Penalty for Pretending

He’s the Firebirds’ reckless enforcer with a reputation to fix. She’s the buttoned-up PR manager who needs his help. A fake relationship should be the perfect solution…

I’m Ava Reynolds, the Seattle Firebirds’ PR manager, and the biggest sponsorship deal of my career is on the line. The team needs a wholesome, marketable image to seal the deal, but Jake “The Hammer” Harrison—our charming, unpredictable enforcer—is anything but.

Add in my family’s demand for a boyfriend at my sister’s wedding, and my perfectly organized life is spiraling fast.

Our deal is simple: he’ll pretend to be my boyfriend for family events and sponsor appearances—quelling his growing bad-boy image—and I’ll owe him a favor.

But Jake’s wild antics throw my carefully crafted plans into disarray, and somehow, the more time we spend together, the more our fake chemistry feels real.

When a nosy journalist starts digging, our lie threatens everything—my job, the sponsorship, and the team’s playoff hopes. Now, I have to decide: is risking it all for Jake worth losing the control I’ve spent my life building?

Penalty for Pretending is book 2 in the sweet/clean Firebirds Hockey series, which features interconnected standalones about the players on a fictional professional hockey team.

Tropes:
* Fake relationship
* Opposites attract
* Grumpy sunshine
* He falls first
* Workplace romance
* Bad boy with a heart of gold
* Forced proximity
* Found family