Title: Home Is Where You Park It

Series: Bluebell Band of Brothers #3

Author: Marika Ray

Genre: Steamy Romantic Comedy

Tropes: Big boy bossy hero, one bed, fake relationship with benefits, best friend’s older brother, enemies to lovers

Release Date: January 11, 2024

Photographer: J. Ashley Converse Photography

Cover Model: Victor

Cover Design: Jennifer Olson

He’s a giant of a man who grunts for words and barks out orders, yet circumstances require I be his fake girlfriend and spend the weekend with him in an isolated cabin.

And of course there’s only one bed. Just my luck…

But I need this commission check that only Boston can guarantee me. So I hike up the mountain ’til I can’t feel my legs, eat questionable canned beans for sustenance, and vow to simply ignore him for two days. What I didn’t count on was a freak blizzard to lock us in the cabin for a bit longer. I also didn’t expect to discover that beneath all those muscles and long hair and smoldery looks, Boston has a soft heart and a sad past that makes me itch to fix it.

And of course we have to snuggle to preserve body heat. My luck is turning…

We find more—ahem—creative ways to pass the time, and holy snowstorm is Boston creative! We both know this charade ends when we get off the mountain, so we use our time together wisely.

Turns out there’s one final twist: he’s my best friend’s estranged brother. Yep, my luck has officially run out…

“Do we need to call a snow plow?” I asked.

Boston stomped his feet and then shed a few of his outer layers by the door. He ran a hand through his hair and then pulled it back into a knot on the back of his head. He still didn’t answer when he came to sit in the rickety chair across from me.

“No snow plow.”

I smiled. “Oh good. You think most of it will have melted by tomorrow morning?”

Boston looked at me and then his gaze dropped to the scarred tabletop. “Uh, no. I was able to see down the mountain enough to know the bridge is mostly washed out and we got about a foot of snow. Maybe less lower on the mountain.”

The food in my mouth tasted like chalk. “A foot?”

Boston’s jaw clenched and he brought his gaze back to me. “We can’t hike out in a foot of snow. And with the bridge uncertainty, there’s no way we can get back without help.”

The pastry fell from my hand and broke apart on the table. “I’m sorry. I was hallucinating and thought you just said there’s no way we can get back.”

Boston put his hand on mine, smothering it with heat. “We can and we will get back. It just won’t be tomorrow.”

My mouth dropped open. This was not part of the plan. I wasn’t a wilderness girl. I couldn’t use an outhouse for longer than a day or two without surely losing my mind. I was built for afternoon coffee dates, and girls’ night at a bar, and dinner “al fresco” in my world meant eating out on the patio right on Main Street where cars driven by friends honked at you to say hello.

Boston’s thumb began to sweep up and down my arm. His eyes warmed but his jaw never unclenched. “I won’t sugarcoat the situation, Audrey. I’ll always tell you the honest truth, even if you don’t like it. What I’ll also do is get us out of here. You can count on that.”

Marika Ray is a USA Today bestselling author of steamy and sweet RomComs, spending her time behind a computer crafting stories, walking any beach she can find, and making healthy food for her kids and husband whether they like it or not. Prior to writing novels, Marika held various jobs in the finance industry, with private start-up companies, and then in health & fitness. Cats may have nine lives, but Marika believes everyone should have nine careers to keep things spicy. All her books come with a money-back guarantee that you’ll smile at least once with every book.

More information can be found at www.marikaray.com

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