โThe friends-to-lovers trope feels fresh in Ellisโs hands, in part because itโs underpinned by a lovingly drawn depiction of Black family dynamics.โ โPublishers Weekly
Carlton Monroe is finally getting his groove back. After a year playing dad to his nephew and sending him safely off to college, itโs back to his bachelor ways. But when his teenaged niece shows up on his doorstep looking for a permanent home, his plan comes to a screeching halt. Family is everything, and in the eyes of social services, a couple makes a better adoptive family than an overworked bachelor father. A fake relationship with his closest friend is the best way to keep his family together.
If things between him and Deion are complicated, well, it only needs to last until the end of the semester.
Living with Carlton is a heartbreak waiting to happen, and once the adoption goes through, Deionโs out. Heโs waited two decades for Carlton to realize theyโre meant for each other, and heโs done. Itโs time to make a clean break. But itโs hard to think of moving away when keeping up the act includes some very real perks like kissing, cuddling and sharing a bed.
Even the best charades must come to an end, though. As the holidays and Deionโs departure date loom, the two men must decide whether playing house is enough for themโor if thereโs any chance they could be a family for real.
Higher Education
Book 1: Learned Behaviors
Book 2: Learned Reactions
โThe friends-to-lovers trope feels fresh in Ellisโs hands, in part because itโs underpinned by a lovingly drawn depiction of Black family dynamics.โ โPublishers Weekly
Carlton Monroe is finally getting his groove back. After a year playing dad to his nephew and sending him safely off to college,...