On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Coming Home to You
(A True North Hero #3)
By M. K. Stelmack
Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 384 pages
October 2nd 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming
She wants a temporary fake romance
Can he make it real…and forever?
Driving across the country in an RV with her terminally ill godmother was not Daphne Merlotte’s idea. Nor was crashing the RV into a small-town coffee shop, nearly hitting local good guy Mel Greene. Now Daphne will do anything to keep her godmother from continuing the trip–even asking Mel to be her fake boyfriend. But there’s nothing fake about Mel’s intentions–he wants a real romance!
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Other Books in the Series
About the Author
M. K. Stelmack writes contemporary romances set in Spirit Lake which is closely based on the small town in Alberta, Canada, where she lives with pets who outnumber the humans three to one, and where dust bunnies run unchecked. She aims to tell stories that don’t shy away from the tough questions but still leave readers feeling uplifted. She is the author of two previous Harlequin Heartwarming titles, A Roof Over Their Heads and Building a Family. She loves hearing from readers. Find her at her website or on Facebook
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Tour Schedule
October 1st:
Launch
Katie’s Clean Book Collection
Nicole’s Book Musings
Book by Book
October 2nd:
Reading Is My SuperPower
underneath the covers
Rockin’ Book Reviews
October 3rd:
E-Romance News
My Devotional Thoughts
Heidi Reads…
October 4th:
Handcrafted Reviews
Remembrancy
It’s All About the Romance
October 5th:
Hearts & Scribbles
Christy’s Cozy Corners
Teatime and Books
Book Lover in Florida
October 6th:
Grand Finale
Tour Giveaway
1 winner will receive ebooks of A Roof Over Their Heads and Building a Family plus a $25 Amazon e-Gift Card
Open internationally
Ends October 10th
~ Guest Post ~
7 Tips to Making a Fake Romance Real According to Mel
(A fictitious reprint of an article to appear in the Valentine edition of the local community magazine.)
Just to be clear, I’m not an advocate of faking anything, especially love, so I’d better give a bit of a background here. I’d met Daphne only twice before—once when her godmother rammed their RV into the local Tim Hortons and the second time later that day when I drove her back from the hospital. The third time was nearly a week later when I was sitting in their RV, waiting on lemonade Daphne was making. Things were a tetch touchy between the two of them and I admit to voicing a cross word at Fran, the godmother, for her uncalled-for rudeness to Daphne. But I felt stunned—like I’d fallen clear off a roof I was shingling (I’m a roofer by trade) when Daphne squeezed in tight against me on the couch and planted a real long, soft kiss on me, right in front of her godmother.
After my heart restarted and we’re alone outside the RV, she said she came on to me to make her godmother stop traveling when it was clear that her terminal cancer had deteriorated her health so badly that she was a danger on the road to herself and everyone else. I understood where Daphne was coming from, and agreed to the scheme. But there came a point, maybe when I helped her to drive for the first time since she was a teenager, when I realized that I wanted Daphne in my life for real. For any of you out there, hoping to take a friendship up another notch or don’t want to pretend to others any longer, here are a few tips you might want to consider.
- Tell him/her how you feel. I know I sound like the old Billy Joel song, but if you’ve been holding out on that special someone because you’re worried how they’ll react, then you’ve already given up before you started. I told Daphne straight up, “Let’s not fake it anymore.” True, she was a bit gobsmacked but me getting it out in the open was a game changer.
- Believe you are worthy of the one you’re chasing. Look, I’m not a big touchy-feely kind of guy. Probably more than my brother, but I’m no Dr. Phil material. But if you got it in your mind that you are getting the better end of the deal because you think you are uglier/poorer/fatter/older/needier than the one you got your eye on, that’s not fair to either of you. Know you’re worthy and then you can be worthy.
- Trust your partner, even when it doesn’t seem right. The big downside to faking a romance in the first place is that even if you both decide to go for it from here on out, how can you ever be sure the other is telling the truth? If your partner was good at lying in front of others, they might be taking you on a ride, too. But the thing is, you picked them for a reason, so trust all will be well.
- Make the other feel like the sun rises and sets on them. Daphne thought I wanted her because I was willing to take almost anybody. Now, when you spend your 30 years wanting to find that special someone, you get kinda desperate. The trick is to make it clear that you are desperate—for them alone.
- Plan for the long term. A real romance is meant to kickstart a life together. You can’t think to yourself, “I’ll make this real until it isn’t.” That’s a whole other kind of lie, and it’s one I’m ashamed to say that I told Daphne. I made her think that real and temporary are compatible but that’s still fakery.
- Include family. The minute my brother and sister met Daphne, there was no turning back. Seth riled me up by saying Daphne and I didn’t have a future given she lived on the other side of the country, and Connie went all ga-ga over us. And then along came my father with his interfering ways. Nothing like family to make things very, very real.
- Don’t ever give up. Let me tell you straight up that real love isn’t easy. The deeper in you are, the messier it gets. And that goes for both of you. Daphne floored me when she defied the law for my sake. I personally don’t recommend going that far but don’t be surprised if you end up in places you’d never thought possible—like the other side of the country, for instance.
