next book! I would recommend this book to all contemporary romance lovers that like their stories with spice & heat. There is some dirty language & sex but that isn't the focus of the story.
8 people found this helpful
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Reese
3.0 out of 5 stars Ahhhh now I get it
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2021
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I was looking for something quick and light to listen to while I was at work, so my co worker picked The Real Thing. I ended up keeping it on while I was cleaning and finished it the same day. I actually really enjoyed this story way more than I thought I would. It's got so many troupes I love (childhood friends to lovers, brothers best friend, only one bed, fake relationship 🙌🏾❤ ), the heroine is curvy and not ashamed (I mean she has moments when she's a little self conscious but the hero is a movie star, I'd be self conscious too), she is sweet, driven I enjoyed her as a heroine. I liked the hero as well. He is a movie star, but he has been obsessed with the heroine for years. I'm sure it's because I'm plus size myself but I love reading about the hero being absolute trash for their plus size love. Back on February I read Call her Mine by the same author and I felt like I was missing something, turns out it's this series. This series sets up that series, and now that I see where it started I'm way more interested in continuing on. This is the second book I've read by Melissa Foster and I will say that I feel like as far as romance and chemistry go both of the books I've read by this author are almost the same. They are very steamy, quick reads. It's almost like reading the same book with some changes. I hope the rest of the series doesn't feel this way. I'm sure it's because both stories are a small town, childhood friend's to lovers, mutual pinning situation, but we shall see.
4 people found this helpful
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Gillek2
5.0 out of 5 stars Willow and Zane!
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2018
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Willow’s brother Ben and Zane were best friends while they were growing up and Ben was actually closer to her family than his own. Before she went to college she asked Ben to be her first and he agreed. She had a definite plan on how it would happen and how they would handle the aftermath however neither counted on how it would affect them and the feelings they had for each other.

Zane is a star in Hollywood however he is trying to branch out into romantic comedies but in order to do that he has been advised that he needs a girlfriend to clean up his image. Since he did her a favor all those years ago he decides to ask Willow to be his fiancée and it is only a matter of time before all the secrets and feelings of the past resurface but this time around will they be able to work through their misunderstandings?

This is a second chance romance between two friends which is filled with heat and humor. Once Zane decides that they belong together he will not let anything stand in his way and will do anything to convince his girl.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Vimla
4.0 out of 5 stars Fell in Love with Love
Reviewed in India on October 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
A beautiful love story. Well written, characters woven into the scheme of the narrative seamlessly. Only one thing I do not agree with and hope Melissa reads my review. I do not understand why lack of ambition or poverty should be a flaw of the magnitude it is mentioned in the book with respect to Zane’s parents that he cuts off ties with them. It is admirable that he appreciates the love given to him by the Dalton’s, but to be judgemental about his parents poverty is giving out a very wrong message. One would understand if due to circumstances, Zane had been abused or starved or neglected which wasn’t the case. Also, when he did well in life, Zane didn’t appear to try to help his parents live a better life or even interact with them. His determination to succeed stems from his childhood so in a way he has to thank the same.
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Fee
5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Thing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2017
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One thing I love most about Melissa is her ability to write the most sweet & sexy romance novels, and even better second chance romances, and if The Real Thing is anything to go by Sugar Lake is going to be a great series for Melissa to add to her already amazing collection of books.

Willow Dalton & Zane Walker have been friends since childhood, and secretly loved each other from afar all these years. Before Willow headed to collage she enlisted Zane to take her virginity so she could away to collage a “woman” – she said there would be no strings attached and he was more than happy to oblige. Over the years they have kept in touch, with some flirting along the way, but it was always Willow who held back.

Now Zane is back in town with a proposition for Wills – as he nicknamed her – a proposition of a fake engagement to him for a few weeks as a publicity stunt thought up by his PR to gain him more exposure as a romantic actor, then once it over they go back to their respective lives. Willow naturally is against it at first as she is very close to her family and they will raise all sort of questions about the sudden engagement, but Zane seems to have it all planned out.

The lines begin to get blurred between fake and real and you are left wondering just how this is going to play out. It is clear that Zane & Willow want to be together and they he has thought of her for year, but as I said before it was Willow who held back – can this be the prefect ruse to bring them together again for real?

The banter between them both is brilliant and real, there are time when they are annoying and their are time when the lines blur and no one know what is real or fake, over all this is a great story from Melissa and I can not wait to read more from the Sugar Lake series!
8 people found this helpful
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Nic Elizabeth
5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Love Found
Reviewed in Australia on July 7, 2022
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Willow and Zane make you melt and say awe….a great read for filling up the love bug! Fall in love all over again with this story.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2024
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It lost a star. Because some places it did drag on Saying that it was still good
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Ulla Herlev
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 2, 2017
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Great read just like all Melissa Foster's book are
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