(Release date - 5th September 2013)
Does being in a relationship make you a hot commodity in the eyes of would-be suitors?
Chloe Lane is about to find out. When her childhood pal, Ethan Webster, asks her to play the part of his girlfriend in order to test this theory, she reluctantly agrees. As a work-crazed fashion designer, boutique owner and soon-to-be reality show judge, Chloe has no time for a real boyfriend, but being part of a faux pair will do just fine. Not that she has any intention of trying to attract someone else.
However…
Opportunity unexpectedly knocks when Chloe meets fellow reality judge, William Shannon. Super successful and super sexy, this high-powered entrepreneur inspires Chloe to test Ethan’s theory herself. Now, on top of keeping her fashion business productive, carving out a new role as a television personality, maintaining a fake relationship and attempting to lay the groundwork for a future relationship, she’s lying to William, lying to her friends, lying to her family and quite possibly lying to herself. Will Chloe be able to keep it all together, or are things about to explode?
Chloe Lane is a young, independent fashion designer and New York boutique owner. After yet another night out where there are no decent men on the scene, she chats with childhood best friend, Ethan Webster who discusses his theory that single people are not as attractive as people that are in relationships, and they hatch a plan to embark on a fake relationship, just to see if his theory has foundations.
Their friends are overjoyed to see them together as a couple, and the pair do feel pangs of guilt for deceiving friends and family, especially their parents!
Chloe's life takes an unexpected turn when she is contacted by ABC and offered the opportunity of being a judge on a new reality show - American Dream, a Dragon's Den/Apprentice-esque show for entrepreneurs to launch their inventions. She is ecstatic and highly flattered, as well as the fantastic exposure it will give her business it will rake in $120,000...or so she believes.
She begins to settle nicely into the whole 'fake relationship' with Ethan, enjoying his companionship and the nights out and parties they have with their friends, things seem to be going well for Chloe, and then she begins filming for American Dream and meets the drop dead gorgeous, hunky (and RICH!) businessman, William Shannon. He sets Chloe's pulse racing immediately and she has to seek advice from camp friend and stylist Mathieu on how best to bag the man she wants...with disastrous consequences!
Lying to Meet You is the first book that Anna Garner has written under her own name, normally writing as Libby Mercer, and I LOVED it! It's set mainly in New York and is heavily influenced by fashion. I adored the references to designers and fashion lines, the shops Chloe shopped in and the items she bought.
There is clearly a huge amount of research been done for this book and I would have loved to have been with Anna when she did it!
This is a really fun book, a romance essentially but definitely not the 'boy meets girl' type, it is written in a gritty, steamy and funny way, keeping you turning those pages as the plot is well written and leaves you not wanting to put it down.
The ending was lovely and ended in just the way I wanted it to, it left me wanting much more and would love to see a sequel to this! Definitely involving a wedding, and much more from Ethan's family who I loved!
Lying to Meet You is a really fun, old school chick-lit novel with a strong essence of Sex and the City, but then being set in NYC and involving fashion, how could it not?
I really enjoyed it, would highly recommend it and am eagerly awaiting more from Anna Garner!
Find Anna here on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LibbyMercer1
here on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnnaGarner?filter=1
and here on her Blog - http://libby-mercer.blogspot.co.uk/
NB - The author provided me with a copy of Lying to Meet You in exchange for and honest and unbiased review.